Chelsea are now favourites to sign a £148m star ahead of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, despite the latter’s bottomless financial power, and talks have already been over a move for the player.
Chelsea transfer plans amid tight Champions League race
Enzo Maresca and co face off against top-five rivals Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon, knowing a win at St James’ Park will give them an almighty boost in their chase for Champions League qualification.
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Emilio Galantini
May 10, 2025
Both Chelsea and Newcastle are neck-and-neck in the table, level on both points and goal difference, with nothing separating either side – so this will be a very tough one to call for onlookers.
Eddie Howe’s men boast the home advantage, but Chelsea will be in good spirits after an excellent run of form and their win over English champions Liverpool last weekend. It is a truly mouth-watering clash, and one which even has the power to have an effect on Chelsea’s summer transfer plans this summer.
Chelsea’s final Premier League fixtures
Date
Newcastle (away)
May 11th
Man United (home)
May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)
May 25th
This is because qualification for the Champions League is intertwined with the club’s recruitment drive, as per Maresca himself in a recent press conference, and a top-five finish is seen as vital when it comes to Chelsea’s aims for the window.
According to reports, Chelsea are aiming to sign a new winger among their chief priorities, and BlueCo already have their eyes on a host of targets.
Talks have already been held over a move for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, while reports this week also indicate that Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho is still a target for Chelsea as well.
As well as the aforementioned duo, links to AC Milan star Rafael Leao continue to be fairly strong.
Chelsea ahead of Al-Nassr in race for Rafael Leao after initial talks
The Portugal international’s contract includes a £148 million release clause, which is active for around 10 days in July, but clubs are likely to negotiate a price lower than this pretty seismic figure.
As per CaughtOffside, Chelsea have held initial talks over signing Leao, and despite interest from Al-Nassr, the Blues have an advantage over them. The outlet reports that Leao wants to stay in Europe, which puts them ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s side, and as things stand, Chelsea are the “most advanced” when it comes to any kind of agreement for his signature.
AC Milan's RafaelLeao
Arsenal are in the mix as well, but they view the winger as more of an alternative to Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.
Leao has been a star player for Milan since joining them from Lille, with former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham branding the forward an “unstoppable” force on his day.
“Leao is a very important player for us,” said Abraham to Italian media.
“I don’t think he knows how good he is. He can win games on his own, on his day, he is unstoppable. We have to fill him with confidence and bring him on our path.”
Newcastle United are now racing their Premier League rivals for the signature of a “powerful” striker who’s been likened to Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero, according to a report.
Newcastle eyeing striker amid Isak uncertainty
Newcastle should be in a strong position to retain the services of Alexander Isak beyond the end of the season, with the striker contracted until the summer of 2028, but a number of top clubs have now expressed an interest in the Sweden international.
Premier League champions Liverpool are keen on the 25-year-old, alongside Arsenal, with one report even suggesting the forward has expressed a desire to move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer transfer window.
As such, it could make sense for the Magpies to bring in a new striker capable of replacing Isak on a long-term basis, with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo recently emerging as an ideal target, while they are also interested in signing Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.
Would cost £0: Newcastle join race for defender who's among "world's best"
The Magpies have set their sights on a centre-back, who is set to be available on a free transfer this summer.
ByDominic Lund May 7, 2025
Having proven themselves in the Premier League, Mbeumo and Delap could be exciting options for Eddie Howe’s side, but there has also been a suggestion they could be willing to take a risk on a lesser-known forward.
According to a report from Fotomac (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are now in a race to sign Besiktas striker Semih Kilicsoy, alongside Aston Villa, who submitted a €15m (£13m) offer last summer, and soon-to-be Premier League rivals Leeds United.
Semih Kilicsoy for Besiktas.
Besiktas may have turned down Villa’s approach last year, but the Turkish club could now be willing to sanction a departure this summer, although they would be looking to receive a percentage of a future sale.
It is unclear what sort of fee Besiktas would be looking to receive for Kilicsoy, but £13m was deemed too low last summer, so it may take a bigger offer to tempt them into a sale.
"Powerful" Kilicsoy likened to Aguero
Football scout Ben Mattinson is a big fan of the 19-year-old, having lauded him as a “very powerful” striker in the past, while also lauding him for his shooting ability.
The teenager has also been tipped for future success by Brad Friedel, who said: “I don’t want to put pressure on him [but] he has a structure like Sergio Aguero. I think he will be very good in the future.”
