Tag Futebol

Sunderland have raced out of the blocks at a serious speed when it comes to securing early deals in the summer transfer window.

Already, the Black Cats have splashed out £20m to win Enzo Le Fee permanently, with another £30m soon to be dropped on new club-record signing Habib Diarra to join the expanding Stadium of Light ranks.

Their lightning-quick business isn’t stopping there either, with Reinildo reportedly also expected to link up with Regis Le Bris’ men shortly after agreeing a deal to leave Atletico Madrid behind.

Sunderland interested in deal for £18m defender

Amazingly, yet another deal is also in their sights, as Sunderland look to bolster their numbers defensively with this £18m target.

As per a report by journalist Alan Nixon, Sunderland are not slowing down on the transfer front, with the newly promoted outfit now interested in a deal to snap up ex-Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell.

Cresswell’s stock has certainly risen since he exited Elland Road just last summer for a mere £3.8m, with the Ligue 1 side now demanding £18m out of any suitor chasing after the England U21 international after he slotted immediately into the French top division side’s defensive positions with ease.

Fresh off sealing a Euros success with Lee Carsley’s youthful Three Lions too, it’s no surprise to see a whole host of clubs queueing up for the 22-year-old’s services, with Nixon revealing that Atalanta and Como are keeping an eye on him in Italy, alongside some unnamed Premier League clubs.

Why Cresswell could be a better signing than Diarra

Amazingly, although Diarra is costing a club-record £30m to win, Cresswell might well be viewed as an even better pick-up than the Senegal international down the line, with the potential there for the young defender to shine even brighter in the demanding Premier League after a formative Toulouse stint.

After all, Cresswell has already shown he can shine in some high-pressure situations on the international stage, meaning he is unlikely to be fazed by any relegation battles to come.

Indeed, the impressive 22-year-old barely put a foot wrong all across England U21s’ memorable tournament, with Cresswell winning ten duels in total across the long-winded 120-minute final against Germany, alongside chipping in with a goal during the Three Lions’ opening win against the Czech Republic.

On top of that, he will be chomping at the bit to succeed back in the English game, having been hastily discarded by Leeds, with the 6-foot-3 titan also far more attuned to the pressures of an elite division now, after starring week in week out for Carles Martinez Novell’s men.

Diarra has also shown flashes of his quality in the same terrain, with four goals and five assists next to his name across the 2024/25 season, but the strain of being Sunderland’s most expensive buy ever might well work against the 21-year-old, especially as he gets up to speed with what is expected of him in the taxing Premier League.

In comparison, Cresswell will be very hungry to be an instant success on Wearside after failing to make the grade at Leeds, irrespective of a spotlight beaming down on him.

Cresswell’s league numbers for Toulouse (24/25)

Stat (* = per game)

Cresswell

Games played

31

Goals scored

3

Assists

1

Touches*

63.3

Accurate passes*

41.2 (83%)

Ball recoveries*

3.3

Clearances*

6.1

Total duels won*

4.9

Clean sheets

9

Stats by Sofascore

He even managed to line up for the Whites five times in the top-flight before moving away to Southern France, and off the back of such a superb season in the heart of Toulouse’s defence – as can be seen looking at the table above – he will be desperate to add more Premier League experience next to his name.

Lauded as “fantastic” by Gary Rowett when starring in the Championship at Millwall, this just feels like the next natural step for the 22-year-old to shine even more.

Whilst Diarra will no doubt go on to be a success in his own right, this pick-up of such an in-demand defender feels like an even more exciting purchase, knowing that he could well be transformed into a Jobe Bellingham-level talent on Wearside.

Related Sunderland set to make £17m bid for 21 y/o likened to Real Madrid legend Raul

The Black Cats could pull off an ambitious move.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 29, 2025

The England captain also lauds Adil Rashid, saying he is their “most important player”

S Sudarshanan20-Jun-20243:45

Badree: ‘Adil Rashid is such a skillful bowler’

Jos Buttler has called legspinner Adil Rashid England’s “most important player” and also lauded “class player” Jonny Bairstow for playing a “senior player’s innings”.England registered a commanding eight-wicket win in their Super Eight match against West Indies at T20 World Cup 2024 in Gros Islet. Set a challenging 181 to win, England got home with Phil Salt finishing unbeaten on 87, with Bairstow in tow with a 26-ball 48 not out. The two added 97 off 44 balls to see England home with eight wickets and 2.3 overs to spare.”That was a really good performance from us,” Buttler said at the post-match presentation. “We planned really well, we’ve been practising well and executed both with the bat and ball and deserved to win. I thought we bowled really well to restrict such a powerful batting line-up, such great six-hitters especially. [It was a] decent score, and you had to play well to chase it down.Related

