Wants the move: Ipswich Town make new bid worth £10m for "incredible" star

Ipswich Town have reportedly made a new £10m bid for an "incredible" player who wants to join the club, with a response already received.

Ipswich Town transfer rumours

The Tractor Boys are preparing for their long-waited return to the Premier League, as a hugely exciting period in the club's history continues. Kieran McKenna has worked wonders as manager, masterminding successive promotions from League One and the Championship, and it is going to be fascinating to see how his eye-catching brand of football fares in the top flight.

It was always clear that new signings would be needed this summer, in order to handle the significant jump up in quality, and some important business has been completed. Big-money moves for Omari Hutchinson and Jacobs Greaves have been sorted, with the winger and centre-back arriving from Chelsea and Hull City respectively, and Manchester City striker Liam Delap has also come in on a permanent deal.

Ipswich fans will be hoping that the club's summer spending is far from over, however, and Burnley attacker Wilson Odobert has been linked with a move to Portman Road. He is being looked at as a possible replacement for Nathan Broadhead, who is likely to miss a lengthy spell of action with a hamstring injury.

Another report has claimed that the Tractor Boys are leading the race to sign highly-rated Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James, who at only 20 years of age, made 42 appearances in the Championship last season.

Ipswich make £10m new bid for "incredible" ace

According to TWTD, Ipswich have made a second bid worth £8m plus £2m in add-ons for Blackburn Rovers striker Sammie Szmodics, but have been rebuffed in their efforts to sign him.

This decision is believed to have "triggered" the Republic of Ireland international, who is "understood to be very keen on the move" happening this summer.

This is clearly a frustrating situation for both Ipswich supporters and Szmodics, considering the Irishman could be a superb summer signing, having caught the eye so much in a Blackburn shirt of late.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a sensational season last time around, scoring 27 goals in 44 appearances in the Championship, winning the Golden Boot in the process and finishing three strikes clear of runner-up Adam Armstrong, who was playing for a superior team in Southampton.

Meanwhile, former Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has heaped praise on the attacking ace in the recent past, saying: "The way he's scoring goals, the confidence he's playing with, and the role he takes as one of the senior players are quite incredible."

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ByKelan Sarson Aug 1, 2024

While some may have reservations about Ipswich spending big on Szmodics, given the leap up in level to the Premier League, he looks like a player at the peak of his powers – one who is ready to test himself at the highest level. The hope is that Blackburn's stance softens, allowing their star man the move he craves and giving McKenna a superb option to lead the line.

Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight sweep England to eight-wicket victory over New Zealand

Tash Farrant stars in first ODI for seven years, but NZ lose tenth match in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2021England Women 181 for 2 (Beaumont 71, Knight 67*) beat New Zealand Women 178 (Jensen 53, Halliday 50) by eight wicketsTammy Beaumont and Heather Knight produced a pair of fluent half-centuries at Hagley Oval, as England Women marked their first ODI in 437 days with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over New Zealand.Had it not been for the Covid outbreak, England’s defence of their 2017 World Cup title would have been well underway by now, but instead Knight’s team showed they have learned the lessons of a somewhat rusty loss in their final warm-up in Queenstown last week to reassert their credentials, and inflict on New Zealand a tenth consecutive ODI defeat – the worst losing streak in their history.In a one-sided contest, New Zealand chose to bat first but were rolled aside for 178 in 45.1 overs, with Hayley Jensen’s 53 from 58 balls at the top of the order being matched by an eye-catching 50 from 54 from the debutant Brooke Halliday at No. 7.Besides those contributions, however, there was very little substance to New Zealand’s innings, which was perhaps most notable for the return of Tash Farrant to England’s ODI line-up for her second 50-over appearance, almost seven-and-a-half years after her debut against West Indies in November 2013.Sharing the new ball with Katherine Brunt, Farrant impressed with figures of 2 for 31 in seven overs, with her early dismissal of Amy Satterthwaite for 3 undermining New Zealand’s hopes of a competitive total. Farrant then returned to extract Lea Tahuhu for 8 late in New Zealand’s innings.England’s wickets were shared around among their seven bowlers – a testament to how insubstantial New Zealand’s partnerships proved to be. Sophie Ecclestone was the only bowler to complete her full allocation, as she reached 100 international wickets with her haul of 2 for 31 in ten overs of left-arm spin.New Zealand’s reliance on the likes of Satterthwaite, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr meant that their cheap dismissals, inside the first 27 overs of the innings, left the rest of the order caught in two mindsets as they attempted to chisel a decent score.Katey Martin dug in for 14 from 35 balls before falling victim to Knight, as no player besides the two half-centurions mustered more than Devine’s 16.England’s reply was brisk and to the point. Danni Wyatt fell in the eighth over, but not before 42 runs were on the board, while Beaumont had struck 11 fours in her innings of 71 before succumbing to Tahuhu, who appeared to compound New Zealand’s concerns when she limped off with a hamstring injury late in the game.Knight and Natalie Sciver then swept England to victory with few further alarms. New Zealand’s one saving grace was a competitive debut for their 16-year-old left-arm spinner Fran Jonas, who was not flattered by her maiden figures of 0 for 31 in five overs.”We probably had a bit of a wake-up call against New Zealand XI last week,” Beaumont said. “We needed to tighten up in some areas and certainly the bowlers came out and showed that today. Every single one of them bowled exceptionally well to keep New Zealand to 180, so they really impressed today.”

