Exeter Chiefs make three changes to the side that was beaten by Bristol Bears for Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup opener against La Rochelle.
Lock Dave Dennis and flanker Dave Ewers come into the pack, while Ian Whitten steps in at inside centre.
La Rochelle, who are unbeaten at home this season, make four changes to the side from their Top 14 defeat by Lyon.
Lock Romain Sazy, flanker Wiaan Liebenberg, scrum-half Alexi Bales and winger Arthur Retiere all come in.
Chiefs are the favourites to progress from Pool Two - which also includes Glasgow and Sale - for only the second time in their history, and head coach Rob Baxter has challenged his players to "lay down a marker" on matchday one.
"Starting away at La Rochelle and going over to France, it's not actually the worst start for us, because it just allows us to go over there and genuinely 'go for it'," said Baxter.
"Because it's the first game in the pool, nothing is going to be decided now, whatever happens. However, if we can go over there and lay down a real marker, then that can genuinely show how we are going to attack this competition."
History favours Exeter, who have beaten the hosts in their previous two European meetings, during the 2014-15 season.
Nervy Glasgow Warriors held off a second-half fightback by Sale Sharks to open their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a 13-7 win.
DTH van der Merwe's try at the end of the first half was reward for a dominant display as Sale struggled to make inroads into Warriors' 22.
Sale were better after the break and cut the deficit to six points after Coenie Oosthuizen's try.
That kept the hosts on edge but Sale could not find another score.
The visitors were left to rue a poor first 40 minutes in what was their first Champions Cup match since the 2016-17 season.
Relief for Glasgow, frustration for Sale
Glasgow lost their opening home game in Europe last season against Saracens, but the English visitors then were of an altogether different order to the English visitors here. Sale are going solidly in the Premiership but the chance of them suffocating Dave Rennie's team the way the reigning champions did a year ago was always remote.
The chances of them making a fight of this looked impossible for large parts of it. They were outplayed for vast chunks. Their lineout was a mess, their amount of ball negligible until the hour mark when Glasgow's previously comfortable day suddenly became sweaty as Sale stirred.
They had come to Scotland without their stellar names, of course. No Faf de Klerk, no Tom Curry, no Mark Wilson. No Lood de Jager either. That's an amount of brilliance and muscle to go without.
The hosts faced Saracens in their first game in Europe last season and also in their last, a pummelling defeat to the soon-to-be-champions. Perhaps with that physical monstering in mind, Glasgow had an edge about them from the start, an edge that brought a few early off-the-ball scraps.
Glasgow owned the ball for an hour. Even when early pressure and phase upon phase on the Sale five metre line went unrewarded in the face of the visitors' aggression there was always the sense that the points would come. Slowly, they did. Hastings banged over a penalty towards the end of the first quarter and then put over another early in the second quarter.
They'd played with a thunder that Sale struggled badly to cope with. Penalties started to flow as a consequence of the heat the visitors were under. After half an hour, Glasgow had enjoyed 77% possession and 82% territory. Sale's tackle stats were soaring. Ross Harrison, the loosehead, was sitting on 15 tackles all on his own.
Something had to give - and it did. In a rare sortie into Glasgow's 22, Sale got turned over. From the scrum, Glasgow won a penalty. Hastings rifled it to touch. Finally, Glasgow made their pressure count off a set-piece move, George Horne linking with Sam Johnson who fed it on to Van der Merwe. The wing cut inside the confused Marland Yarde and ran away to score.
The conversion made it 13-0, not quite a reflection of Glasgow's control but a handsome enough lead all the same. It was a lead you couldn't see them giving up, not even when Steve Diamond got angry and made five substitutions inside the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Things did change, though. Sale got up a head of steam and Oosthuizen, one of Diamond's emergency crew off the bench, drove over from close range. AJ MacGinty's conversion was good and out of the blue we had a single-score game on our hands.
Sale's new forwards gave them a power that they lacked earlier on and a menace that few inside Scotstoun could see coming. Rennie brought on Pete Horne for Hastings in an attempt to regain some control, a process that was helped no end by Sale's continuing lineout woes.
When they lost a fourth throw close to the end, Sale gave the impetus back to Glasgow, who were now a shadow of the side they looked in the first 40 minutes. Sale had another crack at them with the clock on red but the home defence repelled them.
Relief for Glasgow for holding out. Frustration for Sale for waking up too late. A bizarre game but four precious points for Glasgow from a game they said they had to win. They did, just about.
Glasgow Warriors: Seymour; Tagive, Grigg, Johnson, Van der Merwe; Hastings, G Horne; Kebble, Brown, Z Fagerson, Harley, Cummings, Wilson, Gibbins, M Fagerson.
Replacements: Turner, Allan, Rae, Swinson, Fusaro, Price, P Horne, Steyn.
Sale Sharks: Hammersley; Yarde, Redpath, James, McGuigan; MacGinty, Papier; Harrison, Webber, Cooper-Woolley, Evans, Phillips, J Du Preez, Curry, D Du Preez.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, Morozov, Oosthuizen, Postlethwaite, Ross, Cliff, R Du Preez, Ashton.
Lydia Thompson scored a last-minute try as an error-strewn England beat France 17-15 in a thriller in Exeter.
