O Fluminense está com suas atenções voltadas para o confronto com o São Paulo. Na manhã desta sexta-feira (30), os comandados de Fernando Diniz encerraram sua preparação de olho no confronto com o Tricolor paulista, válido pela décima-terceira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.
Na atividade, Diniz ganhou uma dor de cabeça. O meio-campista André sentiu dores no treino e não viajou com a delegação para São Paulo. Martinelli é o mais cotado para a vaga de titular, enquanto Thiago Santos é uma das opções.
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O Tricolor das Laranjeiras também passará por mudanças no setor defensivo. Como Nino está suspenso após ter sido expulso contra o Bahia, David Braz tenderia a ser seu substituo imediato. Porém, Braz também sentiu dores musculares e se tornou desfalque. Com isso, Felipe Andrade é o mais cotado para ser o titular no sábado.
A delegação tricolor viajou ainda nesta sexta para São Paulo. O confronto acontecerá no sábado (1), no Morumbi, às 16h. Como Fernando Diniz cumpre suspensão por expulsão, Eduardo Barros ficará na beira do campo.
B O M D I A ! pic.twitter.com/3qGVZz9RyJ
— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) June 30, 2023
O Tricolor das Laranjeiras deve ir a campo com: Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Felipe Andrade (Luan Freitas, Felipe Melo e Marcelo; Martinelli (Thiago Santos), Lima e Ganso ; Arias, Cano e Keno.
Tottenham Hotspur have added some shrewd signings to Thomas Frank’s fledgling project this summer, Mohammed Kudus adding flair to the widths and Joao Palhinha bringing some steely mettle to the engine room.
However, Heung-min Son has completed a £20m transfer to LAFC in the United States, and James Maddison has ruptured his ACL and will be sidelined for the lion’s share of the season.
FFC Spurs – James Maddison
Spurs have issues in midfield and attack, but Daniel Levy might be convinced to add another signing to his team’s backline, even though Cristian Romero looks set to stay amid interest from Atletico Madrid.
Spurs eyeing Serie A raid
Tottenham have had a lot of success in raiding the Italain top flight for talented up-and-comers in recent years, with the likes of Romero and Destiny Udogie springing to mind.
However, Dejan Kulusevski might be the cream of that crop, having hit his stride last season and made good on praise from football scout Jacek Kulig that he is a “world-class talent”.
Now, Tottenham are ready to repeat their trick by raiding one of the Serie A superpowers for another elite player, with sights set on AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw.
According to Caught Offside, Spurs and Arsenal have joined the race for the German centre-back, with Newcastle United already displaying a vested interest this month.
Thiaw, 24, has been the subject of a new €40m (£34m) offer from Newcastle, and while negotiations are understood to be advancing quickly, the Magpies have failed to sign a litany of targets this summer, and Tottenham could be primed to complete a hijack.
Why Spurs want Malick Thiaw
Having joined Milan from Schalke three years ago, Thiaw has made 85 appearances for his Italian side, bringing a dynamic defensive skill set to the squad.
AC Milan's Malick Thiaw celebrates.
Both crisp and enterprising with his passing, Thiaw ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, and the top 14% for progressive passes played per 90, as per FBref.
He’s also been hailed as a “monster in the air” by journalist Martino Puccio, so would bring some substance to the team, ensuring some defensive solidity is found where such went lacking last year.
Given that Micky van de Ven and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate are considered two of his most comparable players, it feels like Frank could hit the jackpot with this one, emulating the deal for Kulusevski and allowing him to grow into one of the Premier League’s superstars.
Tottenham signed Kulusevski from Juventus on an initial loan in January 2022, wrapping a move up 18 months later for a shrewd £25m fee (a similar ballpark to Thiaw now).
24/25
50
10
11
23/24
39
8
3
22/23
37
2
8
21/22
19
5
8
Last season, the 25-year-old Kulusevski finally struck a balance between his output, with Ange Postecoglou shifting him into a central attacking midfield berth to an emphatic effect.
Not just a potent attacking threat, the Sweden international’s energy and tenacity fed the belief of his teammates, and he was often a shining light throughout a challenging, albeit ultimately rewarding, season.
He averaged 4.1 successful duels and 1.4 tackles per league match, as per Sofascore, and added much to the Ange system when it needed him most.
