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Tottenham chiefs have held recent talks over signing a forward who is highly rated by Man City boss Pep Guardiola, as Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou seeks further attacking additions.

Spurs target more forward signings after Timo Werner

Chairman Daniel Levy's first order of business this summer was sealing a season-long loan extension for Timo Werner, who impressed in flashes under Postecoglou last term with his burst of speed and versatility.

Tottenham showing sudden desire to sign £50m Brazilian "in recent days"

The north Londoners have displayed their interest in a deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 11, 2024

The German racked up two goals and a further three assists over 13 Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites during the second half of 2023/2024, helping them to qualify for the Europa League and motivating Levy to strike a new arrangement with RB Leipzig.

Werner will now remain at Spurs until the end of next season, and they have the opportunity to sign him permanently from Leipzig next summer for around £8.5 million. Undoubtedly prudent business by the north Londoners, reliable media sources maintain there will be more attacking signings after Werner.

Tottenham are targeting an out-and-out replacement for Harry Kane, while technical director Johan Lange is also believed to want another quality winger. Spurs maintain an interest in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze as one option, and reports have even claimed that Levy is willing to pay the entirety of his £60 million release clause.

Stat

Total (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

31

Goals

11

Assists

6

Minutes per goal

208

Minutes played

2,285

Cheaper options from abroad come in the form of Galatasaray winger Baris Yilmaz, who started every game for Turkey at Euro 2024. Turkish media have stated that Spurs are ready to lodge an official bid for Yilmaz, but it remains to be seen if this comes to fruition.

Postecoglou may prefer an option with proven Premier League experience, though, and his club are said to be firm contenders to sign Wolves star Pedro Neto. The Portuguese is a key player for Gary O'Neil at Molineux when fit and available, having racked up 11 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions last season.

The biggest issue with Neto is his questionable injury record, with the former Lazio winger missing a combined total of 108 games since joining Wolves in 2019.

Tottenham hold recent talks over signing Pedro Neto

According to HITC, this hasn't stopped Spurs from entering into discussions for the 24-year-old. Indeed, the outlet reports that Tottenham have held talks over signing Neto in recent weeks, but face competition from Newcastle United who've done the same. Wolves value the £50,000-per-week forward at around £60 million, the same value as Eze's release clause, so it will be interesting to see which player Levy ultimately moves for.

Arsenal and Liverpool, who boast good relationships with Neto's agent Jorge Mendes, are contenders as well. Chelsea, meanwhile, are the latest side linked with a move as they monitor the forward's situation.

Neto has been called "incredible" by City boss Guardiola and is highly rated among other big-name figures like Anfield legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who branded the player a "superstar".

Pep Guardiola is reportedly more likely to sign a new Manchester City contract if the club are punished for supposed Financial Fair Play breaches.

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• Current deal expires in 2025
• Waiting on outcome of FFP case
• Managed expected to stay regardless

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The reigning Premier League champions have been dragged into an FFP case that includes somewhere between 115 and 130 charges. Speculation regarding what could happen if City are found guilty on multiple counts continues to rage, with rumoured sanctions ranging from points deductions to expulsion from the English top-flight.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guardiola’s future has provided another unwelcome distraction amid that saga, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2025. There has been talk of him agreeing an extension through to 2026, which would see a decade of service at the Etihad Stadium completed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  According to , Guardiola would be more willing to put pen to paper if City were hit with severe sanctions from the Premier League – with it suggested that decision “would partly be out of defiance and partly not leaving a club he has come to love in a difficult spot”.

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  It is also being claimed that City have inserted no clauses into the contracts of new arrivals that relate to potential relegation out of the Premier League. The official line coming out of the Etihad is said to be “there is nothing to worry about”, with players advised to “get on with the job”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O mistério continuará a imperar na Seleção Brasileira para a sequência das Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo. Em entrevista coletiva nesta quarta-feira (1), véspera do jogo entre Brasil e Chile, o técnico Tite evitou adiantar a equipe que iniciará a partida no Monumental de Santiago e falou que há pontos para ajustar.

+ Veja a sequência das Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo!

RelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraSeleção faz último treino antes do duelo com o Chile, e Tite mantém o mistério sobre escalaçãoSeleção Brasileira01/09/2021

-Eu não quero desconversar com você. Quero ser sincero, como sempre tem sido com vocês. Não vou dar a equipe que vai iniciar. Vou segurar escalação, estabelecer a estratégia para fazermos um grande jogo amanhã (quinta-feira, dia 2) – disse.

O treinador amenizou o fato de a Seleção não contar com atletas vindos do futebol inglês. Aos seus olhos, na sequência de partidas de setembro haverá espaço para outros jogadores mostrarem serviço.

-Temos um grupo de 40, 50 atletas, que monitoramos constantemente. Porque são atletas de alto nível, com know how, que estão suficientemente habilitados para vir à Seleção e mostrar o seu melhor futebol. Estimulamos a competição leal, sim – garantiu.

Auxiliar de Tite, César Sampaio destacou a expectativa em torno dos atletas.

-Independentemente de batermos recordes de vitórias nas Eliminatórias ou não, quando convocamos sempre buscamos ter uma boa performance, que nos trazem próximos aos nossos objetivos. Os jogadores que aqui estão, temos um radar amplo, e eles fizeram por merecer essa oportunidade. Quanto mais alto esse nível, mais perto da Seleção render o seu melhor – declarou.

A ausência de Matheus Nunes, do Sporting, foi justificada por Tite. Segundo o comandante, houve uma conversa com o volante, que estava feliz de atuar na Seleção Brasileira.

-Antes da convocação, Juninho conversou com ele, eu estava ao lado, também conversei com ele, inclusive dei parabéns pelo aniversário dele. Ele tinha muito orgulho e de vir para a Seleção Brasileira. Depois conversamos mais uma vez, e ele disse que o fato da vacinação e o período de quarentena impedia dele ir e vir e para os seus jogos subsequentes – e, em seguida, assegurou:

-Os atletas da Inglaterra têm um aspecto institucional, tenho o maior respeito por eles. Também afirmo, depois de ter contato com eles, que todos prestaram vontade de estar aqui representando a Seleção. Eles queriam estar aqui. Alguns fatores mais aconteceram para eles não estarem aqui – complementou.

A delegação brasileira viaja nesta quarta-feira (1) para Santiago. Depois, o Brasil encara a Argentina na Neo Química Arena, em São Paulo, no domingo (5) e, no dia 9, enfrenta o Peru na Arena Pernambuco.

Glamorgan seal only their third victory of campaign against Central Group leaders

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2020

Glamorgan 188 for 4 (Balbirnie 99*) beat Gloucestershire 171 for 6 (Dent 55, Wagg 3-34) by 17 runsIreland captain Andy Balbirnie fell agonisingly short of becoming Glamorgan’s sixth centurion in T20 cricket as he led his side to a well-earned victory over Central Group leaders Gloucestershire by 17 runs in the Vitality Blast in Cardiff.Balbirnie struck an explosive unbeaten 99, the highest individual T20 score by a Glamorgan batsman at Cardiff, to lay the foundations of a competitive 188 for 4, adding 61 for the second wicket with David Lloyd and 79 for the fourth with Chris Cooke.Defeat for the visitors means that they must now wait until their final match against Somerset on Sunday to discover whether they will have a home tie in the quarter-finals.Glamorgan made three changes to the side that lost heavily to Somerset at Cardiff two nights ago – top-scorer Owen Morgan, Callum Taylor and Marchant de Lange replaced by Kiran Carlson, Dan Douthwaite and Graham Wagg.Openers Lloyd and Nick Selman lofted the ball for a boundary apiece before the latter holed out to deep midwicket. However, Balbirnie continued the onslaught as Glamorgan reached 51 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.Gloucestershire turned to the medium-pace of Benny Howell and Ryan Higgins, and then to the left-arm spin of Tom Smith – and it yielded success when Lloyd was bowled by Howell as he stepped away to the leg side, before Carlson drove Smith to Howell at cover.Balbirnie swept Taylor to the fine-leg boundary for his second six, bringing up his half-century, and continued to blast the Gloucestershire attack with Higgins conceding 17 in his second over. Balbirnie waited nervously for his century, as Cooke was run out attempting a quick single, before Douthwaite despatched consecutive boundaries, but the Irishman ultimately fell one run short.Chasing 189 to win, Gloucestershire made a slow start to their Powerplay, despite two fours and a six by Chris Dent in the fourth over, before Mile Hammond was caught at short third man in the fifth as the visitors reached 49 for 1.By the halfway stage, Dent, who was dropped by Salter before reaching his half-century from 32 deliveries, and Ian Cockbain, also dropped by Timm van der Gugten in the deep, had guided Gloucestershire to 86 for 1, still requiring 103 runs to win.Graham Wagg gave Glamorgan important breakthroughs in successive overs, when he struck the top of Cockbain’s leg stump before catching Dent at long-off off Prem Sisodiya. He struck again when the equation was 65 from the final five overs as John Bracey, dropped at long-on on 29, skied to point from a leading edge on 37 in the 18th over.Van der Gugten yorked Higgins from the final delivery of the penultimate over, and Wagg claimed a third wicket in the final over when Jack Taylor was caught at long-off as Balbirnie rounded off a memorable evening for the Dubliner.

