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Chelsea are prepared to open talks over re-signing a former “leader”, who one source describes as the perfect player for Enzo Maresca’s dressing room.

Enzo Maresca makes "very important" Conference League claim

The west Londoners take a commanding 4-1 lead into their Conference League semi-final second leg against Djurgardens tonight, and all signs point towards Chelsea easing past Jani Honkavaara’s side as they look to confirm a spot in the final on May 28.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 7, 2025

Maresca has a golden chance to win his first piece of silverware as Chelsea manager during his debut season in charge, and a lot of expectation is riding on him, as they’ve been backed as solid favourites to lift the trophy since the beginning of 2024/2025.

Chelsea’s final four Premier League fixtures

Date

Newcastle (away)

May 11th

Man United (home)

May 16th

Nottingham Forest (away)

May 25th

While Chelsea have much grander ambitions in the long-term, being knocked out of the Conference League at this stage would arguably be a disaster, and Maresca says winning the competition is “very important” for many reasons.

“Very important, very important for sure, 100 per cent,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s Conference League ambitions.

“For different reasons but the main reason is because we want this club winning trophies. In this moment we are in the Conference so we have to try to win the trophy in the competition that we are.

“So yeah, it’s important personally, but for me, it’s much more important for the club, for the fans. We said many times that it’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions so it’s also good for the club.”

It would also end the campaign on a high, even if Chelsea’s race for Champions League qualification is taking centre stage right now.

The club’s ambitions to compete in Europe’s most prestigious competition will also have a knock-on effect when it comes to summer transfers, and it is believed the signing of a new centre-back is a top priority for Chelsea ahead of next term.

Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi are among Chelsea’s rumoured central defensive targets, but according to Football Transfers, they now have their eyes on a possible reunion with Antonio Rudiger.

Chelsea ready to open talks over bringing back Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger

According to their information, the Blues have made contact with their ex-defender’s camp “in recent days” to be informed on his future at the Bernabeu – as they lay some groundwork over a potential deal.

The Germany international, while generally satisfied with life at Real, has apparently become “increasingly difficult” to deal with, and one source describes his situation as “tense” amid clashes with those in his inner circle.

The reasons for Rudiger’s dissatisfaction are kept vague, but this has apparently alerted Chelsea. Indeed, as well as reaching out to the £238,000-per-week defender’s representatives, it is believed Chelsea are “ready to negotiate” re-signing Rudiger if they get the green-light from him or Real.

The 32-year-old, despite some drama behind-closed-doors, has been described by an FT source as “exactly what the dressing room needs”. Rudiger’s experience could also be vital for Maresca’s very young squad, and he’s already a proven Premier League defender.

“He’s a leader, a warrior, exactly what this Chelsea dressing room needs,” said the source.

“There’s no fear about his personality. If anything, that fire is what we’re missing.”

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is now driving a move for an “exciting” £67m forward, who has been advised to move to Old Trafford by Cristiano Ronaldo, according to reports.

Man Utd keen to bolster attacking options

The stalemate in the Manchester derby will only have underlined the need for Man United to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window, and they are now stepping up their pursuit of a new striker.

One striker who Amorim knows very well is Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, and a £64m bid has reportedly been lodged for the Sweden international, who is also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha is the latest forward to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, with the Red Devils making contact over a deal for the Brazilian, while they are also keen to bolster their options in wide areas.

Bad news for Mainoo: Man Utd ready move for "out of this world" £52m star

Man Utd are seeking to bolster their midfield ranks this summer

1 ByRobbie Walls Apr 8, 2025

There have been recent reports United could even make an audacious £172m move for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, should they qualify for next season’s Champions League via a Europa League triumph.

However, a move for Vinicius does not seem particularly likely, and a report from GiveMeSport has revealed that Sporting CP’s Trincao, who could be more of a realistic target, is now being pursued by Man Utd.

Amorim is driving the move for his former winger, who is also able to play through the middle, which could make him a solid alternative option to Cunha, should the Red Devils miss out on the Wolves star.

The Portuguese forward has a release clause of £67m included in his contract, which means he will not come cheap, but he is deemed more likely to move to Old Trafford than teammate Gyokeres.

Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot have recommended the move to their compatriot, although it remains to be seen whether his head is turned by his international teammates.

"Exciting" Trincao performing well in Portugal

The 25-year-old didn’t set the world alight during his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring just three goals for the Old Gold, but his impressive performances in Portugal over the past few seasons indicate he deserves a second chance in the Premier League.

This term, the former Wolves man has amassed eight goals and 12 assists in 28 Liga Portugal games, in what is on course to be his most prolific season to date.

The Portugal international also impressed for his country during their recent UEFA Nations League clash against Denmark, bagging a brace as his side prevailed 5-2 after extra-time.

Lauded as a “really exciting player” by former Wolves technical director Scott Sellars, Trincao has proven he could be a top signing for Man United, but Cunha should remain their primary target, given that the Brazil international is proven in the Premier League.

