Cricket mailbag: England's bold bowling plans, Bumrah concerns
We seem to have stimulated your interest, as our mailbag appeal confirmed when we invited your questions on the series and all things cricket.
Here, our cricket writer, Paul Newman, answers a selection of those sent in. Questions have been slightly edited for clarity.
It was interesting that in your Jofra Archer article, you mentioned England were disappointed in Sam Cook's pace against Zimbabwe and that Matthew Potts was thought to be short of pace and skill. Surely someone who can open the bowling, bowl decent pace and bowl all day, like them, would be a good foil to quicker guys, such as Brydon Carse, Archer and Mark Wood? — Matt H
I agree, Matt, someone like that is vital to the balanced attack England want, but they believe — and his record suggests they're right — Chris Woakes is that man. Yes, he was a little below his best at Headingley, but he gets more into a series the longer it goes on and I fancy him to make an impact in the second Test at Edgbaston.
The best Cook and Potts can hope for is to deputise for Woakes, who, at 36, cannot go on forever. The question is whether they are good enough at international level. James Anderson, anyone?
Given India's lack of fast bowling depth and Jasprit Bumrah only due to play three out of the five matches, do you think India will win a Test this series? — Dilip G
Well, Dilip, I tipped England to win 4-1 before the series and was worried I might be a tad optimistic, but it will take a lot for India to come back, especially given the way they lost in Leeds. I just don't understand why India should publicly say Bumrah will only play three games, something they doubled down on after the first Test. Surely you see how it goes?
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He must be a doubt for Edgbaston as all cricketers want to play in a Lord's Test and the next two are back to back. And if Bumrah doesn't play in the next one, India could be in trouble.
Sun Tzu said all battles are won or lost before they're fought. Why do India keep playing Shardul Thakur? Putting him in the XI is telling the entire world you're not committed to winning. I could say Joe Root is a better bowler and Woakes is a better batter than him. Do you have any insight into how selection in India works? — Rahul S
Say what you think, Rahul! I can't pretend to know how selection in India works, but I do think Thakur needs to be replaced in Birmingham and the man to do it should be left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The only trouble is that it lengthens a tail that was twice blown away by Josh Tongue at Headingley even further.
Thakur did dismiss Ben Duckett and Harry Brook with successive balls, but other than that, he just didn't seem to be trusted by Shubman Gill — or KL Rahul, who seemed to be captaining India more than the new skipper on the final day.
Ben Stokes' decision to bowl first on a hot, dry day, with conditions perfect for swinging the ball in the coming days, looked like madness. Now he may look like a genius. Do you think the bowl first plan will take on in Tests or will it just be a fad? — Richard P
It has been a big part of Stokes' strategy ever since he said 'we'll chase' against New Zealand at Trent Bridge at the start of Bazball in 2022. I could see where he was coming from this time. The last six Tests at Headingley had been won by the side bowling first and the stats told you the pitch in Leeds now gets better and better for batting, as is shown by the last day average of 40 per wicket over the last few years, compared to a first day one of 26.
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There was a bit of uneven bounce this time, but the way England cruised home shows that the impossible of a few years ago is now commonplace. I expect more and more captains to do it the Stokes way.
Do you think Gautam Gambhir will lose his job if India lose the series? As an outsider, he has never really seemed up to the job, and more of a political appointment — Callum N
Well, he has lost seven of his first 11 Tests as coach and the pressure is on. Gambhir can be a spiky character and turned on an Indian journalist in the post-match press conference at Headingley simply for asking about Rishabh Pant's two hundreds. Goodness knows how he will react if he is asked a difficult question. He will be under scrutiny if this series continues to go badly for India.
Hey Paul, do you think India have missed the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first Test? We did not see any batting impact to be honest, but in terms of captaincy, is their experience is being missed, especially on the third and fourth days of play? — Rishabh G
I did read somewhere, Rishabh, before the first Test that India might be better without the big two because they are now past their best, but they were always going to be severely missed, as much for their aura and presence as their batting.
Gill is a novice leader and will learn, but it was clear when the pressure was on during the final day in Leeds that India were being captained by committee, with Rahul and Pant looking more in charge than Gill. It's a real problem for them.