Kilicsoy’s return of three goals and four assists in the Turkish Super Lig this season isn’t exactly eye-catching, with the starlet often being limited to appearances as a substitute, but he clearly has the potential to develop into a top striker.
Amid concerns that Real Madrid are plotting a move to sign Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on signing an impressive midfielder who could replace their star man.
Man Utd eye playmaker amid Fernandes links to Real Madrid
The last thing that the Red Devils need is for Fernandes to head for the exit door, no matter how much his captaincy divides opinion at Old Trafford. Without their star man, it wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that Manchester United would be concerningly close to the relegation zone given that they’ve only managed to drag themselves to mid-table whilst enjoying his talents.
It’s those same talents that have reportedly attracted the attention of Real Madrid and whilst Ruben Amorim was defiant in his message that Fernandes is set to stay put at Old Trafford, what the Spanish giants want they often get – just ask those at Anfield.
The United boss told reporters when asked about the Madrid links: “Bruno Fernandes to Real Madrid? It will not happen. He’s going nowhere. One day we want to win the Premier League again. So we want the best players to continue with us… and Bruno won’t leave, I already told him.”
Nonetheless, it seems as though the Red Devils are planning for the worst. According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are now eyeing a move to sign Mikkel Damsgaard from Brentford if Fernandes swaps Old Trafford for the Bernabeu this summer.
Man Utd can forget Mantato & Dorgu by unleashing "phenomenal" 18-year-old
Bendito Mantato won’t feature in Manchester United’s next game.
ByJoe Nuttall Apr 1, 2025
The impressive Dane has rediscovered his best form under Thomas Frank this season and is finally looking like the youngster who initially stole the headlines at Euro 2020. Now, five years on from that tournament, Fernandes’ potential exit could trigger the biggest move of Damsgaard’s career yet.
"Fantastic" Damsgaard can become chief creator
As much as replacing Fernandes would feel like mission impossible, Manchester United are certainly looking in the right direction in setting their sights on Damsgaard. Whilst the Dane would struggle to replicate their captain’s goalscoring record, he has proven time and time again this season that his eye for an assist is up there with the best in the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah
17
Mikkel Damsgaard
10
Antonee Robinson
9
Bruno Fernandes
9
Son Heung-Min
9
Earning deserved praise as a result of that impressive record, Frank told reporters when asked about Damsgaard following victory over Leicester City earlier this season: “He just got better and better.
“Today he was fantastic in every way possible. He had another performance and also did an assist. He ties our team and games together amazingly. It’s cool to see.”
As INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe aim to cut costs around the club, signing an option like Damsgaard over the more expensive Xavi Simons would also go a long way towards finally dragging United out of their financial woes. At this stage, however, the ball is very much in Fernandes’ court before United can even consider the Brentford star.
With higher honours seemingly around the corner, Glenn Phillips’ brother is adding to his set of skills and trying to live up to the potential he has always had
Deivarayan Muthu22-Aug-2025Glenn Phillips can do incredible things in the field and with the bat. His younger brother Dale Phillips isn’t too bad either. Just look at this. And like Glenn, Dale can also play some trick shots, including the scoop, which he was honing during his stint at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in June.Leaving the fear of failure behind and expanding his range have put Dale on the radar of his national team. After training in Chennai during the New Zealand winter, Dale is now set to travel with the New Zealand A team to South Africa, his country of birth, to play three one-dayers and two four-day games.”I think my role was different earlier. I was conservative and getting out of the box opened up a lot more options,” Dale told ESPNcricinfo during his stint in Chennai. “People may see the scoop as a high-risk option, but for me if I get out scooping and I’ve got the right theory behind it [that’s okay], and I’m not going to get a slap on the wrist. I think being fearless and not being worried about getting out helps when you’re playing aggressively. As soon as you start to worry about [getting out], that’s when the poor things start to creep in.”Related
Super Mariu stops by for lessons in Chennai on journey to great things
Dale Phillips moves to Auckland ahead of upcoming season
Glenn Phillips finds secret to his success
Glenn Phillips 2.0 takes centre stage with New Zealand
Dale credits his former coach at Otago, Ash Noffke, for helping him realise his white-ball potential in the previous domestic season. In the Ford Trophy, he was the second-highest scorer with 457 runs in ten innings at an average of 45.70 and strike rate of 86.38. Dale also fared well in the Super Smash, coming away as Otago’s second-highest scorer, with 210 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of nearly 155.”With me being a bit of a shorter player, I found scooping a good option,” Dale said. “I think last year with my coach [Noffke], we really worked on it as an attacking option to be able to score especially in the powerplay. If you scoop, then it puts the bowler off and opens up a bit more access to the rest of the ground.”Dale has always been strong on the front foot, and in his quest to become a better-rounded batter, he was looking to find ways to score risk-free runs on the back foot on a variety of pitches, including black and red, against a variety of spinners in Chennai.”I think the main one was I wanted to really nail my strike-rotation options,” Dale said. “I’m relatively good at playing down the ground off the front foot but being able to do it off the back foot and being able to get a good reach to rotate the good-length balls through the covers and midwicket and straight as opposed to just defending them – that was the learning.”
