Best Of Bets

Author: Dominic Booth

  • Kane, Phillips, Pickford poised to join English summer transfer trend

    Kane, Phillips, Pickford poised to join English summer transfer trend

     

    It’s the first year since the Covid-19 pandemic that England have not been involved in a major tournament.

    With rather straightforward Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Malta and North Macedonia out of the way, the transfer market is now taking over.

    And Three Lions members are front and centre, coming with it a special premium.

    Yet, it is no surprise to Gareth Southgate’s up-and-coming squad personnel on the move this summer, such is the demand for top homegrown players in the Premier League.

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    Chelsea ins and outs

    Of moved mooted and completed so far, Mason Mount looks on his way to Manchester United in a deal that could be worth £60million with add-ons.

    New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, has decided to take his squad in a new direction, with Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz also sold to ‘Big Six’ rivals.

    However, it is a high-risk policy.

    Less of an issue sees West Ham set to cash in more than £100million for skipper Declan Rice.

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    Given the inevitability of the UEFA Conference League winning captain’s exit this summer, the Hammers have nevertheless, done well to get such a fee from Arsenal.

    Manchester City, meanwhile, after snaring Kovacic, deemed a bidding war wasn’t worth their while, despite losing Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona.

     

    Best deals

    Tottenham Hotspur’s £40million deal for James Maddison, in context, looks good value.

    The playmaker, relegated with Leicester City, notched 10 goals and nine assists in the league last season alone.

    At 26, on the cusp of his peak years and with England caps starting to flow, Maddison should be a smart acquisition for Ange Postecoglou.

    What the Australian steward will have to contend with however, is the issue of a certain Harry Kane.

    Following Bayern Munich testing the waters at £60milion, Daniel Levy was always set to baulk at such a relatively paltry sum – despite his dwindling contract length.

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    Whether Kane joins the glut of English stars on the move this summer though, remains an unknown – certainly, Manchester United appear to have pulled away in their pursuit of the soon-to-be 30-year-old.

    Elsewhere, market value once more appears to sit with non-English talent.

    Aston Villa, a mere 12 months on from breaking their Club transfer record for Diego Carlos, appear to be ‘winning’ the summer window so far.

    Pursuing the free transfer of Youri Tielemans, Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres now is poised for a reunion with Unai Emery.

    A future stalwart for the Spanish National side, £35million could become a snip for a genuine star defender.

     

    Next transfer odds

    So who will be next on the move this summer?

    Will Kane follow Mount, Maddison and Rice in sealing a career-defining transfer?

    More likely, Kalvin Phillips may make the move to West Ham as Rice’s replacement.

    The City midfielder is 7/2 to swap City for the London Stadium.

    As the exodus from the King Power looks set to continue meanwhile, Harvey Barnes is 10/11 with some bookmakers to join West Ham too.

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    Conor Gallagher is 7/4 to link up with Brighton and become the next player out of Stamford Bridge this summer.

    Callum Hudson-Odoi is also likely to be part of further Chelsea exits, 7/2 to seal a switch to Nottingham Forest or 3/2 to join any Saudi Pro League club.

    Finally, could Jordan Pickford decide the time is right to leave Everton?

    Some bookmakers have him at 7/4 to become a Manchester United player.

  • Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic breezes opener, Murray tops Brits in action

    Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic breezes opener, Murray tops Brits in action

     

    Rain, British hopefuls and a victory for Novak Djokovic.

    Day 1 of Wimbledon 2023 had all the ingredients you would usually expect.

    The only odd feeling was Sue Barker being away from her BBC podium…

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    Djokovic’s dry run

    Scenes on Centre Court at the All England Club were a tad surreal.

    As Novak Djokovic began his tournament against challenger Pedro Cachin, there was a full 80-minute delay on opening day.

    Despite the roof being closed, towels and even leaf blowers – you read that right – were used to get players back on court.

    When play got underway, Djokovic looked in relaxed mood, eventually sailing through 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-4) over the Argentinian underdog.

    “Every time I come out I normally have racquets, not towels – it was fun to do something different,” Djokovic said.

    “It was definitely frustrating for all the crowd waiting for us to come out on court. We both wanted to play but the conditions were not great and still slippery.

    “Once the roof was open it was a different story and after five or 10 minutes we were able to play.”

    Next up for the seven-time Wimbledon champion is Australia’s 70th-ranked Jordan Thompson.

