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Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson this summer and more details regarding the potential transfer have now emerged.

What's going on with Dean Henderson?

The Eagles are looking to sign a new 'keeper between now and the end of August when the window slams shut, with Vicente Guaita expected to move on.

It is Henderson who has reportedly emerged as a target for Palace in recent days, with the 26-year-old's plans a little up in the air at the moment. It is clear that Andre Onana has come in as first-choice between the sticks at United, while a return to Nottingham Forest hasn't developed, having been on loan there last season.

The one-cap England international is at a point in his career where he wants to be playing regularly, especially as it would aid his chance if making the Three Lions' squad for Euro 2024 next summer.

Now, a fresh update regarding Palace's interest in Henderson this summer has emerged, with a move looking increasingly likely.

Will Crystal Palace sign Dean Henderson?

According to a key update from talkSPORT, Palace's plan is to sign the Englishman on loan this summer, potentially snapping him up on a permanent basis next year, and talks are now underway:

"Crystal Palace have held talks with Manchester United over a deal to sign Dean Henderson, talkSPORT understands. Palace boss Roy Hodgson has been desperate to sign a new goalkeeper after Vicente Guaita told the club he wanted to leave.

"The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest and helped them stay in the Premier League. A permanent move to the City Ground had been expected but a deal could not be struck with United."

This could be the ideal scenario for all parties, allowing Henderson the move away that he needs, but giving Palace a season to assess whether he is worthy of being a permanent signing or not.

The United man has certainly proved his worth in the past, impressing at Forest last season before an injury ended his campaign prematurely, being hailed as "incredible" by Antonio Conte.

Henderson could be a really strong signing and an upgrade on Guaita, assuming the latter moves on, and at 26, he is still young for a goalkeeper and should only improve as the years pass, particularly if he can enjoy regular starts moving forward.

He is an extremely confident player who has total faith in his ability, and if were to come in and hit the ground running for Palace, he could help elevate them to another level moving forward, proving to be good with the ball at his feet and an expert shot-stopper.

To have played for both England and United speaks volumes, and while a move away from Old Trafford makes sense now, 13 clean sheets in 29 appearances for arguably the biggest club in the world is a good return, also winning an FA Cup along the way.

Tottenham Hotspur are acclimatising to life under the stewardship of Ange Postecoglou in the early stages of the new season.

They are also getting used to the absence of Harry Kane, and journalist Rudy Galetti has given an update on the search for his replacement.

Who will replace Harry Kane at Spurs?

The long and drawn-out process of Harry Kane’s departure from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finally reached its conclusion earlier this month.

Kane is a legend in that half of north London, and so the Spurs faithful will have been glad that he at least chose the Bundesliga over a Premier League rival when angling for a move.

The England captain’s time in the German top flight has got off to a strong start with a goal, assist and three points to boast from the season opener.

He played a very intelligent ball through for Leroy Sane to open the scoring against Werder Bremen before getting in on the act with one of his textbook finishes on Friday night.

Tottenham’s attentions can now turn towards replacing their all-time top scorer, a very sizeable pair of boots to fill.

Football Insider is reporting that one of the names on the Lilywhites' wishlist is Gift Orban, who plays his club football in Belgium with Gent. The Nigerian striker is just 21 years old, so would be brought into the squad as a player for the present and the future.

What has Rudy Galetti said about the Gift Orban rumours?

Rudy Galetti offered his opinion on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Orban as they look to fill the Harry Kane-sized void.

Speaking recently to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Tottenham are seriously interested in Gift Orban. They are targeting him as one of the possible replacements for Harry Kane.

"After approaching the representatives of the striker, the pace of a potential deal is a little bit slow. Spurs, in fact, want to negotiate a fair price with Gent, but the Belgian club seem to be quite adamant in their position for the Nigerian player.

"The Belgian club already set the price for Gift Orban at around €30m or €35m. The price is considered a bit high by Tottenham.

"Gent, today, don't want to lower their request. They are still in talks, so let's wait for the developments, which are expected in the next days."

What is the latest Tottenham transfer news?

