Category Uncategorized

The €197 million sale of the iconic San Siro Stadium to Inter and AC Milan has been overshadowed by a shock probe into alleged bid-rigging. Just an hour after the deed was signed, prosecutors launched an investigation, drawing outrage from Inter president Beppe Marotta and Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, who condemned the “worrying timing” of the inquiry.

San Siro's historic deal under scrutiny

Milan and Inter completed the €197 million (£165m/$215m) purchase of the San Siro Stadium and surrounding land from the Municipality of Milan, ending 77 years of municipal ownership. The deal is a historic milestone allowing both Serie A clubs to move ahead with plans for a new, modern arena designed by Foster + Partners and MANICA Architecture. Foster + Partners are the same company that are working on the new Manchester United stadium, which is being touted to become the largest football stadium in UK.

But celebrations were quickly clouded by controversy. Just one hour after the deed was signed, the Milan prosecutor’s office announced an investigation into alleged bid-rigging during the sale process. Inter president Marotta voiced his frustration at the Football Business Forum, saying: “The deed was signed at noon, and an hour later, the investigation opened. This is Italy.”

Calling the deal “a historic event” and “a step towards financial self-sufficiency,” Marotta criticised the timing of the probe as symbolic of Italy’s slow-moving bureaucracy compared to Europe’s efficiency.

AdvertisementAFPOfficials push back against prosecutors

Marotta wasn’t alone in his criticism. Milan’s mayor, returning from Brazil, addressed the investigation for the first time, defending the city’s role in the transaction. "We did everything right, respecting the rules. Once we received the expression of interest, we kept the tender open for the necessary time," Sala said during the Lombardy at the Heart of the Olympic Challenge event.

Sports Minister Andrea Abodi also echoed their concerns, emphasising that Italy’s ongoing infrastructure projects, including the San Siro redevelopment and preparations for Euro 2032, were being conducted transparently and in the public interest.

"Suddenly, something is happening that hasn't happened for 30 years, and it doesn't just concern Euro 2032: in Italy we have a dozen open construction sites that we will manage with the extraordinary commissioner Sessa, and I think this is an extraordinary result. What has been done in Milan has significant value, beyond its economic dimension, because it seeks to improve the city and the nation, unlike someone who, on a political or judicial level, attempts to question a path that is in everyone's interest."

The investigation centres on whether alternative bidders, including promoter Claudio Trotta of the Si Meazza Committee, were unfairly excluded from participating due to an unusually short tender window. Trotta alleged that “other consortiums were never given a fair chance,” prompting prosecutors to open formal inquiries.

City symbol enters Inter & Milan hands

The San Siro sale marks the end of 77 years of municipal control and the beginning of a new era of private ownership in Italian football. Built in 1926 and expanded over the decades, the San Siro, officially known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, has hosted World Cups, Champions League finals, and countless derbies, becoming a symbol of Milanese identity.

Under the terms of the sale, both clubs will continue to share the existing stadium until the new 71,500-seat arena is completed, expected before Euro 2032. The redevelopment includes green spaces, retail areas, and leisure facilities, turning the site into a modern entertainment hub.

Both Milan and Inter see the move as vital for reviving Serie A’s global competitiveness. Their joint statement called the acquisition “a new chapter for the city of Milan and Italian football.” For fans, however, it’s bittersweet, progress at the cost of nostalgia.

Still, club leaders argue that the new stadium is essential contending that it would allow them to make it a much bigger source of earnings, which is required today with how mordernised the sports has become in recent times. Milan president Paolo Scaroni acknowledged the emotional resistance, saying: “It was a difficult process, not only because of the bureaucracy but also because people didn't want a new stadium out of nostalgia. But today, if someone wants to go to San Siro, it's almost scary, when there's no match, it's almost deserted. And instead, we want a stadium that can host something every day.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportThe road ahead for Serie A clubs

While the investigation looms, both clubs are pressing forward. The new stadium project, estimated at €1.2-1.5 billion, aims to meet UEFA’s highest standards, generate year-round revenue, and reflect sustainability goals. Designed by world-renowned architects, the arena will retain tributes to the old San Siro’s legacy while embracing a futuristic, fan-focused model.