India’s batting fragility has been exposed at a crucial time, just before their tour of Australia

Ian Chappell03-Nov-2024It’s never good to experience batting failures but India’s capitulation against New Zealand’s pace and spin bowling came at the worst possible time.With a demanding tour against a very strong Australian bowling attack looming, India needed to exude strength not fragility.Of India’s two deflating losses, the second in Pune on a pitch favouring spin was the worst. They were bowled out for a paltry 46 on a seaming pitch in Bengaluru but they’ve recovered from a previous rout. In Australia in 2020 they collapsed for an abysmal 36 but fought back tenaciously to claim a series victory.Related

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However the loss in Pune was on India’s favoured surface – one that assists spin – and they failed dismally. Amazingly, India had been undefeated on home surfaces for 18 series – an incredible span of 12 years.Not only did India lose at Pune, they were palpably outbowled and outbatted by a resourceful New Zealand. Undoubtedly the worst feature of India’s loss was their extremely poor batting on a surface that spun.This should have been a time for India to shine rather than capitulate.To then read about the response to those two monumental failures was nonsensical. Apparently India practised in Mumbai with lines drawn on the pitches and a serious focus placed on the sweep shot.Some of England’s batting of late on surfaces that spin has been laughable. The Indian reaction to their two deflating defeats is in a similar category.Top-class batters don’t need lines on a pitch. They already know how to bat, along with which balls to play and those to leave alone. The question should have been, why was there such a disturbing lack of decisive footwork from India’s premier batters in Pune?England’s infatuation with the different varieties of the sweep shot is ludicrous. Have a look where it got them: consecutive drubbings against Pakistan’s spin duo, who captured an amazing 39 wickets out of 40 to fall.Those figures are a painful reminder of England’s Jim Laker capturing an incredible 19 out of 20 Australian wickets on a crumbling Old Trafford pitch in 1956. Debacles are humiliating.

The reverse sweep in Tests can be a dangerous shot because it’s premeditated. Precise footwork on the other hand is tailored to the actual length of the delivery

Regarding the supposedly all-important sweep shot, who is the insensitive coach who preached that the reverse sweep is safer to play in Test cricket rather than employing decisive footwork? The danger of the reverse sweep in Tests was adequately revealed with the senseless dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Mumbai Test.The reverse sweep in Tests can be a dangerous shot because it’s premeditated. Precise footwork on the other hand is tailored to the actual length of the delivery. The odd player is very good at all types of sweep shots but the majority should rely heavily on decisive footwork to negate good spin bowling.And while we’re on the reverse sweep – the shot where the batter changes the order of his hands or feet should be deemed illegal. A batter who employs these methods is doing so mainly to disrupt the field placings, which are set for an opposite-handed player.The reverse sweep, when it’s adopted by a person who changes batting style in mid-delivery, might be spectacular and also skilful, but it’s not fair. Fairness should be a consideration in framing the laws and playing conditions.New Zealand’s superiority in Pune was embodied by left-arm slow bowler Mitchell Santner. He’s a solid white-ball bowler but not one who should capture 13 wickets in a Test.Star batter Virat Kohli’s first-innings dismissal was the perfect example of India’s lack of decisive footwork. Kohli was clean bowled by a delivery from Santner that if the batter had taken even a small pace out of his crease he could have hit on the full. However, instead of Kohli’s lack of decisive footwork being the culprit, his shot selection was questioned.Calamitous displays against New Zealand exposed weaknesses in India’s batting. There’s no good time for batting fragility but on the eve of a tough tour of Australia it’s asking for trouble.

A half-century of England-Australia contests only whets the appetite for more

Mark Nicholas12-Jun-2023It was a fine time to be alive – the Beatles and The Stones; George Best, Garry Sobers and Rod Laver. Nothing much else mattered frankly, except the Engand cricket team. Who could forget, however young they may have been, The Oval in 1968 when members of the crowd helped the ground staff mop the sodden outfield and open the door through which Derek Underwood marched to claim 4 for 6 in 27 balls and secure a drawn series with just six minutes of the five days remaining, it was Ray Illingworth’s team that toured Australia in 1970-71 who most fired our love of the Ashes. For those among us keen enough to smuggle transistor radios under their pillows at night and listen to the crackling sound of airwaves that told us stories of a vast and cinematic land where the sky was sapphire blue, the sun baking hot and the flies on the side of the locals, imaginations ran riot.We revelled in the commentators’ description of the Chappell brothers – Ian with his collar up, chewing gum as if that alone were a fight, and Greg, all upright elegance and gorgeous timing. We marvelled at the distant thought of a young Dennis Lillee – long hair flowing in the wind and bouncers flying – along with Rod Marsh, who, we were told, flew with gloves on to try and catch them. There was John Gleeson, the mystery spinner, whose bent-finger grip of the ball was learned from Jack Iverson; Bill Lawry, immortally named “the corpse with pads on” and Graeme “Garth” McKenzie, who had made a name with Leicestershire in county cricket and seemed too nice to bowl fast. A formidable bunch.But in Geoffrey Boycott we believed. Sure, he blocked the life out of many a day’s play, but there was something admirable about the bloody-mindedness in this bespectacled and apparently tortured Yorkshireman, who seemingly knew little of the world around him and everything about batting. The distance between him and the enigmatic and often moody writer of poetry, John Snow – who doubled up as England’s rather brilliant fast bowler – was vast but they were players in the same team, and even as winter closed in on West London, were the main subjects of imitation in the street outside the Nicholas home.Related