Jessy Tremouliere's penalty and Laure Sansus' try put the visitors 8-0 ahead before two Emily Scarratt penalties had reduced the arrears by half-time.
Scarratt kicked two more penalties as England went four points clear.
Caroline Boujard's 67th-minute try looked to have won it for France but, with both sides down to 14 players, Thompson went over to seal the win.
The victory was England's fourth in a row over France - a record going back to March 2018 when they lost what was a Six Nations decider to a last-minute try in Grenoble.
First-half errors cost England control
Despite having the better share of possession and territory, England too often fluffed their lines in the opening period in front of 9,699 fans at Sandy Park. They made handling errors at key times and seemed to overcomplicate things with ball in hand.
France should have taken a 10th-minute lead, but hooker Agathe Sochat knocked on as she was about to go over the England tryline following a period of pressure.
The hosts should have capitalised five minutes later as Scarratt, named World Player of the Year earlier this month, scythed through the France defence, but she lost the ball diving for the line thanks to an excellent last-ditch tackle by winger Boujard.
Tremouliere put the hosts ahead with a penalty after 21 minutes before Sansus scored their first try four minutes later. England misjudged a high kick and Sansus chipped over the hosts defence and got a toe to the ball before England full-back Sarah McKenna could gather, allowing the scrum-half to go over unchallenged.
While Scarratt reduced the deficit to two points with two penalties, the French defence was steadfast as England tried in vain to get more before half-time.
Final-minute drama
Scarratt kicked a penalty early in the second half, before Tremouliere missed a straightforward effort to regain her side's one-point lead soon after.
Another Scarratt penalty put England further clear but, like in the first half, the Red Roses failed to turn their better positions into points as they made handling errors within striking distance of the France line.
England were made to pay with 15 minutes to go when France won a scrum five metres out, from which the elusive Sansus created space and fed Boujard, who went over from close range.
The hosts' hopes of victory looked to have evaporated when second row Zoe Aldcroft was yellow carded with seven minutes left after a video review showed her putting in a high shot at a ruck.
But when French number eight Romane Menager was sin-binned two minutes later after a number of offsides, England were re-invigorated and inspired to go for the win.
And that victory duly arrived when Natasha Hunt gathered Morgane Peyronnet's poor clearance kick on France's 22 and set Scarratt on a sprint from centre to right, and she in turn fed Thompson, who dived over in the corner.
CONCORD, N.C. — If you’ve never heard of Air Base Speedway, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.
The track, long ago reclaimed by Mother Nature and the ever-growing urban sprawl, was located in Greenville, S.C., and hosted a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in 1951.
The story of the track is a cloudy one and one man — Greenville resident Matthew Henson — set out to solve themystery.
Going by the username “S1apSh0es” on YouTube, Henson compiles videos on the history of NASCAR that typically generate a few hundred-thousand views. His video on the aforementioned Air Base Speedway caught our attention.
As a resident of Greenville and a NASCAR history buff, Henson was stunned when he came across race results from a NASCAR Cup Series event at the track on Aug. 25, 1951.
He’d never heard of Air Base Speedway, much less known that a track in his hometown had hosted NASCAR’s top division in the early 1950s. Greenville-Pickens Speedway, a much better known and still active track in the area, hosted NASCAR’s top division 28 times from 1955 through 1971.
What happened to Air Base Speedway — also known for a time as Textile Speedway — and how had he never heard of it?
A lot of those details, sadly, are lost to time. What he did discover, however, may surprise you.
First of all, the half-mile dirt track hosted night races. Yes, night races in the early 1950s. A newspaper clipping advertising racing at the facility that was submitted to Henson by another online sleuth featured an aerial picture that showed the track had more than 15 light poles in the infield.
Henson figured out that the track — at least for a time — was promoted by Charlie Hicks. Hicks operated the track when it hosted the NASCAR event based on the information Henson tracked down, but another online detective soon discovered what happened to the promoter of the long-forgotten track.
Hicks had apparently been trying to secure a loan for the track and claimed when applying for the loan that he owned the track outright. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case.
A clipping from a local newspaper reported Hicks had been charged with obtaining a $2,000 loan under false pretenses. In actuality, the property had a lien against it, which prevented him from selling or leasing the property.
The article was published less than a month after the NASCAR Cup Series event at Air Base Speedway, which was won by Bob Flock.
Another newspaper clipping provided to Henson reported NASCAR driver Buck Baker leased the track for an event in September 1951, but that was the last published report regarding the track.
It’s likely Hicks lost ownership of the track after his brush with the law and the track ceased operations. From there, the track slowly decayed and the area was eventually developed for business purposes.
That might have been the end of the tale, but as luck would have it, SPEED SPORT Magazine published a story on Air Base Speedway in January 2015 titled: “NASCAR’s Forgotten Race.”
Authors John Nelson and Tom Schmeh went over the brief history of the track and recounted the NASCAR Cup Series race run there. The event was held over three days — Aug. 21-23.
Time trials were run on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, with a driver named Jesse James Taylor from Macon, Ga., setting fast time with a 31.06-second lap around the half-mile dirt circuit.
According to published reports, Taylor led the first six laps before giving way to Flock.
