Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with an unnamed club for a “talented” Spurs player to leave north London alongside Heung-min Son.
Heung-min Son set to leave Tottenham
Spurs captain Son is on course to become the club’s first major departure of the summer window.
Perfect Son upgrade: Spurs in talks to sign "world-class" £69m sensation
Tottenham’s legendary captain wants to leave the club this summer.
2 ByAngus Sinclair Aug 2, 2025
After spending 10 years in north London and winning his first piece of silverware last season after lifting the Europa League, Son has announced his plans to leave the club before the new Premier League campaign.
Mikey Moore and Alejo Veliz have already left on loan ahead of the 2025/26 season, and alongside Son, another highly-rated Tottenham gem is also set to depart.
Agreement reached for Jamie Donley to leave Tottenham on loan
According to reports from Lilywhite Rose, relayed by Tottenham News, Spurs have reached an agreement with an unnamed Championship club for Jamie Donley, with a deal set to go through following the club’s pre-season tour of South Korea.
The 20-year-old has featured under Thomas Frank in parts of pre-season, and there were claims that the attacking midfielder could be a part of the first-team plans in 25/26.
However, he now looks set to head to the second tier on a season-long loan after an impressive spell with Leyton Orient in League One last year.
Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens loved what he saw from Donley last season, who stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup with a long-range effort.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Jamie, he is a talented player. He’s come into us and he is a talented boy, everyone can see that. When you watch him in training and you see the talent he has, he has every opportunity to be whatever he wants to be.
“We have been good in the last 14 or 15 games and he has been outstanding for us, he is an exceptional player at this level and will go on to bigger and better things.”
It now appears he is set for a step up into the Championship, and in 12 months time, could be pushing for a spot in Frank’s side.
Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin will be hoping to keep hold of his top talents at Ibrox between now and the end of the summer transfer window.
The likes of Hamza Igamane, Nicolas Raskin, Cyriel Dessers, and Mohamed Diomande have all been linked with moves away from Scotland, but all remain with the Light Blues at the time of writing.
A whole host of English clubs, who are all due to play in the top-flight south of the border, are reportedly interested in signing Raskin from Rangers.
Losing the Belgium international, who delivered four goals and ten assists in the Scottish Premiership last season, would be a big blow to Martin ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Rangers eyeing up new midfielder
However, Rangers could soften the blow of potentially selling Raskin in the coming weeks by signing an Italian star they are reportedly keen on bringing to Ibrox.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to The Boot Room, Martin is interested in a deal to sign Spezia central midfielder Salvatore Esposito for Rangers before the end of the window.
The report claims that there is plenty of competition to land the Italy international’s signature, though, as Everton, Sunderland, Celtic, Brighton, Burnley, Fulham, Brentford, and Fulham are also keen on him.
Salvatore Esposito for Italy vs England.
It adds that Spezia, who failed to earn promotion to the Serie A via the play-offs, are open to a loan with an option to make it permanent next summer.
Rangers must now see off significant competition from their closest rivals and teams in the Premier League in England to sign Esposito, who could be a Raskin repeat at Ibrox.
Why Rangers should sign Salvatore Esposito
The £9m-rated star’s form in the 2024/25 campaign suggests that he would arrive in Glasgow as the dream replacement for the Belgian ace in the middle of the park.
He could provide similar qualities in midfield as a number eight who can make an impact, with both goals and assists, at the top end of the pitch, whilst also being strong in his physical duels out of possession.
Esposito was once described as a “set-piece specialist” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and it is no wonder when you see the clip of his goal against AC Milan in the clip above.
He is more than just a set-piece whiz, though, because the Italian star ended the regular 2024/25 season with an eye-catching haul of seven goals and nine assists in the second tier in Italy.
Appearances
33
34
Goals
4
7
Big chances created
9
18
Assists
10
9
Duels won per game
6.6
7.3
Ground duel success rate
57%
68%
Aerial duel success rate
56%
51%
As you can see in the table above, Esposito offered similar qualities to the ones that Raskin offered Rangers in the Premiership, with his contributions on and off the ball.
These statistics suggest that the Spezia sensation has the play style and the quality to be a Raskin repeat at Ibrox as a central midfielder who can make a big impact at both ends of the pitch.
This is why Rangers should push hard to win the race for his signature in the coming weeks, because signing Esposito would mean that losing the Belgian star would be less of a concern for Martin.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the 24-year-old ace will be able to translate his form over to the Premiership, but the list of Premier League clubs chasing his services points to how highly thought of his talents are.
Bad news for Souttar at Ibrox: Rangers plotting move to sign "great leader"
Having already made six summer signings, plenty more are forecast to follow at Rangers, so will they secure a deal to sign a “great leader”?
