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While Hazlewood is set to return to action for RCB, David is unlikely to play due to injury

Hemant Brar28-May-20259:02

Moody: ‘Two in-form teams, we’re in for an absolute cracker’

Big picture: Ticket to finaleQualifier 1 of IPL 2025, in New Chandigarh, will be a clash of two teams that share a past and a present. To begin with, both Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are searching for their maiden IPL title.This is the first time since 2014 that PBKS have made it to the playoffs. They had topped the league stage then also, before losing to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.Related

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Flavours of Punjab – in-form home team and local Test captain add to the excitement

IPL playoffs: How the four teams stack up

The night Jitesh got rid of the enormous weight on his shoulders

RCB have been regulars in the playoffs in the past few years, but the last time they finished in the top two was in 2016. Just like PBKS in 2014, they went on to lose the final then, to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).PBKS’ success in IPL 2025 has revolved around their uncapped Indian players, while RCB have traditionally been the home of the game’s biggest superstars, they have shed that persona this time. Their captain Rajat Patidar has four international caps to his name, their vice-captain Jitesh Sharma nine.The similarities don’t end there. Both teams have key bowlers coming in after brief injury layoffs. Yuzvendra Chahal missed PBKS’ last two games with a wrist issue but is expected to be fit for Thursday’s game. Similarly, RCB are set to be bolstered by Josh Hazlewood’s return after a shoulder injury.At the same time, both teams will be without an important player each. PBKS allrounder Marco Jansen has returned to South Africa to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, while RCB’s Tim David is unlikely to be available due to the hamstring injury he picked up against SRH.Whichever way you look at it, it’s not easy to separate the two teams. If PBKS have the advantage of playing at home (though it’s not a home game, technically), RCB will take confidence from their win against them at this venue earlier in the season. The good thing is that whoever loses on Thursday will get another shot at getting to the final.Form guidePunjab Kings WLWWW
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WLWWW2:31

An 18-year wait to end this season?

In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and Virat KohliNot only are Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli the most experienced batters of their sides, but also the leading run-getters. Kohli has 608 runs at a strike rate of 147.91; Iyer 514 at 171.90. Of late, both have improved their T20 games: Iyer against pace and bounce, Kohli with his overall intent.But Kohli might have the upper hand on Thursday. Iyer has scored just 25 runs in four innings in New Chandigarh this season and has an underwhelming record against several RCB bowlers (more on that in the stats section below). On the other hand, Kohli was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 73 off 54 balls the last time these two teams played here. After RCB won that game, Kohli turned towards Iyer and celebrated animatedly. Apparently, Kohli did it in jest, but Iyer did not seem to take it that way. So get ready for round 2.The big questionTeam news and likely XIIsIn their last match, PBKS played both Jansen and Kyle Jamieson, thus giving themselves the option of a fifth frontline bowler while still maintaining the batting cushion. Now with Jansen unavailable, they may have to bring back Azmatullah Omarzai. The other option is to play one of Xavier Bartlett and Vijaykumar Vyshak, but that will compromise their batting depth.Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Harpreet Brar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra ChahalNuwan Thushara was the pick of the bowlers against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), but he is the likeliest to make way for Hazlewood. If RCB want to play both, they will have to rejig their overseas combination, something they may not want to do at this stage.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Suyash SharmaThe four games New Chandigarh has hosted so far in IPL 2025•ESPNcricinfo LtdPitch and conditionsNew Chandigarh has hosted four IPL games so far this season. The first two featured three 200-plus totals. The last two saw 111 all out, 95 all out, and 157 for 6 in 20 overs. It will be interesting to see what sort of pitch is dished out on Thursday. The temperature should be around 30°C with no forecast for rain.Key stats Among the ten batters who have scored over 500 runs in the season, Iyer’s strike rate of 171.90 is second only to Nicholas Pooran’s 196.25. But Hazlewood has dismissed Iyer three times in 19 balls in T20 cricket while giving away just nine runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, too, has got Iyer out three times in the IPL while conceding just 45 runs in 50 balls. While Iyer has got out only once to Krunal Pandya, he has a strike rate of just 85.41 (41 runs in 48 balls) against him. Arshdeep Singh has dismissed Phil Salt four times in 32 balls while conceding only 25 runs. Mayank Agarwal averages just 12.00 against Chahal (six dismissals for 72 runs) in the IPL but has a strike rate of 160.00 (72 runs in 45 balls, with five sixes).

