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Casemiro definitivamente assumiu a braçadeira de capitão da Seleção Brasileira com o técnico Fernando Diniz. Aos 31 anos, o volante do Manchester United (ING) é um dos atletas mais experientes de um elenco brasileiro que passa por um processo de renovação, após a Copa do Mundo de 2022, no Qatar.

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Mesmo com a responsabilidade de ‘tiozão’ para os mais jovens, o meio-campista destacou que aprende constantemente, independentemente da idade. Ele ainda relembrou o período de sete temporadas onde defendeu o Real Madrid (ESP) se tornando um dos melhores atletas do mundo na sua posição. 

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– Você acaba sempre precisando de ajuda, pedindo opiniões, ninguém é perfeito. Na carreira do jogador, independente da idade dele, ele está aprendendo coisas novas, isso é importante.Muitas pessoas falam e comigo não é diferente, faço psicólogo, converso com outros jogadores, no Real Madrid tive essa experiência. O jogador está sempre aprendendo, seja com 20, 30, 40, coisas boas para fazer e ruins para não fazer. Precisa sempre estar com a mente aberta – destacou o jogador durante a entrevista coletiva antes do duelo contra a Venezuela, pela terceira rodada das eliminatórias sul-americanas para o próximo Mundial, que será disputado em 2026.

Casemiro falou especificamente do meio-campo, setor em que atua. Nos ciclos anteriores, ele teve outros parceiros, como os citados Paulinho e Renato Augusto, que hoje estão no Corinthians. Atualmente, Bruno Guimarães, do Newcastle (ING), tem figurado como um dos homens da parte central brasileira.

– Depois que saíram Renato e Paulinho, tive bastante companheiros, cada um com sua característica. Recentemente, o Bruno é um jogador que vem fazendo um trabalho excepcional no Newcastle. A cada treino e a cada jogo estou mais confortável com ele. É um grande jogador, que vem demonstrando isso na competição mais difícil do mundo. Não cabe a mim determinar com quem vou jogar. Mas é claro que quando você joga mais tempo com um jogador tem uma adaptação maior. Aqui você não tem muito tempo para treinar, treinamos ontem, hoje e amanhã já temos um jogo difícil – ressaltou o volante. 

+ Aposte R$100 e ganhe R$375 com vitória do Brasil e Neymar abrindo placar contra a Venezuela

+ Combinada sul-americana! Aposte R$100 e ganhe R$2580 com os jogos das Eliminatórias

PAPOS COM DINIZ

O camisa 5 da Amarelinha também revelou que passa instruções para a comissão técnica, principalmente sobre referências dos períodos anteriores.

– São mais de oito anos. Em 2018, era uma seleção que o Tite pegou querendo resgatar, não estávamos no grupo de classificação. Não tinha um leque de tantos jogadores. Na seguinte Copa já tínhamos um leque maior, é importante falar isso. Agora, que somos seis mais um que se classificam, nesses jogos vai dar para observar mais. O treinador é novo, estamos tentando encaixar o mais rápido possível, não fizemos mais de dez treinamentos. Isso leva tempo. Em clubes leva meses. Na seleção estamos tentando com vídeos. Agora que temos esse maior número de seleções que se classificam, dá para aumentar esse leque de jogadores. Tudo o que é feito de bom e até de ruim a gente tenta passar para a comissão – falou o meio-campista, que também revelou as instruções que tem recebido do novo treinador.

– O Diniz pede para eu tocar na bola sempre, a bola passar no meu pé, comandar o jogo, jogar num ritmo para frente, para o lado, tentar passar a bola sempre no pé. Cada treinador tem a sua característica, mas os princípios do futebol são os mesmos. Um treinador é mais vertical, outro gosta mais de posse de bola. Uma das coisas que eu mais gostei com o Diniz é que ele pede que a bola passe bastante no meu pé, fico feliz por isso.

SONHO DE 2026

Quando a próxima Copa do Mundo for disputada, Casemiro estará com 34 anos. De toda forma, ele não esconde o desejo de se manter em alto nível para estar no próximo Mundial.

– O mais importante é você fazer o seu melhor, e o treinador saber quem está melhor e quem corresponde no dia a dia. Às vezes, 90 minutos não corresponde ao dia a dia do jogador. Eu me vejo bem, me preparo. É claro que é inevitável não pensar em Copa do Mundo quando se está na Seleção, mas eu tenho objetivos, como jogar bem contra a Venezuela, jogar bem contra o Uruguai. Cada um vê de uma maneira.

A Seleção Brasileira, com Casemiro, entrará em campo nesta quinta-feira (12), contra a Venezuela, pela terceira rodada das Eliminatórias. O Brasil terá a Arena Pantanal, no Mato Grosso, como casa, e quer manter o 100% de aproveitamento conquistado com duas vitórias nos primeiros jogos, contra Bolívia e Peru.