In Thiaw, Spurs could repeat the trick, signing a rising talent who has more than his position demands of him. It’s one that Tottenham need to get over the line as they head back onto the Champions League stage.
Frank's answer to Palmer: Spurs enter talks to sign "exceptional" £40m gem
Tottenham Hotspur appear to be about to make another huge move in the market to bolster Thomas Frank’s squad.
Birmingham City spent their brief time in League One building a Championship-quality squad, but now that they have secured promotion, they are investing further to ensure they can look upwards rather than over their shoulder.
The club have spent big on Japan centre forward Kyōgo Furuhashi, who has arrived from Stade Rennais in a deal that could reach £10.3 million. This has made the former Celtic star the third most expensive player to ever join the club.
Due to these new signings, the Blues have had to shift a number of players, including Romelle Donovan, Ayumu Yokoyama and Alfie May, and they aren’t finished just yet.
Birmingham City make 50% profit as Bielik moves on
Football League World have reported that Birmingham City centre-back Krystian Bielik will complete a transfer to West Bromwich Albion “in the next 24 hours”. Bielik had served as club captain from last season, and manager Chris Davis had previously described him as “a really important player, a good captain and a good leader”.
Birmingham will make 50% profit on the transfer as they will receive upwards of £1 million for Bielik after only paying Derby County £500,000 in 2023. A number of clubs were reportedly interested in signing Bielik, including south-coast Championship side Portsmouth, but he is reportedly settled in the Midlands, and the less-than-7-mile swap from St Andrews to the Hawthorns was the easiest option.
Ryan Mason was eager to sign Bielik, given West Brom’s centre-back situation. Torbjørn Heggem is on the brink of completing a £10 million switch to Serie A side Bologna, and Kyle Bartley has called time on his career following 232 appearances for the Baggies.
The emotional challenges that come with Birmingham's ambition
Bielik was a favourite among fans and was praised for his loyalty in not only staying with the club following relegation to League One on the final day of the 2023/24 season but also taking over as captain and ensuring that they secured promotion back to the Championship.
The player was clearly settled at Birmingham as his new club seems to have been decided primarily over West Brom’s short distance to his current home. Fans have taken to social media to express their sadness at Bielik’s departure.
While it seems all parties are saddened by Bielik’s departure, it is a clear example of the cost of the club’s ambition. After a rocky first season under new ownership, Birmingham City now seem to be on an upward trajectory. They were promoted to the Championship after heavy investment, so much so that their gross transfer spend was higher than all of the other clubs in League One combined.
With figures like serial winner Tom Brady at the forefront of the new Birmingham leadership, the club clearly has Premier League ambitions, and the cost of that will be players like Bielik, who are well regarded among the fans and happy at the club, having to move on as the team outgrows them.
David and Victoria Beckham face competition from a new sporting power couple, with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tipped to "bury Posh and Becks".
David & Victoria set the standardNew 'marketing juggernaut' forgedSwift tipped to become a trillionaireFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
For a long time, the Beckhams have set the standard when it comes to A-list partnerships in world sport. The former England captain, who is now working with Lionel Messi as a co-owner at MLS side Inter Miami, married his Spice Girls star wife in 1999.
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Another pop icon in the form of global phenomenon Swift is now preparing to tie the knot with NFL superstar Kelce after they announced their engagement. They have already been dominating the American football scene, with it becoming clear early in their relationship that a “marketing juggernaut” was being forged.
It is now being suggested that Swift could go on to become the “first trillionaire”, with David and Victoria Beckham being left trailing in her wake as the art of maximising earning potential is taken to new heights.
WHAT SPORT FINANCE EXPERT SAID
Sport finance expert Professor Rob Wilson has told : “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will bury Posh and Becks. There is a huge amount of money in the NFL. It’s a massive, massive market. Taylor Swift is Taylor Swift. They’re already a billion dollar pairing but the fact together they transcend culture is important here.
“They bring together sport and music so if you go to someone like Beyonce and Jay-Z, that's all music industry and entertainment. That's optimised but not in the same way as you can with a cross-market strategy. It certainly exceeds what the Beckham era did and allows Swift and Kelce to really exercise a lot of power in global markets.
