Fresh from their play-off comeback victory, Sunderland have reportedly registered their interest in signing an EFL star who could become one of Regis Le Bris’ first Premier League signings.
Watson magic seals Sunderland victory
If there was ever a way for Tommy Watson to get fans back onside after choosing to join Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the season, then it was always going to come through a special visit to Wembley.
Level at 1-1 following Eliezer Mayenda’s excellent equaliser, Watson came from the bench and showed all the composure in the world to play his effort beyond the outstretched Michael Cooper in the 95th minute. A player some booed in recent weeks to a boyhood Sunderland star now forever cemented as a hero in the Wearside history books, Watson couldn’t have asked for a better ending.
The man of the hour shared his joy following Sunderland’s victory, telling reporters: “After the last few weeks, I’ve been dreaming of that moment. I’m really happy that it’s going to end positively and this monster of a club is back where it belongs. It’s been tough, but I’ve learned so much from it. I knew something like that could happen. So I’m just buzzing.”
Although likely forgiven, the Black Cats will still need to replace Watson in the coming months ahead of their Premier League return. The talented 19-year-old, meanwhile, looks destined to become an impressive star at The Amex.
Sunderland can replace Bellingham with academy "diamond" who's like Watson
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ByKelan Sarson May 27, 2025
With plenty of work to do in the summer transfer window, just who Sunderland welcome on the incomings front remains to be seen, but rumours over their potential targets have already been coming thick and fast.
Sunderland register interest in Kwame Poku
According to GiveMeSport, Sunderland have registered their interest in signing Kwame Poku from Peterborough this summer, so have made their approach. The Black Cats have reportedly joined the likes of Birmingham, Sheffield United and a staggering number of other interested parties in the race to secure the winger’s signature.
Revealing the sheer amount of interest in Poku, Peterborough director of football Barry Fry recently told reporters: “The last time I heard, there were 26 clubs in for him. I’m not surprised.
“The kid has what it takes to reach the Premier League. We have developed him over the past four years to the point where he is ready to take the next step in his career.”
The interest in Poku should come as little surprise, however. The 23-year-old enjoyed an excellent season in League One, scoring 12 goals and assisting another 11 to earn the high praise of manager Darren Ferguson, who told reporters in November: “Kwame is just unplayable at the moment. I would hate to play against him. He needs to give someone else a chance of winning player of the month. They’ll have to rename it the Kwame Poku Trophy!”
Though he may have plenty of suitors, Sunderland’s place in the Premier League could leave them with a major advantage in the race to sign Poku.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea in 2022 after a much-publicised process. The sense then was that the Blues would need to brace themselves for a very different era compared to under Roman Abramovich.
Under Abramovich, Chelsea had spent unbelievable amounts of money to put themselves at football’s top table. There was no expectation that anything like that could follow without his wealth.
And yet, if anything, things have been even crazier. Chelsea have broken the English transfer record on multiple occasions, racking up record spending and completely changing their squad. And that’s despite Premier League finishes of 12th and 6th under Boehly.
So what exactly have they done? Football FanCast has detailed every Chelsea transfer since Todd Boehly’s consortium set foot in west London.
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Zakaria is Chelsea’s cheapest signing to date – though, he wasn’t a permanent one. The Blues brought him in on a season-long loan from Juventus but he never really became a regular.
The Athletic claims it cost them around £2.5m upfront and while there was an option to buy, Chelsea never looked like using it.
2 Gabriel Slonina – £8m
Chelsea signed teenage goalkeeper Slonina for £8m, per The Athletic, and immediately loaned him back to the MLS side. He did finally join up with the Blues in January but is yet to play a senior game for them. He’ll now spend this season on loan with Belgian club Eupen. Still only 19, there’s a long way to go with Slonina.
3 Joao Felix – £8.8m (loan)
Joao Felix scores for Chelsea
The second, and final, loan deal on this list. Chelsea moved to sign Felix last January, paying £8.8m (The Guardian) to have him for only five months.
It was a surprising deal on the face of it but then, it wasn’t long ago that the Portuguese playmaker was considered one of the best young players on the planet. He was decent enough at Chelsea, but not to a point where they’d fight to keep him permanently.
4 David Datro Fofana – £10m
Fofana arrived at a time when Chelsea desperately needed goals. He barely featured after joining, however, starting only one Premier League match and playing a total of 68 minutes in the top flight.
The Blues just didn’t seem to rate him after the £10m transfer (BBC). He’s now off on loan in Germany with Union Berlin where he’ll hope to get back on track.