Youth football is in Pep Guardiola's blood. He emerged from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and then took his first steps as a coach after being appointed manager of the Catalans' B team all the way back in 2007. When he became first-team coach at Camp Nou one year later, he promoted the likes of Sergio Busquets and Pedro, plus the returning Gerard Pique, as Barca swept to the treble in style.

Guardiola has seen just as many talented players come through the academy in his nearly 10 years at Manchester City, but there is a key difference between the two clubs, as the bulk of the youngster to have come through at City have failed to establish themselves as regulars in his first team. While Nico O'Reilly, Rico Lewis and academy poster boy Phil Foden have gone on to do great things for their boyhood clubs, they are in a tiny minority.

When Guardiola's side face Aston Villa on Sunday, they will come up against one of the biggest success stories of all the players to have left the club: Morgan Rogers, who left City in 2023 for Middlesbrough but has since gone on to become one of the most important players for Villa and a genuine rival to Jude Bellingham in the England squad.

Rogers is far from alone in going on to prove his former employers wrong since walking out of the doors of the City Football Academy (CFA). As Guardiola said last month, "Imagine the amount of players who unfortunately left. They were top, top-class players and could not have the space [in the team]. My God, the starting XI you could have right now in the first team if you start to count the incredible players in other clubs that was educated and played here in Man City and in the academy."

GOAL takes a look at the best players who came through City's youth ranks but never made the cut, assessing whether the club was right or wrong to let them leave…

AFPMorgan Rogers

Ever wondered why Rogers and Palmer both do the 'ice cold' celebration after scoring? The pair were thick as thieves as City academy team-mates between 2019 and 2021, and each scored in the 2020 FA Youth Cup final against Chelsea. But there is no question that Palmer shone brightest at that level. Rogers, playing on the opposite wing, played half the number of games and was far less productive, contributing to just 12 goals. 

And while Palmer was fast-tracked into the first team, Rogers was sent out on loan to Lincoln City and Blackpool, both in League One, and Bournemouth in the Championship before joining Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023. It moulded him into the brilliant player who won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his first full season at Villa. 

But while City would have loved to have had the current version of Rogers, the truth is no one questioned him leaving at the time. Not even Rogers, who admitted last month: "I wasn’t good enough, simple as that. I wasn’t ready, I wasn't ready to be there, I wasn't myself, I wasn't the person that they signed in terms of what they expected me to go on and be. Yeah, it wasn't the right player at the right time for me or the club."

Verdict: Hit

AdvertisementGettyCole Palmer

Palmer, above any other City academy player in the 21st century, is the one that got away. And while other players exploded after leaving City, Palmer was doing it while on their books and they knew exactly how good he was.

He scored 42 goals and set up a further 19 in 61 games for the Under-18s and Under-21s while he took his chances in the first team, contributing to a goal every 185 minutes despite most of his appearances coming off the bench. City could see exactly how good Palmer was becoming just before they let him leave for Chelsea as he scored in two of his final three games for the club, in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup.

Still, not many City fans were complaining about the £42m fee they received when Palmer left and his rise at Chelsea took many by surprise, as he scored 22 Premier League goals and set up 11 in his first campaign.

Palmer could have been Kevin De Bruyne's heir at the Etihad Stadium and filled the gap of a having a highly productive winger to replace Riyad Mahrez. And imagine the pride among supporters seeing Palmer emulate Foden as the local academy boy who developed into a first-team star.

Verdict: Miss

Getty Images SportJeremie Frimpong

Jeremie Frimpong moved from Amsterdam to Manchester aged seven with his mother and his six siblings, and two years later he enrolled in City's academy. He remained there for nine years, but he felt held back as he would play in one age group below his own.

When he wanted to discuss a new contract in 2019, Frimpong was bluntly told he was too small and not physical enough for the senior team, while he was also compared to players in his age group who had made more progress. Frimpong instead left for Celtic, where he played regularly and developed into the high-flying right-back he is today.

When he was playing a pivotal role in Bayer Leverkusen's romp to the Bundesliga title in 2024, many City fans began to wonder if they had made a mistake overlooking him. Those feelings became more pronounced last term when the team had no consistent right-back due to Kyle Walker's nose-diving performances while Frimpong joined title rivals Liverpool for £29.5m in the summer. 

Verdict: Miss

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Getty Images SportMichael Olise

Michael Olise is a man of few words, but he has let his performances do the talking of late to devastating effect. He has gone from being rejected by some of the biggest clubs around in Arsenal, Chelsea and City to becoming one of the leading lights for Bayern Munich and a regular supplier of goals for Harry Kane.