“I wouldn't want to put any limits on what they could do or what they could earn. I think it is so unique and if their relationship is solid, and it is a genuine relationship that's deep rooted and they have this long history together, like Posh and Becks, I don't think you could really put a ceiling on what they potentially could earn. “It'll get to a point where they might say, OK, that's enough. Enough's enough. Or they'll become really philanthropic a bit like Bill Gates. It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility that they move into owning a franchise or something like that, and then you're into lifestyle, fashion, wellness, it’s just marketing juggernaut in action.”
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Wilson added: “Could her marriage to Travis Kelce propel Taylor Swift beyond the likes of Elon Musk to be the first trillionaire? Yes, but the markets that they access are very different.
“The followings that they are each able to activate are very, very different, and this crossover enables the Swifties to start consuming a bit of NFL content and it just kind of just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger from there.
“They'll be very, very well advised by some of the leading marketing technicians in the world because culturally it's geared up around profit maximization. It will be about extraction of cash at every single stage if they're being advised in that way. The potential is unreal.”
Lancashire have signed Australia allrounder Chris Green as one of their overseas players in the Vitality T20 Blast for the next two seasons.Green, 31, was Lancashire’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast this summer with 14, helping the club to qualify for the knockouts – although, due to the lengthy gap after the group stage, he had moved on to the CPL and was unavailable for their quarter-final defeat against Sussex.His contract again includes the provision to play in the County Championship and One-Day Cup, subject to availability. Green, who also turned out for Trent Rockets in the Hundred, made six One-Day Cup games appearances – scoring his maiden hundred – and one in the Championship for Lancashire in 2024.”I absolutely loved my first year with the club and I am even more excited to be coming back for the next two seasons – I can’t wait to join up with the team again next summer,” Green said. “It is a really special group of players at Lancashire. I know that there are big things to come, and I am looking forward to playing my part in that during 2025 and 2026.”I really felt the support from all of the Red Rose Members and supporters this summer and I can’t wait to see you all again next season at Emirates Old Trafford.”Lancahisre’s director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, said: “One of our key priorities heading into the winter was to secure Chris’ services so we are really pleased to get this deal done early and to have his commitment to playing for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast for the next two years.”Chris made a huge impact for us on the field and had a number of options and offers to play around the world, but we are delighted that he has committed to being here at Emirates Old Trafford. Not only did Chris’ performances with bat and ball stand out this season but he also really impressed us with his leadership and his personality had a huge influence on the dressing room. We are all looking forward to welcoming him back to the club next summer.”
Breetzke back at Northants
Northamptonshire, meanwhile, have re-signed South Africa top-order batter Matthew Breetzke for the first half of the 2025 summer. Breetzke will be available for Northants’ first eight games in the County Championship, as well as the whole of the Blast group stage.The 25-year-old finished as Northants’ leading run-scorer in the 2024 Blast, with 460 at a strike rate of 153.84, helping the club to reach the quarter-finals.”I’m delighted to sign with Northamptonshire for the 2025 season,” Breetzke said. “I really enjoyed my time at the club this year. I think the team has a lot of potential to push for promotion as well as go a few steps further in the Blast and win it. I’m looking forward to helping the team and hopefully achieving many more victories along the way.”
On Monday, completely coincidentally on the final day of their accounting year, the Villans sold their women’s team to themselves, thereby avoiding breaching the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules.
So now, having avoided a potential points deduction, Unai Emery will be looking to bolster his squad, so could Villa land a new striker?
Aston Villa targeting attacking reinforcements
Jhon Durán has to go down as one of the best pieces of business in modern Premier League history, joining Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023 for a reported fee of around £13m, having made just 27 appearances for the Men in Red in Major League Soccer, scoring eight goals.
Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran
Well, two years later, following his scoring spree at the start of last season, Durán was sold to Al-Nassr for £71m last January, representing a near 600% return on investment, easing the Villans’ PSR concerns.
Well, the Colombian is back in the news again because, after a miserly 18 appearances in Saudi Arabia, scoring 12 goals, he is reportedly set to join José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, continuing one of the more unique and bizarre career arcs.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Well, speaking of İstanbul-based giants, a report by TurkishFootball.com claims that Villa are in talks with Beşiktaş over the possibility of signing striker Semih Kılıçsoy, adding that he is valued at €15m (£13m).
Well, the Black Eagles themselves, who are managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjær these days, have just signed Tammy Abraham from AC Milan for the exact same amount, with the England international having been handed Kılıçsoy’s number nine shirt.