Despite the optimism, challenges persist. Demolishing an iconic landmark has drawn public resistance, while legal uncertainty could delay construction. The compressed bidding timeline, which lasted just over a month, remains at the centre of the probe. Still, city officials maintain the process was “transparent and compliant with all legal and procedural requirements.”

Bangladesh’s tour of India to play a series of three ODIs and three T20Is in December has been “postponed”.A BCB spokesperson confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, saying that the board has received a letter from the BCCI saying that the white-ball series will be scheduled at a later date.No specific reason has been given for the postponement but it is understood that the prevailing political tensions between India and Bangladesh was a key factor.The series, a part of the ICC’s future tours programme, was meant to be India’s last set of games before the start of the next edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and the only series between their triumphant ODI World Cup campaign and the WPL. The matches were expected to be played in Kolkata and Cuttack, with the ODIs kicking off the new cycle of the Women’s ODI Championship for both sides.Earlier this year, India men’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, originally slotted for August 2025, was pushed to September 2026.”This decision has been reached following discussions between the two boards, taking into account the international cricketing commitments and scheduling convenience of both teams,” the BCCI had said in a statement at the time. “The BCB looks forward to welcoming India in September 2026 for this eagerly anticipated series. Revised dates and fixtures for the tour will be announced in due course.”

India’s total of 358 didn’t turn out to be a dew-proof one, with SA going past the target with four balls remaining

Deivarayan Muthu03-Dec-20254:14

Takeaways: Markram and SA’s middle order ace record chase

Virat Kohli eased to his second successive century and Ruturaj Gaikwad hit his first in ODIs as India piled up 358 for 5 in front of 60,000-odd spectators, in the second ODI in Raipur. That total, however, didn’t turn out to be a dew-proof one, with South Africa going past the target to silence the packed crowd and set up a decider in Visakhapatnam.Aiden Markram, who led South Africa’s chase with his first hundred in an ODI chase, Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis upstaged Kohli and Gaikwad, with some help from dewy conditions. It was the joint-highest successful chase against India in men’s ODIs and South Africa’s third-highest overall in the format.When Brevis holed out for 54 off 34 balls, after raising his maiden ODI fifty, South Africa were still ahead, needing 70 off 57 balls with six wickets in hand. The visitors then suddenly fell behind when they lost Breetzke and Marco Jansen in successive overs. By the time Jansen holed out to long-off, South Africa required 37 off 33 balls with four wickets in hand. Tony de Zorzi hobbling off the field with a potential hamstring injury after 45 overs added another twist to the chase. He joined Nandre Burger, who had hurt his own hamstring and left the field earlier in the first innings.Related

• Ruturaj Gaikwad: 'I was pretty much confident' of batting at No. 4

• When South Africa and India went off the scale

• Belief surges for South Africa as Markram makes amends in style

• Rahul: Toss and dew 'making a huge difference'

• Burger and de Zorzi pick up injuries during Raipur ODI

It boiled down to South Africa needing 27 off 30 balls. Corbin Bosch’s attacking enterprise and Keshav Maharaj’s calmness got the job done for them, leaving India wondering what might have been.India had to contend with multiple mishaps in the field, including Yashasvi Jaiwal dropping Markram on 53. Jaiswal got into an awkward side-on position, let the ball slip through his hands and tip over the rope for six. Markram then cranked up the tempo, launching Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja for sixes. He proceeded to bring up his hundred off 88 balls. On a day where three centuries were scored, Markram’s proved to be the match-winning one.India were up against it even before the first ball was bowled. Their wretched luck at the toss continued – they lost their 20th straight toss in ODI cricket – and Rahul made his displeasure known by throwing his head back.Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad thrilled the Raipur crowd•AFP/Getty Images