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The commentators painted pictures so vivid, it felt as if we were actually watching it all, and in magnificent Technicolor too. When we drifted into sleep, the dreams of a future in this exciting world became the dreams of our lives.Illingworth’s lads won the extended seven-match series 2-0, with Boycott and Snow the key protagonists. Ted Dexter, working on the tour as a journalist, thought Boycott’s unbeaten hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground the greatest innings he had seen by an Englishman and Snow’s 7 for 40 to clean up the match pretty much the best fast bowling. Later, he added Andrew Flintoff with the ball at Lord’s in 2009, and Ben Stokes with the bat at Headingley in the summer of 2019. We shall come to that thing of beauty in a while.The Ashes summers of 1972 and ’75 in England were stymied by controversy of the worst kind, and both dramas took place at Headingley. First up, the fusarium. Sounds ridiculous but Derek Underwood took ten wickets in the match on a pitch infected by a fungus that killed the grass. He wasn’t called “Deadly” for nothing, and on an iffy pitch of any sort, he could pick off pretty much anyone who walked to the wicket. “It was uncanny that it affected only a strip 22 yards by eight feet and the rest of the ground was perfectly healthy,” said Greg Chappell. EW Swanton left it at “The pitch was an embarrassment.”Thommo + Lillee on the rampage = a happy captain: Ian Chappell relaxes with a cold few in the dressing room in Sydney in 1975, Australia 3-0 up in the series•Alan Gilbert Purcell/Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesThree years later, things at Headingley got worse. To pull off a record chase of 445 and win the third Test, Australia required a further 225 on the final day with seven wickets in hand, but when the groundsman removed the covers soon after dawn, he found the pitch vandalised. Chunks of turf had been gouged from the surface and filled with oil. The first clues as to why came when the early spectators were greeted by the sight of perimeter walls painted with the slogan “George Davis is innocent.” Davis was a London cabbie sentenced to 20 years for armed robbery. Protestors had been campaigning for his release for a year and eventually got it. Two years later he was convicted of another robbery and sent down for 15 years. His brother was behind the movement and was to say “We can get the Ashes back anytime. But not my brother.” As it happened, it was raining by tea and the match wouldn’t have run the distance anyway. Once, it was oil for the angry and now orange powder and paint is used by Extinction Rebellion to protest against oil barons. How the great world spins.Meantime, down under in the winter of 1974-75, Jeffrey Robert Thomson had struck terror into the minds of the English batters and the hearts of those who watched from behind their sofas 10,000 miles away. In harness with Lillee, he was unstoppable, unleashing some of the most devastating pace and bounce ever seen, while snarling with a splendid sense of theatre. Richie Benaud said that Frank Tyson was the fastest bowler through the air he ever saw, and added that Thommo must be the fastest off the pitch. Did we feel for the England batters or did our ears prick up with excitement at the mention of these two extraordinary bowlers? The latter, I’d say, because their message of both aggression and rebellion perfectly suited the age in which popular culture and music had overtaken traditional boundaries and innate conservatism.By 1977 and the arrival of Ian Botham, World Series Cricket was on the table and cricket’s place in the order of things was to change forever. As Tony Greig said goodbye to his adopted land, Botham lurched through the gates to claim the throne as mighty allrounder and then England’s captain. Not that it lasted long. In 1981 after the second Test at Lord’s, he resigned the captaincy and returned to the ranks under Mike Brearley. The rest, as they say, is history. Botham played two great innings – one of them miraculous – and bowled with a previously unseen ferocity in that series. England came from behind and won. It was a glorious summer, made so by the wedding of Charles and Diana and this other, rather less decorated (at that time), hero of the people.And so the story ran and ran. Television and radio advanced, news expanded, data went deeper, social media allowed a global conversation, and politics continued to invade sport through its popular appeal – in short, anyone and everyone could have their say.Warne bowls Andrew Strauss at Edgbaston in 2005 with a close relative of the delivery that got him his 700th Test wicket, in Melbourne a year and a half later, off the same batter•Clive Mason/Getty ImagesThe Ashes featured household names on tap – Border and two Waughs; Gower and Gatting; more Botham, Merv Hughes, Mark Taylor, Mike Atherton, Darren Gough, and the incomparable Shane Warne, who lit up the stage he has now left so suddenly and too soon. Of all cricketers, Warne most held our attention. He was everywhere, front page and back; a glittering star in a game often reluctant to fully appreciate them. From 1989 to 2002-03 the Australians were exceptional and England not so. Warne rescued the narrative of the little urn almost single-handedly by giving something new, engaging and irresistible to the audience.”The art of leg-spin,” he says in his autobiography, “is the creation of something that isn’t really there.” He goes on: “It’s a magic trick, surrounded by mystery, aura and fear.” That’s it – fear. From the slow release of a cricket ball, Warne created fear. Or put a different way, Snow, Lillee and Thomson intimidated batters by hitting them on the head; Warne intimidated batters by eyeing