Manchester United pushed the boat out during the summer transfer window and now seem to be planning on their next capture ahead of the market opening for business again in January.

Manchester United set to offload Andre Onana on loan

The English transfer window is now closed and Ruben Amorim will need to work with the players at his disposal for the time being, though he is in the process of sanctioning a departure that could be announced imminently.

Fabrizio Romano has reported on X that Andre Onana is set to leave on loan to join Trabzonspor, in a deal that will contain no loan fee or option to buy the player once his agreement comes to an end.

Concern over Onana’s performances at Manchester United have existed for a long time and his exit will be seen as a timely one by many supporters.

High-profile errors and the weight of the number one jersey at Old Trafford have left the Cameroon international seeking a new challenge, especially after Senne Lammens’ £18.2 million arrival from Royal Antwerp.

Speaking about the realities of Onana’s situation, Roy Carroll has given his own account of the difficulties he faced when between the sticks at the Red Devils, claiming that mental toughness is key for Amorim’s chosen stopper moving forward.

He stated: “It’s not easy playing for Manchester United at the moment, but it was hard back then because everyone was expecting the new Peter Schmeichel.

“Even then, if you made a mistake, it was big news. You had to be mentally strong and that is still the case. But we are not robots; we are all human beings. It is not so much what you do on the pitch as what you do off it.”

With a change of the guard within Manchester United’s backline apparent, the next domino could be about to fall once the January window opens.

Manchester United plan to trigger Dani Vivian's release clause

Onana’s exit will leave Lammens between the sticks, and reports in Spain claim Manchester United could look to trigger Athletic Club defender Dani Vivian’s release clause in January, which stands at the £34.7 million mark.

Deemed similar to Dayot Upamecano by FBRef, Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also keen on the Spain international, who has made 152 appearances for Athletic Club, registering seven goals and two assists.

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2

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Dan Emery

Sep 8, 2025

Seen as a market opportunity due to his favourable value, Vivian has already won five tackles and made 16 recoveries in La Liga this term, per Fotmob, illustrating his capacity to sniff out dangerous opportunities.

Harry Maguire is into the final year of his Manchester United contract, prompting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs in a money-spinning move for the England international.

With the Red Devils’ veteran at risk of departing, Vivian could be a natural replacement if circumstances align at Old Trafford over the coming months.

Newcastle United still have just one win to their name in the early Premier League standings.

Yet, that doesn’t tell the full tale of the Magpies’ wobbly start to the season, with Eddie Howe’s men also only losing one game, as the Toon had to settle for another draw on the road against AFC Bournemouth.

In truth, with just four shots registered on the South Coast, the visitors to the South Coast were somewhat lucky to come away from the drab affair with a 0-0 draw still intact, as several of Howe’s first team struggled to get going against the Cherries.

The main Newcastle underperformers vs Bournemouth

While Arsenal and Manchester City would offer up plenty of entertainment on Sunday, it’s fair to say the encounter between Bournemouth and Newcastle was a little lacking on the action front, on the contrary.

Indeed, Nick Woltemade didn’t exactly boost the Toon as they attempted to play on the front foot, with the 6-foot-6 attacker failing to register a single on-target effort at the home side’s goal, before he was hauled off the Vitality Stadium turf with just six minutes remaining.

Another of Newcastle’s new signings, Malick Thiaw, also failed to put in a convincing display, as seen in the German centre-back winning just 50% of his duels, alongside being a very fortunate individual that he wasn’t dismissed with ten minutes left on the clock when clashing with a Cherries shirt, after already picking up a yellow card.

Lewis Miley also failed to grasp his first-team opportunity as Howe made many changes from Newcastle’s Thursday night defeat to Barcelona, but one of Miley’s teammates in the middle put in an even more uninspiring display than the promising 19-year-old, to now find himself on borrowed time under his manager.

The Newcastle flop who is on borrowed time

At least with both Miley and Thiaw, they should have plenty more to give to the Newcastle cause going forward, with the teenage sensation previously showing he belongs in the senior picture, while Thiaw did register four interceptions (per Sofascore) against Andoni Iraola’s men when not finding himself tangled in contentious moments on the pitch.

The same level of patience won’t be extended to Joe Willock, however, with the 26-year-old’s below-par showing on Sunday only strengthening why Howe hasn’t been picking him for some time now.

