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Lancashire 557 (Green1 60, Hartley 130, Hurst 106) and 110 for 1 (Jennings 57*) beat Gloucestershire 381 (Charlesworth 160, Phillips 64, Hartley 6-116) and 285 (Charlesworth 71, Phillips 56, Hartley 5-99) by nine wicketsMan-of-the-match Tom Hartley produced another career-best performance to propel Lancashire to a hard-earned nine-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham and keep alive their hopes of winning promotion back to Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.Having previously staged his highest score of 130 and taken 6 for 116 to put his team in control, the England slow left-armer claimed 5 for 99 on the final day of an entertaining match at the famous old College Ground as the red rose county made it two wins out of three in the red-ball format under the new leadership team of interim head coach Steve Croft and captain James Anderson.Made to follow on, Gloucestershire were dismissed for 285 in 98 overs in their second innings, Hartley finishing with match figures of 11 for 215 after Ben Charlesworth and Joe Phillips had scored 71 and 56 respectively for the home side. Chris Green weighed in with 2 for 62 as spin accounted for seven wickets on a surface offering some assistance.Set 110 to win in 26 overs, Lancashire chased down their target for the loss of Luke Wells with five overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative unbroken second wicket partnership of 103 between Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon. Confronted by four spinners as Gloucestershire dispensed with seam, Jennings top-scored with a brisk 57 not out from 67 balls, while the equally forthright Bohannon faced 50 deliveries in raising an undefeated 45 as the visitors eased to victory in the final hour.Lancashire took 22 points to move into fourth place in Division Two, in the process leapfrogging Gloucestershire, who settled for five points after sustaining their third defeat of the season.Gloucestershire resumed their second innings on 98 without loss, still 78 in arrears and potentially vulnerable to a repeat of the collapse that undermined their first innings. It was incumbent upon openers Cameron Bancroft and Charlesworth to build upon their good start on a pitch that was offering some assistance to spin, but which was not expected to break up.If Gloucestershire’s minimum requirement was to bat two sessions, Lancashire were reading from an altogether different script, Anderson claiming the prized scalp of Bancroft in the opening over, the Australian edging to midwicket without adding to his overnight score of 35.Having seen off Anderson, Charlesworth was no doubt disappointed to then succumb to George Balderson in his first over from the Chapel Lawn End. Attempting a back-foot flick, Gloucestershire’s first-innings centurion found Marcus Harris at short midwicket and departed for 71 with the score 129 for 2. Guilty of poor shot selection, Ollie Price then pursued a wide delivery from Hartley that bounced off a length and edged to Luke Wells at slip, at which point Gloucestershire were 134 for 3, still 42 in arrears, having lost three wickets in the first hour.They came close to losing another in the next over, Miles Hammond standing his ground and being afforded the benefit of the doubt when Jennings claimed a catch at short square leg off the bowling of Hartley. The reprieve proved temporary, Green pinning Hammond lbw for 22 in the final over before lunch, which was taken with the score 168 for 4. Representing Gloucestershire’s best chance of saving the game, Phillips remained unbeaten on 35.He was joined by James Bracey and these two wiped out the remaining arrears early on in the afternoon session, Phillips going to a hard-earned 50 from 91 balls with his eighth four. But Lancashire continued to take wickets, Jack Blatherwick angling a short delivery into the body of Bracey, who was unable to get his bat out of the way and edged behind. His departure was a blow for Gloucestershire, who were in effect 21 for 5 with 57 overs left in the day.An even bigger blow befell the home side when Phillips’ vigil came to an end soon afterwards, the Cornishman held by the safe hands of Jennings at short leg off the bowling of the ubiquitous Hartley. Phillips had faced 110 balls, accrued eight fours and defied the red rose bowlers for three hours. Hartley then extracted additional spin to remove Graeme van Buuren, who stretched forward and was caught behind for 8 to leave the home side between a rock and a hard place at 210 for 7.Todd Murphy led a Gloucestershire counterattack, going for his shots, pushing the field back and sharing in a useful stand of 41 in eight overs with Zaman Akhter, who scored a breezy 20 before offering a return catch to Green as the home side slipped to 251 for 8. Ajeet Singh Dale survived a searching examination at the hands of Anderson and the new ball, he and Murphy digging in to reach tea on 268 for 8. Gloucestershire had a slender lead of 92 with a minimum 35 overs remaining.Lancashire’s go-to man, Hartley returned to bowl Murphy for a 56-ball 33 and complete the first 10-wicket match haul of his career as an enthralling contest entered its final session. He then accounted for last man Marchant de Lange, held at short square leg as Gloucestershire’s resistance with the bat finally came to an end in the early-evening sunshine.