“You have to adapt your game to be successful in different areas. Over here in Chennai and Bangladesh, it’s more spin-friendly and you have to develop your spin game more. South Africa [conditions] will be different. So, I think it’s a great experience to be able to play cricket around the world”Dale Phillips
Earlier, Dale used to bowl seam-ups but recently he has switched to offspin. He is eager to improve his secondary skill with help from Glenn, who had refashioned himself into an offspin-bowling allrounder from being a wicketkeeper-batter.”Back in the day I was bowling seam-ups, and I think it got to a point where I didn’t grow taller and at the pace that I was bowling if I wasn’t as accurate it was a lot easier for the batters to hit,” Dale said. “So I decided to change it up to bowl spin, which was maybe more suited to the kind of bowler I could be.”He [Glenn] has always been a pretty good mentor to me. We’re constantly chatting before and after games both technically and tactically. I think we’re slightly different bowlers. He’s obviously a little bit taller than me, but the general skillset is still the same, so he’s definitely a good help.”While Dale has emerged as a “player of interest” for New Zealand in white-ball cricket, his red-ball game has taken a back seat. After scoring a chart-topping 686 runs in 15 innings in the 2023-24 Plunket Shield, his numbers dipped to 427 runs in 15 innings in the following season. Dale hopes to remedy that and re-establish himself as an all-format player.”I think my white-ball game kicked off in the Ford Trophy and T20s in the last season, so potentially because of that development my Plunket Shield took a bit of a hit,” he said. “Now it’s about how I can adapt and make all three [formats] have a good season for me.”Dale Phillips is a “player of interest” for New Zealand in white-ball cricket•Getty ImagesAfter the Chennai camp, Dale returned to New Zealand and completed his move from Otago to Auckland, where his family lives. He is looking forward to working with coach Rob Nicol in the upcoming domestic season.”I enjoyed my time playing for Otago but for my family, with the kids, it’s the right decision to move to Auckland,” Dale said. “It was a good time to move, and I have a good relationship with Rob, and he’ll be able to keep me on the right track as I look to grow my game.”Having travelled to Bangladesh with the New Zealand A team and Chennai with Adi Ashok, Rhys Mariu and Tim Pringle during the New Zealand winter, Dale was looking forward to playing in South Africa.”Being able to play in different areas is cool,” he said. “You have to adapt your game to be successful in different areas. Over here in Chennai and Bangladesh, it’s more spin-friendly and you have to develop your spin game more. South Africa [conditions] will be different. So, I think it’s a great experience to be able to play cricket around the world. That’s the kind of stuff you want to be doing.”
No batter has averaged as much going into his 100th Test, while his unbelievable six-year peak and his stats against the best bowlers make him one of the greatest
S Rajesh (with inputs from Shiva Jayaraman)05-Jul-2023When Steven Smith was dismissed for 34 in Australia’s second innings at Lord’s, it meant that he would miss out on being the first batter to go into his 100th Test with a 60-plus average – he fell short of that mark by 67 runs.That was an opportunity missed for Smith, but the mere fact that he got closer to this feat than any batter in Test history speaks of the staggering numbers he has racked up. Smith will enter his 100th Test with an average of 59.56; before him, the highest any batter had achieved going into the landmark game was 58.16, by Rahul Dravid. Dravid eventually finished with a career average of 52.31, which was still wonderful, but in his last 64 Tests, his average dropped by almost six runs.Can Smith maintain these exceptional standards all the way till the end of his career?ESPNcricinfo LtdThe dizzying highs
All top-class batters have periods in their career when they strike extraordinary form. With Smith, what stands out is how high that peak has been, how long he has maintained it, and the different conditions he has conquered during this period.Through a six-year period from 2014 to 2019, he averaged 72 from 56 matches, scoring 24 centuries, which works out to a hundred every 2.3 matches. Not bad for a player who started off as a legspinner, batted at Nos. 8 and 9 on debut, and bowled more overs (21) than he scored runs (13) in that Test. Since 2020, the numbers have dropped a bit, but he still averages very nearly 50 in those 27 Tests.