Despite setting course for Premier League safety, Everton will reportedly face a difficult summer in which they could lose even more stars alongside the often exit-linked Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana.

Everton transfer news

Sean Dyche deserves great credit for the job he's done at Goodison Park this season, having all but sealed Everton's Premier League safety for another campaign even in the face of point deductions. Without losing those points, things would have been far more comfortable for Dyche and co, but that hasn't stopped them from ultimately getting the job done.

Everton now eyeing move to sign "incredible" star who's outscored DCL

This would solve the Toffees’ goalscoring problem.

By
Tom Cunningham

May 1, 2024

That's not to say that things will now become easier this summer, however. The Toffees still face the prospect of losing both Onana and Branthwaite. The former has been linked with the likes of Newcastle United and Arsenal, whilst the latter has even attracted reported interest from Real Madrid.

Two big-money departures, Everton would at least find a way to balance the books and avoid further FFP punishment, but the exit of a third star player may be the final straw for those at Goodison Park.

According to Graeme Bailey, writing for The Boot Room, Chelsea are now huge admirers of Jordan Pickford and could attempt to make their move to sign the England number one this summer. Losing both Onana and Branthwaite would be a blow, but losing another defensive leader like Pickford in the same summer would leave Everton fighting for survival once again.

It could yet be a case of desperate times, desperate measures for Everton though, especially if 777 Partners' takeover fails to gain the Premier League's approval.

With or without those new owners, losing Pickford would leave Dyche with a mountain to climb when it comes to replacing leadership and a goalkeeper of the former Sunderland man's calibre. The hope in Merseyside will be that Premier League survival acts as a crucial part in pitching the stay of several stars, including the shot-stopper.

"Fantastic" Pickford is key for Everton

Some may be quick to overlook £125,000-a-week Pickford, but the fact remains that he's England's number one and a crucial part to any survival hope that Everton managed to cling onto throughout the season, before all but sealing it. The former Sunderland man has more than earned the interest of Chelsea, but the grass hasn't been greener for many at Stamford Bridge in recent times, perhaps leaving Pickford best-suited to stay put at Goodison Park.

Praising his England number one for reaching 50 caps, Gareth Southgate previously told BBC Sport: “It’s a fantastic individual achievement. There’s still only a low number of players that get to 50 caps and to do that you’ve got to have a decent period of time as an England international. For them it’s important. And that experience for us, you do go through different experiences that England nights and tournaments bring.”

