Category Uncategorized

Chelsea endured a horrible evening at Elland Road, as they fell 3-1 to Leeds United. The Blues were played off the park in the first half as Jakob Bijol's header and Ao Tanaka's long range effort gave the hosts a deserved lead at the break. While Pedro Neto pegged one back for the visitors, their misery was compounded by a calamitous Tosin Adaraboiyo mistake in the build-up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin's tap in.

The Blues were under the pump from the opening whistle at Elland Road, as Leeds threw bodies forwards on a series of set pieces. Daniel Farke's side fashioned five attempts at the Chelsea goal in the opening five minutes, and that pressure told as Bijol thundered home Anton Stach's in-swinging corner to give the Whites a well deserved early lead. 

Chelsea started to dominate possession with little tangible threat going forward, as they were unable to break down Leeds' resolute back five. Far too often the back three of Tosin, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile were left to aimlessly shift the ball between them, as Chelsea's midfielders either appeared unwilling or unable to get hold of the ball. 

Just as it appeared the game would meander towards the break, a sideways pass deep in his own half by Tosin left Enzo Fernandez under pressure. The Argentinian was promptly dispossesed, allowing Jayden Bogle to slide the ball into Tanaka, and the Japan midfielder unleashed a thunderbolt into the top corner of Robert Sanchez's goal from all of 25 yards.

Enzo Maresca was proactive at the half, bringing on Malo Gusto and Neto in a new-look right flank for the Blues. It proved effective, as the Portuguese powered home a Jamie Gittens cross in the 49th minute. 

Again, as it seemed Chelsea had weathered Leeds' relentless efforts, they brought more misery upon themselves. Tosin dithered on the ball in his own box, allowing Noah Okafor to charge him down, and as the ball skewed across the six-yard box, the Leeds striker slid in to challenge the sprawling Sanchez. However, he could do nothing to stop Calvert-Lewin tapping home from two yards out. 

Given the dedicated and hardy performance Chelsea offered in their top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal on Sunday, the lack of physicality and nous in this torrid display will come as a galling reminder that Maresca's side are far too flaky in defence to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title. They now sit nine points back of the Gunners in fourth. 

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Elland Road…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Robert Sanchez (5/10):

  Little he could do about either goal in the first half. Made one sharp stop from a Calvert-Lewin volley in the opening moments of the second half, was left stranded for by Tosin's mistake for the third goal, but he could have been stronger in the challenge with Nmecha. 

  Trevoh Chalobah (4/10):

  Heroic block to deny Stach in the opening moments. The cross for Bijol's opener was in his area, but the opposing centre-back had a running start on him. 

  Tosin Adarabioyo (2/10):

  Spent most of the first half shuttling the ball between his fellow defenders. Put Fernandez under pressure with an unwanted square pass back into danger ahead of Tanaka's goal, then got robbed by Nmecha for the third. A night to forget. 

  Benoit Badiashile (4/10):

  Unsure on the ball. Given a tough test by Calvert-Lewin's runs down the channels in the opening quarter. Pulled at half-time. 

  Marc Cucurella (4/10):

  Given the license to roam freely in possession, even popping up in an inside right position on a couple of occasions. Was more effective in the second half as he stuck to the left side of the pitch. 

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Andrey Santos (5/10):

  Looked unsure if he should drop back into his back three to pick up the ball, or offer an option in midfield. Still, he was more willing than most to try and progress the ball. 

  Enzo Fernandez (3/10):

  Caught in possession in the buildup to Tanaka's goal. His normally dependable touch let him down repeatedly in tight areas, affecting his desire to go and take control of the game. Looked rattled at times. 

  Joao Pedro (4/10):

  Largely anonymous in the first half, and sloppy on the ball when he did find pockets of space. Put Delap through on goal late in the opening period.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Estevao (3/10):

  Tried to be direct but did not find much joy. Ended a frustrating first half by blatantly chopping down Gudmundsson. Given the hook at the break. 

  Liam Delap (4/10):

  Did not appear to have much understanding with Pedro, until the Brazilian picked out his run on the 30-minute mark. A bystander for most of the first 45 minutes. Blazed a snapshot over the bar before departing on the hour. 

