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Worcestershire bowled out for 143 before Keaton Jennings, Liam Livingstone steer comfortable chase

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Jun-2025Lancashire Lightning continued their strong start to the Vitality Blast with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire Rapids at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Rapids, having chosen to bat, were bowled out for 143 in 19.1 overs. Only Gareth Roderick (35 from 28 balls) resisted for long as the innings failed to recover from early damage inflicted by James Anderson and Luke Wood.Lightning reeled in the target with 15 balls to spare, reaching 146 for 3 thanks to a solid top-order effort headed by Keaton Jennings (42 off 37) and Liam Livingstone (41 not out off 22).Rapids won the toss but lost both openers in the first seven balls. Brett D’Oliveira edged his first ball, from Anderson, to slip and Wood struck with his first ball when he trapped Ed Pollock lbw.Jake Libby pulled Anderson for six and almost did the same to Wood only to be denied by a stunning one-handed catch by Jack Blatherwick just inside the long leg rope. Wood’s third wicket followed when Ethan Brookes pulled to midwicket and when, next ball, Adam Hose edged Tom Aspinwall to wicketkeeper Matty Hurst, the Rapids were 46 for 5, one ball out of the powerplay.Roderick and Ben Dwarhuis arrested the slide with a stand of 46 in 29 balls before the latter pulled Aspinwall to deep midwicket. Lancashire’s catching was top-drawer and when Matthew Waite sought six over fine leg off Blatherwick, Michael Jones judged the catch perfectly despite the pressure of knowing one backward step would take him over the rope.Roderick’s defiance ended when he sliced Anderson to third. That left Rapids’ last two wickets with 27 balls at their disposal. Jacob Duffy heaved Wood to the foot of the chestnut tree in a violent unbeaten 24 off 12 to at least give him something to bowl at but Rapids were well short.The home side desperately needed early wickets but took only one in the powerplay, Luke Wells, who edged Tom Taylor to wicketkeeper Roderick. Jennings and Matty Hurst added 63 in 46 balls and when Hurst was well-caught at long leg by Duffy, his belligerent cameo had, with Jennings, left Lancashire well in charge of the chase.Jennings bottom-edged a pull at Waite to the keeper but Livingstone smote D’Oliveira’s first two balls into the D’Oliveira Stand to reassert Lightning’s momentum. Despite fast-fading light, vastly experienced pair Livingstone and Ashton Turner saw their side comfortably home. They added an unbroken stand of 62 in 33 balls, Livingstone sealing the win with a pull into the aforementioned chestnut tree.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has now personally requested the board sign a “special” star, with a £105m opening offer now in the works.

Man City looking to sign successor to Rodri

After spending the majority of the 2024-25 campaign sidelined due to an ACL injury, 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is starting to show signs he is getting back to his best, most notably impressing in the 2-0 Champions League victory over Napoli.

The Spaniard received an 8.3 SofaScore match rating against the Italian side, the second-highest of any City player, after making a number of key contributions and touching the ball 109 times, more than anyone else on the pitch.

Statistic

Number completed

Duels won

6

Accurate passes

87/95 (92%)

Key passes

3

Defensive actions

6

Esteemed Kompany’s Steven McInerney also sung the central midfielder’s praises after his display against the Serie A champions, but it has since emerged that Guardiola is now running the rule over potential long-term successors.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Pep is keen on Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlovic as an heir to Rodri, and the manager has now set his sights on a different young midfielder.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Pep has personally requested the Man City board sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves, with the manager said to be a keen admirer of the midfielder.

Such is City’s level of interest, they are already preparing a massive initial offer of €120m (£105m) for Neves, but it could be difficult to tempt the French club into a sale.

Man City in race to sign "generational" £70m Man Utd star, Pep's a big fan

The City boss is an admirer of a Premier League player, with a shock move now on the cards.

ByDominic Lund Sep 18, 2025

The 20-year-old is regarded as an essential part of PSG’s project, given that the youngster has already established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position, so his current employers are extremely hesitant to sanction a departure.

"Special" Neves would be statement signing for Man City

It seems like it will be very difficult to get a deal done, but the Portuguese maestro could be a statement signing for the Blues, with scout Ben Mattinson suggesting he is destined for the very top.

Much like Rodri, the PSG star is an incredibly well-rounded midfielder, placing in the 96th percentile for tackles per 90, the 97th percentile for pass-completion rate, and the 92nd percentile for non-penalty goals over the past year, compared to other midfielders.

Despite his age, the starlet is already vastly experienced at the highest level, making 17 Champions League appearances en-route to PSG’s maiden triumph last season, which suggests he could be a top signing for Man City.

That said, given that Neves remains under contract until 2029, PSG should be in a strong negotiating position, and it remains to be seen whether he would even be willing to leave the reigning European champions.