Noussair Mazraoui warns Man Utd set for 'tough time' under Ruben Amorim as boss implements 'new style' at Old Trafford

Noussair Mazraoui believes Manchester United are too big to fail but concedes that Ruben Amorim will have to endure "tough times" at Old Trafford.

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Mazraoui confident United can "come back"Red Devils currently 13th in PLAmorim appointed after Erik ten Hag's sackingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mazraoui joined United in the summer and has seamlessly slotted into the first-team, making 19 appearances in all competitions. The Red Devils have endured a sticky start, however, and are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table; in 12 games, they have won four, drawn four, and lost four, with that form losing Erik ten Hag his job.

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Mazraoui is insistent that United will "come back" after appointing Amorim, but the former Bayern Munich defender has pleaded for patience, as the Portuguese gets to work at Old Trafford. Under his management, they have already drawn 1-1 with Ipswich Town and beaten Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in the Europa League.

WHAT MAZRAOUI SAID

Mazraoui said: "I came here to win – and it will come. Manchester United is too big not to. Everyone here knows that, everybody sees that and everybody feels that – especially us as players.

"We are going to come back – and we are going to come back even harder. But I think that when you want to implement a new style of play that isn’t even close to how we played before, no-one can expect us to understand everything the manager has in his mind right from the start.

"So yes, of course, this is going to be a tough time – but come on, we are all top players and we play the game to win. Eventually we will get to wherever the coach wants us to be. We have unbelievable players, so of course we can adapt – and I think we are showing that. We have to get used to the new style, but I don’t think it will take too long – even if at the moment it is tough."

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United face Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday. A win could see them climb as high as eighth.

Sheffield Wednesday now interested in signing £6m teenage prodigy on loan

Sheffield Wednesday are in a race to sign a Premier League midfielder on loan before the summer transfer window slams shut. The Owls have been a very busy side this summer, but with still under three weeks remaining, the club could still be keeping an eye on potential developments that may occur.

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ByKelan Sarson Jul 26, 2024 Sheffield Wednesday’s transfer business

The Yorkshire side got their Championship campaign underway on Sunday in the best possible fashion, as they demolished Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle 4-0. This was a very impressive start for Wednesday, even more so when you consider how long it took the club to pick up their first league win last season, and the result continued what has been a very impressive summer for the Owls under Danny Rohl.

Wednesday have been extremely busy so far in this transfer window, adding ten players over the course of the last few months as they look to avoid a repeat of last season. Some of those new additions include Charlie McNeill from Manchester United, as well as Nathaniel Chalobah and Jamal Lowe on free transfers.

But the most eye-catching arrival has got to be Ike Ugbo, who spent time on loan at Hillsborough, and the club had been chasing his signature for much of this transfer window. It appears as though their transfer business may not be finished just yet however, with another McNeill type signing lined up.

Sheffield Wednesda interested in signing Malick Yalcouye

According to the Daily Express’ Charlie Parker-Turner, Malick Yalcouye is set to be loaned out by Premier League side Brighton in this transfer window. The report states that the midfielder has impressed during pre-season for the Seagulls, but a decision has been made for him to spend the upcoming campaign elsewhere.