Jul 13, 2025
Of course, in a dream world, Rangers will be hoping to keep hold of Raskin whilst also adding Esposito to the squad to provide competition for places in midfield.
Both semi-finals and the final have been allotted a reserve day, unlike at the men’s T20 World Cup
Shashank Kishore26-Aug-2024
Australia won the previous edition of the tournament in 2022•ICC/Getty Images
Defending champions Australia will play in UAE for the first time ever on October 5, when they open their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka, the current Asia Cup champions. India, meanwhile, will open their tournament a day earlier, against New Zealand, in Dubai.Apart from India and Australia, two other sides – England and West Indies – will be featuring in a T20I on UAE shores for the first time during the 10-team event that has had to be moved out of Bangladesh owing to country-wide agitations that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led regime earlier this month. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will continue to remain as tournament hosts.Related
Darcie Brown fit for T20 World Cup as Australia prepare to 'unleash' pace duo
Fatima Sana named Pakistan captain for Women's T20 World Cup
Rodrigues looks at TKR stint as game-time ahead of T20 World Cup
ICC moves women's T20 World Cup out of Bangladesh to the UAE
The updated fixtures for the tournament were unveiled on Monday, with matches split equally across Dubai and Sharjah for the group stages. Australia will play three of their four group fixtures in Sharjah, while India play three games in Dubai.India have been drawn to play Pakistan in an afternoon game on October 6 in Dubai, while South Africa, finalists of 2022, and England will play their heavyweight Group B clash the following day in Sharjah. The marquee India vs Australia fixture, a rematch of the 2022 semi-final, is slated to be held on October 13 in Sharjah.Dubai will host the first semi-final, which is also the one allotted to India should they qualify, on October 17, while Sharjah hosts the second semi-final on October 18. Dubai will host the tournament finale on October 20. Both semi-finals and the final have been allotted a reserve day, unlike at the men’s T20 World Cup in June where the semi-final involving India wasn’t allotted a reserve day.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Among the participating teams, Scotland and Sri Lanka most-recently played in the UAE during the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2024. While Sri Lanka won all six, Scotland won four out of their six games, to qualify for the tournament. All those games, however, were held at the Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi.Interestingly, Dubai hasn’t hosted a single women’s T20I. All teams, however, will play two warm-up fixtures each from September 28 to October 3 to acclimatise.Each side will play four group matches, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals. Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in Group A, while South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland constitute Group B. The afternoon games will begin at 2pm local time, while the evening games, semi-finals and final included, will begin at 6pm.
England star Alice Capsey followed up her opening-day 51 with a well-made 59 as Oval Invincibles defeated Welsh Fire by six wickets at Cardiff.Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock before she was brilliantly caught at long-on by Hayley Matthews off Freya Davies with 27 runs still required.All-rounders Marizanne Kapp (26*) and Mady Villiers (11*) then took the reins to extinguish any Welsh Fire hopes, guiding Invincibles home with 12 balls to spare.The Invincibles’ chase got off to a far from ideal start as they lost Lauren Winfield-Hill on the second ball of the innings, caught at cover by Tammy Beaumont off Shabnim Ismail for a duck.Paige Schofield (11) and Capsey didn’t let this early loss faze them, playing fluently to move the score along to 37 for 1 after 20 balls, the latter crucially being dropped at long-on by Ismail off Jess Jonassen two runs later.Capsey overturned an lbw decision on 43 off the bowling of Jonassen and went on to bring up her fifty from 42 balls.Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bat, losing Beaumont for four to the eighth ball of the innings, an outswinger from Kapp which drew an edge behind to Winfield-Hill.After 25 balls, Welsh Fire had laboured to 17 for 1 and they soon found themselves 20 for 2 when Amanda-Jade Wellington struck first ball to remove the dangerous Matthews for just 6, caught brilliantly by Kapp running in from the cover boundary.Sophia Dunkley made 35 from 26 balls before skying Wellington to Ryana MacDonald-Gay at long-on and Jonassen, who took over Dunkley’s role as aggressor, played enterprisingly for 32 not out from 22 balls as Welsh Fire closed their innings on a below-par 116 for 5.Meerkat Match Hero Capsey, said: “Pace on was really nice, so capitalising on that up the top in the powerplay. When it got a bit harder, they were bowling really well with change-ups and bowling a bit slower, me and Kappy built a partnership and knew the longer it went on, the easier it would get for the others coming in at the back end.”I’ve been feeling in really good nick but I think the most pleasing thing for me is my calmness. I think last year I was a bit frantic. So, it’s nice to be back in this space where I can contribute to team wins.”
