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It has been a slow start to the season for Leeds United’s new number nine, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton striker joined the club on a free transfer in the summer, after his contract on Merseyside expired.

The 28-year-old England international has been an important part of Daniel Farke’s side since his summer move to Elland Road, featuring in six games so far, starting the last four in the Premier League.

However, he’s only managed to bag one goal, with his strike coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 3-1 win at Molineux last month.

Farke will be hoping Calvert-Lewin can be a better option up front than Patrick Bamford was towards the end of his Leeds career.

Bamford's rocky time under Farke

For several years, former England international Bamford was the first-choice centre-forward at Elland Road. He notched up 205 appearances for the club, scoring 60 times and assisting a further 25 goals. He was a favourite disciple of the great Marcelo Bielsa. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

His time at Leeds ended this summer, with the club agreeing to terminate his deal by mutual consent. His final two seasons at Elland Road were spent under the tutelage of Farke, although it wasn’t an easy couple of years.

In total, Bamford played 54 times under the German, bagging nine goals and setting two up. The 2023/24 campaign was more than respectable, with the Grantham-born striker netting eight goals in 33 Championship matches.

It was the following term that proved to be problematic for Bamford. He couldn’t get into the side under Farke, and played just 17 games in the Championship, hindered further by a 14-game injury issue.

He didn’t score that campaign, and was later told by the Leeds boss that he is “not in my plans” for 2025/26. Thus, his deal was terminated.

Calvert-Lewin could certainly be seen as the new Bamford, given he is, in essence, a direct replacement.

Yet, there is another Leeds star who could be considered Farke’s new version of the England striker.

Leeds star in danger of being the new Bamford

Things certainly ended in a disappointing way for the Chelsea academy graduate, with the Leeds boss up front about the fact he would have no role to play in the Premier League this season.

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Well, just as Bamford struggled to get game time last season, another Leeds striker could be headed down a similar path.

It has been a tough campaign so far for Dutch striker Joel Piroe. The former Swansea City star has previously shone under Farke, making 97 appearances under the German, to great success, too.

In that time, the 26-year-old scored 33 goals and assisted a further ten. His Championship form was impressive, racking up 13 league goals in 2023/24, and 19 last term as the Whites won the title.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the boss hailed him as “the best finisher” he’s ever worked with only a few weeks ago.

The underlying stats from those two years, showed just how well he has done at Elland Road so far.

For example, two seasons ago, Piroe had a 22.22% conversion rate, and last term, he averaged 0.6 goals per game, an example of why former Swansea boss Russell Martin called him “clinical.”

Piroe – last 2 Championship seasons

Stat (per 90)

23/24

24/25

Goals

0.5

0.6

Conversion rate

22.22%

26.76%

Chances created

1.2

1.1

Duels won

2.8

2.3

Ball recoveries

3.7

2.7

Stats from Squawka

This term has been a completely different story for the Dutchman. The arrivals of Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha have greatly restricted Prioe’s opportunities, and he’s only played three Premier League games, racking up 147 minutes.

It is easy to see how this situation compares to Bamford’s last season. The former Leeds striker had few opportunities to stake a claim under Farke, and the start to 2025/26 has been similar for Piroe.

He will be hoping that the opportunity arises in the coming weeks. The stats are certainly on his side, with the former PSV Eindhoven striker putting up some good numbers over the last couple of years with the German in charge.

If this continues, Piroe is certainly in danger of becoming the new Bamford at Elland Road.

Related Leeds have signed "explosive" ace who looks like a new Raphinha-type player

Leeds fans might finally get their dream Raphinha replacement

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Oct 12, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco é outro com Ramon Diaz. Vice-lanterna do campeonato antes da chegada do técnico argentino, o Cruz-Maltino agora figura fora da zona de rebaixamento e projeta novas subidas na tabela de classificação. A saída do Z4 aconteceu nesta segunda-feira, ao vencer o América Mineiro, no Independência, por 1 a 0, e ultrapassar de uma só vez Santos, Goiás e Bahia.

Essa foi a terceira vitória consecutiva do time no Brasileirão, algo que não acontecia desde o início da Série A de 2020, quando era comandado por outro Ramon, o Menezes. Na ocasião, a equipe venceu Sport (2×0), São Paulo (2×1) e Ceará (3×0). A sequência atual tem triunfos sobre Fluminense (4×2), Coritiba (5×1) e o Coelho (1×0).

