Getting to his 400th wicket in his 100th Test, with a flurry of records thrown in, makes it a game to remember for Mitchell Starc

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2025Mitchell Starc termed the Jamaica Test match as an “uncomfortable” one for him. West Indies’ batters might well have said, “speak for yourself”. Starc was not, of course, referring to when he had the pink ball in hand.Starc’s feelings around the last few days refer to the attention on him for his 100th Test. “Get on with the cricket,” he said ahead of the game. He has often spoken about how he will only reflect on landmarks and achievements when he hangs up the bowling boots. In this match, he added plenty to the list: a triple-wicket opening over, his 400th wicket, and the quickest five-wicket haul in a Test innings.It was as though he was putting together his own highlights package to mark the occasion: inswingers, pads struck, stumps splattered. Only one of his wickets needed the assistance of a fielder. In some ways, it was a bit of a shame Mikyle Louis got his pad in the way of the 400th.Related

• Ten days in the Caribbean: WI batters hit new lows, questions remain around Australia's top three

• Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

• 'Unreal' – Starc and Boland amaze each other with stunning feats

The night before the match, Starc was presented with a couple of signed shirts and a bottle of Jamaican rum to mark his century. But what seemed most special was a video put together with messages from family, friends, former Australia cricketers and players from his AFL team, Greater Western Sydney Giants.”It’s certainly been uncomfortable throughout the week,” he said. “I was happy just to have a win and sing the song. It’s certainly been a special week to play, to wear the baggy green. It’s been one I’ll cherish for a long time.”Such was the speed of Australia’s victory (or West Indies’ disintegration) that supporters were playing on the outfield before it even went dark. While Starc and Scott Boland finished the game in the blink of eye, this was not a collapse under lights. On the first two days of the match, wickets had been hard-earned in the first two sessions. But on the third, the sun hadn’t even started setting when Starc claimed three in his first over.In fact, Australia bowled just nine overs under lights for the game, on the first evening after they made the decision to have a thrash, losing 7 for 68 in the process. They found themselves batting under lights yesterday and were 99 for 6. In the fourth innings, they were preparing to try and hold the game until the lights took hold, hoping 203 runs would be enough to take the game deep if needed.”[It’s] probably a win against the conditions in the fact that we only bowled ten [nine] overs under lights,” Starc said. “I think everyone today with the ball was pretty spot on. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen that quickly. We were talking about almost consolidating the scoreboard until we got closer to that night session.”It wasn’t a plan to drag it out. [But] if things weren’t happening straight away, we knew that things would happen quicker in the night session. [It was like] this is what we want to do at the start, but if it doesn’t happen straight away, let’s just chill out and stop the scoreboard and cash in at night. Didn’t need to.”Starc’s 6 for 9 took him to 20 wickets at 16.45 in this four-Test stretch, which started with the World Test Championship final. For the second time in ten Tests, following his 6 for 48, also with the pink ball against India last season in Adelaide, he has improved his career-best.Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead the trophy celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

“I felt like my rhythm has been pretty good for a while now,” he said. “Even coming into the lead up to Lord’s, I felt like everything was clicking into place. It’s been nice to have that carry on throughout the series. Today, again, just felt like everything was in sync and got some late swing. I think perhaps the breeze might have helped in the fact that I wasn’t under lights.”Starc’s six and Boland’s hat-trick meant that for just the second time in an innings of significance when he was fit, Pat Cummins wasn’t required to bowl. “My favourite part,” he joked.”I think a lot of the chat leading into this week is how resilient you need to be and professional to make it 100 Tests,” Cummins said of Starc. “[But] I think that’s kind of the Starcy I always remember playing alongside. He can tear a game open by himself really in the matter of a couple of overs. It feels like he can do it in any format, any time.”When day-night Tests were introduced, Starc was a strong voice questioning the wisdom of it. He still believes they need to be scheduled carefully, and that Adelaide is an ideal model, but he can see a place for them – 81 wickets 17.08 no doubt helps.”It’s good for my record,” he said with a smile.