He became just the second bowler to deliver four maidens in a T20I as New Zealand beat PNG by seven wickets
Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Jun-2024New Zealand signed off a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a dominant win over Papua New Guinea, chasing down a paltry target of 79 with seven wickets and 46 balls to spare at the Brian Lara Stadium, in Tarouba.The scale of the mismatch was characterised by Lockie Ferguson’s figures of 3 for 0 from his four overs. The New Zealand speedster became only the second bowler to bowl four maidens in a T20I fixture after Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar achieved the feat in 2021 when he returned 2 for 0 against Panama.Related
The Boult legacy: how will NZ cope without Southee's other half?
Kane Williamson coy on T20I future after New Zealand's World Cup exit
Ferguson does the (almost) unimaginable, returns 4-4-0-3 vs PNG
Spotlight on NZ transition after Boult confirms this will be his last T20 World Cup
While Ferguson was sharp and accurate, the moisture in the pitch and what remained in the air from the morning showers that delayed the toss by an hour made it a tough ask for PNG’s batters. The weather was a primary reason Kane Williamson inserted the opposition upon winning the toss, who in turn were 16 for 2 after the powerplay.Charles Amini’s 17, the highest score of the innings, came in the most productive stand – 27 for the third wicket with Sese Bau – before he was pinned lbw for Ferguson’s second of the innings.Trent Boult, playing in his last T20 World Cup match, went on to pocket two wickets when he returned to bowl his final two overs at the death. Ish Sodhi, replacing Jimmy Neesham in the XI for his first match of the competition, also picked up a brace, taking the final PNG wickets in the 20th over as they were bowled out with two balls left in their innings.But PNG were not about to bow out without a fight. Kabua Morea, returning to the XI after playing the opener against West Indies, removed Finn Allen, caught behind, off the second delivery of New Zealand’s innings. He then pocketed Rachin Ravindra when the left-hander tried and failed to lift beyond deep midwicket at the start of the fifth over.Further excitement on the field came when Semo Kamea trapped Devon Conway on the crease. His 35 – which included two fours and three sixes – had, however, taken the sting out of the chase. Conway and Williamson added 34 runs for the third wicket – New Zealand’s highest partnership of the tournament.Williamson and Daryl Mitchell then completed the formalities, scoring the remaining 25 runs from 18 balls to earn New Zealand their second win, consigning PNG to a fourth defeat.Player of the Match Lockie Ferguson had a record outing•ICC/Getty ImagesFerguson in the record booksIt began with a wicket: extra pace across Assad Vala that enticed a drive. There was even a bit of extra bounce which only served to make Mitchell’s catch at a wide first slip that little bit tougher. From that point on, Ferguson was locked in.Did he know a place in the record books was in the offing? Probably not. But the movement through the air and off the deck, not to mention the high pace that was always going to ask unanswerable questions to a limited PNG batting line-up, meant Ferguson was likely to emerge with extraordinary figures.The 33-year-old was primarily over the wicket to the left-handed Bau, who entered the fray upon Vala’s dismissal. Having switched to over the wicket midway through his second over (the seventh), Ferguson returned for the 12th from that angle and was immediately rewarded with a delivery into Amini’s pads that skidded on with the angle so sharply it was initially given not out on the field.DRS corrected that error before Ferguson took matters into his own hands by hitting Chad Soper’s stumps for his third. Then came two leg byes down to deep third – which did not count against the bowler – and the final three deliveries, which were counted down by those in the commentary box, now fully invested in witnessing history. Kiplin Doriga’s mistimed pull almost broke the streak – though it also could have resulted in a catch at mid-off – before the right-hander charged Ferguson’s final delivery to no avail.Ferguson looked a little sheepish as his team-mates filed over to congratulate him. Nevertheless, a forgettable T20 World Cup now has a memorable sidenote.Chad Soper walks back after being cleaned up•Getty ImagesPNG batters leave unfulfilledAs valiant as PNG’s displays have been at their second T20 World Cup, there is good reason to look at their batting and wonder what might have been. Particularly when Allen and Ravindra were snared early.Signing off with a score of 78, following totals of 95 against Afghanistan and 77 versus Uganda, highlights the limitations of their batters. Even the 136 for 8 against West Indies looked light at the halfway stage, having faced 55 dot balls when setting that evening in Guyana.Even discounting the 23 scoreless deliveries off Ferguson, they failed to find a run from the 58 balls delivered by the rest of the New Zealand attack. Conditions were not kind to batters throughout, particularly those taking guard against the new ball duo of Boult and Tim Southee on a new track with variable bounce, but more intent could have been shown.Particularly against Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner floated plenty up but conceded just one boundary. Perhaps spooked by Bau lifting Santner into the hands of long on, it took until Santner’s final delivery for someone to land one on him, as