Manchester United are in deadline day contact to sign a £45m “machine” who is similar to former Red Devils midfielder Scott McTominay.
Man Utd agree deal to sign new goalkeeper for Amorim
Ruben Amorim looks set to welcome at least one new signing on deadline day, with an agreement now reached for Man Utd to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
United will fork out a total of €21m (£18.2m) to sign Lammens after shaky starts to the season from both Altay Bayındir and Andre Onana.
After Lammens’ transfer goes through, Man Utd’s summer spending will jump to more than £220m, the majority of which have been spent on attackers, and it looks as if INEOS are exploring a late loan move for a midfield target.
Man Utd incomings
From
Fee
Bryan Mbeumo
Brentford
£71m
Benjamin Sesko
RB Leipzig
£66.4m
Matheus Cunha
Wolves
£62.5m
Senne Lammens
Royal Antwerp
£18.2m
Diego Leon
Cerro Porteno
£7m
Man Utd in contact to sign £45m Conor Gallagher
According to reports coming out of Spain on deadline day, Man Utd have enquired with the agents of Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher.
Signed from Chelsea in 2024, Gallagher is under contract until 2029, however, the Red Devils have made contact to see if there is the possibility of a loan.
The La Liga giants want to include a £45m obligation to buy in a temporary deal, although Man Utd would prefer a straightforward loan deal.
Midfielders similar to Conor Gallagher
Club
Gavi
Barcelona
Sandro Tonali
Newcastle
Scott McTominay
Napoli
Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle
Boubacar Kamara
Aston Villa
Gallagher, dubbed a “machine” has certainly made an impression under Diego Simeone, with the Atletico Madrid boss praising the Englishman earlier this year.
“When we think of him we think of his youth, energy and intensity in the game. He also strikes the ball very well. It’s never easy for players coming from England to adapt to the Spanish championship, to the language. He has competed very well in different places and in positions where he doesn’t feel more comfortable.
“He will evolve, he has room for growth. He is very intense in offensive and defensive play, he brings a lot to us.”
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As can be seen, Gallagher has been likened to former United midfielder McTominay, who has starred for Napoli after leaving Old Trafford.
A move could be one to watch, but INEOS need to act fast and potentially accept Atletico Madrid’s demands.
Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin has admitted that Hamza Igamane was unable to come on against St Mirren after informing the manager that he was unfit to play.
Speaking after the game, the Gers boss said: “I turned around to him at 60 minutes and Hamza told me he’s injured. I have to trust him, but we’ll see.”
“The issue is that the window is still open and there are people with one eye out and one eye in We had a bid this week for Hamza that we rejected. There are too many people uncertain and we have to make sure we have people that want to be here. I’m calm about it.”
Igamane was called to come off the bench in the second half, with the Gers 1-0 down to St Mirren, but declined the call, citing injury, and these comments from Martin do not suggest that an injury was the only factor at play.
Hamza Igamane
The “we’ll see” and the talk of rejecting a bid for the striker, as well as players who are “uncertain” about their future seems to suggest that a possible move away from Ibrox may have influenced the decision.
Hopefully, that was not the case, and it was purely an injury concern and only that, but the window is still open for another week and the possibility that Igamane moves on from the club remains a real one.
Why losing Hamza Igamane would be a blow for Rangers
Cashing in on the Morocco international before the end of the summer transfer window would be a blow for the Light Blues because he is an exciting young talent who has the quality to deliver at the top end of the pitch.
The 22-year-old star enjoyed a terrific first season in Glasgow after his move to Ibrox last summer, scoring 16 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt.
His output in the Scottish Premiership, in particular, was impressive. The Moroccan star showed that he can be a clinical finisher whilst also providing a creative presence in the centre-forward position, or out wide on the left.
Appearances
33
Starts
23
xG
9.02
Goals
12
Chances created
37
xA
4.85
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, Igamane outperformed his xG by around three goals and was let down by his teammates in front of goal, as they failed to make the most of the high-quality chances that he created for them.
An xA tally of 4.85 suggests that he should have had way more than one assist in the top-flight, and shows that he has the creativity and quality to open up opposition defences fairly regularly.
Losing Igamane would be a big blow, therefore, for Martin because of his quality in the final third, but the Gers are reportedly keen on a star who could allow the club to sanction an exit before the deadline.
