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Inigo Martinez has explained his shock decision to leave Barcelona for Saudi Arabia, saying the jaw-dropping Al-Nassr offer was impossible to reject.

• Martinez says Al-Nassr salary was “hard to say no” to
• 34-year-old joined Saudi Club as a free-agent
• The Spanish international won domestic treble with Barca last season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After making a surprise move from Barcelona to Al-Nassr, Martinez has admitted that he couldn't turn down the jaw-dropping offer from the Saudi club. The 34-year-old defender, who joined Barca in 2023, said he would have considered staying at the Catalan side if his contract had longer than a year left to run on it.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Martinez joined the Catalan side from Athletic Club in 2023 and played a key role in a squad that lifted La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. After limited opportunities with previous coach Xavi, the Spaniard thrived under Hansi Flick, making 46 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring three goals and providing six assists.

  However, with just one year left on his contract, the veteran centre-back accepted Al-Nassr’s offer, signing as a free agent to join a team featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and new signing Joao Felix.

• WHAT INIGO MARTINEZ SAID

  Talking to , Martinez opened up about his surprising move to Saudi, admitting that it wasn't an easy decision for him and his family. 

  "On a financial level, you can't compare that league with any of the others these days," he said. "Looking at my career and what I'd achieved, it was time to take the step. A player's journey is short: I'm 34 years old, and these trains come once, if they come at all, and it's hard to say no. The moment you see the offer, you can't even believe it: no one is prepared for that. I had been a pawn in football. You have to be there to understand what an offer like that is."

  He added: "I certainly would have thought about staying if I'd had more years with Barça. Because my salary was significant, not that it was a low salary, and we were happy. Whether you like it or not, coming to this country… it's a tough decision to make; not only dragging my wife along, but also my children, everything changes. Maybe I would have thought about it more, yes."

  The quick change from expecting to stay at Barca to joining Al-Nassr came as a shock, saying: "Look, it came as a surprise to many. And aside from the fact that I got on well with the fans, I generated that excitement, and in the end, my leaving came as a surprise to them, but that's how football works, and these days we're used to changes happening overnight."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INIGO MARTINEZ?

  Martinez could make his debut for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Ittihad on August 19. Barcelona, meanwhile, have identified 20-year-old Argentine centre-back Geronimo Spina from Atletico Madrid’s reserve team as Martinez’s ideal replacement. The Catalan club is in talks with the player’s agent to agree on personal terms before making a formal approach to Atletico. 

Lothar Matthaus questioned Harry Kane’s Bayern claim that the current squad is too small, insisting the striker had ignored the club’s new signings and key players returning from injury.

• German icon challenges Kane’s Bayern view
• Points to reinforcements and returning stars
• Insists striker overlooked squad improvements

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern lifted the DFL Supercup after a 2-1 win over Stuttgart, securing the first trophy of the season under head coach Vincent Kompany. Harry Kane was on the scoresheet with a stunner, but the England captain’s post-match comments raised eyebrows. Kane described Bayern’s squad as “one of the smallest” he has ever played in, with only 25 professionals available and further departures thinning the group. His remarks came just a day after Kingsley Coman completed a move to Al-Nassr.

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  WHAT MATTHAUS SAID

  Germany legend Lothar Matthäus openly questioned Kane’s remarks in his latest column for , suggesting the striker had overlooked Bayern’s reinforcements and returning players: “I didn’t quite understand Harry Kane’s comments that this year’s Bayern squad is one of the smallest he’s ever played in. Diaz and Tah are absolute reinforcements, and they’ve also added a really good player in central midfield in Tom Bischof. Furthermore, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Hiroki Ito will return from their injuries at the latest when the title is at stake.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The contrast highlights a broader debate at Bayern, should Kompany’s side rely on their experienced core and integrate emerging prospects, or push for more signings before the deadline? The club has brought in Luis Diaz, Jonathan Tah, and Tom Bischof, yet 11 players have departed permanently, leaving just 22 fit senior options. Sporting director Christoph Freund has admitted the squad “isn’t the greatest in terms of quantity,” underlining Kane’s concerns. Matthaus, though, believes faith in returning stars and youth development will balance the numbers.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  The Bundesliga champions face a decisive two weeks before the transfer window shuts in September. While links to Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku persist, a deal appears unlikely given his price tag. Kane hopes for reinforcements, while Kompany may choose to double down on his younger players, especially after their promising pre-season showings. Bayern kick off their league campaign against RB Leipzig on August 22, followed by a DFB Pokal clash against Wehen Wiesbaden, fixtures that will test whether the squad depth debate proves costly or overstated.