Doriga smeared a sweep shot to midwicket for four.Of course, this match does not really qualify as a missed opportunity given New Zealand’s undoubted superiority. But it did serve as a reminder of the shortcomings that cost them victory against Uganda and allowed West Indies off the hook.Kabua Morea struck twice in his first three overs•Getty ImagesKabua Morea’s redemptionIt was 15 days between appearances at this T20 World Cup for Morea. The left-arm seamer started against West Indies, arriving into the match with the expectation he would be a crutch for the attack over the coming fortnight. He ended up with figures of 0 for 30 from three overs, the last of which went for 13 as Roston Chase profited off a couple of full tosses to take the hosts over the line with an over to spare.Morea spent the next two matches on the sidelines as PNG opted for a more spin-heavy attack. Conditions dictated as much, but Morea would have every reason to consider himself an unfortunate casualty of this shift having been the side’s leading wicket-taker at the 2021 edition.But here in Tarouba, he seized the opportunity to leave the World Cup on something of a high, returning home with figures of 2 for 4 from 2.2 overs. Allen’s hot-headed hack gave him a wicket with the second ball. And having tied Ravindra down for the rest of that first over, the Kiwi No.3 greeted his reintroduction for the fifth over with a desperate charge and swipe that nestled into the hands of Kamea in the deep.It was at this point that the rain made a return. New Zealand were 20 for 2, level with the five-over par score, which they passed when Williamson punched a single off his first ball. It was the only run off the over, with Morea boasting figures of 2 for 2 from his first two overs. As it turned out the rain did not stop play, either. While not as headline-grabbing as Ferguson’s exploits, Morea’s 11 dots against an engaging and far more equipped New Zealand batting line-up were equally impressive.
It is transfer deadline day, with the window set to slam shut until next Monday. For Chelsea and other clubs in the Club World Cup, it represents an opportunity to sign players before the new-look competition begins. Indeed, the Blues will be looking to bolster their squad ahead of their first fixture against LAFC.
Their first couple of signings are over the line this summer, already. Liam Delap has officially joined from Ipswich Town, with the Blues winning the transfer battle for him after the Tractor Boys’ relegation. Most recently, Mamadou Sarr moved to Stamford Bridge from sister club Strasbourg.
Delap and Sarr may not be the only players through the door at Chelsea before the end of the window. They are linked with someone else from the Premier League.
Chelsea’s next Premier League target
Now, it will be touch and go to see if Chelsea can bring anyone else to the club in the final throes of this mini transfer window. If that were the case, signing someone from the Premier League, especially another London club, would surely help.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Regardless, at some stage this summer, Chelsea are seemingly set to move for West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus. TEAMTalk report that ‘a swap deal’ between the London rivals is ‘on the cards’ in the coming weeks.
The report suggests that Kudus ‘has been offered to Chelsea’ by the Hammers this summer, who are demanding £70m for their star attacker. However, that price could come down if Robert Sanchez goes the other way.
The Spaniard could ‘be involved in any deal’ between the two clubs, with the Blues pursuing AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Why Kudus would be a good signing
Whether or not the West Ham attacker moves to Chelsea before or after the Club World Cup is irrelevant. He would certainly improve the squad at Stamford Bridge, and is a “superstar” according to football scout Antonio Mango.
In terms of Kudus’ time at the London Stadium so far, he has managed 19 goals and 13 assists in 80 appearances. Just as it was for his side, the 2024/25 campaign was a struggle, where he notched up eight goals and assists in 32 games.
However, in his debut Premier League season, the 24-year-old showed just how deadly he can be. In 33 league games, the former Ajax attacker scored eight times and grabbed nine assists, as well as five goals in the Europa League.
One look at Kudus’ numbers from the last two Premier League seasons is enough to understand what type of player Chelsea are getting. According to Sofascore, he has completed 216 dribbles during his time in the top flight.
That certainly suggests that the Blues are signing a one-vs-one specialist, someone who loves to take on defenders. His combined expected goal involvement numbers, which stand at 18.43xGI, show that Kudus will have an impact in the final third, too.
If the Blues do manage to bring the Ghana international to the club, he could become their new Joe Cole. The former England international also joined Chelsea from West Ham, for a reported fee of £6.6m, as per BBC Sport.
His fee today would be the equivalent of £37.4m according to The Transfer Index, a bargain given how good he was for Chelsea. In 282 appearances for the club, Cole, a three-time Premier League winner, scored 39 goals and grabbed 37 assists.
Another similarity between Kudus and Cole is their versatility. In a Chelsea shirt, the London-born attacker played on both wings, as a number 10 and a centre-forward.
Well, that is much like Kudus for West Ham, who has played right across the frontline at the London Stadium.