  Jamie Gittens (5/10):

  Very wasteful in the first half, losing the ball while dribbling or delivering aimless crosses. Was far more direct to set up Neto's goal, taking on his man and delivering a tantalising cross across the six-yard box. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Malo Gusto (5/10):

  Brought on to provide an outlet but almost allowed a Nmecha goal straight after the break as he failed to track the forward's run. Some hairy moments on the ball, but the change in shape he brought was undoubtedly a positive for the Blues. 

  Pedro Neto (7/10):

  Instant impact as the Portuguese crashed home with more or less his first touch. 

  Cole Palmer (5/10):

  Could not wrap his foot around the ball to nab the equaliser just moments before Leeds third. Hardly the return he would have hoped for after a couple of months on the shelf. 

  Alejandro Garnacho (6/10):

  Set Palmer up on a plate after skinning his man. 

  Marc Guiu (5/10):

  Brought on for more attacking ballast in the final 15 minutes. One header skewed well over the bar. Little else to report. 

  Enzo Maresca (4/10):

  This was a performance reminiscent of Chelsea in the middle of last season; laboured in possession and lacking in industry. After such a titanic effort with 10 men against Arsenal, this was a bitterly disappointing showing from a side that looked unsure of how their manager wanted them to play. 

SLC said that the decision was taken “after careful consideration of the broader requirement of preparing well in advance” for next year’s T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2025The 2025 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will not take place this year as was originally planned, SLC has announced. In a press release, SLC said that the decision was taken “after careful consideration of the broader requirement of preparing well in advance” for next year’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.The 2025 LPL was originally slated to be held between November 27 and December 23 across three venues – Colombo, Kandy and Dambulla. SLC, however, has now decided to move the tournament to another window, in order to allow “full focus on ensuring comprehensive venue readiness ahead of the World Cup.”As per ICC guidelines, all venues for the upcoming 20-team World Cup are meant to be in perfect condition to meet the demands of hosting a major international tournament. Accordingly, SLC said they needed the time to upgrade and enhance the infrastructure in and around the grounds.The R Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, which is one of three venues in Sri Lanka, had temporarily paused its renovation work to host 11 matches in the ongoing Women’s World Cup. SLC confirmed that the ground will resume development work immediately upon the completion of its scheduled games.The last two seasons of the LPL took place during July and August, however this year, with the 2026 T20 World Cup set to begin in February, SLC had initially felt the later window better suited their needs.ESPNcricinfo had also learnt that talks are underway to incorporate a sixth team into the LPL. The first five editions saw five teams representing Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna compete. Earlier this year, Jaffna Kings – formerly the longest-standing franchise, having joined in the tournament’s second edition – and Colombo Strikers were terminated by SLC for “failure to uphold contractual obligations.” As a result, the LPL currently has no franchise owners with a history stretching back beyond 2024. New owners for both the Jaffna and Colombo teams are yet to be announced.