On a day which promised more nip and tuck, South Africa dominated matters from the off and set up a likely victory in the fourth npower Test at Headingley

The Wisden Bulletin by Freddie Auld03-Jul-2020Close
Scorecard

Andrew Hall crashes one of his 17 boundaries in his 99 not out

On a day which promised more nip and tuck, South Africa dominated matters from the off and set up a likely victory in the fourth npower Test at Headingley. Andrew Hall blitzed a quickfire 99 not out as South Africa were finally bowled out for 365 with a nice round lead of 400. In reply, England recovered from 95 for 5 to 165 for 5, but they still need a further 236 for victory.Mark Butcher and Andrew Flintoff were left fighting England’s cause at the close, and they have given their side a glimmer of hope by halting a steady fall of top-order wickets. Marcus Trescothick fell in the fifth over when he edged Makhaya Ntini to Herschelle Gibbs, who took a blinding catch at third slip. The ball went low to Gibbs’s right and after he had originally held on to it, the ball popped up out of his hands but he clung on to it again with his left hand before it grounded (11 for 1). Michael Vaughan hit three boundaries, even bringing out his favourite swivel pull shot, but he joined Trescothick in the pavilion soon after tea when he edged a Jacques Kallis awayswinger to Gibbs, who took his second at third slip (44 for 2).Nasser Hussain battled hard for 23 balls until he was adjudged lbw off Kallis. Hussain got well forward to a full-length ball and replays showed it hit him outside off stump. However, Simon Taufel sent him on his way, much to the delight off Kallis and to the despair of an aggrieved Hussain (62 for 3). Ed Smith was full of nervous smiles walking to the crease with two ducks on his back, but he avoided a third when he drove Kallis through the covers for four. However, he later paid the price for a loose drive off Hall. Caught flat-footed, Smith tried to force Hall through the covers, but spooned the ball to Graeme Smith at backward point (81 for 4).Alec Stewart was never at the races. After prodding and poking he played a horrible swipe to Ntini and snicked the ball through to Mark Boucher for 7 (95 for 5). Butcher meanwhile was in fine nick, playing with a solid straight bat, and stroking five handsome boundaries, mainly square of the wicket, as England continued to splutter around him. Flintoff kept him company and played the crowd-pleaser again with seven thumping fours. He ended on 45, and Butcher 57, but it will take something of gigantic proportions for England to get anything out of this match after their poor bowling and Hall’s heroics.Hall made light work of the England attack with a dazzling display of batting. He crashed his 99 not out from 87 balls, featuring 15 fours and two sixes right out the top drawer. With a licence to play his shots, Hall took the game away from England with a host of booming boundaries. He raced to 46 from 45 balls before lunch, taking advantage of the continual barrage of short and wide bowling, and he then went into overdrive in the afternoon.He brought up his fifty off a slow long-hop from the tired Martin Bicknell and later lamped Flintoff for two fours and a six over deep-midwicket in the same over. He then skipped down the wicket and deposited Kabir Ali back over his head for four. And he didn’t stop there, later smashing James Kirtley over long-on for a huge six to go to 98.His only regret will be taking a single and leaving Dewald Pretorius to negotiate two balls from Kirtley. Pretorius failed to get forward to a straight ball and his middle stump was flattened. Hall could afford a smile, but he was cruelly robbed of what would have been a deserved first Test century. However, his cameo of carnage further rubbed England’s noses in to what was a truly awful morning for them.Before Hall got to work, Neil McKenzie, dropped by Butcher on 33, and Boucher cashed in on some wayward and undisciplined bowling. South Africa clubbed 129 runs in the morning session against a surprisingly inept England attack who had a nightmare. Kirtley’s first ball of the day was clipped off the pads for four by McKenzie, the lead went over 200 and South Africa didn’t look back.Just to make things worse for Vaughan, James Anderson saved one of his worst spells of the summer straight after Butcher’s drop. It was a disastrous start for England. No wickets, lots of runs, and the body language told it. Flintoff temporarily relieved the English gloom surrounding Headingley with the wickets of McKenzie for 38, and Boucher for 39, but the damage had been done with 68 runs flowing in the first hour. Then Hall took over.Click here for yesterday’s Bulletin
Click here for yesterday’s Wisden Verdict