O próximo duelo do Vasco será no domingo contra o Santos, na Vila Belmiro, às 16 horas. Caso vença novamente, repetirá a série de quatro jogos que não acontece desde 2012.

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The team will drive to the chief minister’s office for a short felicitation before arriving at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium shortly after 5pm

Shashank Kishore04-Jun-20252:28

Aaron: Kohli has been king of the castle for 18 years

The celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-awaited IPL triumph are set to reach a crescendo on Wednesday afternoon, as the franchise prepares to honour its beloved champions at home.Even as the franchise announced grand plans of an open-bus parade along a 2km stretch from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the evening, the city’s traffic police had already begun working overtime to manage crowds and traffic movements around the city’s CBD.As early as 10am, hundreds of fans had already begun descending at the Kempegowda International Airport to welcome the team. But the long commute from there towards central Bengaluru has forced a change of plan, with the team set to now touch down at the old HAL Airport then drive to the chief minister’s office for a short felicitation before arriving at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium shortly after 5pm.Related

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The city’s police are in close coordination with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who are likely to throw open a number of stands for the victory lap that is now expected to take place inside the stadium’s premises. The KSCA is preparing for at least 10,000 fans to flock to the ground, but that number is likely to be a lot higher.On Wednesday afternoon, the city police had briefed various traffic units on elaborate plans to manage the weekday traffic, with the franchise and the government agencies making a plea to fans to use public transport and the metro service to prevent major traffic disruptions.The public had also been advised to avoid the CBD from 3pm to 8pm, around the time the team is expected to zip through the city for their engagements and post-IPL celebration. However, by noon, fans had queued up along the periphery of the stadium to get a glimpse of the team.Virat Kohli will expectedly be the centre of attention. Soon after winning the IPL, Kohli professed his love for Bengaluru and the franchise that “stood behind me”. It’s likely Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, who celebrated with the team into the early hours on Wednesday in Ahmedabad, will be part of the celebration.”I think I’m going to feel the real side of it when we get to Bengaluru,” he told RCB Bold Diaries. “And celebrate it with the city and fans who’ve stood by us through thick and thin. I’m just relieved. This is far more special than winning it with anyone else, because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore. As I said, this is the team I’m going to play for till the last day I play the IPL. So, this one is absolutely right up there.”

أعلنت رابطة البريميرليج عن الفائز بجائزة رجل مباراة مانشستر سيتي وبورنموث، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، والتي أقيمت مساء اليوم الأحد.

وحل بورنموث ضيفًا على مانشستر سيتي بملعب “الاتحاد”، في إطار مباريات الجولة العاشرة للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز موسم 2025-2026.

وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تحقيق الفوز على حساب خصمه بورنموث، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، خلال مواجهة اليوم.

وحصل على جائزة رجل مباراة مانشستر سيتي وبورنموث، المهاجم النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند بعد الأداء الذي قدمه خلال مواجهة اليوم.

اقرأ أيضًا | تقييم عمر مرموش في مباراة مانشستر سيتي وبورنموث بـ الدوري الإنجليزي

وسجل هالاند هدفين لصالح مانشستر سيتي خلال المباراة، وقد حصل على نسبة تصويت بلغت 89% عبر الموقع الرسمي للبريميرليج.

ورفع هالاند رصيده في صدارة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز للموسم الجاري، إلى 13 هدفًا.

Are Manchester City being overlooked as Premier League title candidates?

A lot of the recent spotlight has been on Liverpool, considering the champions have lost three top-flight matches in a row for the first time since February 2021, with many thereby anointing league leaders Arsenal as overwhelming favourites.

However, considering Man City have been champions in six of the last eight seasons, they are very much in this race.

Pep Guardiola’s team have yielded 13 points from their last five league outings, going in search of a fourth straight league win when they take on Aston Villa on Sunday.

Ahead of this one, the Sky Blues have actually lost their last two visits to Villa Park, failing to win any of their last three outings there, despite a sequence of five successive victories in Birmingham beforehand.