them up and explaining the inevitability of him taking them down. He talked baloney much of the time, invented new descriptions of the same spinning ball and made it abundantly clear that he owned the ground on which they played. He has bowled the most Ashes balls and taken the most Ashes wickets. Don Bradman is his batting counterpart and both are well ahead of the rest.Warne was the outstanding player of the famed 2005 Ashes, when England regained the urn after 17 years. Had he not trod on his stumps one Edgbaston Sunday morning, he might well have cooked up a win from nowhere and galvanised his team to go on and take the series. As it is, England triumphed amid wild scenes of celebration that extended to an open-top bus parade through London, which ended, with the players much worse for wear, in front of tens of thousands of people at Trafalgar Square. It wasn’t that Admiral Nelson played any part but it was almost surreal that he was there, watching over such nationalism.The Australian team hated the excess in all that and turned their attention to revenge, which was exacted without mercy at home not much more than year later. England were crushed by the last hurrah of a truly great cricket team that had been led by Allan Border, then Taylor, Steve Waugh, and the best No. 3 batter to wear the green and gold since Bradman, Ricky Ponting. Warne and his compadre in the field of combat, Glenn McGrath, bowed out at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but not before Warne had claimed his 700th wicket with another dazzling ball to Andrew Strauss.Flintoff amps it up against Brett Lee at Lord’s in 2005; he took 24 wickets in that series. Four years on, he produced another epic performance at the same ground•Getty ImagesStrauss led his own team to victory at home in 2009, with Flintoff every bit as much the talisman he had been in 2005, when he had done a bit of a Botham on the country. At Lord’s, Freddie bowled so relentlessly fast and straight that Ian Chappell was moved to say he had not seen better; and remember, Chappelli hung out at first slip to Lillee and stood firm at the top of the order against Andy Roberts and Michael Holding.Strauss’ even more memorable victory came in Australia 18 months later, with extraordinary if very different batting from an eclectic group that included Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen setting up Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann to knock over Ponting’s suddenly vulnerable team. Since then, it has been comfortable wins at home for Australia and success at home for England.Until 2019, when it went to the wire.For Botham and Flintoff, read Stokes and the legend of Leeds. England were behind in the series, Headingley was do or die. Humbled for 67 in the first innings, Joe Root’s unlikely lads needed 359 to win in the fourth. The last day fell this way and that, a roller coaster in the true sense of sporting uncertainty. Stokes, having bowled two astonishing and long spells with a dicky knee and at great pace, dug in to douse the Australians’ flame before launching into an all-out assault that, in thrilling fashion, put out their fire. History will record the nearly factors – sixes inching over fielders’ heads; the Marcus Harris drop at third man (a difficult chance reminiscent of Simon Jones at Edgbston in 2005); the wasted, and last, Australian review, when moments later Leach was trapped in front of all three; the Leach run out that wasn’t; the Stokes lbw escape – but it will rejoice in the most magnificent innings, the best many of us reckoned we had ever seen.These are the matches and players I have known. I am no less excited now than I was then: well, perhaps a little, but only because the boyish enthusiasm has long gone. Of the players I didn’t see live, the contest between those great mates Keith Miller and Denis Compton would have been one to behold. So too between Benaud and Bradman; Hutton, Hammond and Hobbs; Trumper, Macartney and Grace. Perhaps Harold Larwood, most of all, during Bodyline, against the fine Australian batting of the day, or Bill O’Reilly: the legspinner who was the best bowler Bradman ever saw.Ben Stokes at Headingley in 2019, during the Test that now bears his name in folklore•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesO’Reilly raged against the machine, attacking officialdom with a rarely seen confidence and wit. His Catholicism saw him in scrapes, not least with Bradman, a Protestant, but his energy and concern for the Ashes never wavered. He called out for an even contest between bat and ball and a complete commitment from those lucky enough to represent their respective countries. He spared no one if criticism was due.One weekend in the early 1920s, O’Reilly received a call to go to Bowral – which he probably did by train and then bike, kit bag slung over his shoulder. He was later to call it a “dreadful mistake”. Early in the game and standing at square leg, he saw a diminutive figure approaching:”What struck me most about him was the difficulty he seemed to be having taking normal steps as he approached the wicket. His pads seemed to reach up to his navel. His bat was small and had reached the sere and yellow stage, where the yellow was turning to dark tobacco.”It was the boy Bradman, who made 234 not out.Later, Bradman made 5028 runs in 63 Ashes innings at an average of all but 90. Within these figures are 19 hundreds, 12 fifties and a highest score of 334.Who is next, one wonders. Maybe not another Bradman or Warne but for sure, players will emerge with the capacity for wonderful performances and to answer the call of the crowd. The greats of the game say that the Ashes defines you and it’s true – ask any of the 22 named at the toss on Friday morning. They will say the same. Bring it on.

