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Chelsea have agreed terms with a player over an outright summer move to Stamford Bridge in 2025, and insiders within the club view this deal as a potentially very astute one for manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea preparing to face Everton after 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers

The west Londoners rounded off their final Europa Conference League game of the year with a 5-1 victory over Irish side Shamrock Rovers on Thursday evening.

Agents tell Chelsea they can sign "underrated" 16-goal striker for £25m

He’s been in the form of his life this season.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 19, 2024

A hat-trick from summer signing Marc Guiu – alongside goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Cucurella – extended Chelsea’s excellent run of form to eight straight wins in all competitions.

Maresca’s side also haven’t tasted a single defeat in all competitions for nearly two months, last losing to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, and they haven’t lost a Premier League game since their 2-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in October.

Everton (away)

December 22

Fulham (home)

December 26

Ipswich Town (away)

December 30

Crystal Palace (away)

January 4

Bournemouth (home)

January 14

Chelsea’s tremendous strength in depth allows them to battle on three fronts in very efficient fashion, with Maresca’s B team getting the job done against Shamrock and certain players now well rested for a looming test against Everton on Sunday.

“Very excited, first of all, with the performance, with the result,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Shamrock.

“Once again I think they show how serious they are, how professional they are. In this kind of game sometimes it’s easy to drop, but first of all they know that they are not allowed to drop, and second, we need to show that we are serious, we are professional, and once again I think they show that.

“And then, yeah, it’s been a good chance for the young players, some of them, so we are very happy.

“I think now that we are in the next round, we have to be focused on the next round, and then if we are able to win, go in the next, but thinking to play the final or to win this competition when you have still five or six games to go, I don’t think it’s the correct thing.”

Jadon Sancho agrees terms to join Chelsea permanently next summer

One player who was included on the bench against Shamrock but didn’t play, potentially in an effort to rest him for Everton, is £100,000-per-week winger Jadon Sancho.

The Englishman has really impressed on the whole since making the move to Chelsea on loan from Man United in the summer, so much so that the club are making moves ahead of time to secure his future at the club.

According to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack, Chelsea have already “provisionally” and “verbally” agreed terms with Sancho over an outright move to London next summer, and his temporary deal is set to become permanent for around £23 million if they finish higher than 15th in the table.

Cobham sources view this move as a “massive bargain” behind-the-scenes, and Maresca has really enjoyed working with the ex-Borussia Dortmund star who’s been on “cloud nine” since joining.

With Chelsea’s first permanent signing of next summer looking all but certain, attention switches to January, and it looks set to be an intriguing window.

Kyle Walker will start for England in Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge against Albania on Friday night, according to reports.

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Tuchel's first game as England bossThree Lions host AlbaniaWalker set to startFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Tuchel was announced as the new Three Lions boss back in October 2024, but he did not start in the role until January and so has had to wait until now to oversee a match. His first opponents will be Albania, who are managed by ex-Barcelona and Arsenal full-back Sylvinho, in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium.

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There has been much debate and discourse over who Tuchel should select, with many critics hoping to see a less conservative side than that under Sir Gareth Southgate. However, it appears the German coach will too lean on experience and defensive solidity to begin with.

AFPDID YOU KNOW?

The were first to report on Friday that Walker, who is on loan at AC Milan from Manchester City, is likely to start for England against Albania. The 34-year-old has stumbled through an up-and-down season so far, but looks set to play from the off ahead of the other right-backs in Tuchel's squad – Chelsea's Reece James and Newcastle United's Tino Livramento. Tuchel is expected to line England up with a back-four formation as opposed to the three-at-the-back system he used during his successful stint at Stamford Bridge.

WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

After facing Albania, England will return to action on Monday when Latvia head to Wembley for their second World Cup qualifier.