5 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £10m
Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang arrived from Barcelona to be the striker who scored the goals for Chelsea last season. However, it did not work out that way.
The former Arsenal star made only 15 Premier League appearances and scored just once – so no one was shocked when he left on a free this summer.
It was a strange deal to sign him, too, with Chelsea paying £10m plus full-back Marcos Alonso, says Sky Sports. Just one that didn’t work at all.
6 Angelo – £12.95m
Angelo has had some hype around him for a while – and certain numbers show why. He’s the youngest player in the history of Brazil’s top flight, having debuted at 15, while he boasts well over 100 senior appearances at only 18.
Chelsea have an exciting one here, and it’s no wonder they paid £12.95m to get him (The Athletic).
7 Djordje Petrovic – £14m
With Edouard Mendy in Saudi Arabia and Kepa Arrizabalaga in Madrid, Chelsea have turned to twice-capped Serbian international Djordje Petrovic to come in and challenge Robert Sanchez for the number one spot at Stamford Bridge.
The 23 year old has been impressing in the USA for MLS side New England Revolution for a couple of years, making 43 appearances for The Revs in the league.
It was obviously enough to impress the higher-ups at Chelsea as the club spent £14m to secure his signature, tying him down to a seven year deal (BBC Sport).
8 Deivid Washington – £17m
Santos strikerDeivid Washington.
At just 18 years old, Deivid Washington joins the ever-growing list of exciting young Brazilians who have opted to join Chelsea this summer as they make their way to Europe to further their footballing careers.
That said, Washington isn’t just here to make up the numbers, as despite making just nine Serie A appearances for Santos, Chelsea had seen enough to convince them that a £17m (Sky Sports News) offer would be money well spent on the youngster.
With just hours left of the transfer window, it would appear that the former Santos youngster will be staying in West London this season, potentially allowing him to show the league just what he can do.
9 Andrey Santos – £18m
Andrey Santos Chelsea
Santos is very highly rated in Brazil, having shone for Vasco as a teenager. It was enough that Chelsea paid £18m (BBC) to sign him in January – despite the fact he couldn’t get a work permit.
Instead, the midfielder went back on loan to Vasco in March until rejoining the Blues this summer. Hopefully, we’ll see what all the fuss is about soon.
10 Diego Moreira – Free
As of the end of the 2024/25 season, Diego Moreira has only made one senior Chelsea appearance, coming early in Mauricio Pochettino’s reign during an EFL Cup win over AFC Wimbledon in August 2023.
Since then, the Belgium-born Portugal U21 international has been on loan at Lyon and Strasbourg, being a regular starter in Liam Rosenior’s impressive outfit, who may yet find themselves in a Champions League qualification place.
As for Moreira’s Chelsea future, it remains to be seen whether his progress in the French top flight will be enough for Enzo Maresca to want him hanging around the first team.
Celtic returned to action in the Scottish Premiership last weekend with an emphatic 3-0 win over Hearts to retain their 13-point lead at the top of the table.
The Hoops secured all three points against the Jam Tarts thanks to a brace from Daizen Maeda, either side of a close-range finish from Jota, as they bounced back from their 3-2 defeat to Rangers before the international break.
Brendan Rodgers is closing in on his second Premiership title in as many seasons since his return to Parkhead in the summer of 2023, having already won the League Cup earlier this term.
The Northern Irish head coach has a domestic treble in his sights between now and the end of the campaign, with a healthy lead at the top of the league and a semi-final against St. Johnstone in the SFA Cup booked in.
Celtic managerBrendanRodgerscelebrates after winning the League Cup
Rodgers may, however, have one eye on the upcoming summer transfer window and how he can make moves to improve his squad to perform even better next term, with the Champions League in mind.
The former Leicester City and Liverpool head coach already knows that he has a situation to deal with at left-back, after revealing that Greg Taylor is likely to move on from Parkhead.
The latest on Greg Taylor's Celtic future
Speaking after the win over Hearts, Rodgers claimed that it is more likely that the Scotland international will leave when his contract expires this summer, rather than signing a new deal to remain in Glasgow.
He told BBC Sport: “I’ve been in this position so many times and I can read situations. It’s probably more likely now that Greg will move on than stay, which is a big shame for me because I love him as a person – and I love his game because it’s suited to how we work.”
The Celtic head coach added: “It’s not financial, but I respect his position because he wants to feel he’ll play every week. Whoever is in next year with Kieran will still play a lot of games, but my feeling is that Greg may well move on.”
