Fair to say, in the last decade or so, some ultra-talented players have come through Manchester City’s academy.

As noted by Miguel Delaney of the Independent, Cole Palmer, Roméo Lavia, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap are all flourishing elsewhere in the Premier League right now, having either been sold or discarded by Man City as youngsters in recent seasons.

Rob Dawson of ESPN adds Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jadon Sancho and Brahim Díaz to this list, while Sam Lee of the Athletic would include James Trafford, Gavin Bazunu, Sam Edozie, Juan Larios, Pedro Porro, Shea Charles and Tommy Doyle to those who’ve been sold for big fees.

So now, at a time when Man City have, as Jamie Jackson of the Guardian puts it, an “ageing squad”, they’ve sold off their best young talent, so are unable to refresh the team, but could the next generation of youngsters change that fact?

They’ll be looking towards Arsenal for inspiration, that’s for sure…

Ethan Nwaneri's amazing impact at Arsenal

During Sunday’s 5-1 demolition at the hands of Arsenal, Manchester City experienced first-hand the value of keeping your best young talent at the club and putting them in the first team when Ethan Nwaneri spanked home the fifth, really rubbing salt into the wounds.

A year ago, Football Insider reported that Man City actually attempted to sign Nwaneri, but Gooners everywhere are delighted that this did not come to pass.

That’s because the teenager has seven goals to his name this season, becoming the second-highest Arsenal scorer in history for goals scored at the age of 17 or younger, behind only John Radford, whose goals came in 1964/65, one shy of his tally of eight.

Nwaneri has earned rave reviews, with James McNicholas of the Athletic noting during a recent Arsecast Extra how extraordinary and unique it is for a 17-year-old to have a “trademark goal”.

He has also become only the third Premier League player to score seven or more goals before celebrating their 18th birthday, after Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, both of whom were strikers, and both had pretty decent careers didn’t they?

Yousef Teclab of Breaking the Lines described Nwaneri as a “prodigious talent”, while Ali Tweedale in Opta’s The Analyst believes Arsenal supporters should be “very excited” about his talent.

So, could Pep Guardiola learn a thing or two from his former assistant when it comes to unleashing top teenage talents?

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Manchester City are brewing their own Ethan Nwaneri

As alluded to earlier, Manchester City have, as Neil Leigh puts it, quite the “conveyor belt” when it comes to academy talent, so could Reigan Heskey be the next cab off the rank?

Born in January 2008, we know, we feel old too, he joined Man City’s academy at the age of eight, and is the son of former Leicester, Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey, who won 62 caps for England, scoring seven goals.

Heskey junior has come in for rave reviews, with scout António Mango on Twitter stating he is “flourishing” and that his talent “can’t be ignored”, while Bix Williams, who writes about Man City’s Academy for Salford Now, states that it’s “only a matter of time before he makes that big jump”.

A winger by trade – like Nwaneri – the 17-year-old has been in phenomenal form this term notably scoring 20 goals in 24 games. So, let’s assess how Heskey and Nwaneri compare at youth level.

UEFA Youth League appearances

7

1

UEFA Youth League goals

3

1

EFL Trophy appearances

1

4

EFL Trophy goals

1

0

Premier League 2 appearances

3

24

Premier League 2 goals

3

11

FA Youth Cup appearances

3

7

FA Youth Cup goals

1

8

Under-18 Premier League appearances

16

16

Under-18 Premier League goals

13

7

As the table shows, Heskey compares favourably to Nwaneri for a lot of statistics, especially his output in this season’s UEFA Youth League, scoring a brace against Feyenoord as the Sky Blues reached the round of 32, set to face Midtjylland next week.

By the time he made his breakthrough at Arsenal, Nwaneri had much more PL2 experience than Heskey currently has, still predominantly plying his trade at U18 level, but it is clear that Man City have a hot prospect on their hands, one that they’ll have to give an opportunity to in the first team, or he’ll simply become just the latest player to leave.

Huge Nunes upgrade: Pep must surely regret selling Man City star for £21m

Man City continue to have issues at right-back; with Walker departing, Matheus Nunes is filling-in there, but they already had one of the world’s best

ByBen Gray Feb 5, 2025

The England midfielder is ready to make the big move to the Etihad after propelling Forest's incredible rise this season

Many pundits and fans have argued that this has been an unmemorable Premier League season. They can point to the fact that Liverpool effectively wrapped up the title in February and that there has barely been any drama in the battle to avoid relegation, with the three promoted teams Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich heading straight back down. The fact that the race for Champions League qualification is the only thing of intrigue says it all, according to the naysayers.