Minutes played

62

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

32

Accurate passes

12/15 (80%)

Key passes

0

Total duels won

6/11

Last season saw the forgotten ex-Arsenal midfielder only make 11 Premier League starts, with Willock drafted into the XI against Bournemouth owing to some rusty legs after Champions League action.

Based on his passive display, though, Willock will be lucky to reach the same amount of starts he was afforded last season across the remainder of this campaign, with the one-time breath of fresh air at St James’ Park – who once managed eight league goals in just one season – struggling to even trump Nick Pope in terms of touches of the ball.

Indeed, Willock would only go on to amass a lacklustre 32 touches of the ball next to Pope’s weightier 42 (per Sofascore), while also only being able to accurately complete 12 passes all afternoon. In stark contrast, Sandro Tonali, who is a guaranteed starter week in week out centrally, would trudge off the pitch at the end with 49 accurate passes in tow.

It’s a no-brainer, therefore, for Howe to just reinstate both Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes to their usual positions next to Tonali when Arsenal come to town next in league action, with Willock no doubt looking out of his depth if he were handed a surprise second consecutive start against his former employers.

With Howe stating at the final whistle that his team were somewhat careless on the ball, it’s clear that the declining 26-year-old needs to be replaced instantly for the test of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, having also been handed a low 4/10 rating post-match by journalist Lee Ryder, who noted that Willock looked “miles off it.”

There will be a tinge of sadness at the end of the Magpies right now, considering Willock does have a hefty 18 goals and eight assists up his sleeve on Tyneside from 148 total clashes.

But, it does appear as if the number 28 is staring the end of his Newcastle career straight in the face now, with Howe certainly less keen to hand him significant minutes moving forward after his no-show on the South Coast.

Newcastle now make early approach to sign £40m+ Real Madrid player on loan

The striker is of a similar profile to Wissa.

ByCallum Kemp Sep 21, 2025

Kuldeep was introduced as late as the 11th over, and bowled three wicketless overs for 27 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-20253:06

Ganga; Kuldeep not finishing his overs a missed opportunity

In Delhi Capitals’ (DC) 14-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday, their captain Axar Patel used only three overs of Kuldeep Yadav, India’s premier wristspinner. Not only did DC not use spin in the powerplay, but Kuldeep was introduced as late as the 11th over. KKR eventually posted 79 for 1 in the powerplay, and that platform helped them post 204 for 9, a score that proved to be good enough on the night.Daren Ganga, the former West Indies captain, said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out that Kuldeep is a bowler who must finish his quota every game. He also said that using Kuldeep as a wicket-taking option in the powerplay could have slowed KKR down, and was a gamble worth taking with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane going hard at the other DC bowlers.”Kuldeep not finishing his spell to me was a bit of a missed opportunity,” Ganga said. “When you have a bowler like Kuldeep, regardless of the day he’s having, I’d like to see him exhaust his full complement of overs. That is something he [Axar] could’ve looked at – bowling Kuldeep’s one over earlier on, and then bowling three overs in the middle. That could’ve changed proceedings and probably informed how the other spinners would go on that surface.Related

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“I was having a conversation about teams and their reluctance to use conventional wristspinners in the powerplay phase. To me, if you’re trying to control a phase by taking wickets, that’s an option for you. And then if you know you have an issue with your bowlers not penetrating opposition batters, then I think it is worth a gamble for you to use, at least one over of wristspin in that phase.”Kuldeep finally entered the attack as DC’s sixth bowler, delivering the 11th, 13th, and 15th overs and finishing with figures of 0 for 27. But by then, KKR had already built a strong platform, and even a few hiccups couldn’t derail their momentum. Wasim Jaffer labelled it “strange tactics” not to use Kuldeep up front when DC were clearly in need of a breakthrough while Ambati Rayudu pointed to Kuldeep’s recent success against left-hand batters and said he could have troubled Narine.”Especially today when KKR batsmen were going great guns, I felt they should’ve brought a spinner on for sure. Kuldeep is a wicket-taker and he’s been bowling brilliantly to left-handers of late,” Rayudu said. “He’s been getting the dip now, which wasn’t there in his bowling earlier, and he’s not afraid to bowl googlies to left-handers, and he’s been getting wickets off googlies.”3:56

‘Axar should back himself to bowl in powerplay’