Wednesday are said to be interested in signing the player but face competition from Luton Town and arch-rivals Sheffield United. Yalcouye joined Brighton from Swedish club IFK Goteborg earlier in this transfer window, in a deal that is said to have cost £6 million.

Therefore, the midfielder has yet to play a competitive game for the club, but as Parker-Turner states, he has impressed during pre-season for the top-flight club. The 18-year-old started his career at ASEC Mimosas, and in 2023 he made his debut in the African Champions League at the age of 17, which was the start of some very big things to come in the player’s career.

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Yalcouye only joined IFK Goteborg earlier this year, so he wasn’t with the Swedish side for long before moving to England and signing for Brighton. However, he did feature a lot for the club, as he played 11 times in the Allsvenskan, scoring one goal, and he has also played three times in the Svenska Cupen.

The young midfielder played a total of 959 minutes in the Swedish league, while he also played a further 162 minutes in the cup competition, as per Transfermarkt.

Former England captain Karen Smithies sues CSA for alleged discrimination

She contends she was allegedly passed over for the job of South Africa women’s team manager because of her sexuality and nationality

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2021Former England World Cup-winning captain and current Titans team manager Karen Smithies is suing Cricket South Africa (CSA) for discrimination after she was ruled out of contention for a job allegedly because of her sexuality and nationality. Smithies was interviewed for the position of the national women’s team manager but contends she was allegedly passed over because she is gay and from the United Kingdom.The national women’s team support staff was confirmed in July last year, when coach Hilton Moreeng was reappointed and the team manager’s position was filled by the incumbent Sedibu Mohlaba.ESPNcricinfo understands that when Smithies, who captained England when they defeated New Zealand in the 1993 World Cup final at Lord’s, learnt the reason she was not considered for the position was because there were concerns around a gay woman managing the women’s team, she approached CSA with her grievance. At the time, CSA had the opportunity to settle the case but opted not to do so, leaving Smithies with no option but to head to the courts. She has submitted her case to the labour court and CSA is due to file their reply by April 1.According to Section 6(1) of the South Africa’s Employment Equity Act, “no person may unfairly discriminate, directly or indirectly, against any employee in any employment policy or practice. Such discrimination includes race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, ethnic, or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, HIV status, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language, birth or on any other arbitrary ground.”Smithies has worked in administration in South African cricket for the last two decades and has managed the Northerns provincial and the Titans franchise team. She was also involved in television commentary for the South Africa Women’s home series against Pakistan earlier this year.

£3m+ Leeds target now personally pushing to join Farke before the deadline

Leeds United have been handed a boost as one of their transfer targets is believed to be trying to push through a late move to Elland Road this summer.

Leeds start Championship season poorly

After two games of a Championship season in which Leeds were favourites to secure promotion, they sit in sixteenth place without a win, having followed their 3-3 opening day draw with Portsmouth up with a 0-0 affair against West Bromwich Albion.

Between those ties, Daniel Farke's side were dumped out of the EFL Cup in the first round after being thrashed 3-0 by Middlesbrough at Elland Road as their season threatens to die out before it has even truly started.

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ByKelan Sarson Aug 18, 2024

Speaking after the game, Farke revealed that he felt he needed at least four new faces in the final 11 days of the transfer window: "We would need cover at full-back, in midfield and two offensive positions. [I] Cannot guarantee we will get all of these, but four is roughly what I would like to see."

Midfield is certainly an issue, with both Archie Gray and Glen Kamara having departed the club this summer in deals worth close to a combined £50m.

It means that Leeds only have three recognised options to fill the double pivot role in Farke's side, with last season's options Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu boosted by the arrival of Joe Rothwell on loan from Bournemouth. Now though, they may have been handed a boost in their pursuit of a fourth.

Midfielder trying to push through move to Leeds

That comes as German media believe that midfielder Dejan Ljubicic is attempting to force his way out of 1.FC Koln and join Farke's side this summer. The 49ers group have already seen one bid turned down to sign the midfielder this summer, believed to have been in the region of £3.3m, but remain keen on adding him to their ranks before the transfer deadline.

And he sat out his side's first game of the season with apparent "knee problems" despite completing training all week, with one report suggesting that the midfielder was instead absent because he is "pushing for a move to Leeds United".