But one team have provided an antidote to the boredom: Nottingham Forest. Having flirted with relegation in their first two seasons back in the Premier League after a 23-year absence, the Tricky Trees' campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. Back in August bookmaker BetFred predicted they would finish 18th in the table, offering odds of 11/4 of them being relegated. The idea they could challenge for the top-six was laughable, priced at 50/1. Top-four was even more outlandish, priced at 100/1.

But Nuno Espirito's side have defied the bookies and doubters all season and, in January at least, repeating Leicester City's incredible title win of 2016 was genuinely possible. In the end their title hopes proved fanciful but they are still on track to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time since they won the competition – then known as the European Cup – in successive seasons in 1979 and 1980.

And on Sunday they are looking forward to their first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years, when they take on Manchester City. Forest's stunning success has been a collective triumph, with the likes of Nikola Milenkovic, Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood coming to the fore and having their best ever seasons. But one man has attracted more attention than anyone else ahead of Sunday's Wembley showdown: Morgan Gibbs-White, who is being tipped to sign for City in the summer as the heir to Kevin De Bruyne…

• Getty
  

  In demand

  Gibbs-White is Forest's joint-third top scorer and second assist provider this season, with 12 goal contributions this season, 15 last campaign and 13 in 2022-23. He is the heartbeat of the team, the de-facto captain whenever main skipper Ryan Yates does not make the starting line-up. And when the transfer window opens he will be the club's most in-demand player.

  Manchester United and Liverpool are reported to be interested in him but City are the club that need him the most as they search for a successor to De Bruyne. And given their financial muscle, recent domination of English football and the pull of Pep Guardiola, they are believed to be at the front of the queue for the 25-year-old.

  Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is still regarded as City's top choice to take the baton from De Bruyne but there are doubts about whether he wants to leave Germany and whether City will be prepared to pay more than £100 million ($133m) to get him. Gibbs-White, though, looks like their second choice and there are several reasons why he would be an even better fit at the Etihad Stadium than the 21-year-old.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Pace, power and passing

  Gibbs-White has spent his whole career in England and, unlike Wirtz, would need no time to adapt to the Premier League. He would fit well into the City dressing room, too, as he is close friends with Phil Foden, who he has known since he was 16 due to playing in England's youth teams, including winning the under-17 World Cup together in 2017. Gibbs-White is godfather to two of Foden's children and is now his team-mate in the senior squad.

  More importantly, he has physical attributes that few attacking midfielders of his mould possess. Take what Jamie Carragher said about him earlier this season on : "The thing I like about him, and we’ve seen the number he’s got, the number 10. What’s special about him is he’s got great pace and that’s what he gives Forest that a lot of teams don’t have with players in that position."

  The player's searing pace was on display when he scored against his former club Wolves earlier this season, when he picked the ball up in his own half and hared towards the opposing area, exchanging a pass with Anthony Elanga before picking his spot in the near bottom corner. And it is a big reason why City want to buy him.

  One of City's main weaknesses this season has been a lack of physical intensity, particularly in midfield since Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September. City's midfield has been achingly slow, comprised of the likes of Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, who turned 30 at the start of the season, and those even deeper into their 30s, such as De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, who were 33 and 34 respectively when the campaign began.

• Getty
  

  Resilient and brilliant

  And the coach, who became the most coveted tactician in the world due to mastering the art of positional play with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and then City, has become painfully aware of the need to adapt to a changing world. Guardiola said in January: "We didn't fight properly [for the title] because we were not in the rhythm that we should play. Today modern football is the way Bournemouth play, Newcastle play, Brighton play. Liverpool have always been like that, like we were. It's modern football. Today modern football is not positional, you have to ride the rhythm. We couldn't because we didn't have the players."

  As well as needing physically sharp players, Guardiola will be prioritising those with a good track record of staying fit. He has become immensely frustrated with the likes of De Bruyne, John Stones, Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake getting repeatedly injured this season. Earlier this month he outlined how important it was to sign resilient players, saying: "You cannot perform if you aren't reliable and you are injured. The players we have, they can either play every three days or they cannot. We need to build a squad for next season."