Olise arrived at City aged 15 after being rejected by Chelsea, but he did not make the grade and spent just one season at the CFA, dropping down a level with his next move by joining Reading. There he excelled and within two years he was in the Royals' senior team, soon tearing it up in the Championship. 

Crystal Palace subsequently snapped him up for £8m, a bargain considering that three years later they would sell him to Bayern for £52m. Olise notched 17 goals and 17 assists while winning the Bundesliga title in his first season at the Allianz Arena, and this term he has picked up where he left off, prompting City and the other big clubs who sent him packing to ponder exactly how they failed to spot his talent.

Verdict: Miss

There are plenty of reasons why Rangers have endured a miserable season so far.

Most would blame under-fire manager Russell Martin, who has won just five of 15 matches in charge across all competitions to date, while others cite poor squad building and underwhelming recruitment.

It may not be the primary reason, but the departure of Václav Černý has to be a key factor.

The Czechia international spent last season on loan in Glasgow from Wolfsburg, joining Beşiktaş on a permanent deal this summer instead of returning, but he made quite the impression during his year in Govan.

Černý scored 18 goals in 52 appearances for Rangers, of which six came in the Europa League, a key figure as the Light Blues reached the quarter-finals, on target against Steaua Bucharest, Nice and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise before netting twice during the famous 3-1 victory over Fenerbahçe in İstanbul.

Thus, he was always going to be a near-impossible figure to replace, but has Martin unearthed the new Černý, a man who will be key to Rangers’ hopes in this season’s Europa League?

Oliver Antman's impact at Rangers

Ahead of Thursday night’s clash with Sturm Graz at Liebenauer Stadium, Oliver Antman is expected to start on the right-wing, chosen over Mikey Moore.

The Finnish international was introduced at half-time of last Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Genk, following Mohamed Diomandé’s red card, before starting Sunday’s hard-fought, last gasp 2-1 victory over Livingston, assisting James Tavernier’s opener at Almondvale.

The Finnish international was an exciting signing right from the off, having registered six goals and 16 assists for Go Ahead Eagles last season, helping them win the KNVB Beker for the very first time, the Eredivisie club’s first major silverware since 1933.

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Glasgow for around £3.5m, he was the star of the show as Rangers demolished Viktoria Plzeň 3-0 in a Champions League qualifier as the team put in, by some distance, their best performance under Martin.

However, soon after, he lost his place in the starting lineup to Spurs loanee Moore, but is seemingly the first choice once again.

However, is the winger on the opposite side even more exciting?

Rangers' new Václav Černý

In a season of few positives for Rangers, the form of Djeidi Gassama is certainly something worth being excited about.

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If Černý’s calling card last season was scoring goals in Europe, well the 22-year-old certainly took up that mantle from day one.

During the summer, after arriving from Sheffield Wednesday for a reported fee of £2.2m, the Frenchman scored four times in Rangers’ first three Champions League qualifiers, on target home and away as they dumped out Panathinaikos, before a double to down Viktoria Plzeň at Ibrox, the second of which completed a free-flowing team move, set up by Antman.

Speaking on BBC Sportscene after full time, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday labelled Gassama an “electric winger”, adding that he is “direct, quick and a constant threat, [causing] defenders a lot of problems”, while manager Martin praised his “intensity” and goal threat, noting that is something the pair had worked on in training.

So, let’s outline Gassama’s statistics so far this season.

Gassama Rangers record

Stat

Gassama

Rangers rank

Goals

4

1st

Assists

1

4th

Minutes

1,059

3rd

Shots

15

1st

Shots on target

5

1st

Shot-creating actions

4

1st

Progressive carries

8

1st

Successful take-ons

9

1st

Average Sofascore rating

6.87

6th

Stats via Transfermarkt, Sofascore & FBref

As the table documents, despite having not scored since Champions League qualifying in August, Gassama has been key to Rangers as an attacking unit, ranked first for goals, shots and shots on target as well as chances created and dribbling metrics.

The Frenchman has already shown that he is capable of linking up with Antman while, alongside Bojan Miovski, they should form a frightening front three at both domestic and Europa League level, looking to fire the Gers to victory in Austria.

Related Martin must drop Aasgaard to start "powerful" star in new Rangers formation

Russell Martin should drop Thelo Aasgaard from the starting XI to try out this new formation.

Posts ByDan Emery Oct 2, 2025

Manchester United are struggling to put together a run of results under Ruben Amorim and have now been urged to hire a Champions League winner as his successor, or another shock name.

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim is under pressure

Nobody likes to see a manager lose their job, but the Red Devils are struggling under Amorim and they sit in the bottom half of the Premier League with four points from four matches played.