Chelsea are hoping to negotiate a bargain £25 million ($33.7m) transfer fee with Manchester United for their out-of-favour winger Alejandro Garnacho before the summer transfer window closes. Garnacho is in Ruben Amorim's 'bomb squad' after his fallout with the manager following the Europa League final loss to Tottenham last season.

• Chelsea hoping to sign Garnacho at lower price
• In talks with Man Utd
• Winger determined to join Blues

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Garnacho has been frozen out of United's first-team squad and is unlikely to play under Amorim again. He has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, with Chelsea being deemed as favourites to sign the Argentine winger. 

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to the , the Blues are now hoping to reduce the Red Devils' £50 million ($67m) asking price for Garnacho as they are prepared to negotiate and bring down the fee to between £25m and £35m. With the transfer window closing next Monday, United might be forced to sell the 21-year-old below their previous valuation.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Garnacho has offers from several top European sides, including German champions Bayern Munich, but the Argentina international has reportedly made up his mind to only move to Stamford Bridge. 

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  WHAT NEXT

  Enzo Maresca's side will be back in action in the Premier League this Saturday as they take on Fulham at Stamford Bridge. United, meanwhile, welcome Burnley on Saturday after a trip to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Nearly doubling the 2024 mark of $188 million, the league set a historic new high in transfer spending

• Heung-Min Son joined LAFC in a $26M deal
• Rodrigo De Paul signed with Inter Miami for nearly $15M
• Columbus Crew landed Wessam Abou Ali for $7.5M

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Major League Soccer had a record-breaking transfer window in 2025, with its clubs spending more than $336 million combined on player signings – by far the highest in MLS history – the league announced this week.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to the league, the surge in spending was fueled by three marquee transfers and more than $40 million exchanged through recently introduced player allocation trades. This figure nearly doubled last year’s $188 million total, and left previous records well behind: $170 million in 2021 and $163 million in 2022.

  The record window underlines the league's growing ambition to position itself as a global football destination. By investing heavily in elite international talent, MLS is signaling a new era of competitiveness and international relevance.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The biggest splash came from LAFC, which secured the signature of South Korean star Son Heung-Min from Tottenham for roughly $26 million. World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul followed, swapping Atlético Madrid for Inter Miami in a move worth close to $15 million.

  Columbus Crew also joined the high-spending clubs, bringing in Danish striker Wessam Abou Ali from Al Ahly for around $7.5 million.

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  WHAT MLS SAID?

  “MLS clubs set a new benchmark in 2025, spending close to $336 million on transfers, driven by three headline signings and more than $40 million in newly introduced player-cash trades,” the league confirmed in a statement.

The USMNT star might be the best talent in his federation, but there are plenty of other names waiting to burst onto the scene

We all just assumed that Christian Pulisic is the best player in CONCACAF. That is, of course, the natural order of things – especially if you are of the USMNT persuasion. After all, he is the go-to guy for Milan, a constant threat for the national team, and a top performer in pretty much every notable big game he has featured in of late.

But is that really the case? Pulisic missed two months of football this summer after electing to sit out of the Gold Cup, and watched from home as the rest of CONCACAF staked their claim. In short, there's a sense that others could have caught up.

U.S. teammate Tyler Adams has been excellent of late, while Canada's Jonathan David has shown that he is good enough to earn a true step up for Juventus, who have dreams of European glory. 

