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India are looking at Rana for the No. 8 spot in ODIs, and backing Washington for his adaptability, said Gambhir

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2025India coach Gautam Gambhir sees big things ahead in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s career after the opener made his first ODI century on Saturday.Jaiswal is a regular in India’s Test team but has only played four ODIs. He got his chance against South Africa, with regular opener and captain Shubman Gill out injured.”In [the] one-day format, you need to know the template you want to play,” Gambhir said after India beat South Africa by nine wickets. “When you come into white-ball cricket from red-ball cricket, you think you have to bat aggressively. But you don’t need to bat aggressively in one-day cricket, because you can split it into 30 overs and 20 overs.Related

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“If you play 30 overs like one-day cricket – and the quality that Jaiswal has, if he can bat till 30 overs – there is no doubt he will be close to a hundred. Even after that, you have 20 overs left, which you can look at as a T20 match. It is only about finding a template. This was just Jaiswal’s fourth game. The moment he figures out which tempo he needs to bat in one-day cricket, the sky is the limit.”Jaiswal batted through the innings: first in the company of Rohit Sharma, with whom he put on 155 runs, and then with Virat Kohli, with whom his second-wicket, unconquered partnership of 116 ushered India to victory. Earlier in the series, another non-regular member of the ODI squad, Ruturaj Gaikwad, stepped up to score a hundred as well. He scored it from No. 4, even though he is a specialist top-order batter.Ruturaj Gaikwad got to his maiden hundred in the second ODI•BCCI”Someone like Rutu, who’s batted out of position… He’s a quality player, we all know. We wanted to give him an opportunity in this series because of the kind of form he was in with India A. And he actually grabbed that opportunity with both hands, getting a hundred in the second game. And when we were under pressure actually – we were 40 for 2 – and then getting that kind of a hundred was proper quality.”Both players are likely to slip out of contention though, with Gill already fit to start India’s T20I series against South Africa, and Shreyas Iyer recovering well from his spleen injury.”Look, we try and give [new players] opportunities wherever we can. Because we still want a reasonable group… probably around 20-25 players in that group before the World Cup.”But once your captain and vice-captain [Iyer in ODIs] is back, obviously they are your starters. But yes, what they [Jaiswal and Gaikwad] had to do [with their opportunities], they have done that. And hopefully whenever it is possible, we will try and give them opportunities.”And more importantly, I think they need to keep themselves motivated because they should be ready whenever they get that opportunity. “Harshit Rana has been earmarked as India’s No. 8•BCCIIndia have been trying to gain depth in their ODI XI, so that they can score at a high tempo through the innings, and are looking at Harshit Rana as an option to lengthen their batting line-up.”That’s one of the reasons why we are trying to probably develop someone like Harshit, who can actually bat at 8 and contribute with a bat at No. 8. That’s how we need to find the balance, because come South Africa in two years’ time, we would be needing three proper seamers as well.”And if he can continue to develop as a bowling allrounder, it’s going to give us a massive boost. Because obviously with Jasprit Bumrah coming back, and what we saw of Arshdeep [Singh], Prasidh [Krishna] and Harshit in this series, [it] was incredible.”All these three guys do not have a lot of experience under their belts, especially in the 50-over format… They’ve hardly played less than 15 ODIs, all these three bowlers, but they’ve done a fabulous job. So I feel that if we can develop someone like Harshit at No. 8, who can contribute with the bat, I think it is going to give us the right balance as well… Let’s see. I think it’s still a long way.”India have also been using Washington Sundar in various roles in both red- and white-ball cricket. Gambhir touched on that: “I’ve always believed in white-ball cricket, batting orders are very overrated. Except the opening combination, I think it is very, very overrated. Yes, [in] Test cricket obviously you’ve got to have a fixed batting order. But again, you’re talking about someone who’s got a hundred at Manchester, you’ve got someone who’s got a fifty at Oval, who averages what, 40-plus in Test cricket.”And sometimes, you’ve got to look at the balance as well. I know it’s tough on someone like Washi, but then I think he’s done an incredible job – whether he’s batted at No. 3, he’s batted at No. 5, he’s batted at No. 7, 8. And that’s the kind of character he is, and that’s the kind of character we want in that dressing room, who are willing to do everything for the team with a smile on his face, which me as a batter knows how tough it is.”We’ve asked him to bat in Manchester at No. 5, he got a 100. We asked him the next game to bat at No. 8, he got a 50. And at Eden Gardens, he contributed at No. 3. Again, he contributed at No. 8 in Guwahati. So I feel we need characters like that, who are willing to put everything for the team. And I’m sure he’s going to continue doing that and we’ve got to keep developing him, because he’s got a massive future ahead for Indian cricket.”

GOAL sat down with the Real Salt Lake star to talk personal growth, awards, and why 2026 might be even better than 2025.

Throughout the last few years, Diego Luna has found ways to endear himself to fans of American soccer. For all of his qualities, though, the most endearing has been his vulnerability. 

There have been plenty of goals. This year, he made more appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team than anyone else. He's emerged as a star for both the Americans and Real Salt Lake. Behind all of it, though, there's a human being, and Luna is better than most at showcasing it. 

It took time, he can admit. He wasn't always this emotionally available and, even now, at a point where he feels more comfortable within his skin than ever, he is challenging himself to be more open. Vulnerability isn't his weakness, in his eyes; it's his superpower, albeit one that he's still learning to use for good. He's used it for plenty of good already. Even now, at just 22, he's making an impact.