Dejan Ljubicic in the Bundesliga 23/24

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Ljubicic is down to the final 12 months of his £13,000 per week deal in Germany, and is yet to pen an extension in the Cathedral City, meaning that his side risk losing him for free in 12 months if they don't cash in this summer.

Dejan Ljubicic for FC Koln.

Relegated from the Bundesliga last season, they are not in a strong position despite being keen to keep hold of their man, and the report adds that the club will "certainly listen to further offers" and are open to his exit provided they receive a suitable fee for the midfielder.

Devon Conway to join Somerset after World Test Championship final

New Zealand batter signs for nine T20 Blast games, two County Championship fixtures

Matt Roller05-May-2021Somerset have signed Devon Conway as an overseas player for the second half of the T20 Blast’s group stage.Conway appeared for the county’s second XI as an unknown South African in 2010, when he was spending the summer playing club cricket for Taunton Deane, and had another brief trial with the club in 2013. He will return as a New Zealand international, and as the No. 4 T20I batter in the world according to the ICC’s rankings following his decision to leave South Africa and “start afresh” in 2017.Conway has been named in New Zealand’s Test squad for their tour to the UK in June, which comprises two fixtures against England and the inaugural World Test Championship final against India at the Ageas Bowl. There had been concerns about Conway’s safe return to New Zealand under international travel restrictions, but his residency visa was approved last month meaning he will be able to travel home safely.Related

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Hemphrey's Glamorgan contract terminated as ECB stand firm

It is anticipated that he will be available for nine group-stage games, as well as Somerset’s final two fixtures in the County Championship’s initial group stage: against Leicestershire on July 4, and away against Surrey on July 11.”Somerset has a very good reputation and I’m excited to be joining the team for a key part of the season,” Conway said. “England is one of the places where everyone wants to test their skills during the summer and hopefully, I can positively contribute to success in the Vitality Blast and the County Championship.”New Zealand players have been popular among counties ahead of this season’s Blast, on account of the break in their international schedule following the WTC final: Conway joins Finn Allen (Lancashire), Colin de Grandhomme (Hampshire), Lockie Ferguson (Yorkshire), James Neesham (Essex) and Glenn Phillips (Gloucestershire) in the competition.Somerset have employed Babar Azam as one of their overseas players for the last two T20 Blast seasons, but the rescheduled Pakistan Super League and Pakistan’s limited-overs tour of England forced them to look elsewhere for a top-order batsman. Marchant de Lange, the South African fast bowler, is their other overseas player for the Blast.Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “With so much international cricket being played at this time, and with England playing ODIs and T20Is against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the Vitality Blast this year, we have been working behind the scenes to identify and secure the right player for us.”I’ve followed Devon’s career closely and have been really excited at seeing his International career explode in recent months.”

It's time for Leny Yoro! Ruben Amorim gives update and reveals excitement about seeing 'special' teenager finally make his Man Utd debut

Ruben Amorim insists he cannot wait to see Manchester United's 'special' Leny Yoro play after his return to training.

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Yoro is back in trainingWorking with a "small group"Amorim excited to work with himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Yoro has been working his way back from a cruel injury blow sustained in the summer. The Frenchman joined from Lille but has yet to make his competitive debut; he played in a pre-season friendly against Arsenal after his arrival but was injured in the first half. At the time, he was expected to be out until October, but scans revealed the injury was worse than initially feared.

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Yoro did not manage to play in a competitive fixture under Erik ten Hag but he could get the chance to make his debut under Ruben Amorim soon. The new United boss has revealed his excitement at the prospect of working closely with the Frenchman, who is still only 19.

WHAT AMORIM SAID

Amorim told reporters: "I think he is a special talent, we have to be careful in this first moment, we didn’t have too many trainings together, he is training not alone but in a small group. He is really fast, a modern defender, and that is really good when you want to press high and leave strikers one against one. He is really good with the ball. We have to be careful but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro play."

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United face Arsenal in midweek before they take on Nottingham Forest, the league's surprise package, at the weekend.

