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Arsenal have a contingency plan in place if the club decide against signing Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis after his loan spell concludes.

Hincapie thriving in hybrid defensive role

In the 2025 summer transfer window, Hincapie was a late addition for Arsenal, joining for the season with a £45 million buy option. The 23-year-old, who is a regular international for Ecuador, can be utilised as either a left-back or centre-back and was a regular for Bayer Leverkusen in the years prior to his move.

Hincapie was a key component of the Xabi Alonso side that won an unbeaten domestic double in the 2023/24 season.

He has since integrated well within the Arsenal team as manager Mikel Arteta looks to, finally, lift a trophy with the Gunners once again. Arsenal entered 2026 at the top of the Premier League table, with a four-point gap between themselves and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

With a buy option already in place for Hincapie, whether Arsenal sign him or not will be deduced not by negotiation, but on how he performs for the remainder of the current campaign.

Should it be that Hincapie is not bought permanently, then it appears Arsenal are monitoring a player who would be a similar replacement.

Arsenal keen on Frankfurt defender Brown

According to Bild, as per ArsenalNews, Arsenal are interested in acquiring the services of Nathaniel Brown. Having joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024, the Germany international is enjoying a stellar campaign for the club.

The 22-year-old is comfortable either as a full-back or wing-back on the left-hand side and is “on the list” for Arsenal regarding transfer targets.

No doubt aware of the talent they have, Frankfurt are reportedly asking for at least £57 million to part ways with Brown. Arsenal already have both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori as permanent options for their left-back position, an area in which Hincapie is also comfortable playing.

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As such, if Arsenal are to sign Brown, the deal would surely only be feasible if they chose not to sign Hincapie on a permanent basis.

The agreed fee for Hincapie is already cheaper and it may be that his greater versatility, in comparison to Brown, is what sways Arteta in his decision.

In any case, it is clear that Arsenal are planning for a multitude of potential outcomes at the end of the season, one which Arsenal will be desperate to end with some silverware to their name.

Related £280,000-a-week star desperate to leave Real Madrid with Arsenal "most likely" to sign him

He could be incredible for the Gunners

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When Adam Voges drove a return catch to Mark Craig on the third day at the Basin Reserve, he was out for 239. In another way, he was out for 614, for that was the amount of runs Voges had scored in Test cricket between dismissals. In the dim, dark ages of day-night Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval, Voges had edged Trent Boult to second slip. From then on, it took another 815 balls and 1115 minutes of batting before Voges would again go out.Extend it to first-class cricket, and he scored 763 runs from 1422 balls between times when a bowler got him out – he was dismissed for 149 in the Sheffield Shield match in Lincoln this month, but it took a run-out to do it. They are extraordinary figures, and his Test success against West Indies and New Zealand pushed his average up over 100 during his double-century in Wellington, though it dropped down to the sub-Bradman figure of 97.46 when Craig got him.”I’m probably happy that I’m out now and it’s gone back under,” Voges said. “I can just get on with playing cricket, I guess. The boys had a bit of fun taking the mickey out of me in the change-rooms but it’s all good. It [the average] was never going to stay there, it won’t stay there, I know that. So it was always going to happen at some stage.”Of course that was true, but what is equally obvious is that Voges, at the age of 36, is in the form of his life. In the past two years, nobody in the world has come close to the 3687 runs and 14 centuries that Voges has scored in first-class cricket, and his promotion to Test ranks has done nothing to slow his progress.”I think that I’m giving myself every chance to get in each time I bat and then when I do get in I’m hungry to score runs and score big runs,” he said. “I try and keep it pretty simple. I really enjoyed my partnership with Usman [Khawaja] the other day, he’s batting brilliantly. He’s in complete control of his game so that made life a lot easier for me.”Life in this match was also made easier for Voges by the incorrect no-ball call from umpire Richard Illingworth that resulted in him being reprieved in the last over of the first day. On 7, Voges shouldered arms to a ball from Doug Bracewell and looked back to see his off stump knocked back, but when he realised that Illingworth had called no-ball he refocused for the next day.”I turned around, it was a bad leave, saw the stumps, went to walk off and then saw the arm out. A little bit of luck,” Voges said. “I approached the [next] day that I was going to go pretty hard, you don’t get second chances too often so I’m gonna try and take the game on a little bit here.”As it turned out, New Zealand bowled really well and I couldn’t do it. I had to bide my time and think I only scored 30 and had to be a little bit more patient. Once I did the hard yards it did become a little bit easier but the plan to go out and take the game on didn’t quite eventuate.”It took Voges 130 deliveries to register his half-century and 203 balls to bring up his hundred, as he ground down the New Zealand bowlers and attacked them when the chance arose. Voges said the ability to assess how bowlers were trying to dismiss him had come with age, and he conceded he would probably not have been capable of such an innings earlier in his career.”No doubt it comes with time,” Voges said. “It comes with a lot of hard work as well. And understanding your game. It comes with confidence as well, being able to trust your ability, trust your defence and then being able to attack when the opportunity presents.”Voges’ 239 and the 140 from Khawaja set up an enormous lead for Australia after they had dismissed New Zealand for 183 in the first innings, and by stumps on day three Australia’s control of the match had only strengthened. New Zealand were four down in their second innings and were still 201 runs from making Australia bat again.There was a concern for the Australians, though, with fast bowler Peter Siddle not bowling after tea and spending most of the final session off the field dealing with a back problem. Siddle also struggled with back spasms during the day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide in November, and was hampered by an ankle injury during the Boxing Day Test against West Indies.”It’s a bit of a back spasm and they’re never nice,” Voges said. “We’ve got some good medicos who will look after him tonight and we’re hopeful he’ll be out there tomorrow. He’s got very good skills with the reverse-swinging ball so hopefully we’ll see him out there tomorrow.”

