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St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, the Caribbean Premier League franchise, has been sold to Hong Kong-based company City Sports.No specific reason for the change in ownership was stated in the CPL release that announced it. The release quoted former owner Dr Uday Nayak as saying: “We feel we have taken the Patriots as far as we can, and it is time for us to hand it over to more experienced hands. We are delighted to have found new owners like City Sports who have a history of investing in cricket and want to take the franchise forward.”City Sports had also bought Bloem City Blazers, one of the franchises in Cricket South Africa’s binned Global T20 League. It also owns own City Kaitak in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz.The CPL release, in expanding on City Sports’ operations, said: “The company is headed by Sushil Kumar and Naren Kunder who are based in Hong Kong. Mr Kumar has investments in event management, information technology, food and beverage and sports management. Mr Kunder has business interests in the garments industry, stationary and electronics.””With a total economic impact for the Hero CPL 2018 being in excess of USD 127 million, we are looking to bring a greater economic impact to St Kitts & Nevis in 2019 and beyond,” Sushil Kumar said. “We are also hoping our investment into the St Kitts & Nevis franchise is a catalyst to further investment into the country and growth of its economy.”

Fast bowler proud of first-innings efforts as England come a cropper on lively first day

George Dobell in Antigua01-Feb-2019Kemar Roach admits he is “very proud” of himself after another eye-catching performance with the ball against England.Roach followed his 5 for 17 in the first innings of the Barbados Test with 4 for 30 in Antigua to help West Indies take a grip on the second Test. Afterwards he expressed his delight both at “backing up” the Barbados performance, and the nature of pitches used so far in this series. He has currently taken nine wickets in three innings at 11.66 – more than anyone else to date.”Backing up performances is very important,” Roach said. “The opposition come back hard following a defeat and England are a quality side. We were on top of them for a while, but they fought back hard. They put up a good fight. So to get four wickets … I’m very proud of myself.”I’ve been working hard in the nets and working hard in the gym. I’m getting older so I have to look after my body and train harder. I’ve been doing a lot of running and that has helped my rhythm a lot.”It is a tough pitch for the batsmen. There is variable bounce. It was pretty green and it did a lot with the ball. But you have to be consistent as a bowler. You have to make the batsmen play as much as possible.”The last Test in Barbados was good for fast bowlers as well. It’s rare in the Caribbean. But this was an eye-opener. I’m pretty happy with the pitch as a fast bowler. It’s good for cricket, I think.”Roach also gave praise to his fast-bowling colleagues, who sustained the pressure on England, as well as the quality of the slip catching, which resulted in one superb effort to end Joe Root’s innings, as John Campbell made great ground to parry a high chance to Shai Hope”I got fantastic support from the others bowlers and the catching was also quite good,” Roach said. “We saw what Campbell did when he jumped to make the catch off Root, which eventually went to Hope. We were ‘on’ today.”With Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder and now Alzarri Joseph coming into the team, it’s a quality bowling attack. The guys have been doing fantastic over the last year-and-a-half. It’s a very good bowling attack and, if we keep working hard, we can put some numbers on theboard for West Indies.”

Alisha Lehmann could be set for a shock Aston Villa exit with reports suggesting that several Mexican clubs are in for the Women's Super League star.

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• Lehmann linked with shock Aston Villa exit
• Three Mexican clubs interested in Swiss star
• 2023 Liga MX Femenil champions leading the race

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lehmann has played a reduced role at Villa this year, starting just 11 of her 18 games as the end of the season nears. As such, she is also yet to score in the league this term.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It appears that are clubs in Mexico keen to capitalise on that situation and offer Lehmann a chance to be a key player again, with journalist Fernando Esquivel understanding that Queretaro, Leon and Club America are all interested in the Switzerland star and have started "dealings" to bring her to South America.

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  The report says that, of that trio, Club America is leading the race. The Eagles are two-time champions in Liga MX Femenil, winning the Clausura as recently as 2023. It is expected that "negotiations will progress", with the WSL now in danger of losing one of their major assets.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mexico has one of the most exciting and fastest-growing women's league in the world. It constantly produces impressive attendance and television audience figures and has attracted some of the game's top stars, including Jennifer Hermoso, Spain's World Cup-winning forward.