There may not be much more business to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium if Ange Postecoglou’s recent quotes are anything to go by.

He said: “Our focus at the moment is trimming the squad down and seeing where that takes us in terms of reinforcements.”

That being said, Spurs are being linked with a familiar face, as reports suggest they could reunite with defender Clement Lenglet.

The Frenchman was on loan at the club from Barcelona and he remains excluded from Xavi’s plans at the Nou Camp, having not featured in the squad for the season-opening draw with Getafe.

Elsewhere, there were previous murmurs of the Tottenham boss being an admirer of Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson – and they, of course, have money to spend following the sale of Kane.

A number of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have raised concerns over the PCB’s decision to allow contracted players to play in the T10 League, which starts in the UAE on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2017A number of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have raised concerns over the PCB’s decision to allow contracted players to play in the T10 League, which starts in the UAE on Thursday.The franchises fear the league could emerge as a potential threat to the value of the PSL itself. A central point in their concern also revolves around Salman Iqbal, owner of the Karachi Kings franchise, who is president of the T10 League and whose broadcast company is part of the management, while Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar was not allowed permission by the PCB to launch his own league in association with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).Current PSL champions Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi was most trenchant in his criticism, who as champions have the most to lose if the PSL is adversely affected. “It’s the PCB’s responsibility to improve the PSL and protect the stake of Pakistan cricket,” Afridi told ESPNcricinfo.”Franchises are not the rights holders of the league but we are the important entity running the show and signed to do so for ten years. We worked so hard to build this brand collectively. If the PCB will not protect our interest, then who will?”How can the PCB undermine its own league and kill the hype of its own tournament by allowing top contracted players to play in another league taking place at the same venue just a month earlier? It might work well for some individuals but it does not help Pakistan cricket at all. There is a value of our players and you cannot sell out our players in bulk. There is a big possibility it will come back to bite us.”PCB chairman Najam Sethi had broached the subject first in a routine meeting with PSL stakeholders last month. He reportedly asked each team if they had any concerns, only to found out that a majority of the teams did. A basic presentation by Iqbal was rebutted by Islamabad United owner Ali Naqvi, while Lahore Qalandars questioned the support given to a league mainly backed by non-Pakistani investors.During another meeting, there was a suggestion that a vote be carried out to determine a future course of action, only for the idea to be dropped after the majority of franchises expressed reservations in allowing players to participate in the T10 League. Sethi, however, had the authority to take the final decision as PCB chairman, and allowed players to participate. He assured teams that they would continue to monitor the T10 League and promised the PCB would withdraw its support should the PSL be threatened.A PCB spokesman said the PCB had been assured there was “no conflict of interest with the PSL”. He also said the date of the T10 tournament had been changed from February to December after the PCB said the former was not acceptable to them. “The organisers wanted the PCB to issue NOCs to Pakistan players free of cost, like it’s done for other boards. But since no reciprocity was involved in their case, the PCB demanded a hefty fee in exchange and obtained $400,000.”Lahore Qalandars – as well as Peshawar – also confirmed that they were indirectly approached at a very early stage in the inception of the league and offered to become a party in it. But the business proposition was turned down because it was understood to be counter-productive to their brand. Iqbal was himself initially against allowing Pakistan players in the T10 League.”There are genuine concerns raised by a majority of PSL teams and the issue needs to be sorted with due diligence,” a Qalandars official told ESPNcricinfo. “Allowing marquee players into other leagues that have the potential to undermine the PSL is a point of concern.”Quetta’s owner, meanwhile, had been seeking permission from the PCB to buy a team in the Emirates League in the UAE but had not received permission. During the meeting, the owner of Gladiators didn’t object to supporting the T10 League, but underlined the PCB’s “double standard” in not allowing one owner to buy a team, and discouraging another for associating with other leagues in the UAE.Not least of the impacts of the league will be that the final round of Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, will be played without a number of big names who will be playing in the UAE this weekend. Pakistan players in the T10 League include Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Hasan Ali.The final QeA round begins on December 15 with eight teams competing for a place in the final.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe wants to make one more signing for his outfit this summer and looks to have identified a rising Premier League star as a candidate.