“I am just thinking how I am going to recover and sleep through the night,” Ashwin said

Sidharth Monga15-Feb-20212:54

Manjrekar: Ashwin a player who loves responsibility

R Ashwin spent the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour, which he was not part of, working hard on and frustrated with his batting. He was being left out of the side because of Ravindra Jadeja’s added batting advantage. It was not an unreasonable selection call: there was room only for one spinner in away Tests, and of late Ashwin had made a fast descent from could-be-an-allrounder to is-he-a-tailender zone.Consequently India’s last four wickets were offering nothing while players such as Sam Curran and Kyle Jamieson were proving to be the extra depth that beat India in Tests they were competitive in. In 19 Tests leading up to the Australia tour, Ashwin had averaged 15.4 with a top score of 38. The batsman who not long ago could cover up for selection errors – like he did here – had gone missing.Like the earnest competitor that Ashwin is, he felt he needed to prove he was worthy of a place in the side. He would ask batting coaches what he needed to do and would tell them he would do it. Every chance he got, Ashwin worked on his batting, much like he did on his legspin to try and add value to himself as a limited-overs cricketer. His team-mates and coaches have sometimes in the past secretly ridiculed him for being too ambitious, but this was an understandable desperation and ambition.Related

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'Chennai's Super King'

As it is, Ashwin was playing only one format for India, and there too he was now at the risk of being limited to Tests in India only. If not for the injury and concussion to Jadeja in the T20Is, there’s a fair chance Ashwin wouldn’t have played the Adelaide Test. That dismissal of Steven Smith in the first over and then the continued grip on him in Melbourne might not have happened had Jadeja, the better batsman of the two, had not been injured. And it might not have been that unreasonable a selection either.Vikram Rathour, the India batting coach, worked hard with Ashwin, gave him the freedom to try new things, but then concluded that his batting looked fine. He just needed to worry less about the results even though he could understand Ashwin’s concern because it was playing him out of the side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”He has been very very helpful in terms of trying to explore new options,” Ashwin told Star Sports after his hundred in Chennai, confirming Rathour’s role in his batting turnaround. “As it is I am someone who tries a lot, and he is facilitating me to go out and express myself and explore various options. I’d love to credit him for my batting in the last four-five Tests. He has kept me in the loop, he has said I have been batting very well, and not to overthink it.”In that Adelaide Test, there were signs of the return of Ashwin the batsman when he added 27 with Wriddhiman Saha in the first innings, but again he was part of that horrible collapse in the second innings. Ashwin did feel, though, that he was batting better and that something good was around the corner. The last day of the Sydney Test, all the pain in his back, and the team situation, just took his mind off all the nuts and bolts he was worrying about.In the lead-up to the second Test, all Ashwin worried about with the bat in hand was how to counter Jack Leach, who had got him on the forward-defensive and also on the book foot. It is actually instructive that Ashwin spoke of the whole batting unit looking to find ways to counter Leach, not Dom Bess, who also got five wickets in the Test. Again, Ashwin credited Rathour for working with him on the sweep, a shot he hasn’t played much since he was 19.”After the last Test we were talking about how we are going to counter Leach and probably start bringing the sweep into our game,” Ashwin said. “The last time I swept was when I was 19 years old. And I missed a couple of sweep shots, got dropped from the side and didn’t play the sweep for the last 13-14 years. [I’ve] been practising only that shot over the last week to 10 days. Very very thankful that the plan has paid off. The wicket is such that you can get your runs square. A very very good day.”You might argue that this hundred was not exactly the typical lower-order runs India were after on their trips in England and New Zealand, but it did keep at bay any critics of the pitch his home ground rolled out. Surely they can’t doctor the pitch for both his bowling and his batting? And for a dreamy ambitious boy who grew up playing cricket in the streets of Chennai, to score a Test hundred at his theatre of dreams was extra special.”I am just thinking how I am going to recover and sleep through the night,” Ashwin said. “I am glad it has happened at my home ground. I don’t know if I am going to play another Test here. I don’t know when the next Test will be here.”As Ashwin said, the side has been living a dream over the last two-three months. Why not make it better and knock a home hundred and five-for off the list then?

Manchester United’s tactical imbalances have seen Ruben Amorim caught in a headwind as he fights to lift the club back into the title contention in the Premier League.

For now, inconsistency reigns, with the draw against West Ham United at Old Trafford at the weekend marking just one win across five league fixtures. Amorim’s side are 12th, four points behind fourth-place Crystal Palace, who they beat at Selhurst Park only one week ago.

Flashes of progress are dimmed by an inability to play with the balance and gusto that is needed for true success in the English top flight, and it’s clear that INEOS need to prioritise the signing of a new centre-midfielder

Why Man United need a midfielder

Kobbie Mainoo’s future at Old Trafford has become a flashpoint for an outfit struggling for consistency. Many fans are perplexed at Amorim’s decision to keep him on the fringes, given the defects within the United engine room.

Casemiro is getting on a bit, and Bruno Fernandes does not boast the deep-lying profile needed to establish fluidity and work in conjunction with a tough-tackling anchor.

This is where Adam Wharton comes in. The England midfielder has been in fine fettle since joining Crystal Palace in January 2024, and the Mirror report that United have learned they will need to pay £70m to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams in 2026.

Wharton is attracting interest from numerous suitors, but the Red Devils have made him their top target, and that follows claims from the 21-year-old’s agent that his client has ambitions to star in a Champions League-competing squad.

Why Man United should sign Adam Wharton

Wharton is still young and relatively inexperienced at the highest level, but there’s no denying his quality and potential for further growth.

Hailed as a “passing machine” by journalist Henry Winter, he has been instrumental in the trophy-winning Oliver Glasner era, and his is a technical profile that has caused a stir within many elite offices across England and Europe. United need to win this race, and making Wharton a priority will help them in their bid to sign a star midfielder, someone who would eclipse Mainoo and end the malaise around the Carrington prospect’s name.

It would be negligible to pull Mainoo’s data from the current Premier League campaign, so far on the fringes he’s been, but he excelled during a 2023/24 breakout season in Erik ten Hag’s team, and from here we can see that Wharton would be an exciting upgrade on Mainoo in his finest form.