That impact was shown to him recently. As he received news that he'd been recognized with the 2025 Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which recognizes a player driving positive change through soccer, that impact hit him like a truck. Luna was handed message after message from people who were struggling. He then read letters from people who were getting better. Ultimately, he realized those people were just like him. Luna teared up a little bit, but then smiled as he realized what this all meant: that he was starting to make a difference.

"I’m kind of, low-key, kind, an awkward person,” Luna tells GOAL with a laugh. “So to feel those big emotions on camera like that in front of people, it doesn't really capture how it really made me feel. It's something you hide behind, right? Because it's the media and stuff. But when I was in that room, the emotions I felt were very powerful. 

"I felt touched and sad, but in a good way…There was a good feeling of knowing that I was out there and the things that I've done and brought out to the environment, to the world, are helping a lot of people. It made me feel very special, and I really enjoy that feeling."

"Now having the support from the fans and support from even people that weren't fans, just people out in the world that kind of felt the same. It struck the same kind of vibe that they're on, and it's an amazing feeling to speak up about something that I'm being vulnerable about. I'm extremely proud of it, and it’s something that I enjoy speaking about.  Now getting the support from the public and from the world, and now bringing this as more of a serious situation, I think it feels extremely good, and I think this is just the beginning."

Luna’s right: it does feel like the beginning. In 2025, he delivered his biggest season, appearing in 17 USMNT matches while recording four goals and four assists. He earned a place in the Gold Cup Best XI, made his second MLS All-Star team, and stepped into the role of RSL’s centerpiece for the first time. It was a lot for a 22-year-old, but exactly what he wanted.

More is coming, though, and that's what Luna is so excited about. 

"I think 'crazy' would be the word. Or maybe 'rollercoaster'. I think that's the word for this year," he says. "I think with RSL and the national team, there have been ups and downs with my mental health, with what I've been trying to do. I've been improving…I think, for me, this has been another year as a young soccer player where I'm learning about myself and learning about what is needed from me to get the best out of myself."

So how did Luna get the best out of himself this year? It all started with really figuring out how to get to know himself better.

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  'Spreading the word'

  For as long as Luna has been in the public eye, he has been, unequivocally, himself. His body has tattoos scattered all over it, each filling a different purpose to describe a different moment in his life. He started to get them when he was young, he told GOAL in January. The tattoos were a commitment, both to himself and to the game of soccer. Soccer has taken him further than he could have imagined, and it's allowed him to be a version of himself he never really knew. 

  Before making it big, he was overly shy. He worked part-time at a coffee shop to develop people skills and confidence. The on-field stuff, in many ways, was a facade. Off-field life was different. Now, though, the two versions of Diego are closer to one in the same. In some ways, this award doesn't just recognize that fact, but the work Luna has done to make that pursuit public for all to see.

  "This year, it's been about mental health individually," he says. "Forget putting it out in the public and being vulnerable, forget that. It's about struggling, going from struggling to getting help, feeling better and now, going to publish this big thing that I went through. I'm proud of myself when I sit down and look back at it.

  "It's something where I'm not only bettering myself, but now spreading the word with this platform that I've created."

  It's easy to do that in the high moments, and Luna has plenty of those. Luna doesn't just want to speak about those. Even this year, the best of his professional career, Luna has lows that he feels the need to acknowledge.

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  Down moments in the dark

  The highs are easy to see. The January camp nose break that ultimately led to him becoming a USMNT favorite. The Gold Cup run that saw him score three massive goals en route to the final. Most recently, it was the goal in the USMNT's blowout of Uruguay, one that sent a clear message that Luna can do it against the very best in the international game.

  Sandwiched between all of those big moments, though, were quieter ones, ones that Luna admits were much, much harder than scoring a goal or making a play.

  "There are a lot of downs we can go on about, whether that's how my relationship with my family is going, how my son is doing, how my parents are doing," he says. "Then it's how soccer's going, how the team is doing, stuff like that. I think, for me, there are so many downs, and it's hard to talk about them. I could talk about my ups in five minutes, but my downs? That would take me an hour."

  One example came recently. After helping lead RSL to the MLS Playoffs with nine goals and seven assists, the club's season ended abruptly. A 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers in the MLS Playoffs' Wild Card round meant the season was over. That, naturally, is emotional. Luna wanted to keep playing, wanted to keep fighting. All it took was 90 minutes for that to be gone.

  Then, though, came the training sessions. With several weeks between that loss and USMNT camp, Luna was on his own. He still showed up, day after day, to RSL's facility, eager to work in silence. The goal against Uruguay was loud. The moments alone in the gym weren't.

  "It's a down when I show up every single day at the RSL facility with a bag of balls to run my butt off for three weeks straight of grinding. No one there; just me in the dark, lights off," he says. "It's three weeks of hard work that no one is noticing, but everyone's thinking 'Diego's done this' or 'Diego's done that'. I show up against Uruguay and put in a performance, but people don't see the hard work that was done before."

  Luna is right. There were a lot of those types of days and, by and large, they paid off. Now, though, there's a new pursuit: more.

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  Becoming a USMNT star

  Early in the year, Luna announced himself with the USMNT. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino infamously praised the midfielder’s “big balls” for his efforts in January camp, when Luna played through a broken nose and blood running down his face to deliver an assist. It’s easy to see why Pochettino – and many around the USMNT – appreciated his gutsy performances.