Vikram Solanki has been announced as the new head coach of Surrey.Solanki, the former England batsman, replaces Michael Di Venuto who was told a few weeks ago his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. He has remained in Australia.Solanki, who has been a coach at Surrey since his retirement from the game in 2016, will take up the position straight away and work with the Surrey squad as soon as professional players are able to return to group training.”I’d like to begin by acknowledging the outstanding contribution of Michael Di Venuto during his time at the club,” said Solanki. “I am now really excited to be taking over as Head Coach. We have a very talented group of players at Surrey CCC and will be looking to compete in all formats – both in any competitions that are able to be staged this summer and in the future.”Our squad contains a great mixture of established talent and young up and coming players looking for opportunities. I’m looking forward to working with all Surrey players to make sure the Club has the best possible chance of delivering more silverware in the years to come.”Alec Stewart, Surrey County Cricket Club Director of Cricket, added: “After recently having to make a tough decision on Michael Di Venuto, I’m very fortunate to have been able to appoint someone who knows our setup and players inside out – but has also broadened his coaching experience around the world in recent years.”I have total confidence and faith that Vikram will step up to this new role and its associated challenges and responsibilities.”During his time at Surrey, Solanki has worked in coaching roles under both Di Venuto and Graham Ford, and has also worked as an Assistant Coach at the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, in the Dubai-based T10 competition and on a recent England Lions spin camp in Mumbai.As a player, Solanki played 54 ODI and T20I matches for England between 2000 and 2007. Domestically, he played 325 first-class games with a further 484 white-ball appearances, scoring over 31,000 runs in all formats, the majority in a 17-year stint with Worcestershire, whom he captained for five years between 2005 and 2010.Further to his coaching and playing careers, Solanki has also acted as Chairman (2009-2012) and – in 2012 – interim Chief Executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association. He is also President of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), a role he has held since 2017.Surrey CCC Chairman Richard Thompson added: “Vikram has already been part of the Surrey family for a long time and it’s fantastic to now welcome him as our Head Coach. On behalf of everyone at Surrey CCC, we look forward to him taking up the role and playing an even bigger part within the Club.”

Here's everything you need to know about Liverpool's pre-season games and how to watch them.

Liverpool finished third in the 2023-24 Premier League season and will be looking to push for the title under new boss Arne Slot in the upcoming season.

The Reds finished with 82 points from their 38 matches, nine points behind leaders Manchester City. They will be looking to bridge that gap in performance and challenge the Cityzens for the trophy.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Liverpool's pre-season plans ahead of the 2024-25 season, plus ticket information, where to watch games live and more.

• Liverpool 2024 pre-season fixtures & results

  Date	Game	Kick-off time	Venue
  Jul 19	Preston 1-0 Liverpool	NA (behind-closed doors)	AXA Training Centre, Kirkby, Liverpool
  Jul 27	Liverpool 1-0 Real Betis	12.30am BST	Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
  Aug 1	Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal	12.30am BST	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
  Aug 4	Liverpool 3-0 Man Utd	12.45am BST	Brice Stadium, South Carolina
  Aug 11	Liverpool vs Sevilla	12.30pm BST	Anfield
  Aug 11	Liverpool vs Las Palmas	5pm BST	Anfield

  The Reds were edged out 1-0 by Preston North End in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday, July 19 at the AXA Training Centre but the post-Jurgen Klopp era got up and running with the Reds' first win on their US tour.

  Dutch boss Arne Slot earned his first win as Liverpool manager with a 1-0 victory over Real Betis thanks to an excellent Dominik Szoboszlai finish in Pittsburgh.

  Liverpool then beat Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United in a span of six days.

  They will conclude their pre-season a week before the Premier League opener, with games against Sevilla and Las Palmas on the same day at Anfield.

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  Liverpool 2024 pre-season tour tickets

  Buy Liverpool tickets at Ticketmaster USCheck availability

  Tickets for Liverpool's pre-season tour are available to buy now.

  • Tickets for Liverpool vs Real Betis
  • Tickets for Liverpool vs Arsenal
  • Tickets for Liverpool vs Man Utd

  Read our comprehensive guide to buying Liverpool tickets here.

• How to watch Liverpool pre-season games on TV & livestream online

  Liverpool's friendly against Sevilla in this pre-season will be shown live on Fuboand FOX in the US.