Jofra Archer on crucial West Indies over: 'One of those times when you just nail it'

WI coach Sammy: 'This loss will not dampen our spirits'

Phil proves he is worth his Salt

West Indies wait on King scans after 'worrying' side strain

Salt and Bairstow take West Indies down with ease

“I thought we were very smart with the bat. Guys were very calculated when they took their options on. The Bairstow and Salt partnership was so good. Jonny came in with great intent and took the momentum straight back. Salty tucked in behind him for a bit and when he got that one big over, he broke the back of it.”A lot of people say you learn when you lose, but I truly believe you learn when you win as well. [It is] important to reflect on what we did well today. We had a good performance, put that to bed and focus on the next performance.”Talking about Bairstow, Buttler said: “He is a class player, he has been for a really long time. That’s what we decided to do, you just keep backing class players. He hasn’t had many opportunities but today was an incredibly impressive innings. A really mature, senior player’s innings. With a lot of power, he scored at a great gear when the game was just in the balance.”Adil Rashid dismissed Andre Russell for 1•Getty Images

Earlier, riding on a fluent start from Brandon King, who retired hurt with a side strain, Johnson Charles and Nicholas Pooran had helped West Indies race to 72 for 0 in eight overs. But the next five overs – bowled by Rashid and Moeen Ali in tandem – saw them score just 34 for the wicket of Charles. Rashid bowled the 17th over too, for just two runs and the wicket of Andre Russell to finish with figures of 4-0-21-1.”We keep saying [Rashid] is our most important player, he really has been for a long time,” Buttler said. “He’s got so much variation and so much threat of taking wickets and also restricting runs.”Powell: We strayed away from our plans to SaltMeanwhile, West Indies captain Rovman Powell felt they were 15 to 20 runs short and strayed away from their plans against Salt.”We left 15-20 runs out there as a batting group,” Powell said. “I will say that we should have put up a better display as a bowling group. We are normally very good in the last five overs, but credit has to be given to the England bowling unit. They had clear plans, and the execution was good.”After their under-par finish with the bat, they offered lives to Salt and Moeen, with wicketkeeper Pooran unable to hold on to thin deflections on both occasions.”Those chances are always difficult,” Powell said. “But credit has to be given to Phil, he seems to like playing against West Indies. Every time he plays against West Indies, he always hurts us. We strayed away a little bit from our plans to Phil. It’s just for us to look back at those plans and re-evaluate.”Our destiny is in our hands. Once we win well, it will bring us back. We are playing good cricket.”

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and BlueCo are expected to sell their “best player” of 2025, in what would be quite a surprising move given his form.

Chelsea players who could leave Stamford Bridge this summer

A host of stars are widely tipped to leave the club this summer, so there is plenty of work to do in that regard, as many don’t appear to have a long-term future under Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea "ready to negotiate" re-signing £238k-a-week "leader", contact made

The west Londoners are exploring a “shock” move.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 8, 2025

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alfie Gilchrist, Renato Veiga, Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, João Félix, David Datro Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi are all contenders to leave Chelsea, with the loanees seemingly out of Maresca’s plans.

Chelsea will need to find another new home for each of the aforementioned players this summer, with AC Milan already deciding they won’t pursue a permanent deal for Felix, while Arsenal are also set to allow Sterling to return to west London.

Chelsea’s final four Premier League fixtures	Date
Newcastle (away)	May 11th
Man United (home)	May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)	May 25th

Chelsea will be very keen to find buyers as soon as possible, as they seek to gauge control of their wage bill and stay in line with Financial Fair Play/PSR.

Another key decision awaiting BlueCo is the future of defender Trevoh Chalobah, who has seriously impressed since returning from a loan spell at Crystal Palace.

The Cobham academy graduate was frozen out of Maresca’s pre-season tour and allowed to make a temporary move to Selhurst Park, only for Chelsea to activate a re-call clause in the deal and bring him back amid their centre-back shortage.

Since then, Chalobah has enjoyed a fantastic run in the first-team, starting each of their last six Premier League games. Chelsea have won four out of their last six, drawing the other two, and they’ve conceded just five goals in that time.

It is no coincidence that this run of form has coincided with the 25-year-old’s presence in Maresca’s backline, but it is believed by some that Chalobah could be used in potential Chelsea swap deals for other centre-backs.

Chelsea expected to sell Trevoh Chalobah despite stellar form

Now, The Telegraph’s Matt Law has provided an update on his future, and it appears the Englishman could still part company despite his excellent form.

Speaking on the London is Blue podcast, relayed by The Chelsea Chronicle, Law stated that Chelsea are expected to sell Chalobah this summer, and it is a case of Groundhog Day for Maresca’s “best player” of 2025.