Right wing
29
16
Left wing
19
9
Centre forward
12
2
Attacking midfield
11
1
Right midfield
3
2
Left midfield
2
0
Second striker
1
1
If Kudus does join Chelsea, there are lots of similarities between him and the former Blues number 10. If he replicates what Cole did in that famous Blue shirt, then it will certainly have been a successful move.
Be it a £70m fee or a swap deal, this seems like a transfer that is too good to turn down for Chelsea, be it on deadline day or in the longer transfer window.
Better signing than Gittens: Chelsea now expect to land "world-class" star
Chelsea are looking to make a host of signings this summer
Manchester United’s season ended in disappointing fashion when they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao last month.
That result means that the Red Devils will not be playing European football in the 2025/26 campaign, as they missed out on the chance to qualify for the Champions League.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorimbefore the match
This has already had an impact on their summer transfer business, as Chelsea agreed a deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town ahead of them. Fabrizio Romano claimed that Champions League football was key to the Blues winning the race for the England U21 international.
The 22-year-old marksman plundered 12 goals in 37 appearances in the Premier League for the Tractor Boys in the 2024/25 campaign, and will now link up with Enzo Maresca and his squad.
Liam Delap
However, despite failing to qualify for any European competition and missing out on the signing of Delap, Manchester United have already confirmed that Matheus Cunha has joined the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a permanent deal.
What Matheus Cunha could bring to Manchester United
The Brazil international appears to be an ideal fit for Ruben Amorim’s system on paper, because he played as one of two attacking midfielders behind a striker in a similar formation at Wolves.
Wolverhampton Wanderers'MatheusCunhacelebrates
This means that he could slot straight in as one of the number tens in the Portuguese head coach’s 3-4-2-1 system, with the hope that he can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis.
The 26-year-old’s form for Wolves in the last two Premier League seasons suggests that the potential is there for him to make an instant impact at Old Trafford with his ability to score and create goals.
Appearances
32
33
xG
9.49
8.63
Goals
12
15
Big chances created
7
13
Key passes per game
0.9
1.8
Assists
7
6
As you can see in the table above, Cunha delivered 27 goals and 13 assists in 65 appearances across those two campaigns, whilst no Manchester United player scored more than eight goals in the Premier League this term.
This suggests that he could immediately be Amorim’s biggest goal threat at the top end of the pitch, due to the current lack of quality in the final third for United.
Cunha, however, only scored six goals and provided six assists in 40 LaLiga outings for Atletico Madrid earlier in his career, so there may still be a question mark over his suitability for a side that is looking to challenge at the top end of the table.
Whilst there is still some doubt over whether or not he can become a star for United in the same way he was for Wolves, the Red Devils could land an even bigger signing than Cunha amid interest in a Champions League winner.
Man Utd eyeing deal for PSG star
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The report claims that Inter, Juventus, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all eyeing up a move for the shot-stopper, who kept a clean sheet in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It states that the Italy international’s current contract in Paris is due to expire in the summer of 2026, with contract talks at a standstill, and this has left the door open to a potential move away from the club ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
CaughtOffside adds that Juventus and Inter are the two most serious contenders to land the 26-year-old goalkeeper this summer, as they hope that a move back to Italy would be tempting for him.
The report claims, however, that Manchester United are also monitoring his situation with PSG because Amorim is unconvinced by Andre Onana could swoop for the PSG star as a replacement for the Cameroon international.
If the Red Devils can get a deal over the line for Donnarumma ahead of the likes of Inter and Juventus, the Italian colossus could be an even bigger signing than Cunha.
Why Donnarumma would be a bigger signing than Cunha for Man Utd
Unlike Cunha, the PSG superstar has proven himself at the very top level as a regular for both PSG and Italy, winning four Ligue 1 titles, one Champions League, and the European Championship with his country.
The former Milan star has been there and done it in the biggest competitions and leagues, whereas Cunha – as aforementioned – is yet to prove himself at that level.
GOAL recently posted an updated power ranking for the 2025 Ballon d’Or and placed Donnarumma in 12th place, as one of the contenders for the prestigious award, thanks to his impressive performances for PSG.
Cunha, as he has not showcased his quality on the same stages, did not rank in their top 20, which speaks to the gulf in quality between the two players.
Donnarumma would also come in as a significant upgrade on Onana between the sticks and provide United with a solid goalkeeper who could be relied upon week-in-week-out.
Appearances
15
13
Save percentage
72%
63%
Goals prevented
1.69
-1.54
Clean sheets
6
2
Error led to shot
0
0
Error led to goal
1
2
As you can see in the table above, the Italian international was significantly better as a shot-stopper in Europe this season, whilst also making fewer errors that led to goals.
The PSG star also went through the Ligue 1 campaign, playing 24 matches, without making a single error that led to a shot or a goal, whilst Onana made four errors leading to shots or goals in 34 Premier League games.