Who could Newcastle sign this summer?

According to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope, Chelsea starlet Lewis Hall is being considered by the Magpies as they explore defensive options this summer, with Marc Cucurella and Kieran Tierney also on the list.

The reporter stated in full: "Understand NUFC are exploring move for Chelsea’s Lewis Hall but are at limit of spend & must be “creative”. Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney & Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella others discussed at LB but nothing close. Joachim Andersen & Antonio Silva high on list at CB but v unlikely re cost."

The 18-year-old impressed upon breaking into the Blues' first team last season and could now make the move to Tyneside as Newcastle search for 'creative' ways to complete their summer spending while aligning with Financial Fair Play.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

Hall has been widely expected to complete a loan move to Crystal Palace this summer but Howe's side may well be in the driving seat to now hijack the deal.

How good is Lewis Hall?

It's not quite clear if Newcastle would entertain a loan move, but if that is a viable option for the club, then it could work out tremendously.

The Magpies have signed Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh for approximately £132m this summer, and are approaching their limitations, though the lion's share of what Howe and technical director Dan Ashworth would have wanted has been achieved.

Hall would complete the jigsaw, and while he is young, the Englishman has been heralded by Pat Nevin for his 'incredibly impressive' start to life on the major stage after winning Chelsea's Academy Player of the Season award in 2021/22.

Last season, he recorded an average rating of 7.01 across his nine Premier League outings, making 1.7 key passes per game and completing 84% of his passes. Clearly, this is a player that loves to be on the front foot.

He would also provide cover and competition for Dan Burn on the left flank of the Toon backline, with the towering 6 foot 6 ace impressing in his makeshift role over the past year, naturally a central defender.

However, now that Newcastle have entered continental competition and could realistically compete for silverware across four different competitions, signing Hall would be a prudent move, especially following Jamal Lewis' loan departure – with the option to buy – to Watford.

Burn joined United from Brighton & Hove Albion for £13m in January 2022 and has been instrumental in the club's remarkable rise under Howe's management, playing every match in the English top-flight last year as Newcastle finished fourth, boasting the joint-best defence in the division (alongside champions Manchester City).

The £55k-per-week titan is not the most mobile of defenders, something Hall on the flip side can indeed consider himself to be, and while Burn does rank among the top 5% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for clearances and the top 2% for aerials won per 90, as per FBref, he ranks among the bottom 7% for shot-creating actions, the bottom 4% for progressive carries and the bottom 13% for successful take-ons per 90.

The 31-year-old also only earned an average Sofascore rating of 6.78 last term, completing 0.4 key passes and 79% of his total passes despite being less ambitious than Hall in his ball-playing.

The divergence in style that Hall would bring to St. James' Park would add a whole new dimension to Howe's burgeoning system, with the teenage talent ranking among the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for successful take-ons and the top 6% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

The youngster is also a solid and tenacious defensive option, sitting among the top 5% for tackles and the top 9% for interceptions per 90 – it is this age-belying roundedness to his craft that has left Newcastle so interested in stealing him from under Crystal Palace's nose.

Once dubbed "amazing" by Chelsea teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hall boasts the creativity and the progressive presence to improve Newcastle's team, and he could be the low-risk signing to finish off the emphatic transfer activity this summer with aplomb.