In response to this, journalist Fırat Günayer stated that he would be “surprised” if Kılıçsoy was still with Beşiktaş by the end of the transfer window, adding “there are a few offers… on the table”.
So, could the 19-year-old be set to swap the Bosphorus for Birmingham?
Why Semih Kılıçsoy could replicate Jhon Durán's success at Aston Villa
After joining Beşiktaş as an 11-year-old, Kılıçsoy made his Süper Lig debut against Antalyaspor in February 2023, before scoring his first goal for the Black Eagles during a Conference League qualifying victory over KF Tirana five months later.
In total, he has netted 16 times in 85 appearances for the Turkish giants, winning the Türkiye Kupası in 2024, his most notable goal coming against Malmö in the Europa League last November, this coming in a 2-1 victory at Tüpraş Stadyumu.
His performances have earned international recognition too, debuting for Türkiye against Italy at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara last June, subsequently included in Vincenzo Montella’s Euros squad.
Given his performances, analyst Ben Mattinson has dubbed him a “very powerful” forward, while Luis Kircher of Total Football Analysis believes that he is known for his ‘lethal finishing capabilities’ and ‘versatility’, forecasting that he will become a ‘prolific’ goalscorer at the elite level in the coming years.
So, let’s see how Kılıçsoy compares to Durán, prior to his move to Villa from Illinois.
Appearances
85
75
Minutes
4,227
4,182
Goals
16
17
Assists
9
10
Senior international caps
4
3
As the table outlines, Durán, prior to joining Aston Villa, and Kılıçsoy right now boast similar levels of experience, with the Turkish striker actually having accumulated more senior appearances and minutes, scoring just one fewer goal. He also boasts that necessary “selfish” streak that the Colombian possesses, as Mattinson noted.
Also, Durán had played in Colombia’s Categoría Primera A and MLS which, according to Global Football Rankings, are the 32nd and ninth-strongest leagues in the world, with the Turkish Süper Lig somewhere in the middle at 18th.
Thus, it is clear that Kılıçsoy is a high-quality, high-potential player, one that is seemingly on the way out of Beşiktaş, suggesting he is available and more than talented enough to be a star at Villa Park.
Potentially arriving as a relative unknown teenager, in a similar vein to Duran, the promising marksman could be Emery’s next Villa success story.
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Whilst England are lucky to have the likes of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Phil Foden to choose from at the heart of their midfield these days, it wasn’t so long ago that Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes were all available in the engine room.
The current generation is special, but England’s last ‘golden generation’ still arguably had the most talent at their disposal in pursuit of a first honour since the 1966 World Cup.
It wasn’t just in midfield that the Three Lions were spoilt for talent. It’s a squad which also featured Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. And the list could go on.
Many have had their say as to why England were dumped out of the 2002 World Cup and then on penalties against Portugal at Euro 2004, including Lampard. The former England and Chelsea midfielder told reporters: “I think at times, we [the Golden Generation] were too rigid. I talk from my own personal experience of playing at World Cups against teams that were not at our level.
“I’m not talking about France and Italy, more teams like Ecuador, who were keeping the ball in midfield because they were outnumbering us in the centre of the park. The things that maybe me and Stevie [Steven Gerrard] were used to doing where we had numbers, now we are just trying to cover space and you get a bit mentally done with it in the game wondering why this is happening.”
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Outnumbered or not, there’s no denying the quality that England particularly had in the middle of the park. But finding the right balance between Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes often proved to be The Three Lions’ biggest problem, and that sparked a midfield debate which has rumbled on for decades since.
Rooney named Gerrard as his greatest ever England teammate
Having played with all three at international level and Scholes with Manchester United too, Rooney should be an expert in the age-old England midfield debate, and he delivered his official verdict to The Overlap in 2024.
Whilst praising all three, Rooney went on to reiterate that Scholes could not achieve what Gerrard did in a Liverpool side which often struggled to compete with the very top honours: “All were world-class players. Stevie could come to Manchester United and be a top player and do what Scholes could do. But I don’t think Scholes could do what Stevie did at Liverpool.”
Premier League
Gerrard
Lampard
Scholes
Appearances
504
611
499
Goals
121
177
107
Assists
97
116
61
League titles
0
3
11
The numbers certainly don’t help to end the debate after Rooney’s verdict, but what they do highlight is England’s clear failure with all three at their disposal in a golden generation.