Tasting defeat at Manchester City in comprehensive fashion on Sunday has only amplified calls for something to change. Nevertheless, Amorim is keen to try and turn things around with his current system rather than changing tact.

He stated after the 3-0 loss to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook: “The system is not the problem. You are here, and you saw Manchester United playing with a different system. Most of them, 4-3-3, and (it) was more or less the same result.

“I will try to do my best in the way I see the game, I don’t see the system as you guys see the system, so I will try to do my thing.”

More coaches than ever are willing to die on the hill of their tactics. Ultimately, football is a game of opinions, and Amorim will put trust in the Red Devils’ early season underlying numbers as something to work with moving forward, given they ranked first in the top-flight XG table with a score of 6.78 before their collapse at the Etihad Stadium.

Either way, not everyone is convinced by the former Sporting boss and his methods, prompting a former Premier League striker to make a suggestion about a potential alternative.

Charlie Austin says Man Utd should appoint Zinedine Zidane or Sean Dyche

Per The Express, Charlie Austin has suggested that Manchester United should target Zinedine Zidane to replace Amorim if their form continues, while the former Burnley and QPR striker also put Sean Dyche’s name out there as a surprise tip to steady a leaking Old Trafford ship.

He said: “I think he’s got to go, if it’s my decision, I’m going after Zinedine Zidane. Ultimately, there are a different set of managers that you’ve got to be looking at, because the situation Manchester United are in, I would take Zidane but is he the right man for the job and how we see them, probably not.

Zinedine Zidane

Sean Dyche

Wins: 190

Wins: 195

Draws: 63

Draws: 138

Losses: 47

Losses: 208

Preferred formation: 4-4-3

Preferred formation: 4-4-2

Trophies won

Trophies won

3x Champions League 2x La Liga 2x UEFA Super Cup 2x FIFA Club World Cup 2x Spanish Super Cup

Championship 2015/16

“In my honest opinion, you have to look at the job Sean Dyche did at Burnley, what he did at Everton. For me, he stabilised the club, at least he’s going to put structure in there.”

Zidane and Dyche are starkly different bosses, but Austin’s clear overriding emotion stems from change being needed to halt a run of results that has left Manchester United needing to fix a slow start to the campaign.

Persistence will be key for now, though a victory against Chelsea this weekend could be critical for Amorim to quell any lingering doubts over his future.

Liverpool have made a number of signings this summer, but none have arrived with the same expectations around them as the club’s record signing, Florian Wirtz.

The 22-year-old joined Liverpool following six seasons and 197 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. During his time at Leverkusen, he won the Bundesliga and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year. Wirtz registered 119 goal involvements for his former employers and was known for his quick dribbling, creative play and ruthless finishing ability.

Wirtz could cost Liverpool up to £116 million if his add-ons are achieved, but he hasn’t had the immediate impact that his fellow Bundesliga recruit, Hugo Ekitiké, has had. Wirtz has only registered one assist, whereas Ekitike has three goals and an assist in his first three appearances.

"Wirtz hasn’t yet fit into the team"

Although he is still in the early stages of his Liverpool career, people have taken notice of his struggles, including Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker. During their “Rest is Football” podcast, Lineker and Shearer discussed Wirtz’s struggles fitting into the squad.

When discussing Liverpool’s second Premier League game against Newcastle, Lineker pointed out that Wirtz hasn’t yet fit into the team: “He likes to play in that role, but has it caused Liverpool a few early issues? I mean, they’ve got six points, so it’s not massive issues at present. But it’s made them look slightly unbalanced to where they were last season.”

Shearer agreed with his colleague, saying: “Their rhythm is nowhere near what it was when they were playing really well last season. They’re finding it difficult to get him into the game; they’re certainly more open.”

The podcast’s third host, Micah Richards, came to the German’s defence: “I think Wirtz will come good. I think he’s just used to playing a different style of football. I think it is a bit physical in this league and they’re still figuring out how they want to play, you know.”

Wirtz's work rate going under the radar

While Wirtz hasn’t scored yet, he has had some bright moments for Liverpool and has been impressing in some surprising metrics.

From the opening two Premier League games, Wirtz is in the top 20% of players for expected assists and is on track to record an assist every four games. This is slightly below his record last season, where he registered an assist every three games.

An area where he has been surprisingly impressive is his pressing and defending. Despite being known for his attacking acumen, Wirtz is currently in the top 30% of players for recoveries per 90 and the top 7% of players for possession won in the final third per 90. While these stats don’t receive direct credit for goals, they’re important in terms of winning possession and have undoubtedly contributed to Liverpool’s back-to-back victories.

Where there has been legitimate concern has been his shooting, averaging one shot a game, whereas last season he registered triple that. Based on the current stats, the assists will come, but the challenge will be working out ways for the team to provide Wirtz with chances so they can bring about the goal threat they signed him for.