In that period between 2014 and 2019, Smith’s average of 72.02 was clearly above everyone else’s – the next-best was Kane Williamson’s 61.95. In fact, among the 20 batters who scored at least 3000 runs in this period, only five averaged more than 50; the other three were Virat Kohli, David Warner and Joe Root, with the last two barely topping 50.During that six-year period, he averaged 83.34 from 26 home Tests, and 64.25 from 30 away games, scoring 12 hundreds each home and away. In the 18 series of two or more Tests he played in this period, seven times he averaged over 100, while only on four instances did it dip below 40.
Rarely have batters sustained their highs like Smith has done. That six-year dominance included a 50-Test period – between February 12, 2014 and September 4, 2019 – when Smith averaged 76.02, with a mindboggling 23 hundreds. There has only been one instance of a batter averaging more in 50 consecutive Tests: Don Bradman, who averaged 104.13 from his second to his penultimate match. (He scored 18 and 1 on debut, and 0 in his last Test.)ESPNcricinfo LtdRicky Ponting and Garry Sobers came close, averaging over 74, Jacques Kallis touched 72, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul (69.33), Kumar Sangakkara (68.49) and Dravid (68.11) all finished in the late 60s. Also, Smith’s aggregate of 5781 runs is second only to Bradman’s 6977 among all batters in any 50-Test period.Smith’s average has slipped marginally below 60 from the high of 64.81 in September 2019, but the streak of consecutive matches with an average of over 55 is still going strong. That streak started from his 38th Test – the Boxing Day game of 2015 – which means it is already 62 matches old. Only two batters have a longer streak of successive Tests with a 55-plus average: Sobers, 74 Tests from his 20th match onwards (November 1958 till he retired in 1974), and Sachin Tendulkar, 65 Tests from his 69th to his 133rd (October 1999 to December 2006). The Tendulkar streak will be equalled by the end of the ongoing Ashes series, while Sobers’ record is well within reach too. (All of these are averages at the end of a Test, not an innings within the Test.)ESPNcricinfo LtdSmith’s streak of consecutive Tests averaging over 60 ended at 25, which is well short of the record of 54, by Herbert Sutcliffe. However, ignoring the streak of successive matches, Smith has already ended 43 Tests with an average of 60 or more, which is third in the all-time list. Only Sutcliffe, who averaged over 60 throughout his 54-Test career, and Bradman (49) rank ahead of him.During Smith’s golden run, he scored over 1000 runs at a 70-plus average in four successive years from 2014 to 2017, a feat no batter has ever achieved. Kallis had five years of 1000 or more runs at a 70-plus average, but only two of those were in succession. Smith fell only 35 short of a fifth such year in 2019, scoring 965 runs at 74.23.
Conquering all conditions
A feature of Smith’s career so far has been his ability score runs in all conditions, from the seam and swing of England, New Zealand and South Africa, to the spin of the subcontinent. He averages more than 40 in all countries where he has played at least five innings, with the lowest being 41.1 from 11 innings in South Africa. He has played only four innings in Bangladesh for an average of 29.75, but in India, he has three hundreds from 19 innings and an average of 50.31, while his overall average in Asia is 47.83 from 40 innings.
Among batters who have played at least 40 Tests overseas (including matches in neutral venues) only two – Wally Hammond and Allan Border – have a higher average than Smith’s 55.60. Among his contemporaries, he is well clear of Root (47.11), Williamson (45.91), Kohli (41.28) and Warner (32.97) on this parameter (as he is on most others).Not only has Smith scored runs in all conditions, he also has a terrific record in general against the best bowlers in their home conditions.Since the start of 2014, he has scored 106 runs off James Anderson in England without being dismissed, while against Stuart Broad he averages 49.16. (He has also scored 160 runs off Jofra Archer and Mark Wood without being dismissed.) Similarly, against Trent Boult and Tim Southee in New Zealand, he has scored 115 runs without being dismissed, and against Vernon Philander in South Africa his record is 91 runs for no dismissal. Against R Ashwin in India he averages 38.5. The two bowlers he has struggled against are left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja (six dismissals at 28.83 in India) and Rangana Herath in Sri Lanka (five dismissals at 15.8 in Sri Lanka).