Rangers eyeing move for LaLiga forward
According to the Daily Mail, Glasgow Rangers are lining up a move to bring Girona centre-forward Bojan Miovski to Ibrox before the end of the window.
The report claims that the Macedonia international is out of favour at Girona, 12 months on from his transfer from Aberdeen for a fee of £6.8m, and could be on his way out of the Spanish side in the coming days.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It adds that Martin is a known admirer of the striker, who he wanted to sign during his time at Swansea and Southampton in Wales and England, and would like to snap him up to bolster his attack at Ibrox.
The Daily Mail reveals that the player and Girona would prefer a permanent deal to allow him to leave, but that Rangers cannot afford a permanent move for the star who cost around £7m last year.
Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski.
It is said that, therefore, a loan deal for Miovski may be the route the Gers look to go down, and that the player could be tempted by the prospect of a return to Scotland.
Why this could be the end for Hamza Igamane at Rangers
Rangers have played with systems that either have one striker or none in all of their competitive matches so far, something which has been a theme for Martin throughout his career.
In their striker ranks, the Gers currently have Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, and Igamane at their disposal. This suggests that they would not be looking to add another centre-forward to the group unless they thought that one of them would move on.
Given what happened against St Mirren, what Martin said, and the interest in his services, Igamane could be the player who waves bye-bye to Ibrox before the window slams shut in order to open up the space for Miovski to join.
Losing the Moroccan sensation, as aforementioned, would be a blow to the Gers when taken in isolation, given what he achieved on the pitch in his first year at the club.
The signing of Miovski, a proven performer in the Premiership, would soften that blow because he could come in and hit the ground running as a huge goalscoring threat for Martin.
xG
15.60
17.08
xG on target
18.36
17.60
Goals
16
16
Shots on target
36
44
Chances created
27
23
Assists
2
2
As you can see in the table above, Miovski was a clinical finisher – taking into account the xG on target versus xG – for Aberdeen on his road to scoring 32 goals in two Premiership seasons.
The left-footed star, who was described as a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, only started 12 times in LaLiga for Girona last season, scoring twice, and did not really get a chance to build any rhythm or momentum in his performances.
Bojan Miovski for North Macedonia.
Miovski is a proven performer in the Premiership, though, and his output for Aberdeen in two of the last three seasons suggests that he has the quality to hit the ground running as a lethal goalscorer for Rangers.
As well as Aarons: Martin must drop Rangers lightweight who lost 100% duels
Russell Martin must drop this Rangers lightweight as well as Max Aarons.
ByDan Emery Aug 24, 2025
This is why the club’s interest in the Girona outcast may suggest, along with Sunday’s events, that Igamane could be on his way out of Ibrox before the window shuts, and Miovski could be a dream replacement for him.
O retorno do atacante Deyverson ao Allianz Parque, agora defendendo o Cuiabá, foi um capítulo à parte na vitória do Palmeiras sobre o time mato-grossense neste sábado (15), pela primeira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. O jogador, que marcou o gol do título da Libertadores pelo Verdão em 2021, se surpreendeu com uma homenagem que recebeu da diretoria do clube alviverde.
Das mãos da presidente Leila Pereira, o ‘menino maluquinho’ recebeu antes do jogo uma camisa do Palestra com os dizeres ‘Deyvinho, para sempre na nossa história’.
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+Flaco López brilha novamente em vitória do Palmeiras na estreia no Brasileirão
– Cara, eu fico muito feliz, porque eu não esperava; Esperava, sim, que a torcida poderia gritar meu nome, falar alguma coisa, mas não ganhar um presente e estar escrito que é a minha casa, que eu sou sempre bem-vindo e fiz história. Fico muito feliz de receber o abraço e o carinho dela, que é uma grande presidente e merece viver o que está vivendo no Palmeiras, de títulos –
Com a bola rolando, Deyverson teve duas boas oportunidades de deixar a sua marca contra o ex-clube. Na primeira, pressionou o zagueiro Gustavo Gómez em um lance muito parecido no qual marcou contra o Flamengo na decisão continental há duas temporadas, mas o defensor palmeirense se recuperou a tempo. Na segunda, aproveitou a cobrança rápida de uma falta pelo lateral Matheusinho e finalizou de fora da área para fora, mas próximo ao gol de Weverton.