Further details of the race are scarce, but we do know the start was delayed in order to allow Tim Flock to make it to the track after he competed in a race in New Jersey the previous day. Thus, the event ended too late to make press time for the local newspapers.
Records show Bob Flock beating Tim Flock to the finish, but who finished third is open to debate. The Greenville News and National Speed Sport News credited the third Flock brother, Fonty, with finishing third. However, Greg Fielden’s “Forty Years of Stock Car Racing” listed Buck Baker in third.
The most incredible part of this story is that until Nelson and Schmeh published their story in January of 2015, NASCAR records showed the race taking place on Aug. 25, 1951, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, not Air Base Speedway.
Were it not for the hard work and diligence of both men, Air Base Speedway would have been totally lost to time. Now we know the track existed, exactly where it existed and a few other details that help paint a picture of the long-lost track.
For those interested in reading Nelson and Schmeh’s story on Air Base Speedway, it is available to SPEED SPORT print and digital subscribers on SPEEDSPORT.com.
Also make sure to check out Henson’s video work on YouTube by searching for Air Base Speedway or his username “S1apSh0es.” He got the opportunity to tour the property where Air Base Speedway once stood and shot a video of his findings, which is worth watching if you’re into that sort of thing.
SUN CITY, South Africa – Zander Lombard will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and is in position to win his first European Tour title at his country’s most prestigious tournament.
The 24-year-old South African, who led by two strokes overnight, ground out a level-par 72 in the third round on Saturday to move to 11 under par and stay ahead of compatriot Louis Oosthuizen (71) and Belgian Thomas Detry (69).
Lombard made a bogey on No. 6 and a double bogey on No. 8 but fought back with three birdies on the back nine.
Oosthuizen opened the tournament with a 63 and had a 72 in the second round. The 2010 British Open champion is chasing his first Sun City crown.
Oliver Wilson made a big move up the leaderboard with a 67 and is tied with Marcus Kinhult in fourth, three shots off the lead on 8 under.
Defending champion Lee Westwood, Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger, Joachim B Hansen, Mikko Korhonen, Aaron Rai and Jason Scrivener are on 6 under.
Lombard’s double bogey came when he missed the fairway, was forced to lay up and then three-putted. He birdied the next hole after a fabulous chip and added birdies on Nos. 10, 14 and 15.
“I’m still in the lead,” he said. “I’ve got to stay positive and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Detry, who is also seeking a maiden European Tour title, has been in contention all week and made six birdies in his 69 before slipping up with a double bogey and a bogey in his last five holes.
He drew level with Lombard after a birdie on No. 16 but missed the green at the last and had to settle for a bogey.
In the run-up to the January transfer window, we're ranking some of the best and worst signings by the Premier League's elite clubs over the past decade.
We looked at every arrival from the 2009-10 season onward -- though only permanent deals count, so no loans or promotions from the youth team (sorry, Marcus Rashford) -- and whittled down each list to five .
There's no magic formula to decide how they rank; it's purely how we think fans (having asked a few ourselves) would place them. No doubt you will agree with some and disagree with others!
Bought for: £29m from Hoffenheim Appearances: 210; Goals: 69
Just edging out Philippe Coutinho (who signed for £8.5m and was sold to Barcelona for £142m five years later), Firmino is here because of his importance to Jurgen Klopp's team. Defending from the front, linking play, scoring goals ... he does it all.
Bought for: £75m from Southampton Appearances: 90; Goals: 8
He might no longer be the world's most expensive defender (it's now Harry Maguire at £80m), but arguably Van Dijk is the world's best. In fact, £75m actually seems like a bargain given how much he has affected a Liverpool back line that has also benefited from the arrival of Alisson and Andy Robertson.
Bought for: £22.8m from Ajax Sold for: £75m to Barcelona
Appearances: 133; Goals: 82
Few knew how good a signing this was at the time, but the Uruguay international has become one of the best strikers in the world. He completely changed Liverpool's attack and the club stuck by him through thick and thin before he was sold for a massive profit.
Bought for: £34m from Roma Appearances: 121; Goals: 80
It was a bit of a gamble to spend so much on a player who flopped at Chelsea just a few years earlier, but Liverpool saw Salah's potential. He repaid that faith with 44 goals in 52 games in his first season and hasn't looked back since.
Bought for: £34m from Southampton Appearances: 140; Goals: 70
The Senegal winger has blossomed since the arrival of Salah and is arguably more important than the Egypt star. This was another gamble, given Mane had only two seasons in the Premier League under his belt, that has come off.
LIVERPOOL'S WORST
5. Loris Karius, 2016-
Bought for: £4.7m from Mainz Appearances: 49
Few fans knew much about Karius when he made the move to Liverpool, and it was a surprise that he claimed the No. 1 spot. But a meltdown, which cost Liverpool the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid, put paid to the goalkeeper's Anfield career.
Bought for: £7m from Nacional Sold for: £2m to Sunderland
Appearances: 24; Goals: 2
Highly rated when he first arrived, the Uruguayan defender failed to win over the fans with lumbering performances, then suffered a knee injury that kept him out for much of the 2013-14 season. Not much has changed since he moved to Sporting CP.