If the Citizens are to get back to winning ways in the Midlands, should Guardiola boldly drop one of his most loyal disciples and start a forgotten star instead?

Bernardo Silva's Manchester City importance

Just in case anyone was doubting Bernardo Silva’s importance to Manchester City, he was on target at Estadio de la Cerámica on Tuesday night, heading home the second goal that rather cemented three Champions League points against Villarreal.

This was his 418th appearance for the club, only 13 men have ever made more, 18 behind Willie Donachie and his namesake David Silva, who sit ninth and tenth on the all-time list.

Bernardo himself has now scored 73 goals and registered 74 assists for the Sky Blues, while he is the player who has made the most appearances under Guardiola in his entire managerial career, clear of Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and İlkay Gündoğan, all of whom moved on to pastures new this summer.

Still only 31 years old, there are discussions about Silva’s role in the current Man City side, given that he has not started any of the last three Premier League matches, before returning to the lineup in Eastern Spain on Tuesday.

So, the Portuguese international may well once again be left on a Premier League bench come Sunday afternoon, given that Guardiola needs to make space in his team for another sensation.

Guardiola must start Manchester City's 'freak'

So far this season, Manchester City have been rather over-reliant on the goals of Erling Braut Håland; his tally of 15 goals already accounts for 65% of their entire tally across the Premier League and Champions League.

However, could the return of Omar Marmoush help ease this attacking burden?

The Egyptian suffered a knee injury during Egypt’s World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou in September, so had not been seen since, until coming off the bench for a brief four-minute cameo at El Madrigal on Tuesday.

His return is certainly a major boost considering that last season, for two different clubs, he was one of the most in-form strikers in Europe, as the table below documents.

Top scorers in 2024/25*

Player

Club

Goals

Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid

31

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

29

Robert Lewandowski

Barcelona

27

Harry Kane

Bayern Munich

26

Mateo Retegui

Atalanta

25

Alexander Isak

Newcastle United

23

Erling Braut Håland

Manchester City

22

Omar Marmoush

Frankfurt & Man City

22

Ousmane Dembélé

Paris Saint-Germain

21

Serhou Guirassy

Borussia Dortmund

21

Patrik Schick

Bayer Leverkusen

21

Ante Budimir

Osasuna

21

Mason Greenwood

Olympique Marseille

21

*in Europe’s top five leagues

Stats via FBref

As the table documents, only five men across Europe’s top five leagues scored more league goals than Marmoush last season, an impressive feat considering the Egyptian changed clubs in January.

Shortly after arriving at the Etihad, he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle, before securing the Premier League Goal of the Season award courtesy of this absolute rocket against Bournemouth in May.

On top of his £59m transfer fee, Marmoush is the club’s third-highest earner, currently pocketing a reported £295k-per-week, behind only the aforementioned Håland and Silva.

Journalist António Mango labelled him a “well-rounded… freak”, international teammate Mohamed Salah heralded him as a “great player with a lot of talent”, while former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described him as “mobile” and “powerful”, impressed by the “special” talent’s adaptability and versatility.

Marmoush is not only a goalscorer, proving during his short Manchester City career so far that he can get involved in build-up play as if he was a world-renowned attacking midfielder, while also capable of running in behind, thereby creating space for others.

Well, on Sunday, Guardiola will come up against an Aston Villa side who will press ferociously at times and defend with a high line but, as noted by Ali Tweedale of Opta’s the Analyst, Unai Emery’s team are susceptible to transitions, often caught out by opposition counter-attacks due to the fact that their offside trap, once the best in Europe, is no longer watertight.

Thus, while Bernardo offers technical brilliance, this may be a game best suited to Guardiola’s direct attackers.

With that in mind, Jérémy Doku and Savinho appear the obvious choices to start out-wide, the latter rewarded for his scintillating display at the Cerámica this week, having looked ‘Leroy Sane-esque’ on the night.

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Through the middle, Marmoush should be chosen to complete the attacking trident, getting forward to support Håland in a second striker role, because his profile is best suited to causing the Villans all sorts of problems, and his return could be a serious game-changer in the title race in general.

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Posts ByJoe Nuttall Oct 24, 2025

أدلى آندي روبرتسون، لاعب فريق ليفربول، بتصريحات بعد خسارتهم المذلة أمام مانشستر سيتي، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مساء يوم الأحد.