  It catapulted Luna into a larger role, and he went on to play more USMNT games in 2025 than anyone else. But toughness alone didn’t make him indispensable. He was involved in more goals than any player in the squad. 

  "Man, each one feels better than the last," he says about getting international caps. "That's the only thing I can say about it. That feeling, I think, is one of the top three best feelings in your life that makes you happiest. Maybe top five."

  To Luna, though, goals aren't just goals. Every time that ball hits the back of the net, it's symbolic. It's an achievement, and not one for himself.

  "It's that type of feeling because it's not just scoring the goal and getting that little excitement," he says. "It means you've scored a goal and you're performing well. It means you're getting your stats up. It means you're building a career. It means all of the work that you're doing throughout the week is working. Scoring a goal isn't just scoring, right? Scoring goals means better contracts, more money, and being able to take care of your family. There's a lot that plays into it. I think, for an attacking player, scoring goals is a feeling that you never get tired of."

  Luna's offseason effectively began on Wednesday, just a few hours after that goal against Uruguay. He's carrying that feeling into this break, though. That feeling is what's pushing him to get more.

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  Building something even better

  Back in January, he reflected on his 2024 season. From the outside, it looked like a breakthrough: he earned an All-Star nod, won MLS Young Player of the Year and drew praise from fans and media throughout the league. But despite all of that, Luna left 2024 feeling unsatisfied – far less impressed than everyone else was.

  "There's so much more than I can do," he said to GOAL. "I believe that this was average for myself. This is the baseline…I need to be better this year, and there were a lot of moments where I could have been better, and that's what I'm striving for. That's the type of mentality that I have, because it's not good enough.'"

  In the end, Luna was right. There was another level as he took steps further in 2025. Yet, that's no reason for him to celebrate.

  "I think this was a special year and, I'll say it again: I think that next year can be another amazing year for me," he says. "I think I'm going to do better than I did this year. That's the goal for me every year: do it better. I want to improve with stats, with my mental health, with how I'm feeling outside of the field, my physical health, my family, everything. I think that's the way I'm trying to take life."

  Everyone knows what the stakes are next year. A World Cup is on the horizon, and while Luna may not have said it specifically, that looms over all. Improving in 2026 would surely have him involved in that next summer. That is, of course, only one part of Luna's life. There's that other side, too: the human one. For the next few months, as he takes a step back to reflect and recover, he'll focus on that one, too.

  "This is maybe my most exciting offseason yet," he says. "It's definitely my most important offseason. I'm seeing it as my preseason to my preseason. I'm not treating it like an offseason. I'm going to manage it well. I'm going to clear the space from 10 months of soccer, but I'm going to be working my butt off….This is not an offseason for me, but a season where I get to combine having fun with my family with the work ethic and understanding that this year is a huge year that could be an amazing year. That's the mindset."

  That mindset carried him to another level in 2025. Luna grew with the USMNT, opened up even more about who he is and what he’s working through, and embraced being fully himself. Now, 2026 brings a different kind of challenge. Whatever comes, he’ll be ready to face it – and talk about it – every step of the way. That’s simply who he is.

Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the transfer market over the summer was largely successful, with numerous of their additions already making a huge impact in the Premier League.

Mohammed Kudus was the most expensive addition during the recent window, joining the Lilywhites in a £55m transfer from London rivals West Ham United.

The Ghanaian has already adhered himself to the supporters, with his tally of one goal and four assists the highest tally of any player in Thomas Frank’s first-team squad.

However, not all of their big-money additions have hit the ground running in North London, with Xavi Simons only able to register a single league assist after his £52m switch from RB Leipzig.

At just 22, he will have bags of time to adapt to life in England’s top-flight, but the same can’t be said for another first-team member who will likely be on borrowed time in the near future.

The total cost of Spurs’ deal to land Richarlison

Back in the summer of 2022, Spurs paid a reported £60m for the signature of striker Richarlison, with the Brazilian moving to North London from fellow Premier League side Everton.

Many supporters were excited upon his arrival, no doubt due to the size of the fee, but it’s safe to say the 28-year-old’s spell at the club has been nothing be plain sailing.

During his three years with the Lilywhites, he’s racked up a total of 108 appearances across all competitions, but has only scored a total of 24 goals in such a period.

However, he’s also taken home a small fortune in wages, with his £90k-per-week wages seeing him earn a total of £18.72m in wages alone since his transfer.

When combining his transfer fee with his wages, Richarlison has cost the hierarchy a total of £78.72m – a simply staggering amount of money given his lack of impact.

Given his tally of 24 goals, he’s cost around £3.28m per effort – further highlighting how much money the board have wasted on his signature over the last few seasons.

Games played

108

Cost per appearance

£728k

Goals scored

24

Cost per goal

£3.28m

Assists

11

Cost per assist

£7.15m

The player who could end Richarlison’s Spurs career

The numbers behind Richarlison’s deal at Spurs are nothing short of mind-boggling, but his underlying stats from the current campaign further indicate his lack of positive impact.

The Brazilian has only scored four times in the Premier League to date, but he has missed six big chances in the process, which has no doubt hindered his ability to provide the goods.

He’s also registered the least amount of touches of any player on the pitch in four of his 11 league appearances, often being unable to make a real impact on proceedings.