Arne Slot defended his decision to field a severely inexperienced side on Wednesday night as Liverpool were soundly beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace to exit the Carabao Cup at the fourth-round stage. Only a handful of first-team regulars were involved and multiple played out of their natural position as Slot made 10 changes to his starting XI ahead of what the Dutchman called a "big week".

• Liverpool dumped out of cup but Slot defends controversial selection

  Speaking to Sky Sports at the full-time whistle, Slot claimed he had little choice but to give youth and fringe players an opportunity to start with a huge week on the horizon for his side. He said it would have been a "stupid choice" if a first-team regular had picked up an injury in the cup tie.

  The Reds face Aston Villa, Real Madrid – including potentially the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold – and Manchester City within the space of eight days as they look to get their season quickly back on track, but a sixth defeat in seven games will have done nothing to help the atmosphere around the club after the Eagles left Anfield with a comprehensive three-goal victory.

  Slot’s defensive selection was particularly striking, as third-choice Freddie Woodman made a debut in goal, Calvin Ramsay came in from the cold to start at right-back and both Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson started out of position in the centre of a back five alongside Joe Gomez. The fact that the underperforming Milos Kerkez was the only player to keep his place in the XI only raises further questions – though Palace boss Oliver Glasner claimed it would be "disrespectful" to claim Liverpool had fielded a weakened side.

  Three teenagers were also handed a start, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni earning a chance to impress while 18-year-old Kieran Morrison made his debut for the club. Several more young players came off the bench, including Amara Nallo – who was sent off to receive a second red card in two appearances and just 16 minutes for Liverpool’s senior side.

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  Slot responds to criticism and claims injury issues led to selection

  "Everybody can have [their] opinion about it but with the squad we have – maybe 15, 16 first-team players available – this is the choice I've made," Slot told Sky Sports.

  But he conceded: "It's not of Liverpool's standards to lose five out of six, or six out of seven.”

  "Last time we played Southampton here in the League Cup, Giovanni Leoni got injured, and we don't have such a big squad as people might tell, because there was so much focus on the amount of money we spent [in the summer].

  "People all of a sudden think we have 25 players available, but we mainly have 20 players then we have four injuries.

  "I only have one right full-back, Conor Bradley, as an example, and every time I had to play him twice in three days or three times in seven days [last season], it led to him… that I had to take him off with a hamstring injury or something else.

  "Are you willing to take that risk with such a big week coming up? Last time I played a player that wasn't fully prepared – we thought he was prepared but it was the first time – Alexander Isak, he got injured.”

• Slot cites Southampton match as situation to avoid

  "Last time we played Southampton Leoni was injured and it was a red card for Hugo Ekitike. Those are the things we can't use with a big week coming up," he added.

  "But there's always a choice. What if I had played Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate], for example, if one of them got injured people would have said, 'what a stupid choice'.

  "And also with them [the first-team players] it was very difficult for us, for our starters to beat Palace because it's not the first time we lose against them."

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• AFP
  

  Upcoming fixtures could justify Slot's selection

  With an important week coming up, Slot can be forgiven for making changes if his first-team stars return to winning ways quickly. It is with little doubt that the Dutchman’s selection will only have added to the increased pressure he could soon find himself under.

  Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: "It was the wrong team. Make no mistake. He picked a team today that made it really difficult for himself. You've not helped the young players because of the players that are around them. You've made 10 changes from Brentford.

  "You can't tell me that he's picked that team today and those subs thinking 'that will get me a result against a really good Crystal Palace'. You might hope you can. I didn't believe for one second they could beat them. He's made a mistake today.”