3. Christian Benteke, 2015-16
Bought for: £32.5m from Monaco Sold for: £27m to Crystal Palace
Appearances: 42; Goals: 10
A few years back there was something about Liverpool signing big strikers who really didn't work out. Benteke was not the first (see later) but he might be the last after a poor season saw him sold within the year. Though the Reds did manage to recoup most of what they paid.
2. Alberto Aquilani, 2009-12
Bought for: £20m from Roma Sold for: Free to Fiorentina
Appearances: 26; Goals: 2
Aquilani was meant to be the long-term replacement for Xabi Alonso but lasted only a year before heading to Juventus on loan, then Fiorentina for free. Injuries played their part, and the Italian midfielder later revealed: "Maybe I should have stayed, but I wanted to come back to Italy for family reasons."
Bought for: £35m from Newcastle Sold for: £15m to West Ham
Appearances: 58; Goals: 11
Losing hero Fernando Torres to Chelsea and making Carroll the most expensive British footballer at the time goes down as one of the worst deals in Premier League history. OK, Torres didn't fare much better in London, but Carroll was a disaster and struggled badly with injuries and Liverpool's style of play.
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Robson: Man City's recovery defence wasn't good enough
Stewart Robson says Man City's inability to handle counterattacks cost them in a 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
The Brazil international has provided an answer to the question: Can signing a good goalkeeper make a team better? He is also a defender and a playmaker with the ball at his feet, who can deliver wonderful assists from deep. The fact he is three players for the price of one is why Yaya Toure misses out on the top five.
Bought for: £55m from Wolfsburg Appearances: 187; Goals: 42
Much like Salah, it's incredible to think that Chelsea had De Bruyne but let him go. The Belgium international is now arguably the finest attacking midfielder in world football and has taken the Premier League by storm, breaking Mesut Ozil's record for the quickest 50 assists (in just 123 matches; Ozil took 141).
Bought for: £26m from Valencia Appearances: 395; Goals: 70
One of the finest creative players of his generation, Silva is top-class and has given the past decade to helping City become among the best around. He'll likely leave next summer when his contract expires and will do so as a club legend.
Bought for: £44m from Liverpool, 2015 Appearances: 208; Goals: 83
After all the hassle it took to prise Sterling away from Liverpool, he really had to deliver. Thankfully for City, he did. Still only 24, the winger has years ahead of him to get even better, which is a worrying thought for the rest of the league.
Bought for: £38m from Atletico Madrid Appearances: 352; Goals: 244
The 31-year-old is already City's record scorer by some margin and, with 173 in the Premier League to his name, could catch second-place Wayne Rooney (208) on the all-time league list. Who knows, perhaps Alan Shearer's seemingly impossible mark of 260 could also be in danger.
Bought for: £22m from Fiorentina Sold for: £11m to Inter Milan
Appearances: 44; Goals: 11
He had so much potential, but Jovetic never settled in England and was unhappy about the arrival of fellow striker Wilfried Bony (more on him later). "The manager has killed me with this decision," Jovetic said as he walked out the exit door, back to Serie A.
4. Jack Rodwell, 2012-14
Bought for: £12m from Everton Sold for:£10m to Sunderland
Appearances: 25; Goals: 2
One of England's top prospects a decade ago, Rodwell's career was hampered by injuries, and even though he was the youngest to represent Everton in Europe, he failed to make 100 appearances before moving to City. Two injury-hit seasons at the Etihad saw him struggle.
Bought for: £17.5m from Blackburn Sold for: Free to Malaga
Appearances: 24; Goals: 4
One of the first big outlays for City owner Sheikh Mansour, the Paraguayan striker did not deliver. He wasn't the only striker to fail at City -- Jo or Robinho could have easily made this list in his place if not for the fact they joined in 2008 -- but he was a poor signing.
2. Wilfried Bony, 2015-17
Bought for: £28m from Swansea Sold for: £12m to Swansea
Appearances: 46; Goals: 10
Having signed Aguero, finding a capable backup was never going to be easy. City thought that Bony could fill the role after after the Ivory Coast international scored the most goals of any Premier League player in 2014, but he struggled terribly and soon moved on for a big loss.
Bought for: £42m from FC Porto Sold for: Free to Valencia
Appearances: 79; Goals: 0
Mangala was the most expensive defender in British history at the time, but was criticised for below-par performances and gradually slipped out of the side. Incredibly, he signed a new contract in March 2019 but was allowed to leave a few months later for nothing.
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Are Christian Pulisic's Chelsea now title contenders?
Shaka Hislop examines whether Chelsea have joined the title race after their sixth straight Premier League win.
Bought for: £30m from Barcelona Sold for: £7m to Monaco
Appearances: 198; Goals: 22
Arsenal fans still shudder when they think of their former captain in the blue of Chelsea, but only one team made the effort to land the midfielder when he left Barcelona. Fabregas' vision and creativity led Chelsea to two titles and two cups.
Bought for: £32m from Atletico Madrid Sold for: £57m to Atletico Madrid
Appearances: 120; Goals: 59
Arsenal fans also shiver when they think of Costa, but for a different reason. The wrecking-ball striker dovetailed well with Fabregas, but his aggression and combative nature set him apart from peers. His goal record speaks for itself, but he was worth a lot more to the club.
