If Real Madrid’s official website is to be believed, then Gareth Bale is on his way to the Bernabeu, and he’ll be squad number 11. The official Real Madrid online store was listing Gareth Bale shirts as being on sale. (The Mirror) Would you rather play in a vast, empty stadium in Tbilisi, or a jammed-packed Bernabeu in Madrid? Do want to play in the Champions League or Europa League? Wednesday nights on ITV1 or Thursday nights on ITV4? No brainers, right? So picture Gareth Bale in London on Thursday night, watching his Tottenham team-mates on TV playing in the first leg of their Europa League play-off against Dinamo Tbilisi. (Daily Mail) Arsène Wenger is poised to bring back the former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini as a free agent and the player could come into contention for the Premier League fixture at Fulham on Saturday. (The Guardian) The former Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has been appointed by the Football Association as Stuart Pearce’s successor as England Under-21s manager. (The Independent) Until now, Steven Smith has been a poster boy for the new generation of Australian cricketer: overpaid and underachieving; multitalented, without ever being quite sure which of those talents should be the making of him. At 4.15pm yesterday, he answered that question emphatically, becoming the youngest Australian to make a hundred in an Ashes Test since Ricky Ponting at Headingley 16 years ago. (The Times) Draw rules out repeat of Murray-Djokovic final. Andy Murray will begin his US Open defence against Michael Llodra. (The Telegraph)