Warm-up game against Sussex to go ahead as scheduled

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2022Three members of New Zealand’s touring party – fast bowler Blair Tickner, batter Henry Nicholls, and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen – have tested positive for Covid-19 in Brighton. All three have begun five days of hotel room isolation after producing positive Rapid Antigen Tests on Friday morning.A media release from NZC confirmed that all other members of the New Zealand squad had tested negative, and that their four-day warm-up match against Sussex, between May 20 and 23, would go ahead as scheduled – although the first day was washed out by heavy rain*.”They’re all feeling okay, but unfortunately at the moment they’ve been struck down with the virus,” New Zealand’s head coach, Gary Stead, said. “All we try and do is minimise and mitigate the risk that’s out there, we have protocols in place that we’ve been following, but I guess it’s the nature of the virus that it’s highly contagious.”As part of measures agreed with the ECB beforehand, New Zealand’s players have been avoiding mass gatherings and events with a high risk of exposure, as well as wearing masks indoors with people outside of the environment and unable to social distance. The whole party will undergo further Covid testing for the next three days.Nicholls, the left-handed middle-order player, has been a key part of New Zealand’s Test side having made eight centuries in 46 matches with an average of 40.38. He, however, would have been unavailable to play the tour game in any case, having picked up a grade one calf strain while running drills during a pre-touring camp in Mount Maunganui earlier this month. While scans showed he had not suffered a tear, Nicholls is likely to miss both of New Zealand’s warm-up games, and faces a race to be fit for the first Test, at Lord’s on June 2.Tickner is yet to play a Test, but has appeared in two ODIs and eight T20Is, most recently featuring in the ODI series at home against Netherlands.Jurgensen, the former Queensland fast bowler, has worked as New Zealand’s bowling coach since 2016, with his current deal running till the end of 2022. This is his second stint as the national team’s bowling coach, having previously worked with New Zealand between 2008 and 2010.After the game against Sussex, New Zealand are scheduled to play one more warm-up game, against FCC XI on May 26. The three-match Test series will begin on June 2, with the second Test in Nottingham on June 10, and the third being held at Headingley from June 23.*15.30 BST – This story was updated with quotes from Gary Stead after play was abandoned for the day at Hove

Inter Miami 'keeper Drake Callender almost gifted Montreal's Matias Coccaro a goal as he let a long ball bounce over his head in Sunday's MLS clash.

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Montreal faced Inter MiamiCallender almost gave away goalMiami conceded moments laterWHAT HAPPENED?

The Inter Miami shot-stopper came charging out of his goal in the 12th minute of the game, attempting to head the ball away, only to misjudge the bounce and leave Matias Coccaro free and with an open goal. Remarkably, the Montreal forward fluffed his lines, deciding to cut in on his favoured right foot and giving Serhiy Kryvtsov time to get back and block the shot.

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Unfortunately for Callender, his blushes weren't spared for particularly long as Montreal's Fernando Alvarez rose highest to head home from the resulting corner. The goalkeeper's moment of madness ultimately cost his team and Inter Miami did not even have the injured Lionel Messi to turn to for rescue, as the Argentine was forced to watch on from the stands.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

Inter Miami went on to lose the game 3-2, surrendering their unbeaten start to the new MLS season. Callender will have to improve against Nashville on Thursday as the Herons look to progress to the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are level after drawing the first leg 2-2.

Arsenal are reportedly eyeing one club's "exceptional" star, and he's now "prepared" to leave despite signing a new deal very recently.

Who are Arsenal signing in January?

Mikel Arteta and his high-flying Gunners have started the new season superbly well; winning six out of their opening eight Premier League games and are yet to taste defeat in the top flight. As a result, they sit joint-top with north London rivals Tottenham, having sealed wins against the likes of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Man United, Everton, Bournemouth and, most recently, league champions Man City.

Speaking after their statement 1-0 win over City at the Emirates last Sunday, Arteta was effusive in his praise for Arsenal's squad.

"It certainly sends a message to the team, that they keep believing in what they are doing," said Arteta to the press.

