All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur have commenced their fifth new managerial era since 2019 with the appointment of Thomas Frank, and he could be about to wave goodbye to one player already.

Tottenham now in talks to sign "extraordinary" teen star likened to Messi

Spurs are keen on a bargain deal.

BySean Markus Clifford Jun 17, 2025

On Sunday morning, Spurs confirmed that Mathys Tel wouldn’t be going anywhere, announcing a permanent deal for the Frenchman who joins them indefinitely for a reported fee of around £30 million.

Son Heung-min

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James Maddison

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Pedro Porro

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Dominic Solanke

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Dejan Kulusevski

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via WhoScored

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl stated in an interview with Abendzeitung München last week that talks were ongoing with Spurs over Tel’s future, and those negotiations reached a swift resolution over the weekend as Frank secures his first ever Tottenham signing.

While Tel is set to be a Spurs player for the foreseeable, the same cannot be said for star defender Cristian Romero, who’s a top target for Diego Simeone and Atlético Madrid this summer.

Romero has reportedly informed chairman Daniel Levy that he’d like to leave the club before September 1 (Marca), regardless of their place in the Champions League next season, and Son Heung-min could even draw the curtain on his 10-year-long stay in N17 amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

Alejo Veliz spotted at Rosario Central amid talks to leave Tottenham

According to Argentine news outlet Via Pais, young striker Alejo Veliz is yet another player who could soon leave Tottenham.

His former club, Rosario Central, recently had a loan bid rejected by the Lilywhites, but talks remain ongoing over his potential departure. Frank’s side are clear – they want to sell the 21-year-old permanently and won’t accept a temporary deal.

Interestingly, Veliz has been pictured at Rosario’s training ground in the last few days, with the club’s official account sharing images of the forward’s reunion on X.

His presence there is apparently due to an emotional connection with his former side, but it is surely no coincidence that Rosario are currently trying to negotiate Veliz’s return.

The towering forward, standing at 6 foot 2, caught Tottenham’s attention with his impressive performances in Argentina’s Primera Division. He then joined Spurs on a six-year contract in August 2023 for a fee believed to be around £13 million, but Veliz has found an opportunity to fully break into the first team.

A succession of loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol followed, but the Argentine managed just one La Liga goal over both spells combined.

The end appears to be nigh for Veliz and his time in north London, despite some bold predictions from Spanish football experts when Spurs first signed him.

“He has a certain something that means that occasionally he’ll try things, and you’re like ‘no’, I think he could be a 16 or 17-goal [striker] this season,” said Graham Hunter to Premier Sports TV.

“Which is a big ask, I know I might be wrong, but what I see in him are the special elements about judgement, about movement, about being able to hold players off.

“Raw, raw as a farm boy – partially because he is a country boy, but they have an exciting footballer.”

The transfer window might be closed again for a few days, but it feels like Arsenal are starting to fall behind their rivals.

For example, Manchester City have already secured the services of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Ait-Nouri and look set for more.

However, perhaps the most worrying development, at least in terms of the Gunners’ chances in the Premier League next season, has been Liverpool’s £116m capture of Florian Wirtz.

The German is about as perfect an example of a statement signing as you’ll ever see, but in some more positive news, reports have recently linked Arsenal to someone who could be their own version of the international superstar.

Arsenal transfer news

While Arsenal are yet to make any official signings this summer, they have been linked with a host of potentially game-changing stars, such as Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former has a release clause reportedly worth around £68m in Crystal Palace contract, and while that is a sizeable sum of money, it would be a price more than worth paying for a Premier League-proven attacker who scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 games this season.

Likewise, while Rodrygo could cost a whopping £84m this summer, his tally of 24 goal involvements this season and record of winning the biggest trophies in the game means he’d be a superb addition to the Gunners’ squad.

However, regarding the North Londoners’ answer to Wirtz, it looks like it will be Benjamin Sesko.

According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the RB Leipzig star.

In fact, the report goes a step further, revealing that the Gunners have now made a ‘breakthrough’ in negotiations and are expected to make an offer of €100m early next week, which comes out to around £85m.