Chelsea have now opened discussions with the representatives of a marquee forward, who Barcelona legend Ronaldinho says he loves watching, with manager Enzo Maresca seemingly looking to add more flair to his squad.
Chelsea target new winger this summer amid uncertain futures
Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk face uncertain long-term futures at Stamford Bridge, meaning Chelsea could dip into the market for a new winger this summer.
Chelsea hold extensive talks to sign £38m ex-Fulham star who Mourinho wants
The Stamford Bridge legend is a long-time fan.
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Mudryk faces a lengthy on-field ban after failing a drugs test, while some reports claim Sancho could be used in a Chelsea swap deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, after the club trigger his obligation to buy clause.
Chelsea’s final four Premier League fixtures
Date
Newcastle (away)
May 11th
Man United (home)
May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)
May 25th
Chelsea are also open to selling Madueke, amid interest from Newcastle United and Aston Villa (GiveMeSport), while fellow attacker João Félix is also widely expected to depart west London again this summer after a lacklustre loan spell at AC Milan.
Sweeping changes are therefore anticipated at Chelsea ahead of another potentially busy summer, with reliable journalist Simon Phillips claiming a new wide player is among BlueCo’s top priorities.
Gittens is believed to be a key target, with talks already taking place ahead of the first window, which will open on June 1st and give Chelsea the chance to sign desired players before their Club World Cup campaign.
However, it is now believed that Gittens is emerging as a key target for Arsenal as well, so Maresca’s side face stiff competition from the Gunners, with some reports claiming the latter are favourites as things stand (Ruhr Nachrichten).
Chelsea hold discussions with AC Milan star Rafael Leao
According to Calciomercato journalist Daniele Longo, Chelsea have their eyes on a superstar alternative to Gittens – AC Milan forward Rafael Leao.
The Portugal international is a key player for Milan, amid reports that his contract includes a sky-high release clause of around £149 million, which will reportedly only be active from July 5th to July 15th (Foot Mercato).
AC Milan's RafaelLeaocelebrates scoring their first goal
The clause can also be paid in multiple installments, making it slightly easier for interested parties, but this is still a hefty investment to say the least. Clubs will most likely look to whittle down this monstrous price, and Chelsea are believed to have held informal discussions with Leao’s camp ahead of a potential move, alongside Al-Nassr.
The main question is – would Leao be worth the effort? The 25-year-old’s return of 12 goals and 13 assists this season tells just half the story, with Ronaldinho on record stating that Leao is one of his favourite players to watch.
“Leao does not need my advice,” said the Brazil icon.
“He is a great player. He is one of the players I most enjoy watching.”
Aston Villa suffered defeat in their Champions League quarter-final first leg away from home against Paris Saint-Germian on Wednesday night.
It was a disappointing night at the office for Unai Emery’s side, who defended with lots of heart throughout but ultimately could not stop the French giants from scoring three goals, running out 3-1 winners.
It was a game filled with high-quality finishes across the board from both sides. Two of those strikes came from PSG’s wide pair of Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who were driving at the Villans’ defence nonstop throughout the game. It is fair to say they struggled to contain on the night.
Aston Villa’s struggles against Doue and Kvaratskhelia
Villa’s defenders might not have a tougher task this season than dealing with Doue and Kvaratskhelia. The pair were electric and made life tough to cope with for Villa, with both players getting on the scoresheet.
Doue’s strike was an excellent one, cutting inside on his right foot and curling an effort into the top right corner past Martinez.
As for Kvaratskhelia’s, well, you could argue it was even better. He picked up the ball inside the Villa half, carried it into their box before selling Axel Disasi a dummy by rolling his foot over the ball and blasting it home at Emi Martinez’s near post.
Journalist Mohamed Salad said they are the reason “why you pay to watch football games” which is rather apt. He made things incredibly stressful for Disasi and Matty Cash, the Villans’ rightbacks on the night. The latter was booked and taken off at half-time, before Disasi, who replaced the Poland star, was rolled for Kvaratskhelia’s goal.
Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore
Incredibly, the West Midlands outfit have a player worth even more than both.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
The Villa player worth more than Doue and Kvaratskhelia
On big Champions League nights, you need your star players to stand up for the count, and that is certainly what Doue and Kvaratskhelia did.