‘Axar could have bowled in the powerplay too’Kuldeep wasn’t DC’s only spin option. Vipraj Nigam was brought on in the seventh over, while Axar bowled four overs on the trot from the eighth to the 14th. Despite being effective, Axar too did not bowl in the powerplay, a surprising decision considering his performance in the powerplay in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).”I think [Axar could’ve bowled] definitely for an over at least,” Rayudu said. “They were going after pace and you had to slow things down, not only time-wise but also in terms of giving pace to the batsmen. I felt they missed a little trick there.”Axar has also become a much, much better bowler. He bowls the under-cutter, which he bowls to left-handers that goes away. And he has that height where he never bowls too full. I think he definitely should have bowled in the powerplay.”Jaffer served a reminder that Axar dismissed left-handers Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal against RCB too, nullifying the left-arm spinner to left-hand batter worry that some teams have.”I think he should have used at least one over himself, considering in the last game he got two wickets off left-handers,” Jaffer said. “[Not bowling] against Nicholas Pooran you would understand since Pooran is a different beast altogether, but against all other [left-handed] batters, he should back himself.”Ganga, meanwhile, acknowledged the captain’s dilemma when choosing between backing himself or deploying other bowlers. He said that Dushmantha Chameera’s recent inclusion might have influenced Axar’s choices. Still, he felt captains need to show greater conviction.”If the surface was offering a bit more turn, it might’ve prompted him to bowl in the powerplay phase,” Ganga said. “There are also times, as a captain, you find yourself between a rock and a hard place with you putting yourself as an option compared to using other options.”Chameera has been brought in recently to join this DC side. His USP is bowling in the first and last phase, so he was given an opportunity to, but at times, you have to be more determined, take the game by its horns and back yourself. I think we overrate match-ups, sometimes, bowlers can still trouble batters’ inside edge as well. I think at times captains can be a bit more enterprising and use that option.”

Surrey 390 for 3 (Lawrence 117*, Pope 103, Sibley 82) trail Sussex 435 (Haines 174, Alsop 63, Atkinson 4-120) by 45 runsDan Lawrence and Ollie Pope both made attacking hundreds before bad light halted Surrey’s rapid progress on day three against Sussex at Hove.When the players came off ten minutes after tea Surrey were 390 for three, only 45 runs behind with Lawrence unbeaten on 117 after Pope had made his first Championship century for two years.The loss of 36 overs could be crucial to Surrey’s hopes of making it an awkward final day for Sussex by going past their first innings’ 435.After Pope scored 102 Lawrence made the most of a reprieve on 35, when he was badly dropped by sub fielder George Thomas. He hit six sixes in his first hundred of the season, off 92 balls, including two in an over when Ollie Robinson opted to bowl short to a packed leg side field.Sussex should still be able to save the game on a surface which has offered little assistance for seam or spin, but after drawing and winning their first two games since promotion, this was a reminder that Division One cricket represents a big step up.Curiously, it was Pope’s first County Championship century away from The Oval since his maiden effort at Southampton eight years ago. The 27-year-old had a lean time in the competition between England matches last season when his top score in ten innings was 63. But he made 65 against Hampshire last week and carried on here in ideal batting conditions.He ruthlessly punished any indiscretions in length and scored on both sides of the wicket. There were 11 boundaries and he also lofted James Coles’ left-arm spin over mid-wicket – although Jayden Seales running around the boundary nearly took what would have been a stunning catch. Pope’s 22nd first-class century was his first in the Championship for more than two years, but frustratingly he was dismissed two balls after getting there when he gloved a short ball from the persevering Seales, who was the pick of Sussex’s attack.During the morning session Pope and Dom Sibley took their second-wicket stand to 179 in 42 overs. Sibley was cruising towards his third successive hundred when he chipped up a tame return catch to slow left-armer James Coles, having earlier hit him over long-off for six and ten boundaries. Both batters will have departed feeling they had left runs out there.Lawrence was soon into his stride, although Thomas will have nightmares about the straightforward catch he dropped at backward square leg off a disconsolate Robinson. The 27-year-old certainly made the most of his reprieve. Five of his sixes were hit into the leg side but the other, a sumptuous straight drive off Coles, was probably the best of them.At the other end Ben Foakes was happy to play a supporting role, although he did swing Coles over the boundary on one knee.Lawrence reached his 18th first-class hundred with a somewhat streaky thick edge over the slips off Robinson for his eighth boundary as Surrey scored 162 between lunch and tea in 29 overs. But just two more were possible in the evening session and with Danny Lamb out of the attack after injuring his shoulder on Saturday, Sussex were probably glad of the opportunity to regroup and come back tomorrow with a new ball only six overs old.