"They are a fantastic group of players. Today I am proud. The players are all dancing and super happy. The mood is so happy. I just sense everybody will take the next game against Chelsea away (on Oct. 21) with the right emotion. A great feeling, you could sense, it has been so many years without beating them. We beat the best team in the world and in a great way. There were some moments we had to suffer."

However, despite their brilliant early-season form, it is believed that Arsenal are targeting a new striker for 2024 with both Ivan Toney and even Napoli star Victor Osimhen linked. As well as this, in-form Wolves winger Pedro Neto is attracting Arsenal's interest, with pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor stating that they quite simply need to sign the "blistering" star.

Dani Olmo transfer news

Now, it has been claimed that another attacking player has found his way on to Arsenal's list of transfer targets. RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo, who only signed a new long-term deal in the summer window, is apparently garnering major attention from clubs across Europe.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal are "the most interested" in signing him next year, and despite penning fresh terms in June, Olmo is reportedly "prepared" to seek a new challenge. His new contract contains a £52 million release clause, and it's added that Arteta is personally "very aware" of the Spaniard. That is according to Mundo Deportivo and Sport Bild, who shared some Olmo transfer news this week.

Olmo, according to WhoScored, is Leipzig's best-performing player by average match rating per 90. The versatile 25-year-old has scored two goals, adding a further assist, over his three Bundesliga appearances so far this season. Former Bayern Munich and Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann believes he is a player of "exceptional" ability.

Likes to do lay-offs

Gets fouled often

Likes to dribble

Counter-attack threat

Does not dive into tackles

"The Bundesliga has a higher pace than the Croatian league, so it takes some time to adjust physically," said Nagelsmann in 2020 after a 5-0 win over FC Mainz.

"But he was extremely hard-working, won the ball a lot of times and defended very robustly. He has exceptional abilities and is very safe with the ball. When he gets put under pressure, he knows how to provoke a foul,"

Jason Roy hit 86 from just 64 balls as Surrey eased to a six-wicket victory at Essex in the One-Day Cup

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2018
ScorecardJason Roy hit 86 from just 64 balls as Surrey eased to a six-wicket victory at Essex in the One-Day Cup.Roy picked up four sixes and eight fours before he was caught behind off Neil Wagner. By then, he had shared in a stand of 127 in 22 overs with Dean Elgar who went on to hit a superb 87.His effort, which spanned 95 deliveries, contained three fours and four sixes, and formed part of another century stand with Ben Foakes, who hiimself finished unbeaten on 84.Essex’s innings owed much to Varun Chopra, Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara, each of whom passed 50. Chopra, fresh from his 160 in the previous match against Somerset, continued his good form with 61 from 84 balls with the help of five fours.He departed when he chipped spinner Scott Borthwick to short cover, the previous ball having accounted for Westley when he was caught at mid-on for 54 accumulated fr0m 50 balls; this innings contained two sixes among his five boundaries.Bopara went on to make 74 from 71 deliveries, his fourth successive half-century in the competition, before he ran himself out in the penultimate over of the innings.Essex’s innings had slowed after the loss of Chopra and their inability to increase the tempo in the later stages of their innings proved fatal.A total in excess of 300 seemed on the cards when they reached 257 for 5 with five overs remaining but they lost five wickets for only 38 runs in that time.That included four wickets in 14 balls as the innings faded away.Essex have now lost three of their opening five matches and they will need to win all three of their remaining games if they are to stand any chance of progressing in the competition

Chelsea and Todd Boehly could tempt a big name European club into selling one of their "main players" with a big bid, and he may even join in January.

Will Chelsea sign a striker in January?

New manager Mauricio Pochettino and his tenure at Stamford Bridge hasn't exactly got off to the flying start he'd have hoped for. The west Londoners have won just two out of a possible seven league matches so far this term, and went from late August to last Monday without scoring a single top flight goal. This is despite creating a fair few chances in a couple of their Premier League encounters over that period, leading up to their eventual 2-1 win over Fulham at the start of this week.