Middlesex 211 (De Caires 52, Geddes 52, Aspinwall 4-62, Bailey 4-68) and 99 for 4 (Bailey 3-47) drew with Lancashire 375 for 5 dec (Bohannon 87, Hurst 67, Wells 62, Jennings 61)Josh Bohannon made a superb 87 and both Seb Morgan and Arav Shetty took their maiden first-class wickets on an eventful last day of the first-class season at Emirates Old Trafford but the Rothesay County Championship match between Lancashire and Middlesex ended in a draw.Replying to Middlesex’s 211, Lancashire’s batters went on the attack in the first half of the day, scoring 270 runs in 44 overs before declaring on 375 for 5 an hour after lunch. However, their imaginative attempt to conjure a victory was thwarted, not without the odd alarm, by Middlesex’s top-order and the game ended with the visitors on 99 for 4.The result ensures that Glamorgan will finish second in Division Two, although whether that means they will be promoted to Division One or one of the proposed conferences has yet to be decided.The morning had begun on a positive note for Middlesex when Luke Wells was lbw to Toby Roland-Jones for 62 in the third over of the day. But the session was dominated by the batting of Bohannon whose 69-ball 87 included 14 fours and two sixes, the latter off Henry Brookes and Zafar Gohar. Lancashire’s No. 3 scored 74 of the first hundred runs in his 113-run stand with Jennings and looked set for a very quick hundred before he was bowled by Roland-Jones when hitting across the line.Jennings had been completely overshadowed by his batting partner but he was dismissed for 61 two balls after Bohannon when he played all around a ball from Morgan and lost his leg stump. That gave 18-year-old Morgan his maiden first-class wicket on the ground where his 61 runs had been instrumental in Middlesex’s memorable one-wicket Metro Bank Cup victory back in August.Lancashire came into lunch on 239 for 3, giving them a lead of 28, but they lost George Bell in the third over of the afternoon session when he was leg before wicket to Higgins for 17. By then, though, Matty Hurst had hit the first of his four sixes, two of the maximums coming off Gohar, and Lancashire’s rapid progress was not slowed by the dismissal of Michael Jones, caught at deep point off Morgan, for 33. When the declaration was made, Hurst was 67 not out off 68 balls and Lancashire had scored 270 runs off 44 overs in the day’s play.Lancashire’s hopes of achieving an unlikely victory were given an immediate fillip when Josh De Caires was leg before wicket to Tom Bailey in the ninth over of the innings. That gave Bailey his 500th wicket in all formats for Lancashire and Middlesex came into tea on 26 for 1.On the resumption, Sam Robson and Luke Hollman coped reasonably easily with Lancashire’s seam attack but after the light had worsened and stand-in captain Bohannon was compelled to bowl his slow bowlers if the game was to continue, Robson fell to Bailey’s first offspinner when he was caught at short leg by Bell for 21. Shetty then took his maiden first-class wicket on debut when he bowled Leus du Plooy for 5 and Middlesex’s anxieties were increased three overs into the last hour when Bailey bowled Luke Hollman for 33.To their evident relief, though, the visitors lost no more wickets and were 99 for 4 with Higgins on 14 not out and Ben Geddes unbeaten on 1 when the players shook hands. Bailey finished with 3 for 47 from 17.5 overs.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras venceu o Internacional por 3 a 0 neste sábado (11), na Arena Barueri, pela 34ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Os gols da partida foram marcados por Zé Rafael, Endrick e Rony.

FICHA TÉCNICA
Campeonato Brasileiro – 34ª rodada
Palmeiras 3 x 0 Internacional

Data e horário:sábado, 11 de novembro de 2023, às 21h (de Brasília)
Local:Arena Barueri, em Barueri (SP)
Arbitragem:Paulo Cesar Zanovelli da Silva (Fifa-MG)(árbitro);Guilherme Dias Camilo (Fifa-MG) e Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira(auxiliares);Vinicius Goncalves Dias Araujo (SP)(quarto árbitro);Marco Aurelio Augusto Fazekas Ferreira (MG)(VAR)
Cartões amarelos:Murilo, Dalbert, Aránguiz, Alan Patrick
Gols:Zé Rafael (1-0) (37’/1T), Endrick (2-0) (14’/2T), Rony (3-0) (43’/2T)

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton; Murilo, Luan (Naves, após o intervalo) e Marcos Rocha; Mayke, Richard Ríos, Zé Rafael, Raphael Veiga (Artur, aos 44’/2T) e Piquerez; Breno Lopes (Vanderlan, aos 18’/2T) e Endrick (Rony, aos 18’/2T).

INTERNACIONAL (Técnico: Eduardo Coudet)
Rochet; Bustos, Igor Gomes, Vitão e Dalbert (Nicolás Hernández, aos 32’/1T); Johnny (Carlos de Pena, aos 34’/2T), Aránguiz (Rômulo, após o intervalo), Maurício (Pedro Henrique, aos 33’/2T) e Alan Patrick; Wanderson e Enner Valência (Luiz Adriano, aos 18’/2T).

تتجه أنظار عشاق كرة القدم المصرية والعربية مساء اليوم نحو ملعب “أسباير زون” بالعاصمة القطرية الدوحة، حيث يخوض منتخب مصر مواجهة قوية أمام نظيره منتخب إنجلترا، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا.

ويسعى الفراعنة الصغار لتأكيد صدارتهم للمجموعة الخامسة وحسم بطاقة التأهل إلى دور الـ32 بعد أداء مشرف في أول جولتين، حيث افتتح المنتخب المصري مشواره بانتصار كبير على هايتي بنتيجة 4-1، قبل أن يتعادل مع فنزويلا 1-1 في لقاء الجولة الثانية.

