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It’s an exciting time to be of a Chelsea persuasion. Enzo Maresca led the Blues to two major titles last season and finished fourth in the Premier League to open the doorway to this year’s Champions League proper.

And the signs throughout pre-season are promising. Though it’s important not to get carried away by the happenings of this off-season hinterland, Chelsea look fluid and dangerous in attack, with the summer signings widening the scope of Maresca’s tactical vision.

New players have arrived, and old players have locked their lockers at Stamford Bridge. Everything is primed for the 2025/26 campaign.

To lose one of the club’s superstars now would be a vicious blow, but, according to reports, that’s something Maresca and the board might have to contend with.

Chelsea receive record-breaking offer

Chelsea might fork out a fair bit each year, but they also recoup plenty of money from cashed-in surplus. Indeed, the Blues have mastered the art of pawning off unwanted players, thus mitigating their losses when Todd Boehly doesn’t receive bang for his buck.

While players such as Nicolas Jackson are touted to leave west London this month, moves are being made to welcome a series of further attacking signings.

If rivals feel that means one of Chelsea’s main men could be leaving, they are wrong.

But even so, Spanish sources have reported that Manchester City are preparing an audacious £200m +£50m in add-ons offer to sign Cole Palmer, having already seen an approach rejected for the England international.

In September 2023, Chelsea signed Palmer from Pep Guardiola’s side for £42.5m. He was unknown at the time, but now stands as one of football’s poster boys.

For all the money in the world, losing the 23-year-old at this stage of his career and this stage of Chelsea’s development is unacceptable.

Another Salah situation for Chelsea

Were Chelsea to sell Palmer, they would not, at least, be blighted in terms of depth. Not really. The Blues have welcomed many players into the fold over the past few years, and are in talks with RB Leipzig to sign versatile playmaker Xavi Simons for £60m, with Christopher Nkunku headed the other way.

But Palmer was named “the best player in the Premier League” by pundit Jamie Carragher last season, and indeed, he’s been nothing short of a revelation for the Blues, talismanic in winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup last season.

Across two seasons in all competitions, Palmer has scored 43 goals and supplied 23 assists across 97 matches for Chelsea.

Were BlueCo to let him leave and grow into an even bigger sensation with a Premier League rival, it might just prove to be Chelsea’s biggest mistake since selling Mohamed Salah to Roma in 2016.

Salah, as we all know, has since returned to the Premier League and cemented himself as one of the division’s greats with Liverpool, winning two top-flight titles and the Champions League among many other honours, posting 245 goals and 113 assists across 402 matches for the Reds.

As Arne Slot won England’s biggest prize in his debut campaign last year, somehow replacing the irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp, it was Salah who knuckled down and ensured the Anfield side claimed their prize, breaking the record for goal involvements in a 38-game top-flight season, notching 47 all told (29 goals, 18 assists).

Carragher might feel that Palmer is English football’s finest player, but it was Salah’s season. However, a decade the Chelsea star’s senior, there could be a passing of the torch in a short time, with Palmer dominating such conversations over the coming decade.

The nature of Chelsea’s transfer model means that letting certain stars-in-the-making slip through the cracks is unavoidable, but that’s why cashing in on Palmer would be such a bleak transgression.

Could it be that Palmer has the potential to become one of the Premier League’s greatest players of all time? One of the most revered and the most decorated in Chelsea’s long history? Big, bold claims, but not without substance. Palmer, to be sure, has started in such a vein, and if he’s started as he means to go on, there’s every chance such predictions could come true.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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At least Salah was sold to a team out on the continent, where he found his footing and cut his teeth on the Serie A scene, working toward elite status.

Now, he’s peerless at the top of the English charts. But Palmer is gaining, and he’s gaining fast. Since joining, Chelsea’s star attacking midfielder has notched just one goal involvement fewer than Man City’s Erling Haaland, who is the most prolific striker in the world and has assumed second place.

Most Goals + Assists in PL (23/24 & 24/25)

Player

Apps

Goals

Assists

G/A Total

Salah

70

47

28

75

Haaland

62

49

9

58

Watkins

75

35

23

58

Palmer

70

37

20

57

Isak

64

44

8

52

Data via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, Chelsea have shown that they can stretch out their financial arm and match the biggest hitters in the Premier League and across Europe in the transfer market.

Were £250m banked for Palmer, it stands to reason that several new offensive signings should be brought in.

But the Three Lions “superstar”, as he has been called by journalist Jonathan Northcroft, is a transcendental player, utterly brilliant and one-of-a-kind. To lose him would be to lose the nucleus of Maresca’s side, unthinkable when looking at the progress made: two trophies last season and a reclaimed seat at the Champions League table.

When Chelsea got rid of Salah way back when, he was a talented but unproven up-and-comer. To part with Palmer when he’s already one of the best players in Europe would be a far more egregious mistake.

Related Same agent as Caicedo: Chelsea now eyeing "warrior" who's better than Araujo

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is set to miss a significant portion of the upcoming season.