     

    Ups and downs for Brits

    As a strong entourage of Brits began their campaign, there was huge disappointment – and a fair amount of frustration – for Harriet Dart.

    After two third round appearances in the past two years, she was knocked out on Court 12 to France’s Diane Parry.

    Throwing her racquet down in anger in losing 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-4, another Brit, Katie Swan was also eliminated 7-5 6-2 to Swiss 14th seed Belinda Bencic.

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    There were victories, however, for Liam Broady – who advanced with a 6-3 6-1 7-5 victory over French 74th-ranked player Constant Lestienne – as well as an emotional Jodie Burrage.

    The 24-year-old could barely fight back the tears after reaching the Wimbledon second round for the first time in her career, beating Caty McNally 6-1 6-4.

    Elsewhere, Dan Evans faces an uphill task, trailing France’s Quentin Halys 6-2, 6-3 from overnight when bad light stopped play.

    The home fans will hope for better fortunes for the Brits on day two.

    Speaking of which…

     

    Murray likes his odds

    Andy Murray gets his Wimbledon campaign up and running on Tuesday against fellow Briton, wildcard Ryan Peniston.

    And Murray, the two-time champion on these courts fancies his chances of going deep into the tournament.

    “I believe I’m one of the best grass-court players in the world, and I’m physically feeling really good,” said Murray.

    “I prepared well, so there’s no reason why I can’t have a good tournament?”

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    Murray has two grass court titles to his name this term at Surbiton and Nottingham.

    Coming into Wimbledon, despite his 36-years-of-age and weaker post-hip surgery, it will be fascinating to see how he fares.

    1/10 to progress past Peniston, Murray is 33/1 with many bookmakers to go all the way.

     

    Our betting tip of the day: Dominic Thiem to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (4/1)

  • Wimbledon 2023: Murray, Alcaraz hold chances to upset odds

    Wimbledon 2023: Murray, Alcaraz hold chances to upset odds

     

    It felt like a redundant question even after Andy Murray had won recent back-to-back grass court titles at Surbiton and Nottingham.

    Yet, after his early exit from Queen’s Club – his usual Wimbledon prep tournament – the naysayers were out in force again.

    However, could the Scot go deep into the latter stages of this year’s Wimbledon?

     

    Murray the outsider

    On paper, Murray going deep into the tournament at SW19 feels very unlikely.

    Even if the bookmakers place the 2013 and 2016 champion somewhere close to the top 10 in the Wimbledon betting, some have him at 20/1 to lift the trophy; most around the 33/1 to 40/1 range.

    Yet, despite losing at Queen’s in the First round 6-3 6-1 to eventual finalist Alex de Minaur – a defeat which has most likely cost Murray his Wimbledon seeding – there are some things in the Briton’s favour.

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    Defeat to the Australian was damaging to the Brit’s confidence, but was by no means terminal for his hopes going forward.

    “I don’t want to overanalyse,” said Murray after defeat.

    Rightly so.

    Keen to concentrate on the two titles he’s just won, which have propelled his world ranking to No.38 – the highest it has been since surgery on his hip in 2019 – Murray is on a high.

     

    Chances on the wane

    However, winning second-tier tournaments at Surbiton and Nottingham are one thing; attempting to do so against a higher calibre of opponent, Murray was again found wanting.

    Indeed, that remains a common theme; the valiant Scot manfully battling in the Slams without any great success.

    “It’s obviously not the same level of opponents, but I won Nottingham last week without dropping a set. I only lost one set in Surbiton,” he added after the de Minaur match.

    ”I was holding serve very comfortably, moving well, hitting the ball good. There are a lot of positive signs there.”

    It feels somewhat closer to do-or-die for Murray this year at SW19.

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    A decade on from finally adding another British name to Fred Perry’s on the famous trophy after nearly 80 years of hurt, if 2023 was an ultimatum, Murray would be the footnote.

    Punters can, of course, expect the relentless Novak Djokovic to dominate once more.

    With many bookies having the Serb shorter than odds-on to clinch a record-equaling eighth title at the All England Club, his opposition would be right to feel a little sheepish.

    If Murray does not challenge, it could though, be a new Iberian threat to take the mantle.

     

    The Wimbledon pretender

    From a Wimbledon betting point of view, the main man stopping Djokovic from matching Roger Federer’s number of titles is the young upstart, Carlos Alcaraz.