A superb six-wicket return from Mohammad Abbas and second half-centuries in the match for Ben Slater and Joe Clarke helped Division One leaders Nottinghamshire seize control of this Rothesay County Championship clash with Yorkshire on day two at Headingley.Pakistani Test seamer Abbas was the chief protagonist with 6 for 45 from 17.3 overs – four of his wickets coming either side of lunch to secure a 49th career first-class haul of five wickets or more – as Yorkshire were bowled out for 159 in reply to a first-innings 228.Former England batter Dawid Malan impressed with a counter-attacking 64 off 45 balls as second-bottom Yorkshire, who started the day on 10 for 2, lost regular wickets. But it wasn’t enough.From early afternoon onwards, Nottinghamshire’s pursuit of a fourth win gathered even more steam, with opener Slater top-scoring with 78 off 125 balls in 227 for 3 from 61 overs, a lead of 296. Clarke provided important support with a fluent unbeaten 72 not out off 92.Left-handed Slater bettered his opening day 52 and shared half-century partnerships with Haseeb Hameed and Clarke, who top-scored with 64 in the first innings.As 35-year-old Abbas claimed his second haul of five wickets or more in three matches for Notts this season, it meant Yorkshire have now only posted first-innings totals of 250 or more on three occasions in seven matches in 2025.They have a mountain to climb to avoid a fourth defeat in seven games this season.Nottinghamshire captain Hameed shared 73 inside 16 overs for the first wicket with Slater in their second innings to more than double a commanding lead of 69. Hameed’s 33 was confidently compiled on a largely gloomy Leeds day.Just as Yorkshire will have been frustrated with their efforts with the bat, they would have been with the ball too. Conditions remained helpful for the seamers, but they failed to apply any pressure.Hameed was caught behind off a beauty from Jordan Thompson which bounced and nipped away before Freddie McCann was unlucky to have been given caught behind off Ben Coad for 15 shortly before tea with the score on 113 for 2, a lead of 179.But Slater, who was eye-catching on the drive, continued. He reached a well-paced fifty off 68 balls and shared 70 for the third wicket with Clarke before edging behind one which nipped away from Matthew Revis’s seam.Clarke went on to reach his fifty off 55 balls and shared a day-ending unbroken 54 partnership for the fourth wicket with Jack Haynes, 13.Earlier, Yorkshire reached lunch at 119 for 7, with seamers Dillon Pennington and Brett Hutton striking twice apiece and 35-year-old Abbas once as Notts strengthened their grip.En-route, they had to survive a counter-attacking half-century from Malan, who played a series of eye-catching shots and made it look like he was batting on a featherbed pitch.Malan drove imperiously and hoisted his quartet of sixes over the leg-side, reaching his fifty off only 34 balls upon his return to the side following three games out with a groin injury.After the early departure of James Wharton – caught at first slip off Pennington, 15 for 4 – Malan shared 37 for the fifth wicket with nightwatchman Jack White, who chanced his arm for 18 before he also edged Pennington into the slips.Hutton had Harry Duke caught behind and Malan lbw playing to leg, and when Abbas claimed his first wicket of the day by rocking back George Hill’s middle stump with one which kept low and jagged back, Yorkshire were 107 for 7 in the 34th over of the innings.After lunch, Abbas claimed his fourth and fifth wickets in successive balls as Yorkshire slipped to 124 for nine. Captain Dom Bess edged to fourth slip and Thompson to first.Revis, with 27, and Coad shared 35 for the last wicket, but it was only brief respite as the former dragged on to Abbas, leaving the visitors with all but two sessions of batting to do through to close. They did it expertly.

Rangers’ attacking options at Ibrox look very different now compared to just a few weeks ago.

All of last season’s top three scorers have departed this summer, with Václav Černý not returning following his loan spell, while Hamza Igamane departed for £10.4m, before Cyriel Dessers was sold for £3.5m on deadline day.

To replace them, wingers Djeidi Gassama and Oliver Antman have both arrived at Rangers while, in terms of centre-forwards, striker Bojan Miovski has come in from Girona for £2.6m, thrown in for his debut against Celtic last weekend.

Then, on deadline day, with Dessers Athens-bound, the new 49ers ownership group sanctioned one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history, but would they simply have been better off keeping a “rapid” forward?