– A diferença é que o Gustavo Gómez estava mais ligado que o Andreas Pereira. Gustavo Gómez é um grande zagueiro, não dizendo que o Andreas Pereira não é, ele é um grande jogador, se está na Premier League é porque merece, mas eu relembrei. O momento veio na cabeça rapidinho, mas eu tive que tocar a bola para trás porque ainda deu tempo, porque o Gustavo Gómez fechou a minha jogada. O segundo tempo foi um lance de perigo, que eu quase fiz o gol, que o árbitro deixou a jogada a seguir, normal, as pessoas erram e acertam, faz parte, o árbitro ali, na minha convicção ele não errou em nada, errou em algumas coisas, mas naquela jogada ele não errou, porque foi uma falta para gente, o Matheusinho bateu rápido e eu tentei chutar por cima, mas foi baixa, quase fiz o gol e se eu faço o gol ficaria muito feliz porque eu ajudaria a minha equipe – comentou o camisa 16 do Dourado.
RESENHA COM GABRIEL MENINO
Recentemente, o meia palmeirense contou no podcast do clube um causo envolvendo Deyverson na final do Campeonato Paulista do ano passado, contra o São Paulo. Como a arena da equipe alviverde receberia o show do Maroon 5 poucos dias após a decisão, o duelo contra o Tricolor precisou ter a estrutura do palco montada já durante a partida. Assim, a alternativa encontrada pelo Palmeiras foi colocar um telão na parte do setor norte e abrir a venda de ingressos para o setor.
continua após a publicidade
Porém, durante o jogo, após um momento de vibração dos torcedores que estavam naquele local do estádio, Deyvinho teria questionado Gabriel Menino se tinha saído gol, mesmo eles estando no banco de reservas e acompanhando o jogo no momento em que ele acontecia. Deyverson confirmou a história e brincou com a situação.
– Foi, realmente, tudo o que ele falou era verdade. A gente tava no banco de reservas e tinha um telão, teria um show, se eu não me falha a memória. A gente estava no banco conversando, batendo um papo, todo mundo comemorou e eu disse: ‘foi gol’. Aí o menino falou : ‘como é que foi gol, se a gente tá aqui no banco, vendo o jogo’, começaram a rir, na resenha No final ficam me zoando, brincando, mas falam que pelo meu coração ser tão assim a gente acaba inocente com algumas coisas. Mas foi para a resenha, hoje virou uma resenha, ele falou no podcast, e eu fico muito feliz por ele ter lembrado desse momento, é uma coisa que fica na história. Futebol precisa da resenha. Futebol sem a resenha, não é futebol – contou em tom bem humorado.
Deyverson chegou ao Palmeiras em 2017 e ficou até julho do ano passado – com um intervalo entre janeiro de 2020 e maio de 2021, quando ficou emprestado primeiro ao Getafe e depois ao Alavés, ambos da Espanha. No total, o atacante disputou 144 partidas com a camisa alviverde, marcou 31 gols e conquistou quatro títulos (Brasileirão em 2018, Libertadores em 2021, Paulistão e Recopa em 2022).
‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results’. Well, Manchester United are finally mixing things up a bit this summer.
Indeed, the recent captures of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha – signed for a combined fee of around £130m – point to the Red Devils going down the Premier League-proven route, something that has hardly been the norm in recent years.
Since the summer of 2019, for instance, the only player plucked from a top-flight rival for a significant fee was that of Mason Mount, with then-boss Erik ten Hag dishing out £55m to prise the Englishman from Chelsea.
Erik ten Hag
Of course, that statement deal has hardly worked out, considering the injury-hit playmaker has scored just four goals in two years, although the warning signs were there, with Mount scoring just three goals in his final year with the Blues.
Such woes hopefully won’t be replicated with regard to Cunha and Mbeumo, however, with the pair fresh off the back of having scored 35 league goals combined in 2024/25 – just nine fewer than United recorded collectively last season.
Ruben Amorim’s forward line has been given a much-needed fresh lick of paint, although a new number nine still remains elusive. Might there be an option within the Premier League to consider?
Premier League striker wants to join Man Utd
£64m was spent on Rasmus Hojlund in 2023. A further £36.5m was dished out on Joshua Zirkzee a year later. And yet, here we are, still waiting for a reliable and clinical centre-forward to arrive at Old Trafford.