Queensland were bundled out for 95 before 19-year-old Vidler responded with 4 for 33 to curb South Australia’s lead

Alex Malcolm26-Mar-2025

Brendan Doggett dismantled Queensland’s first innings•Getty Images

The fringe and the future of Australian fast bowling was on display on day one of the Sheffield Shield final with Brendan Doggett taking six wickets to roll Queensland for 95 before 19-year-old Callum Vidler took four to ensure South Australia did not run away with the game on a dramatic day at Karen Rolton Oval where 16 wickets fell.Doggett tore through Queensland’s line-up to bowl them out for the lowest first innings total in Shield final history. He took his best ever figures in Shield cricket of 6 for 31 and his second five-wicket haul in a final, having done it previously for Queensland in the 2017-18 decider. He also became the 10th bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in a final. Queensland’s total was also the third-lowest in Shield history in any innings.Related

Sangha and Carey tons hand South Australia first Shield title in 29 years

'That is 100% wrong' – Emotional Khawaja insists Queensland knew about his injury

Ironman Doggett has Shield glory in sights after career resurgence

From rock-bottom to title favourites: How South Australia learned to believe again

Vidler then responded with a stunning display that was reminiscent of Pat Cummins’ breakout performance in a Shield final as a 17-year-old in 2011. Vidler showcased high pace, swing and accuracy in just his third first-class game to claim 4 for 33, including Test batters Alex Carey and Nathan McSweeney.But when Vidler ran out of gas late in the day, Jake Lehmann continued his phenomenal form to finish 42 not out at stumps, sharing an unbeaten 45-run stand with Ben Manenti, who finished 36 not out to push the hosts to 158 for 6 and a priceless lead of 63 that had been earned by some hard work from opener Conor McInerney who made a vital 38 against the new ball.Doggett made the most of some excellent morning bowling conditions after McSweeney made the unusual decision to bowl first at Karen Rolton Oval given the surface looked far more seam-friendly than usual. The ball swung consistently with Queensland’s batters unable to handle it.Nathan McAndrew celebrates the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne•Getty Images

Doggett made the first breakthrough after coming on first change, removing Usman Khawaja for a tortured 2 off 28 deliveries when he pulled a short ball down fine leg’s throat. But Khawaja should not have survived that long.Nathan McAndrew had him dropped twice in the slips. He edged the third ball of the match to Manenti at second and he failed to hold onto the low chance. In the seventh over, McAndrew’s fourth, Khawaja edged a near identical delivery that angled in and swung away. It floated waist high to McSweeney at first slip and he grassed the simple chance.The weight of the 29-year Shield drought looked heavy on the entire team at that point. But the tide quickly shifted after Khawaja holed out.McAndrew endured more bad luck when Marnus Labuschagne defended a ball onto his heel and it rolled into leg stump at speed but did not knock off the leg bail. However, McAndrew’s frustration turned to elation next ball when Labuschagne glanced a catch to Lehmann at a well-placed leg gully to fall for a seven-ball duck.The next delivery Jack Clayton made a bizarre call. He defended a ball into the offside and took off for a single that was never. Opener Angus Lovell, who was a late inclusion for Queensland after Matthew Renshaw had to fly home for the birth of his second child, rightly sent Clayton back. Liam Scott swooped having been stationed very close at mid-off to prevent the single and produced a direct hit before Clayton could scramble back.How a drawn final is decided

In the event the Sheffield Shield final ends in a draw, the title will be decided on first-innings bonus points which are accrued across the first 100 overs.

Batting teams earn 0.01 of a bonus point for every run scored over 200 in the initial 100 overs; bowling sides get 0.1 of a bonus point for every wicket in the first 100 overs. For example, the batting side scores 350 all out in 90 overs they earn 1.5 points and the bowling side 1 point.

Should bonus points be tied and the match drawn, SA will win the Shield given they finished top of the ladder and earned hosting rights for the final.

Queensland quickly slumped from 16 for 3 to 22 for 5. Lovell had survived two very close lbw shouts and having hit the pad with a sharp offcutter, Doggett found Lovell’s outside edge with a perfect outswinger to have him caught behind.Three overs later Ben McDermott chipped a poorly executed drive back to Jordan Buckingham who held on with two bites. Replays were needed to examine if Buckingham had overstepped the front line but the inconclusive evidence meant McDermott was given out.Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson dug in just as they had done a week ago when they rescued Queensland from 86 for 5 to ensure a draw that got them into the final. Neser struck six boundaries in an excellent counterattack given the ball was still swinging consistently. But after a 46-run stand that got Queensland past lunch, Doggett struck twice in two overs.Peirson shuffled across too far to a ball that thundered into his front pad and was adjudged lbw. Neser had played and missed a few times in between playing some glorious drives but finally nicked a lovely outswinger from Doggett to McSweeney at first slip who let out a sigh of relief after holding on.McAndrew claimed a richly-deserved second when he lured Jack Wildermuth into a leaden-footed drive to have him caught behind.Doggett completed his five-wicket haul by cleaning up Mitchell Swepson and closed out the innings when Mark Steketee clubbed to deep mid-onNineteen-year-old Callum Vidler was outstanding with the new ball•Getty Images

