Nikola Jokic wasn’t supposed to be here

Aaron Ramsey says the riches of the Saudi Pro League could not compete with his “priceless” return to Cardiff. The Wales captain had the opportunity this summer to become the first British player to join Saudi Arabia’s lucrative league, ahead of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson moving there last month. But Ramsey put family first and returned to hometown club Cardiff, where he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in April 2007 to break John Toshack’s record as the Bluebirds’ youngest-ever player. “There was an offer and there’s plenty of benefits to that offer over there,” said former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Ramsey, speaking about the Saudi Pro League interest for the first time. “But for me, it wasn’t the right time or the right thing to do for me, my career and for my family. “It can be very appealing and probably depends on a lot of things, on what you’ve done financially, if you’re secure or not and things like that. “For another individual, it might be life changing, but for me, being around my family and things like that is priceless. So you couldn’t put a figure on that. It's a hot topic at the moment. Obviously, there are financial rewards for going there - probably very rewarding - and a lot of players can't see past that sort of thing Aaron Ramsey on the Saudi Pro League Saudi Arabia has emerged as a powerful influence in world football that has seen a huge influx of talent to the Saudi Pro League. It is estimated that Saudi Arabia’s football-related spending has exceeded £3.5billion in the past two years with a host of players following Cristiano Ronaldo to the Middle East kingdom. Ramsey told Sky Sports: “It’s a hot topic at the moment. Obviously, there are financial rewards for going there – probably very rewarding – and a lot of players can’t see past that sort of thing. “I think obviously it depends on the individual situation. I think I’ve been very fortunate in my career that I’ve done OK so far. “So there’s plenty of factors that go into people’s decisions, but I’ve made mine based on my situation.” Ramsey makes his third Cardiff debut – he had a short loan spell there in 2011 after suffering serious injury at Arsenal – at Leeds on Sunday with excitement swirling around the Bluebirds. Despite being under an EFL transfer embargo that has prevented them from paying fees for players, new boss Erol Bulut has strengthened a squad that flirted with relegation from the Sky Bet Championship last season. Bulut has signed six players in total with former Reading striker Yakou Meite and West Brom loanee Karlan Grant among the arrivals. “I like the way the manager has come in and put down his own stamp so far,” said Ramsey. “He’s very positive and so is the style of football that he wants to try and play. “He’s managed Fenerbahce – one of the top teams in Turkey – and is used to the expectations and pressures at the highest level to be able to perform and to win games. “The club had some great years at the highest level and that is something we want to try and bring back here. “So hopefully not too long in the future, we can see Cardiff back in the Premier League.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Katie Zelem admits World Cup debut was ‘tough moment’ after Keira Walsh injury Arsenal will need ‘unheard of’ points tally to win title – Mikel Arteta Pep Guardiola expects Arsenal summer signings to take them to the next level

No. 1 Georgia intercepted three passes and walk-on Mekhi Mews sparked the offense with a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown, leading the Bulldogs to a 45-3 victory over Ball State

MLB Rumors: San Francisco Giants pursuing Justin Verlander trade?According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, San Francisco has been in touch with the struggling New York Mets to see if Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star, could be available in a trade.https://twitter....

Sunderland is within reach of a return to the Premier League after a chaotic and often farcical six years during which the club has been the subject of a Netflix documentary

South Africa's two-time Rugby World Cup winner Francois Steyn said on Wednesday he was lucky to have such a long...

Ange Postecoglou has played down the significance of Tottenham potentially moving five points clear at the Premier League summit with victory at Crystal Palace on Friday. Spurs returned to top spot on Monday with a 2-0 win at home to Fulham and play before Arsenal and Manchester City this weekend. Postecoglou insisted his primary focus is on improving the team after he was critical of their second-half display against Fulham. “It doesn’t really add any significance because whatever happens Friday night there’s still a full round of Premier League fixtures to be played and nothing of any real significance comes of that,” he said. “We’re in a good space at the moment but again we’ve still got plenty of work to do to make sure what we do now is sustainable. That’s the main thing. “It’s not about making a short-term impact, it’s about building something which hopefully brings sustained opportunities of success for the club. “There is a really good reason no manager will talk about winning a title in October or November because we know there’s a long way to go.” Tottenham’s ascent to first position has seen them score 20 goals in nine matches, but Postecoglou feels attack is the area where they can improve the most. He added: “We still have to grow in every area. There are areas where we are already very good, particularly around the defensive side of the game. I think we’ve been excellent there – really consistent. “I still think our main growth will come in the attacking side of the game. I still think particularly in the front third, a lot of our movements are still not natural and fluent like we want them to be, which isn’t surprising. “But what is getting us the goals is that we have great quality up there, which is contributing to that. I still think the biggest growth for us will be in our attacking side of the game.” Spurs will have to assess Destiny Udogie for the Selhurst Park clash after the left-back was withdrawn in the 56th minute of Monday’s win with muscle tightness. Pape Sarr (illness) and Ben Davies (knock) are fit and Yves Bissouma is also available after he served a one-match ban for his recent red card at Luton, but Postecoglou was coy over his team after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg impressed against Fulham. “It’s no different to any other week. They’re not really dilemmas, just choices that people in my position have to make and I’ve always made those decisions pretty simply and cleanly about what I think we need,” the Australian coach explained. “Tomorrow night we’ll start with a certain group of players and finish with another and it’s about trying to get the job done. When that games done, we’ll look to the next one. “It’s good to have Biss available, he’s been a big part of what we’re doing. The team did well the other night so that should make us stronger.” Postecoglou also heaped praise on opposite number Roy Hodgson ahead of their second meeting. The Spurs boss faced Hodgson back in 2016 when they were in charge of Australia and England respectively in a friendly at the Stadium of Light. Asked if he still expects to manage at 76, Postecoglou replied: “Who knows. That’s not the plan. Seventy-six? Somewhere on a Greek island, lying back watching football from around the world, maybe doing some punditry and becoming an expert overnight. That’s the plan but you never know in life, mate. “I coached against Roy up in Sunderland so I have had the pleasure of coaching him at international level. “He is an outstanding manager, he’s an absolute gentleman and whenever I have come across him people always talk about the kind of person he is and I love his career, for someone like me with a different journey I have so much admiration for the career he has had.” Read More Maro Itoje praises ‘courageous’ Tom Curry for reporting Mbongeni Mbonambi Shambolic England slip to eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka Celtic will only get better at game management – Matt O’Riley Sandro Tonali’s reported ban brings calls for ’empathy and support’ from charity It doesn’t add up – North Wales Crusaders chief on IMG’s new grading system England ‘at end of cycle’ in ODIs – Michael Atherton

