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ScorecardImran Tahir enjoyed a fine debut [file picture]•BCCI

Imran Tahir enjoyed a dream T20 debut for Nottinghamshire to inflict a first home defeat on Northamptonshire in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.Tahir’s 3 for 13 in four overs, and 3 for 12 in 14 balls from Steven Mullaney saw Northants bowled out for just 122 in 18.2 overs, a target Notts took 17 overs overs to knock off to win by six wickets with a fine captain’s innings from Dan Christian who made a 28-ball fifty.Richard Gleeson caused the Notts chase a few early nerves trapping Riki Wessels lbw in his first over and running out Greg Smith in his second to leave the visitors 22 for 2 in the fourth over but there was little to stop Notts picking up a fourth win of the season.With little pressure in the second innings, Christian broke the back of the chase with some fine hitting in his 56 from 32 balls – his second fifty of the season. The pick of his strokes a thunderous drive through cover point. He shared 79 in 9.3 overs with Michael Lumb as Notts extended their unbeaten run in all competitions against Northants to 15 matches.The win kept up Notts’ pursuit of a home quarter-final with Northants made to wait before confirming their place in the knockout stages.Victory was lead by Tahir in the first innings after Notts won the toss. He appeared to have a mesmeric hold on the Northants batsmen as first Steven Crook, lbw trying to sweep, Alex Wakely, lbw playing back, and then Richard Gleeson, tamely chipping to midwicket, all fell in a superb spell.In partnership with Samit Patel – whose own 2 for 27 in four overs was excellent – the spinners helped collapse the Northants innings from a strong Powerplay of 59 for 1.The innings had lurched to 107 for 5 before Mullaney was introduced in the 15th over – his second ball brought a return catch from Ben Duckett – the left-hander falling for 29 in 23 balls ended any chance of Northants posting a competitive total. The lower order then fell away as Northants left 10 balls unused having lost 9 for 62 in 12 overs.It was a remarkable turnaround after Richard Levi and Adam Rossington had given the home side a bright start having lost the toss. Levi lifted two sixes over square leg to ruin Harry Gurney’s second over, another followed in the sixth over but the reintroduction of spin brought his undoing with Patel winning an lbw decision with Levi well placed 35 from 20 balls.Rossington began with a carved drive over point for four and added a second boundary with a sweetly timed straight drive. But he fell in the final over of the Powerplay, swinging at Jake Ball and losing his middle stump for 22 from 15 balls. It was a sign of things to come from the hosts’ batting.

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, as Juventus are unwilling to meet Lazio's price tag of €40m (£35.5m), according to recent reports from Italy.

Which midfielders could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners have now seemingly set their sights on Valencia's Yunus Musah, as they are said to be preparing an offer of €70m (£62m) for the central midfielder, which the Spanish club would find it very difficult to turn down.

Another potential option for the north London club is Chelsea's Mason Mount, and journalist Paul Brown believes the England international would be intrigued by the prospect of playing under Mikel Arteta.

Milinkovic-Savic has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with reports from last December indicating they were leading the race for the Lazio midfielder, and they have recently been handed a boost in the race for his signature.

According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), Lazio are holding out for €40m (£35.5m) to sell the maestro this summer, however fellow Serie A side Juventus are not prepared to pay any more than €25m (£22m).

As such, Lazio are now waiting for offers from the Premier League, which have been promised by the player's agent, Mateja Kezman, with Arsenal potentially set to come forward to sign the 28-year-old midfielder.

The Gunners are yet to make the first move, as they are currently more preoccupied with competing for the Premier League title, but they should have no problem meeting the Italian club's demands in the summer.

Should Arsenal sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Although £35.5m may seem a large fee for a player who will have just one year left on his contract this summer, it is no wonder Lazio are demanding so much, given just how important the Serbian has been to them for a number of seasons.

Hailed as "world class" by members of the media, the Spain-born midfielder weighed in with six goals and eight assists in the Serie A this season, before Lazio's clash with Milan yesterday – once again reaching double figures for goal contributions.