Coincidentally, it’s also what England international Morgan Rogers did at the Parc des Princes too. The England international, who is a “wonderful”, in the words of Glenn Hoddle, got his side’s only goal in Paris.
What a strike it was, too, adding to the list of high-quality goals on show. The former Manchester Cty academy star got on the end of a wonderful team move, started by John McGinn, who won the ball back in midfield.
He fired it along the ground to Marcus Rashford, who played a perfectly weighted pass to Youri Tielemans. The Belgian fired the ball across the box, and Rogers tapped home.
It was a brilliant goal from Unai Emery’s side, and it is no surprise that Rogers was the man to cap off such a wonderful move. He now has 14 goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances this term in the famous Claret and Blue shirt.
When looking at Rogers’ underlying numbers courtesy of Sofascore, you can see just how well he has played across all competitions. For example, the England star has played 62 key passes and 90 successful dribbles.
Key passes
62
1.5
Dribbles completed
90
2.2
Big chances created
18
0.4
Tackles and interceptions
51
1.3
Expected goal involvements
14.52xGI
0.35xGI
Football Transfers now believe he is worth more than both Doue and Kvaratskhelia. The attacker, who was born in Halesowen, is worth around £68m. In contrast, via, Football Transfers, Doue is worth a £53m, and Kvaratskhelia is valued at £60m. Not bad indeed.
Impressively, that valuation is more than any of his teammates at Villa Park and if anything, that just highlights the importance of Rogers and the excellent investment that Villa made.
They paid just £15m last January to sign him from Middlesbrough, a brilliant signing.
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CA’s current model has been in place for a considerable time but it may need to evolve to keep pace with a changing landscape
Alex Malcolm30-Sep-2025Marcus Stoinis was all smiles when he fronted the media at Bay Oval in Tauranga on Monday, proudly back in Australia colours for the first time since last November.His return to the Australian squad, without a national or state contract and having missed the previous two Australia T20I series to play in the Hundred, shines a light on an issue that has been bubbling away within Australian cricket for some time.There is a growing consensus across many of those involved in the game spoken to by ESPNcricinfo that Cricket Australia’s (CA) current men’s contracting system is no longer fit for purpose.Related
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It is a thought that has been discussed at length at various CA meetings around the country over the past 12 months with the current contracting system that was inked in 2023 set to remain in place between CA and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) until 2028.Stoinis and Tim David, another who will feature this week in the three-match series, are two key examples that have highlighted the limitations of Australia’s current men’s contracting system and why change is being discussed.Stoinis’ absence from the five-match T20I tour of the West Indies in July and the three-match T20I home series against South Africa was notable. He wasn’t injured and there was never any official statement that he had been dropped. All of which was a curiosity given he was one of Australia’s most sought-after players at the IPL auction last year and remains in high demand as a franchise player around the world.Instead, it was later revealed that an agreement had been struck with Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald and chairman of selectors George Bailey to allow him to fulfil a lucrative AUD$409,000 contract to play in the Hundred, despite in Bailey’s words still being “firmly in the mix” for next year’s T20 World Cup.It is not unusual for high profile Australian players to miss white-ball series throughout any calendar year. But it is always three-format players who are given time to rest ahead of Test series that are seen as a higher priority.But for the single format or white-ball only players, the series against West Indies and South Africa were key parts of Australia’s build towards the T20 World Cup as they attempt to bed a new playing style following the retirements of David Warner and Matthew Wade last year.Stoinis’ case is rare in that he is an uncontracted one-format player who does not play domestic state cricket, however he does play in the BBL.The selectors are keen to have Tim David in their ODI set-up towards the 2027 World Cup•Getty ImagesWhile New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has been a global leader in managing casual playing contracts with senior players to allow them to miss international series to take up franchise opportunities, CA is only now starting to dip its toes into a rapidly rising tide.CA contracted 23 male players this financial year, as they did last year. Australia’s men played nine Test matches, 13 ODIs and eight T20Is in the 2024-25 contract period and used 34 players across all formats.The 2025-26 contract list was heavily weighted towards Test-only players but Australia play only seven Tests in the financial year, with two against West Indies (the first of the series came under the previous year) and five against England. They will only play nine ODIs but are currently scheduled to play 19 T20Is plus the T20 World Cup.Stoinis and David were not centrally or state contracted either last financial year or this one. However, both played the minimum number of white-ball internationals – six – to qualify for a CA upgraded contract which in 