Youssef Chermiti's move to Rangers

Last Monday, Rangers signed Youssef Chermiti from Everton in an £8m deal that could rise to £10m with performance-based add-ons.

This makes him Rangers’ most-expensive signing of the post-liquidation era, smashing Ryan Kent’s record, behind only Tore André Flo’s £12m move to Ibrox from Chelsea in 2000.

Well, the 21-year-old’s career on Merseyside does not leap off the page as someone who warrants a record-breaking transfer fee.

Chermiti began his career at Sporting CP, scoring three goals in 22 senior appearances for the Lisbon-based club, but this was enough to convince Everton to pay £11.5m to secure his signature in August 2023.

Well, fair to say this did not prove to be a shrewd investment, given that Chermiti did not score a single goal in 24 appearances for the Toffees, albeit these totalled just 295 minutes, with 22 of them as a substitute, of which 16 were cameos of ten minutes or fewer, in his defence.

Thus, it very much remains to be seen if Chermiti will be a success in Glasgow or not, making him a very expensive gamble.

So, would Rangers simply have been better off keeping hold of their “rapid” forward, rather than selling him for £4m?

Rangers' forgotten forward

Four years ago, Rangers signed forward Fashion Sakala on a free transfer, arriving from Oostende after his contract had expired at the Belgian club.

During two seasons in Glasgow, the Zambian international certainly made his mark, bagging 24 goals for Rangers, registering nine and then 12 during his two Premiership campaigns.

Speaking on Sportscene following Rangers’ 4-1 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road in March 2023, in which Sakala scored and bagged two assists, Steven Thomson praised his “immense” performance, while Leanne Crichton labelled him “rapid”.

Then, somewhat out of the blue, Sakala joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Fayha for a reported fee of £4m and, well, he hasn’t stopped scoring since then.

During his first season with the Orange, he bagged 19 Saudi Pro League goals, a tally only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrović, as the table below documents.

As the table documents, Sakala was outstanding during his debut season in Saudi Arabia, ranking third for goals, shots and shots on target, completing the joint-most dribbles alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.

Last season, his form did dip, bagging only eight times in the Saudi Pro League, but this still means he has accumulated 30 goals across all competitions during two seasons with Al-Fayha, registering an assist against Al-Fateh on the opening day of this season.

During the same time frame, new signing Chermiti has scored, well, zero goals, having bagged just three in his entire senior career.

Thus, all available evidence suggests that the Zambian would certainly be more of a sure-fire thing in attack, rather than the recently arrived, expensively recruited Portuguese U21 international.

Rangers have found the new Cerny in £2m star who Martin thinks is "exciting"

Václav Černý was always going to be a difficult player for Rangers to replace, but could their “exciting” £2.2m signing actually prove to be better?

By
Ben Gray

Sep 8, 2025

رد تيبو كورتوا حارس مرمى ريال مدريد الإسباني، على تصريحات خوان لابورتا رئيس برشلونة، التي ألمح فيها إلى تحيز التحكيم للنادي الملكي.

وتفاقم الوضع عقب طرد المدير الفني لبرشلونة، هانز فليك، خلال المباراة أمام جيرونا ببطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وصرح لابورتا حينها: “إذا لم تكن هناك يد بيضاء خفية، فالأمر مشابه جدًا، حدث هذا قبيل مباراة نتنافس فيها على صدارة الدوري الإسباني، هذا الرجل طرد جميع لاعبينا المميزين تقريبًا، الحكم جيل مانزانو يتمتع بسيرة ذاتية ممتازة معنا”.

وظهر كورتوا في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم الثلاثاء للحديث قبل مباراة ريال مدريد ويوفنتوس في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا والمقرر خوضها غدًا الأربعاء، ونشرت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية تصريحاته.