The former Kilmarnock man has been an unused substitute in five of the last six matches in all competitions, and was withdrawn at half-time against Hibernian in the only start during that run.
Greg Taylor’s Premiership career with Celtic
Season
Appearances
Starts
24/25
22
19
23/24
35
35
22/23
31
28
21/22
24
22
20/21
26
23
19/20
13
12
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Taylor has been a regular starter, when available, throughout the majority of his time in the Premiership at Parkhead, since his move to Glasgow in the summer of 2019.
But his lack of minutes in recent weeks, as aforementioned, may be a driving factor in his likeliness to leave on a free transfer this summer, at the same time that Kieran Tierney is due to return to Celtic.
Why Kieran Tierney is a gamble for Celtic
It has already been confirmed that the Scotland international will be a part of the squad next season after his contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the current campaign.
As you can see in the table above, the former Celtic star enjoyed a terrific first spell at Parkhead after coming up through the academy system, as he won five titles and made 170 first-team appearances.
His terrific form for the Scottish giants over the years earned him a £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, which remains one of the biggest sales in the club’s history.
Despite all of this, signing Tierney this summer is set to be a gamble by the Hoops because of his worrying injury record that could cause Rodgers problems moving forward.
The 2022/23 campaign is the only season that the left-back has not missed 17 or more matches through injury since the summer of 2018, whilst he has been absent for 39 games through injury since the start of last term.
Celtic are, therefore, gambling on his fitness as he will not be too much use on the pitch if consistent injury problems keep him away from it, which is why it is important for the club to have another capable left-back in line to play.
So, rather than viewing Tierney as the replacement for Taylor, is it Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp who should be signed permanently as a replacement for the Scottish full-back.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Why Celtic should sign Jeffrey Schlupp permanently
The experienced defender joined the Hoops on loan from Crystal Palace in the January transfer window and has hit the ground running at Parkhead in the second half of this season.
Schlupp, who Rodgers claimed has “incredible pace and power”, is out of contract at Selhurst Park at the end of June, which suggests that Celtic have the chance to snap him up on a free transfer this summer.
That could make him the dream replacement for Taylor, who is also due to depart for nothing, as the Hoops would not have to spend a penny on transfer fees, whilst they would also be bringing in a player who has already proven that he can perform in the current team.
Schlupp has also not missed a single game through injury since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, which suggests that he would also come in as a reliable figure who could cover when Tierney is unavailable.
24/25 Premiership
Jeffrey Schlupp
Appearances
7
Goals
1
Assists
1
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.8
Duels won per game
4.6
Ground duel success rate
52%
Aerial duel success rate
60%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Palace loanee has provided defensive strength in his short time at Parkhead to date, winning the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.
His performance against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League play-off, winning eight of his ten duels and making a staggering 11 tackles and interceptions combined, also showed that he has the quality to step up in big games against huge European teams.
Jeffrey Schlupp
This suggests that Schlupp could be a great signing for Celtic with their European hopes in mind, because the 32-year-old ace has proven that he can perform on the biggest stage.
Therefore, signing the loanee on a permanent deal could result in the Hoops having their dream replacement for Taylor, as he is not as injury-prone as Tierney and the defender has already proven his quality on the pitch for Rodgers in recent months.
It is now down to the manager and the recruitment staff to complete a free transfer for the full-back, should he not sign a new deal at Palace, to bolster the squad in the summer transfer window.
Celtic ace left for £600k, now he's similar to a future Ballon d'Or winner
The player Celtic lost for just £600k is now similar to a star who has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or.