2024-25 was AUD$346,641 (not including match payments) and in 2025-26 is AUD$353,574. David has already played six matches this financial year. If Stoinis plays in six of the next eight T20Is against New Zealand and India, or by June 30, 2026, he will qualify again.The upgrade system has been CA’s longstanding way of rewarding those from outside the initial list after they earned selection to play for their country. But it may be past its use-by date for several reasons.Firstly, players can now earn more than the CA minimum contract by playing for one month in a franchise league overseas as Stoinis did in the Hundred. But that requires an NOC from CA, or the players’ state if they are contracted, and as was the case with Adam Zampa recently ahead of the T20 Blast finals in England, contracted players can be denied NOCs for franchise leagues because of domestic cricket commitments in Australia.The MOU only allows a maximum of 24 to be contracted initially but there are no limits on the number of upgrades.Seven players including Stoinis, David, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Nathan McSweeney and Beau Webster all qualified for an upgrade through playing enough games in the 2024-25 cycle. Three Tests, six white-ball matches or a combination of the two are enough to trigger an upgrade. Eight players were upgraded in 2023-24 which was a white-ball World Cup year.If a state contracted player gets upgraded, which five of last year’s seven were, they only get a pro rata pay increase from their original state deal for the remainder of the contract period.The likes of Mitchell Owen won’t be short of franchise offers•MLCThe maximum state deal for this year was AUD$205,153, excluding match payments, although that is usually only given to a player who played both Sheffield Shield and one-day domestic cricket. BBL deals are signed separately outside of both CA and state contracts, but again the maximum BBL deal for an Australian players is only around AUD$200,000 and most are well under that while some overseas players are earning more than twice that much.Stoinis and David have not pursued state deals in recent years. Stepping away from that system comes at a cost in terms of not having access to coaches and training facilities and full-time medical and strength conditioning support. Superannuation and insurance are other serious considerations for those leaving the system.But it also means a player doesn’t have to train on a state team’s schedule and potentially be restricted from playing in overseas franchise leagues either during the pre-season or during the domestic season.Those two players have bet on themselves and there should be no criticism of them for that. They have a set of skills which are highly valued in the franchise open market. But integrating them into longer-term plans for Australia now comes with allowing them to play franchise cricket elsewhere to maximise their income. That is where the limitations of the upgrade model are exposed.There is a desire for David to be part of Australia’s ODI build towards the 2027 World Cup in the finishing role vacated by the retired Glenn Maxwell. But the contracting system doesn’t incentivize David to play domestic one-day cricket or even make himself available for the recent ODI series against South Africa, at the cost of playing in the CPL which banks him more than a state contract or ODI match payments ever would for one month’s work.Lance Morris has remained centrally contracted through injury problems•Getty ImagesIt also doesn’t incentivize him to rest for key white-ball series to get his body right, as he needed to do after the IPL this year. CA uses contracts to pay fast bowlers like Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson as long-term investments despite both having perennial injury issues. But not having a higher number of initial contracts means long-term management can’t apply to someone like Johnson, who is currently sidelined and missed last year’s white-ball tour the UK because he got injured in the lead in while pursuing franchise opportunities.The reality is that even for a board with CA’s wealth, there may come to a point sooner rather than later where they can’t afford to pay all their top players what the market says they are worth. New Zealand has already found this out. Kane Williamson, one of their all-time greats, missed the recent T20 tri-series and Test tour in Zimbabwe to play for Middlesex and the London Spirit instead. He will also miss this series against Australia to rest after a winter in England.There has been a bullishness in Australian cricket down the years that players will always commit to playing for the country above all else and there is still a widely held belief that dynamic won’t shift any time soon.Perhaps the recent example of Quinton de Kock returning to the South Africa fold is a sign that the franchise life isn’t always fulfilling enough, although at the same time they won’t have Heinrich Klaasen for next year’s World Cup after he retired from international cricket to become a full-time freelancer.Australia’s domestic players have always been well looked after by global standards, but they did not miss the eye-watering sums offered in the recent SA20 draft. The timing of the current discussions around privatizing the BBL isn’t a coincidence.More contracts, higher retainers, more flexibility, and different structures are all being discussed. But the money has to come from somewhere. And if it doesn’t, there is a chance, albeit a very small one at the moment, that Australia will join those nations battling to keep their players for international duty.