The offspinner, who has faced scrutiny over his action in the past, will need to undergo independent assessment within 14 days

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025South Africa allrounder Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a suspect bowling action following the first ODI against Australia on Tuesday in Cairns.The offspinner took 1 for 46 in his ten overs, dismissing opener Travis Head as South Africa went 1-0 up with a 98-run win. This was the 31-year-old Subrayen’s ODI debut, which came almost two months after he earned his first Test cap against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.Related

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• Australia set to face another trial by spin but Subrayen won't play

• Can't bat, can't play? Allrounders take centre stage in Conrad's T20 spin vision

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Rabada ruled out of Australia ODI series with ankle inflammation

Subrayen now needs to undergo an independent assessment of his action at an ICC-accredited testing facility within 14 days which South Africa are hoping he can do in Brisbane at Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Centre where Australia’s left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was tested earlier this year. Bowlers are permitted 15 degrees of elbow extension while delivering the ball and he is allowed to continue bowling in matches until the results of his test are known. But South Africa coach Shukri Conrad said on Thursday that the team has decided Subrayen will not play until he has completed the testing process.”He’s available to play,” Conrad said. “You are allowed to play until you get tested.””We just felt that less noise and get him out of the public eye, make sure he is okay and focuses on the testing.”The process is to get him tested as soon as we can and we are looking to do it in Brisbane. That suits everyone. We are going to the UK via Brisbane so hopefully we can get it sooner rather than later.”This is not the first time the Subrayen has faced scrutiny over his action. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) placed him under rehabilitation after two separate independent tests deemed his action illegal. He was cleared to bowl again in January 2013 after undergoing remedial work and re-testing.Subrayen was reported in September 2014 during the Champions League T20 tournament in India, and once more during a domestic T20 game in November 2015, and suspended from bowling after an assessment of his action found all his deliveries to exceed the 15-degree limit. He failed a re-assessment in January 2016, and was eventually cleared to resume bowling after having his action cleared at the CSA’s High Performance Centre in March 2016.”He has gone through this process before,” Conrad said. “It’s never easy. It’s taken him a long time to make his debut and we are rallying around him. Next week will reveal a lot and we will take it from there.”They’ve [the ICC] flagged 12 balls which they’ve forwarded to us. He has got to emulate those 12 balls during the test. We are going to be sending our bowling coach (Piet Botha) with him for support and for us to gain some knowledge about how these things work.”The second and third ODIs, which are the last two matches of South Africa’s white-ball tour of Australia, will be played on August 22 and 24 in Mackay.

Winner joins India in Super Four round from Group A; loser exits the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025
After a one-hour delay to the start of the game, UAE won the toss and opted to bowl against Pakistan in a must-win game for both teams in the Asia Cup in Dubai. PCB cleared the Pakistan team to play after the board claimed that match referee Pycroft had apologised to their players for his actions during the India-Pakistan game on Sunday.UAE captain Muhammad Waseem expected dew to play a part and confirmed that Simranjeet Singh replaced Muhammad Jawadullah.
“We will try to restrict them,” Waseem said. “It is a do-or-die game. We will take advantage. We had a good game in Abu Dhabi; this is a different game.”Related

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

UAE’s decision went down well with Pakistan, who wanted to bat first anyway. Pakistan made two changes to the side that lost to India on Sunday, with Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah coming in. They replaced Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf.One of these two teams will be eliminated after Wednesday’s result. Both sides beat Oman comfortably and lost to India, making this fixture in Dubai a knockout game: the winner joins India in the Super Four, while the loser exits.UAE: 1 Alishan Sharafu, 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Asif Khan, 4 Muhammad Zohaib, 5 Harshit Kaushik, 6 Rahul Chopra (wk), 7 Dhruv Parashar, 8 Haider Ali, 9 Muhammad Rohid Khan, 10 Simranjeet Singh, 11 Junaid SiddiquePakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Salman Agha (capt), 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Hasan Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

They became the joint-most-expensive uncapped Indian players ever signed at an IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-20251:11

Watch – Prashant Veer’s family soak in the moment after CSK buy him for INR 14.2 crores

Prashant Veer, a 20-year old left-arm spin allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik Sharma, a 19-year old wicketkeeper from Rajasthan, have smashed the record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player ever bought at an IPL auction, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bidding a whopping INR 14.2 crore for each of them at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.The previous record bid for an uncapped Indian was INR 10 crore for fast bowler Avesh Khan by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022.Veer and Kartik headlined a massive payday for uncapped Indians, with Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi getting signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8.4 crore, and 23-year-old pace allrounder Mangesh Yadav by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 5.2 crore. Wicketkeepers Tejasvi Dahiya (INR 3 crore to KKR), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 crore to LSG) and Salil Arora (INR 1.5 crore to SRH), batter Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 crore to LSG), and fast bowler Naman Tiwari (INR 1 CR to LSG) were the other uncapped Indians to get to or past the INR 1 crore mark.Related