Posts ByBen Goodwin Aug 11, 2025

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain paid tribute to Shakib and said Mehidy has been picked in a batting-centric role

Mohammad Isam29-Sep-2024

Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been picked primarily as a middle-order batter•Getty Images

Bangladesh’s selectors have recalled Mehidy Hasan Miraz to the T20I squad for the three-match series against India starting next week. Mehidy played the last of his 25 T20Is in July last year, missing Bangladesh’s last 24 matches in that format while being a key allrounder in the two longer formats.There were also recalls for opener Parvez Hossain Emon and left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan.Related

Mayank's fitness, Jadeja's replacement among India's priorities in Bangladesh T20Is

Official says govt will provide Shakib with security on Dhaka return

Shakib says he's done with T20Is, will play his final Test next month

Mayank Yadav called up as India name fresh-looking T20I squad

Shakib Al Hasan is the big absentee but this was expected following his announcement on Thursday that he was retiring from both Tests and T20Is. Soumya Sarkar is the other player who featured in the T20 World Cup earlier this year who has been left out.Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain paid tribute to Shakib, saying Bangladesh would have a tough time replacing him, and hoped Mehidy could step up to a batting-centric role in Shakib’s absence. Ashraf explained that Mehidy had been picked to bat higher up the order without a set bowling role.”The great Shakib Al Hasan has already announced that he has played his last T20I for Bangladesh,” Ashraf said. “We don’t have anyone to replace his experience and performance but we feel that Mehidy Hasan Miraz is a good batter who can handle the middle order. Mehidy can play as a batter. We didn’t pick him in the previous [T20] World Cup as we usually feel that he has a strong role as an allrounder in Tests and ODIs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We didn’t feel his bowling was a great option in the powerplay in T20s. We didn’t want to disturb his rhythm in the other formats. This is why he wasn’t in our T20 World Cup plans, which we had clearly communicated to him. We are hopeful of seeing him higher in the order, just above the finisher’s role.”The new role will be quite a challenge for Mehidy, who currently has 248 runs in 20 T20I innings at an average of 14.58 and a strike rate of 118.66, with a highest score of 46. He has opened the batting twice, and batted once each at Nos. 5 and 6.Ashraf said that Parvez, the left-hand opener, impressed the selectors in various camps during the off-season. He added that Rakibul got the nod due to an injury to left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam.”We have made changes in the opening, middle order and spin attack while keeping the pace attack intact,” Ashraf said. “We have brought in Parvez Hossain Emon in Soumya Sarkar’s place. We have observed him in the recent camps. He is part of our future plans. Rakibul has taken Tanvir’s place, as the latter is recovering from a broken hand. Rakibul is useful with the new ball.”Ashraf said the selectors still believe the veteran Mahmudullah can do a job in the T20I side, despite his mixed-bag performance in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. “We have our future squad in mind,” he said. “We will give value to experienced players. We have belief in Mahmudullah. The captain will have all the options for combinations in this squad.”Bangladesh’s T20Is against India are in Gwalior (October 6), New Delhi (October 9) and Hyderabad (October 12).Bangladesh squad for T20Is against IndiaNajmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan.
IN: Parvez Hossain Emon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rakibul Hasan
OUT: Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan.

Relegation-threatened Notts make early running with ball before Westley-Walter stand

ECB Reporters Network09-Sep-2024

Tom Westley made his first hundred of the season•Getty Images

A 142-run fifth-wicket stand between the century-making Tom Westley and Paul Walter rescued Essex from impending doom and into a commanding position in their weather-interrupted Vitality County Championship match against Nottinghamshire.Westley’s unbeaten 108 from 214 balls, his highest score of the season so far, held together an Essex innings that was in danger of imminent collapse at 86 for 4 when the pair came together. Westley had himself arrived in the sixth over and was still there 68 overs later with Essex 262 for 5 at the close of a day when the players trudged on and off the field at irregular intervals.Walter’s big hitting under the Chelmsford floodlights bought him 10 fours and a six in his 72 from 106 balls, his third half-century in his last six innings and only eclipsed by a century against Durham in June.It became a day of toil for Nottinghamshire, but pace bowler Rob Lord, 23, in only his second Championship game, looked lively and claimed two of the first four Essex wickets to fall. He finished the day with figures of 2 for 53 from 15 overs.On a predominantly overcast and damp day, foreshortened by 22 overs, Nottinghamshire elected to put Essex in as they sought only their second victory of a relegation-threatened season, though they were considerably buoyed by a battling draw against Surrey last week.When play started 70 minutes late because of light drizzle that fell immediately after the 10.30am toss, Essex lost Dean Elgar cheaply when he dragged Lord to mid-on where Haseeb Hameed ran round to take the catch sliding on his knees. Fellow opener Robin Das had just been reprieved by a drop in the slips straight after lunch when he got a thicker edge to one from Lyndon James and was snaffled at second slip for 20.The giant figure of Luke Fletcher bowled unchanged for 13 overs either side of lunch, having Westley in some discomfort – notably with one that smacked into the Essex captain’s box – on a green-tinged wicket initially helping the seamers. He was finally rewarded when Matt Critchley left alone a delivery that jagged back.Debutant Luc Benkenstein’s maiden scoring shot in first-class cricket was a delightful pull for four, but next ball he nicked Lord thinly through to the wicketkeeper.The scoring improved as the conditions eased and the Kookaburra ball softened in the afternoon and Westley and Walter put on the first fifty of their partnership in just six overs. Westley’s own half-century took 79 balls and included five fours, one a particularly satisfying, flowing off-drive against his erstwhile nemesis Fletcher.Walter also played his way in carefully before whipping James off his legs for a first boundary and then twice elegantly lofting Farhan Ahmed to the rope behind the bowler.When Westley pulled Lord to fine leg it marked the pair’s century partnership in 26 overs. Next ball, Walter pulled the bowler through square leg for his eighth boundary to bring up a 65-ball fifty. He then welcomed the introduction of Liam Patterson-White’s spin with a four and a six to long-off.The pair were finally parted after 42 overs when Walter went to sweep Ahmed but got a leading edge as the ball looped up to gully. However, soon afterwards some careless fielding by the visitors handed Westley five runs courtesy of overthrows which took him to three figures from 193 balls.