  Gibbs-White might not have the experience of playing European football every two weeks but he has an impressive record of staying fit and being available. He has missed just eight Premier League games in the last three seasons and two of those absences were due to suspension.

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• Getty
  

  'He's got it all'

  But above all it is his ability to pick passes and score goals that make him a candidate to take over from De Bruyne. "He’s just got it all. He’s shining in that team and it suits him being the main man," said former Liverpool and England midfielder

  "He’s terrific with his back to goal, great skill, can score, good passer – he takes risks with his passes and through balls. The great advantage with someone like Gibbs-White is he wants to do the work without the ball and you don’t always get attacking players who want to. He can play centre-midfield, I’ve seen him play it in a two. He is phenomenal, he’s just really unlucky at the moment that England have got so many good players in a similar position. I think he could play in any team."

  Murphy had one doubt about Gibbs-White playing for a top club like City, though, when he admitted: "The only question you’d have is playing under bigger pressure and having to do it more consistently." And there has been some discussion about whether or not Gibbs-White would want to join City and be burdened with the task of replacing De Bruyne, who is arguably the club's best player ever.

Everything you need to know about Dusan Vlahovic's salary details playing for Juventus

After impressing with Fiorentina for four seasons between 2018 and 2022, Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic finally got his big-money move to Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2022.

Except for a few inconsistent patches, Vlahovic has maintained his strong form in Turin. His physical presence and consistent fitness record are admirable. The Serbian striker recently completed 100 league appearances for Juventus, despite having played just three seasons with the club so far.

In addition to being Juventus' main man up front, Vlahovic earns a substantial salary, making him one of the top earners at the club and across the league.

But exactly how much does he earn playing at the Allianz Stadium?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

*

Dusan Vlahovic's wages at Juventus in numbers

Vlahovic has committed to Juventus with a four-year contract, securing his position at the club until 2026. The Serbian forward commands a substantial weekly salary of £321,352 ($424,581), distinguishing him as the club's highest earner by a significant margin. His annual compensation totals £16.7 million ($22 million).

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Dusan Vlahovic

Serbian

£321,352

$424,581

£16,710,313

$22,078,237

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTop earners at Juventus

Vlahovic is currently the highest-paid player at Juventus.

Next are Bremer and Douglas Luiz, both from Brazil. Bremer transferred from Torino in 2022, and Douglas Luiz joined from Aston Villa.

Manuel Locatelli is fourth, and Teun Koopmeiners, formerly of Atalanta, is fifth.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Dusan Vlahovic

Serbian

£321,352

$424,581

£16,710,313

$22,078,237

Bremer

Brazilian

£153,072

$126,020

£7,959,748

$10,516,691

Douglas Luiz

Brazilian

£137,699

$121,434

£7,160,335

$9,460,479

Manuel Locatelli

Italian

£101,001

$121,434

£5,252,058

$6,939,199

Teun Koopmeiners

Dutch

£95,381

$112,042

£4,959,800

$6,553,057

Top earners in Serie A

Vlahovic is the highest-paid player in Juventus and in the league. Inter players Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, and Hakan Calhanoglu are second, fourth, and fifth on the list. Paulo Dybala, a former Juventus player now with AS Roma, is third.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Dusan Vlahovic

Serbian

£321,352

$424,581

£16,710,313

$22,078,237

Lautaro Martinez

Argentine

£275,563

$364,083

£14,329,265

$18,932,316

Paulo Dybala

Argentine

£214,235

$283,054

£11,140,208

$14,718,825

Nicolo Barella

Italian

£199,027

$262,961

£10,349,391

$13,673,970

Hakan Calhanoglu

Turkish

£183,653

$242,649

£9,549,978

$12,617,758

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AFPHighest paid players in the world

Serie A players, despite their high earnings, are not among the top five highest-paid footballers globally.

The top five are all from the Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr earning the most.

Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, and Riyad Mahrez, now with Al-Ahli, is third.

Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Player

Club

Weekly wages GBP

Weekly wages USD

Annual wages GBP

Annual wages USD

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr

£3,216,155

$4,210,425

£167,250,468

$218,942,120

Karim Benzema

Al Ittihad

£1,608,178

$2,105,213

£83,625,234

$109,471,060

Riyad Mahrez

Al Ahli

£839,469

$1,098,921

£45,652,372

$57,43,893

Sadio Mane

Al Nassr

£643,271

$842,085

£33,450,094

$43,788,424

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al Hilal

£558,038

$730,509

£29,017,956

$37,986,458

Even with Russell Martin now gone at St. Mary’s, Southampton’s season continues to look more and more bleak with Ivan Juric at the helm.