Brendan Rodgers' return to Celtic has been entirely seamless so far, with the former Leicester City boss taking the Hoops to the top of the Scottish Premiership once more as they look to make it a third title in a row. The champions already sit eight points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers, though they have played one more game than the Gers. Nonetheless, as things stand, it is Celtic who are on course for a comfortable title win once again in Scotland's top flight.

The January transfer window could yet improve things even further too, especially if Rodgers welcomes one specific defensive target when the winter window swings open.

Celtic transfer news

The biggest Celtic transfer news during the summer was arguably the return of Rodgers and the departure of Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Months later, and only one of those decisions has worked out, and it's not Jota's. Instead, without their former star and with the return of one of their most impressive managers, Celtic have been in flying form all throughout the current campaign. A 6-0 victory over Aberdeen in their final game before the international break summed up their league form fairly well and it's clear that those at Celtic Park are creating an attractive project once again – a project they could add to.

According to Football Scotland's Mark Hendry, Celtic's interest in Nathaniel Adjei is true and they have sent scouts to check him out ahead of a potential January move. The Hammarby centre-back has also attracted reported interest from Championship side Preston North End and Celtic's rivals, Rangers, as the battle to secure the 21-year-old's signature continues to heat up.

The fact that Adjei would be a long-term investment may reportedly put Rodgers off any deal, but with the chance to beat Rangers both on and off the pitch well within their sights, Celtic could yet make their move.

"Exciting" Adjei is one for the future

As good as Celtic currently are, they would be doing themselves no harm by considering the future under Rodgers. If they can build a squad capable of competing for silverware both now and then once more in the future, then they could repeat previous eras of success by sustaining their dominance in Scotland for years to come. And Adjei could play a large part in that if Celtic decide to pursue his signature.

Still only 21-years-old, the centre-back is already playing an impressive part for Hammarby in the Allsvenskan division, making 16 starts. If he chose Celtic over other potential suitors, Adjei could develop even further by learning from the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales – both of whom have contributed to the Hoops' record of just seven goals conceded this season.

Adjei is a player who has earned deserved praise, including from former Hammarby sporting director Jesper Jansson, who told the club's official website after the defender's arrival: "Adjei has had a very good development in HTFF. He is a centre-back with huge potential who looks very exciting for the future, and we have made the decision to buy him from his Ghanaian club."

A CA investigation has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim that an Australian player used a racial taunt against the England allrounder during the 2015 Ashes series