Alex Loudon bowls during his only appearance in England colours © Getty Images

Warwickshire allrounder Alex Loudon has decided to retire from county cricket to concentrate on a business career.”I have been very fortunate to have had the chance to play cricket for Warwickshire over the last three years,” he said. “Whilst I had been offered a contract for next season, I have decided that the time is now right for me to begin a new career in business. I would like to thank all the people at the club and the supporters, for the three very enjoyable years I have spent with the Bears . I will continue to closely support the club and wish the boys every success for the next season and beyond.”Loudon, 27, who played one ODI for England last summer, was offered a new contract from Warwickshire but asked for time to consider his future. He returned from a holiday in Ireland and confirmed his decision with Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s new director of cricket.Two years ago Loudon – who also represented Kent – was picked for England’s tour of Pakistan, where he was hailed as England’s elusive “mystery spinner” after bowling Marcus Trescothick with a in the nets at Rawalpindi, but did not get a game. He subsequently did duty with England A in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In 2006 he struggled for form, and while he showed slight improvement last season he was not anywhere near back to his best.”Alex is a talented player but has always balanced his life as a professional cricketer with a good mix of outside interests,” said Giles. “We have to respect his decision to turn his efforts to another field. Alex knows he will always be welcome back at Edgbaston and I wish him all the best for a successful future outside the game.”

Sourav Ganguly facing passport troubles ahead of the African safari © Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly’s departure for South Africa has been delayed owing to passport hassles and he would now join the Indian team a day late. Ganguly’s passport could not reach Delhi in time for completing visa formalities.Ganguly, who was recalled to the Indian Test team after a ten-month lay-off, would now leave for Johannesburg early on Tuesday. He was originally scheduled to leave for South Africa in the wee hours of December 4.”He will now leave for South Africa at 2 am on Tuesday,” Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo. “Ganguly’s visa formalities could not be completed as due to the bandh in Bengal last Friday his passport reached Delhi on Friday evening.”With Saturday and Sunday being holidays, the earliest Ganguly’s visa can be processed is tomorrow. “He will be in Johannesburg on Tuesday [December 5] morning, in time for the four-day warm-up game.”

A fine 60 on Test debut helped Brad Hodge earn a place in the one-day squad © Getty Images

Brad Hodge has been included in Australia’s 13-man squad for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand next month. Michael Lewis, the Victoria fast bowler, is the other new face in the squad while Brad Hogg, the left-arm chinaman bowler, will make his return after recovering from a knee injury and Glenn McGrath will be rested.Hodge made his Test debut in the second match against West Indies at Hobart and replaced Damien Martyn, who was recovering from a broken finger. Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, praised Hodge for his consistency and was confident that he would “do the job in the one-day side”.Injuries to several players – Shane Watson, James Hopes and Martyn – caused a number of changes to the side that played in the Super Series against the World XI. Cameron White, the allrounder, and Stuart Clark, the fast bowler, retained their positions. Lewis, a national contract holder, was rewarded for some consistent performances in the first-class arena.”Michael has also been a very solid performer for Victoria for a very long time,” Hohns said. “We have every confidence and faith that he will do a good job for us in the series and he thoroughly deserves his opportunity.”McGrath will remain in Australia during the Chappell-Hadlee series with the selectors keen to manage his workload ahead of the South Africa Tests. The first one-day match is at Auckland on December 3 with games also in Wellington and Christchurch.Australian squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Michael Lewis, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White.