Bought for: £6.5m from Marseille Appearances: 353; Goals: 10
"Dave" (because nobody can pronounce his name) was signed as a utility full-back but has gone on to become one of the club's best. He missed only two Premier League games in four seasons and was given the highest praise from former boss Jose Mourinho dreamed of a team with "11 Azpilicuetas."
Bought for: £30m from Leicester Appearances: 149; Goals: 10
Kante won the most unlikely of league titles with Leicester (2016), then bagged another with Chelsea (2017) before the FA Cup (2018), World Cup (2018) and Europa League (2019) completed his collection. Probably the hardest worker in football, the midfielder will run until his can't run anymore (which is never).
Bought for: £32m from Lille Sold for: £89m to Real Madrid
Appearances: 352; Goals: 110
Hazard's public desire to join Real Madrid tarnished his legacy somewhat but he was still arguably one of the best the Premier League has ever seen. A regular at the individual awards ceremonies, the Belgian winger was a world-class player who made Chelsea tick.
Bought for: £6.5m from Fluminense Appearances: 27; Goals: 3
Curiously, the Brazilian winger is still a Chelsea player despite spending the past four years on loan at various clubs. He's probably suffered by not shining in one particular position, but angering China during a preseason tour didn't help his standing, either.
Bought for: £7m from Werder Bremen Sold for: £3m to Olympiakos
Appearances: 16; Goals: 1
Highly rated when he first arrived at the club, the German midfielder barely made an impact in his first season and it was downhill from there. Loan spell after loan spell followed until Chelsea cut their losses. He's now at Red Star Belgrade.
Bought for: £40m from Monaco Appearances: 43; Goals: 3
One of the cornerstones (along with Fabinho and Kylian Mbappe) that saw Monaco win the Ligue 1 title in 2016-17, Bakayoko was snapped up by Chelsea to become the club's second-most-expensive signing. But he didn't settle and poor form led to loan spells away.
2. Alvaro Morata, 2017-19
Bought for: £60m from Real Madrid Sold for: £58m to Atletico Madrid
Appearances: 72; Goals: 24
It seemed like Morata would be a dream signing when he netted 10 goals before Christmas in his first season, but his form plummeted. Chelsea were at least able to recoup almost all their outlay in selling him back to his boyhood club, Atletico.
1. Fernando Torres, 2011-15
Bought for: £50m from Liverpool Sold for: £3m to AC Milan
Appearances: 172; Goals: 45
The worst of the worst. Torres had made himself arguably the finest striker in the league at Liverpool, but a British-record transfer fee heaped pressure on his shoulders and he never hit double figures Premier League again. Not only one of Chelsea's worst buys, but one of the worst ever seen in England.
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Hislop: Tottenham have lost their identity
ESPNFC's Shaka Hislop says Spurs' failure to beat Sheffield United was not a surprise.
Bought for: £11.5m from Southampton Appearances: 165; Goals: 6
Tottenham went unbeaten at home in their final year at White Hart Lane because of Alderweireld's partnership with Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian defender is a class act, and it was surprising no other club snapped him up for £25m this summer when a clause in his contract would have allowed it.
Bought for: £12m from RKC Waalwijk Appearances: 285; Goals: 10
Six years of service and almost 300 appearances make Vertonghen a club legend. However, he has won only two Eredivisie titles (with Ajax) and two Dutch Cups (also with Ajax) in his career, which seems unfair given his quality.
Bought for: £12.5m from Ajax Appearances: 291; Goals: 68
Tottenham fans might not love Eriksen now he's seemingly running down his contract to land a summer move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus, but the Denmark playmaker has been vital. A creative force like few others, £12.5m was an absolute bargain and he more than repaid that.
2. Dele Alli, 2015-
Bought for: £5m from MK Dons Appearances: 193; Goals: 55
The biggest bargain of them all. Liverpool almost signed him, but Tottenham won through and turned the young midfielder into an England international. After scoring 18 Premier League goals from midfield in 2016-17, Alli's star has waned a little, but he's still one of the best around.
Bought for: £22m from Bayer Leverkusen Appearances: 203; Goals: 75
Sorry if you were expecting Harry Kane, but as a youth product he doesn't count! Instead you get Son, whose speed and finishing have made him a force to be reckoned with. The South Korea international signed as the most expensive Asian player ever, and if he were to be sold, he would easily double the record.
Bought for: £26m from Valencia Sold for: £10m to Villarreal
Appearances: 76; Goals: 16
The striker dubbed "Bobby" by fans didn't hit the net with any kind of regularity. Soldado admitted to overanalysing everything and had his fair share of bad luck, but his form was poor. Unlike some others on the "worst" lists, he still had the respect of many supporters because of his work rate.
4. Bongani Khumalo, 2011-15
Bought for: £1.5m from SuperSport United
Sold for: Free to SuperSport United
Appearances: 0; Goals: 0
The South Africa international did not play a single competitive game for the club in 4½ years. That says it all. He's not higher up only because he barely cost anything.
3. Federico Fazio, 2014-16
Bought for: £8m from Sevilla Sold for: £2.5m to Roma
Appearances: 32; Goals: 0
A defender who seemed to struggle with the pace of the Premier League, Fazio started OK but then fell victim to injury and never got going again. He later claimed chairman Daniel Levy wanted him gone after a year.