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-2018

A Cricket Australia (CA) investigation of Moeen Ali’s allegation of a racial slur from an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes series has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim.In an extract from his new book, Moeen stated that an Australian player had called him “Osama” during the first Test of the series, in Cardiff, and that he had told the England coach Trevor Bayliss, who then raised the matter with Australia’s then coach Darren Lehmann. However, the unnamed player involved denied the allegation, claiming he had called Moeen a “part-timer”.When Moeen’s account of events came to light, CA indicated that the governing body was in touch with the ECB, and that a further investigation would take place. The CA integrity unit, until recently headed by Iain Roy but now helmed by Sean Carroll, subsequently interviewed numerous Australian players from the 2015 Cardiff Test and team management, while also communicating with the ECB’s own integrity unit.The investigation concluded on the weekend, and it is understood that no other player said they heard the alleged remark. “We have followed up with the ECB and our team management and confirmed that the incident was investigated at the time, with a response provided to Moeen,” A CA spokesman said.”Moeen elected not to progress the matter any further and we have not been able to ascertain any new additional evidence through our enquiries. As such, the matter is considered closed. We take a zero-tolerance approach to remarks of this nature; they have no place in our sport, or in society and any allegations raised with us are treated seriously and respectfully.”Representatives of our country are expected to uphold a high standard of behaviours and values, and they are fully aware of the consequences should they fail to do this.”Bayliss has said that Moeen did not want the matter to be taken further, a process that would have involved the ICC and the racial vilification clauses of its code of conduct. “He didn’t want it to go any further. He was happy for it [to be dealt with between the two teams],” Bayliss told News Corporation. “He’s a very softly-spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone.”I’m not going to make too much of it, it was bloody three years ago, let’s move on. [Cricket Australia] can do what they like I suppose, everyone has sort of forgotten about it and moved on since then. I don’t see it as any real big deal. It was a hard-fought series. But no, I thought [relations after that point] were OK. You’re not party to what goes on out on the field and certainly nothing else was reported or anything through that series so we just left it at that.”Under the CA code of conduct, the governing body would have had the option of re-opening the matter and laying a charge if new evidence had been found by the integrity unit.Meanwhile, CA’s own cultural reviews are believed to be in their closing stages, with the report on the organisation’s wider operations submitted by Simon Longstaff, the director of the Ethics Centre and has been viewed by the directors of the governing body’s Board. This review of the organisation is expected to be made public. According to the reviews’ terms of reference:”The first, overarching independent review will investigate whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues within CA, and more broadly within Australian cricket, should be addressed to ensure these events never occur again, either on tour or whilst playing in Australia. This review will investigate links between player behaviour (particularly on this tour of South Africa) and the organisational, governance and culture within CA and Australian cricket.”The separate player review will, in consultation with a small panel of current and past players, consider a behavioural Charter for the Australian men’s cricket teams that balances the performance demands of elite cricket with expectations of all Australians in regard to on- and off-field role modelling.”It is expected that at various stages the findings from this Wider Cultural, Organisational &/or Governance review will cross-check with the work of the panel that is exploring a Charter for the Australian men’s team – and, where appropriate, incorporate any findings or relevant information into its work.”The review of the Australian men’s team, conducted by the former Test opener Rick McCosker, is set to be submitted shortly, with a concurrent drafting of a charter for player behaviour also near to completion, as indicated by the national team captain Tim Paine before his departure for the tour of the UAE to play Pakistan last week.”Cricket Australia has committed to sharing the findings from the concurrent reviews before the season begins,” a CA spokesman said. “There are still a number of steps to be taken before the process is complete. At such time, we will engage key stakeholders, among them the media. It would be inappropriate to comment on speculation or provide a running commentary while the process is ongoing.”

Sussex’s third win in less than a week secured a knockout place but Middlesex gave them a fright before slumping to a last-place finish in South Group

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2018

ScorecardSussex were given a fright by Middlesex before reaching the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast for the first time since 2015 with a 31-run win at Hove.Skipper Luke Wright, returning after missing two games with a back spasm, made 74 and fellow opener Phil Salt hit 66 from just 25 balls in their 215 for 5 after they had been put in.Rapid half-centuries by Paul Stirling and John Simpson, who shared 122 in 8.1 overs for the second wicket, had Middlesex on course for victory halfway through their reply, but leg-spinner Will Beer removed both in successive overs and Middlesex’s hopes of claiming only their second win of the season effectively ended when Eoin Morgan was run out in the 15th over. They lost their last seven wickets for 26 in 5.4 overs and were bowled out for 184 in 19.4 overs, finishing the group with just two wins.Sussex knew only victory would secure a last-eight place and Salt and Wright set the tone by smashing 80 in the powerplay. Salt matched the 19-ball 50 he made against Middlesex at Lord’s as James Fuller’s first two overs were taken for 38. Salt struck four sixes and eight fours before slicing a drive off James Harris to short third-man from the final ball of the sixth over.Eoin Morgan finds something to laugh about on another grim Middlesex night•Getty Images