The 33-year old will leave his former team Melbourne Renegades, with whom he spent three seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2017Callum Ferguson has signed up with Sydney Thunder for the next three seasons of the Big Bash League, ending his three-year term with the Melbourne Renegades.Ferguson, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Tuesday, has played 76 T20s, scoring 1373 runs at an average of 22.50. He made his debut for Australia in 2009 but injury and poor form have kept him from being a regular in international cricket. Ferguson is a veteran of the domestic scene, though, and he has been in form this season. He assisted South Australia to the final of the JLT One-Day Cup, scoring 73 and 169 in the process, and, earlier this month, he struck 182 not out against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.Ferguson, who has also played for Adelaide Strikers as well in the BBL, joins a Thunder squad full of familiar faces. “I’ve played with Shane Watson, Ben Rohrer and Aiden Blizzard,” he said. “There’s a few guys who I’ve had a really good time playing with or against in the past and I’ve had really good dealings with all of them.”There’s a lot of things that attracted me to Sydney Thunder. It’s a great city and I’m looking forward to the experience of being a senior player in a young and talented group.”Michael Hussey, the franchise’s director of cricket, said that Ferguson had been on their radar for some time now and was “excited” to have the batsman on board. “He’s been one of our main targets throughout the off season,” Hussey said, “and we know that there was a lot of competition for his signature.”The Big Bash League kicks off with the Thunder playing the Sydney Sixers on December 19.Sydney Thunder Squad: Shane Watson (capt), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Pat Cummins, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Jay Lenton, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell McClenaghan, Arjun Nair, Clint McKay, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu.

Sophie Devine’s second ODI hundred, 103 off 119 balls, set New Zealand’s defense up by carrying them to 240 before Pakistan’s lower-order collapse

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2017
Full scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty ImagesWith 24 runs to win off 28 balls, Pakistan suffered a dramatic lower-order collapse, losing their last five wickets for just 15 runs to fold for 232, falling short of New Zealand’s total of 240 by eight runs in a thrilling opening ODI in Sharjah. Spinners Leigh Kasperek and Amelia Kerr took three of those five wickets, and New Zealand were aided by two run-outs.Opening only for the second time in ODIs, Sophie Devine had set New Zealand up with her second hundred in the format, 103 off 119 balls, that featured 10 fours. She added a 65-run opening stand with captain Suzie Bates (36 off 39 balls), and 56 with No. 3 Amy Satterthwaite (20 off 34 balls). Pakistan’s spinners, led by Sana Mir, kept chipping away through the middle overs, though, and reduced New Zealand to 181 for 5 in the 38th over.”That’s (opening the batting) something we discussed prior to coming over here in Sharjah,” Devine said after the match. “It’s not too much technically different, it’s more the mindset shift for me and the biggest thing is probably batting with Suzie Bates. We had a laugh about it the other day that we’ve played together for 10 years but probably haven’t batted more than 10 times together.”No. 5 Maddy Green (22) and No. 7 Amelia Kerr (30) struck cameos to lift New Zealand to 240 after Devine was dismissed in the 45th over. Offspinners Mir and Javeria Khan combined for five wickets, while left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf finished with 2 for 40.In reply, Pakistan lost Ayesha Zafar for a 12-ball duck, but Nahida Khan (51) and Javeria (55) struck steady fifties to put Pakistan on course. After both batsmen fell by the 28th over, Bismah Maroof (41) and Sidra Ameen (33) put together a 46-run partnership to take Pakistan within 66 runs of the target with more than 13 overs remaining. Pace bowler Holly Huddleston, legspinner Kerr and offspinner Kasperek all chipped in with two wickets to combine with the fielding efforts to script a comeback win.”We know Amelia is a pretty cool customer,” Devine said. “She wanted the ball and that’s what you want in those situations – players stepping up in pressure situations and Lea and Amelia took the ball and took charge.”We put huge amounts of pressure and to hold our nerves, the bowlers did a great job in those last 10 overs and the fielders backed it up to create a few chances with the run-outs.”

Leeds United may be crying out for a striker, having already bolstered their backline sufficiently, but that should not rush manager Daniel Farke into a move to fix that issue…

Is Michail Antonio leaving West Ham United?

However, Football Transfers seem to suggest that might be the case, as they detail the future of West Ham United's leading no.9 Michail Antonio.

The Jamaica international has been a fine talisman for the Irons over the years but age has been cruel to the forward, who has seen his physical assets wane somewhat. He remains a willing runner and impressive with his hold-up play, but the goals have just started to dry up.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

So, to suggest that Elland Road could be one of his potential destinations as he reportedly pushes for an east London exit should worry fans, as their interest in the ageing marksman would barely even mark an upgrade on last season's struggling Patrick Bamford.

Is Michail Antonio any good?