Vidler, 19, then copied the Doggett blueprint to keep Queensland in the game, showing that high-pace outswing is a method for success on this surface. Playing just his third first-class game, he was trusted to open the bowling ahead of Steketee and did not let his captain down.He bowled 11 straight deliveries at opener Henry Hunt without letting him score, although one ran off the pad for four leg byes. Off the 12th, in Vidler’s third over, Hunt’s eyes lit up at a fuller length but some late shape at pace caught the edge and Lovell held the sharp chance at third slip.He bowled 12 deliveries to McSweeney without letting him get off the mark before scratching his outside edge with an even better delivery. Vidler went slightly wider of the crease, angled in and shaped away as McSweeney tried to defend on the crease. It wasn’t going to carry to first slip and Peirson took a blinder diving full length to his right with one glove. At that point, Vidler had bowled five overs, four maidens and had 2 for 2.But the scoreboard was moving at the other end thanks to McInerney. There was some luck involved. He edged Steketee on 14 but McDermott failed to lay a hand on the sharp chance and Steketee’s poor luck continued when Jason Sangha offered a similar edge high to Lovell’s left.Ben Manenti added valuable lower-order runs•Getty Images

Sangha edged a wide half volley from Neser to leave SA vulnerable at 41 for 3, but Carey and McInerney learnt from the mistakes of their team-mates and went on the offensive.Carey struck two fours and a six to put pressure back on Queensland’s attack. McInerney gloved an attempted pull down the leg side off Wildermuth to leave SA 65 for 4.But Lehmann and Carey kept the pedal down. Lehmann created width at every opportunity carving several balls from a fourth stump line behind point. He also benefited from some strange captaincy from Labuschagne who bowled part-time medium pace and gave up 18 runs in four overs, including three boundaries and a six.Vidler returned from the other end to wreak more havoc. Carey chopped on for 24, hurried by the extra pace trying to pull. Liam Scott was also done for pace, gloving a short ball down the leg side.But Vidler understandably tired at the back end of a second six-over spell. Manenti clubbed a pull shot for six to get himself going before he and Lehmann cashed in on some slower and more wayward offerings from and under par Neser and Wildermuth to put South Australia in a strong position at stumps.

While RR could potentially bring in Hasaranga, KKR look unlikely to make changes despite a heavy defeat in their season-opener

Sreshth Shah25-Mar-20252:20

Will RR’s lack of allrounders prove costly?