Last season was probably the £75k-per-week earner's most impressive campaign, amassing 11 goals and 11 assists in the league, with the latter figure being the highest in the Lazio squad.

Teammate Ciro Immobile has lauded Milinkovic-Savic as "magic", also adding he's "on the same level" as Kevin De Bruyne, and he could be a real boost for Arsenal in what is likely to be another bid for the Premier League title next season.

While much of the focus at Manchester United this summer will be on those who could arrive through the door, a priority for the Red Devils will also be to shift players on, as manager Erik ten Hag seeks to continue his impressive rebuild at the club.

After the lack of authority that was shown during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era – with the Norwegian dubbed a 'soft touch' according to players in the squad – it would appear that the new man at the helm is keen to be ruthless this summer by sparking something of a mass exodus at Old Trafford.

As per the Daily Mail, there could be as many as 13 players who are moved on by the top-four hopefuls ahead of next season, with Ten Hag keen to rid the dressing room of the remnants of the previous regime.

As per the report, there are a handful of Solskjaer's signings who could well be set for pastures new this summer, with that an apparent acceptance that United are keen to move away from life under the treble winner.

The belief is that among the current first-team squad – excluding Alex Telles who is currently out on loan at Sevilla and Facundo Pellistri who is only likely to leave on a temporary deal – three players who were signed by the club's previous permanent manager could be set to leave, with Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and club captain Harry Maguire all facing uncertain futures at the club.

Although that trio are not the only notable figures who could be shown the door, it is telling of their woes that they are already set for the scrap heap, despite having been signed either in 2020 or 2019, respectively, during Solskjaer's reign.

For many supporters, it may well be a blessing to see those three men line up elsewhere next season, particularly when considering the notable burden of their wages – as well as their exorbitant initial transfer fees.

Will Van de Beek leave Man United this summer?

In the case of Van de Beek, first and foremost, it will come as little surprise to most that the 25-year-old could be among those to depart, with the Netherlands international having endured a wretched time of it at the Theatre of Dreams to date.

Having been signed on a rather hefty £40m deal back in the summer of 2020, the former Ajax ace has never been able to establish himself as a regular fixture in the side, with just 23 of his 60 appearances for the club having come from the start.

While in recent months the Dutchman's impact has been limited after sustaining a season-ending injury back in January, prior to that the playmaker had hardly set the world alight despite reuniting with his former boss, after failing to provide a single goal involvement in ten outings in all competitions.

A run of three successive starts in all competitions in early November had been a potential last-chance saloon for the struggling dud, although the 19-cap midfielder was hooked around the hour mark in each of those outings, having done little to warrant a further look-in.

As journalist Samuel Luckhurst stated amid that rare streak of starts, deploying Van de Beek in the side simply "doesn't work", with it perhaps time that a departure is secured – with a return to Ajax having been mooted.

That possible exit would allow United to get the £120k-per-week man's salary off their books, with the peripheral figure set to have cost the club around £6.2m in wages just this season alone by the end of the campaign, as per FBref.

The England duo of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have also been something of a financial strain of late, with the former having cost around £9.8m by the end of the campaign in wages, while the latter man has come at a cost of £4.6m – totalling £20.6m between the three men for the 2022/23 season.

Will Man United sell Maguire?

In truth, in the case of Maguire, the £190k-per-week man has hardly warranted that salary amid his limp displays this season, with the 30-year-old having been branded "woeful" by pundit Lianne Sanderson earlier in the campaign.

As ex-Liverpool man Jamie Carragher noted back in September, it looks as if it is 'too late' for the former Leicester City ace to save his United career, despite having the chance to enjoy an extended run in the side due to the injury woes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

The £80m man – who has started just seven Premier League games this season – can seemingly do little right at present having scored an unfortunate own goal in the draw with Sevilla last week, while also enduring a shaky start in the weekend win over Nottingham Forest, after picking up an early booking and somewhat escaping giving away a penalty for handball.

It does appear that it would be best for all parties if the ailing skipper is handed a fresh start elsewhere, even if there are reported fears that the centre-back's wage demands could prove a stumbling block in getting him off the books.

Where will Wan-Bissaka be next season?