With his double-ton in the Duleep Trophy, the 21-year-old Vidarbha batter has nine fifty-plus scores in 16 innings
Himanshu Agrawal29-Aug-2025Danish Malewar is soft-spoken. So his bat does the talking for him. For a 21-year-old who is just ten first-class matches into his career, there is immense clarity and versatility. And runs too. Big runs. He hit a double-century in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final for Central Zone and the North EastMalewar loves hitting boundaries but knows the importance of the defensive game as well. He feels his strength is playing off the front foot, but one look at his batting would tell us how solid he is with the punch and the pull shots off the back foot as well.All of that and more were on display at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Malewar amassed 198 runs on the opening day of the domestic season, and duly went on to complete his maiden double-century in first-class cricket on Friday morning. The landmark came up with an assured cut shot for four through cover. Malewar’s words after the second day’s play, when he retired out on 203 after walking out to bat in the third over of the match, spoke of a young man who knows his stuff.”There was some moisture on the pitch when I started batting. I just saw the new ball through, and the wicket had started to settle after lunch [on day one],” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I was confident enough given the practice I had had.”Danish Malewar scored his maiden first class double-century on Friday•Himanshu Agrawal/ESPNcricinfo LtdMalewar made his first-class debut for Vidarbha in last season’s Ranji Trophy, and averages 61.62 after 16 innings. Nine times he has passed fifty, and three of those, he has converted into hundreds. Malewar thumped 150 runs in boundaries during his career-best knock, albeit against an inexperienced North East attack, and batted at a strike rate of 91.44.With 783 runs in nine matches, he was Vidarbha’s third-highest run-getter in their title-winning Ranji season. Malewar looks up to and admires the work ethic of Yash Rathod, one of the two team-mates who got more runs than him in 2024-25.Related
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“I’ve been watching and following Yash for a long time,” he said. “I’ve learnt from him how to defend a ball right at the stumps. I also practice with him at the nets, and watch how he leaves the deliveries outside off stump as well as how he drives at the ball. I think we have a similar batting style too.”Karun Nair, the other batter who scored more than Malewar, returned to Karnataka ahead of this domestic season. So there is a bit of slack that needs picking up at Vidarbha.”I did well last year,” Malewar said. “I think I fit well at No. 3. [Nair’s absence] does mean more responsibility, and as a top-order batter, I need to lay a solid base for those coming in to bat after me. It’s my job to see off the new ball, and to bat for as long as possible.”No wonder then that he has faced a hundred or more deliveries in eight of his 16 innings so far. Malewar wants to develop his own style of batting, and says he likes to play all the shots in the book – the drive, the flick, and the sweep. He has three idols, and, like his batting, is sorted about what to ask whom.”Sachin [Tendulkar] sir, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are my favourites. I’ve seen Sachin sir from a distance, but have never got the chance to meet him. I know what I’m going to ask the three batters whenever I get to have a chat with them: I’m going to ask Sachin sir about how to play the drive well, KL Rahul about my overall batting, and Virat about mental toughness. I’m going to prepare well before going to meet them!”Talk about clarity, clear-headedness and goals. Talk about young Danish Malewar.
In a turn of events too improbable for Hollywood, a cricketer from Afghanistan became a feted hero deep in the heart of Texas
Peter Della Penna31-Jul-2023One of the burgeoning traditions that has quickly become a staple of the first season of Major League Cricket in Texas, as it is in the IPL, is the sea of flags in the stands. Almost all of the franchises involved in each night’s match made sure to have stacks of flags ready to hand out to fans as they walked in through the gates of Grand Prairie Stadium.There were hundreds of neon green Seattle Orcas flags waving in the grandstand at Sunday night’s final. These were engulfed by thousands of blue MI New York flags. Being a sporting event in the USA, a few fans brought in Old Glory to twirl around, and another American flag arrived into the stadium before the start of play courtesy of a parachute jump team.But the flags that arguably stood out most of all at Grand Prairie Stadium were the distinct tri-colour black, red and green of Afghanistan. Seemingly in every corner of the stadium, there was at least one, and usually two, Afghanistan tricolour banners parading around and being waved in tandem.Related