  However, all the club friendly games should be available to watch on LFCTV and LFCTVGO, which is the club's official streaming platform. Watch this space to learn where the games can be streamed, once it is confirmed.

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• When does the 2024-25 season start for Liverpool?

  The Premier League fixtures for the 2024-25 season have been released. Liverpool will kickstart their league campaign with a trip to Ipswich Town on August 17.

  The Reds will be taking part in the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup next season and are set to head into a busy campaign.

Derby County unsettled League One leaders Portsmouth at Fratton Park last time out in league action, with Joe Ward for Paul Warne's men bagging twice on the south coast in the barnstorming 2-2 draw.

John Mousinho's men needed a spectacular strike from Owen Moxon late in the second half to gain a share of the points for the table toppers, Derby pushing Pompey all the way in an exhilarating 90 minutes.

There were some standout performers for the away side that helped the Rams unnerve the confident hosts on the day, including Corey Blackett-Taylor who could find that he's now undroppable in the Derby lineups going forward after starring in the action-packed contest.

It hasn't been the smoothest ride for the exciting winger ever since he left Charlton Athletic for pastures new, but everything could start to slot into place now for the ex-Addicks man in a Rams shirt after a strong showing against Pompey.

Corey Blackett-Taylor's performance vs Portsmouth in numbers

Struggling to keep a consistent spot in the Rams first team since moving in January – with the game at Fratton Park only Blackett-Taylor's fourth start since relocating – the former Charlton attacker will demand he's a main starter now after shining brightly versus Portsmouth.

Blackett-Taylor would play a key role in Derby's opening goal versus Mousinho's hosts, driving forward through the middle of the park unchallenged before teeing Ward up with one of his two key passes to drill home for 1-0.

Away from putting it on a plate for Derby's number 23 to shock the league leaders, the 26-year-old attacker would fire two efforts of his own on Will Norris' goal to try and help his promotion-seeking side pick up a big win.

He would win three ground duels in the game as a lively presence going forward too – despite losing the ball on 11 occasions – before being substituted off with five minutes to play.

Yet to get up and running still with his first goal for the Rams, with Blackett-Taylor bagging nine goals when back at Charlton, the former Addicks winger will hope today's game on the road at Wycombe Wanderers can see him break his duck for his new employers on the way to another vital league victory being secured.

Minutes played

85

Assists

1

Touches

26

Accurate passes

7/11

Key passes

2

Successful dribbles

2/6

Duels won

3/7

This star display at Fratton Park means the 26-year-old's spot in Warne's XI should be set in stone from now until the close of the regular season in April, with Warne wanting Blackett-Taylor to kick on and be an even brighter spark as his side aim to secure promotion in the weeks to come.

Blackett-Taylor's season in numbers

Warne will want Blackett-Taylor to recapture his electric Charlton best regularly playing for the Rams now, with the 6 foot winger picking up seven assists on top of the aforementioned nine goals when still on the books at the Valley earlier this season.

It has been an arguably underwhelming switch to date for Blackett-Taylor moving to Pride Park, with the likes of James Collins and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing being the main men for Warne's outfit still, but the Rams number 27 showed flashes of his past Charlton excellence away at Portsmouth.

The tricky attacker's positive display received many plaudits after the final whistle was blown, with DerbyshireLive journalist Leigh Curtis handing out an 8/10 rating to Blackett-Taylor and describing his surge forward for Ward's first of the night as 'majestic'.

Curtis also labelled the Derby number 27's performance as the best possible way to finally 'announce himself' after becoming an accidental background figure since joining, with lots more expected from the winger as he grows more confident in his new surroundings.