2. Clinton N'Jie, 2015-16
Bought for: £8.3m from Lyon Sold for: £5m to Marseille
Appearances: 14; Goals: 0
Having barely made an impact, due in part to the fact he missed four months of his only season with a knee injury, N'Jie left to return to France in 2016. Tottenham made some of the money back on the winger, but fans never took to him.
Bought for: £17m from AZ Alkmaar Sold for: £5m to Monterrey
Appearances: 42; Goals: 6
Tottenham have signed their fair share of poor strikers, but after Grzegorz Rasiak and Sergei Rebrov long before 2009, you'd think they would have learned. Having starred in the Eredivisie, Janssen couldn't translate that form and fell out of favour quickly under Mauricio Pochettino. He's now in Mexico.
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2:01
FC pundits don't see a future for Emery at Arsenal
Steve Nicol and Craig Burley disagree with Arsenal's directors who continue to back manager Unai Emery.
Bought for: £15m from Malaga Sold for: Free to Villarreal
Appearances: 166; Goals: 29
Many wondered if the 5-foot-6 Cazorla could succeed in England but, after beginning life at Arsenal as a winger before moving to fill the creative void left by Cesc Fabregas in midfield, he became one of the league's best. A gruesome Achilles injury ruined his final years at the club.
Bought for: £9m from Lorient
Sold for: £4.6m to Bordeaux
Appearances: 353; Goals: 27
Nobody had really heard of Koscielny when Arsene Wenger plucked him from Lorient after one season in Ligue 1, but he proved a bargain over the next decade. Sadly for Arsenal fans, he soured his legacy by going on strike to force through a move to Bordeaux and immediately trolled his former club.
3. Alexis Sanchez, 2014-18
Bought for: £32m from Barcelona
Sold for: Free, swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Man United
Appearances: 166; Goals: 80
Another to have tarnished his legacy -- by running down his contract and eventually moving to Manchester United for nothing -- Sanchez was nevertheless a force to be reckoned with at the Emirates as a tireless forward who turned out to be a bargain buy from Barcelona.
Bought for: £56m from Dortmund
Appearances: 78; Goals: 50
Arsenal have been searching for a new Thierry Henry (if there can ever be such a thing) since the Frenchman's exit in 2007, and Aubameyang is the closest they have come. He has a pedigree like few others and, in early November, bagged his 50th goal in just his 78th appearance.
Bought for: Nominal fee from Barcelona
Appearances: 186; Goals: 7
Around the same time that Arsenal lost Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona in 2011, they signed a 16-year-old right-back from Camp Nou. Bellerin arrived as an unknown but has proved himself since making his league debut in 2014 and, still only 24, is one of the first names on the team sheet.
Bought for: £4m from Sevilla
Sold for: Free to Bastia
Appearances: 39; Goals: 2
When Squillaci arrived he took the No. 18, previously held by defenders Mikael Silvestre and Pascal Cygan, so Arsenal fans should have figured he wouldn't amount to much. The Frenchman didn't perform too poorly in his first season but his form fell off a cliff in his second, compelling the club to sign Per Mertesacker.
Bought for: £17m from Deportivo
Sold for: £4m to West Ham
Appearances: 21; Goals: 7
Perez caught the eye at Deportivo La Coruna in 2015-16, and although Wenger viewed him as a backup, he still parted with almost £20m to get the striker. The Spaniard lasted one season then went back to Deportivo on loan before being sold to West Ham for a big loss.
Bought for: Free from Auxerre
Sold for: Free to Toulouse
Appearances: 15; Goals: 1
Four seasons, 20 appearances and one goal sums up the contribution of Sanogo in an Arsenal shirt. It seems harsh to put him high up here, as the French striker was only 20 when he signed after one good season playing for Auxerre, but injuries and dull loan spells saw Arsenal cut their losses.
2. Andre Santos, 2011-13
Bought for: £5m from Fenerbahce
Sold for: Free to Flamengo
Appearances: 33; Goals: 3
Arsenal's 2011 saw a host of misfits signed, but the Gunners thought they were landing the new Roberto Carlos when Santos pitched up. The Brazilian left-back was almost immediately an unmitigated disaster, and poor positioning saw him axed after 18 months.
1. Park Chu-Young, 2011-14
Bought for: £6m from Monaco
Sold for: Free to Al-Shabab
Appearances: 7; Goals: 1
Nobody has really known why the South Korea international never got a chance to prove himself. Arriving from Monaco after scoring 12 goals in 2011-12, the striker played seven times for Arsenal before leaving on a free transfer in 2014. He eventually got his career back on track with a move to FC Seoul.
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Moreno: Man United are average and a mid-table team
Ale Moreno says Manchester United currently being 18 points behind Liverpool is accurate for their level.
Bought for: £89.3m from Juventus Appearances: 141; Goals: 31
Sir Alex Ferguson didn't make many mistakes, but letting Pogba leave for Juventus in 2012 was probably his biggest. The midfielder came back four years later for a then-world-record fee and, although his form can be inconsistent, is still one of the best in the Premier League on his day.