When in possession, the 28-year-old has struggled to find a teammate, only completing 63% of his passes – a tally which ranks him in the bottom 12% of all players in the division.

His lack of quality, coupled with his staggering cost, should see the club look to move him on in the near future, with Frank desperately needing to drop him from his starting eleven.

However, that may be a tricky task given the recent injuries to Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, but the Dane does have an excellent option in the form of Mathys Tel.

The Frenchman originally joined on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich last campaign, but he made such a move permanent in the summer – costing a fee in the region of £27m.

However, he’s found minutes hard to come by under Frank, with the 20-year-old only starting three matches out of a possible 11 in England’s top-flight to date.

Tel, who’s been labelled “one of the best finishers in Europe” by Ben Mattinson, has managed to impress despite his limited minutes, as seen by his tally of two goals.

Such a tally is all the more impressive when delving into his minute per goal ratio, with his 124-minute goalscoring record the best in the current squad in North London.

Games played

8

Goals scored

2

Minutes per goal

124

Pass accuracy

83%

Dribble success

50%

Touches in opposition box

3.9

Possession won in final third

1.1

Shots taken

2.2

The youngster has also caught the eye with his dribble success, often taking the ball past the opposition and handing the side a more nimble and off-the-shoulder type of centre-forward.

Despite his small frame, Tel has managed to make a nuisance of numerous backlines, even impressing out of possession and winning the ball back 1.1 times per 90 in the final third – which places him in the 95th percentile.

There’s no disputing that Tel is still a young and raw talent, but he’s already demonstrated glimpses of his quality, which should see Frank hand the Frenchman a consistent run of starts.

As for Richarlison, he could find himself on the fringes in the coming months, with the hierarchy needing to cash in as soon as possible to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

Forget Simons: Spurs have an academy sensation who could be Dele 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur already have a sensation who could replace Xavi Simons in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

Are Manchester City starting to build some serious momentum?

On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues demolished Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League, with Phil Foden bagging a brace, Erling Braut Håland scoring his customary goals and then Rayan Cherki getting in on the act late on.

Back in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team have won five of their last seven, including four in a row at the Etihad, rediscovering their best form ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad on Sunday.

If the serial champions are going to defeat the reigning champions in this weekend’s headliner, which “exceptional” star should Guardiola start in his forward line alongside Foden?

Is Phil Foden getting back to his best?

On Friday morning, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad was announced for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana, with Phil Foden one of the noteworthy names included.

The 25-year-old has not featured in any of England’s last six matches, seeing just 179 minutes of international action, out of a possible 1,260, that is only 14%, since the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

His return to the England squad is an indicator of Foden’s return to form at club level, with his double against Dortmund taking his tally to four goals for the season, having bagged only ten throughout the entirety of the previous campaign, not including the Club World Cup.

Following Wednesday night’s Champions League victory, Guardiola asserted that Foden is back, labelling him a “special player”, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian noted that he was the ‘best player on the pitch’, adding that he was ‘perky and precise all night’.

Thus, Foden’s recent performances mean he is a guaranteed starter against Liverpool, but who should come into the team alongside him, thereby forming part of the Citizens’ attacking quartet in support of Håland?

The exceptional star Pep Guardiola must start against Liverpool

In mid-week, it was Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho and Jérémy Doku who all started alongside Foden, but Guardiola surely must tinker with his lineup this weekend.

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That’s because, having recovered from a thigh injury, Rayan Cherki is starting to show glimpses of what he is capable of.

The Frenchman came off the bench to score his fourth goal for the Citizens on Wednesday, having previously netted against Al Ain, Wolves and Swansea.

When he arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m in June, big things were expected of the 22-year-old, with Guardiola describing him as “exceptional”, and his statistics in Ligue 1 last season underlining why.

As the table documents, Cherki was one of the outstanding players in France’s top-flight last season, leading Ligue 1 for assists as well as a whole host of other creative metrics, behind only Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

This season, despite sitting out eight matches due to injury, Cherki has already started to produce in a Man City shirt, registering three goals and three assists as well as creating four big chances in the Premier League; only seven players have more across the entire division, despite the fact he’s featured in only 163 of a possible 900 minutes to date.

Two of his three assists came against Bournemouth last Sunday, both times setting Håland free to burst in behind to slot the ball beyond Đorđe Petrović.

Thus, this forthcoming Sunday, a similar game plan is surely required.

During their sequence of six defeats from seven games, Liverpool were very susceptible to players running in behind, with Virgil van Dijk not at his dominant best and Ibrahima Konaté largely looking all at sea throughout the entire campaign.

With that in mind, Guardiola will want to pick a team that can exploit this weakness, featuring Håland running in behind and Doku giving right-back Conor Bradley nightmares with his dribbling, pace and trickery.

In order to best supply these other attackers, he must find room for Cherki, who demonstrated against Bournemouth last weekend that he possesses the right skillset to unlock Man City’s other attackers.

In the possible absence of Rodri, Reijnders will be in the team to offer support to Nico González while, as already documented, Foden’s flurry of goals makes him undroppable.

This leaves Savinho, who is still yet to score in the Premier League or Champions League this season, meaning the Brazilian is the most likely candidate to make way for Cherki, who simply has to be included in the starting lineup if Man City are going to become the latest team to defeat Arne Slot’s Reds this season?