Former Manchester United star Michael Carrick is in frame to take over as Rangers manager after Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard decided to step away from the race to replace Russell Martin at the Scottish club. After a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign, which saw fans protesting against Martin and demanding his removal, the head coach was finally sacked from his position earlier this month.

Rangers sacked Martin after massive fan protest

Martin, an ex-MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton manager, only took charge at Ibrox this summer. His ball-playing philosophy was considered to be a good fit for Rangers, but many fans had their doubts from the beginning. Those fears proved to be well-founded, with Martin stumbling out of the blocks and never getting into his stride. A 1-1 draw with Falkirk proved to be the final straw, with Rangers left languishing in eighth spot on the league table, after picking up just eight points from seven top-flight fixtures this season. 

They have just one league win to their name and are already 11 points adrift of table-topping Hearts, while they trail Old Firm arch-rivals Celtic by nine points. Before the manager's sacking, the Rangers fans had made their feelings clear when they went public with their protest against the boss as they visited the Ibrox for a Scottish League Cup quarter-final clash with banners, which read: "Russell out – worst manager in history." They also hurled balls onto the pitch, which led to a delay in the start of the game.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGerrard walk out of race after emerging as favourite to replace Martin

After Martin's departure from Ibrox, Anfield icon Gerrard emerged as the favourite candidate to replace him. Gerrard, who had previously worked with Rangers and had even guided them to a league victory in 2021, was tipped to return to Glasgow. Gerrard held positive talks with the club hierarchy, however, journalist reported on Saturday that the 45-year-old is no longer keen on accepting the manager's role at Ibrox Stadium. 

The report added that the former England international is not quite ready to take up a new assignment as head coach at the moment. further claims that Gerrard had told Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chair Paraag Marathe that he wanted to have full control over the transfers, but he later opted out. 

Man Utd legend in contention to accept Rangers jon

Now that the Gerrard chapter is over, the Daily Mail further claims that Rangers officials have started looking at other options, including Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, while Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl is also being considered by sporting director Kevin Thelwell, CEO Patrick Stewart and Gretar Steinsson of 49ers Enterprises. But the name that has stood out is United legend Michael Carrick, who is currently without a job. 

The 44-year-old was sacked from his first permanent managerial job at Middlesbrough in June this year. Carrick was appointed as the club's head coach in 2022 and he immediately took the team up the table and secured a play-off place, only to see his team beaten in the semi-finals. Middlesbrough narrowly missed out on a top six in the following two campaigns, leading to Carrick's dismissal ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. The former England midfielder has also managed the Red Devils on an interim basis in the past. 

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GettyCarrick linked with a move to United

Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim's future at Old Trafford has come under scrutiny after the club's ridiculously slow start to the 2025-26 campaign, which has seen them lose three out of their first seven matches to currently occupy 10th position in the league table. Despite spending heavily in the summer transfer window, especially to bolster the team's attack, Amorim's men are still not looking convincing.

Carrick was closely linked with a move back to his old club last month to replace the underperforming Ruben Amorim, although INEOS chief and club minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear, recently, that Amorim is here to stay for the long run, as the billionaire provided a three-year cushion to the Portuguese coach. 

Former Real Madrid and England manager Fabio Capello hailed Antonio Conte bringing Rasmus Hojlund to Napoli as a "clever decision" as the Manchester United flop's "desire for redemption" is becoming evident. After being included in Ruben Amorim's 'bomb squad' in pre-season, the Danish forward completed an initial loan move to the Italian champions late in the transfer window.

• Hojlund bouncing back from Man Utd adversity

  Hojlund's stint at United lasted just two years as the former Atalanta forward failed to impress the Old Trafford crowd after completing a big-money move to the Premier League giants in 2023. He ended up scoring just 10 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions last season, which prompted head coach Amorim to rebuild the team's attack in the transfer window. The arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo this summer meant that time was up for the Denmark international and he was eventually shipped off to Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy. Back in Serie A, the 22-year-old is slowly regaining his old form and has already scored four goals in six appearances across all competitions.