Zimbabwe picked up 4 for 20 before stumps to limit Bangladesh’s lead to 64 with three wickets in hand

Mohammad Isam29-Apr-2025Shadman Islam’s second Test century set a strong platform as Bangladesh went into a 64-run lead over Zimbabwe, with three wickets in hand, on the second day of the Chattogram Test. A flurry of late wickets, however, helped Zimbabwe stay in the hunt. Bangladesh headed into stumps with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam batting on 16 and 5 respectively.Debutant Zimbabwe legspinner Vincent Masekesa took three wickets, while Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza and Brian Bennett took one each.Bangladesh openers Anamul Haque and Shadman put together an enterprising stand, after Zimbabwe were bowled out on their overnight score of 227, with No. 11 Muzarabani lasting just one ball in the morning session. Shadman got off the blocks with a flurry of boundaries, which included couple of serene straight drives. He also struck the ball well through the covers, while Anamul, playing his first Test in more than two years, seemed to focus on reading the pace of the pitch. He struck four boundaries in the day’s first session, as the pair reached the century stand shortly before lunch.Muzarabani ended Zimbabwe’s wait for a wicket soon after lunch when he trapped Anamul lbw with a full delivery that held its line to beat the right-hander. Anamul made 39 off 80 balls and added 118 with Shadman for the first wicket. Shadman and Mominul Haque continued Bangladesh’s solidity with a 76-run second-wicket stand. Mominul struck a straight six among his three boundaries in his 33 off 64 balls, before hitting one straight to Ben Curran at deep midwicket.Brian Bennett ended Shadman Islam’s stay•MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via GettyZimbabwe got another next ball when Brian Bennett trapped Shadman lbw for 120 off 181 balls. Shadman looked in control during the second session too, hitting a further seven boundaries including a six. Interestingly, it was only the second six in Shadman’s Test career.Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto deposited Bennett for a six each on either side of the tea break. Mushfiqur struck Bennett for two more fours in his next over, before he struck Masakadza for two fours, through backward point and with a slog sweep. Shanto clattered a pull against Richard Ngarava but fell shortly afterwards. Shanto gave Nick Welch a simple catch at short midwicket, handing Masekesa his first Test wicket.He added a second when he had Jaker Ali caught and bowled for 5 in the 75th over. Soon Mushfiqur was run-out after a misjudgement. He hared out of the crease after hitting Masekesa for a single towards mid-on. Wessly Madhevere threw down the stumps, with Mushfiqur well short of the non-striker’s end. Nayeem Hasan became Masekesa’s third victim when he edged to Sean Williams at second slip, after making three off 23 balls.

Aston Villa haven’t had it easy across the summer transfer window, but there’s no doubt that Unai Emery’s squad have what it takes to tackle the new Premier League and continental campaign with fervour.

Emery has returned to his favourite competition, the Europa League, after all.

Signings have been made, even if obstacles had to be circumvented. Still, the club, the owners, the manager, the fans, all are ambitious, and all are in concert that one or two more deals could be struck before the closure of the transfer window, should Villa hope to go from strength to strength.

Villa planning late-window deals

Aston Villa have been hamstrung by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules this summer, no doubt, but they have spent shrewdly and may yet welcome one or two more fresh faces.

But one or two signings might be made before the end of the term, with Villa still in the race to sign Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson at this late hour, though they face stiff competition from Bayern Munich.

However, Emi Buendia is currently weighing up an exit, with German club Stuttgart keen, and so a replacement could be found in Marco Asensio.

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Villa are ready to bring the Spaniard back to the club after his successful half-season loan, and they have agreed personal terms with the 29-year-old.

Monchi is currently locked in talks with Paris Saint-Germain, and it’s been suggested that a £13m package could do the trick.

Why Villa should sign Asensio

When Aston Villa welcomed Asensio to the fold at the season’s midpoint last year, they perhaps didn’t expect him to revel in the prolific heights he reached, scoring five goals across his opening seven matches for the English outfit.

Once hailed by his Mallorca youth coach, Juan Pericas, for his “magical” ability on the ball, Asensio has led a storied career amongst some of Europe’s heaviest hitters, but his spell with Villa last term showcased his potential for success in a system such as Emery’s, still challenging for the top but perhaps a rung below.

In this way, his potential arrival offers shades of Jack Grealish’s recent move to Everton, with Asensio perhaps set up to become Villa’s own version of the England international, once a superstar at Villa Park.