وبهذه النتائج، يتقاسم منتخب مصر تحت 17 عامًا صدارة المجموعة مع فنزويلا برصيد 4 نقاط لكل منهما، متقدمين على إنجلترا وهايتي.

طالع أيضًا | موعد مباراة مصر وإنجلترا اليوم في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا

أما منتخب إنجلترا للناشئين فيدخل اللقاء ولا بديل أمامه سوى الفوز للحفاظ على حظوظه في التأهل، خاصة بعد تعثره، ما يجعل المواجهة حاسمة ومليئة بالإثارة والتحدي بين الفريقين. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة مصر وإنجلترا اليوم في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا

من المقرر أن تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة بي إن سبورتس المفتوحة، بالإضافة إلى قناة الكأس 3 المفتوحة على القمر الصناعي نايل سات.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا

MatériaMais Notícias

O Paysandu recebe o Botafogo-PB neste domingo (17), às 16h (de Brasília), no Mangueirão, em Belém. A partida é válida pela terceira rodada da segunda fase da Série C.

RelacionadasOnde AssistirGuarani x Tombense: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pela Série BOnde Assistir16/09/2023Onde AssistirVitória x Avaí: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pela Série BOnde Assistir16/09/2023Onde AssistirSampaio Corrêa x Chapecoense: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pela Série BOnde Assistir16/09/2023

O time da casa tem quatro pontos até o momento e está na segunda posição do Grupo B. Já o Botafogo-PB é o terceiro, com três pontos. Apenas os dois primeiros de cada grupo avançam para a Série B de 2024. Os líderes fazem a grande final da competição.

+ Já pensou em ser um gestor de futebol? Participe da nossa Masterclass com Felipe Ximenes e descubra oportunidades

FICHA TÉCNICA
PAYSANDU X BOTAFOGO-PB
SÉRIE C

Data e horário: 17 de setembro de 2023, às 16h
Local: Mangueirão, em Belém (PA)
Árbitro: João Vitor Gabi (SP)
Assistentes: Anderson Jose de Moraes Coelho (SP) e Diego Morelli de Oliveira (SP)
VAR: Jose Claudio Rocha Filho (Fifa/SP)
Onde assistir: Nosso Futebol e DAZN

+ Flamengo x São Paulo: jornalistas opinam quem será o campeão da Copa do Brasil

PAYSANDU (Técnico: Hélio dos Anjos)
Matheus Nogueira, Edilson Júnior, Wanderson, Wellington Carvalho, Kevyn, Robinho, Alencar, Joao Vieira, Vinicius Leite, Ronaldo Mendes, Mário Sérgio.

BOTAFOGO-PB (Técnico: Felipe Surian)
Mota, Ricardo Luz, Wesley Matos, Pedro Henrique, Zé Mário, Wesley, Netinho, Mateus Anderson, Renatinho, Bismark, Mariotto

West Ham United have agreed a deal with Nuno Espírito Santo to replace Graham Potter, who was sacked on Saturday morning after just nine months and 25 games in charge.

Nuno Espírito Santo takes over from Graham Potter at West Ham

The 51-year-old, after leaving Nottingham Forest due to a public fallout with Evangelos Marinakis, has wasted absolutely no time getting back to work, replacing Potter at West Ham.

The latter recorded the second-worst win percentage of any West Ham manager in Premier League history, behind only Avram Grant, with the Irons conceding a calamitous seven of their 13 goals from corners so far this season.

9. Sam Allardyce

30.7%

10. Julen Lopetegui

30%

11. Gianfranco Zola

27.8%

12 Graham Potter

26.1%

13. Avram Grant

18.9%

via StatMuse

It quite simply couldn’t go on, and West Ham shareholders held a very real worry that relegation was staring them in the face (Claret & Hugh), despite senior members of the squad telling close friends that Potter was the right man for the job (The Telegraph).

ExWHUemployee was first to report earlier this week that Nuno was close to agreeing a West Ham deal, and widespread reports suggested that the former Wolves and Tottenham boss was a standout favourite.

Now, those reports have come to fruition, with the tactician poised to take charge of his first game away to Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday.