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• Getty
  

  Capello praises Conte for signing striker

  In his latest column for , Capello wrote: "Playing in Naples puts you under more pressure than at Atalanta, but the Dane seems to have matured thanks to his Premier League experience, which helped him realise his true value. I’ve also noticed in him a certain desire for redemption after his time at Manchester United."

• Conte expressed concern over McTominay

  Another former United star Scott McTominay created quite a stir in the Serie A after joining Napoli permanently in 2024. In his maiden season, McTominay won the Serie A Player of the Year award, but in the 2025-26 campaign, the midfielder has yet to attain his best form.

  Capello added: "It’s a particularly clever move because in other areas of the pitch, there are quality players who are having less of an impact than last year, such as McTominay. Indeed, Conte’s team hasn’t scored a lot so far, but they are still very organised, and Hojlund is a crucial addition because he already knows Italian football and won’t struggle to settle in."

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• AFP
  

  Napoli's title defence campaign off to a flying start

  After bringing in quality players like Hojlund, Lorenzo Lucca and Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne, Conte's men have kicked off the new season on a fine note as they have won five out of the six league games they have played and are currently placed at the top of the table. They will next face Torino in Serie A after the international break on October 18. 

CSK’s latest signing Brevis has linked up with the squad in Mumbai and will be available for selection for Sunday’s game

Vishal Dikshit19-Apr-20254:12

Boucher: Brevis is a perfect candidate for No. 5

Big picture: CSK’s hopes starting to fadeHad either of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) had a result or two not go their way in the last few days in IPL 2025, the “El Clasico” narrative of this rivalry would have turned into “L Clasico”. CSK managed to break their five-match losing streak and will look for another win on the road, against MI, on Sunday evening.If results from nearly a month ago still instill some sort of confidence, CSK could have a feel-good factor in how they had won at home last month at the start of the tournament, but MI have since got back Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah to their side.Related

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Fleming says poor results have forced CSK to 'bring all squad members into play'

MI themselves had been grappling with two losses at the start of IPL 2025 but have picked themselves up in all facets of the game to win both at home and away, on different kind of surfaces, and batting first and chasing. Barring Rohit Sharma, whose form continues to be a concern, their top order has started scoring freely, their middle order is hitting boundaries at a good clip, and the all-international bowling attack has started to function like a well-oiled machine, as was seen in their last game, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).CSK, despite beating a strong LSG side, are still trying to put their pieces together with several players still far from at their best, which has forced their think tank to look to younger options, as head coach Stephen Fleming said on match eve. After a strong bowling performance against LSG that would ease some of their worries before walking out at the Wankhede, CSK will now hope their batting steps up.Form guideMumbai Indians WWLLW
Chennai Super Kings WLLLL2:45

Rayudu: Slower balls have worked for ‘wicket-taker’ Hardik

In the spotlight: Rohit Sharma and Shivam DubeShivam Dube has struck at 128.57 this IPL, a steep slide from his 150-plus strike rates in the last three seasons. He has improved in the last couple of games after sub-20 scores at the start, but still, scores of 43* off 37 and 31* off 29 suggest that he isn’t at his best yet. Oppositions have also started to keep spinners away from him to try and keep him quiet. Dube now returns to his domestic home ground where he once hit five sixes in an over in a Ranji Trophy game, and will hope familiar conditions help him hit the pedal.Almost everything is falling in place for MI, except for Rohit Sharma’s form. Batters around him and after him are all scoring while his average for the season has dipped to just 13.66, having faced 57 balls this IPL. Since Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks – his partners in the top three – have looked good in the last few games, this could take some burden off Rohit’s shoulders to try and get out of this rut.Team news: Brevis links up with CSKLegspinner Karn Sharma had split a webbing in his bowling hand while fielding in their last game and is unlikely to play against CSK after getting a couple of stitches on the hand. Depending on the conditions for this game, MI could bring in either left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur or left-arm quick Ashwani Kumar, who took 4 for 24 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the last time he played at the Wankhede.Mumbai Indians 1 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 Vignesh Puthur/Ashwani KumarDewald Brevis has joined the CSK squad as a replacement player and is available for the game even though he didn’t train a whole lot since reaching India. Fleming said on Saturday that they are likely to give some of the younger players, such as bowling allrounder Ramakrishna Ghosh and fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti, more chances. Ravindra Jadeja is set to continue at No. 4.Chennai Super Kings 1 Rachin Ravindra, 2 Shaik Rasheed, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Anshul Kamboj, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Matheesha PathiranaThe big questionPitch and conditionsHaving lost to CSK in their opening game on a slow turner at Chepauk, MI would not want the kind of spin-friendly pitch they played on against SRH for the CSK game, especially without Karn, and with Noor Ahmad, Jadeja and Rachin Ravindra in the opposition camp. Their batting plans are falling in place, which means a high-scoring track – like the one against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – may suit them better. Whatever the pitch, the team winning the toss is expected to chase as there has been some dew in Mumbai in hot and humid conditions.1:03

Who will finish in the top four?

Stats and trivia: Dhoni vs Bumrah Khaleel Ahmed bowled an impressive first spell of 3-0-22-1 against LSG and he will want to bowl to Rohit on Sunday because of this match-up: 28 runs in 43 balls for three dismissals and no sixes. Jadeja could have a similar feeling while bowling to Suryakumar Yadav, which could happen in the middle overs. Jadeja has conceded just 47 runs to Suryakumar in 62 balls while removing him three times. MS Dhoni is known to prefer pace bowlers as opposed to spinners. How he tackles Jasprit Bumrah could be interesting because he has scored just 60 runs off 61 balls against Bumrah in the IPL, hitting only three fours and two sixes while also falling three times. In the death overs, Dhoni has struck at 110.25 against Bumrah, which is only marginally better. The fierce rivalry between MI and CSK reflects in their head-to-head too: MI have won 20 out of the 38 clashes between these two teams. But CSK are on a four-match winning streak right now. Quotes”This pitch has been a little bit more high-scoring this year. So that’s the first thing we look at. But the greatest thing for us is to adapt to whatever it is on the day.”
“If it is going to be a slightly slower wicket like last game, we know he’s going to be a challenge. You’ve got to be quite smart against him. If he gets on a roll, he’s pretty tough to stop. As we’ve seen, he has bowled extremely well.”

Fabrizio Romano has shared some transfer news concerning Chelsea this week, as Enzo Maresca’s side take a particularly keen interest in one highly-rated player from an elite European side.

Chelsea make January transfer plans amid weaknesses in key areas

The Blues ended last summer’s window as one of the Premier League’s highest spending teams, but somehow managed to register a profit by selling a plethora of unwanted players.

The Premier League’s biggest summer spenders

Team

Spent

Received

Net Spend

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

Chelsea brought in a host of attacking stars in that time, sealing deals for the likes of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Facundo Buonanotte.

However, despite making attempts to sign a new goalkeeper and star centre-back, Maresca’s side came up short in that regard.

Chelsea held talks to sign AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, who wanted to join the west Londoners, but couldn’t agree on a price. Meanwhile, defender Dean Huijsen was also subject to an offer from Chelsea, according to reliable media sources, only for Real Madrid to eventually win the race for Bournemouth’s once-coveted starlet.

With Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah unavailable for their vital Premier League clash against Liverpool this weekend, BlueCo’s failure to sign a centre-half in particular is now coming back to haunt them.

Jorrel Hato can play at the heart of defence when required, but is primarily viewed as a left-back to cover Marc Cucurella.

That being said, due to their major shortage of options, Maresca will have little choice but to play the Dutchman alongside Benoit Badiashile against Arne Slot’s side on Saturday.

Chelsea want to address the centre-back problem in January, and it is believed that they’ve reached out for talks with Marc Guehi’s camp this week as they attempt to gauge the feasibility of a cut-price winter deal (Simon Phillips).

Guehi would be the perfect option with his contract expiring at the end of the season, potentially meaning he’s available for a very attainable fee next window, but it remains to be seen whether Oliver Glasner would sanction his exit midway through the campaign with Palace flying high right now.

Chelsea are also ready to go back in for Maignan and sign the Frenchman on a pre-contract in January (Graeme Bailey), so it appears Maresca’s side are very aware of their defensive frailties as they make transfer plans for early 2026.

That isn’t to say they haven’t still got their eyes on further attacking upgrades, though, with Juventus star Kenan Yildiz believed to be attracting real attention from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea "very" interested in signing Kenan Yildiz

The Turkey international was Juve’s star player last season, bagging 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, and the Old Lady are well aware of growing interest from England.

Yildiz has continued that fine form in a second striker role under Igor Tudor this term, with two goals and four assists in seven games already.

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel in Italian, says that Chelsea are “very” interested in signing Yildiz, but Juve are planning to negotiate fresh terms and keep him out of Premier League’s clutches.

The 20-year-old fits Chelsea’s recruitment strategy down to the ground as one of Serie A’s rising stars, and they will undoubtedly continue to keep tabs on his exploits.

That being said, Maresca’s far more pressing issue is the gaping holes in his defence, so that should absolutely take priority over a move for Yildiz right now.

There was a lot made of what Celtic did and did not do in the final days of the summer transfer window, which officially slammed shut last Monday.

The Hoops were unable to sign a new centre-forward to bolster the squad, despite allowing Adam Idah to sign for Swansea for £7m, on deadline day.

This meant that the Scottish Premiership champions had to swoop for Kelechi Iheanacho on a free transfer the following day, after Sevilla terminated his contract early.

Whilst supporters will want to focus on who came in, and who did not, there also needs to be an appreciation of the players who moved on from the club, including Nicolas Kuhn.

Celtic’s model revolves around bringing in and developing young players to sell them on for a profit, but they then need to find replacements for those players to ensure that the team does not suffer as a result.

Matt O’Riley left the Scottish giants to sign for Brighton & Hove Albion last year and his move away from Glasgow left a gaping hole in the middle of the park.

Why Matt O'Riley's exit was a big blow for Celtic

The left-footed star took his game to the next level under Brendan Rodgers in the 2023/24 campaign after Ange Postecoglou moved down south to join Tottenham Hotspur.

O’Riley, who now plays for Marseille, only scored seven goals in 54 appearances in the Premiership for the Australian head coach, but did deliver 15 assists in that time.

This shows that he was a creative midfielder who did not offer a significant threat as a goalscorer from the middle of the park prior to Rodgers’ return to Parkhead in the summer of 2023.

O’Riley stepped up his game in the final third in the 2023/24 campaign, though, with a return of 18 goals in the Premiership to lead the Hoops to the title.

Sofascore rating

7.91

1st

Goals

18

1st

Assists

13

1st

Big chances created

14

1st

Key passes per game

2.5

1st

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international was a pivotal part of Rodgers’ team because he was the main threat in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

This is why his move to Brighton last summer was a big blow because the Scottish giants lost a star who could deliver goals and assists at an exceptional rate.

O’Riley’s ability to score goals, in particular, was important for Celtic because it took some of the pressure off the forward players, which is exactly what the team need right now with their issues in the centre-forward department.

Kelechi Iheanacho only scored four goals in all competitions last season, per Sofascore, whilst Hyun-jun Yang and James Forrest have combined for six league goals since the start of last term.

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This is why there may be more of an emphasis on the midfielders needing to step up and score goals for Rodgers this season, and they may have their next Matt O’Riley already brewing at Parkhead.

The Celtic star who could be the new Matt O'Riley

Celtic broke their transfer record to sign Arne Engels from Augsburg for a fee of £11m last summer to ‘replace’ O’Riley, and he did not have a bad first season in Glasgow by any means.

The Belgium international delivered ten goals and 13 assists in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which is a very respectable return for a central midfielder, but there was a lack of goals from open play.

Arne Engels

21

2

Reo Hatate

24

9

Callum McGregor

29

8

Luke McCowan

12

5

Paulo Bernardo

11

2

As you can see in the table above, Engels ranked joint-bottom alongside Paulo Bernardo for non-penalty goals in the Celtic midfield last season in the Premiership.

This is why it is Benjamin Nygren who could be the next O’Riley in the making at Parkhead, not Engels, because the summer signing has the potential to deliver a huge goal threat from midfield for the Hoops.

The Sweden international arrived in Glasgow from Nordsjaelland after an impressive haul of 16 goals and four assists in 32 appearances in all competitions for the Danish outfit last season, per Transfermarkt.

Whilst Nygren is more versatile than O’Riley, having played the bulk of his minutes on the right flank, he did score four of those 16 goals in his six appearances as either an attacking or central midfield player.

Since making the move to Parkhead, the Swedish star has mainly played in a central midfield role in the 4-3-3 set-up, and showcased his knack for goals from a central position with his strike against Aberdeen.

The left-footed star has scored three goals in four Premiership matches to date, per Sofascore, and only one of his 19 goals for Nordsjaelland and Celtic since the start of last season came from the penalty spot.

His Sweden teammate Alexander Isak, now of Liverpool, described him as a “fearless” star who plays with “confidence”, which has already been clear to see during his short time with the Hoops.

Nygren takes risks with the ball, losing the ball 19 times per game, He wants to progress his team up the pitch. He wants to take shots and create chances, averaging three key passes per game in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

His impact from a central midfield and a right wing position has been impressive, and his form in Denmark suggests that it is sustainable as well.

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Therefore, the 24-year-old star may be the next O’Riley for Rodgers as a central midfield star who has the potential to go and score 15 to 20 goals in the Premiership this season if he can remain consistent with his performances.

Leeds United now have time to dust themselves down and reassess with another international break in play.

It has been far from a nightmare start for Daniel Farke’s Whites back in the Premier League, with two league wins already on the board, but that could well have been bumped up to three last time out, if it wasn’t for some fortunate deflections handing Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 victory at Elland Road.

While there were plenty of positives to cling onto as Noah Okafor grabbed another strike in West Yorkshire, there were also other individuals on the day that let the side down, who will be fearing for their starting spots when Leeds travel to Burnley when the break has finished.

Leeds' biggest underperformers vs Spurs

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one figure who will surely be anxious about his starting position as Leeds’ main marksman after another goalless showing versus Thomas Frank’s side.

So far this season, the former Everton striker has already missed five big chances, with another added to his unwanted resume when squandering a major opportunity against Spurs.

Mathys Tel would show Calvert-Lewin how to finish in style; on the contrary, as the Frenchman only needed 13 touches of the ball to place a fierce effort past Karl Darlow.

Gabriel Gudmundsson also looked uncharacteristically shaky during the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, after a solid start to his Elland Road career otherwise, with the number 3 run ragged by Mohamed Kudus’ pace for Spurs’ second-half winner.

Still, with Calvert-Lewin scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Gudmundsson winning 4.9 total duels per match this season in the Premier League, there is some credit in the bank on both ends.

While both are likely to keep their place once Premier League football returns after the break, the same cannot be said for one of Leeds’ longest-serving players.

Leeds star is now on borrowed time

Time be given to both the Englishman and the Swede, with Calvert-Lewin a proven Premier League goalscorer when he gets going, while his Scandinavian counterpart will require time to get up to speed with what is expected of him week in week out on English soil.

On the other hand, patience could be wearing rather thin with long-standing Leeds servant Pascal Struijk now, especially after both of Spurs’ goals last time out were deflected off the “unfortunate” Dutchman, as he was branded by Leeds journalist Beren Cross.

Still, Struijk standing off the lightning quick number 20 almost invited him to have a pop at Darlow’s goal, with the 26-year-old looking in over his head again when it comes to consistently battling it out in the top-flight.

To date, the former Ajax youth product turned Leeds first-teamer only has a worrying 13 Premier League sheets next to his name from three full seasons at the level, with iconic journalist Phil Hay even noting that “he might not be Premier League quality” way back in 2023.

Games played

92

Goals scored

4

Assists

1

Completed passes

4032 (85%)

Total tackles

198

Total duels won

401

Clean sheets

13

With 92 games at the very top of the English game now under his belt with Leeds, the overarching worry will be whether Struijk will ever improve and not look so shaky in the daunting division, having also been a part of the Whites’ defence that was humbled 5-0 by Arsenal earlier this season.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Jaka Bijol might well fancy his chances of coming in and taking over from the 26-year-old imminently, having been dubbed a “monstrous” presence previously by analyst Ben Mattinson for his assured performances in Serie A.

Bijol, who cost Leeds a significant £15m this summer, would jump at the chance to impress, having picked up eight clean sheets last season in Italy, when also winning 4.8 duels per Serie A clash.

However, the forceful Slovenian is yet to get up and running at Elland Road, with a recurring spot on Farke’s bench all he has been afforded so far in the Premier League.

This could soon change, though, with a concern that Struijk staying put in the heart of defence might culminate in another devastating relegation occurring.

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