Aston Villa’s boyhood sensation completed 213 appearances for the Lions before leaving in 2021, and while he has since won the lot under Pep Guardiola’s wing at Manchester City, a recent loan move to Everton has seemingly reignited his career, having placed two assists against Brighton in the Premier League last week.

The difference, of course, is that Asensio has already proven himself for Emery’s squad, with his prolific touch and capacity to play across the frontline seeing him complete his sojourn with eight goals scored and one assist placed across 21 matches in all competitions.

Asensio differs from Grealish in that he’s more of a focal contributor in the final third, although he completed 71% of his dribbles in the Premier League last year to showcase some degree of ball-carrying similarity to the one-time Villa Park talisman.

24/25 PL stats – Asensio
Stats (* per game)	#
Matches (starts)	13 (9)
Goals	3
Assists	1
Shots (on target)*	1.8 (0.8)
Big chances missed	4
Pass completion	86%
Big chances created	1
Key passes*	1.2
Dribbles (success)*	0.9 (71%)
Tackles + interceptions*	0.7
Duels won*	2.1
Stats via Sofascore

Grealish set the Premier League alight during his two-year performance at the highest level with his boyhood club, and he then earned himself a record-breaking £100m move to Manchester City.

While the experienced Asensio doesn’t fit that same narrative, he could emulate the modern-day Grealish in stepping down a notch to rekindle his decorated career.

The new Barry: Everton chasing late move for another "special" English star

Everton are interested in signing an England U21 star.

1

By
Will Miller

Aug 29, 2025

Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur has been the home to numerous incredible attacking midfielders – many of whom have captured the hearts of the fanbase during their respective periods at the club.

James Maddison is just one of the current players who has starred in such a role, racking up 16 goals and 19 assists for the Lilywhites in 75 outings – with six of his efforts last campaign helping them towards Europa League glory.

Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen both shared the responsibility in such a role during the Mauricio Pochettino era, with the latter undoubtedly going down as one of the club’s best-ever additions.

The Dane cost just £11m back in 2013 and helped the club reach the Champions League final back in 2018/19 – registering 27 goal contributions in his 51 appearances that season.

However, current boss Thomas Frank now has his own version of a young superstar to rely on – with the talent potentially able to add himself to such a list in the years ahead.

Spurs’ move to land Xavi Simons this summer

After a summer of disappointment in trying to land a new number ten, the fanbase’s patience was rewarded late on in the window, after completing a £52m transfer to sign Xavi Simons.

Whilst it appears as though the Dutchman may have been third choice, a deal for his signature could prove to be a bargain if he can build on his recent success with RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old has registered over 15 goal contributions in each of his two full seasons in Germany – handing Frank the ammunition he’s craved within forward areas.

A move for his signature was only made possible after missing out on Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, potentially being a blessing in disguise, with Simons a player with huge potential to improve, given his tender age.

However, he may have found first-team minutes hard to come by – especially if the hierarchy has kept hold of a player who was previously on the books in North London.

The former Spurs star who was the original Simons

Since taking the reins during the off-season, boss Frank has struggled to rely upon a recognised number ten, with Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski both currently out with injuries.

Pape Sarr has often filled the void over the last couple of weeks, but has done so in featuring in an unfamiliar role, with the Senegalese star more suited to a deep-lying role.

However, a deal for Simons could allow the youngster to return to his natural position, which in turn could offer a more balanced midfielder for Frank’s 4-3-3 system.

The manager may have been able to navigate such injury woes in the early stages of the campaign had the club kept hold of Giovani Lo Celso a couple of years ago.

The Argentine originally joined the Lilywhites on loan for the first half of the 2019/20 campaign – before linking up on a permanent basis just a few months into his spell. It was a colossal deal, signed for £55m, the same price the Lilywhites shelled out to land Mohammed Kudus this summer.

He does possess a similar career path to Simons, subsequently being on the books of PSG before moving to another European outfit, which led to their respective transfers to join Spurs.

Lo Celso racked up 90 appearances over a three-year spell in North London – scoring a crucial goal against Manchester City a couple of years ago, which helped the side claim one of their famous results against Pep Guardiola’s men.

The Argentine featured 24 times in his final year at the Lilywhites – before being sold in an £8m deal to return to his former outfit Real Betis.

Such a move has allowed for the 29-year-old to recapture his best form, scoring ten times and registering four assists in the last two years – helping the LaLiga side reach the Conference League final in 2024/25.