The table above consists of some select batters and their overall numbers, since January 2014, against top bowlers in their home conditions. The bowlers included in this list are the 24 names who have taken 50 or more wickets at home at an average of under 26 during this period. It excludes matches played at neutral venues (so matches played in the UAE are not included, and neither are the WTC finals).Among the 68 batters who have scored at least 300 runs against these bowlers in their home conditions, Smith’s numbers stand out again: he averages 51.53 against them, more than six runs clear of Root, who is next-best at 45.03. Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are impressive too, while Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma and Williamson all average in the early to mid-30s.First-innings superstarESPNcricinfo LtdAll great batters have the ability to stamp their authority early on in a game, but Smith takes it to a ridiculous extreme: in the first innings of a Test, he averages a phenomenal 87.24, with 22 centuries in 60 innings. In fact, more than half his career runs – 4624 out of 9113 – have been scored in the first innings of a Test. With a 2500-run cut-off, the next best is Brian Lara’s 70.17, which means Smith is about 24% better than the second best on this parameter, which is quite staggering given the quality of batters on this list. Smith’s 22 first-innings hundreds is already the most by any batter. Ponting is next on 21 (92 innings), followed by Kallis and Tendulkar on 20 each, from 80 and 91 innings respectively.Australia have lost the toss and been put in to bat 15 times in Smith’s career, and in those 15 innings, Smith averages 85.76 with seven hundreds, including two in his most recent such instances last month – 121 against India in the World Test Championship final, and 110 last week at Lord’s. Three of those 15 innings came in 2010, before Smith became the batting legend he has. In those three innings, his scores were 1, 7, 6; exclude them, and his record in first innings when put in to bat becomes even more scary – 1101 runs from 12 innings, at an average of 110.1. Now that’s truly Bradmanesque.
They have a tall and young left-arm seamer, and a batter reaching his prime to fill key roles for the future
Firdose Moonda29-Dec-20211:08
Rabada: ‘We just have to show belief’
It’s going to take an effort that we haven’t seen since Colombo 2014 or luck that last occurred in Hamilton in 2017 for South Africa to pull off a great escape or win in Centurion. Against this Indian attack on this SuperSport Park pitch, that seems unlikely. So it’s to the analysis we turn.We already know that this performance has shown South Africa the importance of starting well with the ball and has underlined the problems of inexperience in their top six but it has also shown them that in this XI, there are two relative unknowns with the potential to carve out successful careers. Marco Jansen and Keegan Petersen are part of the future and should be treated as such. In them, South Africa have a young bowler, and a batter reaching his prime to fill key roles in their rebuild.While finding promising quicks has seldom been an issue for South Africa, finding variation sometimes has been. Beuran Hendricks is the last left-arm seamer to play for South Africa after Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the last decade. None of them stuck for too long but Jansen, who is quicker, could be different. At 21-years-old and having already been courted by the IPL, South Africa have to manage him carefully and his call-up to the Test squad over the last year was seen as a means of clever planning without any strong indication that he would play imminently. Until Boxing Day.Jansen found himself in the spotlight after he was chosen ahead of Duanne Olivier, only for it to emerge that Olivier was unavailable for selection because of a hamstring niggle and the lingering effects from Covid-19. Confirmation on the reasons for Olivier’s omission, which came as a surprise given he is the leading wicket-taker in the first-class competition this season, only came from CSA’s selection convenor on day two, after South Africa conceded 272 runs and took just three wickets on the opening day. Jansen bowled 17 overs and finished with 0 for 61 on the day, including an opening over which cost 12.In the absence of any clear information on Olivier’s absence until then, comparisons were being made between Jansen’s performance and what Olivier could have offered. Those were unfair, because Jansen was not preferred over Olivier but was necessitated to play. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the team management was concerned about the impact of early and harsh critique on Jansen but once the selection debacle was cleared up, they needn’t really have been. As Kagiso Rabada said, Jansen went on to “justify his selection” in the last two days.It was in India’s second innings that Jansen came into his own. He took a wicket with his first ball, which angled across Mayank Agarwal to take an edge, consistently bowled around 140kmph, exploited the uneven bounce with good use of the short ball. He dismissed the man he had impressed at the Wanderers nets almost four years ago as a teenager, Virat Kohli, had Ajinkya Rahane caught, who was unable to control the hook from chest height, and finished the Indian second innings with the perfect ball to a tail-ender.It was a moment to savour for Marco Jansen, as he removed Virat Kohli first ball after the lunch break•Gallo Images/Getty Images”He is a phenomenal talent as everyone has now seen,” Rabada said. “He is an awkward customer to face. He is tall and he’s got pace and he can swing the ball as well so there’s swing, bounce and pace coming at you. And he seems like he wants to learn. He is a hard worker. He is really keen on doing well for this team and for himself.”That’s the kind of player South Africa want to nurture and they must not make the same mistake they did with another young quick, Lutho Sipamla. At this same ground, Sipamla debuted a year ago and his first 10 overs in Test cricket cost 66 runs as questions about his readiness abounded. He went on to take 10 for 101 in the rest of the series against Sri Lanka, but has not played since.Despite being South Africa A’s leading bowler against India A and with good domestic returns this season, Sipamla is not even in the 21-player squad to face India and there has been no explanation why. Earlier this summer he told ESPNcricinfo that he understood there is a pecking order and he needs to bide his time but he considers himself part of the system, a system in which Jansen has now leapfrogged him. But Jansen could face similar uncertainty.Olivier is expected to be fit for the Wanderers Test, where he has taken 24 out of his 28 wickets this season, and has to come back into contention. Unless South Africa go all pace, that may mean Jansen has to make way and it will seem harsh. But South Africa have five more Tests scheduled this summer and a winter tour to England and they should stick with Jansen for some of that.Whether Petersen will get a similar run remains to be seen, but there is a strong case to be made that he should. After first being selected in the squad in the 2019-20 summer, Petersen waited 18 months for his debut in the West Indies in June and has just played his first Test at home. Early impressions of him are that he looks like a million dollars. He is elegant on the flick and the drive, authoritative on the cut and though we didn’t get to see it in this Test, he has got the footwork to play spin according to his domestic coach Imraan KhanDespite his lack of significant runs, only good things have been said about Petersen so far. South Africa’s former analyst Prasanna Agoram said Petersen should be “permanent No.3” irrespective of his returns in the next 10 Tests while Ian Bishop called Petersen’s technique “pleasing” and predicted “a couple of Test hundreds” from him “in the appropriate conditions.”
Keegan Petersen plays in lovely straight lines has a pleasing technique. Looks like he has a couple of test hundreds in him in the appropriate conditions.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) December 29, 2021
Bishop may mean a less challenging surface than SuperSport Park’s, but his observation also points to the circumstances in which Petersen has come in to bat. In his five innings, he has been required with the scores on 0, 1, 4, 2 and 1. That’s a problem for South Africa’s opening pair to solve.And it’s one of several problems that South Africa will have to confront, whatever happens on the final day of this Test. For now, they’re just keeping the faith.”We’re going to have to show belief. Every sportsman has to believe that they can win from any position,” Rabada said.
The Phillies got eliminated by the Dodgers in equally heartbreaking and embarrassing fashion on Thursday night.
In the 11th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS, the score was tied 1-1 and Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering was on the mound with two outs. With the bases loaded, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages hit a weak ground ball right to Kerkering, who only needed to throw to first base to get the third out and end the inning. But after Kerkering picked up the ball, he lifted his head and immediately threw it to catcher J.T. Realmuto at home plate. The ball sailed over Realmuto, the Dodgers scored a run, and just like that, Philly's 2025 season was over.
Following Kerkering's brutal error, he walked off the field surrounded by his teammates. He was met by manager Rob Thomson at the entrance of the dugout, and the two shared a brief embrace and an emotional moment. Thomson appeared to impart some words of consolation to the reliever before patting Kerkering on the chest and sending him on his way:
Kerkering also received support from his teammates in the dugout as he sat on the bench and looked visibly shaken by what just transpired.
What a truly terrible way for the Phillies to go out, though Kerkering still has plenty reason to keep his head up and move on from this lowlight, as his manager no doubt hopes he will do.