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Two decades ago, when the US military invaded Afghanistan, the latter’s national cricket team did not exist. A men’s side playing under the aegis of the Afghanistan Cricket Board did not appear in an Asian Cricket Council tournament – let alone an ICC one – until June 2004. On that day, Nawroz Mangal opened the batting with a century while an unknown 19-year-old spinner named Mohammad Nabi led the bowling attack taking 3 for 28 in a four-wicket loss to Oman at an empty Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur. Rashid Khan was just a five-year-old boy then.Fast forward 19 years to a scene in Grand Prairie, Texas that would have seemed infinitely more ludicrous than the moment in “Back to the Future Part II” where Marty McFly gets out of Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine to walk into the centre of Hill Valley in October 2015. A very confused Marty, played by Michael J Fox, looks up at a flashing neon news ticker to see an update that the Chicago Cubs have just beaten a team from Miami – a baseball franchise that didn’t exist in the Back to the Future realm of 1985 – to win their first World Series since 1908.Nicholas Pooran scored an extraordinary hundred in the chase•SportzpicsIt’s highly improbable that even the brilliant mind of Robert Zemeckis could have concocted a Hollywood story where a boy from war-torn Afghanistan in 2004 becomes one of the biggest stars in international cricket and is feted by the masses in the Lone Star State in the summer of 2023. Texas is a place with as nascent a cricket heritage as the one Afghanistan had in 2004, which was a time when most Texans’ – like most other Americans of the time – only thoughts about Afghanistan revolved around hunting down Osama bin Laden.But when Rashid showed up for his first match in Texas for New York on the night of July 17 – fresh out of a business class seat on a flight from Bangladesh where he had just finished captaining the Afghanistan T20I side – the fans in Grand Prairie Stadium went delirious. It was sheer pandemonium in the front row of section 101 on the southwest grandstand of the venue near where Rashid was fielding on the boundary at wide long-off. Things got so rowdy from a crush of fans crowding the front five rows in search of selfies and autographs during the first innings when New York were fielding that extra security guards had to be re-assigned to the area to disperse the throngs of fans who did not have tickets in the section.It was no surprise, then, that when the starting line-ups for the final on Sunday night were shouted over the loudspeakers by stadium public address announcer Aaman Patel – who himself is another too-good-to-be-true character, a North Carolina native who was one year old when Afghanistan played their first match in 2004 – that Rashid got the most raucous ovation. And even on a night when New York stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran scored one of the most extraordinary centuries in a T20 franchise league final anywhere in the world, it was Rashid who continued to be the pied piper for fans all around the ground.Rashid Khan registered figures of 4-0-9-3•SportzpicsThough the match had been announced as a sellout for weeks, there was some mild curiosity as to what the atmosphere would be like without the presence of the Texas Super Kings in the final. Though the crowds at the 7200-capacity Grand Prairie Stadium had been consistently healthy throughout the tournament, only matches involving the hometown Super Kings had been sellouts prior to the final. But the long traffic lines coming off the South Belt Line Road Exit to the stadium entrance at Lone Star Parkway, which were snaking around the adjacent Lone Star Racetrack parking lot 90 minutes before play, quelled any doubts that the inaugural MLC final would be anything less than a grand occasion.As special as Pooran’s unbeaten and chanceless 137 not out off 55 balls was – studded with 13 sixes and a hundred which arrived after just 40 balls – the screams, shouts and cries for Rashid before, during and after his sensational spell of 3 for 9 (seriously?! A 2.25 economy and 19 dot balls on a night when every other bowler went for more than a run a ball) were relentless from start to finish, and continued well after Pooran jammed out a yorker through fine leg for the winning runs. During the victory celebrations on the field, there were regular calls in the stands from fans shouting for an autograph or a selfie with, “Nicky!”, “Polly!” “Trent!” and “David!”But outside of the appearance made by New York’s billionaire owner Nita Ambani, who showed up along the sidelines to take pictures with her team’s joyous fans, the only other person requiring a robust security presence to keep over-exuberant fans from losing control in their zesty fervour to get close to their hero was “Rashid! Rashid!” After spending a considerable amount of time taking selfies and signing autographs with fans, Rashid was finally yanked away by the New York team officials, who were waiting for him to come back to the team bus before commencing with further victory celebrations back at the team hotel.Over the course of the last three weeks, there were a series of far-fetched fantasies most people would never have believed possible a generation ago. A sold-out cricket stadium to watch a domestic franchise league in Texas, let alone anywhere else in the USA, would have seemed more miraculous than turning water into wine. But a globetrotting, multi-millionaire, best-T20-bowler-in-the-world legspinner from Afghanistan being showered with pure unadulterated love by American sports fans on US soil would have simply been far too good to be true. At Sunday night’s Major League Cricket final in Grand Prairie, Texas, seeing was believing.