After they were asked to bat first, India moved to 40 for 0 in the fifth over, with 13 of those runs coming via wides. Burger and Lungi Ngidi, who had replaced Ottniel Baartman, found swing with the new ball, but struggled to control it. Burger, though, tightened up to have Rohit Sharma nicking behind for 14 off eight balls. Then, in the tenth over, Jansen bounced Jaiswal out for 22. Jansen then greeted Gaikwad with a nastier head-high lifter. Gaikwad took his eyes off the ball, threw his hands up in defence, and managed to glove it over the keeper for four.Gaikwad then found his groove with a brace of paddle-sweeps off Maharaj. Kohli was already set at the other end, having opened his account with a pulled six off Ngidi. He then dashed out of the crease and whacked a four straight past Bosch, leaving Gaikwad ducking for cover. When Markram pitched one too full and outside off, Kohli flat-batted him through covers.Gaikwad matched Kohli shot for shot. He pumped Maharaj over his head after stepping out and shovelled Bosch through midwicket, having even Kohli excited at the other end. He zoomed from 50 to 100 in just 25 balls. It was his 18th List A ton and first as a non-opener. Picked ahead of natural middle-order batters like Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma, Gaikwad showcased his versatility.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After Jansen dismissed Gaikwad for 105, ending a 195-run partnership for the third wicket, Kohli went on to bring up back-to-back hundreds. It was the 11th instance of Kohli achieving the feat, easily the most by any batter in ODIs. Ngidi then stopped Kohli’s innings on 102 in the 40th over. When Washington Sundar was run-out, India slipped to 289 for 5, but Rahul took charge of the innings in the end overs to take India past 350. He combined power with invention to remain unbeaten on 66 off 43 balls. Jadeja wasn’t as fluent, managing an unbeaten 24 off 27 balls.Unlike South Africa’s quicks, India’s were largely on target with the new ball. Arshdeep Singh got one to nip away from Quinton de Kock and had him miscuing a hoick to mid-on in the fifth over for 8 off 11 balls. Harshit Rana threatened both the edges of Markram from various lengths, but the batter managed to see off the new ball and laid a strong foundation for South Africa’s chase. Temba Bavuma kept him good company in a 101-run stand for the second wicket before the South Africa captain was bounced out by Prasidh Krishna.Markram countered India’s spinners, including Kuldeep Yadav, before Rana bested him with a slower offcutter into the pitch. Breetzke and Brevis then forged a powerful partnership, pushing South Africa closer to the target. Breetzke extended his golden run in ODIs, with his seventh 50-plus score in 11 innings. Though both Breetzke and Brevis were part of a late wobble, Bosch stayed cool with Maharaj to seal South Africa’s win with four balls to spare.

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on Tuesday night. Mariners manager Dan Wilson missed most of the game after he was ejected in the top of the third inning, but at least he provided a very enjoyable moment for the broadcasters before he headed for the showers.

Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink were calling the game on Root Sports Northwest when the acoustics in George M. Steinbrenner Field allowed home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez to hear people in the dugout complaining about his strike zone.

After calling a rather high strike on Cole Young he turned to the dugout and tossed Dominic Canzone who he had called a high strike on the previous inning. After Canzone was tossed, manager Dan Wilson jogged out to get an explanation and ended up getting ejected as well.

Goldsmith pointed out that Wilson had been ejected with former Mariners manager Lou Piniella in the stands, which made Mentink laugh. When the broadcast then showed Piniella waving both arms to show his displeasure with the ejection both broadcasters cracked up.

Piniella was ejected 28 times during his 10 seasons as the Mariners manager. He finished his career with 64 ejections which has him tied for 14th all-time. He is 16th all-time with 3,548 games managed. Obviously, he knows a bad call when he sees one.

India are expecting their T20I captain to be back for the Asia Cup in September

Shashank Kishore04-Aug-2025Suryakumar Yadav, the India T20I captain, had his first batting session at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru late last week following a surgery for sports hernia in Germany in July.Suryakumar is currently under the supervision of BCCI’s medical staff as he recovers from surgery on his lower right abdomen. His workload will be increased progressively over the next few weeks and he’s believed to be on track for the Asia Cup beginning on September 9 in UAE.ESPNcricinfo understands his rehabilitation was planned with a likely return for the T20I leg of the Bangladesh tour in late August – a series that was deferred to 2026.Suryakumar’s most recent outing was for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the Mumbai T20 League in June, soon after the completion of IPL 2025. He hit 122 runs in four innings. He was also in consideration to be named in the West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy but will probably miss that tournament.India’s squad is likely to fly to the UAE in the first week of September for the Asia Cup, and West Zone don’t play until September 4 after being given a direct entry to the semi-finals. As part of his build-up to the tournament, Suryakumar might play a few practice matches and undergo simulation exercises organised by the CoE in the final week of his rehab.The Asia Cup marks the start of India’s runway to next year’s T20 World Cup, which they co-host with Sri Lanka. If he plays, it will be Suryakumar’s first multi-nation tournament as T20I captain since taking over the leadership in the shortest format from Rohit Sharma following their T20 World Cup win in 2024.