It would represent an enormous vote of confidence in the young striker, but given his ability and potential, this is a transfer Arsenal should get done as soon as possible, as Sesko could be their own Wirtz.

Why Sesko would be Arsenal's Wirtz

Okay, so the first thing to say is that the two players are obviously not comparable in terms of position, as while Wirtz can play in a few other places, he is primarily an attacking midfielder, not a striker.

However, their positions have little to do with why Sesko could be Arsenal’s version of the German.

The first actual reason is that, like Liverpool’s new creator, the Slovenian international has the potential to be a truly game-changing addition to the Gunners.

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For example, even though he’s still just 22 years old, the former Salzburg gem was able to score 21 goals and provide six assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3258 minutes.

That means the Radeče-born “monster,” as dubbed by respected data analyst Ben Mattinson, averaged a goal involvement every 1.66 games, or every 120.66 minutes for a pretty poor Leipzig side.

So, just imagine what he could do under Arteta with Bukayo Saka to the right of him, hopefully, a new left-winger on the other side and a rejuvenated Martin Odegaard behind him.

Moreover, despite standing a mammoth 6 foot 5, the 41-capped behemoth is still incredibly rapid and capable of hitting speeds of 35.69 km/h and then, to top it off, you only need to watch his clips to see how technical he is with the ball at his feet.

Finally, aside from the ways in which Sesko could take Arteta’s side to the next level, he’d also be arriving for huge money and from the Bundesliga, just like Wirtz.

Ultimately, even though the money involved is more than most expected, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the Leipzig gem this summer.

He's just like Saka: £68m winger is Tognozzi's dream target for Arsenal

The exciting wonderkid would be a superb addition to the Arsenal squad.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 13, 2025

Worcestershire loanee Bashir equals most expensive over in English first-class cricket

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2024Worcestershire 147 for 7 (Libby 61*, J Taylor 2-11, Lawrence 2-27) trail Surrey 490 (Lawrence 175, Smith 86, Sibley 76, Taylor 3-99) by 343 runsShoaib Bashir equalled the most expensive over in the history of English first class cricket while on loan to Worcestershire for the Vitality County Championship encounter with Surrey at ‘Visit Worcestershire New Road.’The England spinner, on loan for a month to Worcestershire from Somerset, conceded 38 runs including five successive sixes to Dan Lawrence.It was a wake-up call for Bashir who in the winter picked up 17 wickets in three Tests in India.Lawrence cleared the boundary with the first five deliveries of the over between long off and wide long on.The next ball went for five wides and then Lawrence took a single off a no ball before last man Dan Worrall failed to score off the eighth delivery.It equalled the 38 struck by Freddie Flintoff off Alex Tudor for Lancashire against Surrey in a Championship match at Old Trafford in 1998.Lawrence went onto to make a career-best 175 before he was last out with the Surrey first-innings total on 490.Worcestershire then slumped to 147 for 7 with only Jake Libby, with a 145-ball half century, offering much resistance as Lawrence’s fine day continued with two wickets.Lawrence surpassed his 161 for Essex – against Surrey in 2015 at the Kia Oval – in only his second first class match.The only other time more runs have been conceded in an over was a Shell Trophy encounter in New Zealand in 1990 when Lee Germon and Roger Ford (Canterbury) took advantage of contrived bowling from Robert Vance (Wellington) and hit 77.Lawrence had a scare in the middle of his sixes blitz when the third was caught by Adam Hose at long on but the Worcestershire batter carried the ball over the boundary rope.Surrey advanced from their overnight 340 for 5 in sedate fashion during the morning session, adding 88 in 29 overs for the loss of three wickets before Lawrence cut loose on the resumption.Worcestershire were without the injured pace bowler, Adam Finch (leg) and Academy player Chris Ellison deputised in the field.Tom Taylor struck in the first over of the day after Surrey had resumed on 340 for 5.Jordan Clark added only a single before he played back and picked out Bashir at midwicket.Lawrence, who had resumed on 91, completed his century in regal style with a cover drive off Taylor for his 14th boundary.Sean Abbott showed plenty of aggression in the chase for a fourth batting point but he paid the price after giving Taylor the charge and was bowled.Gus Atkinson tried to work Bashir to leg and was bowled to give the spinner his second wicket.James Taylor was run out after playing Bashir to third and attempting a second run and Lawrence’s fine knock ended when he was caught at deep backward point off Allison, his 223-ball knock containing six sixes and 16 fours.When Worcestershire batted, Sean Abbott struck with his first delivery after replacing Worrall when Gareth Roderick was caught behind from a delivery which nipped away.Kashif Ali, back in the side after his break from the game, made 17 before being strangled down the leg side off Atkinson at 59 for 2.Rob Jones was undone by a delivery of extra bounce by James Taylor to give Ben Foakes his third catch.Foakes held onto another chance after Hose (10) aimed a drive at a widish delivery from Taylor.Ethan Brookes, in his first Championship appearance for five years, then fell to a sharp catch at first slip by Ollie Pope off Clark at 99 for 5.Matthew Waite played back to Lawrence and was bowled and Tom Taylor departed in similar fashion for a duck.