"He just got caught up in the moment a little bit. Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us," Thomson said of Kerkering postgame. "I feel for him because he's putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team and we lose as a team."
O goleiro Cássio se despediu do Corinthians neste sábado (18), no CT Joaquim Grava, recebeu homenagens e, em meio a muitas perguntas, falou sobre o atual titular da meta do Timão: Carlos Miguel, de 25 anos. O arqueiro conquistou a vaga entre os 11 do Timão recentemente, e vem fazendo boas partidas com a camisa do clube paulista. O Timão, inclusive, corre o risco de perder o goleiro.
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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão
➡️ Acredita que o Timão avançará em primeiro no grupo da Sul-Americana? Se liga nas odds: 1.53
– O Miguel é um cara de muita qualidade, tem jogado bem e tem muito potencial. Agora depende dele, ele é o titular absoluto, agora é sequência, uma situação nova. Temos uma amizade muito boa, nunca tivemos problema, ele tem uma história de vida de superação, é lindo de falar – disse o goleiro.
Cássio disse, inclusive, que nunca imaginou ficar por 12 anos no gol do Corinthians, portanto, é muito difícil falar sobre Carlos Miguel nesse quesito, já que é um jovem goleiro que ainda tem muito pela frente.
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– O Corinthians não precisa ir atrás de goleiro, tem muita gente boa aqui, dois excelentes treinadores de goleiros, eu com certeza construí a minha história por conta desses dois grande profissionais. Desejo muito sucesso a todos ele e o Corinthians está bem servido de goleiro – completou Cássio.
➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão
+ Corinthians oficializa saída de Cássio: veja o que sabemos sobre a rescisão do goleiro
Sobre o fim de seu ciclo com a camisa do Corinthians, Cássio afirmou que já vinha se preparando para este momento, e que deixa o clube em paz e pela porta da frente.
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– Eu creio que eu vinha me preparando, lógico que o Miguel vinha bem, mas se eu ficasse aqui, eu “ia para a porrada” para disputar a posição. Mas acho que o ciclo acabou mesmo, eu olho para trás e vejo um ciclo bem feito, com respeito, com o presidente aqui, com a sala cheia, então saio pela porta da frente, vendo que tudo funciona – completou.
If Daniel Farke is relieved of his duties soon by the 49ers regime, how will he be remembered among the die-hard Leeds United fanbase?
First and foremost, there will likely always be some fondness towards the German from the Elland Road faithful for being the manager who delivered a promotion back up to the Premier League, having collected the Championship title on a mighty 100 points.
But, in the here and now, that title success – and the subsequent parade that merrily went through Leeds city centre – feels like a lifetime ago, with the ex-Norwich City boss continuing to struggle in the Premier League as a head coach.
A change could soon come then, with the Whites now five defeats from their last six league games and stuck in 18th spot.
Unfortunately, though, Leeds haven’t always got it right when getting right of celebrated promotion winners in the past, with Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement coming in the form of Jesse Marsch, who could only muster up a weak 11 wins from the pressurised dug out.
On top of that, his track record in the transfer department left a lot to be desired when he was situated in West Yorkshire, with all of his hits, followed by a large list of poor misses.
Leeds’ top five most expensive signings
Player
Cost
The manager who signed them
1. Georginio Rutter
£35.5m
Marsch
2. Brenden Aaronson
£28.5m
Marsch
3. Rodrigo
£26m
Bielsa
4. Dan James
£25m
Bielsa
5. Luis Sinisterra
£21m
Marsch
Sourced by FFC
Ranking Marsch's signings at Leeds
Amazingly, Marsch would sign off on Leeds’ two most expensive captures of all time during his whirlwind 12-month stint in England.
Georginio Rutter never really kicked into gear at the Whites under the unpopular American’s management, but considering he managed to put away eight goals and 18 assists in the end, largely under Farke, he is definitely seen as a success story, having also banked Leeds £40m when he moved to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Another standout success story from Marsch’s spending is Wilfried Gnonto, even if he is not now a regular under the current regime.
Landing the tricky Italian for just £3.8m continues to stand out to his day as an almighty bargain, with the ex-FC Zurich attacker even managing to star under Marsch, when collecting three goals from just 12 games under his methods, which included this fierce effort being thumped home.
Unfortunately for Marsch, this is where his positives in the transfer department begin to dry up, with a vast majority of the ten other signings made under his short-lived tenure no longer at the club.