Man City "monster" is closest thing Pep's had to Messi & it's not Cherki

Pep Guardiola has found his new Lionel Messi at Manchester City in pure “monster” and it is not Rayan Cherki.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 30, 2025

Celtic’s new head coach Wilfried Nancy will already have plenty on his plate in the coming weeks after taking over the club midway through the season, in the midst of a Scottish Premiership title race.

Aside from the obvious objectives, which include making it to the next stage of the Europa League, winning the league title, and winning the two domestic cups, the French boss also needs to develop players.

One player who desperately needs to kick on after an underwhelming start to the 2025/26 campaign is central midfielder Arne Engels, who must show his quality under the new boss.

Why Nancy needs to get more out of Engels for Celtic

Celtic splashed out a club-record fee of £11m to sign the central midfielder from Augsburg in the summer of 2024 under Brendan Rodgers, and he enjoyed a strong first season at Parkhead.

Engels delivered ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops in his debut season, per Transfermarkt, yet he has only managed two goals and four assists in 23 games in the current campaign.

This shows that the Belgium international needs to improve his performances under Nancy to prove that he was worth the £11m that the club paid for him last year, and to attract interest from other clubs to potentially be sold for a profit in the future.

Whilst Celtic’s club-record signing is yet to raise his value at Parkhead, there is a former Hoops talent who is now valued at even more than Engels.

The former Celtic star who is now worth £20m

In the summer of 2024, Rocco Vata, despite the club’s and Rodgers’ attempts to keep him, decided to leave at the end of his contract to sign for Championship side Watford.

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The Premiership champions raked in a compensation fee of £225k for the Ireland international, who came through the ranks at Parkhead, and he is now worth a staggering £20m 18 months on from that move.

At the end of November, the Daily Mail reported that Crystal Palace, Fulham, Atalanta, and Eintracht Frankfurt are all interested in signing the Irishman, who is valued at £20m by the Hornets, ahead of the January transfer window.

Vata’s journey gives off shades of Ben Doak. The winger left Celtic to join Liverpool for a compensation fee of £600k in 2022 and was sold to Bournemouth for £25m in 2025, after making just two first-team appearances for the Hoops.

The 20-year-old talent, Vata, has provided six goals and six assists in 47 games for Watford, per Transfermarkt, and his impressive play on the left wing has clearly attracted interest from some big clubs across Europe’s major leagues.

Vata was described as a “potential superstar” by analyst and Watford content creator Louorns on X last year, which now looks like a terrific take when you consider the clubs interested in him and the valuation on his head at the age of just 20.

Yet, as you can see in the table above, the versatile attacker barely got a look-in during his time at Celtic, with zero starts in his six first-team appearances for the club.

It is easy to say with hindsight, but Celtic should have offered him more chances on the pitch at first-team level to show the talented youngster that there is a pathway to regular football at Parkhead.

Perhaps Colby Donovan’s emergence, with 516 minutes under his belt this season, is an example of them having learned from their mistake with Vata last year and with Doak in 2022.

Now, Vata is shining in England with Watford, with 12 goal contributions since the start of last season, and could seal a £20m move away from the club in January if any of the aforementioned interested parties are willing to seriously pursue a deal.

This shows the kind of value that can be generated by simply giving young players an opportunity to shine, as Watford have done with Vata, as he is now valued at more than Celtic’s club-record signing, Engels, was signed for.

First big call: Nancy must now boldly bin Celtic's "player of the year"

Celtic are heading into a new era, following the belated confirmation of Wilfried Nancy’s appointment.

By
Robbie Walls

Dec 4, 2025

Hopefully, Donovan’s emergence this season is a sign that Celtic have learned from their mistakes with Vata and Doak and will be able to keep hold of their emerging talents in the future, instead of losing them for compensation fees.

The final international break of the year has finally come to an end, and Chelsea are back in Premier League action.

Enzo Maresca’s side resume their campaign with a trip to newly promoted Burnley, in what could be something of a banana skin fixture.

What will make things even more difficult for the West Londoners is their ever-growing injury list, which has decimated their backline.

However, arguably more concerning than that, Cole Palmer has picked up another knock, although there is someone in the squad who could stand in for him, and no, it’s not Estevao.

The latest on Cole Palmer

After an impressive Club World Cup campaign and strong pre-season performances, it felt like Palmer was set for another exceptional year in West London.

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However, after playing the first game against Crystal Palace, he missed the next two due to a groin problem, and while he returned for the following couple of matches, he was again forced off against Manchester United with another groin problem.

The Englishman hasn’t featured for the side since then, although it did look like he would be back in the squad after the international break.

However, it would appear Maresca and Co can’t catch a break this season, as reports yesterday morning revealed that the former Manchester City prospect had broken his toe in an accident at home.

In his press conference a few hours later, the manager confirmed the injury and said his star player “is not available for this week and next week.”

That means that, on top of today’s game, the 23-year-old is definitely going to miss the Champions League clash with Barcelona and the London derby with Arsenal.

It’s undoubtedly a massive blow for Chelsea, but the silver lining is that, alongside Estevao, they have another young talent who could step in for Palmer.

Chelsea's Palmer replacement

While Estevao should start on the right for the upcoming games, Maresca could get some of what Palmer would provide in the ten by starting Facundo Buonanotte there.

Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, nobody is arguing that the Argentine is as good a player as the Englishman; that would be absurd.

However, he is a highly talented young player who, based on his performances last season and what those in the know say about him, could replicate the 23-year-old’s capabilities.

For example, despite playing for a truly poor Leicester City side last season and being just 19 at the start of it, he was able to put in some impressive performances.

In 35 appearances, totalling 1701 minutes, the attacking midfielder, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed “one of the most exciting South American talents to have moved to Europe in recent years,” scored six goals and provided three assists.

Buonanotte’s 24/25

Competition

Prem

FA Cup

EFL Cup

Appearances

31

2

2

Goals

5

1

0

Assists

2

1

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.22

1.00

0.00

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.88 games, or every 189 minutes, which is not a bad rate of return considering the circumstances.

Moreover, the promising ace with a “left foot made of gold,” per Jacek Kulig, has also earned comparisons to some Argentine football legends.

For example, Premier League great Carlos Tevez told the press that the youngster “reminds me of Messi” a few years ago.

Finally, away from the numbers and appraisals, when the twice-capped international was in full flow last season, he looked like the sort of mercurial talent who, with the proper coaching and chance, could create game-winning moments for his side.

Ultimately, while he isn’t on the level of Palmer at the moment, Buonanotte is an undeniably talented youngster, and for the next few games, could provide cover for the Englishman.

Related Forget Delap: 18-year-old star is destined to be Chelsea's future number 9

The incredible youngster will be a superstar for England and Chelsea.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 21, 2025

Arsenal might be flying in the Premier League and Champions League this season, but things have not always looked so rosy for Mikel Arteta.

In fact, in his second season, just half a year after winning the FA Cup, there was a real sense that he could be fired.

After all, the North Londoners were bottom of the table by the first international break, and from the 8th of November to Boxing Day, the team didn’t win a league game.

Aston Vila (H)

3-0 (Loss)

Leeds United (A)

0-0 (Draw)

Wolves (A)

2-1 (Loss)

Tottenham (A)

2-0 (Loss)

Burnely (H)

1-0 (Loss)

Southampton (H)

1-1 (Draw)

Everton (A)

2-1 (Loss)

Amazingly, one of the reasons things turned around for the Spaniard was his decision to unleash academy gem Emile Smith Rowe, who, alongside Bukayo Saka, helped steer the club out of trouble.

Since then, it has felt like Hale End has produced talents in pairs for the club, and it looks like they’ve done so again with a duo who could become the new Smith Rowe and Saka, and no, it’s not Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri.

Saka & Smith Rowe's partnership

Smith Rowe made his debut for Arsenal and started a few Europa League games in the 18/19 season, and made a few more appearances the following year.

However, his first Premier League start for the club came on Boxing Day 2020, and alongside Saka, he helped put the club back on track.

He provided the assist for his Hale End teammate, and that started a partnership that finally gave the fans something to be excited about when it came to their team.

Appearances

33

46

Minutes

2220′

3606′

Goals

4

7

Assists

7

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.33

0.30

Minutes per Goal Involvement

201.81′

257.57′

In fact, the pair made such an impact as a dynamic duo that the fans created and constantly sang a song about them playing together.

Unfortunately, injuries soon began to take their toll on the Croydon-born gem, and while he was on the sidelines, his Saka started to grow in importance on his own.

Moreover, the overall team began rapidly improving, both from a personnel and performance perspective, so when the dynamic midfielder was fit again in the 23/24 season, he barely featured at all.

This led to the club accepting a £34m offer from Fulham in the summer of 2024.

It might not have ended well, but for a time, Saka and Smith Rowe were an incredible partnership, making 81 appearances together and combining for six goals.

Now it looks like Hale End might be about to produce another dynamic pairing for Arsenal, and it’s not Dowman and Nwaneri.

Arsenal's new Saka and Smith Rowe

Now, there is an argument to be made that the duo of Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the closest Arsenal have come to recreating the Saka and Smith Rowe pairing.

In The Pipeline

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

However, with the latter primarily playing at left-back, that comparison doesn’t really work.

It’s a different story, however, when it comes to Hale End gems Alex Marciniak and Louis Zecevic-John.

The pair have demonstrated an ability to play in several different positions, but the former, who is just 17, is primarily an attacking midfielder, and the latter, also 17, is primarily a right winger.

In other words, they could burst into the first team and, as one content creator put it, become “the new Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.”

Now, that is certainly a lot of pressure to put on youngsters that most fans will not have heard of yet, but based on their form in the youth sides and what those in the know are saying about them, it’s a pressure they might be able to handle.

For example, the “insane” Marciniak, as dubbed by academy expert Will Balsam, has already racked up a tally of one goal and three assists in eight appearances for the U18s this season.

Zecevic-John, whom Balsam has described as “a game-changing attacker” who is “electric with the ball at his feet” and blessed with “blistering pace,” also put up incredible numbers last year.

In 22 appearances, totalling 1539 minutes, he scored seven goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.57 games, or every 109.92 minutes.

Ultimately, there is still a long way to go for both youngsters, but given their positions and undeniable ability, they could one day be Arsenal’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.

Arsenal lost 'one of the world's best', now he's outperforming Saka & Eze

The incredible international is now playing better than Arsenal’s Eze and Saka.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 14, 2025

Liverpool’s crisis has deepened, with a point gained against Leeds United at Elland Road only fanning the flames that have engulfed the Merseyside outfit this season, so brittle and flimsy and susceptible to crumbling at the slightest flash of danger.