Wright became the first Englishman to pass 7,000 T20 runs when he reached 12 and he went on to put on 106 in 11.1 overs for the second wicket with Laurie Evans, whose 36 took him to 492 runs in the group stages.Fuller pegged Sussex back by taking three wickets in four balls during the 16th over. Evans drove his slower ball to cover, Delray Rawlins was caught at short fine-leg off the next delivery and Wright mis-timed a drive to extra cover, having faced 48 balls and hit nine fours in his 44th half-century in the format.Morgan used seven bowlers but was unable to prevent Sussex from making their highest T20 total against Middlesex.Middlesex needed to score at nearly 11 an over but after losing George Scott in the first over Stirling and Simpson laid into some wayward bowling, outscoring Sussex by thrashing 90 in the powerplay. Rashid Khan was missing as he prepares for Afghanistan’s one-day series in Ireland next week and it was his replacement Beer who made the breakthrough when Stirling chopped on for 58 from 29 balls (3 sixes, 6 fours).Beer struck again in his next over when Simpson holed out to long off for 62, made off 29 balls with six sixes and four boundaries, but Sussex were only able to breath easily after taking two wickets in the 15th over. Danny Briggs ran out Eoin Morgan (16) off his own bowling when Morgan failed to make his ground going for a tight single and James Franklin was caught behind off a big top edge.Middlesex subsided thereafter and Chris Jordan finished things off when he yorked Nathan Sowter and Tom Barber with successive deliveries in the final over.Coach Dan Vettori was left to reflect on another poor Midedlesex season. “We’ve run the whole gamut of how to lose T20 games this season,” he said. “We were poor at the start with the ball tonight, but managed to drag it back on a small ground with a tiny boundary to defend.”When we batted we had it comfortably in control but losing four wickets in two overs when you have to face Mills, Jordan and Archer at the death… you almost have to kill the game before that happens and instead we killed the game for ourselves.”

Most T20 hundreds by an Asian batsman? Check. Joint-most T20I hundreds by anyone? Check. New nickname? Nah, the old one’ll do fine

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2018

On Sunday Rohit Sharma made his fifth hundred in T20 cricket, the most by an Asian batsman, his unbeaten 100 helping India seal a 2-1 series win against England.It was also Rohit’s third century in T20Is – New Zealand batsman Colin Munro is the only other player with as many. Rohit could have achieved the feat a week earlier, but fell short by three runs in the first match of India’s UK trip, against Ireland in Malahide.How does he do it? Dinesh Karthik, Rohit’s India team-mate, tried to find out in a video chat after the victory in Bristol.On holding the record for the most T20I centuries, with MunroIt feels good to win the series first, that was the only thing that was playing in my mind. We lost the last game, and it was a decider. The only thing I was thinking was about how we can pull off this victory as a unit. Personal, individual milestones will happen along the way, but I was not at all thinking about all of that. It was important that once I got off to a good start, I was only thinking about how we can finish off the game. That was the only thing that was playing in my mind because it was an important game for us to win and build those partnerships in the middle.On the difference between the 97 against Ireland and the Bristol centuryToday was different circumstance only because we were chasing. As a batting group we’ve always spoken that there has to be one set batsman batting through the innings. And it was my responsibility today. The other day [first T20I at Old Trafford] it was KL Rahul who got a beautiful hundred. So it was my day today to make sure today I finish off the game. In Ireland it was all about making as many runs as possible because we were batting first. So I went for the shot, missed it, got out. Was a little disappointed.Which of the three T20I hundreds is the most special?It’s difficult, Dinesh. Because you also know how important these hundreds are. I’ve only got three hundreds. It is not like I have got a lot more where I can pick. In the past, people have asked me about my three double-hundreds [in ODIs]. I’ve never picked one because all were very different and came at different times. As a cricketer it is so tough to pick one hundred you score, because every hundred is important.Only man to score three ODI double-hundreds and three T20I hundreds. Should his nickname, Hitman, be changed?I kind of like Hitman a lot, goes well with my name as well.