Big picture – RR’s balance, KKR’s middle order in focusGuwahati has been an occasional home ground for Rajasthan Royals (RR) since 2023, but they’ve found little to cheer about here. RR have lost two of their three games here, while a fourth was a washout. But come Wednesday, there’ll be a different buzz because the city’s own Riyan Parag will captain RR – a historic occasion for the player and his state Assam.But Parag has a lot to ponder, more so after RR nearly conceded the highest IPL total ever against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The retained trio of Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer brought the batting muscle on a flat deck and rookie Shubham Dubey dazzled too, but when the bowlers leaked runs, Parag found himself out of options.He is designated as an allrounder, and would like to consider himself one too, but did not bowl, even though he tried Nitish Rana’s occasional offspin for one over. RR missed a genuine allrounder who could be their fifth or sixth bowler without sacrificing their batting.This isn’t an issue on good days, and RR have reached the playoffs in two of the last three seasons with a similar team balance, but on bad days it can leave them with nowhere to turn. A shuffle, such as finding a place for Wanindu Hasaranga or Parag trusting himself to bowl, could be the answer with their bowling looking to regain confidence.Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions, have versatile all-rounders aplenty. The defeat in their season-opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru won’t shift them from their 2024 template, but their old middle and lower-middle order – consisting of Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh – contributed very little as KKR endured a below-par finish with the bat.Like RR’s bowlers against SRH, this area won’t always be an issue for KKR, but twice in a row could put them in early trouble, with Mumbai Indians awaiting them at the Wankhede next.The contest on Wednesday will be all about two teams looking to iron out their problems and find their first points.Can Jofra Archer put behind him the nightmare of going for 76 runs in four overs?•Getty ImagesNew loyalties – Nitish RanaFrom 2018 to 2024, Nitish Rana scored 2199 runs for KKR and became one of their senior players after being elevated to vice-captaincy. He was not one of the six players retained by the franchise after last season’s title and was signed by RR for INR 4.20 crore.Team news and likely XIIs – Will Hasaranga come in?Samson, recovering following finger surgery, is set to be RR’s impact player again. They are unlikely to drop Jofra Archer despite his 0 for 76 against SRH, the worst IPL figures of all time, but could look at bringing in Akash Madhwal for his yorker-bowling capabilities. Since Maheesh Theekshana usually bowls in the powerplay and KKR have spin-basher Sunil Narine as opener, he could be swapped out for Hasaranga.Rajasthan Royals: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Riyan Parag (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Shubham Dubey, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana/Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 12 Tushar Deshpande/Akash Madhwal.KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said after Saturday’s loss that he trusts his fast-bowling unit even if they are relatively inexperienced. They’ll most likely stay unchanged although Anrich Nortje is a potential replacement for Spencer Johnson if they think pace and short balls could make more of an impact than swing.Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Vaibhav Arora.The big questionIt wasn’t that long ago that Hasaranga was the world’s No. 1 T20I bowler on the ICC rankings and he’s still at No. 4. He isn’t carrying an injury, so he was most likely left out for tactical reasons against SRH. Should RR find a way to involve Hasaranga?In the spotlight: Dhruv Jurel and Quinton de KockDhruv Jurel struck a 35-ball 70 against SRH, showing why RR trusted him with a retention and why he’s India’s current back-up T20I wicketkeeper, despite the wealth of options for that spot. RR look a bit short this season when bridging the gap between their top-order and lower-order hitters, and his role at No. 5 is important. He has superb T20 numbers against pace, as a strike rate of 162.56 would suggest, but he’s tended not to score as quickly against spin, going at 123.76 at this stage of his career. Against SRH, he fell to Adam Zampa and scored three runs off seven balls against the legspinner; how will he deal with the twin threats of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy?Last year, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the highest run-scorer at the T20 World Cup, was named as opener in ICC’s ODI team of the year, and was a superb replacement for Phil Salt in the playoffs and final during KKR’s winning campaign. Despite this, KKR picked Quinton de Kock as their first-choice wicketkeeper-opener this season. It’s time for de Kock to come good on the opportunity, especially since he’s not had a good time since his international retirement. IPL 2024 was his second-worst of all time (average of 22.72 in 11 games), while he managed just 159 runs in 10 innings at the SA20. De Kock has a tendency to be hit-or-miss, and with another hit-or-miss opener in Narine at the other end, KKR would want some reliability from one end.Andre Russell will hope for a return to form after a low score against RCB•Associated PressKey stats Archer has come into IPL 2025 on a poor run of form. When he keeps things quiet, he doesn’t get wickets. When he gets the wickets, he’s mightily expensive. In the 2024-25 season that just went by, Archer averaged 34.75 with an economy rate of 9.26. The average first-innings score in IPL games at the Barsapara Stadium is 180, with the team batting first having won twice and lost once. At 23 years and 133 days, Parag became the IPL’s fourth-youngest captain when he led RR against SRH. Virat Kohli (22y 187d), Steven Smith (22y 344d) and Suresh Raina (23y 112d) are the three above him on the list. Narine has a strike-rate of 191.30 against Sandeep Sharma (44 runs in 23 balls, one dismissal) but has been kept quiet by both Archer (9 off 13) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (3 off 8 with one dismissal) in the past. Hasaranga’s wrong’un makes him a compelling option for RR with Russell averaging only 9.25 against googlies in the IPL (since 2022) and striking at only 115.63, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data. Against legbreaks, though, he crunches them at 153.70 and averages 41.50.Pitch and conditionsThe last time a RR vs KKR game was scheduled in Guwahati, it was a washout, but Wednesday promises to be dry. The Barsapara Stadium has been excellent for batting with three scores in the 190s in the IPL. India once scored 237 for 3 here and South Africa struck 221 for 3 in response, so we could see the first 200-plus IPL score in Guwahati on Wednesday.Next three fixturesRR stay in Guwahati to face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) next on Sunday, March 30, before travelling to Mullanpur to face Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 5 and then to Ahmedabad where Gujarat Titans (GT) await them on April 9.KKR travel to Mumbai next to play MI on March 31, after which they return home for games against SRH on April 3 and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 6.Quotes”It’s been a journey. I was here when I was 17 years old. Most importantly, me being captain is secondary, but the trust that the management have shown in me, that’s one of the biggest points. That’s one of the biggest upvotes that I take personally as a player that they’re trusting me enough to lead the team and trusting me enough to make my own decisions.”
“Sport is about failing. You fail more often than you succeed. But for a champion like Russ [Russell], it must be weighing on his mind that he failed last game. He’s out to prove every single game. We are also hoping Russ would come really good on this game.”

Fair to say, the start of this season has not gone to plan for Rangers.

The Light Blues were actually impressive during the early rounds of Champions League qualifying, knocking out both Panathinaikos and then Viktoria Plzeň, winning the first leg at home both times.

However, their Champions League dreams quickly went up in flames on Tuesday night, 3-0 down after less than 20 minutes at home to Club Brugge, ultimately defeated 3-1, but still needing a miracle in Belgium next Wednesday, or once again the Europa League beckons.

Meantime, the start of the Scottish Premiership campaign has been catastrophic, held to a 1-1 draw by both Motherwell at Fir Park and then Dundee at Ibrox, thereby failing to win either of their opening two league matches for the first time since 1989 under Graeme Souness.

Thus, the pressure is really on as the Gers travel to St Mirren on Sunday, with the first Old Firm of the season to come a week later.

Defeat in both of these fixtures would be unthinkable, but could have drastic consequences for the new man at the helm.