Games played

34

Goals & assists

12

Pass accuracy

85%

Chances created

2.7

Shots taken

2.1

Successful dribbles

1.3

Tackles won

1.4

Duels won

59%

Successful crosses

1.5

Whilst he ultimately failed to reach the levels many expected him to in North London, he was still a superb option for the first-team, potentially being offloaded too prematurely.

Many supporters will be hoping Simons doesn’t suffer the same fate – needing to replicate such form from his time in the Bundesliga if he is to be a success during his time playing under Frank.

Levy let Spurs star leave for £0, now he could've been Frank's new Mbeumo

Tottenham Hotspur may have offloaded one of their former stars way too prematurely.

4 ByEthan Lamb Sep 3, 2025

Bumrah had a significant say with three wickets although it was Australia who edged the honours with their top four all passing fifty

Andrew McGlashan26-Dec-20241:51

Manjrekar explains how Konstas took down Bumrah

Sam Konstas, the 19-year-old making his Test debut, lit up the MCG with an audacious display of strokeplay against Jasprit Bumrah which in the process riled Virat Kohli on a compelling Boxing Day at the MCG. The world’s best fast bowler still had a significant say with three wickets although it was Australia who edged the honours with their top four all passing fifty.By stumps, Steven Smith was the key figure in how much further Australia’s first innings would be able to extend as he eyed his second hundred in three innings after Bumrah had sparked a middle-order wobble. Yet it was the opening passage of the Test that could well go down as defining.Within an hour of his first Test innings Konstas, who became his country’s fourth-youngest men’s player, was the most talked-about figure in the game having brazenly taken 32 off two overs from Bumrah. While he was stopped on 60 off 65 balls, he had already written himself a chapter among the most remarkable debuts and more than repaid the selectors’ desire to provide something different at the top of the order after Nathan McSweeney’s struggles.Related

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Bumrah still pocketed key top-order scalps of Usman Khawaja, the prolific Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh although it did little to downplay talk India are over-reliant on him. The latter two came as Australia lost 3 for 9 in the final session with Akash Deep then claiming a much-deserved wicket with the second new ball when he removed Alex Carey to end the fourth significant partnership of the innings.Khawaja, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne all brought up half-centuries at more sedate tempos than Konstas. It was the first time since Rawalpindi in 2022 that Australia’s top four had all reached fifty in the same innings. Khawaja and Labuschagne will have been left wondering what could have been but Smith played a vital role in keeping Australia ahead.Sam Konstas celebrates his fifty•Getty ImagesBut it was all about how the day started. Konstas’ first over in Test cricket was against Bumrah and consisted of four plays and misses. Off his eighth delivery he worked a brace into the leg side to a loud ovation and two deliveries later signaled his intent with an attempt to reverse scoop Bumrah which brought a combination of cheers and gasps.He missed another an over later and with Mohammed Siraj also troubling Khawaja, Australia were 12 without loss after six overs when Konstas unleashed a passage of play that will never be forgotten. Off Bumrah’s fourth over he scooped to fine leg, reverse scooped for six over deep third and was an inch away from repeating it three balls later.He had dispatched the world’s leading bowler for 14 but wasn’t done there. In Bumrah’s sixth over he took him for 18, this time by peppering the boundary with drives including lofting a slower ball over wide long-on. By this point, he had been shoulder-checked by Kohli between overs with Khawaja trying to act as peacemaker with all eyes on how the match referee would adjudicate the confrontation.Not long after, a quickly run two brought up his fifty from 52 balls and he grabbed the Australian emblem on his shirt while pointing to the name on the back. What were you doing as a 19-year-old on Boxing Day? The mind started to wander towards something even more spectacular, but Ravindra Jadeja trapped Konstas lbw in a manner many a more experienced batter has been removed.The tempo then reverted to something more traditional: the stand of 89 between Konstas and Khawaja took 116 balls, the next of 65 between Khawaja and Labuschagne required 150. The afternoon session started with four consecutive maidens from Bumrah and Akash, the latter again bowling without luck. Both batters had edges fall short of slip and another from Khawaja which bisected the cordon took him to just his second fifty of the year.Jasprit Bumrah removed Travis Head for a duck•Getty ImagesIndia were largely keeping the scoreboard under control but were not overly threatening, only for Khawaja to toe-end a pull against the first ball of Bumrah’s third spell to midwicket which left the bowler a little embarrassed to celebrate.Labuschagne was still not quite at his fluent best, but was looking as good as he had all series with some delicate glides to third off Jadeja and the types of drives to suggest better days lie ahead for Australia’s No. 3. There was a shift in gears after tea with Labuschagne and Smith adding 41 in the first six overs of the final session against the older ball, although there remained enough assistance from the surface to challenge the batters as another luckless spell from Akash showed.However, the door was opened for India by offspinner Washington Sundar, who had been brought into the side in place of Shubman Gill, when Labuschagne picked out mid-off with a skimming drive the ball after a drinks break. Labuschagne threw his head back as Kohli took the catch, knowing the chance of a first Test century since last July had gone begging.Rohit Sharma sensed a moment and immediately brought back Bumrah and against his third delivery Travis Head shouldered arms to one that clipped his off stump. A batter who has caused India nightmares with his attacking strokeplay departed not offering a shot. In Bumrah’s next over Mitchell Marsh, having slotted away one thumping cover drive, edged an expansive pull to continue what has been a lean series after the summer of his life in 2023-24.As the ground rose for the hats-off commemoration of Shane Warne at 3.50pm (to match Warne’s Test cap number), Smith had slotted consecutive boundaries off Jadeja when Australia looked to be taking control but now his presence was vital in ensuring the innings didn’t lose its way. He and Carey added 53 before Akash produced a terrific delivery from round the wicket. Smith remained firm and walked off to warm applause from those who remained of an 87,242 crowd but it was nothing compared to the ovations earlier in the day.