With 276 appearances for the Hammers under his belt, there have been particularly proficient periods in the 33-year-old's career that led to widespread praise.

However, those moments have been far less frequent in recent times, with the former Nottingham Forest ace having only mustered seven goals across 37 appearances in all domestic competitions last term. It marked a sharp drop off from his 2021/22 season, where he scored ten and assisted eight in the Premier League alone.

The £85k-per-week star was even lambasted by Glen Johnson during West Ham's most recent season, where they were threatened with relegation for a period. He noted:

"Michail Antonio always works hard but his form has not been great for some time now. The problem with a player like Antonio, even when his form is good, he's still not a natural goalscorer and won't give you loads of goals.

"When he's out of form, he can run around and draw some fouls, but that's not good enough in the Premier League. For a struggling team, you have to give more."

Even Bamford recently managed to amass six goals across 31 appearances in the league and the FA Cup, with the main issue surrounding the 29-year-old being his profligacy in front of goal.

The former Chelsea man missed 13 big chances in the Premier League but clearly had a knack for being in the right areas – Antonio did miss seven of his own too.

Such a troublesome tenure has come just two years after the marksman scored 17 and assisted a further eight in their return season back in the top flight, suggesting it had not been that long since he was instead one of the division's most lethal assets.

Having since been thwarted by injuries of late, this has had a huge impact on his freshness.

Yet, given he is four years Antonio's junior and with his peak arguably surpassing that of David Moyes' striker too, there is little value in bringing in such an old forward to occupy a position that could see Bamford easily recapture his form.

His most recent period in the Championship did see him fire them to the title too, with 20 goal contributions in the league.

With the years he has on him, which also hands the former England international a higher likelihood to replicate his lethal past, it could be argued that signing Antonio would be to bring in an unnecessary, far worse option.

The largely simplified and smoothly codified new MoU is the first of its kind to include both men’s and women’s cricket

Daniel Brettig07-Sep-2017Australian cricket’s pay war has formally ended with the completion of the full MoU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association for the next five years.Negotiation and drafting of the full agreement took around two months, after a heads of agreement between the two warring parties was announced by the chief executives James Sutherland and Alistair Nicholson at the MCG on August 3. It is the first of its kind to include both women and men.After 20 years of collective bargaining agreements adapted and expanded from the original revenue sharing deal struck in 1998, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the new MoU has been largely simplified and more smoothly codified when compared to the labyrinthine deal reached in 2012.Its fundamentals include payment of 27.5% of agreed Australian Cricket Revenue to all players according to CA’s projections over the next five years, with players receiving 19% of revenue created above projections and grassroots levels of the game handed 8.5%. Should revenue exceed A$1.96 billion over the next five years, the players will receive 27.5% of that extra revenue. The use of the extra grassroots funding is to be decided upon by a joint committee featuring two representatives each from CA and the ACA.The ACA, meanwhile, will continue to be funded by CA, though the money will no longer be termed a “grant” to the players association but instead a payment for the players’ intellectual property as used by the board for broadcasting, promotion and sponsorship of the game. The commercial wing of the ACA announced during the dispute, the Cricketers Brand, will continue its operations.Pressure from commercial partners, and also the intervention of the federal government’s minister for sport, Greg Hunt, played a significant role in bringing the dispute to an end. Another factor was the looming possibility of CA not being able to send a touring team to Bangladesh for the ongoing Test series, after the players voted unanimously not to tour unless an agreement was reached. An Australia A tour of South Africa had already been cancelled for the same reason.CA had entered the dispute seeking to end the players’ claims to a fixed percentage of the game’s revenue, a principle at the core of all agreements that had been reached since 1998. The board argued that the model prevented it from investing more freely in numerous elements of the game, particularly funds for grassroots junior and club competitions.Also on Thursday, CA released its strategy document for the next five years, aiming among other things to make the WBBL the “undisputed leader of women’s sporting leagues in the world” by 2022. Also strongly prevalent throughout the strategy is the need for CA to provide the game’s fans with more of what they want, namely an increased amount of Twenty20, an aim that dovetails with Australia’s hosting of the women’s and men’s World T20 tournaments in 2020.On a team performance level, the strategy document speaks of a greater focus on the shortest format of the game by developing “the leading talent pathway with a paradigm shift in alignment to the T20 format” and also ensuring that cricket can “transform into the best high-performance model in Australian sport, with ground-breaking use of technology”. All state associations have set the goal of significantly upgrading their own training facilities over the next five years.The strategy also sets lofty goals for generating more money for the game, an aim thrown into sharp focus by looming negotiations for television rights deals both domestically – for international cricket and also the BBL and WBBL – and internationally, particularly the selling of rights to Australian cricket into the lucrative Indian market.”Significantly grow media, digital and commercial revenue and develop more socially responsible partnerships,” the document states. “Increase revenue from international markets through innovative content, new partnerships and by reaching more of the global cricket family. Unlock the rapidly growing commercial markets for women’s cricket.””Storytelling” was another element to be touched upon in the document, which stated: “Cricket has a modern, positive and progressive voice in Australian sport and around the world. Storytelling makes cricket the highest profile and preferred sport for children, parents and grassroots communities. Our stories are relevant for women and girls, reflecting a gender-neutral sport. Cricket has the most inclusive and compelling stories, making our elite players the most recognised and respected Australian athletes. Australian Cricket has a clear identity that connects and inspires employees, who are empowered and harnessed as sport’s best storytellers.”Sutherland declined to speak about the strategy, but last month indicated that this was likely to be his last MoU negotiation, having been chief executive since 2001. “We’re very pleased to be putting this one behind us and we’re looking forward to five years of stability,” he told , “That [the next one] might be someone else’s problem I think.”