Russell Martin is under pressure already

When he was appointed during the summer, Russell Martin became only the 20th permanent manager since Rangers’ first in 1899.

However, the way things are going, he could become the shortest-serving, not including caretakers, as the table below documents.

List of permanent Rangers managers

Manager

Tenure

Matches

William Wilton

1899-20

718

Bill Struth

20-54

1,390

Scot Symon

54-67

681

David White

67-69

113

William Waddell

69-72

130

Jock Wallace

72-78

306

John Greig

78-83

289

Jock Wallace

83-86

124

Graeme Souness

86-91

257

Walter Smith

91-98

377

Dick Advocaat

98-01

195

Alex McLeish

01-06

235

Paul Le Guen

06-07

31

Walter Smith

07-11

245

Ally McCoist

11-14

167

Mark Warburton

15-17

82

Pedro Caixinha

2017

26

Steven Gerrard

18-21

193

Giovanni van Bronckhorst

21-22

69

Michael Beale

22-23

43

Philippe Clement

23-25

86

Russell Martin

25-present

8

All information courtesy of Rangers Archives

As the table outlines, Pedro Caixinha is the shortest-serving permanent Rangers manager of all time, taking charge of only 26 matches in 2017, winning just 14, overseeing the infamous Europa League qualifying defeat at the hands of Progrès Niederkorn.

Well, with pressure increasing already, Martin could break that record, needing to remain in charge until late-November to avoid this fate which, at the moment, is in the balance.

However, could the new manager immediately win over the Ibrox faithful by landing a statement signing before the window closes?

Rangers aiming to rebalance midfield

Most would’ve forecast that midfield would be the strongest part of Rangers’ team, given the performances of Mohamed Diomandé and player of the year Nicolas Raskin last season.

However, they’re yet to find the right balance with those two alongside summer signing from Bournemouth Joe Rothwell, who is yet to impress supporters.

With that in mind, could Rangers reignite their interest in Andy Irving, after it was reported by the Scotsman earlier this month that they were among many sides interested in securing his signature?

Numerous other clubs from across Europe are also interested, Wrexham, Köln, Stuttgart, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Sturm Graz, to name but a few, but Rangers could place themselves at the front of the queue.

The 25-year-old, who is reportedly valued at £3.5m, has already had a fascinating career; born in Edinburgh, he began his career at Heart of Midlothian, loaned out to both Berwick Rangers and then Falkirk, appearing 61 times for Hearts in total.

He then made the unconventional move to Türkgücü München, spending one season in Germany’s third-tier, before joining Austria Klagenfurt, playing for two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga, scoring 16 goals and registering 14 assists.

This earned him a move to West Ham, although he’s been used infrequently by the Irons, his sole Premier League start, to date, coming at Stamford Bridge in February, serenaded by supporters throughout, despite a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

He was then handed his senior international debut by Steve Clark against Liechtenstein at Rheinpark Stadion in June, remaining very popular amongst West Ham supporters, earning the nickname the ‘Portobello Pirlo’ due to his ‘precocious talent’ and ability to dictate play from the base of midfield.

Writer Kai Watson outlines how Irving can “play under pressure” and “break the lines with his passes”, concluding that the Scotland international “would do well in Martin’s system”.

As he proved at Southampton last season, Martin is not going to change his principles nor his philosophy, or playing style, so the only way he is a success at Rangers is if the players are better able to carry out his instructions.

Based on what he’s produced so far, Irving appears as though he could do just that at a high level, so he could be the man to save the sinking ship, with his ability to succeed in the system being played.

Related Journalist reveals what he's heard about Russell Martin's Rangers future

Is the Gers boss already on his way out of Ibrox?

Posts ByHenry Jackson Aug 22, 2025

As a Scotland international, Irving may also warm to supporters quickly as a player they may have an added investment in, which could help to get the fans back onside at Ibrox.

Chelsea could be very busy in these final few weeks of the transfer window.

Chelsea plan offer for "world-class" new target in bid to hijack AC Milan

The west Londoners are not done this summer.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 1, 2025

Earlier this week, Enzo Maresca was backed with the signing of Ajax left-back/centre-back Jorrel Hato, who will provide cover for Marc Cucurella whilst also bolstering the heart of Chelsea’s defence.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season	Average match rating
Cole Palmer	7.33
Moises Caicedo	7.02
Enzo Fernández	6.95
Nicolas Jackson	6.88
Noni Madueke	6.82
via WhoScored

In traditional Chelsea fashion, the Netherlands international has agreed a long-term seven-year contract and is undergoing a medical today, before the club announce him as their next major signing of the summer.

Meanwhile, talks remain ongoing for RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons, which is taking longer than initially thought.

A report from The Sun, via GOAL, claims that Chelsea have offered multiple players to Leipzig, including Carney Chukwuemeka and Armando Broja, in an attempt to sweeten negotiations, offload players and lower the Dutchman’s overall asking price.

Super agent Ali Barat is heavily involved in these discussions as he tries to facilitate Simons’ potential move to Stamford Bridge, and according to other reports, Chelsea could still move for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho.