It took courage to make the radical changes to his game that we saw him make in England
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How Rohit Sharma tightened his front-foot game
When the ball is in what is often referred to as the corridor of uncertainty, it is designed to sow seeds of doubt in the batter’s mind: Is it too close to leave? Or a little too wide to attempt putting bat on ball? Watching a batter leave alone a ball that’s almost shaving the off stump can be as enthralling as watching the ball hit the middle of the bat and sail into the stands.Both are a vindication of good judgement and perfect execution, with radically different outcomes. While one decision gives you six runs, the other allows you to stay put for longer so you can look to score plenty more. Similarly, stonewalling a perfect inswinger with a solid defence can give you an equal amount of pleasure.There’s a subtle difference in the joy one derives from hitting fours and sixes and from exercising defensive options in challenging conditions – the lifespan of the former is usually limited, and often adrenaline is the fuel that drives it; the latter can go on for much longer and demands mental fortitude from the batter.Related
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How one gets addicted to the rhythms of batting in Test cricket is not a topic that gets discussed all that often. But for a striking example of a display of the latter kind of innings and how it can cast an enchanting spell, look at how Rohit Sharma has batted since he set foot on English soil earlier this year.Rohit is a runaway match-winner in white-ball cricket, but in Test cricket, his promotion to open the innings was considered a final throw of the dice to revive his career in the format, and also an attempt to get him to do what Virender Sehwag, another stroke-maker of high quality, did in the same role.While Rohit batted the way he was expected to bat in India in Tests, he changed his game radically to meet the demands of English conditions. He decided to play everything close to his body, focusing a lot on leaving balls as well as on defending.He went against his natural instinct, which is to attack at the first opportune moment. In fact, he buried that instinct so deep, it frequently took longer than usual for him to access it again when needed. Rohit’s attempt to play a totally different brand of cricket to that with which he got all his international success reflected two things: nurture is as influential as nature, if not more; and he has a burning desire to succeed in Tests.When someone doesn’t have anything left to prove in the two most popular and rewarding formats of the game, you can understand it if he didn’t put the same amount of effort into succeeding in the third format – a significantly less materially rewarding one.5:31
Laxman: Rohit’s adjustments more in his mindset than technique
Rohit decided to put himself out there, challenge himself, play a different game with unflinching commitment and belief in his new repertoire. He knew that this English summer had the potential to define his legacy as a Test cricketer. And it is remarkable that standing at such a crucial juncture so far into his career, he had the conviction to remould his game so drastically that he looked like a different batter altogether. The risk you run in these situations is that if you fail, you can’t forgive yourself for not going with what came naturally to you. Rohit took the risk and succeeded.The first instinct against James Anderson and Ollie Robinson was to be defensive. Unless the ball was really full, he wouldn’t attempt driving it. He would trust his judgement of where the off stump was and would leave a lot of deliveries alone. The ones coming in, once again, would be dealt with defensively.He earmarked Sam Curran in the first couple of Tests, and Moeen Ali thereafter, as his go-to bowlers against whom to score runs. He was so committed to this plan that he must have missed multiple scoring opportunities against Anderson and Robinson, but the fact that that did not bother him spoke volumes about his mindset. Sometimes you drift away from your initial plans of self-denial once the feet start moving freely and you’re more confident about the pace and bounce of the surface but Rohit’s discipline was quite similar to Sachin Tendulkar’s discipline in not playing the cover drive at all in his famous knock of 241 not out in Sydney in 2004.Of course, once in a while, Rohit got out playing the pull or hook shots but part of the reason for those dismissals was also his predominant desire to defend. The shot that dismissed him in the first innings of the Headingley Test was an example.The beauty of Test match batting and long stays in the middle is that you start falling in love with small things – the joy of leaving the ball alone, or simply defending it. I’m not suggesting that there’s less joy in white-ball runs, but the cadences of Test cricket are different, and they leave a deeper imprint. The joys of Test cricket are almost spiritual; once you’ve tasted them, nothing else can satisfy that craving anymore.In England this summer Rohit seems to have taken a giant leap towards writing his legacy, an effort born of his love for the longer format.
أسدل الستار على مباريات الجولة الثالثة ودور المجموعات بالكامل في بطولة كأس العرب 2025، والمقامة على الأراضي القطرية.
وانطلقت بطولة كأس العرب 2025، في دولة قطر، بمشاركة 16 منتخبًا، في الأول من ديسمبر وستنتهي في 18 من الشهر ذاته.
وشهدت مرحلة المجموعات توديع منتخب مصر الثاني البطولة بعد الخسارة أمام الأردن بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة، اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة.
وودع منتخب مصر بطولة كأس العرب بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث برصيد نقطتين، فيما تأهل عن هذه المجموعة منتخبا الأردن الذي حقق العلامة الكاملة بتسع نقاط، والإمارات في الوصافة، برصيد 4 نقاط.
ومن المجموعة الأولى، تأهل إلى دور الـ 8 “ربع النهائي”، كل من فلسطين وسوريا في المركزين الأول والثاني على الترتيب برصيد 5 نقاط لكل منهما.
وفي المجموعة الثانية، حسم منتخبا المغرب والسعودية تأهلهما إلى دور ربع النهائي بعدما أنهيا دور المجموعات في المركزين الأول والثاني.
وفي المجموعة الرابعة، حسم منتخب الجزائر تأهله إلى دور الـ 8، متصدرًا المجموعة، ثم منتخب العراق في الوصافة.