• Fleming on CSK's philosophy shift: 'Might've been a little bit slow to evolve'

• J&K star Auqib Nabi is used to IPL rejection, but this time 'feels different'

• Cameron Green becomes most expensive overseas player in IPL; uncapped Indians go big

Veer’s base price at the auction was INR 30 lakh but the bidding for him skyrocketed – it began between Mumbai Indians (MI) and LSG initially, followed by a battle between CSK and LSG, then with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and eventually Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining in. At the time of the auction, Veer had played nine domestic T20s and his performances in the UPT20 League, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Uttar Pradesh’s Under-23 fixtures earned him a call up for trials with CSK.After CSK had signed Veer for INR 14.2 crore from the set of uncapped allrounders, they bid aggressively for Kartik, whose base price was also INR 30 lakh, from the next set of uncapped wicketkeepers. Once again MI and LSG began the bidding, followed by battles between LSG and KKR, KKR and CSK, and eventually CSK and SRH, who once again dropped out once the bid reached INR 14.2 crore. Kartik, who has been signed up by JSW Sports, which manages several top athletes including the Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, is building a reputation as a lower-order finisher who can hit big sixes. In 12 T20s, Kartik has scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes.Prashant Veer (left) has become the joint most expensive uncapped Indian player bought at an IPL auction•UPT20 League

“Kartik Sharma, we had him last year and he did some trialing with us,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said. “We’ve been watching Kartik for some time and I’ll go back to the scouting and the work that’s done in a lot of tournaments. Prashant Veer, given that we needed that kind of skillset with trading Jadeja for Sanju and we identified him as a good talent going forward and filling that spot for us, doing that skillset.”As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it. Only halfway through the tournament [IPL 2025] we had a big shift and you saw with the players we got in as reserves, there was a shift in what we needed to do. Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success but we identified that we needed to shift and partly the work that we did last season halfway through has enabled us to continue that work done.”We knew if we can get a strong core of local players I think your team’s in good shape, and sometimes you have to invest time in them and also money because what is happening is the scouting on numerous tournaments around India are becoming very important. So players are being watched and being studied and being bought with a view to perform in the way they’re performing now but also another eye on the future. The fact it can be life-changing is a very rewarding aspect for doing something that they love. But first and foremost they are bought for their skills and that’s what they’ve been identified as doing which is a celebration for them and their family.”The first uncapped Indian player to go big at the IPL 2026 auction was Nabi, who was signed by DC after they fought off competition from RR, RCB and SRH. Unlike Veer and Kartik, the 29-year-old Nabi has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket over the past few seasons. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he has taken 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of under eight and has been a net bowler with KKR and SRH in the past.”He’s done well in all formats, he’s somebody we believe that gives us an option up top, he can bat a bit, and there’s a reason why he’s gone for that [high] price,” DC head coach Hemang Badani said. “And only when someone else is bidding against us can someone go up to 8-8.5 crores. So, that tells you that this kid has something in him, like a Prashant Veer has or a Karthik Sharma has. There’s a reason why people go up to 12 or 14 crores. One kid doesn’t go up to that price unless there’s a bidding war. A lot of the younger boys are coming through and Auqib Nabi is one of those we feel will go forward. We believe he’s a good bowler for us.”Mangesh’s bidding was between RCB and SRH, and his bid rose from his base price of INR 30 lakh to INR 5.2 crore, at which point SRH dropped out. He has played only two domestic T20s, scoring 28 runs off 12 balls and taking three wickets, but made a strong impression in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League.