Cal Raleigh is the current home run king of Major League Baseball. He hit 38 home runs before the All-Star break which is more than anyone else in baseball, including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and everyone else.

Raleigh then went out and hit 17 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby, which was good enough to tie for fourth place with Brent Rooker of the Athletics. Rather than go to a swing-off to determine who would move on, MLB advanced the player with the longer home run.

The only problem is that both guys hit their longest home runs 470 feet.

And the only solution was MLB claiming they knew how far all these home runs traveled down to an insanely precise decimal point.

The official determination was that Raleigh's longest home run traveled .08 feet—or 61/64ths of an inch—further than Rooker's longest dinger.

If that doesn't seem made up enough for you, check out this tweet from MLB where they claim to know the distance of the home runs down to the 10-billionth(?) place(!?). That's how exact we're supposed to believe MLB is measuring these home runs that leave the stadium or land in a mass of fans.

If you have some questions about this, well, you're not alone.

Or, to paraphrase another prodigious power hitter, do you want to know the terrifying truth, or do you want to see Cal Raleigh sock a few dingers?

Gabriel Agbonlahor has criticised Thomas Frank and a Tottenham Hotspur star in the wake of the 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Frank under major pressure after Fulham defeat

Spurs remain without a Premier League win on home soil since defeating Burnley 3-0 on the opening day of the season, following the 2-1 loss against the Cottagers at the weekend, which saw Frank’s fall down to 12th place, having now lost as many games as they’ve won.

The Dane is under major pressure after the latest setback, with it being revealed that former Barcelona manager Xavi is now under serious consideration as a replacement, and a move could be made if there is not an improvement in results by the end of this month.

Games

21

Wins

8

Draws

5

Losses

8

Points per game

1.38

That said, some of the blame has to lie with the players, according to Agbonlahor, who recently said live on talkSPORT that Frank’s men need to start stepping up to the plate, and the pundit was particularly unimpressed with the start Xavi Simons has made to life in north London.

The former Aston Villa striker said: “A lot’s got to change, Jeff. Players have got to start turning up. Xavi Simons has got to come to the table and start performing.

“You never know what Spurs’ starting team is going to be. Looks very confused doesn’t he? Sometimes it’s five-at-the-back, then it looks like it’s a diamond, then now it’s Bergvall off the left.”

Simons needs to step up sooner rather than later

Of course, any player in their debut Premier League season should be given time to adapt, but Simons needs to start showing signs of improvement very soon, given that he is yet to score for Tottenham, and has registered just two assists in 15 matches in all competitions.

The Dutchman was benched against Fulham, but didn’t make much of an impact after replacing Richarlison on the hour mark, failing to register a single key pass or create a big chance.

Jamie O'Hara loses it with Xavi Simons after what Tottenham star did in Fulham defeat

The summer signing was one of many underwhelming performers.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Nov 29, 2025

Some Spurs players are also already starting to have doubts about Frank, as they believe the 52-year-old makes too many changes to his attack and focuses on the opposition too much, and the manager will need to start improving results quickly before he loses the dressing room entirely.

It is still early days for the former Brentford boss, but things certainly haven’t worked out so far, with £52m summer signing Simons flattering to deceive, and things don’t get any easier, with Spurs set to travel to St. James’ Park to take on an in-form Newcastle United side on Tuesday night.