These statistics suggest that Donnarumma would be a huge upgrade on the current United number one, both as a shot-stopper and as a reliable presence in goal, which is another reason why he would be an even more important signing than Cunha.
Instead of worrying about whether or not their goalkeeper is going to make a mistake, the Red Devils defenders could be assured by the Italy international behind them, leading to greater defensive displays and fewer errors at the back.
Osimhen upgrade: Best "finisher in the world" is now Man Utd's no.1 target
All of Manchester United’s attacking dreams would come true if they landed this Victor Osimhen upgrade.
5 ByKelan Sarson Jun 1, 2025
It is now down to the club to win the race to sign the Champions League winner and Ballon d’Or contender this summer, as he could be a transformational signing due to the quality and pedigree that the goalkeeper would bring to the team.
Heading into Sunday’s clash at St James’ Park, both Chelsea and Newcastle United found themselves locked on 63 points in the Premier League.
But, come the full-time whistle, the gulf in class between the two Champions League chasing outfits was obvious, with both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes sharing out the goal-load to hand Eddie Howe’s Toon a richly deserved 2-0 win.
Of course, the Magpies’ quest for a golden three points was undoubtedly helped by Nicolas Jackson receiving a red card deep into the first half, with the ex-Villarreal striker enduring yet another torrid afternoon leading the line for Enzo Maresca’s men.
Jackson's horror show on the road
The 23-year-old does have somewhat of a healthy goal return next to his name this season at 12 strikes overall, but all the main talking points from the clash on Tyneside would centre on his dismissal, away from his hot-and-cold ability to find the net.
Indeed, after planting an elbow into the face of Newcastle defender Sven Botman, the inconsistent Blues attacker would be sent off, meaning he is now suspended until the end of the Premier League season.
There was still 65 minutes of the match left after Jackson’s moment of madness, but the damage had already been done on Chelsea’s end, meaning Newcastle eventually strolled to a 2-0 victory to gain an upper hand to finish inside the coveted top five.
Jackson didn’t even test Nick Pope with a single effort on goal before clashing with the Magpies centre-back, with Maresca now tasked with deciding who to start up top now in the remaining top-flight contests to come ahead of the suspended striker.
Other Chelsea first-teamers could also feel the wrath of the manager’s team selection moving forward, with this fellow underperformer in attack only lasting ten more minutes than Jackson before being hooked.
Chelsea's other big underperformer
Nobody wearing Chelsea blue would come away from the 2-0 defeat with much praise, with Romeo Lavia another who looked out-of-sorts in the midfield department, especially when his casual nature on the ball centrally led to Tonali’s speedy opener.
But, Lavia would at least see out 75 minutes on the St James’ turf, with Noni Madueke half a tactical substitution due to Chelsea being reduced to ten men, and half an alteration made purely out of his ineffectiveness in attack when he lasted just 45 minutes.
Madueke’s performance in numbers
Stat
Madueke
Minutes played
45
Touches
16
Accurate passes
8/9 (89%)
Shots
0
Successful dribbles
0/1
Dribbled past
2x
Total duels won
0/4
Stats by Sofascore
At times, Madueke was merely a spectator to the constant waves of Newcastle attacks, with the 23-year-old dribbled past more times than he could conjure up successful dribbles himself.
Moreover, the ex-PSV Eindhoven winger could trudge off the pitch at the half-time interval and not return off the back of failing to register a single effort on the home side’s goal, alongside failing to win a single duel from four attempts. In stark contrast, even as Newcastle bossed proceedings, Jacob Murphy would win four duels as a committed warrior for Howe’s hosts.
Noni Madueke for Chelsea
It could well be time for Maresca to experiment with something fresh down the left channel, therefore, with 19-year-old sensation Tyrique George capable of playing down that flank, alongside an equally hit-and-miss Jadon Sancho.
The Italian will just pray that any changes he does makes to his XI pays off, with the Blues now slipping down the league, whilst Newcastle bask in the glory of third position.
Whenever Chelsea seem to be settling into their groove, another bump seemingly appears in the road, with just two Premier League games now left for the Blues to make any European dreams come true.