India appear to have some strength in the batting, with five centuries across the first Test. But how big a worry will the lack of lower-order runs be? They should have got 550+ in the first innings — Joseph C
Yes, that was where the first Test was lost, no question. From 430-3 in the first innings, they had to make at least 550, as you say, but what struck me is that England never seemed to lose faith that it was the right decision to bowl first. I can think of a few past teams whose heads would have dropped and allowed the opposition to bat them out of the game. Same with the second innings. The India lower order is a huge worry and I can't see it improving any time soon, especially when, as looks certain, Kuldeep comes in for Thakur.
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What does the depth in bowling look like for India? Aside from some of Mohammed Siraj's opening spell, the seamers largely looked like they lacked threat when Bumrah wasn't bowling — Joseph C
I guess anyone will look poor in comparison to Bumrah, as he is right up there with the best there's been. I called him 'arguably' an all-time great in a piece I did for The Athletic during the first Test, and that was wrong.
There's no 'arguably' about it. But the supporting cast have to improve. Siraj is all aggression but not enough bite, while Prasidh Krishna had his moments but went for more than six an over across the two innings. Maybe left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh gets a go at Edgbaston…
Do you think Australia are starting to worry about the Ashes? They look all over the place with an ageing team, whereas for England it looks like it's all coming together at the right time — Tom E
Steady, Tom, let's not get too carried away. But I do think England have their best chance of winning in Australia this winter since the golden tour of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower in 2010-11. You're right, Australia looked an ageing team during the World Test Championship final and it will be fascinating to watch them in their series in the West Indies. The key will be if England can keep their best fast bowlers fit because Australia always seem able to get their heavyweights out on the pitch when it matters most. But they will be taking note of what England do against India, no question.
Despite his wickets, Shoaib Bashir is not a top-level spinner at international level. Will England stick with him against Australia? — Mark H
He is one of Stokes' pet projects, Mark, and there is no question the captain is brilliant in his handling of spinners. They still believe Shoaib has the attributes to succeed in Australia and I can't see them turning, but leaving out Shoaib and bringing in Jacob Bethell might be the only way to get the gifted Warwickshire batter in the side. He bowls reasonable left-arm spin, too. Other than that, the only real option might be Hampshire's Liam Dawson, who is back in from the cold at international level and is decent with the bat, too.
Is T20 killing the art of opening the batting in the Championship? Why are there no contenders to push Zak Crawley, especially right-handers? — Alexander S
Perhaps it is more accurate to say, Alexander, that there are few contenders for Crawley's spot who are playing the way England want them to play. Championship statistics have gone out of the window with this regime. They pick people they feel can succeed playing the Bazball way, hence the perhaps harsh jettisoning of Alex Lees at the end of 2022.
I remember hearing that Rob Key wanted Duckett to open instead and thinking, 'Blimey, is Duckett a Test opener?', but he got that one spot on. Crawley added a bit of responsibility to his natural attacking game in the second innings at Headingley and was better for it. He will be opening in the first Test in Perth this winter, whatever happens for the rest of this series.
Hi Paul, what's the latest rumours on The Hundred team sales process? It's all gone very quiet — Andrew B
The process should be complete by early July. I don't think there are any problems with it, just that it was probably always going to take longer than the rather optimistic ECB forecasts. It seems it's just a few I's to be dotted and T's crossed at the Lord's and Oval franchises now, then it will all be done. I can't wait until it becomes a T20 competition and falls in with the rest of the world. It will surely come sooner or later.
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How far are we off some kind of global competition to link the various, often contextless, franchise leagues and give them meaning for fans across the world and avoid a complete oversaturation of T20? — Charlie M
It is desperately needed, Charlie, but it is unofficially happening with Indian Premier League owners buying up teams in various competitions, including The Hundred. My worry in future is that the best players will be contracted to one IPL team and play in all their various competitions around the world, with their 'owner' having to make them available for international cricket rather than the other way round. And anyone who watched the first Test will surely agree that the primacy of Test and international cricket should still be paramount. Oversaturation appears inevitable, sadly.
Do you think we'll FINALLY take the World Test Championship seriously or just continue using it as a springboard for the Ashes home and away? — Omar M
I like the concept and there's no question the finals have been great, particularly South Africa's win over Australia at Lord's this month. It meant so much to them. It's just a question of making the points system fairer.