Premier League – Mainoo (23/24) vs Whaton (25/26)

Stats (* per game)

Mainoo

Wharton

Matches (starts)

24 (24)

13 (13)

Goals

3

0

Assists

1

2

Touches*

49.0

48.2

Pass completion

87%

81%

Big chances created

0

6

Key passes*

0.6

1.5

Dribbles*

1.3

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.0

4.5

Tackles + interceptions*

2.9

2.6

Duels won*

5.0 (52%)

3.5 (52%)

Stats via Sofascore

Though Wharton is less precise with his passing, this is principally because he is an inherent playmaker, looking to break lines and influence while protecting the backline behind him.

Wharton ranks, moreover, among the top 13% of Premier League midfielders this season for through balls and the top 16% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

Less of a dribbler than Mainoo, Wharton’s stable and dynamic midfield came would provide Amorim with the style he is searching for, and it could have quite the ripple effect in giving rise to wider tactical green shoots.

His ability to ‘run the show’ is something that the Red Devils simply don’t boast in the way that Amorim needs to establish full throttle, and given his obstinacy in not giving Mainoo the playing time he and the fanbase are desperate for, Wharton would provide the missing link, the tonic for all that has been inconsistent at Man United in recent times.

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Keep up to date with all the movements around the counties ahead of the 2026 men’s county season

ESPNcricinfo staff

Sam Northeast is heading back to his boyhood county, Kent•Huw Evans Agency

Keep up to date with all the movements around the counties as preparations are made for the 2026 men’s county seasonDerbyshireIN: Matt Montgomery (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: David Lloyd (retired), Alex Thomson (released)
OVERSEAS: Caleb JewellDurhamIN: Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Archie Bailey (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Mitchell Killeen (Essex), Paul Coughlin (Lancashire)
OVERSEAS:EssexIN: Mitchell Killeen (Durham), Zaman Akhter (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Nick Browne (retired), Adam Rossington, Jamal Richards (both released)
OVERSEAS: Simon HarmerGlamorganIN: Sean Dickson (Somerset)
OUT: Sam Northeast (Kent), Tom Bevan (released)
OVERSEAS: Colin IngramGloucestershireIN: Craig Miles (Warwickshire), Will Williams (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)
OUT: Archie Bailey (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Dom Goodman (Sussex), Tom Price (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Somerset)
OVERSEAS: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (April-May), D’Arcy Short (T20), Liam Scott (May-July)HampshireIN: Jake Lehmann (UK passport)
OUT: Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Benny Howell (Nottinghamshire), Joseph Eckland (released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle Abbott, Michael Neser (April-May)KentIN: Sam Northeast (Glamorgan), Matt Milnes (Yorkshire)
OUT: Jack Leaning (Sussex), Nathan Gilchrist (Warwickshire), George Garrett (retired), Marcus O’Riordan, Mohammed Rizvi (both released)
OVERSEAS: Keith DudgeonLancashireIN: Paul Coughlin (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Will Williams (Gloucestershire), Josh Boyden (released)
OVERSEAS: Marcus Harris, Chris Green (T20)LeicestershireIN: Stephen Eskinazi (Middlesex), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire), Josh Davey (Somerset), Ben Green (Somerset)
OUT: Louis Kimber (Northamptonshire), Chris Wright, Harry Swindells (both retired), Matt Salisbury, Roman Walker (both released)
OVERSEAS: Peter Handscomb, Keshav Maharaj (April-July)MiddlesexIN: Caleb Falconer (academy)
OUT: Stephen Eskinazi (Leicestershire)
OVERSEAS:NorthamptonshireIN: Louis Kimber (Leicestershire), Calvin Harrison (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: Freddie Heldreich (released)
OVERSEAS: Matthew Breetzke, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Conway (April-May), Yuzvendra Chahal (July-Sept)NottinghamshireIN: Benny Howell
OUT: Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire), Matthew Montgomery (Derbyshire), Sammy King, Dane Schadendorf (both released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle Verreynne, Fergus O’Neil (April-June)SomersetIN: Josh Shaw (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Kasey Aldridge (Durham), Sean Dickson (Glamorgan), Josh Davey (Leicestershire), Ben Green (Leicestershire), Andrew Umeed (released)
OVERSEAS: Riley Meredith (T20), Migael PretoriusSurreyIN: Ralphie Albert (academy)
OUT:
OVERSEAS:SussexIN: Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Jack Leaning (Kent), Dom Goodman (Gloucestershire), Tom Price (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Ari Karvelas, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Zach Lion-Cachet, Henry Rogers (all released)
OVERSEAS: Jaydev Unadkat (June-Sept)WarwickshireIN: Keith Barker (Hampshire), Nathan Gilchrist (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Yorkshire)
OUT: Danny Briggs (Sussex), Craig Miles (Gloucestershire), Moeen Ali (retired)
OVERSEAS: Beau Webster (April-July)WorcestershireIN:
OUT: Tom Hinley, Yadvinder Singh (both released)
OVERSEAS: Usama Mir (T20), Ben Dwarshuis (T20)YorkshireIN:
OUT: Matt Milnes (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Warwickshire), Jonny Tattersall (Leicestershire), Dawid Malan (Gloucestershire)
OVERSEAS:

Liverpool won at the weekend, but we have seen several times already this season that wins can prove to be false dawns as Arne Slot looks to restore consistency to his side.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo snipped away the shocking run of form that had led to nine defeats from 12 in all competitions, six from seven in the Premier League, three from four at Anfield.