Already closing in on Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United are now reportedly very keen to sign an upgrade on Casemiro in the form of a £35m midfield star this summer.

Man Utd submit fresh Mbeumo bid

It hasn’t been the easiest deal to negotiate and the winger is yet to sign on the dotted line, but Manchester United’s latest bid to sign Mbeumo could yet prove to be successful at long last. The Red Devils have reportedly offered Brentford over £60m to sign their talented star who looks destined to become the second summer arrival at Old Trafford sooner rather than later.

Mbeumo’s arrival would take United’s spending to over £160m for the summer despite missing out on European football and often watching on as INEOS implemented several money-saving plans.

Success on the pitch has been given the priority no matter what, however, and the pressure will now be on Ruben Amorim to get the best out of his side next season.

What’s more, it seems unlikely at this stage that it will just be Cunha and Mbeumo who arrive. The likes of Emiliano Martinez have threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks as Aston Villa attempt to comply with PSR rules, as has Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.

Their own Osimhen: Man Utd start talks to sign one of Europe's "best STs"

Manchester United appear to be making strides in a deal to land a new striker for Ruben Amorim.

1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 25, 2025

Both arrivals would again offer Amorim much-needed upgrades on Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund, who has been linked with a move to Inter Milan in recent weeks.

Before Martinez and Ekitike enter Old Trafford, though, United may turn their focus towards a talented defensive midfielder worth just £34m this summer.

Man Utd very keen to sign Jashari

According to HLN, as relayed by Get Belgian & Dutch Football News, Manchester United are now very keen to sign Ardon Jashari from Club Brugge and, unlike others, are not put off by his €40m (£34m) price tag.

The Red Devils would be signing a player who was just voted the best player in Belgium – winning the Player of the Season award in the Belgium Pro League – and one who would be an instant upgrade on the ageing Casemiro.

Dubbed “impressive” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Jashari certainly isn’t short on suitors this summer but it’s a race that Manchester United could have the financial power to win once again.

If the 22-year-old was the follow Cunha and Mbeumo through the Old Trafford doors then Amorim would instantly have three very impressive signings to work with this summer.

Nafees, who worked as Bangladesh’s logistical manager in the T20 World Cup, had reportedly complained of headaches for the last few days

Mohammad Isam05-Jul-2024Former Bangladesh batter Nafees Iqbal has been kept under observation in a Dhaka hospital after he suffered a brain haemorrhage in Chattogram on Friday. Nafees, who is Tamim Iqbal’s brother, was brought to Dhaka in an air ambulance in the afternoon, where he is now in the High Dependency Unit (HDU).Nafees, who worked as Bangladesh’s logistical manager in the T20 World Cup, had reportedly complained of headaches for the last few days. He returned to the country with the rest of the team last Friday.BCB’s chief physician Debashis Chowdhury told reporters outside the hospital that Nafees is out of danger, but it will take him a few weeks to recover fully.”Specialists have informed us that Nafees is suffering from something called cerebral venous thrombosis,” Chowdhury said. “He has blood clots in that part of his brain. He is now stable. His parameters are good. He will be here for a few more days. They have said that if it doesn’t get worse, he will make full recovery. He has to be observed closely on the first day. He might be shifted to a ward soon, but these things take a few weeks.”BCB director Jalal Yunus, chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, and several players like Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza visited Nafees in the Dhaka hospital. Nafees is also the nephew of Akram Khan, the former Bangladesh captain and current BCB director.Nafees has worked as the Bangladesh team manager for the last two years. He played 11 Tests and 16 ODIs between 2003 and 2006. Nafees is a first-class stalwart for Chattogram, having appeared in 120 matches for the division.