طالع.. بالمواعيد | مواجهات دور الـ 8 من كأس العرب 2025 ترتيب مجموعات كأس العرب 2025 بعد انتهاء دور المجموعاتترتيب المجموعة الأولى بعد انتهاء دور المجموعات
1- فلسطين، 5 نقاط.
2- سوريا، 5 نقاط.
3- تونس، 4 نقاط.
4- قطر، نقطة. ترتيب المجموعة الثانية بعد انتهاء دور المجموعات
1- المغرب، 7 نقاط.
2- السعودية، 6 نقاط.
3-عمان، 4 نقاط.
4- جزر القمر، نقطة واحدة. ترتيب المجموعة الثالثة بعد انتهاء دور المجموعات
1- الأردن، 9 نقاط.
2- الإمارات، 4 نقاط.
3- مصر، نقطتان.
4- الكويت، نقطة واحدة. ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة بعد انتهاء دور المجموعات
Manchester United’s midfield department has been a problem area over the last couple of months, with Ruben Amorim still yet to discover his best partnership at the heart of the side.
The 40-year-old has operated with a two-man partnership ever since he took the reins last November, with the midfielders crucial to his 3-4-2-1 system.
The likes of Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount have often shared responsibility in starting as part of the duo, but the manager still wants reinforcements in such a position.
Kobbie Mainoo is just another option at Amorim’s disposal, but he’s often decided against utilising the Englishman, as seen by his measly tally of zero starts in the Premier League this campaign.
As a result, INEOS have been tasked with identifying potential options during the January transfer window to try and provide a long-term fix to the issues in the midfield department.
Man Utd’s hunt for new additions during January
Over the last couple of weeks, United have been one of the Premier League clubs interested in a move to land Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson.
It’s been reported that Amorim’s men have already held talks with Sean Dyche’s side over a potential move, but it could be an expensive one, with a £100m price tag currently being mooted.
They aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 23-year-old, with rivals Manchester City also said to be keeping a close eye on his progress ahead of the upcoming window.
However, Anderson isn’t the only midfielder on the Red Devils’ radar, with Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham another option INEOS are reportedly considering.
According to one Spanish outlet, Amorim’s men have made a €150m (£130m) bid for the England international in an attempt to solve their current issues.
The report also states that his current employers aren’t looking to offload him at present, which could make a deal somewhat tricky to complete in the near future.
Why Bellingham would be perfect for Bruno Fernandes
Despite being an attacking midfielder, Bruno Fernandes has been asked to play in a somewhat deeper midfield role in United’s squad this season – often partnering Casemiro at the heart of the side.
However, it hasn’t stopped the Portuguese international from starring at the heart of the side, as seen by his excellent goals and assists tally in the Premier League.
In his first 15 appearances of the league campaign, he’s already registered ten combined goals and assists, with three of his efforts coming at Wolves on Monday night.
However, the manager is yet to strike a balance at the heart of the side, especially considering Casemiro is now 33 and set to leave at the end of his contract in the summer.
As a result, Bellingham could well be the answer to the current issue in midfield, especially if his stats from LaLiga in 2025/26 to date are anything to go by.
The numbers he’s produced showcase his remarkable box-to-box nature, which could well make him the perfect partner for Bruno at the heart of the side.
Bellingham, who’s been described as “the best midfielder in the world” by Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, has been a tad off the pace this term but he’s certainly still the best when you consider raw talent and his potential. There is a reason, after all, that Madrid trusted him to wear Zinedine Zidane’s famed number 5 shirt at the biggest club in the global game.
To illuminate his qualities, he’s completed 8.9 progressive passes per 90, all of which being made into the final third. That sounds pretty perfect for Fernandes, doesn’t it?
Games played
12
Goals & assists
5
Progressive passes
8.9
Pass accuracy
88%
Passes into final third
8.9
Tackles won
2.9
Tackle success
67%
Interceptions made
0.9
Such numbers showcase the creative nature he possesses, with such tallies potentially taking some of the strain and responsibility on Bruno to constantly provide the goods in central areas.
However, out of possession is where the 22-year-old has excelled this campaign, as seen by his tally of 2.9 tackles won per 90 – subsequently ranking him in the top 5% of all players in LaLiga.
He’s also made 0.9 interceptions and won 1.5 aerials won per 90, which also ranks him in the top 5% of midfielders – highlighting his remarkable talents out of possession.