Sunday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League means the dire Saints have lost an alarming 18 top-flight outings this season, with just six points amassed across 22 mainly depressing clashes.

The Croat did see some signs of life in his Southampton side to claw back two goals in the 3-2 loss at the City Ground, but he will know he needs some major fresh blood regardless to try and pull off an unbelievable relegation escape, with one new signing reportedly joining the basement club very soon.

Saints closing in on deal for Danish ace

As per French journalist Marc Mechenoua’s X account, Southampton are close to securing the services of Rennes midfielder Albert Gronbaek, with the Saints target allegedly having his medical done today.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The deal would see the Dane join the building on a loan-to-buy basis, with the fee needed to win the 23-year-old outright coming in at around the £13m mark according to Mechenoua.

Whilst his time in France to date hasn’t been electric, the Saints will hope they can get the Scandinavian back to his best when he was regularly exciting fans at Bodo Glimt before his switch to Ligue 1.

What Gronbaek could offer the Saints

Whilst this might not be the statement signing that will see Juric’s side stay afloat in the Premier League, it could well be a boost to morale on the South Coast anyway, with Mateus Fernandes once a relative unknown entity himself upon his arrival last summer from far-off European shores, only to now be one of the Saints’ top performers.

Before we delve deeper into Gronbaek’s glowing numbers in his native Denmark, Fernandes has been a welcome positive for Juric to latch onto during his gloomy early days as manager, with the Portuguese midfielder standing out in that defeat to Forest.

Indeed, the ex-Sporting man picked up an assist in the game when Paul Onuachu met his corner kick delivery late on, with three key passes and two successful dribbles from the bright 20-year-old constantly pushing his side up the pitch when they could have folded.

He could be joined by a new teammate in the middle of the park soon in Gronbaek, who would give the Saints even more freshness centrally away from the likes of Flynn Downes, Will Smallbone and Joe Aribo already in the building.

Whilst none of those options have been particularly woeful – away from Downes looking slightly off the pace versus Nuno Espirito Santo’s men with Juric hooking him off at the half-time interval – the new addition could end up being a repeat of the Fernandes switch, with the 23-year-old a goal and assist machine when playing in Denmark.

Gronbaek for Bodo Glimt by position
Position	Games played	Goals scored	Assists
CM	72	25	13
LW	6	3	1
AM	3	1	2
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Looking at the table above, it’s clear why Rennes took a punt on the 5 foot 9 midfielder, with an impressive combined goal and assists total of 38 managed from 72 overall games when playing in the middle of the park in his native country.

Of course, it hasn’t gone to plan for Gronbaek in his new location with just two goals and one assist picked up from 18 contests, but Southampton need an injection of more creativity to boost their slim total of just 15 strikes in the league, with Gronbaek perhaps being their desired man.

Whilst he might not be able to lift his new team out of their relegation mire on his arrival, Juric would welcome in some new bodies anyway, with the faintest glimmer of hope they can survive somehow if everything clicks into place.

Winter transfer window 2025: All the latest deals from England and Scotland

Find out who is on the move this winter with our comprehensive list of done deals from the Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership.

By
Stephan Georgiou

Feb 3, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav was laid low by a sick bug on the morning of the deciding T20I against Australia in Hyderabad on Sunday. But he didn’t let the illness come in the way of his participation in the match.”We were travelling and there was a change in weather too. I had a stomach ache in the morning and also had fever,” Suryakumar told BCCI.tv. “But it was also a decider. I told our physio and doctor, if this was a World Cup final, how would I react?”I won’t just sit out saying it’s an illness. So do whatever, give me whatever pills or injection you want, but just get me ready for the game in the evening. Once you go into the match and wear that India jersey, the emotions are totally different.”Eventually, Suryakumar not only took the field, but made a vital contribution in India’s series-clinching victory. His 36-ball 69 in a century stand with Virat Kohli helped India overcome a wobble at the top to chase down 187 in the final over.Suryakumar hit five fours and as many sixes and his trademark 360-degree game was on display. During the course of his knock, he surpassed Mohammad Rizwan to become the highest scorer in T20Is so far in 2022.Related