The India wristspinner picked up a five-for in unfriendly bowling conditions by beating batters in the air and keeping the wickets in play

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Oct-20251:15

Chopra: Not a surface Kuldeep would love

Angles. Over the wicket creates an entirely different angle to around the wicket, and while left-arm over and right-arm around create a broadly similar angle, they’re still a little different because of how the human body works. The right-arm-around bowler can deliver from far wider on the crease than the left-arm-over bowler, and the left-arm-over bowler from significantly closer to the stumps.All this, quite naturally, brings us to Kuldeep Yadav, the most artful employer of left-arm over in the history of Test-match spin bowling.That’s quite a claim, but it’s easily backed up, because left-arm wristspin has been such a rare sight in Test cricket. Left-arm fingerspinners bowl over the wicket too, but it’s the mirror image of vanilla when they do it against left-hand batters, and a defensive tactic against right-hand batters. For the left-arm wristspinner, over the wicket is the default setting.Related

• 'It's about taking the right options' – Gill on first series win as Test captain

• 'Test match still on' – West Indies 'hope to make a game out of' India's follow-on gamble

• Hope and Campbell fight back after Kuldeep five-for forces WI to follow on

• 'Impact injury' keeps Sai Sudharsan off the field on the third day

And no left-arm wristspinner in the history of the sport has taken even 100 Test wickets. Johnny Wardle took 102 but primarily bowled left-arm orthodox. Garry Sobers took 235 but mostly bowled left-arm seam and left-arm orthodox.Kuldeep, playing just his 15th Test match, is already the most prolific Test bowler of his kind. He has 65 wickets at an average of 21.90, and if that isn’t impressive enough, his strike rate of 37.00 is the best of any spinner, of any kind, ever, with a cut-off of 50 Test wickets.Kuldeep Yadav has the most wickets – 65 – by a left-arm wristspinner in Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s the record of a generational talent who combines the often hard-to-reconcile skills of spinning the ball furiously out of the hand and landing it exactly where intended in a manner that only a handful of wristspinners, right- or left-arm, have ever managed. It’s the record of a wristspinner with an exquisite feel for the combination of line, length and trajectory that the batter would be least comfortable facing each time he skips into his run-up. And it’s the record of a master at using the left-arm-over angle.Take two balls that Kuldeep bowled on Sunday morning to send back Shai Hope and Tevin Imlach in quick succession after they had put on 49 for the fifth West Indies wicket.First to go was Hope, who last week in Ahmedabad had been bowled while trying to drive Kuldeep against the turn. The angle across him, accentuated by away-drift, had drawn his bat wider and wider, opening up a huge gate for the ball, which turned sharply into Hope, to burst through.Here in Delhi, Hope was no doubt extremely vigilant about the threat to his inside edge when he stretched forward to defend as Kuldeep floated another ball across him from left-arm over. Even before the ball landed, it began opening up a weakness in Hope’s defence: his front foot went straight down the pitch, toe roughly in line with middle stump, when the ball was already drifting away towards off.Hope correctly read the ball out of Kuldeep’s hand, picking the stock ball that would turn into him, but guessed wrongly about the degree of turn. The ball only really straightened down the line, going past the outside edge to hit the top of off stump.The ball to Imlach was another stock ball, only a little slower and a touch shorter and straighter. It happened to hit a part of the pitch from where the ball turned far more sharply while skidding through slightly low. Imlach, playing back, was lbw, beaten on the inside edge while making a hurried attempt to flick.2:05