ICC leaning towards T20 World Cup in UAE

BCCI will retain hosting rights if move materialises; have until June 28 to decide their position

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Jun-2021The ICC is leaning towards moving the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup to the UAE, and have even shortlisted another venue in the Middle East – potentially Oman – as a co-host in case the tournament is moved out of India.ESPNcricinfo understands that on Tuesday the ICC Board granted the BCCI time until June 28 to decide whether or not they can host the event, after receiving a request from the Indian board president Sourav Ganguly. Internally, however, the ICC Board is understood to have concluded that it would be safer to host the tournament in the UAE, while allowing the BCCI to retain the hosting rights.”The ICC Board has requested management focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East,” the ICC said in a media release on Tuesday. “A final decision on the host country will be taken later this month. The Board also confirmed that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played.”Related

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IPL postponed as Covid-19 count increases

On May 29, Ganguly told the BCCI members at a special general body meeting that the board would seek additional time to decide whether India was able to host the T20 World Cup.The biggest concern is the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, which is currently battling a second wave. Health experts are predicting a third wave during the winter – the 16-team event is scheduled to be played between mid-October and November 14. Currently, India is only behind the USA on the list of countries with the highest number of infections.India also is on the red list of several countries which have barred all travel to and from the country. Recently, the BCCI was forced to postpone the eight-team IPL after a number of Covid-19 positive cases during the second leg of the tournament in Delhi and Ahmedabad.For the tournament, the BCCI had initially proposed nine venues. But an ICC team, meant to land in India in late April for an inspection tour of the venues, had to cancel their plans due to the second wave of the pandemic. Internally, the ICC’s teams have been nervous about the amount of travel that would be involved with multiple venues. Travel was identified as one potential point of exposure for teams during the IPL.The other concern for the BCCI, a longstanding one, concerns the tax waiver sought by the ICC from the Indian government to host the global tournament. Despite getting several extensions from the ICC over the past few years, the BCCI has still not been able to resolve the matter.There are significant sums at play in this. The BCCI would need to pay close to 43% tax to the Indian government from the estimated revenue it derives from hosting the event, a tax bill of nearly INR 900 crore (US $125 million). In the last two meetings with its members – the state associations – the BCCI got the nod to pay that tax as long as India could host the tournament.The BCCI has to give a final response to the ICC on the tax exemption by mid-June. With just under five months remaining to the T20 World Cup, the ICC is increasingly anxious especially because if the tournament were to be held in India and then suspended, they would have no window to complete the tournament.On Tuesday, some of the 16 directors attending the ICC Board meeting, are believed to have asked Ganguly how things in India would change in a month. Ganguly’s response was the Covid situation in India was getting better by the day. The majority of board members, ESPNcricinfo understands, were willing to approve shifting the World Cup on Tuesday itself, factoring in that the situation on the ground in India is not likely to dramatically change come the end of June.The BCCI is not unaware of this, which is why its top leadership was in Dubai on Monday to hold discussions with the Emirates Cricket Board and the local government about moving both the IPL and potentially the T20 World Cup to the UAE.In the case that both tournaments are hosted in the UAE a total of 76 matches would have to be played across a span of two months on three grounds. To mitigate the risk of the pitches at the main venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – getting weary, the ICC has earmarked another country – which could be Oman – to co-host.

The Rondo: Did the 2024 FIFPRO World 11 voters get it right? Should there have been room for Lionel Messi? And what about the USWNT?

GOAL US writers break down who's in, who's out, and who should have made an appearance on the FIFPRO World 11

Making the FIFPRO World 11 is quite a prestigious feat. This is an exclusive list, the best team in the world, selected by pretty much every professional footballer worldwide. Not a bad achievement.

And this year's squads make for interesting reading. The big question on the men's side is the guy who's not there, with Lionel Messi omitted for the first time since 2006. Perhaps we should have seen that one coming. For the FIFPRO Women's World 11, the lack of U.S. presence is surprising, especially given the strength of the NWSL and the fact that the USWNT strolled their way to an Olympic gold in the Paris Games.

Spanish sides dominate both teams, with Real Madrid accounting for six players on the men's side, and Barcelona five on the women's. Some things, it seems, never change. And then there are the other absentees: Lamine Yamal, Naomi Girma, Jamal Musiala all must wait for yet another year.

A record-breaking number of professional footballers voted for their 2024 men’s and women’s team of the year, with 28,322 votes coming from 70 countries. Did they get it right? GOAL US writers break it down in a FIFPRO World 11 edition of… The Rondo.

FIFPRODid the FIFPRO Men's World 11 voters get it right?