واستضاف ملعب “الاتحاد” قمة منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26، حيث خسر ليفربول بثلاثة أهداف دون رد.

وقال روبرتسون، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “جارديان” الإنجليزية: “من الواضح أننا وضعنا أنفسنا في معركة شاقة، لكنني لا أعتقد أن أي من الفرق سينظر بجدية إلى جدول الدوري حتى نصل إلى منتصفه”.

وأضاف: “هذا ما يتعين علينا فعله ولكن علينا حصد النقاط بشكل أكثر انتظامًا، ثم دعونا نرى أين سنصل بعد عيد الميلاد أو أيًا كان، علينا فقط التركيز على أنفسنا وعلى مستويات الأداء”.

وواصل: “لا أعتقد أنه يمكن الحديث عن اللقب في تلك المرحلة المبكرة من الموسم، بغض النظر عن مركزك الحالي، ولكن عليك أن تبدأ بالفوز بالمباريات بشكل مستمر حتى يصبح ذلك موضع تساؤل، إنه بالتأكيد ليس سؤالًا يُطرح في غرف الملابس أو أي شيء من هذا القبيل”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إندبندنت: ليفربول لم يتعلم من درس فيرجسون مع محمد صلاح.. وسيدفع الثمن غاليًا

واسترسل: “نحن نحتاج فقط للعودة إلى المستويات التي نعرف أننا قادرون عليها، المستويات التي قدمناها في آخر مباراتين على وجه الخصوص (أمام أستون فيلا وريال مدريد)، إذا فعلنا ذلك بشكل أكثر انتظامًا، فسنحصد نقاطًا أكثر مما سنخسر”.

وتمكن ليفربول من تسجيل هدف التعادل في الشوط الأول، من جانب فيرجيل فان دايك، قبل إلغائه بداعِ وجود تسلل على روبرتسون، الذي تم اعتباره متدخلًا في اللعبة.

وعن ذلك قال: “كان من المرجح أن يكون ليفربول محظوظًا لو تعادل في النتيجة آنذاك، كان هدفًا صحيحًا، لا يمكنني التعليق عليه (صحة قرار إلغائه)، سندع الآخرين يفعلون ذلك”.

وأوضح: “بالنسبة لي لا أعتقد أنني كنت في مجال رؤية حارس المرمى، هذه هي القواعد التي تعلمناها في بداية الموسم، لذلك كان الأمر صعبًا بعض الشيء”.

ونشرت شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية تصريحات أخرى على لسانه، حيث قال: “كان الجميع يستطيع استبعاد مسألة كوني في مجال رؤية دوناروما، وبعد ذلك قيل أنني أنني انحنيت، هذا من رأيي يجعلني أصغر حجمًا ويسهل على حارس المرمى رؤية الكرة، ولا أعتقد أنه كان سيتصدى لها بغض النظر عن ذلك، من وجهة نظري”.

وأفاد: “كان الحكم قد احتسب الهدف، ولكن مساعده احتسبه تسللًا، ثم تدخلت تقنية الفيديو، اعتقدنا أنها ستكون هدفًا صحيحًا بشكل تام، بعد ذلك عرضوا الموقف على الشاشة الكبيرة، شعرنا جميعنا بالإحباط الشديد آنذاك، لكنها واحدة من تلك الحالات التي تكون صعبة على الحكم”.

واعترف: “لقد شعرت بالأسف تجاه الحكم، أعتقد أن الناس يقولون الآن إن هناك مثالًا مشابهًا لما حدث مع مانشستر سيتي خارج أرضه أمام وولفرهامبتون الموسم الماضي، وقد تم احتساب الهدف آنذاك، لذا من الواضح أن الأمر غير واضح”.

واختتم: “إنه أمر محبط للغاية، كان الهدف سيعيدنا إلى أجواء المباراة في وقت لم نكن نستحقه على الأرجح، لذلك كانت لحظة حاسمة في المباراة، لقد أردنا إنهاء أسبوع قوي حقًا، لكن لم يكن ذلك مقدرًا لنا، كنا نحرز تقدمًا، ثم تعرضنا لضربة قوية من مانشستر سيتي”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Quinta-feira (19) tem Tombense e Vila Nova em jogo importantíssimo para as equipes. A partida é válida pela 33ª rodada do Brasileirão Série B. A partida está marcada para às 19h (de Brasília), no Almeidão.