Stokes does not appear a great fan, particularly as points deductions for poor over-rates have cost England dearly, but surely he watched that game and wished England were there. I hope England do take it very seriously now a new cycle has begun, and how about this as an idea — the 2027 final should be staged at Headingley to compensate for them not getting an Ashes Test that year!
Are Essex going down this season? — Connor B
No need for that, Connor!
I hope not, as a lifelong Essex fan. They are having a difficult season, but I took hope from a members' meeting staged at Chelmsford last week.
The coach, CEO and chair all seemed to be on the same page and all suggested Essex would come through this storm. If you like a bit of transfer gossip, I'm told they are trying to sign Ben Compton and Josh de Caires, the son of former England captain Michael Atherton, from Kent and Middlesex, respectively, but there is enough talent at Chelmsford to ensure survival this season. Chris Silverwood is a good man and coach. He will see them all right…
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Sheffield Wednesday descended into chaos under Dejphon Chansiri's ownership
It is nine weeks since Sheffield Wednesday last played a home game but the flyposting around Hillsborough helps to illustrate a long summer of rancour. 'Chansiri out' is the simple, scrawled message, set against a collage of cult heroes and trophy lifts. Wednesday's happiest recent times in the early 1990s, when they were regulars in the upper echelons of the top flight and frequent travellers to Wembley in cup competitions, seem a long time ago. It is 25 years since they were last in the Premier League and Wednesday now resemble a decaying club under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, a 57-year-old businessman whose family own the Thai Union Group (TUG), the world's largest producer of canned tuna. The money has dried up and so, too, has hope. Advertisement The summer has brought no respite to the anxiety. The majority of Wednesday's first-team players have gone through June without pay, prompting the English Football League (EFL) to impose a transfer ban that will run until 2027. 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A rare public statement, issued last week, reiterated his willingness to sell but negotiations with two consortiums in the last month have failed to reach an agreement at a time when there is no money left to meet the wage obligations. Chansiri said one group, led by Sheffield-born businessman Adam Shaw and American real estate investor John Flanagan, had offered £40million ($55m) and 'limited future Premier League promotion payments' but had deemed that short of his expectations. There were apologies, too, for the financial strain but weary fans no longer wish to hear them. 'I do think there's a genuine concern about the future,' says James Silverwood of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust. 'Look at other clubs who have found themselves in similar situations with this type of owner, and it's not a happy story. Advertisement 'The manager, the lack of preparation, the transfer window bans… They're all concerns but they speak to a deeper concern about what the future is going to bring.' The Athletic has spoken to numerous members of staff, past and present, as well as agents and associates, to tell the story of Chansiri's turbulent reign, all on the condition of anonymity to protect working relationships. One of English football's oldest clubs is in distress and nobody can be sure where the suffering might end. Wednesday have become the EFL's greatest headache this summer. Dai Yongge's inglorious and overdue exit from Reading, selling up to U.S. businessman Rob Couhig in May, has shifted focus to Hillsborough, where the reserves have seemingly run dry. The EFL's chief executive Trevor Birch and chief operating officer Nick Craig were among representatives of the governing body to host a meeting with Wednesday fans on June 6, vowing to help 'facilitate a sustainable outcome'. 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'We were paid late four or five times and it was never a conversation he would relish someone having to do on his behalf. 'He always tried to ensure he looked after the lower earners. They'd be the ones he paid. That's what has made me think, 'There must be a problem here' now because even those weren't being paid on time.' Some people who have worked with Chansiri call him 'well-intentioned', but finding advocates of his management is increasingly difficult. 'He doesn't listen to anyone,' feels one person familiar with Chansiri's methods. 'He doesn't want or take advice.' Chansiri does not operate a board of directors and is the only shareholder in the club he has owned for over a decade. According to documents filed at the UK's Companies House, no other figure has held a position of authority at Wednesday since Katrien Meire stepped down as chief executive in February 2019 after a brief spell in the post. Chansiri has effectively sailed this ship alone. 