• India thrive on the Kohli-Suryakumar show

• Kohli, Suryakumar, Axar star as India seal T20I series 2-1

• Rohit backs Bhuvneshwar to come good

So far, he has made 682 runs in 20 innings at a strike rate of 182.84 this year. The tally includes four half-centuries and a hundred, against England at Trent Bridge. His impressive run of form vaulted him to third among all T20I batters, behind Pakistan’s Rizwan and South Africa’s Aiden Markram, on the ICC’s rankings.Suryakumar couldn’t help but exude self-belief when asked of his success mantra. “I practice the same way as I want to bat in the match,” he said. “I believe in just one thing: go and express yourself. If my success rate is above 75%, why not? I just think when I walk out, if I’m batting well, then I try to carry that phase on and try and finish off games.”On Sunday, while Suryakumar didn’t finish off the game, he had taken India to the doorstep of victory. Having slapped Josh Hazlewood for six and a four earlier in the 14th over, he holed out to long-on. By the time he was dismissed, India’s ask was a manageable 53 off six overs with seven wickets remaining.At the press conference, India captain Rohit Sharma was effusive in his praise for his colleague. “When it comes to Surya, we all know the quality he has,” Rohit said. “He can play shots all over the ground. And that is what makes him special. He has been very consistent with the bat. Every time he has gotten an opportunity, he has played an important innings for us.”Every time I see him, he has taken his game a notch higher which is a good sign as a player. Whenever you see that you can raise the level of your skills of what the team expects from you, it’s always a good sign. I can see that in Surya, every game that I see of him, every game that he plays, he seems to be getting better and better every time. And today was an exceptional innings.”To come out and play the innings that he played, we were two down in the powerplay. And to take the game away, literally, from the opposition was a fantastic effort. And not to forget Virat on the other side as well, what a crucial, crucial partnership, 100 partnership. From the team’s perspective it was a good sign.”

Also says R Ashwin’s batting will tip the scales in his favour over Yuzvendra Chahal through most of this tournament

Sidharth Monga26-Oct-20222:22

Mhambrey: Arshdeep’s ‘ability to withstand pressure’ stands out

Resting and preserving players is not on India’s mind as they prepare to face Netherlands in their second Super 12s match at the SCG. For a side that lost Jasprit Bumrah on the eve of the tournament and whose allrounder has to be handled with care, this faith in everybody’s fitness is welcome news. India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey also suggested R Ashwin will be India’s main spinner more often than Yuzvendra Chahal because of his batting.It would not have been a surprise if India had rested Hardik Pandya seeing how their next match is across the country in Perth and the turnaround is short. However, Mhambrey said Hardik is keen to play every game. “Hardik wants to play all the games,” Mhambrey said. “That is important. And we are not looking at whom to rest, there is no such thought about any particular player. Hardik is a very important player for us. He adds a lot of balance: he is both bowling and batting. Other than that, his attitude on the field is important. Like you saw in the last match, he played a crucial innings. Yes, Virat [Kohli] finished it off, but to recognise the fact that the pressure will shift to the opposition if the game goes deep, you need experience. So much of Virat’s performance’s credit should be given to Hardik as well. Rest is not even a discussion. Every match is important.”Related

Suryakumar: 'I wanted to do things my way, and it really worked'