“I suspect that they will try and sell him because I think that’s what the whole bringing him back was about,” said Law.

“I know that they are obviously interested in bringing in one defender. I don’t think it will be two defenders, so I think it will be one defender rather than two unless there are a lot more sales than planned, but I do fear that Trev will be on the up for sale list again. No one can be surprised because it’s the same thing that happens every year.

“I mean, it’s literally, it’s like Groundhog Day with Trev. He becomes the best player of the second half of the season, then they try and sell him.”

Manchester United are now preparing a cut-price offer to sign a £60 million striker who Arsenal are in the lead for, according to a new report.

Hojlund edges closer to Man Utd exit as Red Devils eye new attackers

There are expected to be a lot of changes at Old Trafford this summer, but none seem as important as strengthening the forward line. United have been one of the poorest teams in the Premier League this season for taking chances and scoring goals, and Ruben Amorim knows that this will need to change if he is going to be successful at the club.

Juventus take "concrete steps" to sign "top class" £85k-a-week Man Utd ace

Is it the right time for him to move on?

ByHenry Jackson May 5, 2025

Rasmus Hojlund has been a regular in the United team this season, but his lack of contribution in the final third means he could be on his way out the door this summer. According to a recent report, Serie A giants Juventus have taken “concrete steps” to sign Hojlund by making contact with the Denmark international. It doesn’t say how much United would want for Hojlund, but his departure would allow the club to bring in replacements, with two players already on their radar.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha appears to be edging closer and closer to moving to Old Trafford this summer, as talks continue over personal terms and the structure of the transfer. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are also planning a bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, a player who could either play as a number nine or number 10.

This comes as United are also looking at possibly signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, who now has a release clause worth £30 million given the Tractor Boys’ relegation to the Championship.

Man Utd preparing cut-price offer to sign £55m+ striker Sesko

But the list of potential replacements for Hojlund does not stop there, as, according to Caught Offside, Man Utd are preparing to make an offer to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig this summer.

The report states that Leipzig have placed a value on Sesko of around €80–90 million, which is roughly £68-76 million. But United are looking to bring that fee down and are planning to make an offer in the region of €65–70 million, which is roughly £55-59 million. However, United are not the only team interested in Sesko, as Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are also preparing transfer offers.

It’s been reported that Arsenal are the team leading the race to sign Sesko, as they view the forward as the ideal addition to improve their forward line. However, it is not just English teams chasing the Leipzig striker, as teams such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also very keen on Sesko.

Apps

85

Goals

39

Assists

8

Sesko, who has been dubbed a “quick” player, has been mightily impressive since joining Leipzig, and given how the campaign has gone for the German side this season, a move away for Sesko could be on the cards, given he will likely want to play at the highest level.

He could be a huge upgrade on Hojlund for Man Utd, as the 21-year-old has netted 43 goals in the last three Bundesliga seasons.

He’s young, very fast and very exciting, and South Africa are hoping he does the groundwork in Cape Town for a long and successful career

Firdose Moonda02-Jan-2025Kwena Maphaka does not need to think of himself as being “on trial” when he becomes the youngest Test debutant for South Africa at Newlands on Friday. Maphaka will be 18 years and 270 days old at the time, not yet in possession of his final school results (which come out in about ten days’ time) and has just three first-class matches to his name.”We know what his talent is about,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s Test captain, said on the eve of the game against Pakistan.Those who watched the white-ball matches against Pakistan, where Maphaka reached speeds above 150kph, already know about some of it. Maphaka’s raw pace was on display when he hit Babar Azam on the glove in the third ODI and then rushed him into a pull shot off the next ball which Babar played to short midwicket. The match before that, his athletic instincts were on full display when he leapt up in his follow through to take a sharp catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan. He picked up 4 for 72 in that game.Related

• Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma centuries drive South Africa's day