It is interesting to note that chairman David Sullivan was reportedly in favour of Slaven Bilic’s return on a short-term contract until the end of the season, with some media sources claiming that Nuno was demanding big wages to join West Ham and a longer-term deal.

The driving force behind Nuno Espírito Santo's move to West Ham

Therefore, it is little surprise that he wasn’t the driving force behind Nuno’s move to East London.

Indeed, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, vice-chairman Karren Brady was leading West Ham’s charge to appoint Nuno, with the journalist also revealing a disagreement between the official and Sullivan over Potter’s previous contract.

It appears Brady has overruled Sullivan for the second time in a year through Nuno’s arrival, but considering the coach’s obvious credentials, her decision could prove to be the right one.

Why Brady was right to push for Nuno's appointment at West Ham

A succession of other candidates were linked with the post, including Bilic, Gary O’Neil, Scott Parker, Marco Silva, Sean Dyche, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick.

However, Nuno stands above all the aforementioned names.

Following his appointment at the City Ground, the ex-Al-Ittihad boss – who won a Saudi Pro League title there before leaving just months later – steadied the ship, solidified Forest’s leaky backline, improved their set-piece fragility and gave his former team a clear counter-attacking identity.

What followed was a sensational 2024/2025, where Forest stood out as last season’s major surprise package, and they were justly rewarded via securing a place back in European football for the first time in 30 years.

Nuno eventually got the very best out of his players, despite inheriting what was once a dire situation. West Ham supporters will be hoping he can now replicate that feat down south, with Nuno aiming to end 2025 on a high in very testing circumstances.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football and numerous legends of the game have picked up the honour since its creation in 1956.

Voted for by an international jury of journalists, Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the award in 2024 after a sensational season at the Etihad. But with the 30 nominees now ranked, here is the final 2025 Ballon d’Or standings.

Ballon d'Or final rankings in pictures

2025 Ballon d’Or Final Rankings

Rank

Player

Age

Club

Nation

1

Ousmane Dembele

28

PSG

France

2

Lamine Yamal

18

Barcelona

Spain

3

Vitinha

25

PSG

Portugal

4

Mohamed Salah

33

Liverpool

Egypt

5

Raphinha

28

Barcelona

Brazil

6

Achraf Hakimi

26

PSG

Morocco

7

Kylian Mbappe

26

Real Madrid

France

8

Cole Palmer

23

Chelsea

England

9

Gianluigi Donnarumma

26

Man City

Italy

10

Nuno Mendes

23

PSG

Portugal

11

Pedri

22

Barcelona

Spain

12

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

24

PSG

Georgia

13

Harry Kane

32

Bayern Munich

England

14

Desire Doue

20

PSG

France

15

Viktor Gyokeres

27

Arsenal

Sweden

16

Vinicius Jr

25

Real Madrid

Brazil

17

Robert Lewandowski

37

Barcelona

Poland

18

Scott McTominay

28

Napoli

Scotland

19

Joao Neves

20

PSG

Portugal

20

Lautaro Martinez

28

Inter Milan

Argentina

21

Serhou Guirassy

29

Borussia Dortmund

Guinea

22

Alexis Mac Allister

26

Liverpool

Argentina

23

Jude Bellingham

22

Real Madrid

England

24

Fabian Ruiz

29

PSG

Spain

25

Denzel Dumfries

29

Inter Milan

Netherlands

26

Erling Haaland

25

Man City

Norway

27

Declan Rice

26

Arsenal

England

28

Virgil van Dijk

34

Liverpool

Netherlands

29

Florian Wirtz

22

Liverpool

Germany

30

Michael Olise

23

Bayern Munich

France

Detailed look at the 2025 Ballon d'Or top 20 20 Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan and Argentina

Striker Lautaro Martinez came close to winning the Champions League in 2024/25, with the Inter Milan captain playing a key role in their run to the final, scoring nine goals in 14 European appearances.

In Serie A, the Argentine also hit double figures for goals for the sixth successive season, seeing him finish in 20th place.

19 Joao Neves PSG and Portugal

One of many PSG regulars who finished in the top 30 is midfielder Joao Neves, who is starting to show why the French giants splashed the cash on his services in 2024.

His first full season at the Parc des Princes couldn’t have gone better, playing regularly and lifting all there was to be won in Paris. Neves was called crucial to PSG’s Champions League success due to his “immense physical commitment”.