Big picture

India are in town, and that usually means packed stadiums anywhere in the world, but Old Trafford on Tuesday will be some way short of a full house. With the T20I coinciding with England’s round-of-16 FIFA World Cup clash against Colombia, the fans who do show up will be forgiven if they glance at the replay screen a little wistfully, wishing they were watching Alli rather than Ali.There will be a lowish-key feel to this game, and in some ways it isn’t a particularly significant one, the fate of most T20Is when a World T20 isn’t looming large. But this game could have knock-on effects on the weeks and months ahead. This is the first India-England clash of a long summer of India-England clashes, an opportunity to land an early punch or two.Both teams will also use these games to build towards next year’s 50-over World Cup, and gear their white-ball game towards the flat batting conditions expected in this part of the world.England’s standing as world cricket’s most fearsome ODI line-up is predicated upon their treating ODIs as extended T20 games. Having made 221 in their last T20I, at Edgbaston last week, they will want to show they can flex their batting muscle just as much against an Indian attack containing the swing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the wristspin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.India, for their part, know they are only one or two ingredients short of a line-up that could be as relentlessly aggressive as England’s. The search for those ingredients, however, has been long and frustrating, and it isn’t over yet. One priority is finding a settled slot in the top four for KL Rahul, and the other is figuring out which of the other options – of whom Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey and Suresh Raina are part of their current squad – is the best fit at No. 6.If India can find answers to those questions on Tuesday, and if England continue their barnstorming batting form, Old Trafford might even forget the football.

Form guide

England: WWLLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
India: WWWWW1:24

Morgan ready to experiment with batting line-up

In the spotlight

England’s stand-in coach Paul Farbrace may have said it isn’t so, but is Joe Root‘s place in England’s T20 line-up under threat? Given the riches of explosive talent around him, and given the imminent return of Ben Stokes from injury, Root might need to make a couple of defining contributions against India to reinforce his value in the shortest format.He had a sensational IPL as a wicket-taker in the Powerplay overs, and with Jasprit Bumrah out injured, there’s no better time than now for Umesh Yadav to stake a claim to be part of India’s first-choice T20 attack.

Team news

England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Alex Hales, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidIndia (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik/Manish Pandey, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Old Trafford usually offers more pace and bounce than other English pitches, though not a lot of seam movement. The pitch for the fifth England-Australia ODI here just over a week ago provided some turn as well, and Moeen Ali prospered to pick up a four-wicket haul. The pitch for Tuesday’s game is a different one, though Kohli noted in his pre-match press conference that it looked a little dry. Expect both teams, therefore, to play two spinners.The weather leading up to the game has been warm and dry, with temperatures in the mid-to-late 20s (Celsius). No rain is expected on Tuesday.

Stats and trivia

• England have a 6-5 win-loss record against India in T20Is, and have won all three of their meetings in England so far.
• Virat Kohli is eight runs short of becoming the first Indian, and the fourth batsman overall, to 2000 in T20Is. Rohit Sharma isn’t too far behind – he needs 51 to get there.
• Umesh Yadav has only played two T20Is so far, the first in August 2012 against Sri Lanka and the second last Friday against Ireland. He missed 65 matches between his two appearances – an Indian record. One of his potential opponents on Tuesday, Liam Plunkett, holds the overall record for matches missed between T20I appearances (74). Incidentally, Plunkett’s gap years also came between his debut and second match.
• Kuldeep Yadav (11.2) and Yuzvendra Chahal (13.0) have the best and third-best strike rates among all spinners who have bowled in ten or more T20I innings.

Quotes

“We expect England to come hard at us. And we certainly want to play positive and hard-fought cricket. It’s going to be an exciting series for sure, we believe that we have the side to put up a great fight.”
“Generally it is a different challenge particularly when you play against subcontinent teams. It normally exposes sides like ourselves and South Africa and Australia to spin, reverse swing, different challenges to that we are normally used to.”

Burnley are already looking to sign a new defender but face competition from a number of Premier League rivals, according to a fresh report.

What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?

The Clarets once again had an extremely productive transfer window following their title-winning Championship campaign, bringing in 15 new players to Vincent Kompany’s side.

However, it has proven to be a tricky start to the new season, with defeats to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United leaving them in the bottom three and winless in the top flight.

Time may well be needed for Kompany to get the best out of his current squad, but with the January transfer window fast approaching, it looks as if the club are already looking at potential additions for the second half of the campaign.