A swoop for the Argentine, who Ruben Amorim’s side are actively trying to sell, is believed to be independent of the Simons deal, with Chelsea in the market for another left-winger after Jamie Gittens (talkSPORT).

This is backed up by The Telegraph’s Matt Law, who’s shared a detailed update on Garnacho to Chelsea this week.

Chelsea expected to bid for Alejandro Garnacho

Accordong to Law, Chelsea have completed extensive background checks into the 21-year-old’s personality profile, and they have zero concerns over his attitude, despite Garnacho’s questionable conduct at Old Trafford.

Chelsea are expected to make a bid for Garnacho too, and Simons’ potential arrival won’t shut the door on him as BlueCo look to tempt the former Atlético Madrid academy ace with a move to London.

Personal terms shouldn’t be an issue either, with Chelsea believed to be Garnacho’s “first choice” destination should he leave Manchester.

United are under some pressure to sell the winger as we enter the final weeks of this transfer window, with reports suggesting that they’ve slashed his asking price from £70 million to £40 million.

Garnacho racked up 11 goals and 10 assists in 58 appearances for United last season, and won the 2024 Puskas award for a stunning overhead kick against Everton at Goodision Park the year prior.

“He has a lot of personality, he doesn’t give up, and he’s always on the ball. He never gives up in one-on-one situations,” said former Argentina international Javier Saviola at the end of 2024/2025.

“Now he’s adding goals to his game, something he was lacking a bit before, and he’s appearing closer to the box.”

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Com 21 brasileiros, levantamento aponta os jogadores sub-23 mais valiosos do mundo; veja lista

Veja tabela da Copa Sul-Americana

Contando com o jogo citado, foram oito partidas entre o São Paulo e times do país em toda a história. Ao todo, foram seis vitórias, um empate e uma derrota. O duelo mais recente aconteceu contra Trujillanos, pela fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores, em 2016.

O Tricolor venceu após a goleada por 6 a 0. Na época, Calleri foi responsável por quatro gols, sendo os outros dois carimbados por Kelvin e João Schimidt.

O confronto contra o Puerto Cabello acontecerá no estádio do Morumbi. Esta será a quarta vez que o São Paulo encontra uma equipe venezuelana em casa. Das três vezes anteriores, venceu todas, sendo a mais recente justamente esta contra o Trujillanos.

O Puerto Cabello é um clube bem jovem, fundada em 2011 e que só passou a ter uma equipe profissional em 2014. Este será o primeiro jogo do time fora da Venezuela. O Tricolor vem de uma derrota recente contra o Botafogo, por 2 a 1, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, mas estreou contra o Tigre na Sul-Americana com uma vitória por 2 a 0.

continua após a publicidade

Veja o retrospecto do São Paulo contra equipes da Venezuela:

1955 – La Salle 4 x 1 São Paulo (Pequena Taça do Mundo)
1955 – La Salle 1 x 3 São Paulo (Pequena Taça do Mundo)
2004 – São Paulo 3 x 0 Deportívo Táchira (Copa Libertadores)
2004 – Deportívo Táchira 4 x 1 São Paulo (Copa Libertadores)
2006 – Caracas 2 x 1 São Paulo (Copa Libertadores)
​2006 – São Paulo 2 x 0 Caracas (Copa Libertadores)
2016 – Trujillanos 1 x 1 São Paulo (Copa Libertadores)
2016 – São Paulo 6 x 0 Trujillanos (Copa Libertadores

England captain says line has been drawn under “blackface” issue ahead of Bangladesh challenge

Andrew Miller04-Oct-2024

Heather Knight will lead England’s World Cup challenge in the UAE•Getty Images

Heather Knight, England’s captain, says that the challenge of leading her team into the Women’s T20 World Cup has her full focus, and insists that “the line has already been drawn” on the disciplinary measures taken against her for a historic “blackface” photograph that appeared on social media recently.Knight, 33, was last week reprimanded and given a suspended £1000 fine by the Cricket Discipline Commission, after a compromising fancy-dress photograph surfaced on Facebook, dating back to a party in 2012, when she was 21. While it was accepted by the Cricket Regulator that there was “no racist intent in her conduct”, Knight said in a statement that she was “truly sorry” and had “long regretted it”.Now, speaking on the eve of England’s T20 World Cup opener, against Bangladesh in Sharjah on Saturday, Knight turned the focus squarely to the task at hand for her team, as they seek to improve on their semi-final finish at the last event in South Africa two years ago, and land their first ICC global title since 2017.Related