Aggressive 91-ball century saves England from early collapse as NZ wobble in reply

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Dec-2024Harry Brook has hailed his 123 on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington as the best of his eight Test hundreds, eclipsing the 317 he scored against Pakistan two months ago.Brook’s 115-ball innings – including a century from 91, his second-fastest in Tests – has put England in command at the Basin Reserve, with New Zealand closing on 86 for 5, 198 behind the tourists’ opening effort of 280. The 25-year-old arrived at 26 for 3 upon the fall of Joe Root and unleashed some audacious shots, including clouting Nathan Smith out of the ground for the first of three sixes over extra cover.It began immediately as a counterattack on a pitch that was seaming prodigiously. Having been dropped five times for his 171 last week in the first Test, Brook was chanceless throughout, until some slack running saw him run out by Smith on the stroke of tea.Nevertheless, Brook was so happy afterwards that he ranked it top of the charts for his meaningful scores so far. Including the history-busting knock against Pakistan in the first Test at Multan in October, when he became England’s first triple-centurion in 34 years, after Graham Gooch’s 333 against India in 1990.”I think that might be my favourite hundred so far,” said Brook at stumps. “I enjoyed that a lot.”It was just the circumstances really, it was 26 for 3 when I came in and the pitch was doing quite a bit. It was seaming and swinging and I’m just glad I put my attacking mode on and really took it to them and put them under pressure.”Obviously that pitch (Multan) was extremely flat. You could just lean on it and the outfield was so rapid it would go for four. Here in the situation of the game, the pitch, and the way I played…I felt like I was really putting them under a lot of pressure.”It’s a pretty special feeling. Most of the balls came out the middle of the bat. It feels good to be batting like that.”Related

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Brook hundred repels New Zealand before Carse leads England surge

Two days ago, Brook moved to No.2 on the ICC Test batting rankings following his 171 in the first Test of this series, behind teammate Root, who was dismissed for just three here. And according to Nathan Smith, who was targeted by Brook and launched into the road with the first of three sixes over extra cover off his bowling, he deserves to be considered in such vaunted company.”He’s a crop of that new, young cricketers – those world-class ones; him, Rachin, the guy from India (Yashasvi Jaiswal),” said Smith. “You put those guys in the same category. He’s world class, right up there.”This was Brook’s seventh century overseas, taking his average away from home to 91.50 from 10 Tests. All of those have been played in either Pakistan (six) and New Zealand (four), and he has yet to play in India or Australia.”I’ve only played in two countries – if I go to another it might change,” said Brook. “The pitches in Pakistan are usually very nice to bat on. Here you get nice-paced pitches, quick and bouncy and I feel I can play a different array of shots.”Brook also signalled out Brydon Carse, the pick of England’s bowlers with 2 for 28, including the dismissal of Kane Williamson. He had Williamson bowled for 20 off a no-ball, before making amends with a delivery that left the legendary Black Cap and caught an edge through to Ollie Pope for 37. Carse then snared Daryl Mitchell late in the day with a lifter down the leg side to confirm England’s advantage going into day two.”I think the ball after he got the no-ball wicket was 92/93mph,” Brook said. “He was fairly angry. Every team needs a player like him, he bowls at 90mph, diving and taking that amazing catch and he can come out with the bat and smack his first ball for four. he’s a very valuable asset to us and an unbelievably good bloke.”