Nathan Smith came in for Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20251:27

Southee: Henry not playing the final a ‘massive loss’ for New Zealand

Matt Henry was ruled out of the Champions Trophy final against India because of the shoulder injury he picked up in the semi-final, against South Africa, on March 5 in Lahore. Nathan Smith was brought in as Henry’s replacement in the New Zealand XI.Doubts about Henry’s availability for the final emerged on Friday when Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said, “We’ve had some scans and stuff done on him, and we’re going to give him every chance to be playing in this match. [But it’s] still a little bit unknown at this stage.”Henry bowled and fielded in the New Zealand training sessions on match eve, raising his team’s hopes. But, on the morning on the match, when Henry was out on the ground with the rest of the team, he turned his arm over just a few times, grimacing each time, and walked out.Related

• New ball or old, Henry will make things happen

Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy leading up to the final with ten strikes, had hurt his shoulder while taking the catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen. He left the field but returned to bowl two overs late in the match. He was also seen diving in the field after he came back.Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, had been optimistic about Henry’s availability soon after the match against South Africa, and Stead had also sounded a positive note, saying, “I guess the positive thing from our perspective is he got back out there to bowl.”Henry had been crucial to New Zealand’s run to the final. In the only match they lost in the first round, against India – also their opponents in the final – Henry returned a five-for. That match was also played in Dubai, like the final.New Zealand opted to field allrounder Smith in Henry’s place even though they had the option of a fast bowler in Jacob Duffy. Smith played one game in the Champions Trophy, the tournament opener in Karachi against Pakistan, where he didn’t get a chance to bat and picked up one wicket in two overs with the ball as New Zealand won by 60 runs.

Arsenal star Mikel Arteta has claimed that he is now back to full fitness following a season ravaged by injuries, according to report from the Express.

Arteta underwent ankle surgery at the beginning of the year and beforehand struggled with a thigh problem, limiting him to just 12 games the entire campaign.

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However, the Spanish midfielder is adamant that his injury worries are behind him and is aiming to be back amongst the first-team in the near future.

“I had a really tough period last year after my last game in November and I went through some really difficult moments with my surgery.

“For me it is the frustration [that is the hardest thing] because there is always pain and you are trying to get back every day and you spend a lot of time doing rehabilitation.

“When the players go outside for a training session, you feel wasted. They come back, they travel and they have different times to you. Personally I don’t feel productive.

“I’m here because I want to play games, make this team more successful and be a part of it.

“When I’m not able to do that I still have to contribute, be positive, be good around the other players, give advice and try to help my team-mates. But it is not the same.

“But I worked really hard and tried to stay positive, do my best and here I am again now, earning my place in the squad and ready to help the team.”

Wenger will be boosted by the news after seeing Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere pick up long-term injuries before the start of the season, while centre-back duo Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are expected to recover from their respective problems in time for their clash against Stoke City this weekend.

Arsene Wenger’s men haven’t had the best start to their Premier League campaign, scoring only three goals in four matches, with two of them coming from own goals.

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When Brendan Rodgers needed him most, Daniel Sturridge delivered. That is the story of Liverpool’s weekend compressed into a single sentence, counter-intuitively typifying how circumstance has continually conspired against the Ulsterman during his Anfield reign.

Having spent Friday’s pre-match press conference denying reports that he’d been sacked, securing all three points against an Aston Villa side set for another campaign in the Premier League’s bottom five was imperative to stopping the growing tide of supporter disillusionment becoming a tsunami – especially after the disappointing draw with Norwich City the weekend prior.

Liverpool are more accustomed to crucifying the Canaries via a spate of worldly efforts from Luis Suarez, so the 1-1 home draw was a harrowing reminder of their struggles since the Uruguayan swapped Merseyside for Barcelona in summer 2014. Rodgers needed a performance against Villa to prove his Anfield vision hasn’t turned into an irreversible, inescapable nightmare and Sturridge, making only his second Premier League start since March and only his 14th league appearance in 18 months, willingly provided it.

The 26 year-old netted a stunning half-volley at 59 minutes after a delicate one-two with James Milner on the edge of the box, whilst his shrewd side-footed finish ten minutes later turned out to be the decider in a 3-2 affair. Two goals of the highest calibre, albeit against the Premier League’s third-leakiest defence.

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The England international is now Liverpool’s most important player. Quick centre-forwards have always flourished over more attritional ones during Rodgers’ tenure but it’s equally a question of match-winning quality – the kind of quality required to break the Premier League’s top four. Sturridge now stands alone in that regard throughout the Liverpool squad, perhaps excepting the exciting but unpredictable Philippe Coutinho.