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund pictured with Joshua Zirkzee and Bruno Fernandes.
The most prominent name to have been linked in recent weeks is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, with recent reports indicating that talks have been held regarding a potential move for the 29-year-old.
That said, the Midlands side appear to have rebuffed such interest amid their desire to keep hold of the Englishman, with alternative options also being considered by Amorim and co.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
As per GIVEMESPORT, United have been presented with a chance to sign Nicolas Jackson from Stamford Bridge, with the Senegalese striker said to be keen to join the club this summer.
The report adds that contact has been made to gauge whether or not the Red Devils would be interested in pouncing on that potential opening, with Jackson’s role at Chelsea under threat following the arrivals of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro.
While the west Londoners’ would surely need to compromise on their reported £100m asking price for the 24-year-old, an affordable deal could well be one for United to consider this summer.
Why Jackson could be a clever capture for United
On the face of it, plucking the former Villarreal man from his current home might not be too popular a move for those of a United persuasion, with Jackson enduring a mixed time of things in English football.
The mercurial talent notably came under fire for his recent red card in the defeat to Flamengo at the Club World Cup, having also been sent off against Newcastle United at the tail-end of the Premier League season.
He can undoubtedly be erratic – as evidenced by his 19 big chances missed in 2024/25 – although there is reason for optimism, with the forward boasting a respectable record at top-flight level to date.
Across his two seasons at Chelsea, the £100k-per-week marksman has hit double figures for league goals in each of those campaigns, scoring 14 and ten times, respectively, for the Blues. He’s a player who has got “Louis Saha vibes”, according to Rio Ferdinand.
That solid record would certainly be an upgrade on what United’s current options have to offer, with Hojlund and Zirkzee scoring just seven league goals between them last time out.
Games (starts)
35 (31)
30 (28)
Goals
14
10
Goal frequency
200min
224min
Big chances missed
24
19
Goal conversion
18%
13%
Assists
5
5
Big chances created
8
6
Key passes*
1.1
0.9
Successful dribbles*
1.5
0.6
What that impact also points to is that – like with Mbeumo and Cunha – Jackson has proven that he can make the difference at Premier League level, having even been dubbed a “monster of a striker” by John Obi Mikel.
Cunha, for instance, has scored 27 league goals across the last two campaigns, while Mbeumo – who did endure a spell out with injury in 2023/24 – netted 29 times in that same period, with the pair only just ahead of Jackson’s return of 24.
Throwing that ‘proven’ trio into the mix to lead the line for Amorim could well be just the solution to help steer United back toward European qualification. Yes, it might not be a title-winning combination, although needs must as far as the Red Devils are concerned.
Jackson wouldn’t be the most glamorous of additions, but, with Alexander Isak noted as the most statistically similar striker to him in Europe – as per FBref – perhaps there is a diamond there waiting to be unearthed.
He finishes like RVP: Man Utd make "phenomenal" £67m CF their main target
Manchester United have set their sights on a new talisman for Ruben Amorim.