The summer transfer window is here, and Tottenham Hotspur need to get moving.

The North Londoners may have broken their title drought in the Europa League, but it cannot be forgotten just how diabolically poor they were in the Premier League.

So, to ensure things improve next season, Daniel Levy and Co need to provide Ange Postecoglou – or whoever takes his job – with the right players.

Fortunately, recent reports have linked the Lilywhites with someone who’d be the ideal replacement, Son Heung-min, who may be on the way out.

Tottenham transfer news

Back in January of this year, Tottenham announced that they had extended Son’s contract for another year, and while it looked like he’d fulfil that extra season, things have changed.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sam Wallace of the Telegraph revealed that the North Londoners captain, who has been at the club since 2015, could be ‘another high-profile departure this summer.’

He explains that, with interest from the Saudi Pro League, there is a real chance for the club to fetch a decent fee for the South Korean ace and that, following the club’s victory in Bilbao, he’d be going on a high and as an undisputed legend.

While selling the 32-year-old might not be a popular idea with all fans, it might explain the club’s interest in Antoine Semenyo.

Yes, according to a recent report from transfers expert Dean Jones, Spurs are one of several clubs in the picture for the Bournemouth star this summer.

Jones does not mention how much the international might cost, but a story from earlier this week that also linked Manchester United with the 25-year-old claimed that the Cherries might demand around £60m for their dynamic attacker.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a great replacement for Son.

Why Spurs should sign Semenyo

While it would represent a significant investment, there are a few reasons why Spurs should be going out to sign Semenmyo this summer, starting with his output this season.

Despite playing for a midtable side, the Ghanaian international managed to rack up a pretty impressive haul of 13 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances, totalling 3562 minutes.

In other words, the former Bristol City gem averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or 178.1 minutes this season.

Appearances

42

Minutes

3562′

Goals

13

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvement

178.1′

On top of that, the Chelsea-born “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is incredibly versatile, and while he would be an excellent replacement for Son on the left, he’s ambipedal and just as comfortable playing off the right and even up top, which would give whoever is in the dugout next season, more tactical options.

Finally, the dynamic attacker, who Mattinson claims “is tailor-made for a big team”, has some impressive underlying numbers to his name, numbers which show he also puts a real shift in when it comes to his defensive duties.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for blocks, the top 4% for passes blocked, the top 5% for total shots, the top 8% for aerial duels won, the top 10% for shot-creating actions from take-ons and shots, the top 12% for successful take-ons percentage and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it is a lot of money, Spurs would be wise to sign Semenyo this summer as he would not only add some real quality to the squad in his own right, but he’d also be an ideal replacement for Son.

Shades of Dembele: Spurs make "generational" £60m star a priority signing

The sensational gem could develop into something truly special at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 4, 2025

The summer transfer window officially opens for business on Sunday and Leeds United are preparing to build a squad to compete in the Premier League.

One star who is reportedly on their radar is Argentine attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia, as journalist Sebastien Vidal recently claimed that the club are set to bid for the Aston Villa attacking midfielder.

The 28-year-old star racked up 24 goals and 41 assists in 121 appearances under Daniel Farke at Norwich, and has 12 more assists than any other player in the manager’s career to date.

Buendia produced two goals and two ‘big chances’ created in 11 games on loan at Bayer Leverkusen in the second half of this season before returning to Villa, and now he could be on his way to Elland Road.

The former Norwich star is a playmaker, as shown by his assist record under Farke, and Leeds could pair him with a new striker if they manage to bring him over from the Villans.

Leeds eyeing deal for new striker

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the club were not going to build their attack around Joel Piroe because they have doubts over his ability to make the step up to the Premier League.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It would make sense, therefore, for the West Yorkshire outfit to target a striker who has already scored goals in the English top-flight, which is what they are doing.

According to the Daily Mail, Leeds are considering a swoop to sign Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that they have identified Callum Wilson, Jamie Vardy, and Ferguson as potential options to bolster their attack, as all three have the Premier League experience that they would like.

Brighton’s Ireland international spent the second half of this season on loan at West Ham United, and it remains to be seen what will happen with him this summer, but Leeds have emerged as a potential option for him.

Why Leeds should sign Evan Ferguson

If the Whites can get a deal over the line for Buendia this summer, Ferguson could be a dream signing to partner the Argentine playmaker in the final third.

As aforementioned, the ex-Norwich star is a playmaker extraordinaire and he would benefit from having a clinical striker who can make the most of his creativity.

Supporters may see that Ferguson scored one goal in 23 Premier League games this season and doubt his goalscoring credentials, but it is worth noting that he missed all of pre-season last summer with a knee injury and never found his rhythm in the campaign.

Evan Ferguson’s Premier League career
Season	xG	Goals	Differential
22/23	5.67	6	+0.33
23/24	3.97	6	+2.03
24/25	1.36	1	-0.36
Total	10.29	13	+1.89
Stats via UnderStat

As you can see in the table above, the Irish forward had caught the eye in his previous two seasons in the top-flight, outperforming his xG by 2.36 to score 12 goals for Brighton.

Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker likened him to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland in the 2023/24 season, when he scored six times, saying: “I do see a hint of Haaland about him, his stature, his movement, his youth and stuff like that.”

Ferguson still has plenty of time left to develop and improve, at the age of 20, as he is, clearly, not at Haaland’s levels of goalscoring yet, but Leeds could have their own mini-Haaland at Elland Road by bringing him to the club.

Haaland scored 22 goals from 22.01 xG in the Premier League for City this season, but does share a similar build and play style with the Brighton youngster as Lineker claimed.