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Com 28 pontos, a Tombense é a 18ª colocada na tabela de classificação da Série B, tendo empatado com o Juventude na última rodada. A equipe mineira pode se colocar mais perto de sair da zona de rebaixamento em caso de vitória sobre o Vila Nova, que briga pelo G4.

+A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

+ Athletico-PR consegue virada no fim e vence o Grêmio fora de casa pelo Brasileirão

Querendo se aproximar do quatro primeiros, o Vila Nova tem 51 pontos, e está a cinco pontos do Juventude, último time dentro do G4. Nesta quinta, o Tigre quer ter a chance de encostar de vez nos gaúchos e acirrar a reta final. Na última partida, o Vila venceu o Botafogo-SP por 3 a 1.

TOMBENSE X VILA NOVA
33ª RODADA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO DA SÉRIE B

Data: 19 de outubro de 2023.
Horário: 19h (de Brasília).
Local: Estádio Almeidão, em Tombos, Minas Gerais
Árbitro: Maguielson Lima Barbosa (DF)
Assistentes: Lucas Torquato Guerra (DF) e Luis Filipe Gonçalves Correa (PB)
VAR: Philip Georg Bennett (RJ)
Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere

Mahedi bagged 4 for 11 in the third T20I, as Bangladesh won their first T20I series against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam17-Jul-2025

Mahedi Hasan now has the most wickets by a spinner in powerplays in T20Is since January 2021•Associated Press

Bangladesh captain Litton Das had earmarked offspinner Mahedi Hasan for the third T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium when he first saw their tour schedule for Sri Lanka. Mahedi repaid the faith by picking up career-best figures of 4 for 11 in Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win, which also gave them their first series win – by 2-1 – against Sri Lanka.Two of Mahedi’s wickets came in the powerplay, taking his tally to 30 in that phase since January 2021, the most for any spinner on that list. Litton said that Mahedi’s skillset suited the pitch, where spinners have generally done well. Mahedi got into the act straightaway on Wednesday night, removing Kusal Perera in his first over before having Dinesh Chandimal mistime a slog in the fifth.”We felt that Mahedi’s skills would be a perfect fit for the Colombo wicket,” Litton said after Bangladesh’s victory. “It doesn’t mean he doesn’t bowl well on other wickets. I had planned it as soon as I saw the schedule that Mahedi will be my first name in the line-up at this venue. It also doesn’t mean that Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] is not a good bowler or batter. As a team leader, I will think deeply about the surface before choosing a team. A bowling-friendly surface will always make me pick Mahedi. If it is batting-friendly, Miraz will come back into the team.”Related

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Mahedi four-for, Tanzid fifty give Bangladesh first series win against Sri Lanka

The occasion was further special for Mahedi, as he was returning to the side after missing Bangladesh’s last five T20Is. He wasn’t picked in the first two matches of this series after he went for plenty of runs in three games against UAE and Pakistan in May. It may have been harsh for Mahedi, who was adjudged Player of the Series in the West Indies in December, having powered Bangladesh to a 3-0 series win.Litton said he never had a shortage of belief, which helped them clinch the series, making it only the second time Bangladesh won a T20I series after going down 1-0 in a three-match affair.”It is a proud moment for me as a captain. I am happy that the fans are also happy seeing us win a T20I series in Sri Lanka,” he said. “We always try to give our 100% in the middle. We train in the way that we can give 100% in the middle. I always had the belief. I never had a shortage of belief in my ten years at this level.”Litton further said that other than the batting collapses – 94 all out in the second T20I, 186 all out in the third ODI and 167 all out in the first ODI – Bangladesh had a decent tour of Sri Lanka. He felt that the batting unit must take more responsibility across formats.Litton Das scored 76 in the second T20I, while his 32 in the third helped Bangladesh out of an early setback•Associated Press