But the striker’s match-winning display against Aston Villa was in itself a testament to what Rodgers has been up against during his three years on Merseyside. Injuries have surrendered Sturridge to just 57 Premier League appearances out of a possible 100 since signing from Chelsea in January 2013, so one can only speculate how many points Liverpool have missed out on during his absences.

And Sturridge’s recurring sideline bouts are just the tip of the iceberg. Along with the 26-year-old, Rodgers has lost former captain Steven Gerrard to age and Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez to the allure of Champions League football over the last 18 months. Even when Sterling was there in body, he wasn’t quite in spirit; Gerrard’s case, vice versa.

They were four integral cogs of the Reds’ 2013/14 runner-up campaign; two of which two of the biggest clubs in Europe were willing to pay a combined £125million for, one of which is amongst the best strikers in the Premier League and the last of which has been the heart and soul of the Liverpool first team for so long that his debut was made in a different millennium. Spanning back a summer earlier, Rodgers lost Jamie Carragher, another Anfield icon and dressing room leader, to inevitable retirement.

The £255million spent in that time period suggests Rodgers has been allowed the finance to replace them – although whether the responsibility for signings should truly rest with him or Liverpool’s ‘transfer committee’, a gang so secretive, mythical and far removed from the public eye they rival Yale’s Skull and Bones society, remains open to interpretation.

However, that’s not necessarily true. How can you replace a one-club captain like Steven Gerrard, for example? Or a striker so eclectic he’s now the support act to Lionel Messi at Barcelona? Tottenham Hotspur involuntarily parted with Ledley King, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in the space of a calendar year. Two seasons later, they’re still a shadow of the top-four contending force of old, despite spending £229million and sacking three managers.

Every club in world football, be they Barnet or Barcelona, would struggle after losing such a pivotal core. Take Manchester City’s shock defeat to Spurs on Saturday for example; Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany and David Silva were all absent, whilst Yaya Toure came off with an injury midway through the second half.

Of course, that by no means atones for Rodgers’ many errors as Liverpool boss, which are by no means exclusive to the transfer market. But Sturridge’s performance against Aston Villa proved what Liverpool are capable of with just one top-class player in their starting Xi, so imagine what they’d achieve if they still had four – or for that matter even just two.

Whilst he’s still no longer fit for purpose in the eyes of many, its unquestionable that Sturridge’s unfortunate injuries, Gerrard’s inevitable Premier League retirement and the departures of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling – two transfers instigated by incidents out of his control – have made Rodgers’ primary aim of regular Champions League qualification a near-impossible task.

Although I’m sure he’ll eventually bare the brunt of responsibility and receive his marching orders, I doubt any manager, be they Jose Mourinho or Gary Megson, would have fared significantly better under the same circumstances.

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When Liverpool travel to Manchester City this weekend, all eyes will be on Raheem Sterling as he faces the Reds for the first time since leaving the club in acerbic circumstances over the summer.

Those vindictive souls who make up the majority of the football watching populous will find it hard not to slip into a mentality of wanting to watch him booed and hissed loudly or of wanting to see a heavy Martin Skrtel tackle set the young winger straight. Liverpool fans will be baying for blood.

And with the optimism at Anfield recently, the new manager and the new lease of life, the idea of a full-blooded game filled with high pressure, lots of running and no time on the ball seems inexorably coupled with the idea of crunching tackles and a bit of winding-up. It’s the old English way, after all.

Jurgen Klopp has never managed Sterling, he more than likely has no ill-will towards the player, and he’ll hardly send his players out any more fired-up than he usually does. It’s just that with the away fans booing their former starlet, they might fire the players up even more than the manager does.

And if that’s the case, Liverpool should be careful.

City have the pace and the attacking quality to threaten Liverpool. They don’t need much time on the ball to punish you because they counter-attack with so much pace.

Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ is designed to stop counter-attacks. If you get close to an opponent when he wins the ball off you, then he won’t have the time to look up and pick the right pass. But when the opponent is Fernandinho or Yaya Toure they’ll just hold off the tackle and run up the pitch.

It’ll be up to Liverpool to try to stifle City’s attacks when Pellegrini’s men do build-up pressure, but the more important issue for Liverpool is not to give the ball away too cheaply in City’s third of the pitch. A sloppy square ball, or a misplaced pass in a central area will allow City to break, whereas a ball into the channels won’t carry the same risk.