After the draw, shining light Dominik Szoboszlai was breathless and incredulous, echoing, surely, the disbelief of so many of a Reds persuasion across the globe. How has it come to this? Why are the Premier League champions so incapable of completing the basics?

Szoboszlai is the cream of a withered crop on Merseyside right now, but it’s clear, proven, that he can’t do it alone. Liverpool have so many strugglers, and who better to epitomise Slot’s side’s collapse than Ibrahima Konate?

Ibrahima Konate's performance at Elland Road

Konate, 26, is out of contract at the end of the season, and while this should be a season of importance for the Frenchman, winning better terms at Anfield or canvassing his qualities for suitors from elsewhere, he has not fallen but plummeted by the wayside.

It was a needless challenge on substitute Wilfred Gnonto, and that sparked the home side’s comeback. This was hardly an outlier for the hulking centre-half.

But, away from the most glaring blunders, Konate also lacks any semblance of control or confidence, and surely Slot has got to consider dropping him now, with the star having started every single Premier League match so far this season.

When are the mistakes going to stop? When is the storm going to abate? Konate, for all his woes this season, is not the only Liverpool defender who is flattering to deceive.

In fact, the France international’s scrutiny, an intense spotlight beaming onto him at all times, is detracting from the consistent problems of another.

Liverpool superstar could now be dropped

Virgil van Dijk has been a pillar of strength for so many years at Liverpool, but we are receiving a bitter taste of life without such a player in the rearguard, with the 34-year-old brought down from his indomitable self this season.

That missed deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day at the start of September continues to look more damning, and sporting director Richard Hughes is bound to be weighing up a move for the England international, whose contract at Selhurst Park expires in June, this winter, lest Liverpool’s crisis devolve into something even worse.

To say that Van Dijk, Liverpool’s supreme captain, should be dropped is a bold claim. Some would say brazen. Many would disagree.

However, the Netherlands captain has been woefully out of sorts over the past couple of months, and Konate’s error-strewn displays have disguised his own shambolic efforts. Liverpool were under the cosh at times, but Van Dijk did not step forward and make a tackle, not one.

He put Liverpool in danger with a careless headed backpass in the first half that required intervention from Konate, and he has lost the confidence and clarity that has been firmly fixed for the lion’s share of his illustrious Liverpool career.

The 34-year-old was handed a 6/10 match rating by The Liverpool Echo, largely due to his aerial dominance, but this was hardly a convincing display from the skipper, nor was it a good representation of his leadership ability.

Minutes played

90′

90′

Touches

62

83

Shots (on target)

1 (1)

1 (0)

Accurate passes

40/49 (82%)

57/62 (92%)

Chances created

0

0

Dribbles

0/0

0/0

Ball recoveries

4

1

Tackles won

1/2

0/0

Interceptions

0

1

Clearances

4

15

Duels won

7/10

12/14

Neither centre-back has covered themselves in glory for Liverpool this season – far from it – and with the January transfer window fast approaching, it feels likely that a deal will be explored, frantically, for Palace’s Guehi or any number of other earmarked targets who might restore some balance to a team that have lost their way – and are showing little sign of escaping from the bog.

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Spinners demolish SA for their third-lowest total in ODIs before openers secure ten-wicket win