Scrivens half-century drives run-chase to boost title hopes
ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2024
Mady Villiers impressed for Sunrisers on her birthday•Getty Images
Sunrisers 189 for 7 (Scrivens 56) beat Northern Diamonds 188 for 9 (Villiers 4-36, Munro 3-25) by three wicketsBirthday girl Mady Villiers equalled her career-best with the ball as Sunrisers beat high-flying Northern Diamonds by three wickets at Chelmsford to move third in the standings.Villiers, who turned 26 today produced spin wizardry to take 4 for 36 and with Sophie Munro’s 3 for 25 lending valuable support, Diamonds were restricted to 188 for 9.Grace Scrivens’ 56 led the chase, sharing half-century stands with Cordelia Griffith and Jody Grewcock (40) as the hosts overcame a late wobble to race home with 12 overs to spare.Diamonds, for whom Sterre Kalis made 36 and Katherine Fraser 34, were left to rue dropped catches in the field, but stay second and on course for the semi-finals.Missing Lauren Winfield-Hill, away at the Caribbean Premier League, and Bess Heath, withdrawn by England, Diamonds opted to bat on a used Chelmsford pitch.Fraser provided early impetus, a cracking pull shot the pick of her four boundaries, while Emma Marlow struck successive fours off Eva Gray. The bowler gained compensation with the wicket of Fraser, caught by Grewcock from the last ball of the powerplay.The visitors advanced to 67 for 1 before Villiers began the host’s fightback, dismissing the tournament’s leading scorer, Hollie Armitage, caught at short mid-on. The dismissal continued Armitage’s recent run of low scores from the Hundred with Northern Superchargers.Villiers wheeled away to great effect, capturing the wicket of Marlow with one which stopped in the pitch, before trapping Rebecca Duckworth lbw.Kalis in company with Beth Langston counter-attacked from the other end with a 60-ball stand of 50, the former mixing powerful driving with some classy cut shots.Both though fell in quick succession Langston becoming Villiers’ fourth victim before Munro, switched to the Graham Gooch end to castle Kalis, the wicket part of a spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs from the quick on loan from the Blaze.Thereafter, a stubborn ninth wicket stand of 28 between debutant Maddie Ward and Katie Levick helped Diamonds to what looked a par score.In a strange quirk all nine Diamonds wickets were taken from the Graham Gooch End.Ward was in the action early in the field catching Gardner to give Rachel Slater the breakthrough.Kalis’ catching would prove less secure an over later, shelling a straightforward chance at first slip to reprieve Griffith on 4, Beth Langston the unlucky bowler.Griffith, who endured a difficult spell with London Spirit in the Hundred, despite the franchise lifting the trophy, celebrated the life by lofting Levick for the first six of the day. However, the introduction of Fraser brought her demise, Griffith skying the spinner’s fourth ball back to the bowler, ending a stand of 53.Scrivens, who had been driving well off front and back foot through the cover region sent another skywards in the following over which Ward got a hand to running to her right but couldn’t hold.Scare survived, Scrivens was soon back to taking heavy toll of the Diamonds’ bowling, hitting Fraser for a towering straight six which accompanied by five fours took her to 50 from 62 balls.The stand with Grewcock reached 60 before Scrivens in attempting to sweep Marlow lobbed a gentle catch to Levick at short fine leg.Villiers was given a present by the visitors when Kalis dropped her at mid-on when she’d made only four, but Sunrisers’ hearts were beating a little faster later in the over when a mix up between the batters saw Grewcock run out for a run-a-ball 40.Villiers fell with 19 needed and Fraser (3 for 37) caused late panic with the wickets of Miller and Gray but Lissy Macleod (23 not out) saw Sunrisers over the line.
Chelsea are potentially closing in on their next summer signing for Enzo Maresca after an already-busy transfer window.
£50m Chelsea player in "advanced" talks to leave, could be done imminently
It would be a boost for BlueCo.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 26, 2025
They’re expected to be one of the most active Premier League sides in terms of recruitment and player sales before deadline day on September 1, having already sealed a £30 million deal for Liam Delap whilst trying their hand at a host of other men.
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
Chelsea held talks with AC Milan over signing goalkeeper Mike Maignan before the pre-Club World Cup transfer deadline on June 10, but couldn’t quite find an agreement with the Rossoneri, prompting them to leave negotiations for now.
Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike was also a top target for Maresca’s side recently, and they again held negotiations with the Bundesliga side in an effort to acquire him before June 10.
However, Eintracht’s lofty £85 million asking price appears to be a major roadblock as things stand, even if Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently insisted that he could still be one to watch for Chelsea as we head later into the window.
Chelsea tried to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens before the CWC deadline too, seeing three bids rejected for the 20-year-old, but talks have been ongoing ever since.
Reports suggest that talks have become much more positive between the clubs, and Chelsea are believed to be closer to signing Gittens despite their many failed offers earlier this month.
Chelsea ready six-year contract offer to Jamie Gittens
Now, as per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are ready to offer Gittens a six-year contract with the option of an additional season – and his signing could be done imminently.
Jamie Gittens
The outlet reported yesterday afternoon that a deal may be struck in the ‘next 24 hours’, with Chelsea apparently “on the verge” of finally reaching an agreement for the Englishman, who’s bagged 12 goals and five assists in 49 appearances for Dortmund this season.
If Chelsea do get Gittens over the line, with talks “now advancing”, he won’t be able to feature for them at the CWC, even if Maresca can add new players to his squad thanks to a unique registration window open from today until July 3.