Manchester City have returned from the Club World Cup after being knocked out of the tournament, but there is no rest for Pep Guardiola in his hunt for reinforcements, according to reports.

Man City allow modern-day legend Kyle Walker to depart

Eras come to an end, and familiar faces depart to make way for a new dawn to occur at any given football club. However, there won’t be a single Manchester City fan who won’t thank Kyle Walker for his service after his move to Burnley was officially confirmed.

Bringing down the curtain on nearly eight years at the Etihad, he stated: “Seven-and-a-half years, a truly amazing, fantastic, wonderful and special place that will remain truly in my heart forever.

“I feel what we have achieved as a team, a club, and organisation, a family, that’s not just obviously the players and the staff but you as fans have been absolutely incredible.”

Kevin De Bruyne and Scott Carson are among other experienced faces to depart, so it is no surprise to see that Pep Guardiola has embarked on a rebuild that has rapidly taken shape since the January window.

Continuing that theme, Manchester City could sign AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit after his exploits at the UEFA Under-19 European Championships as he claimed player of the tournament due to his performances in the engine room.

Bigger talent than Reijnders: Pep driving Man City move for £43m sensation

Following the arrival of Tijjani Reijnders, Man City still want to bolster their midfield options, reportedly interested in making a £43m signing.

By
Ben Gray

Jul 4, 2025

Diogo Costa could replace Ederson between the sticks after Guardiola personally requested his signature, and his release clause of £65 million isn’t beyond the Citizens’ transfer budget.

Now, they could finally be getting to work on securing a replacement for Walker that is available for a fee that is too good to shy away from, per reports.

Man City hold talks to sign £20m+ Denzel Dumfries

According to Football Transfers, Manchester City have held talks to sign Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan, and he is said to be available for £21.5 million courtesy of a release clause in his current contract.

Nevertheless, the Citizens will need to move swiftly as the Netherlands international’s exit stipulation is set to expire on July 15th, and it is a move that is seen as too good to pass up by those at the Etihad. Understandably, Guardiola would be willing to roll the dice despite interest from Barcelona in the 29-year-old full-back, who has been at the Club World Cup with Inter.

Five similar players to Denzel Dumfries (FBRef)
Jeremie Frimpong	Bayer Leverkusen
Ali Abdi	Nice
Mitchell Weiser	Werder Bremen
Patrick Dorgu	Manchester United
Davide Zappacosta	Atalanta

Last campaign, Dumfries put up an impressive 11 goals and six assists in 47 appearances across all competitions, albeit he featured slightly further up the right-hand side than he would at Manchester City due to Inter Milan’s preference to operate with wing-backs.

His versatility would serve Guardiola well in his rebranding of the Citizens’ tactical framework, which it is hoped will lead his side closer to claiming the Premier League title after a disappointing season last time out.

Despite interest in Callum Wilson, West Ham United have now reportedly launched their first approach to sign a Serie A forward who outscored the former Newcastle United man last season.

West Ham in talks to sign Wilson

After losing Michail Antonio and Danny Ings earlier this summer, West Ham always needed to turn towards the transfer market for attacking additions ahead of next season. And whilst they’ve been patient with their approach, it looks as though they are finally attempting to solve Graham Potter’s biggest problem.

Having reportedly opened talks to sign Wilson, the Hammers will be hoping to welcome the veteran free agent, who needs no telling where the back of the net is. But that’s not to say there won’t question marks if Wilson arrives. As clinical as he is, to score goals a player needs to be on the pitch and that’s been the 33-year-old’s biggest problem over the years.

Callum Wilson’s injury record

Games missed (via Transfermarkt)

Season

Hamstring injury

14

24/25

Back injury

15

24/25

Illness

2

23/24

Chest injury

10

23/24

Calf injury

6

23/24

Hamstring injury

6

23/24

Hamstring injury

4

23/24

In the last two seasons alone, Wilson has missed a staggering 57 games through illness or injury. And at 33 years old, it seems unlikely that those problems will suddenly disappear with a move to the London Stadium.

The former Newcastle man is a proven Premier League goalscorer, but it must be mentioned that he is also a proven injury-prone player and West Ham can’t afford to get things wrong in search of a striker for the second season running.