GOAL ranks the best players in CONCACAF ahead of the September international break.

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  7Alphonso Davies: Canada

  Even with half a working knee, Davies is still one of the best left backs out there. Sure, he was caught up in a significant amount of controversy after sustaining an ACL tear in a Canada national team game when he was arguably not fit to play. But "Phonzie" remains an immense talent, and there is no indication that he won't be back to his scintillating best when he returns. 

  There is good news on that front, too. Davies is back in training for Bayern, and the word is that he could play for Canada by the November break – a timely boost for .

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  6Chris Richards: USMNT

  Give it a couple months, and Richards might be higher up this list. It would not be an overstatement to suggest that the center back's rise has been meteoric. A year ago, he was still a bit of a misfit at Crystal Palace, the weak link in manager Oliver Glasner's back three. But after impressing, he's now a key player for the manager.

  A series of stellar individual performances has only reinforced that notion. Most notably, he clamped Erling Haaland in the FA Cup final in May – despite Man City's obvious attempts at targeting the Birmingham, Alabama native. He was a standout for the U.S. at the Gold Cup, too, and a stalwart at the back as Pochettino's side went on a run to the final. And at 25, he will only get better. 

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  5Raul Jimenez: Mexico

  Jimenez looked like he might have been out of soccer 18 months ago. The goals had dried up at a club level, while he was still recovering from a serious head injury suffered in a Premier League fixture. But every time he put the Mexican national team shirt on, he came alive. That trend has continued in style, with Jimenez consistently bagging for . 

  He has endured something of a quiet start to the Premier League campaign – he is scoreless in his side's first three – but Jimenez remains an icon for Mexico. He's 10 goals away from being El-Tri's all-time top goalscorer, a consistent threat, and still the No.1 choice to lead the line for a national team that just might have turned a corner.

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  4Antonee Robinson: USMNT

  It's a bit dramatic to dub Antonee Robinson a "tragic hero", but he does have the misfortune of getting very good at football at the wrong time in his career. Robinson, remember, really could be playing for Milan now, but after a failed transfer nearly five years ago, finds himself running up and down the left at Fulham. That is no disrespect to the Premier League club, of course, who have offered the perfect forum for Robinson, 28, to be his versatile best. 

  Adept going forward and remarkably scrappy defensively, Robinson relies on an excellent engine as well as a lethal killer ball to serve as the archetypal modern touchline full-back. Injuries have rather hampered him of late, and he has missed out on the most recent U.S. squad as he recovers from a series of knocks. But when he's fit, he's among the best in the world at his position. 

Ball-by-ball descriptions of England’s dismissals as they slumped to their sixth-lowest Test total