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“It was obviously something that has been ongoing the last couple of months and it is something, as far as I am concerned, that has been addressed, and something that was a long time ago, so it hasn’t been in my mind at all,” Knight said.”The line has already been drawn, in my opinion, so I am really excited, obviously, for what is to come. We have got super supportive group, there is no doubt about that, so yeah, I’m pretty happy to get cracking with the cricket.”England came through an unbeaten home summer, winning 13 out of 14 matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, with only a washout at Taunton denying them a clean sweep. In addition to Bangladesh, they will play against Scotland, West Indies and South Africa in the World Cup group stage, with their two likeliest rivals for the title, Australia and India, awaiting them in the other half of the draw.”Australia are going to be favourites, for sure,” Knight said of the defending champions, who have won six of the last seven stagings of the T20 World Cup, dating back to 2010. “Obviously, their success in this event has been huge, but we feel in a really good place. We’ve been playing some brilliant cricket, and while the first goal is to get out of the group stages, we’re pretty confident in what we bring. We believe we can beat anyone on our best day.”Much of England’s summer was spent honing a side that could compete in spinning conditions, with Bangladesh having been the World Cup’s original host country. The event has since moved to the UAE for security reasons, but Knight is confident that England’s spin contingent – led by the ICC’s No.1-ranked bowler in white-ball cricket, Sophie Ecclestone – will thrive at a tournament that, to judge by the tournament’s opening fixtures, already appears to favour slow bowling.”We feel very prepared for what we’ve got to come, and now it’s just about executing it and being really smart about how we do things in-game,” Knight said. “We’ve obviously got the quality spin attack. It’s been our big strength, particularly through those middle overs, how we really squeeze teams and try and rush them in that middle period.”England opted to overlook the extra pace of Lauren Filer for this tournament, instead relying on Lauren Bell as a sole specialist seamer, backed up by a trio of seam-bowling allrounders in Nat Sciver-Brunt, Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson. Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn also offer batting depth as spinning allrounders, meaning that England – on paper, at least – have an enviably versatile squad.”We’ve got really good options, which is the nice thing,” Knight said. “The depth that we’ve got allows us to play based on the conditions that we face, and the team that we’re playing against.”It’s not going to be easy picking the team, but we’re pretty set on the little tweaks that we might need to make to get the most out of the conditions and teams that we’re playing against.”There are going to be times where we are going to have to graft a little bit, the boundaries are big and there might be times when we get on slow wickets where we are going to have to adapt to what is in front of us and be really smart with how we go about things.”Both Kemp and Sciver-Brunt were managed back to bowling fitness during the summer, after coming through back and knee issues respectively. But Knight was adamant that each was in the right place to deliver a full all-round role for the cause.”The allrounders are the fittest in the team, because of the role they have to do,” she said. “Freya, in particular, she’s super impressive with how she’s come back from that [second] stress fracture, and the work that she’s put in to be in a place to perform, it’s been brilliant.”

Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin confirmed that there will be further changes to the playing squad after the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday.

The Scottish head coach has revealed that there will be more signings to be added to the group to bolster his team, and that means that there will be players who have to move on as well.

Martin has brought in Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, and Emmanuel Fernandez, but is ‘expecting’ more recruits to arrive at Ibrox in the coming weeks.

It now remains to be seen who will remain at Rangers and who will be allowed to move on from the club, whether that be star players who may earn big moves or those on the fringes who are looking for more game time.

The Scottish Premiership giants have not always made the best decisions on player exits, as they have fumbled the chance to rake in huge profit on stars, such as Ryan Kent.

How Rangers fumbled millions with Ryan Kent

After an initial loan spell at Ibrox, Rangers swooped to sign the English winger from Liverpool for a reported fee of £7.5m in the summer of 2019 to bolster Steven Gerrard’s squad.

The electric left winger certainly proved his worth during his time in Glasgow, as he played a key role in the club’s Premiership title win in the 2020/21 campaign.

Kent ended that season with a return of 13 goals and 14 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which included ten goals and ten assists in the top-flight.

In the summer of 2020, Gerrard revealed that the club had “strongly rejected” an offer from a team for the winger, which was reported to be a £10m bid from Leeds United.

The Daily Mail then reported that Leeds were ‘unsuccessful’ in an attempt to sign the forward for a fee of £15m after his performances during the title-winning campaign for the Light Blues.

Summer 2020

£10m Leeds bid

January 2021

£6.8m

Summer 2021

£15m Leeds bid

December 2021

£14m

June 2022

£15m

March 2022

£9.4m

June 2022

£7.7m

July 2023

£0 (released)

As you can see in the table above, it may have been a mistake by the Gers to turn down that second offer from the English side, as he went on to be released for nothing just two years later.

His value continued to plummet before he left Ibrox on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and they may wish that they had cashed in on him when they had the chance to.

Rangers reject offer for forward

The Light Blues must avoid any similar mistakes with their star players this summer, after Martin confirmed that the club have turned down a bid for one of their forwards

Transfer Focus

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

Cyriel Dessers watched on from the stands as Rangers played against Club Brugge on Sunday, and the manager revealed after the match that the club have officially rejected a bid for the striker already.

Martin explained: “Cyriel, he’s just been injured his ankle. So, he’s here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near the valuation for the football club.

Martin added: “So, that [deal is] nowhere near happening. He’ll get on the training ground this week and start enjoying it.”