Derby dropped a clanger signing star who'd be worth £11m in 2024 money

Derby County will still look back on this signing as a major misfire.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 7, 2024

Maxine Blythin says she has received huge support on the cricket field and in everyday life

Valkerie Baynes26-Nov-2019

Maxine Blythin, the transgender cricketer who was recently named as Kent Women’s Player of the Year, has revealed she was shocked by the negative reaction towards her.Blythin, who was born with a condition that meant she failed to go through male puberty as an adolescent because her testosterone levels were too low, won the award in late September without major fanfare. But when controversial columnist Katie Hopkins responded negatively on Twitter earlier this month, it sparked a raft of vitriol on social media against Blythin.While the furore did not necessarily surprise Blythin, it was all the more shocking to her given the support she had received from friends, family and many in the cricket community.”From obviously reading media stories you know that that kind of mentality is out there,” Blythin told Sky Sports. “There are people who just don’t like you because you’re different or you don’t fit into their binary norms that they see.”You get a lot of hate mail, some more extreme than others. It’s probably the hardest thing, I think, for someone like me to experience because because it’s someone saying, ‘you are not valid, I get to decide who you are, not you’, without any understanding of the biology behind it, the science behind it, and just in general how your brain works.”My friends have all been accepting. My family, with some time, were very accepting. At work I’ve never had any issues, on the sporting field, not a single comment, no issues. In just general life, going to the shops, going anywhere, not a single issue at any stage. I’ve just been living my life being a normal human, going to work, going to the shops, paying taxes.”Blythin paid tribute to Kent captain and England opener Tammy Beaumont, who was quick to throw her support behind Blythin in a series of Tweets aimed at Hopkins, including one which said: “Personally I’m proud to call her my team-mate and my friend. So please attempt [sic] don’t speak for me or my ovaries.”Blythin said she had spoken with Beaumont since to tell her how much she appreciated her support.”Having someone who openly shows her support despite knowing what backlash you could get from it, from people who just don’t know anything about the story, anything about biology, anything about who I am or what I’m doing, is very brave of Tammy and something I appreciate a lot,” Blythin said. The story did raise more nuanced debate surrounding possible physical advantages Blythin may possess over other women competing with or against her, especially that she is more than six feet tall. As an opening batsman, she helped Kent win the Women’s County Championship this year, finishing her debut season as the county’s third-highest run scorer.Asked whether she had any physical attributes which might prove to be an advantage, Blythin said: “Nothing particularly, only the differences you get in humans in general.”There are girls in my team who are a lot stronger than I am, there are girls with longer arm spans than I do, girls with bigger hands than I do, just in my own team, never mind the teams I play with or against. I’ve just got some naturally good bits, ie. tall is beneficial for some things, but I’ve got very thin arms.”In my family I’m not considered abnormal. I’ve got a tall dad, a tall mum. I’m quite normal sized for my family. My sister is pretty tall as well.”While the ECB’s playing regulations allow Blythin to play women’s cricket simply by identifying as transgender, she would have to meet the ICC’s more rigorous standards if she were ever selected to play for England, which includes a limit on testosterone levels. However, she said she would welcome the opportunity if it came along.”If I was invited to, it would be the biggest privilege of my life,” she said. “Speaking to people who have played at that level, even if it’s just for one game, it’s one of the biggest occasions of their sporting lives. I’d 100 percent say yes. I’m not expecting it but I would say yes.”Blythin also has a condition called gender dysphoria, where a person experiences discomfort or distress because their biological sex does not equate with their gender identity and she remembers feeling that way “before I can remember other memories”.”The first thing I can remember as a kid is thinking that way,” Blythin said. Throughout my adolescence, my childhood, I always had that feeling of being different but without the way to articulate, without the knowledge to know where I stood.”Back then, parents weren’t given that kind of information, that kind of story was not easily accessible. You didn’t have trans role models, you didn’t have anything like that, so being able to articulate who you are was not easy.”Describing her experience of gender dysphoria, Blythin told Sky: “It’s a feeling of disgust, a really hurtful feeling … my best way is to ask what makes a man. If you come back and tell me it’s what’s in your trousers, you’ve not grasped what being a man is.”You have to look inside yourself and really think. Now, imagine you’re a man in a woman’s body – but you’re still thinking about what makes you who you are. To then have that body stare back at you in the mirror… that’s the easiest way to explain it.”Asked to describe herself, Blythin said: “A woman, simple as. I always have felt that way, I’ve always wanted to articulate it as such.”