وسُئل كورتوا عن تصريح رئيس برشلونة خوان لابورتا بشأن اليد البيضاء أو اليد الخفية إشارة لتحيز التحكيم ضدهم، ورد: “لابورتا يقول ما لديه، في قضية نيجريرا لم أشعر قط أنهم تحيزوا ضدنا، بل على العكس تمامًا، الحكام بشر، والأخطاء واردة، لا أشعر أنهم تحيزوا ضدنا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | لابورتا يبرر انفعال فليك: تصرف إنساني نابع من الشغف والحكم أخطأ في حقه

وبشأن قرار رابطة الليجا بإقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال في ميامي بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، قال: “إنها تُشوّه المنافسة، ثم من السهل الحديث عن دوري كرة السلة الأمريكي للمحترفين ودوري كرة القدم الأمريكية”.

وأكمل: “في دوري كرة السلة الأمريكي للمحترفين، تُقام 82 مباراة، ثم تُلعب التصفيات، وهذا لا يُغيّر شيئًا، في دوري كرة القدم الأمريكية، يُصوّت ملاك الأندية جميعًا على القرارات، لكن هنا في الدوري الإسباني، يتم فرض الأمور لأنهم يريدون ذلك فقط”.

وأضاف: “هذا يُفسد المنافسة ولا يتوافق مع اتفاقية اللاعبين، يجب أن نلعب مبارياتنا على أرضنا وخارجها، فليس الأمر نفسه اللعب في ملعبك أو خارجه، اللعب خارج الديار في الدوري صعب جدًا، كما حدث معنا أمام ريال سوسيداد وخيتافي، وحتى فياريال خارج ملعبه فريق صعب”.

وبشأن رأيه في الرقابة التي فُرضت على احتجاج اللاعبين، أجاب كورتوا: “لا أدري ما الذي يفاجئكم، هناك ردود علنية على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، لم أرَ من قبل رئيس دوري يتحدث بهذه الطريقة، إخفاء الأمر وتغيير سبب احتجاجنا هو نوع من الرقابة والتلاعب، وهذا أمر خطير”.

ويشير كورتوا إلى حجب البث التليفزيوني للحظة وقوف اللاعبين 15 ثانية قبل مباريات الدوري الإسباني احتجاجًا على قرار خوض مباريات الليجا خارج إسبانيا.

وعن كيفية استعداده للكلاسيكو أمام برشلونة، حيث يلتقي الفريقان يوم الأحد المقبل، أتم: “الاستعدادات متشابهة، يجب أن نكون مستعدين تكتيكيًا، وهم يضغطون علينا بشدة، رأينا كيف يكون البرنابيو بركانًا، وهذا أمر مثير للإعجاب، في اللحظات الصعبة، نريدهم أن يستمروا في دعمنا، إنهم يمنحوننا تلك الطاقة الإضافية لمواصلة القتال”.

Celtic find themselves in a race against time to land a new striker, though they have now made an approach to bring in a forward on the books at a Premier League club.

Celtic fail in bid to land Anderlecht striker Kasper Dolberg

Despite making him their top target, Celtic look to have missed out on a deal for Anderlecht striker Kasper Dolberg, who is primed to complete a move to Anderlecht before the close of play.

Taking to social media platform X, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reported that the Denmark international now has his set on a move to his former club after the Dutch giants sought assurances over his willingness to snub alternative interest.

He stated: “UPDATE: Ajax are now pressing ahead with their hijack of Kasper Dolberg’s move to Celtic after seeking assurances from the player that he would prefer a return to his old club. #AFCAjax now back in talks with Anderlecht over a permanet deal. This could leave Celtic scrambling.”

Elsewhere, the Bhoys have put forward a loan for Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sayki, albeit he could end up at either Rangers, Lyon, and Leicester City, who are also keen on landing the England Under-21 international.

The timing of whether Celtic manage to land a striker or not is critical, given Irishman Adam Idah is set for a move to Swansea after completing his medical, though they have held fire on relinquishing his services until a replacement is found.

Related Birmingham hold talks to sign "valuable" £3m ace; waiting on "green-light"

This is exactly what Chris Davies could be after.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Sep 1, 2025

Truthfully, the late part of the window for supporters has failed to deliver in terms of excitement, but that could be about to change as they hone in on a new centre-forward.

Celtic make loan approach to sign Chelsea's David Datro Fofana

According to Sky Sports reporter Joseph on X, who was mentioned earlier, Celtic have made a loan approach to try and sign Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana before tonight’s deadline.