18 Scott McTominay Napoli and Scotland

After leaving Manchester United for Napoli in 2024, Scott McTominay enjoyed a brilliant first season in Italy, guiding them to a Serie A title.

In fact, the Scottish midfielder was named as the Serie A MVP for 2024/25 as he contributed to 18 goals in 34 league games. Finishing above the likes of Erling Haaland and Virgil van Dijk shows just how far McTominay has come.

17 Robert Lewandowski Barcelona and Poland

At the age of 37, Robert Lewandowski has continued to score goals at the highest level, finding the back of the net on 42 occasions in 2024/25.

The Poland international has had some incredible attacking players around him under Hansi Flick and has won the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and La Liga. However, Lewandowski missed most of Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan through injury.

16 Vinicius Jr Real Madrid and Brazil

After finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings and not turning up to the event, Vinicius Jr was looking to win the prestigious award in 2025.

However, with Real Madrid missing out on the La Liga title and also being knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, the Ballon d’Or wasn’t going to a Galactico.

Vinicius Jr has still contributed to 39 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions, though, winning the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup.

15 Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal and Sweden

One of Europe’s best strikers around at this moment in time is Viktor Gyokeres, who has now signed for Arsenal from Sporting CP. After an outstanding first season in Portugal, Gyokeres backed that up in 2024/25 with more than 50 goals in all competitions.

No player has scored more in Europe, and the Sweden international rounded off the campaign by winning both the Liga Portugal and Taca de Portugal and has already opened his account for the Gunners.

14 Desire Doue PSG and France

Desire Doue has proven to be a gem of a signing for PSG and impressed as a starter later in the season, despite sometimes being in the shadows of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.

However, the 20-year-old starred in big moments, providing two assists in the Coupe de France final while scoring two goals and getting an assist in the Champions League final. Those displays saw him finish 14th, and he looks destined to pick up the Ballon d’Or at some point in his career.

13 Harry Kane Bayern Munich and England

Bayern Munich and England star Harry Kane continued to score goals for fun in Germany and finally won the first major piece of silverware of his career.

The striker lifted the Bundesliga title in 2024/25, scoring 41 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions during the season.

12 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG and Georgia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made the move to Paris Saint-Germain in January and went on to help the French giants win the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, and the Champions League, scoring in the final against Inter Milan.

The first half of the 2024/25 season saw Kvaratskhelia star for Napoli, who also won Serie A, before his big money move to France, so the Georgia icon’s two league winners medals helped him to a high ranking.

11 Pedri Barcelona and Spain

Running the midfield for Barcelona has been Pedri, who remained injury free under Hansi Flick to help them win the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and La Liga.

Called “the best midfielder in the world” by Thiago Alcantara recently, Pedri has controlled numerous games and has missed just one in all competitions in 2024/25, contributing to 14 goals along the way. He also helped Spain reach the Nations League final.

Rangers’ centre-forward options at Ibrox are set to undergo a mass overhaul during the final few days of this transfer window.

On Friday, Hamza Igamane’s departure was made official, joining Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for £10.4m, leaving under a bit of a black cloud, having refused to come off the bench during last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with St Mirren, at least according to under-fire manager Russell Martin.

Meantime, Cyriel Dessers has been heavily linked with a move away all throughout the summer, with AEK Athens the club who’ve shown the strongest interest.

For now, the Nigerian remains a Rangers player, but he is a doubt ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm derby at Ibrox, so Danilo is expected to lead the line against Celtic.

However, ahead of that game, could the Light Blues sign not one but two new centre-forwards?

Rangers' search for new strikers

As has been widely reported, Rangers are set to sign striker Bojan Miovski from Girona for around £2.6m, potentially rising to £4.2m.

The North Macedonian international underwent a medical in France on Friday, with the Gers attempting to get the paperwork finalised in time so that he would be eligible to feature in Sunday’s Glasgow derby.

Miovski will be a familiar face to all Scottish football fans, having scored 44 goals across two seasons at Aberdeen, four of which came against Rangers, only on target against Livingston more frequently, but he is now tasked with scoring goals in light blue.

However, Miovski is not the only centre-forward on his way to Glasgow’s south side.