Ten Doeschate: Mystery element makes Kuldeep effective

Two stock balls, both angled across the right-hand batter and turning in the same direction. One pitched roughly in line with off stump, one in line with middle or thereabouts. One beat the outside edge, one beat the inside edge. Both ended up hitting the stumps or being projected to hit the stumps.Those two balls summed up the fundamental difficulty of facing Kuldeep as a right-hand batter. He delivers from left-arm over, and from so close to the stumps that he typically releases from somewhere above the umpire’s right shoulder. Delivered from there, his stock ball can land anywhere from leg stump to a fair way outside off stump, turn or straighten inwards, beat either edge, and remain on course to hit the stumps, giving him a seemingly endless range of pitching lines and degrees of turn with which he can get batters lbw or bowled.All this with just his stock ball and his angles. All this before we throw in all the ways he can scramble batters’ judgment of line and length with variations in pace, drift, and dip. He might look to straighten the ball from a middle-stumpish line if he senses that you tend to get closed off, and force you to play around your front pad. He might float the ball slower and wider if he senses that you’re petrified about lbw, and hesitant to get your front foot across the stumps, to try and get you playing away from your body. He might push one through flatter if you tend to camp on the back foot, inducing you to play the trajectory rather than the length. He might do any of these things while keeping both edges the stumps in play.All this before he even feels the need to slip in his wrong’un. It’s no surprise that he uses that variation sparingly against right-hand batters and frequently against left-handers. He does everything in his power to constantly keep the stumps in play.The geometry of Kuldeep’s bowling ensures that he traces a wicket-to-wicket path all the way from pitching point to stumps more often than most spinners, and ball-tracking data supports this notion.In Test matches in India since the start of 2022, spinners on average have pitched in line finished within the stumps with roughly 7% of their balls to right-hand batters, and roughly 5% of their balls to left-hand batters. India’s spinners, unsurprisingly, have done better than the average spinner. R Ashwin has done this with 7% of his balls to right-hand batters and 11% of his balls to left-handers. Ravindra Jadeja has gone at 9% to left-handers and 15% to right-handers.If these two great fingerspinners have shown a greater tendency to be stump-to-stump against their preferred match-ups, Kuldeep has shown no evidence of having a preferred match-up. He’s bowled stump-to-stump deliveries with a frequency of 13% against right-hand batters and 13.5% against left-handers. No surprise, then, that there’s barely any difference between his averages against right-hand batters (21.94) and left-handers (21.73).Kuldeep’s fifth Test five-for might make it harder for India to leave him out in overseas Tests•PTI And keep in mind that these numbers are based on precise ball-tracking, and exclude all the balls that pitch an inch wide of the stumps, or are projected to turn or bounce just enough to miss off stump or leg stump by an inch. Add all those balls to the count, and you begin to see how often Kuldeep makes batters fear for their pads and stumps, and how much error he induces by doing this as often as he does.On Sunday, this relentless stump-to-stump examination produced one bowled and two lbws within the first hour of play. It was exactly the kind of bowling India needed on a slow, low Delhi pitch where edges were unlikely to carry to fielders, and where the ability to keep the stumps in play was priceless.It showed, all over again, what a treasure Kuldeep can be on pitches without too much help for spinners. He’s likelier to beat batters in the air than most fingerspinners, and he turns the ball both ways, but he often doesn’t need to because of his mastery of his stock angle and stock ball.Sunday morning’s display — and the threat he still presents West Indies on this docile track despite their fightback after being asked to follow on — will only have convinced Kuldeep’s fans that India ought to have played him at some point during their recent tour of England. He never got that chance, and India drew 2-2. Did that scoreline vindicate his non-selection, or did not selecting him keep India from winning the series?No one knows, but his fifth Test five-for made one member of India’s coaching staff wonder what could potentially have been.”It’s very difficult,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said at his end-of-day’s-play press conference. “I just cast my mind back to all the discussions around teams and how we tried to fit him in. But one thing, I think we got the [reading of] wickets pretty spot-on in England. It was very high-scoring Tests, so we were always trying to balance playing the batting all-rounder or do you play three guys at the end who don’t really bat?”But I guess [Kuldeep has] shown here, even on an unresponsive wicket, it does maybe make you think, oh, what happens if we had played him in Manchester, or what happens if we had played him at Headingley? But those are calls you have to make in real time, and we always try to figure out what’s best, then we go with the call and the players have been brilliant at buying into it.”But I think he’s done himself some favours, looking forward, if we do have to make the brave call where we want to win Test matches, maybe we do go a batter light and play Kuldeep, judged on how he’s bowled again in these two Tests.”If you’re one of the many vociferous fans who believe Kuldeep has to play no matter where India are playing, those words may have left you feeling vindicated, if his bowling on Sunday morning hadn’t already done that job.

The Reds entered the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday night locked in a tight battle with the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Fortunately, Cincinnati had the powers of Elly De La Cruz to lean on.

With the Reds up 2-1, the Pirates got a man on first, and Nick Gonzales came up to bat with one out. On a 2-2 count, he absolutely mashed a liner— right at De La Cruz, playing deep at the shortstop position. Without wasting even a second, EDLC then rifled a one-hop throw to first for the force-out that ended the game.