Intriguingly, his colleague Ron Walker eluded to the fact that is ‘looks like’ the Bhoys may land his services despite suggesting that Bristol City were in the mix, potentially suggesting that a deal is further down the line than initially thought.

Despite joining Chelsea for £10.3 million in 2022, Fofana has made only four appearances for the Premier League giants and spent time out on loan at Goztepe last term, scoring twice in nine appearances before sustaining a knee injury.

Adding Union Berlin and Burnley to his other loans, the Ivory Coast international, dubbed “aggressive” by Vincent Kompany, has never really settled since joining the Blues from Molde, where he burst on to the scene after netting 24 times in 65 outings.

Celtic appear willing to offer him an olive branch at a late stage, creating a scenario where both parties benefit while Chelsea move another player off their books.

It’s been a rollercoaster couple of weeks to be a Crystal Palace supporter.

Eagles fans did manage to see their beloved team win at Wembley again in the Community Shield final, having witnessed their never-say-die side fight back from 2-0 down to surprise Arne Slot’s Liverpool to lift the early-season honours.

However, all this ecstasy so early into the campaign hasn’t been enough to tempt Eberechi Eze to stay put at Selhurst Park, with his disallowed free-kick effort against Chelsea on the opening day in the Premier League all she wrote on a stunning Palace career, as he now edges ever closer to a £60m move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Marc Guehi could be the next high-profile name to ditch Oliver Glasner’s men, too, leaving the South London side with plenty to do in the transfer window before September’s abrupt cut-off.

Crystal Palace in talks to sign £14m star

It had been an extremely low-key window so far from a Palace perspective up until this boiling point.

The only notable addition to the building for the Eagles this summer has been ex-Ajax full-back Borna Sosa joining for £3m, but with Guehi and Eze both looking to be heading out the exit door, expect their activity to ramp up.

Jakub Kiwior looks to be on their list of centre-back targets if the forceful Englishman does seal a move away to Liverpool, while Bilal El Khannouss is also on the Palace radar to try and soften the blow of the former Queens Park Rangers attacking midfielder leaving.

There are also striker targets on Palace’s mind, too, if reports are to be believed, with a loan move allegedly in the works for hit-and-miss Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-Chan to move to Selhurst Park, away from Molineux.

The Athletic has revealed that talks have taken place over a move that will help Glasner and Co. fill the void left by Eddie Nketiah’s notable injury absence, with no deal in place just yet.

While he will be viewed as a temporary sprinkle of quality, the £14m man does possess shades of Palace fan favourite Jean Phillippe-Mateta’s game at the peak of his powers, which will hopefully be on full view in South London shortly.

Why Hwang possesses shades of Mateta

After all, even if those named do desert Selhurst Park this summer, Glasner will know he can rely on Mateta to deliver more moments of magic like this chipped effort against Arsenal for the Eagles across the 2025/26 season.

In total, the towering, but skilful, Frenchman has a lethal 47 strikes next to his name from 154 appearances for Palace, which included him bagging his side’s opener at Wembley to kickstart the Community Shield comeback.

However, he hasn’t always found his time at Selhurst Park to be a smooth sailing experience, with only 13 goals coming his way across his first three seasons at the Premier League outfit, before everything impressively clicked into gear.

Hwang has faced a similar reality at Wolves, but while Mateta has come into his own donning Palace’s distinct claret and blue over the past few seasons, his Asian counterpart has found that his own goalscoring prowess has somewhat fizzled out.

24/25

26

2 + 1

23/24

31

13 + 3

22/23

32

4 + 1

21/22

31

5 + 1

Indeed, last season saw Hwang only fire home a meagre two goals across 26 competitions, while Mateta reached 17 across all his games, on the contrary.

Yet, just the season before Mateta’s explosion, the former RB Leipzig attacker had managed to collect an impressive 13 strikes for the Old Gold, leading to former Arsenal goal machine Ian Wright declaring that the 29-year-old has “got everything” you want in a desirable striker.

His standout efforts during the 2023/24 campaign did see him fall short of the FA Cup-winning attacker again – with Mateta trumping his tally by six goals – but the pair were deemed as statistically similar across this season, as per FBref, as Hwang attempts to be another unsung hero-style figure for the Eagles up top.