Tom Hindle: Nope. This is the weakest World 11 in some time, and there are some players who made the list that really shouldn't have sniffed it. Kevin de Bruyne, included here, struggled through an injury-ravaged season, and instead leaned on Phil Foden for attacking help. Ederson, in goal, had a below average statistical season, if you want to get all nerdy and look at expected goals. And how you can look at his body of work over 12 months and not include Yamal is beyond me. For that matter, Lionel Messi should really be in this team every day until he hangs up his boots. Yes, he is still that good. Go to a four, five, six forward formation if you have to.

Ryan Tolmich: As someone who demands these teams to be in real formations, at least this wasn't a four-attacker setup, so credit for that. Generally, this team was spot on, although there is a very real argument to be made for Lamine Yamal. We'll make that argument next year, though, when he has another season of sustained success under his belt. Outside of that, everyone in the team more than proved their worth, so credit to the voters for getting this one right.

Jacob Schneider: Yeah, pretty spot on. One could argue Mo Salah should be there, but overall, they hit it on the nose. However, simply based on the start to the 2024-24 season, it's going to be a vastly different team next season – which just shows how exciting the game is at the moment

AdvertisementFIFPRODid the FIFPRO Women's World 11 voters get it right?

TH: Mostly. All of the players included here deserved it in some way, shape or form. You could perhaps have a gripe that Alexia Putellas made it, given the fact that she missed a bit of time to injury. But when fit, she was a crucial part of an unreal Barcelona team. The only real gripe here is the omission of USWNT's Naomi Girma. She's an elite center back, and the lack of credit she gets is absolutely baffling sometimes.

RT: It is unfathomable that there isn't a single USWNT representative in this squad. Do teams like this often overinflate international tournaments? You bet, but that doesn't mean those competitions should be discarded all together. For the team that won the biggest competition on offer this year to have no representatives is shocking, and it perhaps highlights the disconnect when it comes to how outsiders view the USWNT and their place in the global game.

JS: Nope. Not at all, honestly. No members of Triple Espresso (Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman) is a crime, but no Girma is even worse. At this moment in time, she is the best female defender in the world. It's shocking to see her not included.

GettyFor the men, biggest surprise, biggest snub?

TH: Is it weird to say De Bruyne was a surprise? Maybe, but this was a pretty poor season from the Belgian – 14 goal contributions in just 18 Premier League appearances doesn't really get the business done, while he didn't achieve anything in Europe or for his country. His individual quality is undeniable, but it's strange that he made it this year. As for snubs, Yamal is pretty glaring. Golden Boy winner, Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024, heir-apparent to Leo Messi. What more did the kid have to do?

RT: There were a few that had legitimate arguments, including Yamal, who probably has the best one given his Euros success. Still, he needs to build on the hype just a little bit more if he wants to be on this list. Outside of him, you could point to the always-underrated Federico Valverde or Jeremie Frimpong, a key catalyst in Bayer Leverkusen's miracle run. Even so, it feels pretty close to correct.

JS: Biggest surprise is perhaps Toni Kroos. Don't get me wrong, sensational footballer and zero complaints with his selection, it's just a surprise to see him in the team with Valverde, Jamal Musiala, Phil Foden and Luka Modric as other options.

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Getty ImagesFor the women, biggest surprise, biggest snub?

TH: In the best way possible, it's a little surprising to see Marta here. Zoom out, and the Brazilian had a bit of a mixed season. She wasn't exactly the model of consistency for the Orlando Pride – and Olympic success was elusive. Given that voting include her NWSL Championship win, it wouldn't be unfathomable to see her miss out. In terms of snubs, Girma will grab the headlines, but anyone who watches NWSL and decides that Temwa Chawinga isn't one of the best forwards in the world probably needs to get their eyes checked.

RT: Everything said about the USWNT snubs? That largely applies, in particular, to Girma, who has established herself as arguably the best defender in the world. Yes, there were plenty of Barcelona stars who deserved recognition for their club success but, at the end of the day, what the USWNT did in France has to be valued, too. Girma deserved a spot this season but, based on what we've seen so far, she'll have plenty of chances to get back onto this list as she evolves into a legitimate superstar defender.

JS: Biggest surprise is Olga Carmona. She wasn't quite the standout performer for Real Madrid, and choosing her over an option like Girma is genuinely baffling.

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