Chelsea and other European clubs will no longer be able to spread a transfer fee across more than five years of a player’s initial contract after UEFA closed a loophole in its regulations. The Blues have signed a number of players on lengthy deals over the last two transfer windows, including handing eight-and-a-half-year contracts to Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk in January. The transfer fees are then spread evenly over the course of that contract, meaning the longer it is, the smaller the annual payments recorded on the club’s accounts. For instance, a £100million fee would be amortised at £20million a year with a five-year contract, but at only £12.5m a year if a deal was eight years. There is still nothing in the rules – which come into force from July 1 – preventing a club from spreading the cost by extending a contract, but for amortisation purposes that extension itself could not be for more than five years either. Clubs can still sign players to longer contracts if their national associations allow it, but the cost of the transfer fee must be amortised over the first five years unless the contract is extended. UEFA said the new regulations would not apply to deals already done, but would “ensure equal treatment of all clubs and improve financial sustainability”. European football’s governing body has also moved to prevent clubs colluding to inflate the value of players for accounting purposes. This follows the capital gains scandal involving clubs in Italy, which led to the entire Juventus board resigning in November last year. Clubs must assess whether a transaction counts as a straight swap, in which case it must be accounted for in line with international standards. International Accounting Standard (IAS) 38 states that if it is not possible to calculate the fair value of a player, profit on a sale cannot be recognised. UEFA confirmed Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium would host the 2025 Women’s Champions League final, and announced plans for a minimum standards framework for women’s national teams to ensure equality of player welfare standards and travel and training conditions. UEFA said the detail would be announced in due course. The 2024 and 2025 Europa Conference League finals are set to be staged in Athens and Wroclaw in Poland respectively. The Athens venue is a new arena, so will be assessed during AEK Athens’ European competition matches and Greece’s Euro qualifiers before being confirmed officially in December. Europe’s third-tier men’s club competition will be rebranded as the UEFA Conference League from 2024-25, dropping the word ‘Europa’ from its title following research among fans and commercial partners to further distinguish it from the Europa League. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jonny Bairstow steals the show at Lord’s – Wednesday’s sporting social Everton to consult with fans about potential midseason stadium switch in 2024-25 Josh Tongue enjoys taste of Ashes but Australia in control at Lord’s

Jordan Henderson is set to face a decision over whether to stay at Liverpool amid interest from Saudi Arabia and the possibility of a lucrative transfer. Liverpool are yet to receive an offer for their captain but Henderson has emerged as a target for Al Ettifaq and their new manager Steven Gerrard. The side is reportedly offering the Liverpool captain £700,000 a week, or around £36 million a year – quadruple his current Premier League wage. Henderson, 33, has two years left on his contract at Anfield but could face a battle for his place after Jurgen Klopp spent £95m revamping his midfield with the signings of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Now Liverpool’s Champions League-winning skipper must determine whether to extend his 12-year stay at Anfield or join a host of players, including his former teammate Roberto Firmino, in signing up to go to Saudi Arabia. Euro 2024 is likely to be a factor in his thinking. Henderson forced his way back into England’s starting 11 during last winter’s World Cup and remains keen to play for his country. Klopp may be reluctant to lose the former Sunderland player, who made 43 appearances last season, after three other midfielders – vice-captain James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – left at the end of the season. The 2020 Footballer of the Year succeeded Gerrard as Liverpool captain in 2015 and led them to their first English league title in three decades five years later. Read More The reason why Liverpool’s worst season under Jurgen Klopp can be a one-off Liverpool thought they’d bought the future – but two wrong moves left them counting the cost Why England will head into 2024 with their sense of optimism restored

Predictions for the first matchday of the 2023/24 Champions League group stage.

Christian Pulisic officially headed to AC Milan

Chile’s debut at the Rugby World Cup has gone better than anyone expected even though it lost to Japan 42-12 in Toulouse