Player

Former club

Fee

Zeki Amdouni

FC Basel

€18.6m

James Trafford

Manchester City

€17.3m

Aaron Ramsey

Aston Villa

€16.45m

Jordan Bayer

Borussia Monchengladbach

€15m

Sander Berge

Sheffield United

€13.9m

Wilson Odobert

Troyes

€12m

Dara O'Shea

West Brom

€7.8m

Michael Obafemi

Swansea City

€4m

Hannes Delcroix

RSC Anderlecht

€3m

Luca Koleosho

Espanyol

€3m

Nathan Redmond

Besiktas

Free transfer

Han-Noah Massengo

Bristol City

Free transfer

Lawrence Vigouroux

Leyton Orient

Free transfer

Mike Tresor

Genk

Loan transfer

Jacob Bruun Larsen

Hoffenheim

Loan transfer

According to TEAMtalk, Burnley are one of five Premier League sides who are exploring a move to sign Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykola Matviyenko, with the player’s representatives looking at possible options.

Alongside those at Turf Moor, Crystal Palace, Everton, Sheffield United and West Ham are also keen on the defender.

Who is Mykola Matviyenko?

Matviyenko is primarily a centre-back but can also play as a left-back or right-back and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €20m Transfermarkt valuation.

The 27-year-old has progressed through the Shakhtar Donetsk academy and has gone on to make 175 senior appearances for the club, contributing to an impressive 22 goals.

The left-footed Ukraine international has impressed over the past 12 months, as per FBref, ranking highly for passes completed, clearances and passes blocked.

Journalist Andrew Todos recently claimed that Matviyenko is capable of operating in either a back four or a back three, describing him as a “composed and experienced centre-back”.

"Matviyenko is a composed and experienced centre-back, who comes across as very assured, especially when playing alongside younger teammates. As he started his career as a full-back, he's got more pace than an average centre-back and this aids him quite a lot in recovery challenges.

"In my opinion, he can be world-class when he plays in a formation with three defenders. If he plays in a back four, he should play alongside a tall defender who can help him. He is good as a centre-back but the best matches of his career were when he was in a back three and he played next to wing-backs."

Kompany currently has six centre-back options in Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Dara O'Shea, CJ Egan-Riley and Hannes Delcroix, so you could argue that Matviyenko may not be needed.

However, if Burnley view the player as an upgrade at the back after conceding 13 times in their opening five games, then they could well look to push through a move, making this one to keep an eye on ahead of 2024.

Southampton manager Russell Martin has delivered an update on his future on the south coast, with Sport Republic's current stance regarding his position also revealed.

How have Southampton started the season?

In the Championship, Martin’s side have had an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having secured three wins, one draw and suffered four defeats from their opening eight games, meaning that having taken ten points from a possible 24, they find themselves 15th in the table, as per Sky Sports.

Speaking on the ‘What The EFL?!’ podcast, EFL pundit Adrian Clarke claimed that the St. Mary’s outfit won’t be able to achieve promotion this season should the 37-year-old remain at the helm and that he believes he will be sacked before the end of the campaign.

Unfortunately for the Saints, life isn't set to get any easier with their next two second-tier fixtures being a home match against also recently relegated Leeds United followed by a trip to face Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium, so it's vital they pick up as many points as possible.

Is Russell Martin leaving Southampton?

Speaking to The Athletic, Martin was asked whether Sport Republic are understanding of Southampton's current position and if he still has their full backing.

As quoted by Football League World, he replied: “I think so, yeah. There’s been a lot gone on. They’ve made huge changes in the football club. Listen, we shouldn’t have lost the amount of games we have but I don’t think they expected a magic wand.

"And when you’re trying to do something really different, I don’t think that is ever easy. It’s a time to be really brave, for everyone to stick together, to get through it together. Or you don’t. That’s football.”

What is Russell Martin's record at Southampton?

Since joining Southampton back in July, Martin has only secured three victories from nine games and is averaging just 1.11 points per match, via Transfermarkt, but it’s not just his side’s performances in the league that have been concerning.

During the first round of the Carabao Cup, the south coast outfit bowed out following a shock 3-1 loss to League Two side Gillingham, so due to a result that nobody would have expected, they have also lost one of their roads to potentially securing some silverware away from the second tier.

The Brighton-born coach still has another three years remaining on his contract, but as it stands, it’s unlikely that he will last that long in his job unless he is to rapidly turn the club’s form around and get them back in the race for promotion with the aim being to jump back up to the top-flight at the first time of asking.