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2018Boult and Southee combined to skittle England out for 58 all out on Day 1•ESPNcricinfo LtdBoult to Cook, OUT, play that! No chance, even for Cook. That’s sensational bowling and NZ strike. Boult goes slightly wider of the crease, but he persists with that length, full. His deadly accuracy means Cook is drawn into a stroke, it’s around off. Moves away just enough with that angle from wide of the crease, takes the outside edge and flies to second slip at a comfortable knee height. Big strike.Boult to Root, OUT, and Boult has Root! England’s best Test batsmen are done for today. Stunning bowling again, very full outside off, the ball moving back in. Root is drawn into a drive because he sees a run-scoring option. He drives at the ball, but the ball swings back and finds a big gap between bat and pad. The ball loves that unhindered path and hits off stump.Boult to Malan, OUT, England in disarray! Boult is on faaayyyyaaa! It’s the exact same delivery that got Cook, exactly the same. He goes wide of the crease and bowls it on a full length. Because of that, Malan has to get forward and play, or at least he feels like he needs to play. The ball moves away juust enough, takes the outside edge. It carries nicely to Watling, who dives in front of first slip and takes it with the gloves. Superb cricket from NZ.Southee to Stoneman, OUT, England are 18 for 4 on the first morning of the Test! Another terrific delivery, it’s full, the ball moving away late. Stoneman has to play, he has to. The ball is straight afterall. Another outside edge and another nice low catch from Watling. Boult and Southee, not many better swing bowling combinations around.Boult to Stokes, OUT, it gets worse for England. They have been absolutely undone by one of the spells of the summer! Boult goes wide of the crease again, he has been taking the ball away for most of the afternoon from that angle. But this one doesn’t, it comes back in. Stokes wants to leave that, but the ball keeps coming back in, like the off stump is a magnet and the ball is a magnetic substance with an opposite charge. It perfectly finds the off stump by the time Stokes’ bat thinks of coming down.Kane Williamson took a stunning catch at gully to dismiss Stuart Broad•Getty ImagesSouthee to Bairstow, OUT, caught and bowled! Read this right: 18 for 6! It’s full outside off, nothing much else to it. Bairstow drives, looking to counter-attack but the ball comes on a touch slower than he expected. It lobs back off the lower half of the bat, towards Southee, who doesn’t panic in his follow-through. The ball goes straight in. WHAT A START.Boult to Woakes, OUT, he’s got a fifth, and he’s only in his seventh over! Boult is judge, jury and executioner at Eden Park and everyone is feeling his wrath. Not least the stumps as they take another battering. This is another inswinger, pitched up, drawing Woakes into a drive. But to play these kinds of shots, the front foot needs to move, needs to cut the gap that pops out when the hands go searching. Woakes’ doesn’t. And Boult thunders through to hit off stump. Epic bowling. Unbelievably epic.Southee to Ali, OUT, yorker! As if the swing and seam isn’t enough, Southee is forcing the batsmen to deal with toe-crushers? This is borderline evil! Moeen is so slow bringing the bat down, and when he does, he makes it travel down the original line of the ball. On off stump. But it’s swinging in. Just enough again to beat the inside edge and cannon into the base of middle stumpSouthee to Broad, OUT, this has to be a dream! It’s one thing to have your bowlers looking literally unplayable. But when you couple that with your captain flying through the air to catch a ball hurtling past him, you are playing cricket at an entirely different level. Williamson is at gully. He sees a thick outside edge from Broad. He throws himself to his left. He’s parallel with the ground, sticking one hand out to that little pink thing and it sits in it ever so obedientlyBoult to Anderson, OUT, taken at point, Boult has six and England are all out for 58! This is the least glamorous wicket of all, but it still has an English batsman fearing the ball, Anderson shying away from a short ball outside off and poking it straight to the fielder. But really, what can No. 11 do when the rest of the line-up was so shoddy?

The midfielder netted the equaliser for Mikel Arteta's side before being sent off as the visitors fought back to earn a deserved point

Arsenal carried a Champions League hangover into their Premier League clash at Liverpool, but showed they have the stomach for a fight in Sunday's 2-2 draw.

Wednesday's semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain took a lot out of the Gunners, both mentally and physically, and they looked weary from the off, despite Bukayo Saka having the first chance of the game as he poked wide after breaking the offside trap from a free-kick.

David Raya was called into action early – as he produced smart saves to deny Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones during an overworked first-half – and the Spanish goalkeeper was beaten with just 20 minutes on the clock as Cody Gakpo avoided a couple of questionable offside traps.

Liverpool’s second came less than 90 seconds after their first, with Arsenal’s defence left chasing shadows once more as Mohamed Salah carved them open and Diaz was teed up by Dominik Szoboszlai to slide into an empty net.

Gabriel Martinelli did, however, grab the Gunners a lifeline within two minutes of the second half getting underway, with the Brazilian glancing home a header from Leandro Trossard’s pinpoint cross. A fightback that appeared highly unlikely at the interval was completed in the 70th minute when Martin Odegaard let fly from distance, forcing Alisson into a save that saw the ball rebound kindly off the post and onto the diving head of Mikel Merino – who was played onside by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Spanish midfielder quickly went from hero to villain as, less than nine minutes after finding the target, a clumsy challenge resulted in a second caution and subsequent red card, which left Mikel Arteta's side to play out the closing stages with 10 men.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Anfield…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  David Raya (7/10):

  The final outcome could have been worse had it not been for the Spanish shot-stopper, with his reflexes tested while missing out on another clean sheet in the Golden Glove race.