Only an unlikely hefty South Africa defeat at the hands of England can keep Afghanistan’s tournament alive

Tristan Lavalette28-Feb-20251:49

Jaffer: Omarzai a ‘proper genuine allrounder’

Match abandoned due to rain Befitting the latest chapter in this budding rivalry, there were wicked swings of momentum while a hobbled Australia batter at the crease evoked the wildest match in the short history between these teams.But in a great shame, Lahore’s inclement weather cut short a high-stakes contest that felt like it still had several twists ahead. Australia had been well placed at 109 for 1 after 12.5 overs chasing 274 before a downpour hit the ground. Rain eventually stopped but parts of the field were soaked and the match had to be abandoned.The teams shared the points and that was enough for Australia to progress through to the semi-finals after their second consecutive match was negated by rain. But Afghanistan saw their hopes of progression wash away as only an unlikely hefty South Africa defeat at the hands of England can keep their tournament alive.Chasing a tricky total under lights, Matthew Short came to the crease limping after picking up a quad injury in the field. Unable to run, he was clearly laboured and one wondered why he was even out there.Perhaps his one-legged presence was to spook Afghanistan and revive memories of Glenn Maxwell’s astonishing double-century at the 2023 World Cup – the last ODI between the teams.Travis Head and Steven Smith put on 65 before having to go off for rain•ICC/Getty Images

It wasn’t quite Maxwell-like, but Short’s stand-and-deliver innings did help Australia get off to a flier as he put on 44 inside five overs with Travis Head.But they were aided by sloppy Afghanistan fielding with Head dropped by Rashid Khan on 6 at mid-on after miscuing a pull off quick Fazalhaq Farooqi. He then smashed a six off the next ball to rub salt in the wounds.Short on 19 was given a reprieve by substitute Nangialai Kharoti at deep square leg as Afghanistan were getting flashbacks of Mumbai. But Short could not capitalise and fell off his next delivery when he hit Azmatullah Omarzai towards mid-on where Gulbadin Naib took a good catch before showing off his muscles in celebration.Head quickly regained Australia’s ascendency and pounced on wayward bowling from Farooqi, reaching his half-century off 34 balls. Stand-in skipper Steven Smith donned the cap once Afghanistan’s spinners entered the attack but Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad did not threaten. Rashid had yet to bowl by the time rain spoiled the party in the 13th over with Head on 59 off 40 and Smith unbeaten on 19.It ended what had been a topsy-turvy match, with Afghanistan’s innings of 273 from 50 overs a rollercoaster. They started well with No. 3 Sediqullah Atal dominating the first half of the innings with 85 off 95 balls before Omarzai blazed 67 off 63 to power Afghanistan in the back end. But their total could have been greater if not for several rash dismissals which derailed momentum at crucial junctures.Australia’s performance with the ball was also a mishmash. Once again life without the big three quicks of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood proved tough and their 37 extras was Australia’s joint-fifth-most conceded in ODI cricket.Sediqullah Atal dominated the first half of Afghanistan’s innings with 85 off 95 balls•ICC/Getty Images

With heavy rain lashing Lahore ahead of the match, there had been fears that the match might be completely rained out much like Australia’s clash with South Africa earlier in the week.But the weather cleared in the nick of time and Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had no hesitation to bat first on what was expected to be a flat surface. However, the ball moved around considerably on a pitch that had spent plenty of time under the covers in the lead-up.Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson retained his spot in the team ahead of seam-bowling allrounder Sean Abbott despite being overlooked in the death overs against England.Having long drawn comparisons with Starc, Johnson would have made his mentor beam when he unfurled a deadly inswinging yorker that went through the defence of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the opening over.Johnson isn’t a noted exponent of the full-pitch delivery, with back-of-a-length bowling more his prowess. But he was wayward after his initial breakthrough and a flustered Smith could not contain his annoyance as the extras leaked.All eyes were on Ibrahim Zadran after his record-breaking Champions Trophy knock of 177 against England. He and Atal were in survival mode early as the ball flew past the bat on numerous occasions, but they held firm in a 67-run partnership to see off the new-ball threat.After all that fight, Zadran didn’t kick on and he fell tamely on 22 when he whacked a short and wide delivery off legspinner Adam Zampa straight to backward point. Maxwell supported Zampa well and picked up Rahmat Shah after a sharp catch by Josh Inglis behind the stumps as Afghanistan slumped to 91 for 3.Azmatullah Omarzai kept Afghanistan going even as wickets fell at the other end•ICC/Getty Images