After all, both strikers in question joined the English game from Germany with points to prove, as they now prepare to potentially link up with each other in attack at Selhurst Park, while Glasner’s men also look for a positive future on the horizon, likely without Guehi and Eze.

Crystal Palace receive reply to £27.6m bid for 21-goal star

He would be a big-money signing at Selhurst Park.

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 19, 2025

After lifting the Club World Cup trophy proudly aloft over the summer, Chelsea will be hungry for more success this upcoming campaign as the Premier League finally gets back underway.

A home clash with Crystal Palace starts the season for Enzo Maresca’s men, before the contests with London-based foes continue to come thick and fast, as a short trip to West Ham United then pops up on the calendar, followed by Fulham coming to Stamford Bridge.

It will be intriguing to see what position Chelsea hold after this bumper list of August fixtures, as the Blues also prepare to splash the cash, ahead of September’s looming transfer deadline.

Chelsea still interested in "exceptional" star

The Blues have been busy this summer, and for the most part, so far, these new signings have shone.

João Pedro instantly mde his presence known out at the Club World Cup with three goals from three games, having completed a £60m move from Brighton and Hove Albion just in time for him to strut his stuff in America.

He could soon be joined by ex-Seagulls teammate Carlos Baleba, with reports suggesting that Chelsea – alongside a litany of other Premier League sides – are chasing after the services of the standout South Coast performer.

Away from Baleba, the Blues are also persisting with the signature of another midfielder in the form Xavi Simons.

Football journalist Ben Jacobs, when speaking to The Football Terrace Xtra, has come out to say that Simons wants a move to West London, with Pedro no doubt licking his lips, too, at the prospect of linking up with the exciting Dutchman in attack.

Jacobs stated: “I’m still expecting Chelsea to bid. Maybe they want to get Christopher Nkunku out and resolve Nicolas Jackson’s future as well but there remains a realistic chance that Xavi Simons is a Chelsea player between now and the end of the window. Negotiations are a little more complicated compared to the talks between Manchester United and Chelsea for Alejandro Garnacho.”

Why Simons could be bad news for Fernandez

A move for the “exceptional” Simons – as he’s been previously dubbed by Christoph Freund – could be bad news for Enzo Fernandez.

Why? Well, it could lead to the 24-year-old moving back to a holding position centrally.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Fernandez in West London.

His mega £107m price tag was always going to feel like a burden on his shoulders, leading to an opening run of 18 games during his first season in the Premier League that saw just two paltry assists being registered.

However, since Maresca’s entry on the scene, the once shackled Fernandez has been a key performer from the middle of the park as more of an attacking-minded presence, something seen in his stunning assist count of 14 last season.

Yet, this electric side to his game, which saw 13 big chances created by the ex-Benfica midfielder in the Premier League across the 2024/25 campaign, could be shackled by the emergence of Xavi Simons, notably when you consider his own blistering displays in the Bundesliga when lining up as a number ten.

LW

39

10

11

RW

17

5

5

AM

17

6

7

LM

2

0

0

SS

1

0

0

Staggeringly, from just 17 career games in the number ten spot for Leipzig, Simons has managed to collect an explosive 13 goal contributions, with an equally red-hot spell at PSV Eindhoven – before this move to Germany – also seeing him amass a ridiculous 15 goal contributions in this position from the same number of limited contests. On that evidence, it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been described as “one of the best 10s in the world” in the words of one data analyst.

It’s a no-brainer, therefore, for Maresca to place more of his trust in Simons to do a job from an attacking position, over hoping Fernandez can deliver, with the 22-year-old even being lauded as “one of the best youngsters in Europe” by The Athletic’s Alex Barker when regularly ripping up the German top division.

In an ideal reality, Maresca will be able to get the optimum out of both midfielders in the same XI.

If he can, Chelsea will feel they’re in a great position to be a force to be reckoned with, heading into what the 2025/26 season could throw up.

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Paul Pogba will always remain a what-if player for Manchester United, given his failure to sustain his success during his spell as a first-team member at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman left the club on a free transfer, before joining in a then world-record £89m transfer just a couple of years after originally being allowed to depart the Red Devils.