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Of the £167million he is estimated to have invested in Wednesday since 2015, including the purchase price of £37.5m, the bulk was injected during the years where promotion to the Premier League came agonisingly close. Wednesday finished in the play-offs in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017 but lost in the final against Hull City and semi-finals to Huddersfield Town, respectively. With parallels to the recent demises of Derby County and Reading, aiming for the stars resulted in a breach of the EFL's profit and sustainability rules. Chansiri had attempted to circumvent the limitations by selling Hillsborough for £60m to a company he owned — Sheffield 3 Limited — but it could not be included in the accounting year that needed profit recorded. An initial 12-point deduction from the EFL was reduced to six in 2020 but proved decisive in their relegation to League One. Chansiri's investment has been minimal since but it has not prevented cash flow issues. 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'He's someone who's not used to being challenged and also temperamentally incapable of taking criticism in any form. 'He's a prickly character. He's difficult to talk with because you're not really having a dialogue. The way he likes to converse is that you fire a short question at him and he responds with a monologue. You're not having a conversation back and forth. You're being talked at.' Chansiri has said little during this turbulent summer but it is not true to say that he has shied away from direct contact with supporters. A fans' forum held in January spanned five hours, with the owner eager to deliver his messaging in the middle of a transfer window that undermined any hope of gatecrashing the Championship's top six. A working relationship with Rohl unravelled, with January additions failing to meet the head coach's requirements to secure a play-off position. 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That short-term deal expired this week and it is thought Armstrong will be among those waiting on overdue wages. 'He's not stupid but he's probably a gambler,' says one former staff member. 'It's that chance to get back into the Premier League, isn't it? The clever thing to do would've been to get back to the Championship and sell it because it had reset. But he can't let go of it because it's that chance to get to the Premier League.' Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday's home since 1899, has come to symbolise the Chansiri era. Weeds sprout from the top of walls and there are panels missing from the facade of the club's megastore on Penistone Road. Shirts carrying the name and number of Barry Bannan, who does not have a contract for the coming season but has continued to train in the last week, are displayed opposite the entrance. It will be the largest venue by capacity in the Championship next season, at 34,835, but Hillsborough is tired and, in places, scruffy. The only visible upgrade in the week that pre-season was scheduled to begin was a coat of blue paint being applied to the exit gates of the West Stand, once known as the Leppings Lane End, where 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives in 1989. The Athletic reported last August on the safety concerns raised in the 2023-24 season. Advertisement Wednesday have pointed more proudly to the upgrades on the training facility at nearby Middlewood Road. This summer, they say, has brought 'significant investment' in facilities that had irritated Rohl but even that has come with complications. Renovation work is expected to leave training pitches unplayable until the start of next week at the earliest, a point when the first-team squad will begin a week St George's Park, the training home of the England national teams. Players returned to pre-season testing on Thursday, taking on individual programmes amid the disruption, but this is expected to be a build-up beset by distractions. 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Chansiri's family wealth is significant (Forbes estimated it at $585m in 2020) but there is little to suggest the club has access to it. A London-based lawyer has been appointed by TUG to engage with any potential bidders. Milan Mandaric, who sold Wednesday to Chansiri in 2015 in what he last week described as a 'healthy condition', will not be among them. Mandaric, 86, had raised the prospect of returning to Hillsborough during an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield but has since accepted others must not be hindered if a sale process is to be smooth. Advertisement For now, Chansiri fights on. Analysis of Wednesday's accounts indicates that in the region of £115m is now owed to the owner in the form of loans. Administration, should it come to that, would hurt Chansiri more than anyone. 'I take full responsibility for being unable to fulfil my current obligations,' he said in the statement last week. 'But a further obligation I have is to ensure that if the club is sold, it is sold to the right people with the right credentials who can sustain Sheffield Wednesday and take the club forward.' That leaves fans braced for more strife and worry ahead of a season that suggests Wednesday will be among the Championship's weaker teams. 'There are two ways it could go,' says Silverwood. 'Either the economic realities of the situation — the fact that he can't fund the club — make him realise he has to sell. Or, alternatively, he's going to somehow be able to cling on and things get potentially even worse.' Silverwood is convinced the end is nigh for the Chansiri era. 'His position is unrecoverable,' believes Silverwood. 'But it's a question of how long it takes and how bad it gets before the end actually comes. That's the open question at the moment.' And the greatest fear. (Design: Eamonn Dalton for The Athletic; Getty Images)
New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why are Premier League clubs selling their women's teams? And which club could do it next?