Leeds United are now in the race to sign a “highly rated” £17 million Ligue 1 ace who’s being chased by major teams throughout Europe, according to a new report.

As pre-season preparations get underway, Daniel Farke will be very pleased with the business the club have conducted so far, but he will be wanting more arrivals between now and September, as he knows Leeds have a lot of work ahead of them if they are to remain in the Premier League.

Better than Gudmundsson: Leeds want to land deal for "dominant" £22m star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a star who would be even better than Gabriel Gudmundsson.

2 ByDan Emery Jul 7, 2025

Three players have already arrived at Elland Road, but that could soon be about to double. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds are closing in on the signing of Gabriel Gudmundsson from French side Lille. The Sweden international was expected to travel to England on Sunday to complete the transfer and add more options in the left-back spot for Farke.

That is not the only full-back the Whites are chasing, as Leeds are also interested in signing El Hadji Malick Diouf and are in a good position to beat West Ham to his signature, as they have already seen a bid turned down.

Meanwhile, the Premier League newcomers have also held talks with goalkeeper Lucas Perri over potentially replacing Illan Meslier between the sticks at Elland Road.

Leeds in race for highly rated Neil El Aynaoui

The transfer news doesn’t stop there for the Yorkshire side, as according to Foot Mercato, Leeds are interested in signing midfielder Neil El Aynaoui from RC Lens.

The report states that after a successful 2024/25 season on a personal level, where El Aynaoui scored eight goals in 24 Ligue 1 games, the 24 year-old midfielder is now wanted by many teams across Europe. As well as Leeds, Sunderland and Wolves showing strong interest from England, they all face competition from Juventus and AC Milan.

But it could be AS Roma who are the significant threat to the Whites, as the Italian side have already submitted a bid worth 20 million euros, which is roughly £17.2 million, and are looking to continue talks with Lens over the coming days.

El Aynaoui, who has been dubbed “highly talented” in the past, would bring versatility to Leeds’ midfield department, as he can operate defensively and offensively, as well as being comfortable playing out wide.

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Capturing El Aynaoui would show significant intent from the 49ers, given the interest from huge clubs with multiple Champions League titles to their name, with the American group seemingly intent on putting Leeds back on their perch.

With a new goalkeeper likely to cost in excess of £10m and El Aynaoui’s price looking likely to breach the £30m mark, it may not be long before the Whites are heading towards a nine-figure spend in the summer market.

While the jury might still be out for some when it comes to the competition itself, there is no doubt that Chelsea were worthy winners of the Club World Cup.

Enzo Maresca’s men impressed in almost every game they played, and saved their best performance for the final, in which they made Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain look totally out of their depth.

Aside from the out-of-this-world Cole Palmer, one of the Blues’ best players in the last few games was Joao Pedro, who scored three goals in three games.

So, fans should be delighted by the news that the club are looking to sign another international who could help the Brazilian reach another level entirely.

Chelsea's transfer business so far

On top of blowing away the competition on the pitch this summer, Chelsea have been just as impressive off it, in the transfer market.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

They’ve managed to ship off the likes of Noni Madueke to Arsenal for £52m and Đorđe Petrović to Bournemouth for £25m, while spending £60m on Pedro, £30m on Liam Delap and £48m on Jamie Gittens.

However, the Conference League champions aren’t done there, not even close, as they now appear keen on landing an international superstar who could help the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace get even better.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Spain, which claims that Chelsea are now interested in Rodrygo.