Shami picked over Harshal to get wickets up front – Kumble

Hardik unfussed about non-striker run-outs

Virat Kohli is now in the metaverse

Mhambrey was pleased with the way Mohammed Shami has shaped up coming out of Covid-19. “It [his recovery] started off when he went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA),” Mhambrey said. “We wanted to have a look at how he felt, what shape he was in, assess the loads and numbers there. And whatever feedback we’ve got, we are pretty happy about it.”He is a very experienced and seasoned bowler. You know what you are going to get from him, that’s sure. But the important bit was, how he turned up after the Covid. And we’re pretty happy with the recovery. At the NCA, whatever feedback and reports we’ve got, we’re pretty happy about it. Out here, he was in a good space. Whatever discussions we’ve had, he was looking forward to this tournament. And starting with the first over that he bowled in Australia, he looked in great rhythm. And that also gave us the confidence of knowing what you are going to get from Shami. He is a champion bowler, no doubt.”Mhambrey was asked if Hardik’s presence might give them a reason to play an extra batter. “That will totally depend on the conditions that we play [in],” Mhambrey said. “It’s good that Hardik does give you that four-over option, and that’s what we wanted. He brings a lot of balance to the team once he does that. And he’s also been very effective for us. He’s picked up wickets and that’s very important for us. But having said that, getting a batter in or playing a different combination will purely depend on the team that we are playing and also on the conditions.”Mhambrey: “The other thing which works in favour of Ashwin is that he can contribute with the bat”•BCCISpeaking of combinations, the pre-tournament expectation was that Ashwin would play against sides that had left-hand batters in the middle order but Mhambrey said the offspinner’s batting tipped scales in his favour regardless, and that Chahal would get in when conditions demand an “additional spinner”.”We are obviously looking at the balance of the team, the batters we are playing against,” he said. “You also got to look at your match-ups. There’s no particular conditions that you are going to look at, you don’t expect to have turning tracks over here. Maybe, you will have some tracks that will help a little bit of spin: we will look into it. We are playing in some of the games second [on a used pitch]. So as we go into the tournament, there will be a lot of wear and tear on those wickets. When we feel having an additional spinner will help, we will go for it.”When asked what all they look at when they decide between the two, Mhambrey said: “We look at the batting combination of the teams we are playing. You do your own homework: which players are struggling, which type of bowlers their batters are struggling against. So that is one aspect. The other thing which works in favour of Ashwin is that he can contribute with the bat. So we will look at both these things.”When you choose Ashwin, you look at what he brings to the team in terms of the balance and composition. But every venue poses a different challenge, every wicket will be different, and we might have to alter our combination by looking at that particular wicket. If need be, we can even play four or even five seamers. And we are quite fluid on that front.”

The closure of the January transfer window is creeping ever closer and Chelsea still haven’t completed a single first-team acquisition.

This isn’t anything to be worried about, especially with exits taking precedence. Plenty’s still in the pipeline, with Carney Chukwuemeka heading to Borussia Dortmund and Joao Felix likely to leave on loan, AC Milan sitting in the driving seat.

Incomings (From)

Fee

Outgoings (To)

Fee

None

Cesare Casadei (Torino)

£12.5m

Alex Matos (Oxford)

Loan

Jimmy-Jay Morgan (Gillingham)

Loan

Renato Veiga (Juventus)

That’s not an exhaustive list, and it’s hardly out of the question that Chelsea will bring a player or two into Enzo Maresca’s squad at the eleventh hour.

Chelsea eyeing last-gasp deal

Chelsea have been looking at a number of positions. Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United is liked but the variables make a deal tough to complete at this late stage.

Elsewhere, Manchester City prospect Nico O’Reilly has also been of interest, but Chelsea appear to be shifting their attention to across the Channel.

At least, that’s according to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, who have today revealed that Chelsea are keen on signing Saint-Étienne’s Mathis Amougou before tonight’s deadline.

Transfer Focus

Expand Collapse

Stepping up their efforts to sign the 19-year-old Amougou, the Blues could add the perfect final dimension to their first team and continue the seasonal resurgence.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has gone one step further, claiming that a deal is ‘close’ to being agreed, with it undecided whether the teenager will remain at Stamford Bridge, or head out on loan.

Why Chelsea want Mathis Amougou

Analyst Ben Mattinson has hailed the press-resistant Amougou as a “Romeo Lavia-esque” talent. The key difference is that the Frenchman hasn’t been plagued by injury woes across his fledgling career.

The teenager has started nine Ligue 1 matches this term and has impressed with his blend of abilities, boasting defensive strength and ball-playing qualities. Nascent though they are, this is promising stuff for a Chelsea side already nurturing a rich crop of youth talent.

Lavia and Moises Caicedo impressed in conjunction over the early knockings of the season and Amougou could be a wonderful addition to potentially forge such a partnership down the line, especially with Lavia struggling to maintain his fitness levels.

Amougou would likely be loaned to Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg for the remainder of the 2024/25 term, continuing his development, but this could bear fruit in the long run.

With the versatile O’Reilly also on the radar, BlueCo are patently fighting for a specific profile of midfielder, but Amougou might just be the perfect option, with the aforementioned Mattinson also hailing him as a “ball progression machine” – fine quality for success in Maresca’s system.

With O’Reilly having only made six senior appearances for Manchester City, it’s fair to say that he’s more of an unknown commodity, albeit one of great talent.

But Amougou’s physicality, technique and completeness suggest that he would be the dream signing for Chelsea. If L’Equipe’s report is to be believed, they are ramping up the gas for the French prospect, perfectly illustrating that point.