The situation gets even more complicated for Liverpool if Sergio Aguero is back. The Argentine is much quicker and more mobile than Wilfried Bony, so with Aguero at the helm, City can play their counter-attacking game with even more ease. It’s not just the fact that Aguero is a better player than Bony, it’s that Aguero suits City’s Plan A much better than Bony does.

Liverpool will know all about City, having beaten them by playing a very fast-paced game over the last few seasons. Memorable goals from Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson sealed wins for Liverpool at Anfield last season and the season before, and a game at the Etihad was won by City only after Liverpool had the opening goal of the game disallowed by a very dodgy offside call. Ironically, the man denied the goal was Sterling himself!

Since then, though, City have added the pace of Sterling and the precision of Kevin De Bruyne. It’s a new-look City attack, and one that will pose Liverpool more problems.

At the other end, the addition of Otamendi adds even more bulk to City’s defence, meaning that Christian Benteke won’t look as big as he usually does.

This will be a full-blooded game. City are going to try to counter with pace and power, Liverpool will pressurise them with every available body. Pure English entertainment served up with the Raheem Sterling situation bubbling away in the background.

Liverpool will have to be very careful how the approach this one, otherwise City could do to them what they’ve done to City for the last few years.

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Black Friday is here! That’s right, the annual 24 hours in which budding shoppers from the USA and the UK recreate scenes from The Purge to ensure nobody beats them to a toaster with five quid knocked off its recommended retail price has finally arrived.

A strange tradition but an increasingly popular one nonetheless. Last year, a whopping £810million was spent by online consumers alone; one can only imagine the total with all those riotous shoppers trampling over small children on their way to the discount lampshades isle included as well.

And in homage to this year’s Black Friday, Football Fancast have been prowling the transfer market for some of its best bargains on behalf of the Premier League’s top clubs – in this instance, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Some come with knees made of glass, off-field baggage and controversial reputations, but all are available for a knock-down rate this Black Friday!

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

What better way to kick off Black Friday than signing an experienced goal scorer without spending a penny?

Indeed, only 25 players throughout the competition’s history have scored more Premier League goals than Emmanuel Adebayor, who boasts an impressive return of 96 from his spells with Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea and Manchester United are both believed to be in the market for added firepower, the Blues’ reportedly concerned with the sharp decline of Diego Costa and the Red Devils’ current strike-force of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial finding just five Premier League goals between them this season.

The 31-year-old represents a short-term fix until more coveted targets become available. He’s certainly well experienced in life at a major club, but like most Black Friday giveaways, the Togo international isn’t exactly reliable.

ALEXANDRE PATO

Another experienced striker striker doing the rounds is Alexandre Pato, whose services have allegedly already been offered to Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs at the relatively cheap cost of £11million.

The 26-year-old is best famed for his prior spell at AC Milan, where he scored 51 goals in 117 appearances, but has spent the last three years rebuilding his career in the Brazilian league after enduring 18 months of injury hell at the San Siro.

That may put some off the 5 foot 11 striker. Nobody wants a television set with a busted up aerial, regardless of how cheap Currys are selling it for.

But the Brazil international has now enjoyed three straight seasons of full fitness and just come to the end of the most prolific campaign of his career, netting 26 times in 56 appearances on loan at Sao Paolo.

Sao Paolo can’t afford to sign him permanently, parent club Corinthians are keen to cash-in and Pato is resultantly eyeing a return to European football.

JOEL MATIP

Boasting fantastic athleticism, great versatility and relative youth, Joel Matip has plenty to offer a top European club like Chelsea or Manchester United.

The Cameroon international measures in at 6 foot 4 but is slight and agile, whilst his ability on the ball has seen him feature in defensive midfield as frequently as his preferred position of centre-half throughout his Schalke career. He’s even filled in at full-back on occasion too.

The 24-year-old has been deployed exclusively as a centre-back this season and is arguably enjoying his strongest form to date, averaging 1.5 tackles, 3.5 interceptions, 5.5 clearances and 3.8 successful aerial duels per match whilst claiming two goals and one assist in 13 Bundesliga outings.

But with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, some Black Friday haggling could see the Miners surrender Matip on the cheap.