In fact, the report goes a step further than that, revealing that the Blues have already made an offer for the Brazilian – a straight swap for Nicolas Jackson.

The proposal has yet to be shot down, but the report states that Real would rather receive a fee for the player they value at €100m, which is approximately £86m.

Even if Chelsea have to splash the cash to get their man this summer, they should, as Rodrygo’s a proven winner and someone who could help Pedro get even better.

Why Rodrygo would make Pedro better

Now, there are quite a few reasons why Rodrygo could help Pedro reach another level at Chelsea next season, and one of the most significant is his output.

Since the start of the 23/24 season, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is undoubtedly impressive.

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What makes those numbers even more impressive is that he has rarely played in his favoured position off the left across the last two seasons, so just imagine how much more effective he could be regularly starting there.

This regular supply of goals and chances to his left would undoubtedly see the former Brighton star’s own goal and assist tally soar next season, especially as he proved himself to be particularly clinical last year, scoring ten league goals from an expected goals figure of just 8.86.

Furthermore, the former Santos gem has also won all there is to win in the club game, securing two La Liga and two Champions League titles in the Spanish capital.

In other words, he has what it takes to win and should hopefully impart the right mindset to those around him, like his compatriot, and help them win major silverware at some point in the coming years.

Finally, the fact that they’re both Brazilian is also a significant bonus, as establishing a place for himself in the national team will give Pedro and the Real star even more opportunities to develop a deep understanding of one another’s game.

Ultimately, it might cost them a substantial sum of money, but Chelsea should do everything possible to sign Rodrygo this summer.

Bad news for Pedro & Delap: Chelsea in the race to sign "the next Mbappe"

The sensational attacker would make Chelsea far more dangerous next season.

2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 17, 2025

Trent Rockets captain also explains decision to retire Imad Wasim out during defeat to Birmingham Phoenix

Matt Roller13-Aug-2024Lewis Gregory, the Trent Rockets captain, believes that indifferent pitches are the root cause of the drop-off in scores in the men’s Hundred this season. The average first-innings total has slumped from 155 last summer to 133 this year, while after 14 scores of 170-plus in 2023 there has only been one so far in 2024.Several players have blamed the ball, which deviates more than the standard-issue white Kookaburra on account of the extra lacquer required for the Hundred’s branding. But the balls have exactly the same specifications as last season, and Gregory believes that “tired” pitches are to blame for the low-scoring games across the country.”I don’t think the surfaces have been particularly great across the board,” he said. “These balls do seem to swing a fraction more than the normal white Kookaburras that we use in the Blast. I just think the combination of that and some tired pitches at the back end of an English season has made it quite difficult for free-flowing striking.”Rockets were bowled out for 118 by Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston on Monday night, a result which saw them eliminated at the group stages. They struggled against the substantial new-ball movement which has been a theme of the Hundred this year, slipping to 22 for 4 after 30 balls with Tim Southee and Chris Wood taking early wickets.The balls used in the Hundred have been criticised by a number of players•PA Images via Getty Images”You’re seeing the ball get off straight a lot, which obviously makes it difficult to whack out of the park when the ball is moving around,” Gregory said. “There’s a lot of cricket throughout the English summer and [we are] coming towards the back end. There are a few tired wickets that bring spinners into the game, and then there’s a few wickets that have done a lot for the seamers.”The Hundred is being staged at the same eight venues as in previous summers, but the UK has experienced an unusually high level of rainfall this year, contributing to groundstaff’s challenges. “I’m not quite sure what the cause is, but in the past we’ve played on some better surfaces than we have this year,” Gregory said.The average first-innings score in the women’s Hundred has hardly changed from last year: 133 in 2023 to 130 in 2024. Some pundits have suggested that the women’s game has benefitted from groundstaff leaving more grass on pitches this season.Why Rockets retired Imad outDuring Monday’s loss, Rockets became the fourth team this season to retire a batter out, sending Chris Green in to replace Imad Wasim with 14 balls left in order to target a short leg-side boundary against Dan Mousley’s offspin. Imad had just faced three successive dot balls to reach 29 off 29 balls, but Rockets collapsed to be bowled out off the final ball of the innings.”We spoke about [retiring Imad out] for the last 20 balls, with having a right-hander to [hit towards] the short side, and the two balls before that he hit for four, so we thought we’d give him another five balls,” Gregory explained. “It was about trying to get a right-left [combination] in with obviously a shorter side.”Imad did a brilliant job for us in tricky circumstances, coming in early [at 22 for 4]. He had a great partnership with Tom Alsop and we just tried to get Chris Green in, who in the first game went and got 25 off 7, so [we were] hoping that he could reproduce that… whether that was the right decision or wrong decision, we don’t know.”Related