Goals from Armando Broja and a first ever in Chelsea blue for marquee January signing Mykhalo Mudryk ended their barren run without scoring, but all signs suggest they're in dire need of a world-class striking option despite spending nearly £400 million over the summer transfer window. Boehly, joined by co-directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, moved to provide Pochettino with an array of major signings – but it appears they are taking some time to gel.

The Argentine hasn't exactly been helped by Chelsea's injury woes, either, with Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marcus Bettinelli and Benot Badiashile all finding themselves on the treatment table recently. Chelsea, as a result of their goalscoring problems, are reportedly targeting the likes of Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Victor Osimhen (Napoli).

Will Dusan Vlahovic leave Juventus?

Another option who Chelsea could turn to is Serbia international striker Dusan Vlahovic, who has scored a brilliant four goals in six Serie A appearances so far this season. After a difficult debut season for the Old Lady, Vlahovic appears to be finding his groove again.

As a result, Chelsea's heads have apparently been turned, according to a report in the Italian press this week. Indeed, Calciomercato.it state that Boehly could tempt Juventus to sell Vlahovic with a £69 million bid. The 23-year-old, depending on certain conditions, could even join Chelsea as soon as January – but a 2024 summer move isn't ruled out either. The report calls Vlahovic one of Juve's "main players", and it will take a convincing offer of around the £69m mentioned to sway Juve into a deal.

Direct free-kicks

Offside awareness

Long shots

Defensive contribution

Finishing

Discipline

The former Fiorentina striker is back in good form, perhaps justifying Sky Sports pundit and former Man City defender Micah Richards and his past praise for Vlahovic. Richards called the £215,000-per-week star "lightning" in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live two years ago, and it would appear that that tag is proving evident by Vlahovic's return to scoring.

“I have watched him a couple of times now,” Richards said (via The Independent).

“He is lightning. It’s ridiculous. He has got 16 in 18 this season. His left foot is like a wand. I am telling you now, he is everything, he is everything you need.”

Foul April weather leaves Middlesex’s captain searching for solutions as the Championship encounter with Glamorgan surrenders to rain and bad light

ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2018
ScorecardMiddlesex captain Dawid Malan wants the ECB to experiment with a pink ball in the County Championship to prevent more early season washouts.Only 58 overs were bowled during Middlesex’s Division Two clash against Glamorgan at Lord’s, with rain on the final morning ensuring the match was abandoned as a draw.Sophia Gardens returns

The home of Glamorgan Cricket is to be renamed Sophia Gardens Cardiff after its partnership with its title sponsor SSE ended earlier this year. Sophia Gardens Cardiff, which echoes the name used by the venue from 1967 to 2007 will be used immediately, with the ground currently undergoing a rebranding process.

But Malan feels it could have been a different story with a pink ball in use on the second day, when no play was possible due to overcast conditions – although the Lord’s floodlights were switched on.”We could have had a full day we’d had a pink ball because there was no rain around,” said the Middlesex skipper. “We were literally sitting around for four hours of bad light.”We’re lucky that we’ve got lights now – we never had them before – but we still got hardly any cricket in. It might be worth the ECB looking at using pink balls this time of the year.”If you have a ball you can use under lights in the pitch black it probably makes sense to use it at that time of the year when you’re probably going to lose more cricket, instead of the middle of summer.”We’ve been experimenting quite a lot in county cricket over the last eight to nine years, so we might as well throw another one in.”If it’s something that’s going to get you on (the field) and it’s not an unfair advantage to the bowlers, I think it’s worth trying and seeing what happens. You might not lose so much cricket.”

Tottenham Hotspur scouts have been left impressed by a "really fast" striker they watched in action last week, according to a report.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham did not end up bringing in a direct replacement for Harry Kane in the summer transfer window, with Ange Postecoglou opting to keep the faith in Richarlison, but they could make a move for a new striker in January, if the latest reports are to be believed.