Firdose Moonda03-Oct-2025

Linsey Smith picked up 3 for 7•ICC/Getty Images

If anyone thought England were not serious contenders for this World Cup, think again. They stormed to the top of the points table with a massive victory over a hapless South Africa, who were dismissed for their lowest score against England, second-lowest at a World Cup and third-lowest score overall.England had to chase just 70 and did in 14.1 overs. The whole match lasted 34.5 overs, not even the duration of a full T20. After one game, England’s net run rate sits at 3.773 – more than double that of Australia, who are next best – and puts them in pole position in the early standings.South Africa’s total belied conditions which neither seamed nor spun substantially as they disintegrated against a smart England attack. They appeared surprised by the early use of spin in the form of Linsey Smith and lost their three biggest batters to her. Smith, playing in her first ODI World Cup game and opening the bowling, became the only bowler to dismiss all three of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp in the same innings.At the other end, Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt bowled good lengths to pluck another three wickets in the first 10.1 overs. At 38 for 6 just out of the powerplay, all South Africa could hope for was to crawl to respectability and they didn’t get there. They were bowled out in 20.4 overs and only Sinalo Jafta, promoted to No. 6, got into double-figures.The rest of the batters will need to look at their movement at the crease, which was all but absent, and their shot selection. There will be questions asked over their selection. Annerie Dercksen, who scored her maiden ODI ton in Sri Lanka earlier this year, was left out as South Africa opted for all their allrounders.South Africa could not have imagined how quickly things would fall apart after Wolvaardt got proceedings underway with a square drive and Brits carved Bell through point in an opening over that cost nine runs. Smith struck second ball when Wolvaardt played across the line and popped up a leading edge to give a simple return catch. The first ball of Smith’s next over drifted in to Brits from around the wicket and snuck through the bat-pad gap to bowl her.With both openers’ dismissed, Sune Luus at No. 3 had a big job on her hands but fell to a Bell inswinger that curled in to take out off stump. Three balls later, Kapp was also done by drift as Smith got the ball to squeeze past her inside edge and on to middle stump. All of Wolvaardt, Brits, Luus and Kapp will need to work on their footwork going forward.In the mess, there were some shots that suggested South Africa still knew how to bat. Jafta drove Bell through cover point for her first boundary and Anneke Bosch nailed a cover drive – but the moments where they were on top of the England bowlers were few and very far between.Jafta should have been out on 8 when she advanced down the track in an attempt to drive Smith and missed. Amy Jones could not collect quickly enough and fluffed the stumping. That was the only blip in an otherwise flawless England performance.Sciver-Brunt brought herself on in the eighth over and had success with her first ball, Bosch walking across her stumps to be hit on the knee roll in front of middle and leg. She didn’t review what was a correct lbw decision. Sciver-Brunt also struck with the first ball of her next over. Chloe Tryon tried to flick her into the leg side but got a leading edge and was caught by Alice Capsey at mid-on.Jafta entered double figures when she guided Sophie Ecclestone to third but she didn’t have any support. Nadine de Klerk edged Ecclestone to Heather Knight at slip and Masabata Klaas played for turn against a Charlie Dean ball that held its line and was bowled. Jafta herself fell when she tried to hit Ecclestone back over her head but missed and was bowled. Dean finished things off when she beat Nonkululekho Mlaba’s slog.England’s chase was all but academic despite the best efforts of Kapp, who found her rhythm with back-of-a-length balls that beat the batters consistently. South Africa reviewed an lbw shout against Tammy Beaumont, which nipped back in but still hit her outside the line. Beaumont and Jones were patient against a disciplined South African attack and chose not to rush the result. They were 39 without loss in the powerplay but put the foot down straight after.Jones threaded Mlaba through point as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted and then sent her back over her head and swung Klaas over mid-on in a reminder that there’s not only one “Storm Amy” in England today. She was dropped by Klaas in her follow through later in the over and then took back-to-back boundaries off the usually miserly Ayabonga Khaka to put England one hit away. They finished things off with a boundary from Beaumont.South Africa have suffered similarly at the hands of England before in a World Cup in India, but in the pre-professional era. They were bowled out for 77 in Cuttack in 2013. Charlotte Edwards, the current England coach, was opening the batting for England then, while Kapp and Tryon played for South Africa.

Amazon Warriors were restricted to just 130, and Tahir and Joseph fought back, but Hosein’s boundaries took TKR home

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2025

The Trinbago Knight Riders players start the celebrations•Randy Brooks/CPL T20/Getty Images

Akeal Hosein took two big wickets to help restrict Guyana Amazon Warriors to 130 and then scored a quick and unbeaten 16 off seven balls in the dying moments of a tense chase to lift Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to their fifth CPL title. Hosein went out to bat when TKR were 116 for 7, needing 15 from 22 balls, and he finished things off in dramatic fashion with a six and four in consecutive balls off Gudakesh Motie to spark off their celebrations.The home fans in Providence were left stunned after their 46-year-old captain Imran Tahir had given them hopes of lifting the trophy with his 3 for 34, which included the wickets of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell on consecutive deliveries.That it wasn’t a great outing for the batters was evident in Alex Hales scratching his way to 26 off 34 balls in the chase, as he saw six wickets fall while dropping anchor. The highest score by any batter across both innings was Iftikhar Ahmed’s 30 for Amazon Warriors, who required contributions from their middle and lower orders after being 65 for 5 in 12 overs.Once Amazon Warriors opted to bat, Russell struck in the first over by having Quentin Sampson caught for a duck, but Ben McDermott countered soon after. He went for 4, 6, 4 off Hosein to end the fourth over even as Shai Hope took his time at the other end. Saurabh Netravalkar ended the 38-run stand in the last over of the powerplay when McDermott found the fielder at deep midwicket to depart for 28 off 17 balls, which began a collapse of 4 for 24.Hosein bowled Hope for 12 off 19, Usman Tariq cleaned Moeen Ali up for 10, and Hosein got his second by having Shimron Hetmyer find long-on for 4. But Iftikhar, Dwaine Pretorius (25 off 18) and Romario Shepherd (13 off 9) doubled Amazon Warriors’ score in the last eight overs. Netravalkar dismissed both Pretorius and Iftikhar to finish with 3 for 25.Halfway into the third over of TKR’s chase, it looked like the target was too little to challenge Colin Munro, who hammered three fours in a 22-run second over that saw five wides from Shepherd. Pretorius, however, dismissed Munro next over to check TKR’s progress.TKR captain Nicholas Pooran huffed and puffed to 1 off eight balls before finding mid-off, and TKR were 55 for 3 after eight overs, with Darren Bravo being trapped lbw by Tahir. Just 12 runs came off the next three overs without a single boundary as Moeen and Tahir didn’t allow the TKR batters to break free. But Sunil Narine brought TKR back by heaving Motie for two sixes in the 12th over to bring the equation under run a ball.The twists and turns continued when Shamar Joseph had Narine caught at mid-off for 22, and Pollard hit back by launching Tahir for three sixes in the 14th over, to make the equation a lot more comfortable at 22 required off 36.But Tahir gave TKR another scare. He bowled Pollard with a googly and had Russell caught at slip first ball. When Joseph took a return catch off Hales in the 17th over, Amazon Warriors believed a miracle was coming, but Hosein washed away all their hopes with a match-winning cameo.