Lionel Messi is one of, if not the greatest player of all time. That is a fact of football. And with that status comes the privilege of playing with some of the best players that the beautiful game has to offer, who will likely spread the word of the Argentine's greatness even further.

There are many great honours in football, from the Champions League, all the way to the World Cup, but sometimes, players can simply realise their dream by sharing a pitch with Messi.

With that said, it must be some feeling to be named in the list of the legend's favourite teammates throughout his illustrious career – a list that we've taken a detailed look at, after it was revealed by Titan Sports, via The Daily Mirror.

10 David Villa

Arguably playing with Messi at the peak of his powers, David Villa formed quite the partnership with the Argentine, scoring a total of 48 goals in 119 appearances for Barcelona.

Messi, meanwhile, with Villa as a teammate, famously scored 91 goals in the calendar year of 2012.

9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Likely fuelling Zlatan Ibrahimovic's planet-sized ego even more, as if that was needed, Messi also named the Swede in his list of his favourite teammates.

During his time at Barcelona, the former AC Milan forward made just 46 appearances, in which he scored 22 goals in a short, but efficient spell at the Nou Camp.

8 Sergio Busquets

Messi then moved on to his former Barcelona teammate, and current Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets. And this one is up there with the least surprising.

Such is the way that Busquets makes everything easier out of the spotlight, providing the platform for greatness, many attacking players over the years will likely give the same answer as Messi.

Now in MLS, the Barcelona legend will almost certainly do the same job.

7 Andres Iniesta

There's not many players that can match Messi's Barcelona legacy, but if anyone can come close, it is Andres Iniesta. And the iconic number 10 recognised the honour of playing with the legendary midfielder, naming the Spaniard in the list of his favourite teammates.

Iniesta won the lot during his time in La Liga, and remains one of the best players to ever step onto the famous Nou Camp turf.

It came as no shock when Messi name-dropped his former teammate.

6 Xavi

Just like during their playing career, you can't get Iniesta without Xavi. Together, they formed one of the best midfields in football history alongside the aforementioned Busquets, winning four Champions League trophies together.

It's no surprise that Messi named all three midfielders in his list. There's no doubting they truly helped provide the platform for his incredible success throughout his career.

5 Neymar

Even ignoring Neymar's pure football ability for a second, his friendship alone with Messi was going to get him on the list.

Back to his football ability, Neymar isn't exactly a poor player, either. His flare was the perfect addition to Messi's magic, with the duo enjoying particular success during their Barcelona days, while also showing occasional glimpses of magic together at Barca.