If the future of both Van de Beek and Maguire does appear rather clear cut, in the case of Wan-Bissaka there may be those who would be keen to see the former Crystal Palace man stay put, having enjoyed a real resurgence of late.

After playing just four minutes in all competitions prior to the World Cup break, the 25-year-old has since been a far more regular fixture under Ten Hag, with 25 appearances to his name across all fronts.

The Croydon-born ace notably produced a "monstrous" display in the Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United, as per the Daily Express' Alex Turk, with that fine, second-half cameo a real showcase of his remarkable revival.

That being said, however, it was not too long ago that the full-back looked destined for an exit heading into the January window, with The Athletic only recently reporting that the Red Devils could be open to a sale, if a more attacking option can be secured this summer.

As Wan-Bissaka's recent, horrific miss against Everton showcased, the one-time Selhurst Park starlet is still something of a liability in attack, having scored just twice and registered only 11 assists in 151 games across all fronts.

That is a rather measly record, indeed, hence the suggestion that the right-back could be part of this summer's mass departure, calling time on his almost four-year stay in Manchester.

For United to potentially cash in on the £50m man – as well as both Maguire and Van de Beek – would be a poor reflection on Solskjaer's transfer judgement, with those three men having cost around £170m with regard to their transfer fees.

That eye-watering sum is a perfect encapsulation of the scattergun and erratic recruitment drive that has hampered United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Perhaps, under Ten Hag, the future landscape can look rather different…

When Ruben Neves received his tenth yellow card in a feisty derby with Nottingham Forest which gave him a two-game suspension and left Wolverhampton Wanderers three points above the drop zone, it left many wondering who could replace their imperious pillar of command and leadership in this staggering battle to avoid relegation.

But, in their skipper’s absence, Julen Lopetegui’s side has defeated both Chelsea and Brentford without conceding and now sit six points from potential Championship doom.

The acting captain for those victories was defender Max Kilman, who seamlessly slotted into Neves’ leading role and didn’t let the pressure of the armband topple his performance or confidence.

With Neves’ impending departure motoring on to be an almost definite possibility, Wolves will need to identify a new captain, but the 25-year-old centre-back has quickly proven himself to be a worthy and logical candidate.

What does Max Kilman bring to Wolves?

Despite it being a largely tumultuous campaign for the Midlands outfit, which has overseen three different managers and the club sat in the bottom position heading into the World Cup, Kilman has remained a reliable and popular option, making the most league appearances (31) of anyone in the squad and playing every possible minute.

This is an astonishing achievement and a testament to his quality and undeniable importance to the side.

In the outing against Chelsea on April 8th, the £15k-per-week man produced a resounding defensive display and recorded ten clearances, two blocks, and five accurate long balls, as per Sofascore.

Similarly, when Wolves faced Brentford, the former futsal star repeated another showing of defensive solidarity as he won all his aerial duels, registered two tackles, two blocks, and three clearances, according to Sofascore, whilst also silencing the prolific 18-goal Ivan Toney.

Former Wolves captain Conor Coady has previously lauded Kilman’s talent and said:

“He’s a fantastic lad. He’s brilliant to have around and is a brilliant professional. I thought he was outstanding.”

When he made his Premier League debut against Fulham in May 2019, Kilman became the first player to go directly from non-league to the top-flight, with no loans, since Chris Smalling moved from Maidstone United to Fulham in 2008.

Since then, he has established himself as one of Wolves’ prize assets and possesses a perfectly curated mixture of aggression and technical ability. According to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for blocks, as well as the top 13% for successful take-ons.

Nuno Espirito Santo also heaped praise on the defender, saying: "I just see him as a very good football player, a centre-half with quality.”

With this formidable reputation and the dominant performances to support it, the Englishman should be the next Wolves captain, if the club is resigned to losing Neves.

Referee William Collum and his VAR team may have made a big mistake after awarding Celtic a penalty in the club's most recent win.

What's the latest on VAR and Celtic?

The Bhoys were able to restore their nine-point lead at the very top of the table on Sunday with a decent 2-0 win in the Scottish Premiership.