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أعلن أيمن الرمادي، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة بتروجيت، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتقام مباراة الزمالك وبتروجيت، بعد قليل ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة من مرحلة الحسم من مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز، على ملعب استاد الكلية الحربية.

طالع.. اتحاد الكرة يٌعلن حكم مباراة الزمالك وبتروجيت في الدوري المصري

ويخوض الزمالك مواجهة مرتقبة أمام بتروجيت، سعيًا لتحقيق أول فوز له تحت قيادة المدير الفني أيمن الرمادي، الذي لم ينجح في قيادة الفريق لأي انتصار منذ توليه المهمة خلفًا للبرتغالي جوزيه بيسيرو.

ويأمل الزمالك في حصد نقاط المباراة الثلاث من أجل تأكيد حصوله على المركز الثالث في جدول الترتيب، رغم ضمان مشاركته في بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية الموسم المقبل، باعتباره وصيفًا لكأس مصر في أقل السيناريوهات الممكنة.

ويحتل الزمالك حاليًا المركز الثالث برصيد 41 نقطة، بينما يأتي بتروجيت في المركز الثامن ضمن مجموعة حسم اللقب برصيد 26 نقطة. تشكيل الزمالك اليوم أمام بتروجيت في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: محمد صبحي.

خط الدفاع: محمد حمدي – حسام عبد المجيد – محمود حمدي “الونش” – عمر جابر.

خط الوسط: محمد شحاتة – سيف جعفر – أحمد فتوح – أحمد عبد الرحيم “إيشو”.

خط الهجوم: مصطفى شلبي – حسام أشرف.

Alzarri Joseph again bowled well for West Indies but their chase never really threatned

Andrew McGlashan07-Oct-2022

David Warner made 75 of Australia’s first 96 runs in this game•Getty Images

David Warner and Tim David produced sparkling innings as Australia wrapped up a 2-0 victory over a West Indies side still working into their World Cup build-up. Warner dominated the first half of the innings and David turned on the power in the latter stages before West Indies’ chase struggled to build a consistent tempo then faded away.Warner and Aaron Finch, who this time batted No. 3, added 85 for the second wicket of which Finch contributed 15. A brief wobble, where three wickets fell for five runs, was then righted by David who struck at over 200.Brandon King was the most assured of West Indies’ top order but when he charged and missed at Adam Zampa no one else threatened to take the chase on. Mitchell Starc top and tailed the innings to take a career-best 4 for 20.Related

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West Indies now continue their preparations with two official warm-up matches against UAE and Netherlands while Australia – minus their first-choice bowlers and Glenn Maxwell – head to Perth to face England before two more games in Canberra.Warner goes it alone
It wasn’t so much Australia against West Indies early on, but Warner against West Indies. Of the 45 runs in the powerplay, Warner made 37. Of the 96 when he was dismissed, he had made 75. His first six was a sweep off Jason Holder’s slower ball and the timing was impeccable throughout with his last six, a straight drive off Obed McCoy, among the best of his strokes. Given the way he had dominated the scoring, and the fact the innings was only just past halfway, there were thoughts turning towards what could be possible when he was caught and bowled by Odean Smith.David fires, rest of middle order not so much
It was an innings of contrasts from Australia. While Warner motored, Finch stuttered with an ungainly 15 off 19 balls. Then as David lit up the latter part of the innings, life was much harder for Steven Smith who managed 17 off 16 deliveries. To add to that was Maxwell’s run out, which ultimately looked his error albeit Smith had started to come, and it meant another short stay. Maxwell’s lack of recent runs makes it a little curious he is missing the next game in Perth. However, David did what he has done so many times around the world in recent times – leather the ball into the stands with awesome power. And again he gave himself a little bit of time: 12 off 10 balls became 42 off 20 in the blink of an eye.When Mitchell Starc gets his yorker right, it really is a sight to behold•AFP/Getty Images