Related Their own Wirtz: West Ham to accelerate move for "unpredictable" £30m star

Following Mohammed Kudus’ move to Tottenham, West Ham require attacking reinforcements, so are targeting an “unpredictable” £30m sensation.

Posts ByBen Gray Jul 23, 2025

Instead, those at the London Stadium should set their sights on a candidate in the prime of their career and one who ticks the box for both goals and reliability – something one Serie A star would certainly do.

West Ham launch approach to sign Piccoli

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, as relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham have now launched an approach to sign Roberto Piccoli and have insistently enquired about sealing his signature this summer.

The Cagliari striker is reportedly valued at around €30m (£25m), which would force West Ham to splash the cash to welcome the Italian. But he is likely to be worth every penny of that fee as the Hammers seek a solution to their striker problem at long last.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Piccoli

Wilson

Minutes

3,127

370

Goals

10

1

Assists

1

0

Expected Goals

12

0.4

When compared, once again it’s Wilson’s lack of availability that can be highlighted. Managing just 370 minutes last season – around four games – the forward scored just one goal. Piccoli, meanwhile, found the back of the net on 10 occasions in Serie A after playing 3,127 minutes.

The only concern for West Ham should be that the 24-year-old underperformed his expected total, which stood at 12 goals, but that may improve with further experience.

On paper, even for £26m, Piccoli stands out as the option that West Ham should be prioritising instead of Wilson this summer.

A crucial afternoon awaits for Chelsea.

Going into the final day of the Premier League season, the Blues kick off in fifth place, thereby occupying the final Champions League spot, but are far from guaranteed to remain there.

Their hosts, Nottingham Forest, are just a point behind Enzo Maresca’s team, so, defeat at the City Ground would see them slip out of the Champions League places and, assuming Aston Villa avoid defeat at Old Trafford simultaneously, the Blues would end up seventh.

This would mean, if they’re then also beaten by Real Betis in Wednesday’s Conference League Final in Wrocław, they would end up back in next season’s Conference League, which absolutely no Chelsea supporter wants to come to pass.

Given all of that, there is so much for Maresca’s men to play for on the pitch while, off it, plans are already coming together for next season, so could Chelsea land a new striker?

Chelsea's search for a new striker

According to a report by Cahê Mota of Brazilian outlet Globo, Chelsea have made a €60m (around £51m) offer to sign Brighton & Hove Albion forward João Pedro, adding that the Blues are attempting to ‘speed up negotiations’, hoping to have the star in place ahead of the Club World Cup.

Well, the 23-year-old appears likely to be on the move at some point this summer because, as documented by Steve Sutcliffe of BBC Sport, Pedro will not be involved when the Seagulls face Spurs on Sunday, have also not been in the matchday squad to take on Liverpool last Monday either, following a ‘training ground altercation’ with teammate Jan Paul van Hecke.

Despite this, the Brazilian is still a sought-after striker, with presenter Sam Ucko labelling him a ‘special player’ who is destined to go to ‘the very top’, so could he be on his way to Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea's search for their next great striker

As noted by Richard Jolly of Four Four Two, Chelsea have had their fair share of striker flops through the years; the names Andriy Shevchenko, Chris Sutton, Adrian Mutu, Mateja Kežman, and many others immediately spring to mind.

In fact, one could argue that Chelsea have not had a clinical centre-forward since the days of Diego Costa.

After arriving from Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2014 for a reported £32m, the Spanish international scored 59 goals in 120 appearances for the Blues, winning two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup, also named in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of his first campaign in England.

The table below outlines all the Blues’ highest-scoring centre-forwards in the last decade.

2014/15

Diego Costa

20

21

2015/16

Diego Costa

12

16

2016/17

Diego Costa

20

22

2017/18

Álvaro Morata

11

15

2018/19

Olivier Giroud

2

13

2019/20

Tammy Abraham

15

18

2020/21

Tammy Abraham

6

12

2021/22

Romelu Lukaku

8

15

2022/23

Kai Havertz

7

9

2023/24

Nicolas Jackson

14

17

2024/25

Nicolas Jackson

10

12

As the table outlines, no Chelsea centre-forward has reached 20 goals across all competitions since Costa’s departure, while noting that Eden Hazard in 2018/19 as well as Cole Palmer last season did reach this milestone, albeit, of course, neither of those are strikers.

So, could João Pedro change this fact?