Last year, Chelsea entered into a hefty deal with two days of their 2023-24 accounting period remaining. For £200million ($274m), Chelsea FC Holdings, the company which houses the club's operations, sold Chelsea Football Club Women Limited (CFCW) to Blueco 22 Midco Limited, a fellow subsidiary of Blueco 22 Limited, the club's parent company. Advertisement In doing so, Chelsea recorded £198.7m in profit in their 2023-24 accounts; the net assets of CFWC were just £1.3m, so anything above that value comprised profit for the club. As a result, Chelsea's pre-tax result last year swung significantly into the black. The club recorded a £128.4m profit in 2024, a £218.5m improvement on the season before. Fast forward a year, and where Chelsea led, Aston Villa followed. With the clock ticking on their 2024-25 accounting period, Villa agreed to the sale of Aston Villa Women's Football Club Limited (AVWFC) to V Sports, the club's parent company, domiciled in Luxembourg. In doing so, they booked a profit on the transaction into their men's team's accounts. The exact proceeds from Villa's sale are unknown. Reports have put the figure at around £55m. AVWFC's liabilities outweighed its assets at last check in June 2024. Based on the reported proceeds and AVWFC's balance sheet a year ago, Villa would book £56.7m in profit on the sale, though the actual figure is likely to differ slightly. A crucial difference between Villa and Chelsea lies in the presence of third parties: Villa have sold the women's team to V Sports but, separately, a minority stake in the women's team's operations has been acquired by new investors from the U.S. Chelsea's deal a year ago was entirely internal, though the valuation was recently given support by Alexis Ohanian buying a stake in CFWC that valued the business even higher than the internal sales price, at around £245m. So, how and why are teams doing this? Which team could be next? And what effect could this have on women's football? Chelsea and Villa have been able to undertake these transactions by virtue of how their women's teams fit into the wider legal structures surrounding each club. CFCW sat beneath the Chelsea men's team; selling CFCW to a related entity that sat above the men's team business meant the latter could record the profit on the sale. Advertisement At Villa, the women's team actually sat alongside Aston Villa FC Limited, which houses the men's team. Villa's group structure, as is increasingly the case in football these days, has multiple layers. Above both the men's and women's team entities sits Aston Villa Limited, incorporated way back in 1896 but now a holding company, and two levels above that sits NSWE UK Limited, the entity which reports the UK-based group numbers and, we believe, from which Villa's PSR calculations are derived. In another example of Villa boosting their bottom line through internal sales, Villa Park was sold to NSWE Stadium Limited in 2019 for £56.7m, a business which sits adjacent to Aston Villa Limited but below NSWE UK. The precise destination of AVWFC isn't yet known, only that a majority stake has been sold to V Sports. V Sports S.C.S. is a Luxembourg-based business that sits atop NSWE UK. As a result, NSWE UK, which is effectively just the whole of Villa's operations under a different name, is able to record the profit on selling AVWFC to a company that sits above it. And if all that hasn't caused your eyes to glaze over completely, well done, pour yourself a drink. It depends on who you talk to. Or perhaps your level of cynicism. Per Chelsea's announcement last year, the 'respositioning' of CFCW arose from 'a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support the acceleration' in the growth of women's football in England ahead of the formation of a new company to run the Women's Super League (WSL) from 2024-25. Missing from Chelsea's statement then was any suggestion the move would have the additional benefit of boosting the bottom line — which of course it did. The intra-group sale helped Chelsea out of a purported profit and sustainability (PSR) hole. Without the £198.7m profit on the deal, Chelsea would have lost £70.3m in 2023-24, and would have breached the Premier League's financial rules. The benefit from the sale isn't restricted to a single year. Chelsea's £128.4m pre-tax profit last year stays within their three-year PSR calculation up to the end of the 2025-26 season. The same points broadly apply to Villa. Through selling the women's team on June 30, the proceeds and profit can be booked into their 2024-25 figures. Advertisement Villa, as The Athletic detailed recently, were the Premier League club most at risk of a PSR breach this year; the sale of the women's team ensured no such breach occurred. They'll enjoy the positive impact of the transaction in each of the coming two seasons. Upon news of the women's team sale, Villa stated they had 'no issues' with PSR compliance, though how true that was without this transaction is unclear. The club can point to the introduction of new investors as a sign of growing interest in women's football, as well as the operational points highlighted by Chelsea a year ago. But, just like the London club before them, it's impossible to deny that the sale has enhanced profitability