That’s because, as reported by Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Rangers are in the “final stages of completing a deal” to sign Everton striker Youssef Chermiti, adding that a deal is now virtually agreed.

Transfer Focus

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

The Portuguese under-21 international will move to Ibrox on a season-long loan, seemingly set to swap Merseyside for Glasgow imminently.

What Youssef Chermiti will bring to Rangers

After coming through Sporting CP’s academy, Chermiti made just 22 appearances for the Lions’ first team, scoring three goals, but this was enough to convince Everton to pay £15m to secure his signature.

However, this move has not paid off so far, with the striker making just 24 appearances for the Toffees, of which only two have been starts, these coming against Brentford in the Premier League in April 2024, and at Doncaster in the EFL Cup soon after his arrival, hooked at half time in Yorkshire with the side 1-0 down.

This might explain why Chermiti is yet to score a single goal for the Blues, having seen just 295 minutes on the field since moving to Merseyside over two years ago.

Thus, he is certainly looking to relaunch his career north of the border.

Analyst Kai Watson labels Chermiti a “proper big man” centre-forward, adding that, despite being 192 cms (6 ft 4 in), he is a “good dribbler”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserts that he is a “superb prospect”

Given his lack of game time at Goodison, this signing is certainly a risk, mitigated by the fact it’s only a loan move, but could the Portuguese youngster replicate the success of Rangers’ best loan signing of recent times?

Ryan Kent also arrived at Ibrox on loan from Merseyside, joining from Liverpool in 2018, so successful during that season that they made him the club’s most-expensive signing of modern times, paying £7.5m to make the move permanent.

Before this however, as the table below documents, Kent had shown little sign that he was going to become a high-level performer.

Liverpool

1

Zero & zero

Coventry

17

1 & 1

Barnsley

47

3 & 3

Freiburg

6

Zero & zero

Bristol City

11

Zero & 2

As the table documents, before arriving at Rangers, in 82 senior appearances, Kent had scored just four goals and registered only six assists, ultimately accumulating 33 goals and 56 assists during his time at Ibrox.

Thus, there is certainly a recent precedent for a player arriving in Glasgow on loan and exploding in front of goal, something Chermiti will be hoping to replicate.

He could revive Raskin: Rangers in the race to sign "versatile" £1m talent

After both Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomandé were left on the bench in Brugge, are Rangers about to sign a “versatile” midfielder valued at £1m?

ByBen Gray Aug 29, 2025

Aston Villa had a quiet start to the window but it appears to be ramping up in the final few weeks. The club was at risk of breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules, but with the impending sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle, they have more freedom to spend.

Unai Emery has already brought in Nice forward Evann Guessand for around £30 million – the boss seems to have been a major contributing factor in the 24 year-old’s decision to come to Birmingham, as in one of his first interviews as a Villa player, he spoke of their relationship.

Villa are looking to quickly follow up this signing with another forward who has already spent some time with the club.

Villa working to bring back Asensio

With the sale of Jacob Ramsey almost complete, Aston Villa have started the process of bringing Marco Asensio back to the club (Sky Sports). Asensio joined Villa on loan from PSG from January until the end of the 24/25 season, but until now, there have been no official moves to make the signing permanent.

Negotiations are already proceeding well, with an agreement in place with the player to sign a three-year contract with all other personal terms having been agreed. On the club front, PSG has already informed Asensio that they are open to selling him in the event that a satisfactory offer is received.

Later this week, Villa are expected to place their first official bid with PSG, with a figure of £17.2 million including bonuses being their asking price.

Asensio to build on his fantastic first impression

From the moment Asensio joined Villa last season, he seemed to buy into Emery’s vision and the club’s project. In February, he held an interview with Sky: “Happy to join the project, be with my teammates and staff, and grateful to be able to give a lot of joy to the fans as well. I want to be able to help us achieve the goals that we have, collectively, as a team and a club.”

His teammates also took a liking to him, with Matty Cash calling him a “Mentality Monster”. His teammates would also have loved his creativity, as he featured in the top 25% of players for chances created per 90 minutes.

As a well-regarded figure, both in the dressing room and global football, who already has a good relationship with the club and the manager, resigning Asensio on a three-year deal for less than £20 million feels like a no-brainer for Villa.