Scorecard

Nathan Astle starred with the ball and helped Northern Districts triumph in a thriller at Timaru© Getty Images

Graeme Aldridge’s stunning spell caused Canterbury to crumble under pressure as Northern Districts wrapped up a thrilling six-run victory at Aorangi Oval in Timaru. Canterbury were cruising along at 86 without loss, chasing 149, but Nathan Astle’s dismissal for 45 triggered off an amazing collapse. Aldridge, the fifth ND bowler to be used, snapped up Astle, Michael Papps, Peter Fulton, Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns for a career-best haul of 5 for 34 and Canterbury never recovered from the blow. Even though Stephen Cunis and Brendon McCullum made a brave attempt at clinching it at the death, helped by two dropped catches, ND had done enough to scrape home.It took a piece of individual brilliance from Scott Styris to seal the win. Fielding in the slips, he picked up a ball dropped by Peter McGlashan, the wicketkeeper, and noted that Chris Martin had been tempted to run on the error. Styris picked up the ball and threw a direct hit into the stumps at the bowler’s end as Martin attempted to regain his ground. He couldn’t, and ND had celebrated their dramatic win.Earlier in the day ND struggled with the bat after electing to bat, a reasonable decision given the match was being played on the same pitch for Saturday’s game against Wellington. ND struggled to get any impetus and only Daniel Vettori, the captain, and Llorne Howell added 41 with Vettori smashing 28 off 26.Howell found himself having to play the anchor role while batting for 104 minutes to score 30. Hamish Marshall attempted to lift the rate but couldn’t get beyond 23 and the ND batsmen struggled against the medium pace of Nathan Astle. Astle, who reckoning that he would not bowl again in his career before rolling his arm over in the last match, took 4 for 19 off his 10 overs. His brother-in-law, and for the moment temporarily discarded international team-mate, Craig McMillan also had a good game with the ball and ended with 2 for 5.Apart from a late-order assault launched by Peter McGlashan who scored25, Northern Districts had to make do with what appeared to be adisappointing 148. Aldridge ensured that it was just enough.
Scorecard
Otago’s batsmen continued on their record-breaking form and posted 299 for 9 against Central Districts at Pukekura Park. Central Districts were never in the hunt, with the ever-escalating asking-rate, and ultimately fell short by 95 runs.Otago’s total surpassed the 295 they scored on New Year’s Day, but this was more of an allround display. Craig Cumming top-scored with 57 off 62 balls and enjoyed another good opening stand, of 61, with Chris Gaffaney. Once Gaffaney was out, Aaron Redmond continued the momentum with 23 off 30. The support keptcoming with Mohammad Wasim scored 23 and Gareth Hopkins 55 before Nathan McCullum finished the innings with a flourish – his 34 off 24 contained two sixes and three fours. The heavy artillery kept firing as Brad Scott went even better to score 29 off 16 with two sixes and two fours.CD’s bowlers took a pounding. Andrew Schwass went into the last overhaving three wickets at a reasonable return, but he ended with 3 for 66 at the end of the innings. The usually economical Michael Mason took 1 for 60 off 10.CD learnt at the break they had been docked an over due to their ownslow over-rate, and that made their task all the harder. With CraigSpearman dismissed when the total was 12, CD had lost a vital component in their armoury for a big chase. There was depth in the line-up, but the inability to up the ante saw the run-rate mount beyond their reach. Jamie How made 55 but CD could not find the impetus needed for the full scale assault.
Scorecard
Luke Woodcock and Mayu Pasupati added 37 vital runs towards the end of the game to help Wellington ease to a three-wicket win at Basin Reserve. Chasing 188 for victory, Wellington were in trouble at 116 for 6 after Tama Canning’s burst of 3 for 6. But Woodcock and Pasupati fashioned a suitable recovery, utilising the overs that were still in hand to carry Wellington home. Woodcock scored 41 and Pasupati, hitting out at the end, was 42 not out.Earlier, Auckland’s poor run of batting form continued. Matt Horne andRichard Jones, the openers, got away to a start with 23 each, but it took a 91-ball innings of 52 from Rob Nicol to hold things together. The number of allrounders in the middle order never really fired, especially against the offspin of Jayesh Patel, who conceded only 27 in his 10 overs. Though he didn’t take any wickets, he kept the batsmen on a leash while Pasupati marked his return to the side with a bag of 4 for 37, close to his career-best of4 for 33. James Franklin backed up with 3 for 35 as Auckland were all out for 183.