4 Luis Suarez

Just like Neymar, Luis Suarez's friendship gets him on Messi's list first and foremost, before we even look back on his incredible Barcelona career.

Together with Messi and Neymar, Suarez formed one of the best front threes in the history of football. Together, 'MSN' played a total of 409, scoring an incredible 344 goals and recording 157 assists, winning honours such as the Champions League.

Suarez, himself, during his time at Barcelona, scored 195 goals in 283 appearances.

3 Samuel Eto'o

Another player that Messi had the privilege of scoring plenty of goals alongside, Samuel Eto'o was as selfless as ever during his time at Barcelona, helping a younger version of the Argentine to great success.

In total, Eto'o scored 130 goals in 199 appearances for a sensational record in front of goal.

He remains a Barcelona legend, and one of Messi's favourite players.

2 Deco

Like Eto'o, Deco had an impact on the early stages of Messi's career – something that the forward acknowledged by listing the former Barcelona man in his list of favourite teammates over the years.

During his time at the La Liga giants, Deco made 161 appearances, winning one Champions League, and scoring 20 goals.

1 Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was always going to feature on this list, wasn't he? At the time, it felt like the passing of the torch between the Brazilian legend to Messi, as if he was almost welcoming space for his forthcoming legacy.

Not many would have believed at the time that a player could better Ronaldinho's time at Barcelona. Yet, here we are, with arguably the greatest player of all time doing exactly that, and more.

It has been a busy summer transfer window of change for Celtic as they have changed managers, made a £25m sale, and brought in five new signings.

Who have Celtic signed this summer?

Brendan Rodgers, who replaced Ange Postecoglou in the dugout last month, made Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and Australia international Marco Tilio his first two signings.

The Northern Irish tactician added two further additions to his squad on Monday of this week as Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang both arrived from South Korea on permanent deals, before Polish central defender Maik Nawrocki joined from Legia Warsaw on a five-year deal.

Amongst these new arrivals, the Hoops also sold Portuguese phenomenon Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad for a reported fee of £25m, which has left the head coach with a huge hole to fill within the attack ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who could Celtic replace Jota with?

Rodgers could finally replace the 24-year-old sensation with a swoop to sign reported Celtic transfer target Tete, who currently plays for Shakhtar Donetsk and is looking for a move away from Ukraine after two loan spells.

Journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that the Brazilian forward would "raise the bar" for the club with his quality at the top end of the pitch to fill the void left by Jota, which is backed up by his impressive form for Lyon prior to a recent spell with Leicester.

Rodgers signed the 23-year-old wizard for the Foxes during the January window after he enjoyed a strong year on loan in France. During his time with the Ligue 1 club, Tete racked up eight goals and ten assists in 30 appearances – including eight goals and eight assists in 26 top-flight games.

This means that the talented maestro, who was once hailed as a "hurricane" by Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin, recorded a direct goal contribution once every 1.67 matches on average for Lyon, which is a sublime return from a wide position.

Jota, meanwhile, chipped in with 11 goals and 11 assists across 33 Scottish Premiership clashes last season, which is one involvement every 1.5 outings on average. He was one of two Hoops stars, alongside Kyogo Furuhashi, who produced more than 15 goals and assists combined.

This suggests that Tete, who scored nine goals in 17 league games for Shakhtar during the 2021/22 campaign, has the potential to be an excellent replacement for Jota in terms of his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from out wide.

The exciting dynamo could also be an excellent signing for Celtic as he already has a relationship with Rodgers and knows what the manager wants from his wingers, due to their spell together in England earlier this year.

Tete was dubbed a "super" professional by the ex-Liverpool boss, who also described the Shakhtar loanee as exactly what he had been looking for in a right-sided attacker.

Although the £21k-per-week ace only scored once in 13 Premier League games for Leicester, his eye-catching displays for Lyon indicate that the quality is there for him to arrive in Scotland as a Jota-esque figure on the flank for Rodgers by scoring and assisting goals week-in-week-out to compete for trophies over the next nine months.