Indeed, travelling away from home, Ange Postecoglou and co took on Ross County and picked up the points thanks to two goals scored right at the end of each half.

Indeed, Jota netted the opener from the penalty spot into the fifth minute of injury time in the first half, while the second goal – scored by Alexandro Bernabei – came in the 95th minute.

However, despite the win, it seems rather fortunate that a penalty was awarded to Celtic by VAR. As seen in the official highlights via the SPFL YouTube channel (1:45), Alex Iacovitti is harshly judged to have handled the ball inside his own box.

Did Celtic deserve a penalty?

Seeing as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Iacovitti both jump for the ball at the same time but the Celtic man gets their first, it's not as though the defender can do much to move his arm out of the way.

Indeed, there is little more than a yard between Carter-Vickers' head and Iacovitti's arm, so it seems unreasonable to expect him to be able to move his arm away from the ball in this time.

When talking after the game, Ross County manager Malky Mackay certainly seemed to be in disbelief that the foul was given.

He told BBC Sport: "I've watched it half a dozen times and I still can't quite believe the bar for VAR in Scotland is so low. I look at that in England and that's not being given.

"It's really disappointing that that then meant we were chasing the game, which we had to do in the second half. I'm so proud of the players and, if we play like that in the last eight games, we'll give anyone a game and get points on the board."

While former player Paul Lambert also made the point (via Glasgow Evening Times) that the player had to have his arm raised naturally to avoid a clash of heads.

He said: "What do you do? I think there would be a clash of heads there if the two arms weren't up. VAR looks at every incident and the referee has made the choice that he's going to give handball.

For most clubs, the loss of a £40m signing to a season-curtailing injury would be a major blow, although at Manchester United such a 'setback' has hardly been felt, such is the peripheral nature of the player in question.

That figure is, of course, Donny van de Beek, with the rather anonymous Dutchman having been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after sustaining a knee injury on what was a rare Premier League start against Bournemouth back in early January.

That cruel blow has seemingly epitomised what has been a luckless stint at Old Trafford so far for the 25-year-old, with the playmaking midfielder having made frankly little impact since his arrival in England back in the summer of 2020.

Despite having spent almost three years with the Red Devils, the Netherlands international – who briefly spent time out on loan at Everton in the second half of last season – has scored just twice and laid on only two assists in 60 games across all fronts, having rarely been handed the faith of those in the dugout.

Such woes are a far cry from the success that the 19-cap dud enjoyed during his time at former club Ajax under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, as he racked up 75 goal involvements in 175 games in all competitions for the Eredivisie side.

Despite having previously thrived under his compatriot – after playing a key role in the Amsterdam outfit's surge to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 – the fact that the appointment of Ten Hag at the Theatre of Dreams has not sparked a change of fortunes should be a telling sign that the move will simply never work as far as Van de Beek is concerned.

As such, it would be no surprise if the 6-foot flop is allowed to depart come the end of the season, with transfer insider Dean Jones insisting that it "has to" be the player's last campaign at the club.

What salary is Van de Beek on?

There will likely be a desire among the United hierarchy to simply cut their losses on the struggling asset ahead of next term in order to get the £120k-per-week man off the wage bill, despite the fact that he is said to be worth as little as €4m (£3.5m) – according to CIES Football Observatory.

That urgency will be born out of the fact that by the end of the season the Premier League giants will have forked out around £18.7m with regard to paying Van de Beek's salary, as per FBref, as well as factoring in the player's initial £40m fee – totalling a rather mammoth £58.7m.

Roughly 132 weeks on from signing for the club, the once-promising figure now appears nothing more than a spare part, having only featured ten times across all fronts this season prior to being struck down by injury.

That limited game time did include a run of three successive starts back in November away to Real Sociedad in the Europa League, as well as against Aston Villa in both the league and the Carabao Cup, albeit with the "lightweight" dud – as described by journalist Steve Bates – having been hooked in and around the hour mark in each of those outings.

In what could have been a potentially defining week in Van de Beek's United career, the unfortunate maestro was simply unable to take his opportunity, with it hard to see the wisdom in giving him any more chances to shine moving forward.