What should be done about Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari? Tendulkar applied for a duty exemption for it on the grounds that it was a gift to him for sporting feats accomplished while representing India, and that it would be unfair to penalise him for it. The objections are based on the argument that the laws that hold for other Indians should hold for him too – and that his considerable achievements don’t elevate him above the law.There is a precedent that Tendulkar could point to. In 1985, Ravi Shastri won the Champion-of-Champions award at the World Championship of Cricket held in Australia, and got an Audi for his efforts. Shastri was granted a customs duty exemption for that. On that occasion, though, the car was given by the tournament organisers for an award presented officially by them. It accompanied what was effectively the man-of-the-tournament award. Tendulkar’s Ferrari, on the other hand, was given to him by his sponsors, Fiat.Sceptics have argued that the gifting of the Ferrari could have been worked out between Tendulkar and Fiat at the time they were working out his endorsement contract – and that it thus represents a payment on which he is avoiding paying tax. Whether or not this is true is irrelevant. If the exemption given to Tendulkar stands, it will set a precedent for exempting other such gifts to celebrities. It will be impossible to determine which are genuine gifts and which are just a manner of routing payments without paying tax. This waiver of duty, unlike the one given to Shastri, is thus unjust and wrong.The thumb rule as regards such requests for waivers from sportsmen, thus, should be simple: if the item is won at a tournament for achievements on the field, exemption is justified; not so if it is a gift from a brand the person endorses. The next time Fiat wants to gift Tendulkar a Ferrari, it should bring it into India, pay the relevant import duty, and then gift it to him. And if it is then liable for gift tax, he must pay it. India is obsessed with celebrities – none more so than its politicians – but the law should be equal for all.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said Sunday he wasraring to compete in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.”I am in good physical condition right now but am workinghard to be in top shape by the time the World Cup comesaround.”Wasim felt that Pakistan had all the ingredients that make agood team except for fielding which he said neededimprovement. “All the players will have to concentrate onthis area if we have to win the World Cup.”He said that Pakistan would have an edge in the World Cupbecause they’ll be touring South Africa for a Test seriesahead of the tournament. “This will be a big advantage aswe’ll become quite familiar with the conditions in the leadup to the Cup.”Wasim backed coach Mudassar Nazar who has now been appointedtill the World Cup. “Mudassar is a good coach and he hasbeen able to forge unity in the team which is a good sign.”The all-rounder called upon the cricket-playing countriesnot to be afraid of touring Pakistan in the wake of the warin neighbouring Afghanistan. “There are no security problemshere and we have a good cricketing atmosphere. Besides thewar is being fought in another country.”He blamed the foreign media of not presenting the realpicture of the situation in Pakistan to the outside world.”There are just no problems in our country.”New Zealand had refused to tour Pakistan in September citingsecurity risks, a decision that led to the Pakistan CricketBoard suffering heavy financial losses. However the Pakistancricket chiefs heaved a sigh of relief last week after theWest Indies, following some initial hiccups, said “yes” to aTest series here early next year.