Bellingham’s dominance is showcased in his tally of 67% of tackles entered that he’s won this season, finally ending United’s hunt for a new ball-winner if a deal can be completed.
£130m would be a remarkable amount of money spent on just one player, but the Madrid star has demonstrated world-class levels for many years despite his tender age.
The prospect of him linking up with Bruno is one to get excited about, with the pair potentially having the quality to catapult the club to a title challenge in the near future.
The new Ji-Sung Park: Man Utd star is fast becoming as important as Bruno
Manchester United have another star who is becoming as important as Bruno Fernandes.
Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound isn't coming anytime soon.
Ohtani is now not expected to start pitching in games again until after the MLB All-Star break, which will take place from July 14–17. According to Bob Nightengale of , the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to keep Ohtani from pitching until after the break, avoiding rushing him back as he is already putting up MVP-level production as a hitter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in April that Ohtani has looked "great" in bullpen session, but was a couple months away from pitching in a game again. Now, it appears he still is over a couple months away, and will at the earliest pitch in the second half of July.
Ohtani has not pitched since he was with the Los Angeles Angles in 2023, when he went 10–5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts across 23 starts and won the American League MVP award. Ohtani suffered a torn UCL toward the end of the 2023 season, and underwent surgery on his throwing arm.
As a hitter, Ohtani has slashed .308/.410/.641 with 12 home runs, 21 RBIs and 10 stolen bases so far this season. While only playing as the Dodgers' designated hitter for all of last season, Ohtani hit .310 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases as he helped the Dodgers win the World Series.
Safe to say, the Dodgers aren't planning on rushing Ohtani to the mound anytime soon. Though the Dodgers are currently missing Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow due to injury, they have increased depth in the rotation thanks to the addition of Roki Sasaki and the return of Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, who both missed the entire 2024 season due to injury. Clayton Kershaw also appears primed to return shortly after making another rehab start on Sunday.
Norwich City have held talks with one manager who has a 100% win record over the recently sacked Liam Manning.
When Norwich City could appoint Manning’s replacement
The Canaries finally parted ways with Manning after a seventh straight Carrow Road defeat prior to the international break.
The 2-1 loss to Leicester City was Norwich’s 10th defeat from 15 Championship games, leaving them in 23rd place and four points off safety.
Sporting director Ben Knapper said in a statement that he understood criticism from supporters and is looking to “repair the relationship” with fans.
“We have tried absolutely everything possible to work through this incredibly challenging period but, unfortunately, given the recent run of results and performances, we have been left with no choice other than to make a change at this stage.
“Liam and his staff worked tirelessly to move our football club forward. They are all fundamentally good people and we wish them the very best in whatever comes next.
“We very much understand the frustration and criticism from our supporters at this stage. So far, results and performances on the pitch haven’t been good enough.
“We accept that responsibility, but it’s now imperative that we start to repair the relationship with our supporters and do everything we can to give them something to get behind.”
Norwich City’s next 5 Championship fixtures
Date
Birmingham City vs Norwich City
22nd November
Norwich City vs Oxford United
25th November
Norwich City vs QPR
29th November
Watford vs Norwich City
6th December
Sheffield United vs Norwich City
9th December
Something that will get supporters back on side will be to appoint a winning manager, with former midfielder Gary O’Neil linked with the vacancy.
Norwich, according to reliable reporter John Percy, have interviewed O’Neil and want to appoint a new manager by November 22, the day club football returns and the Canaries travel to Birmingham City.
Norwich City hold talks with Will Still
Sky Sports reporters Zinny Boswell, Lyall Thomas and Anthony Joseph shared a Norwich City manager update on Wednesday morning, naming the three bosses who the Canaries have spoken with.
As well as former player O’Neil, Norwich have also held talks with Jon Dahl Tomasson and Will Still, with the former Southampton manager available following his St Mary’s departure earlier this month.
Still, who plays a 3-4-1-2 system, struggled to turn the Saints around, winning two of his 13 Championship games which resulted in his sacking a week prior to Manning.
He did defeat Manning and Norwich 3-0 at Carrow Road in an EFL Cup second round tie, though, which began a terrible spell at home for the former Canaries boss.
Still has a 100% win record vs Manning, and he was impressing over in France with Lens before his move to England, being linked with numerous jobs.
The 33-year-old is still inexperienced in English football, though, and after his spell on the south coast, taking a chance on Still would be a gamble by the Norwich board as they look to climb out of the relegation zone.
It could be a risk worth taking, although O’Neil and Tomasson have more experience in English football than Still.