Well, let’s look at his statistics this season to help answer this question.

Minutes

1,948

170th

Goals

10

19th

Goals per 90

0.46

17th

Assists

6

26th

Goals + assists per 90

0.74

9th

Shots per 90

1.94

59th

Goals – xG

+1.1

65th

Shot-creating actions

72

72nd

Goal-creating actions

9

63rd

As the table outlines, despite limited minutes, Pedro has managed ten Premier League goals this season, thereby ranking very highly for goals-per-90 in particular.

This is on top of the 20 goals he managed last season, six of which came in the Europa League, a very impressive return during his debut campaign with the Seagulls and would have been the highest by any Chelsea striker since Costa left.

Adrian Clarke of the Premier League praises the Brazilian’s ‘versatility’ as well as his quick movement and ability to ‘dribble past players with ease’, while Liam Tharme of the Athletic underlines how his ‘technical prowess’ allows him to drop deep and get involved in the build-up play.

Meantime, Shay Hicks of Talent Football Scout asserts that Pedro ‘would thrive with higher-quality teammates’, so could he be on his way to Chelsea, possibly becoming the striker they’ve spent nigh on a decade searching for?

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Everton picked up their ninth Premier League victory of the season on the road at Fulham as David Moyes’ men fought back to clinch a 3-1 victory.

After Raul Jimenez opened the scoring for Fulham in the first half, it looked as if another grim defeat was going to be put by Everton’s name. However, a fight-back kick-started by Ukrainian full-back Vitaly Mykolenko would get the ball rolling, leading to the Toffees running out as 3-1 winners.

Away from the defender equalising, however, there were a number of star performers from Everton’s perspective in attack which included Beto putting in another lively display up top.

Beto's performance in numbers

Of course, there has been a lot of chatter suggesting that Beto could be on the radar of newly promoted Leeds United this summer.

But, off the back of another impressive showing at Craven Cottage, he could be Everton’s new main focal point in the striker position, away from any move being signed off on for him to exit Merseyside.

Beto would make sure of all three points when racing forward late on, leading to the ex-Udinese attacker curling an effort past Bernd Leno on the 73rd minute mark.

Away from this moment of magic beating the German, Beto would end the game with a mammoth 11 duels won in total, alongside the lively 6 foot 4 striker also tallying up a further two efforts on goal to try and make his team’s win more comprehensive in West London.

But, whilst the Portuguese forward would ensure Everton collected all three points, there was another teammate in the attacking areas who stole the show and proved why he could go on to be a £100m talent like Manchester City-linked Morgan Gibbs-White.

The Everton ace who's a future £100m star

It was a very positive showing from Everton all over the pitch, with Jordan Pickford having to stay alert in between the sticks by making five saves, away from the likes of Beto remaining clinical in front of goal.

Yet, although he wouldn’t get on the scoresheet himself during the 3-1 win, Carlos Alcaraz would stand out throughout as a dangerous forward presence, with the Argentine winger showing why he’s deemed to be statistically similar to Nottingham Forest star-man Gibbs-White, among those in their position in Europe’s top five leagues, according to FBref.

Alcaraz’s performance in numbers

Stat

Alcaraz

Minutes played

84

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Accurate passes

16/18 (89%)

Key passes

2

Accurate long balls

4/4

Shots

2

Total duels won

3/7

Stats by Sofascore

Much like Gibbs-White, who boasts nine assists next to his name this season, the South American would tee up Beto for the game-clinching moment at Craven Cottage, alongside also showing off his prowess in front of goal when firing two efforts at Leno’s net that just went astray.

Winning three duels too, Alcaraz proved throughout that he could go on to be as lively and as creative as his English counterpart if snapped up permanently by Moyes and Co, having largely impressed in Everton blue since his January loan switch from Flamengo.

Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley would hand out a high 7/10 rating to Alcaraz post-match, subsequently stating that the ex-Southampton man ‘spectacularly’ grew into the contest, leading to a much-deserved win occurring on Everton’s travels.

With one goal and three assists next to his name this season in the Premier League, it will be intriguing to see if the Toffees do land Alcaraz’s signature on a permanent soon, with the same adoration handed out to Gibbs-White at the City Ground now happening with the 22-year-old at his new location, culminating in his name being heartily chanted at the full-time whistle at Craven Cottage.

Whatever does happen in the summer with Alcaraz, Moyes will just hope between now and then that the wins keep being notched up in league action, with a promising new horizon already coming into view at Bramley Moore.

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