Bought for: £37.1m from Chelsea Appearances: 230; Goals: 45
Signed by David Moyes, the versatile midfielder went on to reach double figures for goals in three consecutive seasons from 2014 through 2017 and, although his influence has waned since he passed the age of 30, Mata is still an important creative force at Old Trafford.
Bought for: £36m from Monaco Appearances: 184; Goals: 53
United made Martial the world's most expensive teenager at the time, with a fee that could rise to £58m, and while he's not reached the heights many fans would have expected, he has scored more than 50 goals for the club, is still only 23 and has plenty to offer.
2. Robin van Persie, 2012-15
Bought for: £24m from Arsenal Sold for: £3.8m to Fenerbahce
Appearances: 104; Goals: 58
If you could sign a player from your rivals for £24 million and then immediately win the title because of his 30 goals, you would. This is exactly what happened with Van Persie and, though his injury issues came back to haunt him, he was a brilliant piece of business by Ferguson.
1. David De Gea, 2011-
Bought for: £18.9m from Atletico Madrid Appearances: 375
When a goalkeeper has his own hashtag (#davesaves), you know he's done OK. De Gea is one of the best in the world and, despite him almost leaving for Real Madrid and stalling over a new contract, United fans can barely remember the timid 20-year-old who arrived eight years ago.
Bought for: £25m from PSV Sold for: £15m to Lyon
Appearances: 52; Goals: 7
Like Wilfried Zaha before him, Depay was heralded as a game-changing signing but left as a failure. His off-field lifestyle and personality seemed to cause issues at the club that his performances on the pitch, under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, could not fix.
4. Fred, 2018-
Bought for: £52m from Shakhtar Donetsk Appearances: 38; Goals: 1
The Brazilian midfielder arrived with a massive price tag but has not lived up to expectations and seems unable to settle in the Premier League. It would be a surprise if he were still a United player in another year's time.
3. Bebe, 2010-14
Bought for: £7.4m from Vitoria Sold for: £2.4m to Benfica
Appearances: 7; Goals: 2
"Sometimes you have to go on instinct and sometimes you have to trust your staff as well. This was a first for me," Ferguson said about not actually seeing the Portuguese winger play before. He never made that mistake again as Bebe was a complete flop, despite all the hype.
2. Angel Di Maria, 2014-15
Bought for: £59.7m from Real Madrid Sold for: £44m to PSG
Appearances: 32; Goals: 4
Signing the classy Argentine winger from Real Madrid shouldn't have been a gamble, but Di Maria never settled in Manchester and left after a year. The pressure of the No. 7 shirt told, as did playing in a different position under Van Gaal.
1. Alexis Sanchez, 2018-
Bought for: Free, swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Arsenal Appearances: 45; Goals: 5
The Chile international was a shadow of his Arsenal self in Manchester, unable to turn around his poor form and injuries. His reported £350,000-a-week wages caused issues in the dressing room and United sent him on loan to Inter, having lost their patience after 18 months.
The Jozi Stars' hopes of repeating last season's events, when they lost three of their first four Mzansi Super League (MSL) matches but went on to win the competition, have been severely dented after they crumbled to a fourth successive defeat. The Stars were skittled out for 108 and went down to Nelson Mandela Bay Giants for the second time in this tournament, and remain at the bottom of the points table. At the opposite end are the Giants, who claimed a bonus-point win with a successful chase inside 10 overs and sit in pole position.
Runs but no wins
Reeza Hendricks and Temba Bavuma are first and second on the tournament run charts, with 161 and 160 runs respectively, but that has not translated into wins for their team. Hendricks' two half-centuries came in the first two matches, when the Jozi stars put up a fight, while Bavuma's scores of 62 and 27 were both top scores in otherwise limp efforts from his team-mates. Of course, you may want to point out that the Stars are the only team to play four matches so far, but let's not let that get in the way of the obvious problem for the defending champions. They need their two best batsmen to fire together, and one or two others to come to the party if they are going to turn things around. The form of Chris Gayle (46 runs in four matches) and Rassie van der Dussen (52 runs in four matches) are particular concerns.
Dala what you must
That's the South African slang phrase for "do what you need to do" and seems to be the mantra of the Giants bowler Junior Dala. He is top of the wicket-taker's list with six wickets at an average of 10.16, three of which came in this match. Dala yorked Chris Gayle the ball after the Jamaican slashed him for six, and then removed Kagiso Rabada and Bavuma in his second spell. He finished with the Player-of-the-Match performance of 3 for 19.
Hello KG, it's Jason Roy
Rabada had Roy out for a duck six days ago but, today, Roy had his revenge. He took 16 runs off Rabada's opening over - which also featured a wide - including two cover drives for four and a flick in front of square for six. In the context of the match, it was only a small tussle, but in the bigger picture of this summer, it is part of a larger narrative. South Africa host England for four Tests, three ODIs and three T20s between December and January, so Rabada and Roy will definitely meet again, especially in white-ball formats.
Just how much is the MSL costing?
We already know that CSA is footing the bill for the tournament, which was in excess of R80 million last year, but that is not the only - or perhaps even the biggest - cost. That may have happened on the field where Stars' bowler Gerald Coetzee went down with what looked like a hamstring problem in his first over. Coetzee impressed on MSL debut on Thursday night when he bounced out the Cape Town Blitz's openers Quinton de Kock and Janneman Malan, and though he did not have much to work with against the Giants, he introduced himself with pace and aggression. That only lasted four balls before he aborted his run-up, clutched his right leg and tumbled onto the turf, where he proceeded to punch the ground, perhaps indicating the severity of the injury.