The 20-year-old starlet has shown that he can score goals efficiently at Premier League level, as evidenced by his form in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, and that is why the Whites should gamble on him this summer to arrive as a dream signing alongside Buendia.

Orta wanted him: Leeds eyeing move for "very prolific" Piroe upgrade

Leeds United are eyeing a Joel Piroe upgrade who was previously wanted by Victor Orta.

1

By
Dan Emery

May 29, 2025

Farke could have a potentially lethal attacking pairing by reuniting with the Argentine playmaker to consistently create chances for the efficient Ferguson to finish off.

Celtic secured their place in the final of the SFA Cup on Sunday with a comfortable 5-0 victory.

Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops, who are also on the verge of winning the Premiership, now have the chance to complete a domestic treble, having already won the League Cup earlier this term.

Rodgers failed to secure the treble in his first season back at Parkhead last summer after his side lost to Kilmarnock in their first League Cup outing at the start of the campaign.

The club’s success in the League Cup in the first half of the current term, however, has provided them with the chance to win the treble by getting the Premiership and the SFA Cup over the line.

Celtic’s form in the second half of the season has been boosted by the arrival of Jota on a permanent deal in the recent January transfer window, joining from Rennes 18 months after his move from Glasgow to Al-Ittihad.

Jota's current market value at Celtic

At the time of writing, the Portuguese forward is currently valued at roughly £7.7m by Transfermarkt. Sky Sports reported that the club paid a fee of £8m to sign him from Rennes at the start of this year, which suggests that they negotiated a reasonable deal for the winger.

That came 18 months after they had sold him to Al-Ittihad for a staggering fee of £25m – a deal that now looks like a masterclass with the benefit of hindsight.

As you can see in the graphic above, Jota had already proven his quality in the Premiership for the Hoops during his first two seasons with the club under Ange Postecoglou in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

The former Rennes speedster has made an instant impact in the division for Rodgers with a return of four goals and two assists in six starts in the league, along with three ‘big chances’ created.

Goals

0.67

Top 3.9%

Expected Goals

0.51

Top 3.9%

xG on target

0.72

Top 1%

Shots on target

1.51

Top 1%

Assists

0.34

Top 17.6%

Expected Assists

0.39

Top 7.8%

Chances created

2.01

Top 21.6%

As you can see in the table above, Jota has been one of the most impactful forwards in the Premiership since his return to Celtic, ranking highly among his positional peers as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a wide position.

Despite his £25m move to Al-Ittihad and his exceptional form on the pitch for the Scottish giants in recent months, there are several players in the current squad who are worth even more than him at this moment in time.

Celtic players who are worth more than Jota

At a market valuation of £7.7m, there are not too many players in the squad who are worth more than the Portuguese attacker, but there are a few of them.

There are six Celtic stars who are worth more than £7.7m, as per Transfermarkt, and the most valuable of those six is Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has a valuation of £11.9m.

Cameron Carter-Vickers

27

£11.9m

Arne Engels

21

£10.2m

Nicolas Kuhn

25

£10.2m

Reo Hatate

27

£9.4m

Daizen Maeda

27

£9.4m

Alistair Johnston

26

£8.5m

Arne Engels, Nicolas Kuhn, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, and Alistair Johnston are all also worth more than Jota at this moment in time, as they are all worth £8.5m or more.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Celtic have hit the jackpot with these stars, who are currently regulars in Rodgers’ first-team squad, and one player they have played a huge blinder with is Hatate, because of how much his market value has soared over the years.

Why Celtic have hit the jackpot with Reo Hatate

The Hoops struck gold when they swooped to sign the Japanese midfielder from Kawasaki Frontale for a reported fee of just £1.4m at the start of 2022.

Looking back on it, £1.4m was a nominal fee to pay for a player who has provided the quality and longevity that Hatate has during his time in Glasgow to date, with a return of 26 goals and 28 assists in 138 matches in all competitions for the club to date.

The Japan international, who recently scored two goals in a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock, has proven himself to be a central midfielder who can chip in with goals and assists to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch.

His performances on the pitch for Celtic over the past three years or so have also caused his market value on Transfermarkt to skyrocket up from the £685k it was at when he signed for the club in January 2022.

January 2022

£685k

June 2022

£2.1m

December 2022

£3.6m

March 2023

£5.5m

June 2023

£9.4m

March 2024

£8.5m

December 2024

£9.4m

As you can see in the table above, Hatate’s market value has soared to £9.4m from the £1.4m fee that the club paid for him just over three years ago, which shows that the initial fee paid for the star was a fantastic investment from the Hoops.

In fact, former Celtic icon Stiliyan Petrov recently claimed that it is “priceless” to have a player of his quality in the middle of the park, because of his ability to score and create goals from a midfield position.

Hatate has scored nine goals and provided four assists in 24 Premiership starts so far this season, which illustrates how effective he has been in the final third, and will be looking to end the campaign in style after his brace against Kilmarnock last time out in the division.

Overall, Celtic have hit the jackpot with the midfielder because they snapped up him for a modest fee and he has developed into a highly-valuable asset, who is worth even more than Jota, as well as being a key player for Rodgers on the pitch with his superb performances n midfield.

Value soared £9.5m: Celtic hit gold with star sold for more than Kyogo

Celtic hit the jackpot with this star who was sold for more than Kyogo Furuhashi was.

ByDan Emery Apr 17, 2025

Chelsea have now joined the race for a “top” goalkeeper, who has been recommended by club legend Didier Drogba, according to a report.