It beggars belief, so diametrically opposed is Slot’s second-season system from the slick and stylish outfit that defied everyone to romp to the league title last season, sealing the deal less than a year after Jurgen Klopp raised the microphone and waved goodbye to the red half of Merseyside.

Liverpool must stay grounded, as Slot said in his post-match interview. There is a long way to go.

One of the most curious aspects of the Reds’ victory was the boss’s call to drop Mohamed Salah. This glimpse into a brand new world has also played into rumours that FSG are looking to sign a wide forward in 2026.

Liverpool planning to replace Salah

Salah did not make it off the bench at the London Stadium, the first time the Egyptian has been an unused substitute in the Premier League since 2019/20, with Klopp’s title-winning campaign effectively wrapped up when the Reds played out a 0-0 draw in the Merseyside derby.

Last season, he was the best player in the Premier League. But that herculean effort has depleted the veteran’s resources, and he is struggling this year.

Mohamed Salah’s Premier League Form

Stats (per 90)

24/25

25/26

Goals scored

0.77

0.34

Assists

0.48

0.17

Shots taken

3.23

2.43

Shot-creating actions

4.51

3.27

Touches (att pen)

9.50

6.21

Pass completion (%)

70.6

68.1

Progressive passes

3.84

4.19

Progressive carries

4.14

3.94

Successful take-ons

1.55

0.92

Ball recoveries

2.70

2.77

Data via FBref

As you can see, there’s been an undeniable drop-off. Liverpool’s wider crew have all slipped across the decking, but time is not on the 33-year-old Salah’s side.

To try and find a like-for-like replacement would be a fruitless task. What Liverpool need instead is a sharp and athletic winger with a flair for goal. Someone like Sadio Mane, perhaps (hardly an easy endeavour in itself).

Well, as per Foot Mercato, Liverpool have opened talks with rivals Everton for one of their star forwards, Iliman Ndiaye.

The versatile Ndiaye, 25, is both athletic and potent in the final third. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested, and the Toffees would be looking to bank around £70m for their star man.

What Iliman Nidaye would offer Liverpool

Woah. From Everton to Liverpool? Blue to red? Nonsense, right?

It’s certainly unlikely, but Liverpool have held an interest in Jarrad Branthwaite for a while now, and Everton explored a move for Ben Doak in the summer before he signed for Bournemouth.

And Ndiaye would be worth the stress. Hailed for having “magic in his boots” by Everton writer Lyndon Lloyd, he ranks among the top 5% of positional peers in the Premier League for successful take-ons and tackles won, and the top 1% for ball recoveries per 90 (as per FBref).

Presenter Jamie O’Hara has even gone as far as to claim that the Senegalese is “one of the best players in the Premier League”.

Ndiaye shares a homeland with Liverpool icon Mane, but they have more in common than merely nationality. The Everton winger, who can play across the frontline, is electric on the ball, combative when against the flow of play and devastating in the box.

Though he’s spent most of his time on the right wing this season, Ndiaye is probably a left-sided forward at heart. Considering this, there’s a good chance Ndiaye would take Cody Gakpo’s starting berth from him at Anfield, with a more protean threat than the clinical Dutchman.

The African talent was Everton’s top scorer last season with 11 goals in all competitions, and that trend has not been bucked this year, Ndiaye with four goals and an assist across 13 games.

When Mane moved from Southampton to Liverpool for around £35m in 2016, he levelled up. Ndiaye could follow his countryman in this regard, having added a range of instruments to his toolbox in recent years and in an up-and-down Everton team.

Liverpool perhaps made a mistake in failing to replace Luis Diaz with a like-for-like successor this summer, and the ramifications have been felt through Gakpo’s somewhat limited attacking approach. He scored and assisted against West Ham at the weekend, but lacked the kind of dynamism that Liverpool’s previous left-sided wingers have offered.

Mane is certainly one of them, probably the cream of the crop. It would be unfair to expect Gakpo to play such a role, but if Ndiaye were signed, Slot would have a player who could match the Netherlands star’s output while bringing so much energy and enthusiasm to the role too.

Mane, now 34 and playing in Saudi Arabia, was once one of the world’s finest forwards, deadly across so many years at Anfield and blending clinical goalscoring with physicality and an unflappable mentality.

One scout even hailed Ndiaye as being “Mane all over again”, and given this is a proven formula in the English top flight, it’s surely one FSG will be enticed in completing.

With the greatest respect to West Ham, tougher tests lie ahead for the Anfield side, whose win at Eintracht Frankfurt in August preceded defeat at Brentford. The elation over that remarkable victory over Real Madrid had crumbled after the triad of recent losses.

Liverpool are nothing if not inconsistent this season, but that can change. It has to change. Liverpool need balance and security, but they also need to be bold and courageous, offering more flair than the likes of Gakpo have been providing.

And what could be more bold than signing a rival in Ndiaye, who would elevate the skill in Slot’s team and also balance the squad’s slanting spirit level.

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 30, 2025

When the New York Yankees open the 2025 MLB season, they won't have the services of one of the biggest bats in their lineup.

Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton will start '25 on the injured list, according to a Saturday afternoon report from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Stanton, 35, has not reported to spring training while "attending to a personal matter," Hoch wrote. He also noted that Stanton's injuries are to his elbows, and that the five-time All-Star has received platelet-rich plasma injections to treat them.