and improved Villa's ability to remain within Premier League rules. It's both entirely legal and allowed under Premier League PSR. By the time a club nears its financial period end date, the ability to quickly book income is limited. Sales of assets, be they players, infrastructure or women's teams, offer one such recourse. At a recent Premier League meeting, a motion was tabled to restrict clubs from recording intra-group asset sales within their PSR calculations. Had the motion passed, the only profit Villa could have booked on their deal would have been the element arising from the minority holding sold to new investors. Support for the motion was so thin that the matter didn't even make it to a formal vote. Premier League rules require related party transactions to be subject to a fair market value assessment but, given the presence of external investors in AVWFC, that should not be a problem. Their arrival provides a steer on where the market values the asset. It's a different story overseas, where UEFA's stricter financial rules expressly seek to deter clubs from intra-group asset sales. As a result, Chelsea's sale of the women's team was excluded from their 2023-24 figures submitted to UEFA. The same will be the case for Villa in 2024-25. Of the 18 Premier League clubs who have not sold their women's teams to themselves, 14 could feasibly do so within their current legal structures. At those clubs, the legal entity of the affiliated women's team sits either beneath the entity that has long housed the wider football club, or alongside the latter but beneath the entity the club files its group accounts — and its PSR calculations — through. Advertisement Two of those clubs have been active on Companies House recently. On June 19, Bournemouth's parent company, Black Knight Football Club UK Limited, set up 'AFC Bournemouth Women Limited', registered to the club's Vitality Stadium address. Bournemouth's women's team currently operates under the broader club structure, so this setting up of a new legal entity gives Bournemouth scope to change how the women's team is managed. The new entity has been set up alongside AFC Bournemouth Limited, rather than beneath it. On the face of it, that limits the scope for booking any profit on a women's team sale, and The Athletic understands there are no current plans to explore such a sale anyway. On May 29, an 'EFCW Holding Company Limited' was registered at Goodison Park, Everton men's former home and, from next season, their women's team's venue. EFCW is wholly owned by Roundhouse Capital Holdings Limited, the UK-based holding company through which The Friedkin Group completed its purchase of Everton last December. Everton's women's team is operated out of an entity that sits below the men's team; feasibly, the women's team could be sold to EFCW with relative ease. Other than activity on Companies House, there's no suggestion that such an internal sale is being readied. The Athletic understands that the potential for investment in Everton's women's team, like at other clubs, has been explored. Moving the women's team into a standalone entity registered at Goodison Park would, in theory, make it easier to keep their operations separate from the men's. One caveat among the 14 is Burnley: Burnley FC Women Limited sits below the wider football club entity but is dormant, so the women's team operations are currently housed within the wider club. There is, of course, little to stop them from carving it out in the future. At three other Premier League clubs — Brentford, Fulham and Wolves — no separate legal entity exists for their respective women's teams. Again, these could be created, but for those clubs to sell off the women's team would require an extra layer of activity compared to the rest. Advertisement The only place, other than perhaps Bournemouth, where there looks to be a clear barrier to replicating Chelsea and Villa's tactic is at Manchester City. Their women's team sits apart from the men's legal entity. So while they're both within the same wider group, the club wouldn't be able to record any proceeds from a sale of the women's team within the men's team's accounts. Separate from the clubs' various group structures is the point that not all women's teams are at the same level, either on or off the pitch. Of those 18 clubs yet to sell their teams internally, only 10 will have an affiliated women's side in the WSL this coming season. Those clubs with teams outside of the WSL would find it more difficult to justify punch valuations if they opted to go down that route. The immediate reaction has tended to be cynical, not helped by the timing. Yet that's not a universal view. Maggie Murphy, former chief executive officer of Lewes FC, the first club to pay male and female players the same, told The Athletic it's the substance that follows the sales which will determine whether or not this is a mere PSR swerve or something likely to help the women's game. 'The are some key ingredients you need, regardless of the (legal) structure,' Murphy said. 'Authority, autonomy, and accountability. There are still far too many women's teams that have very limited levels of authority within a club structure. 