Maresca's goalkeeper problem at Chelsea

Goalkeeper has been a problem position for Enzo Maresca this season, with the manager rotating between Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, who have both made errors leading to goals in the Premier League.

Sanchez has made four costly mistakes, which have made the Spaniard the subject of some heavy criticism, and it now appears as though Maresca could look to bring in a replacement in the summer transfer window.

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan is one of the most recent players to join the shortlist, with the Frenchman potentially set to be available for just £34m, given that his contract is set to expire in the summer of 2026.

Chelsea now want £30m Milan star with "incredible speed" ahead of Man City

The Blues have set their sights on a defender, but there could be fierce competition for his signature…

ByDominic Lund Apr 13, 2025

The Blues have made contact over a deal for Maignan, indicating the AC Milan shot-stopper is a serious target for Maresca, but an alternative option has now entered the frame, according to a report from Football Insider.

The player in question is Angers goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, with Chelsea now joining the race for the Ivory Coast international, who has established himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe with his performances in Ligue 1.

Fofana has no shortage of suitors, with Newcastle United, Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers also interested in a deal, having sent scouts to watch him in action, so there could be stiff competition for his signature.

Maresca’s side are set to conduct a scouting mission of their own this weekend, having been recommended to sign the 24-year-old by club legend Drogba, who has been impressed by his form for Angers and the Ivory Coast.

Fofana impressing in Ligue 1

Previous reports have revealed the Angers shot-stopper could be available for a fee of just £15m, which could be a bargain, given the level of his displays in Ligue 1.

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has lauded the Ivorian as a “top” goalkeeper, while also detailing that he claims crosses well and has a good range of passing, with the latter quality perhaps particularly important if he were to play in a Maresca system.

Maresca has made it clear he wants his goalkeeper to take risks with his passing, which has led to mistakes from Sanchez this season, so the fact that Fofana is a solid passer of the ball is of key significance.

Chelsea may not choose to pursue a new goalkeeper this summer, given that Djordje Petrovic has been impressing on loan at Strasbourg, but if Maresca decides a new option is needed between the sticks, the Angers goalkeeper could be a quality signing.

With the PSL clashing with the IPL, partial player availability was not a concern for the first time

Danyal Rasool13-Jan-2025The PSL moved into the IPL window this year, to improve the quality and availability of overseas players they’d be able to sign. On that count, the calculated risk they took appears to have paid off, with the roster for the tenth edition of the PSL including the widest array of high-profile overseas players they have managed in the post-covid era.David Warner, Daryl Mitchell, Jason Holder, Rassie van der Dussen and Kane Williamson were among the biggest names the PSL signed up at the draft this year, held at the sprawling Hazuri Bagh at Lahore Fort. While the ceremony itself was a stuttering, protracted affair, which, from start to finish, lasted a whopping seven hours, the cack-handed packaging should not detract from what may be a very decent product after all.For the first time, partial player availability, so often a hindrance during earlier editions, was not a concern. The only other cricket during the time the PSL will be played – between early April and late May – is IPL 2025. The IPL auction has concluded, and any players left over are definitively available, effectively meaning every player in the draft had communicated their complete willingness to participate in the PSL in full.Related

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• PSL 2025 draft – Williamson among seven New Zealanders drafted; Warner, Mitchell among Platinum picks

• English players want NOC clarity after signing PSL deals

• PSL set for IPL clash after move to April-May window

The decision did not come without trade-offs; Rashid Khan, for example, signed a three-year contract with Lahore Qalandars in 2023, but will instead be at the IPL. But players from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, so often unavailable because the PSL’s traditional February-March window clashed with their home international season, were signed in droves.New Zealanders, in particular were popular; more than half of the platinum picks at the draft were Kiwis: Finn Allen, Mitchell, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell, and Mark Chapman were all picked in the highest category, with all of them first-time PSL participants. They were topped up in the supplementary pick with Williamson and Kyle Jamieson, also first-timers.Salman Agha, Shadab Khan and Babar Azam share a light moment on the sidelines of the PSL draft•PSLOver the years, it has been overseas power-hitting the PSL has relished, each franchise comfortable that there was enough domestic fast bowling to go around without being spread too thin. That changed this time: Milne, Sean Abbott, Jamieson, Nahid Rana, Holder, Corbin Bosch, Alzarri Joseph and Josh Little were among the overseas quicks snapped up.That may partially be explained by the availability of players who might otherwise not been options for the PSL, but perhaps also hints at the waning confidence in local fast bowling talent among the franchises.There were departures and farewells for players who have become synonymous with a particular franchise. Faheem Ashraf left Islamabad United having been a one-franchise player until now, winning three titles. If there was a general indication his star was waning, Quetta Gladiators clearly thought otherwise; they used their wildcard on him to pick him in the Platinum category, rather than the Silver he had been assigned.There was movement out of the Gladiators, too. Sarfaraz Ahmed, their captain for the first eight seasons and player for each of the last nine, was not part of the draft; Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said he would be involved with the franchise in a “new role”.Mohammad Hasnain, meanwhile, also leaves the Gladiators to link up with Multan Sultans. Poignantly, Ihsanullah, Sultans’ quickest bowler until 2023, was left unpicked after an independent review found the PCB’s botched handling of an elbow injury had done him significant harm. Sultans’ owner Ali Tareen said last week medical consensus was he would never hit those speeds again.Meanwhile, there was a splitting up of one family. Last year, Naseem Shah and both of his younger brothers, Hunain and Ubaid, played for United; Hunain went on to hit the winning runs. This time, Sultans plumped for the youngest, with Ubaid leaving the defending champions to join the 2021 winners.Last year, the PCB told ESPNcricinfo was to co-exist with the IPL rather than compete with it. The PSL draft this time around may have wanted organisation and production quality, but did offer a little glimpse into what that might look like once April rolls around.