Luis Sinisterra would at least manage to bag a promising five league goals at Elland Road, to somewhat justify the lavish £21m dropped on his services, but much like Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, and Marc Roca who all joined the Leeds ranks together at the same time, this wave of disappointing pick-ups couldn’t leave the building any faster after relegation was confirmed.
Weston McKennie has also left a bad taste in the mouth up to the present as a failed loanee under Marsch, with the American midfielder registering just one forgettable assist from 20 appearances, which led to the ex-Juventus man labelling the short stint as one of the “lowest” points of his varied career.
The elephant in the room now is, of course, the fact that the current Canada boss was the figure who first brought Brenden Aaronson to English shores, with the former £28.5m purchase a constant source of frustration.
Marsch couldn’t quite get a tune out of the ex-Union Berlin man, despite working closely alongside him at RB Leipzig, with just one sorry goal all he could muster up, before his fellow compatriot’s dismissal.
Thankfully, Farke has managed to get the best out of the 25-year-old in flashes, particularly in the Championship. Yet, with just one goal and one assist all he wrote this season in the Premier League so far, the consensus will be that Leeds overpaid back in 2022 when securing the hit-and-miss playmaker’s services for £28.5m.
Aaronson’s record under Farke
Season
Games
Goals + Assists
25/26
13
1 + 1
24/25
47
9 + 2
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Still, Aaronson does have his nine strikes to fall back on during Leeds’ phenomenal promotion journey.
Whereas this summer recruit has little to cling onto, as he already looks to be an even bigger waste of money than Aaronson’s much-talked-about arrival.
Leeds have made a bigger error than Aaronson
Much like the West Yorkshire giants showed off during Marsch’s reign, significant wads of cash were also dropped in the off-season to try and prepare Leeds for the gigantic leap up to the Premier League.
A position that was in dire need of upgrading was definitely in between the sticks, with Illan Meslier overstaying his welcome as Leeds’ number one goalkeeper by the time a top-flight return was officially clinched, having become error-prone during the Whites’ vital promotion run-in.
Therefore, Leeds must have thought they’d hit the jackpot when they secured the services of Lucas Perri for a substantial £13.9m, with the Brazilian ‘stopper previously being tipped to be one of the “best in the world” in his position by his former manager Paulo Fonseca.
However, the top-flight newcomers have yet to see the calm and assured version of Perri that regularly shone for Lyon – with ten clean sheets falling into his lap last season in Ligue 1 – with the South American receiving plenty of pelters, instead, particularly when he conceded this Morgan Rogers free-kick last time out, as he bizarrely remained rooted to his spot.
Off the back of leaking this effort from Rogers, Perri has now given up a costly eight goals across his string of depressing clashes in November, with the underlying numbers overall – away from just goals conceded – also pointing in the direction of the number one being a colossal waste of cash.
Indeed, it’s unclear now if Leeds have even upgraded on a wobbly Meslier, with Meslier arguably a better option at this point, with his 21 clean sheets in the tough division to date an impressive tally, weighed up next to Perri’s two so far.
The drop-off from his standout Ligue 1 campaign last season is also extremely worrying, with Perri averaging a 74% pass accuracy in the French top division, compared to him now regularly mis-hitting passes, at a far lesser average of 57%.
Of course, the defenders do have to share their load of the blame here for the recent porous displays, but the backline cannot be confident whatsoever, having a ropey Perri behind them, with ex-Leeds player Jon Newsome rightly suggesting that Farke and the 49ers had “wasted funds” after the demoralising 3-1 defeat at the City Ground.
In another reality, Leeds might well have been better sticking with what they had over splashing £13.9m on Perri, with Aaronson at least putting in bright performances here and there this season, while the new ‘keeper has routinely suffered.
Indeed, one Leeds content creator would even hail his showing against West Ham United as “his best in a Leeds shirt”, with eight duels won against the Hammers, standing him in good stead for any relegation scrap that comes, away from also firing an effort home.
The relegation-threatened side would have hoped they’d moved past notable blunders in the transfer department when Marsch left the building, but it looks as if Perri could now be seen in the same light as failed faces such as Sinisterra and Adams down the line, particularly if relegation is grimly served up and the Whites struggle to offload him.
Leeds in one of the biggest transfer battles of all time for England midfielder
He could add so much quality and bite to the midfield.