'Even if they do have commercial leads for the women's side, they don't always have autonomy to strike a deal, because they are just housed within a larger department. And there's also accountability, and that depends on how much the senior execs in the club actually care about the women's team.' If those three ingredients arise from these sales, Murphy contends, the impact on women's football will be positive. 'If an internal sale creates those conditions, then I actually think it's a positive for the women's side.' Advertisement Christina Philippou, an Associate Professor in Accounting and Sport Finance at the University of Portsmouth, concurred on the nuances. 'There are cynical aspects to these moves, and then there are more standard business aspects,' Philippou told The Athletic. 'There's the move being done for PSR and general regulations. On the business-related side, they're restructuring their women's teams to be under the holding company rather than the men's team, which makes sense with the increased commercialism of women's football, and how quickly it's growing.' It's easy to see these moves as profit grabs, and there's the risk these deals come with none of the 'key ingredients' Murphy mentioned. But even if PSR considerations are primary in clubs' thoughts, it doesn't mean there won't be wider positives. One key improvement which could stem from these deals would have a sizeable impact on the ability of women's teams to become viable businesses in their own right: owning infrastructure. 'If a women's team owns (its own ground), it means you've completely ramped up their ability to generate revenue,' says Murphy. The point is an important one. With Everton Women set to move into Goodison Park, there's scope for the women's team to utilise a significant asset. It's easy, in that respect, to see why a club might be keen to separate women's team operations, regardless of whether there's an ancillary boost to PSR calculations. As Philippou says: 'There's a whole different demographic out there. We are seeing it with things like Sunderland's deal with Nuby (a baby brand), for example. Manchester City recently partnered with a 'period pants' brand (snuggs). These are businesses that would not be interested in men's football.' Will these changes prove transformative to how women's teams are run? Or just serve as a quick fix to a wider problem? Time will tell. (Top photos: Getty Images)
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Wimbledon 2025: World No2 Coco Gauff sets sights on US Open after suffering shock first-round loss
Down and out: Coco Gauff is ready to move on from fresh disappointment in SW19 (AFP via Getty Images) Coco Gauff vowed to make changes in a bid to find the formula to Wimbledon success. The second seed was the latest big name to fall in a dramatic first round at SW19, with fellow American Jessica Pegula and Qinwen Zheng sent packing earlier on Tuesday. Advertisement Across the men's and women's singles draws, eight top-ten seeds fell at the first hurdle, the most of any Grand Slam in the Open Era. Gauff reached the Wimbledon fourth round as a 15-year-old but has not bettered that since and her struggles continued here. Dayana Yastremska took full advantage to secure a 7-6 6-1 win on No1 Court, with Gauff admitting she had struggled to adapt to the surface. Gauff won the French Open last month but her grass-court preparations consisted of an opening defeat in Berlin. 'I think it's just changing my playing style a little bit, which is difficult, because for me it's like I approach clay and I play this one way for however long clay season is, six to eight weeks, or I don't know,' she said. Advertisement 'Then I feel like when I go on hard, I don't have to change as much, but I still have to adjust it a little bit. I know on grass I do. I feel like by the time I find it, it's already time to play. It's difficult, but I don't know. 'I have faith that if I can make these adjustments, I can do well here. I really do want to do well here. I'm not someone who wants to write myself off grass this early in my career, but I definitely need to make changes if I want to be successful here.' There were cheers on No1 Court following Jack Draper's win, as it was announced that Gauff and Yastremska would be moved from their scheduled slot on Centre Court. But those same fans could not rally Gauff into a comeback as the second set slipped away in double quick time. Advertisement The 21-year-old managed only six winners compared to 29 unforced errors, and struggled with her serve throughout as the double fault tally reached nine. Gauff will now turn her attention to the hard-court swing on home soil, culminating in a bid for a second US Open title at Flushing Meadows later this summer. 'I don't really like losing,' she said. 'I don't know, I just feel a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today. I feel like I could have been a little bit better in those tough tie-breaker moments, especially after Roland Garros, where I felt like I learned a lot in those tie-breakers. 'Yeah, I mean, obviously I'm not going to dwell on this too long because I want to do well at US Open. Maybe losing here first round isn't the worst thing in the world because I have time to reset.' Gauff began to tear up, as she added: 'Yeah, definitely sucks.'