SA batter with big future ahead of him re-establishes his credentials after a lean run of form in Test cricket

Firdose Moonda28-Feb-2023″Fight comes from within,” Aiden Markram told his SA20 team-mates after their third loss at the tournament. He was praising the effort they showed in their five-wicket defeat to Joburg Super Kings, when they came within two balls of successfully defending 127. “It was incredible how you guys fought, it’s something you can’t teach. Every single person gave their best and more today. We should be able to sleep fine.”He could have been talking about himself, and the way he responded after his last two years as a Test cricketer; two years which had been incredibly tough.Since scoring a century against Pakistan, he went 16 innings without a hundred and in 15 of those, did not cross fifty. He was replaced by Sarel Erwee at the top of the order in New Zealand last February and only played at No. 3 because Keegan Petersen had contracted Covid-19 and could not make the trip. When more low scores followed, Markram was dropped from the Test side in England last year and then left out of their disastrous tour to Australia.”It might have been a good thing,” he said. “I was heartsore not to be in Australia but I was told quite clearly as to the reason why I wasn’t on the tour. As batters, we need runs on the board and if you are not scoring runs in a team that wants to compete with the best in the world, your position should be under scrutiny.”Despite not playing any red-ball cricket since then, Markram was recalled for this series because new coach Shukri Conrad preferred him over Erwee and has given him the opportunity to try and reclaim the opening spot again. “It felt like starting out on a clean slate,” Markram said.And it looked like it too. After 10 dot balls to open the morning, Markram was gifted a delivery on his pads that he clipped past midwicket for South Africa’s first runs of the match. He negotiated a decent new-ball spell from Alzarri Joseph, who got a few short deliveries to bounce at an awkward height but was taken off after four overs in favour of Kyle Mayers, who searched for swing. Mayers found Elgar’s edge, and the chance was dropped, but Markram settled in. He reeled off a square drive and then a cover drive which purred pure class.Aiden Markram made 115 with 18 fours•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThose are Markram’s signature shots. That he brought them out as early as he did in this innings was a sign he felt in good touch, even though he cautioned against trying the shot too early. “It is quite difficult to drive here on day one with the slow bounce,” he said. “You have to earn the right to play a few drives or only drive when it’s extremely full.”After one more nervy moment, when he almost under-edged Kemar Roach onto his stumps, Markram had earned it and he dominated an attack that offered width, half-volleys and big gaps in the field. He hit 10 of his 18 boundaries through the offside, seven in front of square and three behind, including the slap through point that brought him his sixth Test hundred.He acknowledged it with a fist bump and a long hug with his partner Tony de Zorzi, while his team-mates, who have witnessed his struggles from close range, applauded. He also tried to contain tears. “I was fighting it a bit to be honest,” he said. “It meant quite a lot to me. It’s been a strange journey and I’m just grateful that it worked out. Scoring a hundred on your home ground in front of your friends and family also seems to be more special. And there was a lot of relief going through me.”And among cricket fans in South Africa too because Markram, who led the Under-19 team to victory in the 2014 age-group World Cup, is seen as a prodigal son. He has been touted as a future captain and, after taking on the role for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and now the Sunrisers Hyderabad, is considered the frontrunner for South Africa’s T20 side. But there is also some skepticism about how much this century should be lauded, given that West Indies are ranked No. 8 and haven’t won an away series against a top eight side since beating New Zealand in 1995.There will be those who say Markram could not have had an easier opportunity to score a century and if he hadn’t, that would be the story – even though none of South Africa’s other batters cashed in in the same way. Will that bother him? “I have pretty much binned social media. A couple of years ago, I decided to get off Twitter,” he said. “After having a tough day, there’s no point reading more negative things. If you have access to it, it prevents you from seeing it. Sometimes on social media, things can look worse than what they are. After a couple bad innings, you can feel like the worst player in the world because you are reading what everyone has to say. Some people have thick skins and they don’t mind but for me, there was no real point reading it.”Ironically, it was on social media that Markram’s message to his Sunrisers Eastern Cape team-mates got traction and showed a side of him that is more aggressive than anyone not bowling to him has experienced. “There is a lot of passion that comes out in change rooms,” Markram said. “Ultimately, you are in the public eye more often than not and you have to try and be a role model and try and make your people proud of you as well.”Today, that’s exactly what he did.

How did India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan fare this year?