The midfielder was known for his moments of magic, but questions were always asked about his commitment and effort, which held him back from being one of the elite players in world football.

He racked up over 200 appearances during his second spell in Manchester, but ultimately struggled to match the huge fee he returned to the club with.

However, his individual brilliance will always outshine the tough times he spent at the club, with current boss Ruben Amorim able to land his own version of the 32-year-old this window.

The latest on United’s hunt for new signings this summer

Benjamin Sesko undoubtedly remains as United’s main target this summer, as the club look to provide the boss with the talisman he craves during his spell in charge.

Talks have already been held between the players’ representatives and the Red Devils hierarchy, but any deal will be an expensive one, given the current £78m asking price.

However, the Slovenian international isn’t the only player currently on their radar, with work also being conducted to secure a deal for Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra.

Marca’s latest update claims that Amorim’s side have already reached out to the LaLiga giants over a move for the 22-year-old, who’s currently valued at £25m.

The report also states that AC Milan are also currently exploring a move for the Spaniard, which could see the Red Devils spring into action for his signature in the near future.

Why United’s latest target could be Amorim’s own Pogba

Along with his effortless ability to change a game, Pogba was known for his ball-carrying talent, which often saw him run the game when he was performing in full flow.

During the 2017/18 campaign he spent at Old Trafford, the former Juventus star registered 4.1 progressive carries per 90, a figure that ranked him within the top 5% of all players within England’s top-flight.

His dominance on the ball is further backed up by current professional Declan Rice, who placed the Frenchman within his top three players he’s ever come up against.

United’s current midfield is currently lacking the dynamism that Pogba possessed, which should come as no surprise given 33-year-old Casemiro is still one of the options at Amorim’s disposal.

However, the manager could be about to land his own version of the former fan-favourite this summer, with Guerra possessing a lot of the qualities that made the World Cup winner a hit with the supporters.

Guerra, who’s been labelled “special” by analyst Ben Mattinson, managed to register 4.8 progressive passes and 1.8 progressive carries per 90 – able to glide past opponents when in control of the ball.

Such a skillset may come as a surprise given his 6”2 frame, sitting just one inch smaller than Pogba, with the pair freakishly talented with the ball at his feet given their height.

Javi Guerra’s stats for Valencia in LaLiga (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

36

Goals & assists

6

Progressive passes

4.8

Passes into final third

4.2

Take-ons attempted

2.7

Carries into final third

1.5

Tackles won

1.7

Stats via FBref

However, the youngster’s talents are also further reflected in his tallies of 1.7 tackles won and 1.7 clearances made per 90, able to do the dirty work at the heart of the side before making the desired impact higher up the field.

At just 22, he’s already made a name for himself for his ability to find the net from distance, with his effort against Espanyol arguably the best of his career.

Pogba also managed to possess such a quality, as seen by his own catalogue of strikes, which always managed to excite the fanbase – something which Guerra could do himself should he join the club.

Given his £25m asking price, a deal should be a no-brainer, potentially landing themselves a bargain this summer with a player who could emulate the levels produced by the former world record signing.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Aug 1, 2025

England Lions 324 and 122 for 3 (Yates 57*) beat Sri Lanka 139 and 306 (Madushka 77, Dhananjaya 66, Mathews 51) by seven wicketsRob Yates anchored England Lions with a 68-ball half-century, as Sri Lanka’s tourists slipped to a seven-wicket defeat in their first-class warm-up at Worcester.Chasing a modest 122 for victory after bowling Sri Lanka out for 309 on the third afternoon, the Lions had resumed with victory in sight on 47 for 2 overnight, and needed just 19.5 overs to seal the deal on the final morning.Yates, who had reached the close on 17 not out, added 40 more runs at the top of the order, with Sri Lanka’s only success in the curtailed day’s play coming when Hamza Shaikh, England’s Under-19 captain, was pinned lbw for 16 by Milan Rathnayake.However, James Rew, another recent mainstay of the Under-19 set-up, joined Yates in an unbroken 53-run stand for the fourth wicket, finishing on 23 not out from 41 balls as he picked off the winning single off Dhananjaya de Silva.Sri Lanka now head to Emirates Old Trafford, where the first Test against England gets underway on Wednesday.