  Ben White (5/10):

  At fault for Liverpool’s first as Gakpo skipped away from him initially, before then playing the Dutch forward onside as he ghosted into space and broke the deadlock from close range.

  William Saliba (6/10):

  Always looked strong in one-on-one battles, but was troubled by balls over the top and was caught out of position far too often – with Diaz running away from him for Liverpool’s second.

  Jakub Kiwior (5/10):

  Another of those in the Arsenal backline that got pulled into positions that he never looked comfortable filling, with the Pole benefitting from Liverpool taking their foot off the gas.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly (5/10):

  A testing outing for the promising full-back as he found himself being pushed backwards on a regular basis – with a booking for a grab at Salah further tarnishing his afternoon.

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  Midfield

  Martin Odegaard (7/10):

  Has faced plenty of questions regarding his contribution over recent weeks, but started to tick in the second half and it was his long-range strike that led to Arsenal’s equaliser – while he also came agonisingly close to snatching a dramatic winner.

  Thomas Partey (5/10):

  Willing to press high in a bid to force mistakes from the opposition, but looked a little cumbersome at times as energy levels began to sap in the middle of the park.

  Mikel Merino (5/10):

  Declan Rice was a big miss in midfield, and despite the Spaniard grabbing the equaliser, as he stooped to nod home, two clumsy tackles resulted in him being given his marching orders.

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  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (6/10):

  Bobbled an early opportunity wide of the post, with balance and composure letting him down, and produced a couple of mazy runs that troubled Liverpool’s backline.

  Leandro Trossard (6/10):

  Interchanged with Martinelli, as Arsenal operated without a No.9, and provided the assist for the Gunners’ goal without ever really bursting into life and posing a sustained threat.

  Gabriel Martinelli (7/10):

  Got his goal after switching with Trossard and moving into a striking berth, with a composed finish produced after drifting into space, and had a couple of other sights of the target.

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  Subs & Manager

  Kieran Tierney (5/10):

  Charged with the task of seeing the game out after Arsenal were reduced to 10, with the Scot strengthening the Gunners’ defensive unit.

  Riccardo Calafiori (5/10):

  Another switch that was intended to shore Arsenal up at the back, with Arteta expecting a late onslaught from the hosts.

  Oleksandr Zinchenko (5/10):

  The third of three left-backs to be introduced off the bench, with the Ukrainian given little time in which to impact proceedings.

  Mikel Arteta (6/10):

  Cannot afford to see his side stumble over the line and got the reaction he was looking for after an inspired half-time team talk.

The former players criticized the USMNT Gold Cup roster, suggest Pochettino's hands were 'tied'

• Howard says Pochettino should have taken stronger stance
• Donovan suggests there was a viable compromise
• Both place blame on federation leadership

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  This USMNT’s pre-Gold Cup roster was announced last week, with Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson among the major stars not on the squad.

  Pulisic requested to take the summer off, with U.S. Soccer saying, “Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break."

  Former USMNT stars Tim Howard and Landon Donovan voiced concerns about U.S. Soccer and Mauricio Pochettino's approach to roster selection for the summer tournament.

  “Mauricio Pochettino was forced into a decision, OK?” Donovan said on his Unfiltered Soccer podcast with Howard. “When your best player calls you and says ‘I don’t want to come in this summer’ what are you supposed to do? So, your options are; ‘I don’t care, I don’t care how your feeling, you’re coming in!’ – and now your best player is pissed off at you. And oh, by the way, what happens when your best player gets hurt?