With the Nijkerkerveen-born man not set to feature again this season, United supporters could well have seen the last of Van de Beek in a red jersey.

Alex Crook believes that the interested Qatari group are now the favourites to purchase Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Deadline is looming

The Raine Group – who are assisting the sale of Man United – have set a soft deadline of 10 pm this evening for interested parties to register their bids and interest in taking Man United off of the Glazers’ hands.

There are said to be several interested parties in buying Man United with groups from both Qatar and Saudi Arabia being linked as well as the Red Devils fan himself, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

It has been reported that the Qatari group are going to indeed bid for Man United at some point today which could well put a marker down as to whether or not other interested groups can compete financially with them.

The Latest: Qatari group favourites

Crook has been speaking on TalkSPORT about the interest from Qatar and how they are now firmly favourites to buy Man United given their sheer wealth.

He said: (0:30) “You mentioned Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he was the first really to come out publicly and say that he wanted to buy the club, we’re expecting a big-money bid from Qatar to come in today as well.

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“I say big-money, I don’t think it will meet the Glazer family’s £6 billion valuation I think it will be less than that so it’ll be interesting but I think a lot of people who are showing an interest and a lot of people who are maybe considering a bid do believe the Qataris are favourites just because of the sheer volume of wealth in that country.

“I think what’s important to stress is this is a private group of individuals we know the emir of Qatar is actively encouraging people to invest in football clubs following the success of the World Cup at the end of last year but it is a separate company from that who own Paris Saint-Germain.

“That’s crucial because under UEFA rules you can’t own two clubs who compete in the same competition so I would make the Qataris favourites.”

The Verdict: Huge moment in Man United’s history

Given the constant protests and discontent towards the Glazers, if they can attract a number of potential bidders by 10 pm this evening it would be a huge moment in the history of Man United as they may well get their club back.

However, if they were to be taken over by either a group from Qatar or Saudi Arabia it would indeed bring up a huge number of issues including human rights violations that were also fired the way of Newcastle United during their takeover process.

The deadline of 10 pm this evening forces parties to show their hands and prove they’re serious about buying the club and allows the Red Devils to get a deal ironed out prior to the summer transfer window opening.

Former Celtic forward Andy Walker has claimed on Sky Sports that Ange Postecoglou will want to stay at the club amid reported interest from elsewhere.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou in high demand

As of late, Postecoglou has been heavily linked with moves south of the border, with Premier League clubs registering an interest in the Australian boss after working wonders at Celtic.

Postecoglou has managed to push Celtic beyond their league rivals after missing out on the title back in the 2020/21 season and has assembled a nine-point lead this campaign as he looks to win back-to-back league titles.

As well as managing Celtic in the Champions League, his achievements in Glasgow certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, but the lure of winning silverware on a regular basis and becoming a hero in Glasgow could be what sees him reject any forthcoming proposals, amid links to the likes of Everton and Leeds United in recent weeks.

The Latest: Celtic boss looking to win many more trophies

Walker believes that Postecoglou won’t be looking to jump ship just yet, as he wants to be managing in Europe’s elite competition and winning games after a disappointing campaign on the continent this term.

He said: “I think he’s got a lot of unfinished work to do in Glasgow before he would make the next step to the Premier League.

“I think he wants to rack up some titles, some trophies. Celtic are in pole position to get the title again next year, and as you well know, it gives Ange Postecoglou and Celtic direct access to the Champions League.

“And I think that’s where he would like to put together a team that can get some notable victories, because the financial gap when Celtic go in with the big boys of the Champions League is pretty big, but without getting a lot of points this season, I thought they competed really well, so I think that’s where his focus is.”

The Verdict: Staying in Glasgow would be a sensible move

While the lure of the Premier League, its money and the calibre of players that would come with a move to England would be tempting for Postecoglou, it would perhaps tarnish his legacy at Celtic if he was to leave mid-season.

He only has to look at how the Celtic fans reacted when Brendan Rodgers left them for Leicester City in February 2019 – and he’d won far more trophies and accolades than Postecoglou has done during his current tenure.