NICOLAS N’KOULOU

If you’re spending Black Friday searching for a bargain centre-half, then look no further than Marseille’s Nicolas N’Koulou.

The Cameroon international has been regarded as one of the French top flight’s leading defenders for some time, having twice claimed a slot in the division’s Team of the Season since moving to Stade Velodrome in summer 2011.

The 25-year-old has been tipped for a Premier League move before without anything materialising. But N’Koulou is now edging upon the final six months of his Marseille contract and without a new deal in sight, he’s another who can be whisked away on the cheap with a bit of bartering.

SOFIANE FEGHOULI

The third and final bosman-bound bargain on this list. Sofiane Feghouli’s contract situation at Valencia has seen him linked with countless clubs over the last few months – not least including Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona.

The Algerian international isn’t exactly a world-beater, finding six goals and six assists in 33 La Liga outings last season, but he’s a real nuisance in the final third and at 25 years of age could up his game to a new level within the next few years.

He possesses the pace and power to be a real hit in the Premier League and although Valencia are optimistic of eventually agreeing extended terms with the African attacker, a decent bid will certainly make them think twice about his future.

Chelsea perhaps aren’t in need of added options out wide but Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to add a speedy winger to United’s starting line-up. Feghouli could be the man for the job.

MARIO GOTZE

A considerably pricier Black Friday deal compared to the rest on this list but one that represents good value-for-money nonetheless.

Mario Gotze is best famed for scoring the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final but his club career has somewhat tanked since moving to Bayern Munich in summer 2013.

Indeed, he’s gone on to see just 4476 minutes’ worth of action in the Bundesliga under Pep Guardiola, which works out at just shy of 50 full appearances from a possible 81, and often finds himself benched for Bayern Munich’s most important Champions League fixtures.

The German international’s agent made plenty of noise about leaving due to a lack of game time during the summer and the situation hasn’t particularly improved, with Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman representing even greater competition for a regular starting berth.

So with Gotze’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, a cheeky bid around the £20million-£30million mark might just convince Bayern to cash-in on the disillusioned 23-year-old.

What a Black Friday coup that’d be!

Tottenham have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League and their academy continues to produce players who would walk into most sides in the country.

Mauricio Pochettino is developing a reputation for bringing youngsters through his squad and into the England setup, but he can only have so many starlets at a time and it might be best for some to look for a loan move to a side like QPR.

Alex Pritchard has already made his loan move in January and others are likely to follow suit as the loan window opens for Championship clubs.

Pochettino may be reluctant to let players who have featured in the first-team could out on loan as they go into a busy period with the return of the Europa League later this month.

The Lilywhites will be eyeing up a title challenge in the remainder of the season, but these youngsters must put their own career first and look for first-team football.

Here are FIVE players that QPR could be looking at…

Joshua Onomah

Onomah has been a central figure in the successful Spurs academy and captained the under-18s side in their youth cup run a couple of seasons ago.

Despite having featured a couple of times this season, the attacking midfielder is a season or two away from forcing his way into the starting XI and has all the strengths to be a dangerous force in the Championship.

Harry Winks

Winks made his first team debut in the Europa League in 2014, but has failed to push on to compete with the more experienced players in the first team squad.

The central midfield man featured strongly in the under-21s last season and is ready to make the move for more minutes in senior football despite being overlooked by Pochettino.

QPR’s side could do with an injection centrally and there is no better solution than Winks.

Clinton Njie

Njie has everything that you would associate with a successful Championship attacking player.

The former Lyon man has a great turn of pace and would be a good foil for Washington in QPR’s forward line. Son, Chadli and Lamela are all ahead of Njie in the battle for the wide positions in Pochettino’s side so Spurs might consider a loaning out their summer signing.

Tom Carroll

Carroll has made his way into Pochettino’s first-team plans on a more regular basis of late, yet their could be an argument for QPR to push to bring the talented midfielder back on loan.

Dembele, Alli, Bentaleb and Dier are all likely to make their way back above the diminutive youngster in the pecking order and regular minutes are crucial to his development.

Kyle Walker-Peters

Walker-Peters is adept at both left and right full-back and the youngster made his senior debut during Spurs’ pre-season tour of Asia.

Having become a regular in the under-21s, the youngster must be considering a loan move to begin his career at senior level and QPR would be a good starting point.