02-Jan-2021IndiaBy Sidharth MongaHardly any cricket at home, most of the time spent in lockdown and biosecure bubbles worrying about their own health and that of their families back home, India’s players ended the year with a win for the ages. They were rolled over for 36 in the first Test of the series in Australia, were missing their full-time captain and two key bowlers, and still outplayed Australia in the Boxing Day Test to level the series 1-1, underlining their status as the best Test team of recent years despite the 0-2 loss in New Zealand earlier in the year.In keeping with the spirit of the upside-down year that 2020 was, India excelled in the format that on paper is the one they are least proficient in, T20Is. They expectedly beat Sri Lanka in T20Is at home, but they followed it up with a 5-0 whitewash of New Zealand in New Zealand and a 2-1 win over Australia in Australia. With a home T20 World Cup scheduled next year, India will feel they have a fair idea of how to plug the well-documented holes in their limited-overs cricket: the middle-order power-hitters and allrounder.India lost their ODI series in New Zealand and Australia, but that format is the lowest preference with the ODI World Cup still three years away.It was off the field that India’s cricketers triumphed the most perhaps. Through the lockdown, the cricketers made an effort to stay in touch with their fans through their Instagram interviews with each other, and once the cricket began they wore their privilege lightly, respecting their biosecure bubbles and dealing with on-field events with admirable perspective.Results
Tests: P4 W1 L3
ODIs: P9 W2 L6
T20Is: P11 W9 (two ties) L1 NR1No Australian victory in 2020 came bigger than Meg Lanning and Co’s T20 World Cup triumph•Daniel Pockett/ICC/Getty ImagesAustraliaby Daniel Brettig
Due in part to Covid-19, but largely the seminal nature of the event, the singular moment of 2020 for Australian cricket belonged not to the teams of Tim Paine or Aaron Finch but Meg Lanning.To host and win the women’s T20 World Cup in such emphatic fashion, watched by more than 86,000 enraptured spectators at the MCG, was a moment of great cricketing performance but also social breakthrough as far as the women’s game was concerned. It remains the responsibility of all boards, not just Australia’s, to ensure the momentum of this magical occasion is not lost. Lanning and company can be expected to hold up their ends of the bargain.As a men’s Test team, Australia spent much of the year luxuriating in recent performances against England, Pakistan and New Zealand and their place at the top of the World Championship table while keeping one eye on their next opponents, India. That they postponed a WTC series against Bangladesh and a separate one-off Test against Afghanistan underlined the complexities of the year, but in all, their trajectory was little changed in terms of looking ever forward towards an assignment against the team led by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.Over the course of three matches separated by almost 11 months, the pre-eminence of Pat Cummis, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as the game’s premier pace attack was maintained: they rounded up New Zealand in Sydney in January and then razed India in the second innings in Adelaide in December. But the fortunes of the batting line-up, seemingly so settled at the beginning of the year, were not so straightfoward.A groin injury to David Warner upset the balance at the top, Joe Burns lost his way, and neither Matthew Wade nor Travis Head benefited from the reshuffling. Meanwhile Seven Smith continued to climb down from his 2019 Ashes peak, while Marnus Labuschagne found India’s attack a much harder assignment than those of Pakistan and New Zealand had been. A hefty defeat at the MCG ended the year in a state of some uncertainty, even if the WTC lead remained.In ODIs and T20Is, Aaron Finch led combinations that were reset after the 2019 World Cup, with mixed results. One-day series defeats away to India and South Africa slipped largely under the radar before series against New Zealand and Zimbabwe were overtaken by Covid-19. All stops were pulled out to ensure the white-ball tour of England took place, made memorable by a 2-1 series win that featured perhaps the best innings yet by Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey. At home, India were thumped in the ODIs as they found their feet after post-IPL quarantine, but the T20Is fell the other way.Results
Tests: P3, W2, L1, D0
ODIs: P13, W6, L7
T20Is: P9, W4, L5, T0, NR0Cricket made itself very much at home in Pakistan last year•AFPPakistanby Danyal Rasool
For every country, what felt important in 2020 wasn’t how the cricket panned out, but that it happened at all. That cannot be true of any other side more than Pakistan, who have marked a few milestones that might allow them to look back at they year with something other than profound distaste.In this most abnormal of years, one thing began to feel normal – the mere act of playing international cricket in Pakistan. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe visited, and there is more promise on that front with South Africa and England potentially arriving next year. The PSL was held in the country for the first time, and went off without a security hitch.On the field, it was a surprisingly predictable year, with Pakistan winning the games they were meant to and demonstrably off the pace against the elite sides. A 1-0 Test series loss to England might be the biggest missed opportunity, given how close the visitors came to inverting that scoreline. Zimbabwe and Bangladesh were, one Super Over loss notwithstanding, swept aside at home, while New Zealand edged out the tourists in a T20I series to round out the year; the 2-1 scoreline in that series was perhaps not indicative of quite how far Pakistan have fallen behind in the format. The T20I slide was officially recognised by the rankings, with Pakistan’s 27-month grip on the top spot broken in May; they have now slid back into mid-table mediocrity.There was, of course, the usual musical chairs with the captaincy: the selectors got rid of Azhar Ali after just a year in charge, and replaced him with Babar Azam. Captain in all three formats now, Azam remains Pakistan’s brightest star by some distance, and their premier batsman.Results
Tests: P4 W1 L1 D2
ODIs: P3 W2 L1