Man of the Match on Test debut against New Zealand, Man of the Match against India in his third Test, it seemed that anything was possible for James Pattinson back in 2011. He was 21 and it was reasonable to hope that by 24 or 25 he would be the leader of Australia’s Test attack. Instead, by then he was training greyhounds and embarking on a career as a builder. If nothing else, his time on the sidelines has given him perspective.There have been injuries to his feet, ribs and hamstrings, but the big problem has been his back. Stress fractures arrived during the 2013 Ashes and flared again in 2014, and he has played only 13 of a possible 48 Tests since his debut. Now, Pattinson has a chance to add to that tally for the first time in 20 months, and he views things differently after his time away from the game.”I’m probably not taking it as seriously as I did when I was younger,” Pattinson said last week in Adelaide after rejoining the Test squad. “It was sort of everything to me, cricket. But now, having been away from the game, I’ve got a few things outside cricket that I enjoy as well. So I’m really relaxed with my cricket now.”There’s a lot of hobbies, I’ve just started a Diploma in Building and Construction so that’s something that I’m really keen on. I’ve got a passion for the greyhounds because my brother [Darren] is a greyhound trainer so there’s been a lot of early mornings walking greyhounds around while I was in a back brace.”Pattinson did not play against New Zealand in the day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, but he appears a certain starter for the first Test against West Indies in Hobart starting next Thursday. His opportunity has come at the expense of Mitchell Starc, who suffered a foot injury that has effectively ended his involvement in international cricket for the summer.Pattinson and Starc made their Test debuts together at the Gabba four years ago, only a fortnight after Pat Cummins also won his baggy green in South Africa. Like Pattinson, Cummins was Man of the Match on debut, while Starc already loomed as a left-arm successor to Mitchell Johnson. The prospect of that trio forming Australia’s future Test attack seemed exciting, and inevitable.Four years on and countless injuries later, Starc has played 25 Tests, Pattinson 13 and Cummins is yet to add to his single appearance. They have only once played together for Australia – in the third ODI against England in September. Less than three months on, Pattinson is the only one of the three who is fit, and he will likely work alongside Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle in Hobart.”There’s always opportunities with fast bowlers,” Pattinson said on Friday. “Everyone gets injured at some stage during their career. You’ve just got to be ready to take those opportunities. Our bowling cartel is pretty close, we’re always looking out for each other. It’s really exciting to see Josh do quite well in the last Test and Pete to get his 200 wickets. It’s pretty exciting to hopefully be joining them.”Pattinson, now 25, has tweaked his action to help his back, but he is still confident he can reach similar speeds to when he emerged as an international cricketer. So far this summer Pattinson has 10 Sheffield Shield wickets at 22.80, and Australia will likely look to him as a strike bowler, with Siddle proving in Adelaide he remains a highly effective stock bowler.Siddle’s efforts were especially impressive given the personal loss he suffered during the match – his grandmother died before the third day’s play. There were also times during the Test when Siddle seemed to be struggling with a sore back, but he was out in the middle to hit the winning runs on the third evening.”Sidds is a really strong character,” Pattinson said. “There was a lot of support behind him. It was fantastic for him to be out there and hitting the winning runs for Australia, I think that helped him a lot. You could probably see the relief on his face when he did hit those winning runs. He’s a strong character and I’m sure he’ll be up and about for Hobart.”He’s been a great help for me throughout my career, and not just at the start of my career. Over the last two years when I’ve been injured he’s been a really good sounding board for me and been great.”There is one thing about Siddle, though, that Pattinson hopes will change upon his inclusion in the Test team. Last time they played together in a Test, Siddle batted ahead of Pattinson.”I bat ahead of Victoria so I’m hoping I can get ahead of him for Australia. We’ll probably have a few debates about it, especially after he got the winning runs in Adelaide,” Pattinson said, before adding with a smile: “But I think I should be above him.”

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We’re in the early stages of pre-season and the football news is starting to heat up!

Jose Mourinho, the manager who once called himself “The Special One”, made his return to Chelsea official on Monday in front of a large audience at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho managed The Blues from 2004-2007 but unexpectedly left after what he referred to as “mutual consent” between him and Chairman Roman Abramovich.

Mourinho expressed his deepest gratitude for the club giving him a second chance. “I am where I want to be,” Mourinho stated. “I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

In other Premier League news, a potential swap for Liverpool star Luis Suarez continues to be a hot topic for debate. Several reports have linked Suarez to European Champions Bayern Munich. The champs are hoping to force manager Brendan Rodgers’ hand in a swap for Arjen Robben.

Incoming Manchester United boss David Moyes has made transferring Leighton Baines one of his main priorities, with Patrice Evra strongly linked for a move to big-spending Monaco. The Red Devils may also try and take advantage of Cristiano Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction with Real Madrid and bid for him.

21-year-old Brazilian star Neymar also made his move to FC Barcelona complete as over 50,000 supporters greeted him. The contract is said to be five-years in length and is worth 57 million euros. Football icon Pele expressed his excitement at two of the best South American strikers teaming up together with Neymar joining Lionel Messi. Pele claims that Neymar has the potential to be even better than Messi.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Finally the famous Maracana stadium in Brazil has had goal-line technology installed for this summer’s Fifa Confederations Cup. This is the first time this technology will be used at an international tournament. The Premier League will be the first domestic league to use this technology next season.