Atal was unperturbed by the predicament and decided to force the issue against the spinners, targeting deep midwicket to good effect as he smashed a six to reach his half-century in style off 64 balls.Atal was on a roll and successfully collared Zampa out of the attack. He did have luck on 74 when a big lbw shout from seamer Nathan Ellis was turned down. Australia did not review in the belief that the ball pitched outside leg stump, but replays confirmed otherwise.Australia were not made to pay after Smith made his latest successful bowling change by reverting back to Johnson, who ended Atal’s bid for a second ODI century when he hit straight to cover.With Atal’s free-flowing innings dashed, Afghanistan went through a lull in the middle overs with the culprit being Shahidi who dawdled to 20 off 48 before miscuing a sweep off Zampa to square leg. His strike rate of 40.81 was the third lowest by an Afghan batter in ODIs (min 40 balls faced) in this decade.Australia so far in this tournament have banked on batting depth, but they’ve had part-time spinners step up. Against England it was Marnus Labuschagne’s legspin, while Short stepped up here to concede just 21 runs from seven extremely handy overs.Afghanistan spiralled and lost Nabi to a comical run-out as they slid to 199 for 7 and seemed to be falling well short of a competitive score. But Omarzai took over by farming the strike and his power-hitting saw five mighty blows sail over the rope, three off Ellis who is normally so proficient at the death.There was an unusual incident late in the innings that could have blown up when Noor drifted from his crease believing the over was done only for Inglis to take the bails off after the throw came in from the deep. Inglis appealed for a run-out only for Smith to nip a potential controversial moment in the bud by telling the umpires not to consider the appeal.The moment proved a non-event to foreshadow what was ahead later in the night.

Jayden Seales registered astonishing figures of 15.5-10-5-4 as West Indies bowled out Bangladesh for 164 on the second day of the second Test at Sabina Park. Seales’ analyses were the most economical in Test cricket since 1977 (minimum 60 balls). In response, West Indies lost Mikyle Louis early but Kraigg Brathwaite and Keacy Carty took them to 70 for 1 before bad light forced early stumps for the second successive day.It was Shamar Joseph, though, who first rocked the Bangladesh innings. At one stage, the visitors were 83 for 2. In the next 34 balls, they collapsed to 98 for 6 as Shamar picked up three of the four wickets to fall.He first ended a patient stand of 73 between Shadman Islam and Shahadat Hossain by castling the latter for 22. Soon after, he had Jaker Ali caught behind with a short ball. The batter was late on the pull; he top-edged it onto his shoulder and the ball lobbed behind the stumps for an easy catch to Joshua Da Silva.In his next over, Shamar found the outside edge of Shadman to provide Da Silva his fourth catch of the innings. In between, Seales had Litton Das caught at first slip for 1.After lunch, however, Shamar and Alzarri Joseph overused the short-ball ploy against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. The two batters hung around for 116 balls and added 41. Eventually, Taijul fended a short ball from Alzarri to third slip.Seales then snared the last three wickets for five runs. Taskin was the first to depart. He tried to pull a short ball but the edge flew behind the stumps. Da Silva leapt and parried it towards second slip where Alick Athanaze dived backwards to pouch it with both hands.Seales had Mehidy top-edging a hook into the hands of fine leg in the same over before uprooting Nahid Rana’s leg stump to wrap up the innings.The Bangladesh seamers also started miserly, giving away only 16 runs in the ten overs before tea. After tea, Rana breached the 150kph mark multiple times and had Louis caught behind for 12.Taijul also found help from the surface and neither Brathwaite nor Carty could get him away. Seven of his ten overs were maidens but he could not pick up a wicket.

Manor Solomon was an integral part of Leeds United’s unbelievable promotion heroics last season in the Championship.

By the close of the season, the tricky 26-year-old winger would be held in very high esteem by Whites supporters everywhere, with a blistering ten goals and 12 assists tallied up by the number 14 across 39 league games helping to clinch the title for Daniel Farke’s champions.

Unfortunately, Solomon is yet to return to Elland Road after the loan move expired, as the promotion hero attempts to settle back into Premier League life at Tottenham Hotspur under new boss Thomas Frank.

That isn’t to say Leeds haven’t tried to land an explosive winger in the same vein as the skilful Spurs attacker, as another target down the flanks now appears on Farke’s shopping list this summer.

Leeds keeping tabs on £4m star

There are still a couple of weeks before the transfer window slams shut, meaning not all hope will be completely extinguished just yet regarding Solomon triumphantly moving back to West Yorkshire for good.

However, a summer move for Igor Paixao is certainly dead in the water, as the former Feyenoord man opted to join Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille right at the start of the month, despite Leeds’ insistent advances.

The Brazilian would have cost the Whites a significant £30m to land, with a far cheaper target now reportedly in their sights to boost their options on the left wing.