The next Cole Palmer: Chelsea in contact to sign "generational" £60m talent
Chelsea are looking to make the new Cole Palmer their first summer signing
He has become the kind of player that can produce something special, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that
Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Dec-2024Before “Pathum Nissanka” was ever a search in your device, before his switch to being a primarily white-ball player, before he hit Sri Lanka’s first ODI double-hundred, he was a 22-year-old batter who averaged 63 in first-class cricket. It is worth clocking this early, very good-boy version of Nissanka, because clearly the man himself has moved on so emphatically, it is easy to forget. This guy, once, took 252 balls to hit 103 on debut in Antigua. Nerd.Since first making a name in Tests, he has crashed over 4000 limited-overs runs at pretty solid strike rates, tattoo-sleeves have appeared, and though a back injury had apparently pushed him out of Tests for a while, he’s already hit a rapid, match-winning hundred in England since returning to the longest format. Three-and-a-half years into his international journey, it feels like we’re already on Nissanka version 2.0. The man is speed-running a career.If you know where he’s come from, and how far he’s traveled to get here, you’ll respect the hustle, though. There is no doubt that he’s talented. What you frequently also hear from coaches, is that he’s hungry. You watch this latest version of him at the crease now, and you can sense he wants more than he already has. He’ll leave that ball alone, but the way he shadow-bats a drive after it’s past him, a part of him wishes he’d tried to hit it for four.Related
Pathum Nissanka is raising his bar one notch at a time
Paterson, Bavuma and Stubbs put SA in driver's seat
Verreynne explodes before South Africa turn on the slow burn
Duminy steps down as SA white-ball batting coach for personal reasons
Sanath Jayasuriya: 'If I don't respond when a player approaches me, I'm not doing the right thing'
There is sense, and quiet, and discipline there. But deep beneath all that, also greed.How else do you explain that dismissal? Apologies that the first mention of his 89 on day two is of him getting out, running at Keshav Maharaj, and yorking himself against an otherwise unremarkable delivery. But even batting coach Thilina Kandamby sounded pretty annoyed, after play.”The way he got out – he only has himself to blame,” Kandamby said. “It was a good opportunity to get a century in South Africa. It’s not an easy thing. Only a few Sri Lankans have ever done it. At a time when the bowlers are tired, and the pitch is flat, he let go a great opportunity. Even I can’t put my finger on what happened, except to think that he lost his concentration suddenly. It’s not easy, because he’s got to to start from zero again to get to a hundred. But he’s a young cricketer, so I think he’ll make sure these sorts of things don’t happen again in future.”If the public criticism sounds especially harsh, it is because there is a widespread acknowledgement that Nissanka has a higher ceiling than almost anyone. He is a phenomenal player of the short ball, as he proved on day two, playing that shot to vicious effect against all three South Africa frontline seamers. On top of which he can be compact in defence when he wants to be, and is devastating against spin, in the shorter formats at least. Maharaj has a slog-sweep shaped bruise in his figures to prove it.Pathum Nissanka defends off the front foot•Associated PressIncreasingly, Nissanka is the kind of cricketer from whom you expect a solid score at some point in the series. Almost seamlessly, this has become expected of him in Tests as well, even though Nissanka 2.0 feels very much like a white-ball sort of guy. Though he himself is the “next big thing” in Sri Lankan batting, in Tests at least, he has to share that space with Kamindu Mendis, whose average (and we promise we don’t mean to shame Nissanka any further on a day in which he has been outstanding) is more than twice what Nissanka’s is, in this format.But Nissanka bats in an era in which other young players are gunning to be the next big thing. Avishka Fernando is around in limited-overs cricket. Charith Asalanka has already risen to the captaincy and excels in the ODI middle order. You’ve got to work for your stardom right now, and Nissanka seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t just want a job for the next 12 years, but wants to build a legacy. He was out for 89, but it felt like he needed 89 minutes to leave the field, so slowly did he amble off it. Though, that might also be because he was steeling himself for the batting coach-bollocking.In any case, in this innings, quelling a confident attack, Nissanka produced another glimpse into his quality. If we’re already at Nissanka 2.0, and he has as much potential as his innings suggest, and as much desire as his coaches say, we may have something special on our hands.For now, he is the kind of player that can strike up a century partnership, quell difficult opening spells, defy short-ball attacks on a bouncy pitch, push Sri Lanka into a slight advantage with his 89, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that.
Also: what’s the most wickets to fall at the same score in an international?