  "Now he’s blaming you and we’re all blaming him or he has to do what he decided to do which is ‘Ok, I’m going to leave you off and risk our team not doing as well, and risk not having you here.’ And he had to do that with multiple players – so multiple players ended up tying his hands and it just makes it difficult for him, it makes it really difficult for him. What is he supposed to do?"

  Howard said the absences mean Pochettino won’t be able to fully evaluate his full squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The former Everton and Manchester United star said that there should have been a plan to prioritize the Gold Cup.

  “My hope would be that there was this plan in place that says, 'This is last chance saloon, to get all of my guys together to see what I have.' By the way, you talk about evaluating, when the Gold Cup ends, Mauricio Pochettino will not know – I’m going on record as fact – he will not know what his best team is made of in the most difficult moments. Think about that for a second. So my thing is, there had to have been a plan in place that says ‘We are prioritizing the Gold Cup, we’re going to win the Gold Cup’.

  "You and I, Landon, have been in rooms with managers on the USMNT that have said to us this exact thing, ‘Listen boys, we’re going to play this tournament exactly how we’re going to play next year’s World Cup.’ You and I have heard this, Landon: ‘We’re going to mimic what the World Cup’s going to look like so we have an idea of what that looks like next year.' Mauricio Pochettino does not have that, so I’m saying this needed to be a priority."

  Howard said the U.S. manager should have overruled absentee requests from players other than those who are injured or have Club World Cup commitments.

  “You ask what is he supposed to do because a player has tied his hands? [Pochettino) is bigger than U.S. Soccer – he makes it a priority and if the manager says ‘Look guys, this is how it’s going to be’ they’re not going to throw the toys out of the pram. And if they do, they’re going to miss the World Cup. And they’re not going to do that, so they’re going to fall into line."

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• WHAT LANDON DONOVAN SAID

  Donovan said a compromise could have been reached regarding games and playing time.

  “You could not even come in for the friendlies, and start by not playing your last two club games," he said. "So now you’ve had rest since mid-May all the way through first week of June, we’re going to get you moving, running and all a little bit on your own. You’re not even coming in with the group, and we’ll see you on June 10, four days ahead of the first game.

  “You’re not playing in the first two games, period. If, by some reason, we need you for the third game, which we shouldn’t, we might suit a few of you up, put you on the bench and get you going. Then you’re going to play in the knockout stages… That’s another compromise that could have been made.”

  Howard called out the federation for not talking to European clubs in advance, requesting that they make certain players available.

  “I’m not putting the blame necessarily on Mauricio Pochettino,” Howard said. “What I’m saying is all of these conversations needed to be had with the global sporting directors at these clubs. So I’m putting a ton of this on U.S. Soccer, as there needed to be people on planes and restaurants in Milan, restaurants in London, saying ‘Listen, I understand you have priorities, let me tell you about my priorities. The Gold Cup in 2025 is my priority.’

  “'I need to have my best team, I need to give the manager that I’m paying $6M dollars to – or rather I have an obligation – to get him his best team on the field. Now that may not mean anything to you, but it means the world to me, and that’s more important. So how do we figure this out?’ That’s dialogue, and I don’t necessarily know that that dialogue has been had with sporting directors.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The criticism from two former USMNT players comes at a key juncture for the USMNT program, with the 2026 World Cup on home soil now just one year away.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Before the Gold Cup, the USMNT will play friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland on June 7 and 10, respectively.

Briefly there were heated scenes when replays showed Joseph well short of his ground with the home side insisting they had appealed

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2024Australia were denied a run out in bizarre circumstances during the closing stages of the second T20I against West Indies in Adelaide when umpire Gerard Abood ruled they had not appealed.In the 19th over, Alzarri Joseph drove to cover and ran. Mitchell Marsh collected the ball and threw it to Spencer Johnson who broke the stumps. There was very little excitement from the fielders, with Johnson immediately making his way back to his mark and Marsh looking frustrated he had not made a direct hit.On the TV coverage, Abood can be heard saying, seemingly to the TV umpire over his radio: “No appeal.”Related