As per Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, Farke and Co. are keeping tabs on Fiorentina attacker Riccardo Sottil as an alternative name to add strength down the left channel, but will face competition from Italian outfits Torino and Sassuolo for his signature.

Only valued at around the £4m mark, according to Football Transfers, this could well be a golden, cost-effective move to make on Leeds’ end, especially if Farke can rework his Solomon magic on Sottil.

Why Sottil can become Farke's next Solomon

After all, the reserve Spurs attacker was in dire need of his spirits being lifted when he arrived in West Yorkshire last summer.

Solomon was just fresh off a campaign that was derailed by serious injury, but the former Fulham forward had shown off enough flashes of quality at Spurs – with two assists from six clashes in North London – to be considered a worthwhile risk to go after.

Leeds will deem a move for the £4m-rated Italian to also be a gamble worth exploring, even as he potentially enters into the English game off a similarly disruptive loan stint at AC Milan, which saw Sottil offer up zero goals or assists from eight appearances at the San Siro.

Still, the Turin-born attacker has shown off his class before for Fiorentina, which is what Leeds will be hanging onto, knowing that Solomon came good under Farke’s tutelage down Sottil’s exact same left flank.

Sottil’s numbers for Fiorentina by season

Season

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

24/25

25

5

4

23/24

35

5

5

22/23

26

1

2

21/22

29

4

2

19/20

23

0

1

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Sottil’s electric start to the 2024/25 season is what must have caught the Rossoneri’s eye, as the 26-year-old powered home five goals and four assists from just 25 appearances in Florence. In total, away from that standout campaign, Sottil also stands on a hefty 15 goals and 15 assists playing for his boyhood club.

If the former 12-time Italy U21 international can just brush his bruising experience in Milan to one side, he could be transformed into Leeds’ second coming of Solomon, with Sottil also a capable performer down the right channel, on top of further bolstering Farke’s depleted number ten ranks if needed.

It will just require some patience at Elland Road as Sottil gets up to speed with what is expected of him.

But, that patience could be justly rewarded by the Fiorentina number seven playing an eventual important role in Leeds beating the drop, having been dubbed a future talent with “room to grow” by ex-Serie A great Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season.

Related Leeds can seal stunning Solomon repeat by signing £30m Premier League star

Leeds United could look to replicate the success of their Manor Solomon deal by signing this attacking star.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson May 6, 2025

Chelsea’s summer spending spree is showing no sign of slowing down.

So far, the Blues have made eight new signings this summer, including bringing in Liam Delap, João Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Estêvão Willian and others.

However, they’ve still got plenty to do in the transfer market.

Right now, by our count, the Blues have 46 senior players on their books, but one could be on the way out, making way for another exciting young talent to arrive in West London.

Chelsea set to bolster their attacking options

As already alluded to, Chelsea are seeking to offload at least a dozen high-profile players in the next month or so, with Mike McGrath of the Telegraph reporting that Raheem Sterling could be on his way to Fulham.

One player who is closer to the exit door is João Félix who, according to David Ornstein and Simon Johnson of the Athletic, is set to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr for around £26.2m, amid interest from boyhood club Benfica.

The Portuguese only joined Chelsea permanently from Atlético Madrid for £45m a year ago, but has scored just 11 goals in 40 appearances for the Blues across his two spells, spending the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan, thereby very much not in Enzo Maresca’s plans.

So, with Félix on his way out, Chelsea are on the cusp of bringing in a replacement, with journalist Ben Jacobs noting that they are “advancing talks” to sign Xavi Simons, with “terms now broadly in place” to bring him to England. Club-to-club talks are ongoing to find a full agreement over a fee.

James Olley of ESPN claims that the Blues are willing to spend around £50m, with Leipzig holding out for closer to £60m.

So, will he soon become the 15th Dutchman to call Stamford Bridge home, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Ruud Gullit, Arjen Robben and others?

How Xavi Simons will improve Chelsea

Simons is certainly a highly-rated player, with Sultan Babajide of Breaking the Lines asserting that he is ‘destined for the top’, noting how he is ‘brilliant between the lines’.

Meantime, Bart Vlietstra of the Guardian believes there has always been ‘something irresistible’ about a player he labels a ‘precocious’ talent, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout agrees, describing him as a ‘fascinating player’.

Simons’ career breakthrough came at PSV Eindhoven, scoring 22 goals and registering 11 assists in just 48 outings for the Dutch giants, while he has also racked up 21 goals and 23 assists in 76 appearances since making the move to RB Leipzig.

So how does he compare to the player he’s set to replace in the Chelsea squad Félix? Let’s find out.

Appearances

33

41

Goals

11

10

Assists

8

3

Appearances

43

44

Goals

10

10

Assists

15

6

Appearances

48

40

Goals

22

9

Assists

11

3

As the table outlines, ever since Simons became a regular first-team player at PSV, his statistics have been more impressive than those of Félix.