New York is scheduled to open its season on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 114 games for the Yankees last season, Stanton slashed .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs. As usual, he caught fire in the postseason, crushing seven home runs against the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Despite his gaudy numbers, Stanton hasn't played more than 139 games in a full season since 2018.

Leeds United central midfielder Sean Longstaff has established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet in the middle of the park since his move to the club in the summer.

The Whites swooped to sign him from Premier League rivals Newcastle United in a deal worth up to £15m to compete with the likes of Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, and Ilia Gruev.

Longstaff’s experience in the top-flight with the Magpies has helped him to hit the ground running at Elland Road with some impressive showings in midfield.

The 27-year-old star’s breakout performance for Daniel Farke’s side came in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last week, as he scored and assisted a goal.

His fantastic strike, as shown in the clip above, should have been enough to claim all three points for Leeds, but a stoppage-time equaliser meant that they had to settle for one.

Unfortunately, though, the English midfielder was not at his very best in the club’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on Saturday.

How Sean Longstaff performed against Spurs

The former Newcastle man lined up in the middle of the park alongside Stach and Ampadu once again, as they have started to form an impressive unit in midfield.

However, Longstaff did not continue his impressive form. Instead, the Englishman was a bit too easy to play against at times for the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Xavi Simons.

The experienced star was dribbled past three times in midfield, losing half (5/10) of his duels, per Sofascore, which shows that the Spurs players got the better of him too many times.

His part in Mathys Tel’s opening goal summed up his overall performance. Longstaff failed to control a bouncing ball in the middle of the park and then got outmuscled by Bentancur on the turn, which then teed up Mohammed Kudus to set Tel away for his strike.

The Newcastle academy graduate could have prevented the goal by adjusting his body to control the ball from the initial header forward from Spurs, shielding Bentancur out of contention to take it off him.

Vs Spurs	Sean Longstaff
Minutes	90
Key passes	5
Shots	4
Shots on target	0
Tackles made	4
Dribbled past	3x
Duels won	5/10
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, it was not an utterly dreadful performance from the central midfielder, who created five chances for his teammates and made four tackles.

However, all four of his shots failed to find the target, he was dribbled past three times, he lost half of his duels, and he was partially to blame for Tel’s goal.

His underwhelming display should not be a cause for too much concern, though, because it was against the Europa League champions and he has shown that he can put in some excellent showings for Leeds.

Meanwhile, though, one of his teammates put in another concerning performance that may sound some alarm bells, as he is on course to become a flop if things do not improve.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Championship champions swooped to add some Premier League experience to their frontline during the summer transfer window, with the addition of Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer from Everton.

Unfortunately, though, there have been more worrying performances than there have been impressive ones since he made the switch to Elland Road in August.

Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin may become a Leeds flop

Bringing the 28-year-old in, even on a free transfer, was always going to be a gamble by the club because of his output in recent seasons for the Toffees.

Calvert-Lewin scored three goals from 6.75 xG in the 2024/25 season, seven goals from 12.93 xG in the 2023/24 season, and two goals from 5.84 xG in the 2022/23 season in the Premier League for Everton, per Sofascore.

This shows that Leeds signed a player who had struggled badly in front of goal for at least three seasons, underperforming against his xG in all three of those campaigns.

Calvert-Lewin’s debut for Leeds, as shown in the graphic above, did little to ease any concerns about his ability in front of goal, as he missed four ‘big chances’ and a penalty in the club’s loss to Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.

The former England international did score an impressive header against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3-1 win for the Whites last month, but that is his only goal for the club to date.

Calvert-Lewin had a big chance to find the back of the net against Spurs on Saturday, when Noah Okafor pressed the defence into a mistake, but the experienced striker fired his effort high and wide of Guglielmo Vicario’s goal.

The English centre-forward was even worse than Longstaff against the Lilywhites because he struggled with his play in and out of possession of the ball.

Vs Spurs	Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Minutes	90
Shots	2
Big chances missed	1
Big chances created	0
Dribbles completed	0/3
Ground duels won	0/6
Aerial duels won	2/5
Fouls committed	3
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin lost the vast majority of his duels, failed in all three of his attempted dribbles, and missed a ‘big chance’, which was the aforementioned one that he fired over the bar.

This shows that he was even worse than Longstaff, who at least won half of his duels and created five chances for the team, and the striker is now in danger of becoming the next Pierre-Michel Lasogga at Elland Road.

The German striker spent the 2017/18 campaign on loan at the club in the Championship and scored ten goals in 31 league matches, but his general play was less-than-impressive.

Former Leeds forward Noel Whelan once criticised the brute number nine, who was on loan from Hamburg, saying: “He looked heavy, he looked leggy, he looked slow.”

Unfortunately, some of those criticisms could also be levelled at Calvert-Lewin, who has lost 63% of his duels and completed just 17% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, to go along with one goal and five ‘big chances’ missed.

The former Everton attacker is in danger of becoming the new Lasogga at Elland Road because of how clunky he has looked on the ball and how sloppy he has been in front of goal.

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Calvert-Lewin must finally find his form in front of goal and start to become more reliable with the ball at his feet and in duels with opposition defenders if he wants to avoid going down as a flop in West Yorkshire.