No price tag or club was mentioned by the manager, but Greek side AEK Athens have been heavily linked with the forward. Journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos claims that they are set to make contact with Rangers once again this week over a deal for the number nine.

Why Rangers should cash in on Cyriel Dessers this summer

Rangers reportedly paid a fee of £4.5m to sign the Nigeria international from Cremonense in the summer of 2023, and the club should cash in on him this summer if any team comes in with an offer of more than that – £5m or more.

They turned down two bids for Ryan Kent, of £10m and £15m, that would have seen the Gers make a significant profit on the initial £7.5m that they paid for him, and they lived to regret that as the forward went on to leave for nothing in 2023.

The Nigerian forward turns 31 in December and his current contract at Ibrox is due to expire in the summer of 2027. That suggests that this summer may be the peak of his value at the club, because he is now heading towards the latter stages of his career and the latter stages of his contract.

This is their last chance to cash in on Dessers at peak value, as he will only have 12 months left on his contract next summer, and that is why they should look to move him on amid interest from AEK Athens.

Appearances

35

35

Goals

16

18

Big chances missed

27

20

Assists

4

2

Ground duel success rate

29%

34%

Aerial duel success rate

40%

31%

As you can see in the table above, the 30-year-old striker has been an unreliable forward in front of goal for the Scottish giants in his two seasons in the Premiership.

Goal returns of 16 and 18 respectively are very solid hauls on paper, but 47 ‘big chances’ missed shows that the striker, who former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness described as “marmite”, has not been dependable enough.

Dessers is an incredibly wasteful finisher and Martin could improve his Rangers team by cashing in on him this summer to then bring in a more efficient marksman to lead the club back to glory.

He'd be better than Djiga at Ibrox: Rangers close in on another new signing

Rangers are in talks to sign a star who would be an even better signing than Nasser Djiga.

ByDan Emery Jul 6, 2025

Therefore, the Light Blues must cash in on the forward in the coming weeks to avoid a Ryan Kent repeat and to potentially improve the squad.

Nottinghamshire 360 and 425 for 2 (Slater 168*, Hameed 91, Young 68*, Stone 63) drew with Somerset 470 (Abell 111, Pretorius 95*, Pennington 5-96) Nottinghamshire opener Ben Slater turned the 13th hundred of his career into an unbeaten 168 but a lifeless final-day pitch had consigned this Vitality County Championship match to a draw long before that conclusion was reached with an exchange of handshakes at ten minutes to five as the home side declared on 425 for two.Only one wicket fell in 72 overs on the day, Slater finishing on a score he has bettered only twice in his career, with overseas batter Will Young making 68 not out after Olly Stone had been out for 63 nine overs after lunch, the England fast bowler again showing off his batting skills with a half-century in each innings for the first time in his career.There was too little in the pitch to encourage much interest for the bowlers, however, and it was hardly surprising that Nottinghamshire showed no interest in setting Somerset a target, given that their prospects of taking 10 wickets were almost non-existent.The 13 points they take ensure they remain at a comfortable distance from the relegation places in the Division One table; Somerset’s 15 keep them third.After sharing an opening partnership of 172 with Haseeb Hameed that was broken shortly before Tuesday’s close, Slater found two more long-term companions in Stone and Young.Stone ostensibly joined him as nightwatchman with Hameed’s demise but is making a strong case to be recognised as a genuine all-rounder.The 30-year-old England fast bowler had made only one half-century in 47 first-class matches before surprising onlookers with a very good 90 against Lancashire on this ground in May but now has three in his last five innings.This time he chipped in with 63 to go with his first-innings 83 batting at nine. Not all of his nine boundaries came off the middle of the bat, yet his defence was solid and he had helped Slater add another 136 before Jake Ball, using a belatedly taken second new ball, thudded one into his front pad as he played across the line.Slater, meanwhile, whose stand with Hameed had been the highest for Nottinghamshire’s first wicket since two shared an unbroken 236 against Worcestershire in 2021, was by then into three figures for the first time this season, reaching the century mark with a six and 12 fours, a good proportion of which clunked into the advertising boards on the short Bridgford Road side as the left-hander cut and pulled to profitable effect.When Stone departed, Nottinghamshire’s lead was 198 and, with little in the pitch to excite bowlers of any variety, Somerset could only hope a declaration might keep them in the game.Yet the docile surface meant that realistically there could be only one winner in such a scenario and there was nothing in the way Slater and Young went about their business to suggest that such a course of action was even being considered.Meanwhile Slater – dropped on 21 – pushed on past 150 for the third time in his career, having ticked off that milestone from 317 balls with 19 fours to go with the one six. By tea, at 396 for two, the lead was 286 with 37 overs remaining.New Zealand Test opener Young, whose only noteworthy score in a disappointing season so far was his unbeaten 174 in the drawn match between these sides at Taunton, almost missed out on a half-century, dropped at short midwicket by James Rew, who had handed the wicketkeeper’s gloves to Tom Kohler-Cadmore and later became the ninth Somerset player to have a bowl.