Over-rate issues
West Indies were so slow that they had to have an extra fielder inside the ring for the final two overs. But they contended with it well, the last two going for 16 runs as Australia didn’t quite pull off the ideal finish. After David’s dismissal they made just 21 off the last 19 deliveries. A big part in the good finish from West Indies was Alzarri Joseph who went for 11 in his last two, completing an impressive pair of outings early in the tour. Australia, too, were slow and bowled their last over with five inside the ring. Neither team faced severe consequences for this error tonight, but that may not be so lucky at the World Cup.Can West Indies find the batting balance?
Both powerplay scores were identical: 45 for 1. So it may seem harsh to single out West Indies, but the 24 dot balls they faced in the first six suggested there were a few runs left unscored. Australia faced 18 in the same period. The batters are still trying to find touch after a long journey, but there was a significant amount of swinging and missing, especially from Johnson Charles.Another Gabba special from Starc
It didn’t quite have the same impact or feeling as his first ball in the Ashes to Rory Burns, but Starc again did something special in his first over at the Gabba. After Kyle Mayers, who played a shot for the ages at Metricon Stadium, produced a wonderful straight drive for six, Starc somehow managed to grab hold of a fiercely struck straight drive in front of his shin. It was a good evening for Starc who also claimed the key wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Holder as West Indies never really threatened to chase the target. They have work to do before their World Cup begins.

When it comes to Tottenham Hotspur stars of the last 15 years or so, people will understandably name the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min for the utterly sensational partnership under Mauricio Pochettino and beyond.

However, while they’re both undoubtedly legends of the club and icons of the league, it could be argued that neither one was quite as magnificent as Gareth Bale in his absolute prime.

The Welsh international took a little while to make his mark on the club, but in the few years prior to his world-record transfer to Real Madrid, he was without question one of the very best players in world football.

In fact, his final campaign for the club, in the 12/13 season, could be put forward as one of the best any player has ever had in English football, as he racked up a bonkers haul of 26 goals and ten assists while playing primarily in left-midfield, and some of the goals were utterly sublime to boot.

It would be fair to say that the Cardiff-born legend was a once-in-a-lifetime type of player, and while the Lilywhites might never have a winger quite as devastating as him, recent reports have linked the club with a youngster who could be something close to their next Bale.

Tottenham targeting their next Gareth Bale

According to a recent report from the Telegraph, Tottenham are incredibly interested in Southampton star Tyler Dibling.

Transfer Focus

The report has revealed that the Lilywhites have already held talks over the teenage sensation and would ideally like to sign him this month, but are also discussing an agreement to bring him to the club in the summer.

A potential price the Lilywhites would have to pay for the exciting talent isn’t mentioned in the story, but other reports from earlier this month claim that the Saints value him at a whopping £55m and that several other sides like Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Leipzig are also all keen on the player.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line for Spurs, but given Dibling’s immense ability and massive potential, it’s undoubtedly one worth fighting for, especially as there are some similarities between him and Bale.

Why Dibling could be Spurs' next Bale

So, there are a few reasons why Dibling could be Spurs’ next Bale and the first is the simple fact that, like the Welsh icon, he’d be joining the club from Southampton as an exciting teenage prospect.

The Lilywhites signed the future Champions League winner from the Saints when he was just 17 years old, and like the talent they are chasing today, they paid what was seen as slightly over the odds at the time, a fee of £5m rising to £10m.

Moreover, similar to the South Coast side’s current young star, the Cardiff-born dynamo was a highly sought-after prospect, with Arsenal and Manchester United both credited with an interest in him prior to his move to N17.

Now, in terms of their similarity on the pitch, it’s a little complicated.

At the time of his transfer, and for some years after, Bale was primarily used as an attacking full-back, but thanks to the genius of Harry Redknapp, he was eventually moved up to wide midfield and the wing, where he’d go on to terrorise opposition defenders with his direct style of play, brutal shot power and underrated range of passes.

The Saints’ current teenage sensation has thankfully been playing in his best role for much of his short senior career already, albeit on the opposite flank, and while it would be absurd to expect a similar level of output out of him as the man whose footsteps he could follow in, he’s already proving to be a handful for defenders.

For example, in just 24 appearances, totalling 1505 minutes, the “special” prospect, as dubbed by former professional turned pundit Danny Murphy, has scored four goals and provided two assists.

Appearances

24

Starts

17

Minutes

1505

Goals

4

Assists

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

Minutes per Goal Involvement

250.83′

That means he is averaging a goal involvement every four games, or every 250.83 minutes, which is only made all the more impressive by his age and the fact he is doing so in a team that could go down as the worst in Premier League history.

Ultimately, Dibling looks like he will develop into a superstar a few years from now, and even though he’ll cost a lot of money, Spurs should do all they can to sign him, as he might just be their next Bale.

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