It was a very cool play that required remarkable reaction time and De La Cruz was all too happy to show off his.

That is a hard throw to make it to first on a bounce before the runner does. De La Cruz has done it again.

The win marks the Reds' 61st of the season, and it was arguably the most exciting ending yet.

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will already be contemplating the return of Championship football to Molineux next season.

Indeed, the miserable Old Gold are currently sat at the bottom of the Premier League pile on a pitiful two points, which culminated in the dismissal of Vitor Pereira, who had managed to turn around Wolves’ fortunes when coming in mid-way through the 2024/25 season.

Unfortunately, in the here and now, Pereira couldn’t arrest the worrying slide, with the West Midlands outfit now on the hunt for a successor who can somehow lift the downbeat side off the very foot of the top-flight.

Gary O’Neil has already turned down the opportunity to come back to his old stomping ground as a dramatic saviour, with Wolves now having to look at alternative targets.

Wolves' ongoing hunt for a new manager

There have been several different names linked to the Molineux vacancy since Pereira was put out of his misery after a 3-0 defeat away at Fulham.

Rob Edwards has consistently been tipped to leave promotion-chasing Middlesbrough behind in the Championship to return to the side he lined up for as a player. At the same time, Wolves have also utilised their well-known Portuguese connections, with ex-Benfica boss Rui Vitoria allegedly on their radar.

Sky Sports News’ Lyall Thomas has fired back, though, to state that either Edwards or Vitoria replacing Pereira is considered “unlikely”, with Erik ten Hag also a shout that has been dismissed, as Wolves head into their next league encounter with youth team duo James Collins and Richard Walker at the helm.

A decision will soon have to be made, as Wolves fight a losing battle against the drop, with one name that Thomas hasn’t dismissed, still perhaps in the running as a clear upgrade on the Boro boss.

Why Wolves target would be an Edwards upgrade

Before delving deeper into why this alternative target would be an upgrade on Edwards, it does have to be said that the 42-year-old did a commendable job the last time he was in the top-flight with Luton Town.

Indeed, Edwards did make the Hatters a “difficult” team to beat, as were the words of Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.

But, away from initial admiration, the Championship promotion-winning manager did still take Luton down, with 47 defeats from 103 games in charge of the Kenilworth Road outfit, not exactly music to the ears of those at Molineux who crave a transformative clean slate.

This is where the reappointment of Bruno Lage could be a masterstroke, with reports from Portugal – via Sport Witness – indicating that the 49-year-old is weighing up the possibility of a return to the Black Country, having been on Wolves’ manager shortlist.

Wolves have arguably been on a decline since the one-time Liga Portugal champion left the building, with Lage’s tenth-place finish during the 2021/22 season yet to be bettered by the litany of managers that have come into the Old Gold dug-out since.

2024/25

16th

Pereira

2023/24

14th

O’Neil

2022/23

13th

Lopetegui

2021/22

10th

Lage

Lage also turned the Old Gold into a well-oiled machine when he was at the helm, which they are in dire need of right now, as only 43 goals were leaked across 38 league contests.

His fellow compatriot and ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal would even label his one full campaign in the dug-out as “the best success story in the Premier League”, with Lage even taking the West Midlands titans to the brink of a Champions League spot at one point, having masterminded a 1-0 away win at Manchester United in early 2022.

19 Premier League wins would come his way, subsequently, with Edwards stuck on just six, in stark contrast, from his time at Kenilworth Road.

With Lage favouring a 4-3-3 set-up, too, much like Pereira, the hope will be that Setubal-born boss can get the ball rolling again immediately on his return, having been described as “one of the best men I have met in football” by ex-Wolves skipper Conor Coady.

After all, he fared well last time out when the pressure was on him, having had to replace a modern Molineux great in Nuno Espirito Santo, as the “excellent” head coach – as he was once labelled by rival Premier League manager Thomas Frank – now tries to steer the ship back on course again.

Wolves in contact for new manager Abel Ferreira as Jeff Shi receives reply

A new name on the Molineux radar.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 6, 2025