T20Is: P11 W7 L3 NR1The Black Lives Matter movement exposed deep schisms within cricket in South Africa•Getty ImagesSouth AfricaBy Firdose MoondaIf you thought 2019 was South Africa’s annus horribilis, think again. Things got even worse in 2020 at all levels, in every aspect from administration to on-field efforts.After ending 2019 with victory over England in Mark Boucher’s first Test as coach, South Africa went on to lose the series 1-3, their batting becoming progressively more ragged. Pressure on Faf du Plessis mounted and he stepped down as Test captain at the end of the series and was removed as white-ball skipper, with Quinton de Kock installed in his place. Under fresh leadership, South Africa played an energetic brand of shorter form cricket against England and Australia but won only one series – a 3-0 ODI sweep of Australia.Then came Covid-19 and the postponements of a white-ball tour to Sri Lanka and a two-Test, five-T20I tour of the West Indies. A proposed three-match T20 series against India never happened. But the winter was far from quiet.Amid Cricket South Africa’s meltdown, which saw the CEO sacked, one acting CEO resign and another get suspended and the entire board step down after the sports minister threatened to intervene, it collided with the Black Lives Matter movement in a series of incidents that exposed schisms in the country’s game. At the centre of it were debates around the symbolism of taking a knee, which the national team have not done. Instead, they raised a fist at the start of their first Test of the summer, which they won.Results
Tests: P4 W1 L3
ODIs: P6 W4 L1 NR 1
T20Is: P9 W2 L7Sri Lanka picked a pandemic year to launch the Lanka Premier League, and executed it with remarkable success•Jaffna StallionsSri Lankaby Andrew Fidel FernandoSri Lanka, generally one of the most active teams on the cricket circuit played 21 days of cricket in 2020. Fourteen of those were Test cricket days, as Sri Lanka won one in Zimbabwe, drew the next, and many months later, lost both the match and half their players to injury in their last game of the year, in Centurion. They were good in the one ODI series they played, and terrible in the two T20I series.There’s not a lot you can read into all that. In the ODIs they dominated, Sri Lanka were playing West Indies, who don’t field anything approaching their best team in non-World Cup years. Sri Lanka were slammed in the two T20I series they played in January and February, but were trying out combinations and perhaps had a better idea of the talents at their disposal at the end of the year.There’s not a lot to offer in terms of analysis in a year with this little cricket, but here are some Lankan cricket truths that are good for every year: Chamari Athapaththu rocked the planet, but the rest of her team did not. Kusal Mendis was fleetingly awesome but frequently awful. Angelo Mathews got injured. Lasith Malinga got older and probably rounder. A new spinner emerged (Wanindu Hasaranga this time) and the selectors immediately thrust him into every XI available. There was one unusual thing in 2020: the head coach of the men’s team didn’t get sacked.Sri Lankan cricket doesn’t operate according to steady or predictable laws, so the pandemic year was of course the one in which they successfully launched a franchise T20 tournament. There was the fantastic story of eventual winners Jaffna Stallions, whose aim was not just to win the tournament, but also develop cricket infrastructure in a neglected part of the country. Also, for the first time, there was clarity on the depth of T20 talent in the country, and at least one breakout star in Dhananjaya Lakshan.Results
Tests: P3 W1 L1 D1
ODIs: P3 W3
T20Is: P5 L4 NR1Blessing Muzarabani starred in Zimbabwe’s only ODI win, taking five wickets in regulation time, then two more in the Super Over•AFP via Getty ImagesZimbabweby Firdose Moonda
A team that usually gets the scraps of the international schedule had to make do with even less in 2020, despite relatively fewer coronavirus cases in the country. Zimbabwe played little more than a handful of fixtures in each format in series against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and had scheduled visits from Ireland, India and the Netherlands and a tour to Australia postponed.Perhaps much worse than the scarcity of matches was the almost absolute absence of victories. Zimbabwe won just one of their 14 fixtures, but only after it was tied first. They prevailed in the Super Over against Pakistan thanks to Blessing Muzarabani, who returned from a Kolpak deal over the winter. Muzarabani was also their joint-leading ODI bowler and highest T20 wicket-taker in 2020, though Zimbabwe continued to struggle in the shortest and longest format.They suffered five heavy T20I defeats, where the only positive was the emergence of Wesley Madhevere. The former U-19 international was their only batsman to score more than 100 runs in the format, was their third highest run scorer in ODIs, and will doubtless graduate to Tests soon.In Tests, Zimbabwe’s best result was a draw against Sri Lanka in Harare, but they lost the series and a one-off Test in Bangladesh.They also lost the services of veteran allrounder Elton Chigumbura, who called time on his 16-year career after a string of injuries. Chigumbura was Zimbabwe’s third most-capped ODI player.Despite the lack of cricket, things remained stable at board level, which is not always something that can be said of Zimbabwe Cricket. Their challenge will be to secure fixtures for 2021 and to get on track for 2023 World Cup qualification.Results
Tests: P3 W0 L2 D1
ODIs: P6 W1 L5
T20Is: P5 W0 L5Despite a nearly empty international calendar, Afghanistan’s players had star turns in franchise leagues: Mujeeb ur Rahman was the leading overseas wicket-taker in the CPL•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / GettyAfghanistanBy Peter Della PennaAfghanistan’s international calendar was short and sweet, featuring three T20Is against their longtime frenemy Ireland. As has been the case for much of the past five years, Rashid Khan’s impish grins disguised the pain he dished out along with his mystery spin twin Mujeeb Ur Rahman to clinch the series in the first two matches before falling short in a Super Over that denied Afghanistan a clean sweep in the final one.Though the rest of the men’s national team’s fixtures were wiped out by the pandemic, Afghans continued to make their mark on the franchise T20 scene. Khan duelled with Yuzvendra Chahal for the title of best spinner in the IPL, finishing one wicket behind the Indian leggie. Mujeeb was the leading overseas wicket-taker in the CPL, while Mohammad Nabi’s all-round heroics helped propel long-time losers St Lucia Zouks into the CPL final for the first time ever.Twenty-year-old Qais Ahmad, buried behind the aforementioned two spinners in Afghanistan’s squad, followed up solid performances in the CPL by ending as the leading overseas spinner in the inaugural Lanka Premier League, highlighting the depth in Afghanistan’s spin stocks. Meanwhile, medium-pacer Naveen-ul-Haq carved out a regular spot in the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Kandy Tuskers starting XIs with his canny variations at the death.Perhaps the most significant achievement for Afghanistan cricket in 2020 was a pledge by the board to award 25 central contracts to female players. The country was exempted from having a women’s programme as a requirement for a successful application to Full Member status in 2017. But a women’s national team camp organised in October 2020 indicated that may be changing sooner than later.Results
T20Is: P3 W2 L1More in our look back at 2020