If Postecoglou continues to win silverware and play a ‘beautiful and aggressive style of football’, there will arguably be many more suitors, not just in England, but across Europe in the near future, so staying at Celtic, where he can build the team he wants with a less intense media spotlight will be best for him in the short and long term.

West Ham United have fallen well below expectations this season after such good work across the previous two years under David Moyes, and they failed to utilise the January transfer window as well as they possibly could have.

Languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table – West Ham have just 18 points from 20 matches this term and are one point above the relegation zone – they are in real danger of scraping for survival as the season enters its latter stages, despite back-to-back European qualifications and signing the likes of Lucas Paqueta (£51m) and Gianluca Scamacca (£35.5m) last summer.

Despite clinching Danny Ings for £15m from Aston Villa, and Brazilian youngster Luizao for an undisclosed fee, last month, there is a sense that the Hammers did not revitalise the squad to the best of their ability. That is especially the case given recent injuries to the aforementioned Ings and Scamacca, with winger Maxwel Cornet also sidelined.

With this in mind, signing former Irons ace Andre Ayew at the end of the January transfer market might have been a prudent move for the club, with 90min stating that the veteran forward arrived in England after the conclusion of deadline day. As a free agent, Ayew was not bound to the constraints of the transfer window and was duly able to discuss a move with several Premier League clubs.

In the end, West Ham were rejected and the 33-year-old chose to join the expansive ranks at Nottingham Forest, with the Reds now bolstered further across their attack after recently hitting a timely purple patch.

During his previous spell with West Ham, after he signed from Swansea City in 2016 for a then-club record £20.5m, the Ghanaian dynamo only managed 12 goals and five assists from 50 appearances. His two years in claret and blue were largely hampered by injuries and he was unable to make the emphatic effect for which he would have been hoping.

However, his versatility and experience could indeed have been invaluable as West Ham attempt to rekindle their cohesion and fluidity, and he could have been the “game changer” – as once heralded by former Irons boss Slaven Bilic – to turn the tide in east London.

Also, given West Ham’s inclusion in the Europa Conference League – in which they return to action in the round of 16 next month after winning their group – adding him as an extra option up front would have been the perfect remedy to continue battling across multiple fronts, perhaps salvaging a slice of prosperity from a hitherto frustrating season at the London Stadium.

While landing a 33-year-old Ayew would not have been the glitziest signing for a team competing in Europe, he is an accomplished and experienced professional with Premier League experience (89 games), and as a former Irons player he might well have taken to life back in east London like a duck to water.

As it is, the 113-cap Ghanaian will instead aid Forest in their own pursuit of maintaining top-flight status, and having dropped the ball on this possible free signing, Moyes will have to make do with the options who were already at his disposal.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano says that Flamengo is ‘no longer’ an option for Facundo Pellistri to head out on loan from Manchester United.

The Lowdown: In talks

It was reported earlier this week that Flamengo were in talks to sign Pellistri on loan for the remainder of the year, and were willing to pay his wages in full for the duration of the loan.

He has only made unused substitute in the 3-2 loss away at Arsenal in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Latest: Flamengo no longer in race

Taking to Twitter, Romano says that Flamengo is ‘no longer a loan option’ for Pellistri, but Valencia are ‘pushing’ for him, while two clubs in the Serie A are also ‘on the table’:

“Understand Flamengo are no longer a loan option for Facundo Pellistri. Valencia are pushing while there are two Serie A clubs as possibilities on the table.

“Manchester United will decide next week whether they want to send Facundo on loan or not.”

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The Verdict: Loan needed

Given Pellistri’s lack of senior football, Eric ten Hag’s side need to seriously consider letting him go out on loan to gain some vital first team experience.

Hailed as a ‘real talent’ by former Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer upon his arrival to Old Trafford in 2020, that was a lot of hype around Pellistri when he first signed for the club, but so far the supporters have seen very little of him.

His short cameo in the Carabao Cup earlier this season remains the only senior minutes he has had, while he has only played nine times for the U21 side (Transfermarkt).

At 21 years of age, Pellistri simply has to be playing more regular football, and he can get that with a loan away from United this month.