• Secrets of Newlands pitch keep Pakistan guessing on team combination

• Maphaka makes things happen, and things are happening for him

• Deflated Pakistan look to set record straight in South Africa and level series

Those who watched the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year might have seen all this coming. On some of South Africa’s less lively pitches, Maphaka picked up 21 wickets at an eyepopping average of 9.71. South Africa lost in the semi-final but Maphaka’s haul was not overtaken and he was named Player of the Tournament.But there was one person who knew even before this year’s age-group tournament that Maphaka’s talent was extraordinary: South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad. While working as national U-19 coach a couple of years ago, he remembers “seeing Kwena at the camp and I said to the selectors, ‘This kid’s going with us to the World Cup’. Everybody jumped up and said, ‘what are you talking about? He’s 15 years old’,” Conrad told ESPNcricinfo two days before the match. “I said to them that we might not reap the rewards at this World Cup but we’re definitely going to reap the rewards down the line.”Maphaka was part of the South Africa squad that travelled to the U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2022. He played three matches and took seven wickets and also had the opportunity to be mentored by the man who would become South Africa’s Test coach a year later. Then, Conrad included Maphaka in a South Africa A squad that toured Sri Lanka in June 2023. Maphaka made his first-class debut on that trip, before he had even played a domestic red-ball match, under Conrad’s watch. So it’s hardly surprising that Conrad brought Maphaka into the squad as soon as he had the opportunity to: once his school examinations were over (which is the reason he did not go on the away Test tours) and there was a vacancy in the attack.

“He seems like he wants to be the man for the team. He has the characteristics to at least to fulfil his potential. And I guess for us it’s to support him and make him feel free to continue being the person that he is”Temba Bavuma on Kwena Maphaka

With Gerald Coetzee and Wiaan Mulder injured at Kingsmead, Maphaka was brought into the Test squad in the Sri Lanka series but did not play at St George’s Park. Dane Paterson, a slower bowler who moves the ball off the seam, was preferred. Paterson took seven wickets and retained his place for Boxing Day, where allrounder Corbin Bosch debuted. But now, with Mulder back in and carded to bat as high as No. 3, Bosch has dropped out and though Paterson is desperately unlucky to miss out after 13 wickets in his last two Tests, the circumstances are ideal for Maphaka to debut.”Kwena selection is on potential, more than anything. But obviously, he exudes talent and we wanted to go with an extra bit of pace as well,” Bavuma explained. “Unfortunately, a guy like Dane Paterson, who has been superb for us, misses out. So we’re quite excited for Kwena – also considering the fact that we’ve got a series on the line. We want to give an opportunity to a young guy, when there’s a consequence to it. Whatever happens from his point of view, from a performance point of view, it’ll put him in good stead.”On eve of the match, it sounded like he may even be entrusted with the new ball alongside Kagiso Rabada. “I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to running in with KG over the next five days,” Bavuma said. “We’re super excited for the young talent.”ESPNcricinfo LtdAs captain, Bavuma will look to balance giving Maphaka a licence to simply do his thing with ensuring that he learns as much as possible from the experience. The message is that there is no pressure on him, but there is the opportunity to lay the groundwork for a long and successful career.”With a guy like Kwena, you want to allow him to be as free as he can. You want to allow him to continue being the Kwena he is and to allow the exuberance of youth to come out,” Bavuma said. “More specifically with him, it’s a case of Kwena running and bowling as quickly as you can, allowing him to kind of just spread his wings. Obviously with him, he doesn’t have the foundation. A lot of us played first-class cricket, we were able to fail, come back and find a way. He’s just going to have to learn quite quickly but he has the talent that will make it a little bit easier for him. Also, he’s not on trial in this game. We know what his talent is about.”Though Bavuma has not played a red-ball game with Maphaka before, they have shared the international stage in two ODIs and have trained together. From what Bavuma has seen, Maphaka “seems to have a good understanding of his game, especially at his age; he is a strong competitor as well and you can see it in all the other things that we do, even playing soccer”.”He seems like he wants to be the man for the team,” Bavuma said. “He has the characteristics to at least to fulfil his potential. And I guess for us it’s to support him and make him feel free to continue being the person that he is.”

Murphy is only the second visiting spinner to take a five wicket-haul on debut against India

Sampath Bandarupalli10-Feb-20232:58

Ian Chappell: ‘This has been a typical Indian red-soil pitch’

1 – Rohit Sharma became the first India captain to score centuries in all three formats of international cricket. The century in Nagpur was Rohit’s first as a Test captain. He has three hundreds in ODIs and two T20I tons when leading India. Only three other men have scored hundreds in all three formats while leading the team – Tillakaratne Dilshan, Faf du Plessis and Babar Azam.ESPNcricinfo Ltd57.65 – Rohit’s batting average as an opener in Test cricket is the second-highest for any player to have opened in a minimum of 30 innings. Only Herbert Sutcliffe is ahead of him, with 61.10 across 83 innings.57.14 – Percentage of 50-plus scores converted to hundreds by Rohit in home Tests. He now has eight hundreds and six fifties in 21 Test matches in India. Only M Vijay (60%) has a better conversion rate among India batters in home Tests, having converted nine of his 15 50-plus scores into centuries.75.2 Rohit’s batting average in Test cricket at home is the second-best for any batter for a minimum of 30 innings. Only Don Bradman is ahead of Rohit, having averaged 98.22 in the 50 innings he batted at home.