“We didn’t play bad cricket in all the formats. It looks different as we had some batting collapses,” he said. “All the batters fell for 30-35 runs in the second Test, which had a good batting track. Someone had to play a big knock. It was the same in the first ODI: we lost plenty of wickets in a collapse. We need to be more focused as a batting unit, and take responsibility with our choices of shots, [and] we will do better.”Litton himself showed a bit of form, with his 76 off 50 in Bangladesh’s 83-run win in the second T20I. It was a pivotal knock as Litton added half-century stands with Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain in critical phases. It was also a break from his long white-ball slump. Litton also scored 32 in the third T20I, helping Bangladesh out of an early setback. He said he was getting hungry to score runs and looking for an opportunity.”I think hunger was a factor, I wasn’t scoring runs for a long time,” he said. “I was looking for an opportunity to grab. It was a plus point in the second T20I. I think winning changes the face of the team. We also won the second game by 83 runs, which is a huge achievement. The whole team had the confidence of winning if we played our best cricket.”All I can do is try hard. I don’t sit in the hotel room. I don’t miss training sessions. You have to keep trying as a player. You also need blessing from God. I think luck smiled at me in the second T20I. But I keep trying hard on and off the field. I worked on my own mostly. There are some people who helped me. It can be motivating too.”

Are Manchester City rediscovering the form that made them simply unstoppable not so long ago?

In the Champions League, the Sky Blues have now accumulated seven points from nine matches, following Tuesday night’s commanding 2-0 victory over Villarreal; Erling Braut Håland and Bernardo Silva on target during the first half at Estadio de la Cerámica.

​​​​​​

Meantime, in the Premier League, having collected 13 points from the last 15 available, the Citizens have climbed up to second, looking to continue their winning streak at Villa Park on Sunday.

Some may argue that Pep Guardiola’s team are over reliant on one player, although what a player to be reliant on, but could the return of an “extraordinary” talent make the goalbot himself truly unstoppable?

How Erling Haaland compares to Europe's best

We all already knew that Håland was a goal-scoring machine, but he may be taking this to a whole new level this season.

He has netted in each of his last nine international outings, scoring 17 times across these matches in total, while Tuesday’s opener in Spain took his tally to 15 club goals for the campaign already.

Håland is currently averaging a goal every 63 minutes in Manchester City colours this season and, at this current rate, he’ll bag 52 in the Premier League alone, annihilating his own single-season record of 36 set in 2022/23.

Across a top five European league and the Champions League, he is actually not the top scorer, level with Kylian Mbappé who also has 15, but both are being outshone by a certain Harry Kane, who is currently on 17.

Nevertheless, Håland’s importance to Manchester City is underlined by the fact he has scored 65% of their Premier and Champions League goals this season, while no other player at the club has scored more than a solitary goal across the two competitions.

So, one could certainly argue that Man City are overly reliant on Håland’s goal but, if you’ve got to be reliant on one player, he isn’t a bad choice.

So now, which forgotten sky blue star could make the Norwegian truly unstoppable?

Manchester City's new "extraordinary" talent

In 2025, Manchester City have spent around £385m on 11 new signings, the majority of whom have made little impact so far.

Omar Marmoush did impress after arriving in January, Gianluigi Donnarumma has instantaneously proved why he is considered to be a world-class goalkeeper, while Tijjani Reijnders has been a useful addition to midfield.

However, could Rayan Cherki, who joined from Olympique Lyonnais in June for £34m, prove to be the best of the bunch?

Since the start of this season, the Frenchman has seen just 80 minutes of action due to a thigh injury, but has come off the bench towards the end of the last two matches against Everton and Villarreal as he eases back to full fitness.

Having joined hometown club Lyon at the age of seven, Cherki has been touted as a talent to watch for many years, making 185 appearances for les Gones, scoring 29 goals and registering 45 assists, despite still only being 22 years old.

Last season was certainly his most productive in Ligue 1, as the table below documents.

Cherki Ligue 1 stats 2024/25

Stats

Cherki

Ligue 1 rank

Goals

8

25th

Goals – xG

+3

7th

Assists

11

1st

Expected assists

11.7

1st

Key passes

75

2nd

Big chances created

22

1st

Passes into area

77

1st

Progressive passes

206

5th

Shot-creating actions

146

1st

Goal-creating actions

20

2nd

Progressive carries

106

10th

Carries into final third

91

2nd

Stats via FBref & SofaScore

As the table highlights, while he is a goal threat and a high-quality dribbler, Cherki is primarily a creator.