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Anderson considering T20 franchise circuit after Test retirement

Southee knocks Rockets out as Phoenix stay in race

ECB pull Woakes out of Hundred after Stokes' hamstring injury

Imad joined Sam Billings, Wayne Madsen and Kathryn Bryce in retiring out tactically in the Hundred this year, and Gregory expects the ploy to become increasingly common: “We’ve spoken about it throughout the competition and everyone’s been happy, if there’s a case to retire someone, everyone’s comfortable with that. We pulled the trigger on that last night.”The shorter the format, you will see it a bit more… there’s not much time, and if you think someone’s not quite got the surface or the opposite down, it is giving someone else an opportunity to be able to do that. I don’t think you’ll see stacks of it, I just think you’re trying to create small margins that might help you.”It doesn’t always work. It’s one of those. I think guys now are realising if they’re struggling, or there’s an opportunity for someone else to come in that can potentially smack them out of the park, then I think guys are comfortable with that.”KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, is continuing its initiative to build 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales, with 35 brand new pitches going down in 2024. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, click here.

Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on a PSG player who Juventus are in ongoing talks to sign, as the Serie A heavyweights face the prospect of a Premier League hijack if they don’t start making progress in negotiations.

£50m "game-changer" would now love to join Chelsea despite Arsenal approach

The Blues have been handed a boost in their pursuit of an attacker.

ByDominic Lund Jul 21, 2025

Enzo Maresca, as per reliable journalist Simon Phillips, is prioritising the signing of yet another attacker, despite having already seen Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro join his squad for a combined fee of around £145 million.

According to Phillips, Chelsea’s struggle against teams in the low-block last season is a key reason for this, with Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons both rumoured to be standout targets.

Cole Palmer

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Moises Caicedo

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Enzo Fernández

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Nicolas Jackson

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Noni Madueke

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via WhoScored

Chelsea held fresh talks with the representatives of Eze last week, while credible media sources suggest that Simons is also high on Chelsea’s attacking shortlist after another impressive campaign in Germany.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has even claimed that talks between all parties have commenced for Simons in particular, so this is certainly one to watch over the coming days.

While their priority appears to be the Dutchman as things stand, reports in Italy are now stating that Chelsea are emerging as contenders for versatile PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani.

During his best season to date, the France international – who also impressed during the latter stages of the World Cup in Qatar – netted 23 goals and registered 17 assists in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022/2023.

Following a regrettable PSG stint – having signed for a seismic £76 million – Kolo Muani rediscovered some of his best form on loan at Juve last term, finding the net 10 times for them since January, and the Old Lady are currently attempting to sign him permanently.

Chelsea eye move for Randal Kolo Muani amid Juventus talks

That is according to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, who claim that Juve are in ongoing negotiations to make Turin the striker’s new home.

However, they warn Igor Tudor’s side that they face “serious” competition for the 26-year-old from England. Indeed, La Gazzetta state that Chelsea have expressed an interest in signing Kolo Muani, so Juve may not have it all their own way.

PSG want to cash-in on the player, who can also play on both wings, “immediately”.

This has prompted the Parisiens to explore the Premier League market if a solution cannot be found in talks with Juve, but it would be quite the move by Chelsea to bring in yet another centre-forward for Maresca after completing deals for Delap and Pedro.

He’d surely most likely be used as a wide player, especially if Chelsea don’t sell Nicolas Jackson, but there is still reason to believe he’d upgrade Maresca’s ranks.

“He is a striker who offers different game options to our team,” said Real Madrid star and international teammate Kylian Mbappé.