• Magnificent Maxwell's record-equaling century sets up series win

The replay was then shown on the big screen with Joseph clearly out of his ground and the Australians started to celebrate, but Abood stood by his view there was no appeal and it could not now be made.The players started to gather around Abood, who said: “Stop, stop, stop…there was no appeal.”Tim David could be heard insisting he had appealed. Tempers started to fray, with one voice heard saying “this is ridiculous.” David Warner could be heard saying, “it’s an umpire error.”With the players remonstrating, Abood says: “Can we get on with the game, guys…guys we are getting into real poor territory.”Eventually, Johnson sent down the next delivery and the game drew to its conclusion.”I think the umpire deemed that no one had appealed, and there was a few of us that thought we did appeal,” Glenn Maxwell said after the game. “To be fair I understand, it wasn’t like it was a screaming appeal from everyone but probably one of those things where you expect it to go up to the third umpire, we thought it was pretty close and there were a few of us putting our hands up.”We sort of stopped, thinking he’d sent it upstairs, and everyone was turned around watching the big screen and the batter had already started walking off. So it was just confusing – thank God it didn’t cost the game. Just one of those weird rules in cricket, we should probably just be a bit louder with our appeals.”Law 31.3, timing of appeals, states: “For an appeal to be valid, it must be made before the bowler begins his/her run-up or, if there is no run-up, his/her bowling action to deliver the next ball, and before Time has been called.”There is no specific reference to an appeal coming after a replay has been shown on the big screen, although there are protocols around replays not going onto the screen for appeals that may involve the DRS until the 15 seconds have elapsed.There was an occurrence in the recent Australia-South Africa women’s ODI series where Australia were denied the chance to review an lbw against Chloe Tryon because the replay had already been put on the screen.The incident in Adelaide did not impact the result of the game which Australia won by 34 runs.

Bayern Munich have been warned they should not pay a large transfer fee to sign Luis Diaz from Liverpool this summer.

• Hamann advises Bayern against €80m Luis Diaz move
• Urges club to consider Donnarumma as Neuer successor
• Questions €70m valuation for striker Nick Woltemade

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Bayern and Germany international Dietmar Hamann has publicly questioned the club's pursuit of Liverpool winger. The Bundesliga champions are reportedly considering an €80 million (£68m/$87m) bid for the 28-year-old, but Hamann warns that such a move makes little financial sense given Diaz’s age, international travel demands, and limited resale value. He also dismissed reports linking Bayern with Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, calling the reported price tag excessive.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hamann criticised Bayern’s transfer strategy, stating the Bundesliga champions are straying from their developmental philosophy by targeting older, high-cost players. The former midfielder suggested Bayern should utilise their academy talents instead of committing large sums to players with limited long-term returns.

• WHAT HAMANN SAID

  Hamann spoke on Diaz's situation: "To now bring in Luis Diaz, a 28-year-old South American who played 50 games per season for four or five years and has those long flights home, which are also a problem. To pay 70 or 80 million for that, while the sale value is zero because he would be 32 at the end of his contract. I wonder what they even have the campus for?"

  Hamann also thinks that the amounts being spoken about for Woltemade are too high: "One could have come up with the idea of approaching the player and the club before the European Championship, then he might have cost less. This is a player for whom, with a lot of imagination, one could pay 40 million. But Bayern are in a situation where they will have to at some point, and I don't think it's out of the question that they might pay 70 million. I think it's absurd to pay €70 million for a player who was free two years ago. And they shouldn't go along with that. I'll let Wisdom Mike or Lennart Karl play instead. That's why I feel Woltemade isn't coming to Munich."

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• NEUER'S REPLACEMENT?

  In contrast, Hamann proposed Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma, aged 26, as a solution to replace 39-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer long-term.

  Speaking on the position, he said: "I have my doubts whether Jonas Urbig will be the one to take over in goal next year. Donnarumma will be free next year, he's only 26, so you'd have five or six years of peace."