In Ligue 1 last season, he ranked first in all sorts of metrics to support this, namely assists, expected assists, big chances created, passes into the opposition penalty area and shot-creating actions, second only to Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

Following his arrival in the summer, Gillian Kasirye of Total Football Analysis asserted that Cherki is the natural heir to Kevin De Bruyne’s throne as Manchester City’s primary chance creator, ahead of existing players, namely Phil Foden.

Meantime, after the Sky Blues’ 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, the Frenchman marking his Premier League debut with a goal, Guardiola asserted that his talent is “unbelievable”, adding that his “creativity in the final third [is] extraordinary”.

Well, if this rocket against Spain during June’s Nations League semi-finals in Stuttgart doesn’t underline what Cherki is capable of, nothing will!

Thus, following an injury-blighted start to life in Manchester, the Frenchman, on his way back to full fitness, will be looking to start making a serious impact.

For now, he’ll probably become a mere member of the fabled “Pep rotation” alongside Foden, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and others.

Chalkboard

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

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Nevertheless, based on his talent, Cherki should be right at the front of the queue for starting minutes and, if he rediscovers last season’s creative numbers, Håland will become truly unstoppable, if he isn’t already.

Related 100% dribbles, 5 key passes: 8/10 Man City star showed he's "Sane-esque"

Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and one of Pep Guardiola’s stars underlined that he is Leroy Sané-esque.

Posts ByBen Gray Oct 22, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Parte da torcida do Palmeiras está furiosa com os dirigentes do clube, especialmente a presidente, Leila Pereira, e o diretor de futebol, Anderson Barros. Mas se depender da mandatária, essa parceria ainda vai durar um bom tempo, algo que não se pode garantir sobre Abel Ferreira, que tem contrato somente até o fim de 2024 e ainda não deu sinais de que vai renovar.

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Em entrevista coletiva nesta quarta-feira (11), na Academia de Futebol, Leila admitiu que quer contar com Abel até o fim de seu hipotético segundo mandato, que seria de 2025 a 2027. Ela afirmou que já conversou com o treinador sobre esse desejo, mas que até agora o português tem ficado em cima do muro.

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– Sobre o Abel, ele tem contrato até dezembro de 2024, eu já conversei com ele, que é um desejo que eu tenho que ele fique comigo até o final do segundo mandato. Ele não fala nem que sim, nem que não. Mas eu vejo que o Abel está muito feliz, ele fica chateado que algumas pessoas tem a memória muito curta. Não tenho dúvida que o Abel é o maior da história do Palmeiras, mas ele não tem obrigação de vencer todos os campeonatos.Ele fica chateado com todo esse problema da violência. Ele tem mulher, tem filhas, e se isso chega na presidente, ele tem receio que chegue nele.

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+ Leila Pereira aumenta o tom contra organizada do Palmeiras: ‘Câncer do futebol brasileiro’

Por outro lado, Leila Pereira consegue garantir a permanência de outro personagem do departamento de futebol: o diretor Anderson Barros. No entanto, isso não deve agradar muito o torcedor, que está insatisfeito com o trabalho do profissional. A avaliação da mandatária, porém, é completamente diferente e a ideia é manter Barros até que ela deixe o clube.

– O Anderson chegou em dezembro de 2019 e em toda essa trajetória dele no Palmeiras conquistou nove títulos, sendo duas Libertadores. Ele é o responsável direto da contratação do maior treinador da história do Palmeiras. Eu não tenho dúvida que o Anderson é um profissional que qualquer clube gostaria de ter e nós temos a sorte de tê-lo por aqui. Eu tenho profundo orgulho de tê-lo ao meu lado. O Anderson é um dos grandes responsáveis por esse sucesso. Enquanto eu estiver aqui, o Anderson será o meu grande parceiro.

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+ Leila Pereira revela quantos reforços quer trazer para o Palmeiras em 2024

Leila Pereira, Anderson Barros e Abel Ferreira já estão trabalhando no planejamento para a temporada 2024 do Palmeiras. Na mesma entrevista coletiva, a presidente declarou que pretende trazer de três a quatro reforços para a comissão técnica, e que esses nomes já estão com o departamento de análise para avançar nas contratações.