Spurs are said to be considering a move for Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, having been keeping track of his progress in the Serie A since arriving in the summer, but they will need to fork out approximately £40m to test the Italian club's resolve.

Ivan Toney has also emerged as a target for the Lilywhites, having outlined his desire to leave Brentford in the January transfer window, and the Bees would not stand in his way, as long as their £60m asking price is matched. There are a number of Premier League clubs circling for Toney, including rivals Chelsea, with TEAMtalk revealing the Blues are set to bring in a new striker in January, and they have also identified Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez as an option.

Mauricio Pochettino may have to do battle with his former club, however, as Tottenham recently sent scouts to run the rule over the striker in Feyenoord's fiery Eredivisie clash with Ajax, which ended up being suspended due to crowd unrest. 90min report that scouts from a number of clubs were in attendance, including Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea, and they were very impressed with what they saw, as the Mexican scored twice and provided an assist before the game was brought to a halt around the hour mark.

The 22-year-old committed his long-term future to Feyenoord in August, penning a new contract to extend his stay at the Dutch club until 2027, but it remains to be seen whether his head would be turned amid widespread interest from the Premier League and across Europe.

How good is Santiago Gimenez?

Former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt has described the forward as "really fast", so it is clear that his pace is one of his key qualities, but he is also an exceptional goalscorer, as displayed by his phenomenal record in front of net over the past year.

The Mexico international has averaged 0.74 non-penalty goals per 90, which places him in the 98th percentile when compared to his positional peers playing at a similar level, and he has been particularly impressive in front of goal so far this season.

In five Eredivisie games, the former CD Cruz Azul man has scored six goals, and that is without including the two goals he picked up against Ajax at the weekend, given that the game was suspended in the second half.

Although it must be taken into account that Gimenez is still yet to prove himself in one of Europe's top leagues, his performances have been very impressive, especially considering he is just 22-years-old, and Tottenham should consider a January approach.

The Sussex openers added an unbeaten 86 in the 21 overs possible on the opening day

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2018
ScorecardSussex openers Phil Salt and Luke Wells made an impressive start to their Specsavers County Championship game against Gloucestershire before rain swept in to ruin the first day at Hove.Salt, 21, was unbeaten on 54 and Wells had contributed 25 to a stand of 86 for the first wicket before rain arrived at 12.30pm. Umpires Martin Saggers and Russell Warren abandoned play at 4pm with no sign of an improvement in conditions after taking an early tea.After losing Chris Nash to Nottinghamshire during the winter Sussex are giving Salt, who is making only his tenth first-class appearance, a run as opener and although he played some false shots there was a lot to admire in his aggressive approach after Sussex had batted first following an uncontested toss.Australian Dan Worrall troubled both batsmen during a lively nine-over burst with the new ball up the slope. Salt came down the pitch to try and smear him through the off side and was then struck on the helmet by the next delivery when he misjudged a bouncer and needed to make repairs to his headgear.But in the last over before the rain arrived, Salt drove Matt Taylor for four then pulled his next ball over square leg for six. A single off the next delivery took him to his second Championship half-century from 59 balls which has included nine boundaries. Earlier, in the tenth over, he had taken three fours off Taylor with two drives through the off side and a pull to the midwicket rope.Wells, fresh from an unbeaten 102 on Monday in Sussex’s last match against Leicestershire, batted with more reserve but looked solid enough. His innings, from 66 balls so far, has included four boundaries.Gloucestershire, who won their opening Division Two game against Kent before losing to Glamorgan last week, used just Worrall, Taylor and Craig Miles and although Worrall in particular beat the bat on several occasions their trio of seamers could not make a breakthrough.Sussex made one change with left-arm spinner Danny Briggs making his first appearance of the season with legspinner Will Beer dropping out. Gloucestershire were without last year’s leading wicket-taker Liam Norwell and David Payne because of injury.