Steven Lynch28-Feb-2023Is it right that Harry Brook has scored more runs in his first nine Test innings than anyone else – even Don Bradman? asked Dan Perkins from England It is correct: after his ninth innings – 186 in the first innings of the second Test in Wellington – England’s Harry Brook had scored 809 runs. The previous record was 796, by India’s Vinod Kambli.I’m writing this before England’s second innings. If he bats in that, Brook needs to score at least 72 to stay ahead of Kambli, who had 880 runs after ten innings. After that, Kambli loses the top spot to the great West Indian Everton Weekes, who had 968 runs after 11 Test innings, and 1024 after 12. And then Don Bradman takes over: after 13 Test innings, he had scored 1196 runs. He stays ahead to the end of his career – 6996 runs in 80 visits to the crease: the next-best in a player’s first 80 innings is Weekes’s 4446 runs, just ahead of Jack Hobbs with 4384. Weekes had only one more innings, scoring 9. The fewest innings needed to surpass Bradman’s 6996 is 126 – 46 more than the Don needed to get there – by Steven Smith.Mehidy Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman put on 51 for the last wicket to beat India late last year. Was this the highest tenth-wicket stand to win an ODI? asked Roqibul Hossain from Bangladesh That unbroken stand of 51 between Mehidy Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman in Mirpur last December was actually the fourth-highest last-wicket stand to win an ODI. Still leading the way is a memorable match from the first men’s World Cup, at Edgbaston in 1975, when Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts put on 64 to take West Indies to a one-wicket victory over Pakistan.James Faulkner and Clint McKay put on 57 as Australia beat England in Brisbane in 2013-14, and Tom Odoyo and Hiren Varaiya added 55 as Kenya beat Ireland by one wicket in Nairobi in 2006-07.Australia lost four wickets with the score at 95 in the second innings of the Delhi Test. What’s the most wickets to fall at the same score in an international? asked Aravind Subramani from the United States Australia lurched from 95 for 3 to 95 for 7 in the recent Test in Delhi. That’s one short of the Test record: there have been four instances of a side losing five wickets at the same score, three of them by New Zealand. The first was in Wellington in 1945-46, when they went from 37 for 2 to 37 for 7 in the first innings of their inaugural Test against Australia. On a drying pitch that was giving great assistance to the bowlers, New Zealand were bowled out for 42 – and lost two more wickets at 37 in their second innings of 54 all out.New Zealand lost five wickets at 59 in the second innings against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 1964-65 (they actually lost seven wickets for two runs in this spell), and five at 133 against South Africa in Hamilton in 2011-12. A year later, Bangladesh lost their last five first-innings wickets with the score at 134 against Zimbabwe in Harare.Such collapses are obviously a New Zealand specialty, as they also hold the record for men’s one-day internationals: they lost five wickets with the score on 155 against Pakistan in Lahore in 2003-04.The record for men’s T20Is is also five, by Australia against Pakistan in their T20 World Cup match in St Lucia in 2010; Australia started their last over at 191 for 5, but finished with 191 all out, after a Mohammad Amir maiden that included five wickets, two of them run-outs. Mali equalled this record against Kenya in Kigali in 2022-23, losing five wickets with the score stuck on 8, en route to 30 all out.There are two cases in women’s T20Is of six wickets falling at the same score: by UAE against Bangladesh in a World Cup qualifier in Utrecht in July 2018 (from 33 for 2 to 33 for 8), and by Maldives against Nepal in the South Asian Games in Pokhara in December 2019, when they lost their last six wickets with the score on 8, which included seven wides. There are six cases of five wickets falling at the same score in women’s ODIs or T20s (note that we do not have full details for some games).In Kingston in 1999, 322 of West Indies’ 431 came from Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams’ fifth wicket stand – the next highest partnership was 22 runs•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEngland’s first innings in Wellington contained one partnership of 302, but not a lot else. What are the lowest Test totals that contained partnerships of 300, 200 or 100? asked Nick Jones from England The lowest completed (all-out) Test total to include a partnership of 300 or more is West Indies’ 431 against Australia in Kingston in 1998-99: Brian Lara (213) and Jimmy Adams (94) put on 322 for the fifth wicket, but the next-biggest stand was just 22. For an innings in which not all ten wickets went down, India made 361 for 1 against West Indies in Calcutta in 1978-79, with an unbroken second-wicket stand of 344 between Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.Australia’s total of 284 against West Indies in Brisbane in 1968-69 included a second-wicket stand of 217 between Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell (the next-highest score was 17). And the lowest completed Test total to include a hundred partnership came in Auckland in 1973-74, when New Zealand were all out for 158 against Australia despite an opening stand of 107 between Glenn Turner and John Parker. That came close to being beaten in Galle in 2021-22, when West Indies were bowled out for 160 by Sri Lanka, despite a seventh-wicket stand of 100 between Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua Da Silva, who came together at 18 for 6.Regarding last week’s question about the number of grounds used in each country for men’s internationals, does India still lead the way if you include women’s matches too? asked Samanth Karthikeyan from India India had a comfortable lead when it came just to men’s matches – 53 grounds have so far staged internationals in the three formats, with England and Australia next on 23 – but there’s a big change if you lump in women’s games as well. Australia have staged internationals for both sexes on 63 different grounds, and India on 81 – but England (and Wales) are well ahead with 99. The main reason for this is that some very small club grounds were used for some of the early matches, especially in the inaugural women’s World Cup in 1973. To see some of them, click here for the 90 different grounds used just for women’s ODIs in England.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.An earlier version of this story featured an answer about Harry Brook being the top scorer from No. 5 on the first day of a Test, which has been replaced due to inaccuracies.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions