Joe Burns has been announced as Italy’s new captain. The former Australia batter had shifted his allegiances to Italy in May this year.Burns, who was born in Brisbane, had qualified for Italy through his mother’s heritage and made his debut for them in June.”I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage,” Burns said in a statement. “For me, it is a return to my family’s roots. Italian cricket has enormous potential and I am excited to contribute to its growth. Together with my team-mates, we are working to achieve ambitious goals and make our fans proud.”Related
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Burns honouring late brother as he makes Italy move
Fabio Marabini, president of the Italian Cricket Federation, backed Burns to succeed in the leadership role. “Since day one, Joe has shown great generosity and professionalism, putting his experience and competitive spirit at the disposal of the team,” he said. “His choice as captain reflects our ambition to take Italian cricket to new levels. We are also counting on his leadership to play a leading role in the next qualifying stages for the 2026 T20 World Cup.”Burns has played five T20Is so far, all for Italy, scoring 211 runs at an average of 70.33 and strike rate of 144.52. In his most recent T20I, he scored an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls to set up a victory against Romania in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier Group A.Burns has also attracted interest in franchise T20 cricket, with Dubai Capitals signing him up for the upcoming season of the UAE’s ILT20. Burns has also featured in the Vitality Blast apart from the Big Bash League.In his previous coming, as an Australia Test opener, Burns had scored 1442 runs from 40 innings across 23 matches – between December 2014 and December 2020 – hitting four centuries and averaging 36.97.Italy had also emerged on the IPL radar when Burns’ team-mate Thomas Draca made the long list for the 2025 player auction. The fast bowler, however, didn’t make the final cut.
As Alexander Isak edges closer to the exit door, Newcastle United are beginning to map out life without their talismanic striker.
The Swede’s choice to skip Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Southeast Asia and instead train at former club Real Sociedad has only heightened speculation about his future.
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak
While Liverpool lodged a bid to secure his signature, the Magpies are already working on contingency plans. In Benjamin Šeško, Newcastle believe they have identified an heir to Isak’s throne.
A towering presence at 1.94m, the 22-year-old is equally capable of leading the line with intelligence and intensity.
RB Leipzig's BenjaminSeskoheads at goal
Despite the club’s willingness to meet RB Leipzig’s valuation, the Slovenian appears to prefer a move to Manchester United – even in the absence of European football.
This has left the door open for alternatives.
One name is emerging as a serious contender – a raw but high-ceilinged talent who combines power, pace and composure in front of goal.
Newcastle looking at Europe's next powerhouse forward
According to TEAMTalk, Newcastle and Aston Villa are among five Premier League clubs interested in Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.
FC Porto's SamuOmorodioncelebrates scoring their first goal
The 21-year-old Spanish-Nigerian powerhouse has taken Europe by storm since joining Porto from Atlético Madrid for around £15m last summer.
Aghehowa has scored 27 goals in 45 games, including six in the Europa League and two against Manchester United, evidence of his ability to shine on the biggest stage.
As per the report, sources close to the player suggest he is keen on a move to the Premier League, drawn by its competitiveness and global appeal. However, Porto’s valuation, a steep £70 million, partly due to Atlético Madrid’s 50% sell-on clause, may complicate matters.
Nevertheless, it’s believed a lower fee could be negotiated, with £50m-£60m having been suggested.
Why Samu Aghehowa Might Be the Next Šeško — Or Better
Standing at 1.93m, Aghehowa fits the same physical profile as Šeško. Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson described Omorodion as an “absolute powerhouse”, while also noting that he is the “real deal”.
Samu Aghehowa in action for Porto.
Crucially, he’s already proven capable of shouldering a club’s attacking burden, an attractive quality for both Newcastle and Villa, especially with the latter facing uncertainty over Ollie Watkins’ future.
Should Newcastle miss out on Šeško, Aghehowa represents a similarly ambitious gamble, albeit one with a potentially higher ceiling.
Benjamin Sesko
In truth, comparisons between the pair are as inevitable as both are towering, physically dominant forwards.
What’s more, both are under the age of 23 and represent the archetype of the modern target man: capable of bullying defenders whilst also possessing the technique to play in dynamic, high-tempo systems.
According to data from FBref, his non-penalty expected goals (npxG) stood at 8.4, with 11 goals scored in open play, and he averaged 2.5 shots per 90 minutes. But as promising as those numbers are, Aghehowa’s hold up well in comparison.
In the Liga Portugal, the Porto man scored 19 league goals and added three assists. Across all competitions, he notched 27.
The same data shows he ranks in the 75th percentile for non-penalty xG per 90 (0.43) and the 86th percentile for total shots per 90 (3.10).
In terms of pass completion, he’s even more efficient than Šeško, ranking in the 96th percentile (77.8%), demonstrating his ability to play quick link-up football.
Additionally, the former Atleti starlet is an active presence in the box.
Sesko vs Samu
He ranks in the 86th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area (5.45), and, surprisingly for a striker, in the 73rd percentile for interceptions – testament to his defensive work rate.
Šeško, for all his finishing prowess, has a more passive off-ball profile. With Isak increasingly detached, training independently at Real Sociedad and unlikely to return without resolution, Newcastle’s hierarchy must make a call.
Wait for a Šeško U-turn, or invest in the next rising star before the market catches up?
Aghehowa might not be a household name yet, but neither was Haaland before his Salzburg breakout, nor Šeško before Leipzig.
The traits are all there: size, speed, hunger, and a fearless eye for goal. In the end, signing him wouldn’t just be a response to Isak’s departure, it could be a defining statement of ambition for the years ahead.
Gordon's new Isak: Newcastle leading the race for £50m Sesko alternative
Newcastle are faced with the unenviable position of finding an Isak replacement this summer.
The start of Celtic’s competitive season is right around the corner.
A week on Sunday, the Hoops begin their Scottish Premiership title defence when they welcome St Mirren to Parkhead.
Celticmanager BrendanRodgerscelebrates with the trophy after winning the League Cup
After that, they’ll travel to Pittodrie for a Scottish Cup Final rematch against Aberdeen, while there’s plenty more for supporters to get excited about throughout August, with an Old Firm derby at Ibrox and a Champions League play-off tie to come later in the month.
Thus, with the new season rapidly approaching, Brendan Rodgers is doubly eager to get his new recruits over the line.
Celtic's search for a new centre-forward
Ever since Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais for a reported fee of £10m in January, the Hoops have been in the market for a new striker.
Following last mid-week’s pre-season friendly victory over Stade Rennais, Rodgers stated that he wants “to add to our front line” having “lost a lot of goals” in recent months, given that Nicolas Kühn has also departed for Como for around £16.5m.
In terms of pure centre-forwards, Shin Yamada has arrived from Kawasaki Frontale for around £1.5m, so will challenge Adam Idah for the starting number nine spot, but Rodgers will still want more.
Mathias Kvistgaarden appeared to be their top target since January, but he has instead decided to join Norwich City from Brøndby for a reported fee of £6.9m, leaving the Scottish champions searching for an alternative.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Well, Rodgers does have previous when it comes to unearthing unknown strikers as Celtic manager, namely signing Moussa Dembélé nine years ago, so could he be about to do something similar?
Could Celtic sign a highly-rated young striker?
As Celtic scour far and wide for a new striker, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman claims they should go all in and sign Richard Kone from Wycombe Wanderers.
He believes, should he make the move to Glasgow, Kone “would thrive massively at that level” adding, given that Celtic “dominate games and create chances”, he would score plenty of goals.
Back in January, Luton Town had a £6m bid rejected by the Chairboys for Kone, according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, likely to cost even more than that now.
To support this, a week ago, it was documented that Celtic have an interest in Kone, with the young marksman believed to be worth around £7m.
Richard Kone
Speaking on CBS’ Morning Footy, Wycombe legend Adebayo Akinfenwa noted that “if Hollywood was going to have a script for a story, this would be it”, given that Kone arrived in England to represent Côte d’Ivoire at the Homeless World Cup in 2019.
He then represented Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League, England’s ninth tier, for five years, before being scouted and signed by Wycombe in January 2024, following an extended trial.
Richard Kone
Well, what a find this has proved to be, with the 22-year-old scoring 25 goals in 73 appearances for the Buckinghamshire-based EFL League One outfit, named both the division’s Player and Young Player of the Season, having netted 18 times in the league.
Let’s assess his statistics from League One last year to underline why he scooped up both accolades.
Goals
18
3rd
Shots
100
5th
Shots on target
40
5th
Shots per 90
3.28
3rd
Successful dribbles
44
16th
Big chances missed
16
6th
As the table notes, only two players, Charlie Kelman and Jay Stansfield, both of whom were playing for clubs who got promoted, scored more goals than Kone, while he ranked highly for every attacking metric included.
His performances certainly impressed writer Kai Watson, who labelled him a “mentality monster”, adding that “aggression, positioning and work rate” are amongst his strengths.
So why could he be a repeat of Dembélé’s arrival from 2016?
Well, before joining Celtic, the Frenchman had made just 64 senior appearances for Fulham, the vast majority of which had come at Championship level, so few could’ve forecast that he burst onto the scene as he did, scoring 32 goals during his first season at Celtic, five of which came in the Champions League.
Thus, there is certainly precedent for a young, inexperienced striker joining Celtic from the EFL and exploding into a top-class centre-forward.
If you’re not yet convinced by the déjà vu, listen to this; Kone’s non-league Athletic Newham are based on Atlético Madrid, they wear the same kit and their badge is nigh on identical, and with whom did Dembélé win La Liga? You guessed it!
Celtic now submit £1.5m bid to sign 17 G/A forward, they've had a response
The Hoops have made a formal approach for an attacker, who was regularly among the goals in the 2024-25 campaign.
Liverpool are in a ruthless mood this summer and after welcoming Florian Wirtz for a British-record fee, Richard Hughes is reportedly set for talks to sell one of Arne Slot’s star and has already contacted his potential replacement.
Liverpool not done after record Wirtz deal
Unlike in the past, Liverpool are not just sitting back and admiring their silverware. They’re gunning for more. Jeremie Frimpong arrived first to replace Trent Alexander-Anrold, but the biggest headlines were still to come as Wirtz followed his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate to Anfield in a British-record £116m deal.
The German is ready to take the Premier League by storm too, telling Liverpool’s official media channels: “I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.
“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”
Florian Wirtz for Germany
Even after Wirtz, however, Liverpool are not done there. It has been a summer full of business for Richard Hughes, who is making up for lost time following a quiet debut year in Merseyside. Up next looks set to be Milos Kerkez, whilst reported talks to sell one star man could lead to another big-money incoming.
Liverpool set to hold talks to sell Nunez
According to Fabrizio Romano, reporting on Saturday afternoon, Liverpool are set to hold talks with Napoli next week over the sale of Darwin Nunez. The Italian club reportedly see the forward as their dream target and are now looking to learn more about the details of a potential move.
The sale of the struggling forward could be good news for those in Merseyside, who have reportedly already contacted Hugo Ekitike over a deal to replace Nunez this summer.
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When speaking about the Frenchman, Romano recently told the Market Madness Podcast: “Well, I think for Ekitike this could be a possibility to go to Liverpool, because there were calls from Chelsea two weeks ago. Man United, in recent days, also made contact with the agents to understand the situation.
“But for Liverpool, this is also a possibility. Liverpool also spoke to the agents. Also, Liverpool considered Ekitike an interesting opportunity. And so that’s the name I would keep in their shortlist.”
Minutes
2,563
1,133
Goals
15
5
Assists
8
2
Expected Goals
21.6
5.8
As the numbers show, Liverpool would once again be landing an instant upgrade this summer to continue what is likely to go down as their best-ever transfer window, even if the Frenchman could cost £85m.
Since being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago, the Blues have signed over 35 senior first-team players for in excess of £1bn, but are showing no signs of slowing down.
The Blues have already completed the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m, meaning he will be eligible to feature at the Club World Cup, with Enzo Maresca’s side kicking off their campaign against LAFC next Monday.
Before that match in Atlanta, could Chelsea sign another young attacker?
Chelsea's search for a new wide-attacker
BlueCo are incredibly busy trying to improve the squad before the Club World Cup gets underway with Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan reportedly closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Yet, he’s not the only player who could arrive before Chelsea’s American adventure.
According to a report by RMC Sport, Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens on a whopping seven-year contract.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
This comes after David Ornstein of the Athletic reported that the Blues have submitted an official bid, although Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland claims that Chelsea’s initial bid of €29.5m was “rejected”, with die Schwarzgelben “demanding” closer to £51m.
Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian has previously documented that adding a ‘right-footed left-winger’ to their squad, having previously assessed Nico Williams and Alejandro Garnacho, but Gittens has emerged as the first-choice target.
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittensin action with Lille's Bafode Diakite
So, it appears to be just a matter of time until this deal gets done, although they only have until 7pm (BST) on Tuesday to finalise the transfer, if Gittens is going to feature at the Club World Cup.
How Jamie Gittens could unleash Liam Delap
Neel Shelat of Total Football Analysis outlines how Delap has all the attributes to be a top-class penalty box poacher, so why would Gittens’ arrival be the dream signing for him?
Well, Felix Johnston describes the 20-year-old winger as “electric”, praising his “variation with crosses” and ability to make threatening “back post” runs.
Meantime, Lebohang Mwamuka of Breaking the Lines believes Gittens has the ability to become a ‘regular creator from wide areas’, given that he is “strong with both feet… dynamic” and possesses “remarkable dribbling’.
Jacek Kulig of Talent Football Scout agrees, believing Gittens’ ‘potential is extremely high’, noting that his primary strengths are dribbling, ‘decision-making and movement’.
So, let’s analyse Gittens’ statistics in the Bundesliga this season.
Minutes
1,776
149th
Goals
8
32nd
Assists
3
71st
Progressive carries
113
4th
Attempted take-ons
171
1st
Successful take-ons
77
2nd
Carries into penalty area
63
1st
As the table outlines, there are few better dribblers in the Bundesliga than Gittens, ranked first for attempted take-ons and carries into the opposition penalty area, behind only Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz for successful take-ons.
In fact, across Europe’s big five leagues, the Englishman ranks seventh for attempted take-ons as well as seventh in the Champions League for the same metric. Thus, Gittens’ dribbling and creative abilities would surely get the best out of centre-forward Delap.
The duo have actually played together on nine occasions before, seven of which have been with England’s U21s, while they were briefly teammates in Manchester City’s academy too, with Delap assisting Gittens for a goal against Liverpool’s U18s in September 2019.
Thus, if the pair are reunited in West London later this summer, they could form quite the devastating attacking duo.
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17 defeats. That’s the dismal record Manchester United have been on the receiving end of this season.
Despite that, they could still qualify for the Champions League. It’s funny how football all works out, isn’t it?
Just days ago, the Red Devils were celebrating their place in the Europa League final, but things just continue to go from bad to worse on the domestic scene.
Man-Utd-Bilbao-Europa-League
Last weekend, they were on the end of a 4-3 defeat at Brentford and despite that win over Bilbao in midweek, they could not carry any momentum in this weekend’s events.
West Ham were the visitors to old Trafford on this occasion and they came away with a 2-0 win, Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen scoring.
United didn’t get on the scoresheet but they really should have. They may have scored seven across their two semi-final legs but in the Premier League, it’s all been rather laboured in the final third.
Why Man United’s attack is struggling
This was never going to be an overnight fix for Ruben Amorim upon replacing Erik ten Hag but not even the former Sporting coach would have expected things to be quite this challenging.
One of the biggest reasons for their lack of potency hasn’t just been the finishing ability of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund but it could be argued that there’s a lack of creativity and the squad doesn’t possess the right players to get the most out of Amorim’s system.
Patrick Dorgu was signed in January as a wing-back but the manager will need to strengthen significantly in those areas over the summer.
Dorgu
With Amad also injured for the last few months, it’s meant that United have had to rely solely on Bruno Fernandes to carve out goalscoring opportunities. The captain has had a wonderful campaign, registering 38 goal involvements in all competitions, but even his threat has waned in the last several weeks, failing to score a Premier League goal in his last six matches.
So, with Fernandes faltering, they’ve not really had an answer elsewhere. That was all too apparent against West Ham on Sunday.
Yes, the squad may have been fatigued, but it’s evident that, first and foremost, Fernandes doesn’t thrive as well in a deeper position and secondly, that Kobbie Mainoo does not suit this system, playing in one of the central no.10 positions.
He doesn’t score many goals at the best of times and even a re-energised Mason Mount couldn’t expose the Hammers this weekend.
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Hojlund too has struggled, largely due to a lack of service. Truth be told, he should have found the net against Graham Potter’s men, only emphasising the problems Amorim faces in their forward line.
How Hojlund is now becoming Man United’s new Martial
Let’s cast our minds back to the summer of 2015. It’s September and Anthony Martial has just become the most expensive teenager of all time, trading the principality of Monaco for a move to the north west of England in a deal worth £36m.
At the time, he was being billed as one of France’s next great football players. In fact, Martial was rated so highly that one part of the terms in his move involved a Ballon d’Or clause which would see Monaco receive another payment should the forward be named the world’s best player.
Well, it’s safe to say he never even came close to living up to that hype. Martial spent nine years at Old Trafford in a stint where he failed to live up to the immense promise many expected of him.
Across 317 appearances in United red, he did actually score 90 goals which is a pretty impressive record by all accounts.
Martial
15 of those came in his debut campaign and there was there was even the 23-goal season of 2019/20 to shout about. However, from that moment onwards, he only bagged another 20 in United colours before departing in 2024. He’s now at AEK Athens in Greece.
There are certain similarities between Hojlund and Martial here. Signed for an enormous fee as a young forward, a ridiculous £72m to be exact, the Dane had a promising first season and could still come good.
He netted 16 goals in his first season at the club, one more than Martial’s opening year, but it does feel as though Hojlund’s United career will also go down as a story of unfulfilled promise.
The simple fact is that despite boasting some impressive attributes, namely a powerful running style and the ability to gallop down the channels, he’s an incredibly frustrating player all the same.
There has certainly been a lack of service for the former Atalanta striker this season but even when given chances, he’s fluffed his lines. That was certainly the case against West Ham on Sunday.
Minutes played
90
Touches
31
Accurate passes
9/15 (60%)
Shots on target
2
Shots off target
4
Expected goals (xG)
1.31
Successful dribbles
0/2
Big chances missed
2
Ground duels won
1/6
Aerial duels won
3/8
Possession lost
13x
In the process of amassing just 31 touches and only completing 60% of his passes, he wasted two glorious chances which rather typified his season.
To his credit, Hojlund busted a gut to get on the end of the first one, but after Amad had played his teammate in, the 20-year-old could only stick the shot straight at the on-rushing Alphonse Areola. The second opportunity was even more glaring.
About three or four yards out, the net was gaping and ready for Hojlund to find the net, only for Areola to race across his line and keep out the shot. It was a remarkable save but it certainly looked easier to score than it did to miss.
The £85k-per-week forward was handed a low 4/10 match rating by Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst as a result, who himself lamented that late effort that Areola denied.
While there are some pretty obvious differences between Hojlund and Martial, notably that the latter did go through a prolific spell, their stories of being signed for a colossal sum of money at a young age bear similarities.
Amorim and Co will just hope he can find more consistency than the Frenchman ever did on English shores.
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After winger Mohamed Salah’s new contract was announced over the last couple of weeks, Arne Slot can turn his attention to other areas of the Liverpool squad ahead of next season’s Premier League campaign.
The Egyptian penned a new two-year deal at Anfield, extending his stay at the club to over a decade, hoping to add to the success he’s enjoyed during previous years.
However, if the 32-year-old is to achieve yet more glory on Merseyside, the manager will need to strengthen to help the side maintain the levels they’ve reached in the last few months.
Mohamed Salah for Liverpool
With the summer transfer window now just around the corner, the hierarchy will need to identify players who are capable of bolstering the ranks, with a real emphasis needed on quality over quantity.
One department of the pitch could be set for a huge overhaul, with numerous players already touted with moves to and from Merseyside ahead of the upcoming window.
The latest on Liverpool’s pursuit for new attacking stars
With the futures of Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez up in the air at Liverpool, it would be a surprise to no one if both players were offloaded to raise funds for new attackers this summer.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is the latest name thrown into the mix over the last couple of days, with the German on the club’s shortlist ahead of the off-season.
However, the Reds are unlikely to be alone in their pursuit of the 21-year-old, with fellow English side Manchester City also firmly in the race for his signature despite his £111m price tag.
Other forwards like Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké remain on their list, but Ademola Lookman is the latest player the hierarchy are targeting to bolster the front line ahead of 2025/26.
According to new reports from Italian outlet, Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness, Slot’s side are keen admirers of the 27-year-old left-winger.
It’s stated that if Atalanta receive an offer of at least £50m from Liverpool or any other party, the winger’s sale in the summer would be ‘inevitable’.
Why Liverpool’s £50m target could be their best LW since Mane
In the summer of 2022, all Liverpool supporters were shocked by the news that winger Sadio Mané would be joining Bayern Munich, ending his six-year stint at Anfield.
Former Liverpool player Sadio Mane
The Senegalese international was a key part of the success they endured under Jürgen Klopp, forming a deadly partnership with Salah and Roberto Firmino at the top of end of the pitch.
The infamous trio catapulted the side to Premier League and Champions League glory during their time together, with Mane undoubtedly one of their best-ever additions.
He cost £34m from Southampton back in the summer of 2016, going on to register 120 goals in his 269 appearances – finishing as the division’s joint-top scorer back in 2018/19.
However, his subsequent departure saw Luis Diaz tasked with the responsibility of filling the void, with the Colombian only notching a total of 11 league goals throughout Slot’s maiden season at the helm.
Liverpool forward Luis Diaz
Such form has led to links to Lookman, with the Nigerian undoubtedly providing an upgrade on Diaz, subsequently making him the club’s best left-winger since Mane departed nearly three years ago.
When comparing their respective stats from the ongoing season, the Nigerian has massively outperformed the 28-year-old in various key areas, showcasing what a sensational signing he would be this summer.
Games played
27
32
Goals & assists
18
16
Progressive carries
5.7
4.2
Carries into final third
2.9
2.1
Shot-on-target accuracy
41%
40%
Crosses completed
4.7
1.2
Shot-creating actions
5.6
4.8
Aerials won
58%
26%
Lookman, who’s been labelled “world-class” by commentator Matteo Bonetti, has managed to register more combined goals and assists than the Colombian this campaign – showcasing the attacking threat he possesses.
He’s also managed to achieve more progressive carries per 90, whilst bettering the current Reds winger’s carries into the final third, highlighting the danger the former Everton ace presents when having the ball at his feet.
Ademola Lookman for Atalanta
His dominance doesn’t stop there, registering more shot-creating actions, along with more crosses completed, and subsequently able to aid other players within the final third.
It may be a brutal decision to drop Diaz in favour of a move for the Atalanta talent, but from the stats produced, it’s evident that he’s a huge talent and one that would inject added quality to the front line.
£50m in today’s market is an excellent price for a player of his quality, potentially allowing the club to sustain the levels of success endured during Slot’s first year in charge.
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Chelsea are back in talks with a “big” striker who they were secretly very close to signing back in January, according to a new report.
Chelsea's shortlist of striker targets for Enzo Maresca
It is no secret that Enzo Maresca requires a goalscoring centre-forward before the start of next season, with the Italian forced to improvise and get creative since the turn of the year due to Chelsea’s lack of options.
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Pedro Neto has featured as a makeshift striker in the last two months, while both Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku are currently struggling to find their best form.
Chelsea were on the verge of completing a deal for Victor Osimhen last summer, competing with Al-Ahli for the Nigerian’s signature on deadline day, but neither side could get a move finalised – forcing him to settle on a loan move to Galatasaray.
Ipswich Town (home)
April 13th
Fulham (away)
April 20th
Everton (home)
April 26th
Liverpool (home)
May 4th
Newcastle (away)
May 10th
Osimhen remains keen on joining Chelsea, but according to recent reports, the African isn’t exactly high on Maresca’s transfer shortlist.
Instead, Chelsea are serious about Benjamin Sesko as a potential option, with the Slovenian’s contract including a £62 million release clause, while Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap remain key candidates to bolster Maresca’s forward line.
There are even suggestions that Chelsea could reignite their interest in Mathys Tel, if Tottenham don’t trigger their £45 million option-to-buy clause, but it is Delap’s name which is currently gaining more and more traction.
In the last 72 hours, news emerged that Delap’s release clause will drop to a bargain value of around £30 million if Ipswich are relegated, which could even be confirmed this weekend.
This has understandably piqued interest from a host of top-flight sides who are on the lookout for a prolific number nine, including the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham, but Chelsea are thought to be the most determined to secure his signature.
Chelsea reopen talks with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap
That is according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, who states that Chelsea are very eager to bring in a striker before the Club World Cup commences in June.
As a result, despite a brief pause in contact, Chelsea have reopened “formal” talks with Delap’s agents as they try to get ahead of the intense competition for his signature this summer.
Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapreacts
The Blues are “most serious” about striking a deal for the former Man City gem right now, and they’ve allocated enough funds to their transfer budget to do a deal without having to sell a player.
Phillips adds that Chelsea were secretly pretty close to sealing an agreement for him in January “behind closed doors”. Now, they’re yet again pushing to convince Delap to make a Stamford Bridge, and the 22-year-old is also open to joining Chelsea.
It is clear to see why Maresca’s side are so keen, with the attacking enjoying a sensational 2024/2025 and bagging 12 league goals, which are impressive numbers for a side battling relegation.
“He’s a proper striker, and I think for us as well he’s an outlet,” said Ipswich teammate Alex Palmer.
“He’s a big physical boy. He’s not huge, but he’s got that raw strength. Even build up, he helps us stick and set, so he’s not just a goalscorer. He’s an all-round striker.”
Also: what’s the record for most consecutive wins from the start of a captaincy career?
Steven Lynch17-Sep-2024Shimron Hetmyer hit 91 without a four in one innings in this year’s Caribbean Premier League. Is that the highest in T20s without a four? asked Chris Dowden from Grenada You’re right that Shimron Hetmyer’s 91 for Guyana Amazon Warriors in their CPL match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre a couple of weeks ago contained no fours. We should perhaps mention that he did manage no fewer than 11 sixes, though!It is the highest score in any T20 match without a four, beating Shashrika Pussegolla’s 78 for Sebastianites against Police in Colombo in June 2022.The highest individual score in any T20 match with no fours or sixes appears to be 38 not out, by Navdeep Poonia for Scotland against Bermuda in Belfast during the World T20 Qualifier in August 2008.What’s the highest opening partnership in an international in which neither player scored a hundred? asked Nandra de Silva from Sri Lanka A performance in a T20I leads the way here. Playing for Gibraltar against Bulgaria in Valletta (Malta) in 2022, Avinash Pai (86 not out) and Louis Bruce (99 not out) batted through the innings for an unbroken opening partnership of 213.In ODIs, Chris Gayle (99) and Wavell Hinds (82) put on 192 for West Indies’ first wicket against Bangladesh in Southampton during the 2004 Champions Trophy in England. Shikhar Dhawan (81 not out) and Shubman Gill (82 not out) also shared an opening stand of 192 – without being parted – for India against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2022.The men’s Test record is also 192, by Sunil Gavaskar (97) and Chetan Chauhan (93) for India against Pakistan in Lahore in 1978. However, Caroline Atkins (90) and Arran Brindle (85) put on exactly 200 for England’s first wicket in a women’s Test against India in Lucknow in 2002.I was going through scorecards of the good old days of Pakistan cricket, and spotted that in a Test against India in 2005-06, seven batters made 50-plus in the second innings. Was this a record? asked M Usman Sharif from Pakistan You’re right that Pakistan’s second innings against India in Karachi in 2006 contained seven scores of 50 or more. Actually, it was the top seven in the order: Salman Butt 53, Imran Farhat 57, Younis Khan 77, Mohammad Yousuf 97, Faisal Iqbal 139, Shahid Afridi 60 and Abdul Razzaq 90. The total was enough for Pakistan to win by 341 runs – quite a comeback considering they had been 0 for 3 in the first over of the match, after a hat-trick from Irfan Pathan.That was actually the second Test innings to contain seven individual scores of 50 or more, after England against Australia at Old Trafford in 1934. It happened again at Lord’s in 2006, when seven Sri Lankans reached 50 after they followed on against England. Here’s the full list of seven or more batters making 50 or more.Percy Chapman holds the record for winning the most consecutive Tests at the start of a captaincy career•SR Gaiger/Getty ImagesHad England won at The Oval, Ollie Pope would have started with three wins in his first three matches as captain. Which captain won the most Tests from the start of their career? asked Mark Annear via Facebook England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope won his first two Tests in charge, before coming a cropper in the third, at The Oval last week. Over the years, 23 captains won their first three matches in charge: six of them are from England, the most recent being Brian Close in the mid-1960s. The most recent from any country is Pope’s opposite number, Dhananjaya de Silva, earlier this year.The best start is by England’s Percy Chapman, who won his first nine Tests as captain in the late 1920s. Earlier that decade, Warwick Armstrong won his first eight Tests in charge of Australia. There’s a big gap then to seven others who won their first four Tests as captain.Regarding last week’s question about the tallest men to play for England, what about Boyd Rankin? asked Michael O’Hara from Ireland Thanks for pointing that out: it’s not the first time I’d forgotten that fast bowler Boyd Rankin, who played county cricket for Derbyshire and Warwickshire, played a Test for England (against Australia in Sydney in 2014), as well as two for his native Ireland.Rankin is also in the region of 6ft 8in (203cm), and thus shares the distinction of being England’s tallest Test cricketer with Steven Finn. Current squad member Reece Topley is also 6ft 8in, but although he has played more than 50 white-ball internationals, he hasn’t appeared in a Test match.The tallest Test player from any country remains Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan – another left-arm quick – who extends the tape to 7ft 1in (216cm). Irfan is believed to be the tallest first-class cricketer too.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
Scrappy contest sealed in final over as Pakistan rue lack of urgency with bat
Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2023There’s always that point at a World Cup when the trophy becomes secondary to the smaller goals teams have set for themselves, and for West Indies and Pakistan this encounter was it. They both targeted their match against the other as the one that would prove they are moving in the right direction.For West Indies, beating Pakistan would add an 11th victory to their tally over them, from 17 meetings, and underline a dominance they don’t have over any other side. For Pakistan, a win would continue a World Cup record in which they have beaten West Indies in the last two major tournaments – the 2020 T20 World Cup and last year’s 50-over World Cup.Only one of them got what they wanted, in a scrappy, low-scoring affair that should never have become the thriller it did after West Indies managed only 116 for 6. Hayley Matthews assessed the total as being “at least 20 runs” too short. There were times when Pakistan made it look that much too many.They made much harder work of the chase than they should have, even given the slowness of the surface and the quality of the West Indies spinners. Pakistan went from needing less than a run a ball at the start of the chase, to eight an over after 11 overs, to 10 runs an over for the last three and 18 runs off the last over.Asked if it left her with too much to do, Aliya Riaz, who came in with 57 runs needed off 41 balls, conceded that it was probably a stretch for her when her captain Bismah Maroof was dismissed. “We were a little bit slow early on, and the wickets also fell fast. The way (Nida) Dar was playing and was set, she could have taken it well, but unfortunately, she got out there. But my whole effort was to take the match with Bismah and then Bismah got out. If we had played a little bit faster, then maybe we would have won.”In hindsight, Pakistan may look at their best partnership – of 44 runs between Maroof and Dar which took 8.5 overs at a scoring rate of 4.98 – as the passage of play where the chase went wrong. Bismah’s strike rate of 78.78 in this match will be scrutinised, especially as she also hit two fours, which means that she scored 18 runs off the remaining 31 balls she faced, and Pakistan’s overall ability to rotate strike should be in their post-tournament analysis.While West Indies faced 48 dot balls and hit nine fours, Pakistan saw off 51 scoreless deliveries and hit eight fours. Given the margin of defeat, you may point to the boundary count as the difference but a closer look at the match will tell you that Pakistan had many chances to pick off the four runs they needed for victory. Their running between the wickets was too hesitant too often and there were several occasions where they had the opportunity to turn a single into two, but refused.Aliya recognised there is work to be done in that department. “There was a bit of miscommunication. The calling between the batters could have been better,” she said. “And the strike rate can be improved. The target was not so high and it could definitely have been chased.”Matthews agreed and said West Indies knew “Defending 116 was never, ever going to be easy,” but reminded her team of the importance of this match. “We really wanted to win this game against Pakistan, not taking away from any of the other games. We knew walking into this tournament, this was one of the games where we knew if we really put our head down, we had a serious chance,” she said. “After being disappointed in that first innings with the total we put up, everyone knew that the 70% we might have given with the bat, we had to take that extra 30% and give it in the field. That’s what really motivated us.”Related
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West Indies achieved that and have completed their allotment of group matches, and while progression to the knock-outs is not impossible (they need England to beat Pakistan and Ireland to beat India by approximately 59 runs or with 47 balls to spare), it’s unlikely. So while they spend the next two days “sitting back and waiting and seeing what the other results go like in this tournament,” they will soon have to turn their attention to the future and how to catch up to teams like Australia and England.For Matthews, the key may lie in franchise leagues like the WPL, where she is the only West Indian player in the mix, the Hundred and the WBBL. “A lot of people look at these leagues as negatives taken away from international cricket, but for a team like West Indies that may not have the best domestic system, these leagues can be very fruitful and very helpful for us,” Matthews said. “I know they certainly helped me from a young international player growing up and I can only hope that for the rest of the team, the girls get the opportunity to do the same things. And you know, I experienced playing cricket all over the world and learning from it as well.”Pakistan’s players are entirely excluded from the WPL and have to wait until September for a WPSL to kick off, but they still have something to play for in this tournament. They take on England in their last match on Tuesday and like West Indies, it seems the tournament could end for them there. Unless they beat England and Ireland beat India, Pakistan will exit at the group stage, but that is not as much of a concern for them as making one last statement after failing to do so against West Indies.”We will try to finish the tournament on a good note,” Aliya said. “The way we played the first two matches – attacking cricket, with the same strike rate, fast and quick, we will play that match in the same way.”