Depending on how long Coetzee is sidelined for, this MSL injury could have an impact on South Africa's under-19 World Cup plans, which he was all but certain to feature in. Coetzee turned 19 on October 2, which makes him eligible to play in the event. He has two months to recover - South Africa's first match of the Under-19 World Cup is on January 17, against Afghanistan, in Kimberley.
He is not the only player on the tournament's injury list. JP Duminy pulled out of the Rocks' squad with a torn hamstring, and Farhaan Behardien will not feature further for the Giants after breaking a finger in training.
Harlequins welcome former England backs Danny Care and Mike Brown back from injury for their European Champions Cup opener against Clermont Auvergne.
Care is yet to play this season, while England props Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler are still unavailable after playing in the World Cup final defeat.
France fly-half Camille Lopez will partner scrum-half Morgan Parra for the hosts, who are sixth in the Top 14.
Scotland scrum-half Greg Laidlaw is named on the bench.
French heavyweights Clermont have never won the Champions Cup, despite playing in three finals, and Quins head of rugby Paul Gustard says an "iconic" trip awaits his players.
"They are a formidable team, with huge quality throughout their squad and who present a great opportunity for the team to test themselves in a brilliant atmosphere," said Gustard.
"We worked hard last year to earn the right to play in this competition and we always want to give the best account of ourselves and do justice to the badge.
"It's a great boost to the squad to have DC [Care] and Browny back after their respective injuries.
"We are excited about the game and hope our fans turn up en masse and support the team, while enjoying the experience."
In a must-win T20I, Afghanistan decided to try a new tack by batting first against West Indies at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, with the coin falling in Rashid Khan's favour once again.
Afghanistan had lost the first T20I while chasing, which perhaps prompted the change in tactics, though the home team will likely have to contend with dew when bowling second. West Indies had won the first T20I comfortably - by 30 runs - despite bowling second, and victory here will seal the series for them. Evin Lewis played the defining innings in the first game hitting 68 off 41, while captain Kieron Pollard had a good outing with bat and ball.
The only point of worry for West Indies was Fabian Allen, who had hobbled off the field in the second innings. Cricket West Indies confirmed that Allen had a Grade 1 posterior cruciate ligament sprain on his right knee, and would be out of action for two weeks. Allen will remain in India for his rehabilitation. Keemo Paul replaced Allen in the West Indies squad for the last two T20Is, and has been drafted into the XI for this game.
Afghanistan also had one change, bringing in the young right-arm pacer Karim Janat in place of left-arm quick Fareed Ahmad.
The match is being played on one of the pitches that are slightly off-center, making one of the square boundaries closer than the other. There is less grass than there was on offer for the first T20I, which could bring spinners into play more.
"We're just trying to do something different," Rashid said. "On a wicket like this, having a good total on the board is tough to chase. We have bowling as our strength. We just need to focus on playing good cricket. What happened in the ODIs is past, today we have a chance to come back in the series."
Pollard was happy to be bowling first. "Fresh wicket again, so not really sure what it's going to do," he said. "Great opportunity to bowl first. When you put runs on the board, the batsmen have to chase it, so we have to try and suffocate them. Hopefully the guys can go out and tick all the boxes and the result will take care of itself."
The result in the first T20I also meant Afghanistan haven't yet notched a victory in the tour so far, having lost 3-0 in the ODIs.
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque is pleased that his side is getting to play more Test matches courtesy the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Bangladesh are slated to play against Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand next year as part of the 2019-2021 championship, and a Test each against Zimbabwe and Ireland outside of it.
It is a jump from the number of Test matches that they were previously playing, which had prompted many complaints from administrators, players and coaches about the long gaps between Tests. Mominul, who is treated as a Test specialist, and therefore has to deal with long breaks between Test matches, said that the gulf between Bangladesh and India in the longest format was mainly a result of the difference in the number of matches the two teams tend to play.
"We are happy," Mominul said. "The WTC is a huge opportunity for those who play Tests. It is a huge competition. If the ICC didn't arrange this competition, we wouldn't get many Tests. It will be better for everyone.
"We have to play a lot of Test matches. If you see in the last seven months, we have played only two Tests. We don't play Tests like other teams. I think it is the main difference [between the two sides]."
Pressed for answers about Bangladesh's big defeat in Indore, where their batsmen wilted under the pressure exerted by the "No.1 bowling attack in the world", Mominul said that the opening batsmen could have made life a little easier for the rest of the line-up had they played out the first hour.
"The bowling attack was challenging. It would be easier for the rest of the batting line-up if the openers played out the first 15 to 20 overs.
"India have a threatening attack, but we also failed as a batting unit. They are the No. 1 bowling attack in the world. We couldn't latch on to our chances also."
Mominul also said that they were considering promoting Mushfiqur Rahim up the batting order, after his scores of 43 and 64 in this game. "Promoting Mushfiqur would be a positive sign, if the team management decides to. I think we can have that line of thinking."
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