The Portuguese international’s £113m move to Atlético Madrid back in 2019, making him the fourth-most expensive player of all-time, has turned out to be one of football’s great what if moves, with Jack Lang of the Athletic noting that he is widely-regarded as having ‘wasted his talent’, never able to fit into the playing style or system at any of the clubs he’s featured for since Benfica.

Simons, in contrast, is a player on the way up, likely to get even better, so he could have an enormous impact at Chelsea, potentially elevating them to a level where they’re fighting for the Premier League title and Champions League supremacy once again.

Better signing than Simons: Chelsea could see bid accepted for £34m star

Chelsea will need to improve their defence this summer

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 27, 2025

Zimbabwe 210 (Masvaure 74, Gumbie 49, McBrine 3-37, McCarthy 3-42) vs IrelandA wicketless first session gave the impression that Zimbabwe would dominate the first ever day of Test cricket in Northern Ireland, but Ireland took all ten wickets in just over 40 overs to vindicate Andy Balbirnie’s decision to bowl first on an overcast morning.Barry McCarthy’s relentless eight-over spell after lunch denied Joylord Gumbie a half-century, left Dion Myers looking clueless, and set up a 65-run session where the visitors couldn’t get away. Curtis Campher blew hot and cold but dismissed Prince Masvaure, the top scorer with 74, allowing Andy McBrine to run through the lower half of the middle order.Zimbabwe had their share of soft dismissals, and the risks their batters took, particularly after tea, backfired as they lost their last six wickets for 17 runs. A second spell of rain came amid the change of innings and took out about half an hour, which was enough for the umpires to call stumps.Zimbabwe had the upper hand going into the evening session despite losing three wickets in the afternoon. The sun had peeked out, and Sean Williams was off and running. Campher was bowling the odd beauty, but it was an innocuous back-of-a-length ball going down leg that strangled Masvaure.Williams continued to take on McBrine despite Masvaure falling, and hit two fours. The offspinner did create a chance in the 59th over, but McCarthy, running back from mid-on, spilled it. But Balbirnie was rewarded for keeping McBrine on as he turned one away to have Williams edge to slip.An adventurous first-ball swipe from Clive Madande, trying to pump the spinner down the ground, found mid-off. A bouncer from Mark Adair had Brian Bennett edge a pull to the wicketkeeper as Zimbabwe lost two wickets with the score on 193, and the next on 194. The bowling duo took another wicket each before McCarthy closed out the innings. McBrine, who started the session with the ball, bowled 11 straight overs and took 3 for 32.Prince Masvaure scored 74•Cricket Ireland

The initial damage was done after lunch. Gumbie and Masvaure, Zimbabwe’s openers, had batted through a session, softened the new ball and were inching towards a hundred stand. But Gumbie, who went into lunch unbeaten on 49, fell after facing 11 dots as he clipped a leg-stump half volley from McCarthy to Campher at square leg. Four balls later, a brief rain break forced players off the field.Masvaure was getting off strike as the bowlers strayed down leg often. A flick to fine leg was what brought up the opener’s fifty, even as Dion Myers took 14 balls to get off the mark. But Myers pulled Adair for two fours amid leaving balls with exaggerated rotations.But McCarthy bowled a legbreak, angling the ball in before straightening it off the pitch, to Myers to hit the top of off stump. He took two wickets and gave away 14 runs in an eight-over spell. Craig Ervine couldn’t get going, and the first aerial shot he played was a pull that went straight to McBrine at deep-backward square leg. Masvaure, who made 35 in both sessions, was solid all the while.Thick grey clouds, a bit of grass on the pitch, and lush outfield. The conditions couldn’t have been better for the seamers in the morning. But Gumbie and Masvaure saw off the new ball. Gumbie’s early movement across the crease to work the ball leg side resembled Steven Smith’s batting style and allowed him to score off balls in and around the fifth-stump line. Masvaure was more orthodox but just as compact to help see off McCarthy and Adair’s new-ball spell.There were a few nervy moments in the first hour. Gumbie was hit on the pad while offering no shot off McCarthy in the second over but was saved by the bounce. He edged Adair to deep third for four off the next over, fended one that reared off the pitch over the slips in the eighth, and was beaten by a jaffa that straightened off a full length in the 11th.But Gumbie, who hit the first six fours of the innings, was often able to cover the line and duck under the odd bouncer. The tension built up by Adair and Young’s consecutive maidens was dissipated in the following two overs where Masvaure drove overpitched balls. The let-off balls between the good ones allowed Zimbabwe to turn strike and go into lunch unbeaten. But loose batting and luck combined to wreck Zimbabwe’s advantage as they lost all ten wickets for 113 runs.