“He is very complete and has an impressive volume of play.”

Former captain believes recent reversals in Australia won’t have any bearing ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup fixture

Shashank Kishore08-Oct-2024Suzie Bates, the former New Zealand captain, doesn’t think the side’s 3-0 defeat in Australia before the Women’s T20 World Cup will have any bearing on Tuesday’s fixture between the Trans-Tasman rivals. Both sides are coming off emphatic wins in their opening game with New Zealand defeating India by 58 runs and Australia brushing Sri Lanka side by six wickets.”I think we were still sort of figuring out our best XI,” Bates said of New Zealand’s 3-0 loss. “The make-up of the team and obviously conditions there versus here, spinners versus seam, the balance of the team is slightly different.”But look, we probably didn’t show all our cards, and they probably didn’t show all their cards. At the end of the day, when the teams have already played a game, you kind of know what you’re probably going to be up against and it’s really about the balance of seam and spin.”Related

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New Zealand grateful for Devine intervention as plans come together in crucial contest

Coach Leigh, spinner Kasperek: Scotland to New Zealand, twice over

Sophie Devine said after their win over India that New Zealand had been planning for that for close to a year. It’s incredible to think about it now that New Zealand came into that game on the back of ten successive T20I losses and yet looked far superior in every facet in conditions that should’ve been more alien to them than India, particularly with the heat and spin factor.However, New Zealand’s spinners led by Eden Carson proved more effective than their Indian counterparts. Carson dismissed the big-hitting Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana up top to trigger an alarming Indian slide. With conditions in Sharjah considerably slower and spinner-friendly than Dubai, New Zealand can call upon Leigh Kasperek and Fran Jonas if required.”Yeah, I think we looked at the schedule and although it changed slightly, we knew India and Australia are in our pool and that we were going to have to try and win at least one of those matches,” Bates said. “Historically, we haven’t been that successful against Australia in recent times, but that first match [against India] I think we knew that we had to put one of our best performances and we were able to do that under a lot of pressure, so that was really pleasing.”But look, like I say we played Australia in Mackay, so I guess there’s already been a lot of thought in how we match up and how we need to take them on. And we know them so well. We play a lot with and against them in other leagues. So, there’s going to be no surprises.”It’s just who can, I guess, put that performance together and in different conditions to what we played in the other night? So, we’re under no illusions that it’s going to be easier than Dubai that the wicket looks a little bit different and we’re going to have to adapt to conditions and maybe adjust the way we go about it.”New Zealand’s win against India was their first in 11 T20Is•Getty ImagesBates expressed satisfaction at the boxes New Zealand were able to tick off in Australia, even though the results weren’t in their favour. Their knowledge of the Australian players and their confidence levels following the India win has put them in a great mind space.”We were fortunate to get three games against them as build-up to this, which probably helped us against India,” she said. “So, look, we’ve played them a lot over the years, not so much recently, but I thought we competed pretty well in those games. And after the start we’ve had at this tournament, I think if we can put that performance that we put together against India, against Australia, we’re going to go really well.”In preparing as exhaustively as they have, New Zealand haven’t forgotten the fun element. On Sunday, a few members of the squad headed to Abu Dhabi to watch the 2024 NBA champions Boston Celtics, and the 2023 champions Denver Nuggets play at the Etihad Arena. Others, like Bates, chose to head over to the beach.”I’ve actually got a slightly blocked ear from swimming at the beach,” Bates said. “Bit of water in the ear. But the girls went to the NBA game, which our media manager organised. So, they had a bit of fun going and watching that, getting away from cricket. I think what’s been really important, this group’s been together so much in the build-up. We’ve worked really hard. But the support staff have been great at making sure we get time off and time away to switch off.”And there’s a lot of free time in that. And I know there’s a lot of cafes exploring and trying to find the best coffee in Dubai. But just, I guess, trying to get away from cricket. When we turn up to training and games, we’re good to go. And everyone has different ways of doing that. Some get out to the beach. Some just watch Netflix in their hotel. But yeah, it’s just that freedom to prepare how you want to prepare.”