    The Spaniard, at 20, has limited experience on grass and was beaten in the French Open semi-finals by Djokovic only last month.

    However, on his debut visit to south-west London last term, the Murcia native showed glimpses on a largely alien surface.

    Denied only by Jannik Sinner of a place in the second week, Alcaraz, after his Queens’ victory last weekend has moved up in the world.

    Then, there is the not insignificant statistic of last year becoming the youngest US Open men’s winner since Pete Sampras in 1990.

    Alcaraz is second favourite at 7/2 with BetUK, and it’s likely to be a straight shootout between the young pretender and veteran in Djokovic.

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    As if to fan the fires or rivalry, Alcaraz has already caused a stir with comments he made (or didn’t make) about Djokovic when talking about grass court greats of the past and present.

    “On grass, you have to move well,” he said. “I like to watch videos of Federer, of Murray, who move best on grass.”

    Despite being misquoted as having criticised Djokovic in the same interview, the needle is nevertheless there for the media to hype.

    Either way, it’s clear that Alcaraz, rather than Murray, is the main hope for those wanting to see Djokovic dethroned.

    Wimbledon 2023 might just see the first new name on the trophy since Murray’s 2013 triumph.

     

    Selected Wimbledon men’s outright odds:

    Novak Djokovic – 8/11

    Carlos Alcaraz – 5/1

    Daniil Medvedev – 10/1

    Jannik Sinner – 14/1

    Nick Kyrgios – 22/1

    Andy Murray – 33/1

  • European summer exodus as Saudi Pro League weighs in

    European summer exodus as Saudi Pro League weighs in

     

    If the football world has learned anything in the past few months, it’s that the Saudi Pro League is serious. Very serious.

    In a year that has proven neither Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi have lost their allure, both continue to blaze a trail.

    Despite both being well into their senior years, after holding an almost exclusive 15-year monopoly over the Ballon d’Or, the duo now tread differing paths.

    In the case of Messi, having finally got his hands on a World Cup winners medal, the Argentine is now set to form a new era at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

    Ronaldo meanwhile, wends a more unfamiliar journey after his move to the Saudi Pro League last January.

    It is that move however, that has now set the wheels in motion in laying a new landscape in football.

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    The Saudi path

    As Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland perched at the very summit of the world game, Ronaldo’s transfer to Al Nassr at the end of 2022 was derided by many.

    Viewed by critics as the former Manchester United striker’s admission of his own decline, the move was nothing more than a pre-retirement switch motivated by money.

    Cynics however, did not factor in that the Portuguese could be a trailblazer.

    As Ronaldo said himself of the move last winter:

     

    ”In my opinion if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top five league in the world.”

     

    Messi may have opted against a switch himself, but reports this week in the New York Times reveal an agreed contract worth around £20million over three years to be a commercial pitchman for The Kingdom.

    Not bad money for a few social media posts, the odd advertisement and a positive word here or there.

     

    Lure of riches

    The fact the powers-that-be in Saudi Arabia are willing to part with such sums simply for Messi’s commercial pull speaks volumes about their ambitions.

    But not Messi exclusively.

    Throw in the signings of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante for Al Ittihad and likely a gamut of other top stars from Europe’s top clubs, and you have the makings of a movement.

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    Not content with their purchase of Newcastle United, interest in Formula 1 or the creation of LIV Golf, Saudi investment in elite sport shows no signs of slowing.

    But it is those transfers to the Saudi Pro League that are dominating the newspaper columns around Europe this summer.

    Ronaldo’s move alone has prompted a massive hike in broadcasting revenue and social media interest for Al Nassr.

    Now many of their rivals want a piece of the action.

     

    Who next?

    In the past week alone, Ruben Neves, Son Heung-Min, Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly, Bernardo Silva and Matt Doherty were all linked with Saudi clubs.

    All players ready to swap one of Europe’s top five leagues for Middle Eastern riches.

    Allegations of sports washing are unlikely to go away with every big-money transfer that goes through, while some will point to the example of the Chinese Super League in the previous decade as a flash-in-the-pan.

    Whatever opinion might be, the Saudi League is serious in its goal.

    A league spoiled with wealth will always appeal and elite-level footballers could now form a steady queue to join.

    Bernardo could be next.

     

    Bernardo Silva next club odds

    • Any Saudi Club – 8/11
    • PSG – 5/2
    • Barcelona – 16/1