This is because Gittens has already featured for Dortmund at the tournament, so he’ll have to wait to make his Chelsea debut until after the CWC’s conclusion.
While the ex-Man City youngster is seen as a player with vast potential, there is an err of caution from critics surrounding this potential move, especially for a reported fee of around £45 million.
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in action
“I think it might be a slight worry given the [reported] fee that’s being discussed here, £45million,” said talkSPORT’s Olly Clink, when asked about Gittens falling down the pecking order at Dortmund recently.
“I know we live in inflated times, but I think you could argue with some of the transfers Chelsea have made in recent times that they have certainly overpaid. It will be another very long contract again as well for Gittens.
“With any player like this, there is potential that they have maybe a brief period where they’re fantastic, and it’s all very exciting, and they’ve got loads of potential, but we’ve already seen a few of those transfers go wrong for Chelsea already, and with these extremely long contracts it then becomes a little bit more difficult to get them off the books.”
Celtic have the chance to win the domestic treble for the second time in three seasons when they travel to Hampden Park to take on Aberdeen in the final of the SFA Cup this weekend.
The Hoops have already won the Scottish Premiership title and won the League Cup, beating Rangers on penalties, in the first half of the campaign, which means that a win on Saturday would clinch the treble.
Brendan Rodgers is seemingly not satisfied with that, though, as the Scottish giants are already eyeing up players to come in and bolster the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller has been linked with a cross-Scotland switch to Glasgow, whilst Peterborough star Kwame Poku was recently linked with a move to the club.
The Scottish giants have, however, already wrapped up one signing before the summer transfer window even opens for business, as Kieran Tierney will be joining the club on a free transfer at the end of June.
Why Kieran Tierney is an exciting signing for Celtic
The Scotland international’s contract with Arsenal is due to expire this summer, and it has already been confirmed that the defender will be returning to Parkhead for a second spell in Glasgow.
This is an exciting signing for the Hoops for multiple reasons, not least because of the emotional backdrop to it. Tierney came up through the academy system and made his breakthrough in the first-team before starring for many years.
As you can see in the graphic above, the defender made 170 appearances for the club before his £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, and won five Scottish Premiership titles in that time.
He came up through the academy as a Celtic boy and achieved great success with the team, which is why his return could be an emotional one for him and the supporters heading into next season.
It could also be an exciting signing because of the quality that Tierney can provide from a left-back position, as shown in the impressive highlights package above.
The flying full-back scored eight goals and provided 37 assists during his first spell at the club, which shows that he is a defender who likes to burst forward to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.
This means that he could provide Rodgers with another attacking outlet down the left side, due to his ability to score and create goals from a left-back role, to support the winger ahead of him.
However, it is also worth pointing out that the 27-year-old is due to return to Celtic with a concerning injury history that suggests that he could miss a lot of matches for the Hoops.
Kieran Tierney’s injury history
Season
Injuries
Days missed
Games missed
24/25
1
160
18
23/24
3
103
21
22/23
0
0
0
21/22
2
116
17
20/21
4
87
19
19/20
1
97
19
18/19
5
140
27
17/18
1
23
5
16/17
1
86
16
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Tierney has been absent for at least 16 games in seven of the last nine seasons of his career for Arsenal, Real Sociedad, and Celtic combined.
This means that there may also be a degree of concern over the move, as his injury history suggests that the defender may not be a consistent performer, due to a lack of availability, for Rodgers.
With this in mind, Celtic could land an even more exciting signing than Tierney by swooping for Blackburn Rovers attacker Tyrhys Dolan on a free transfer, having been linked with an interest in the English forward.
Why Dolan would be more exciting than Tierney for Celtic
Whilst the Championship winger would not arrive at Parkhead with the same emotional connection with the supporters that Tierney has, Dolan could be a more exciting signing for Rodgers and the Hoops for footballing reasons.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Firstly, at the age of 23, the English star would be more of a long-term signing for the Hoops because he is four years younger than the Scottish dynamo. This means that he could be a part of Rodgers’ team for many, many, more years to come, making him an exciting signing for the future, as well as the present.
Dolan would also arrive as a durable and dependable performer from a physical perspective, as he has not had any notable injuries that have kept him out for significant periods, unlike Tierney.
This suggests that the Blackburn star, described as “absolutely terrific” by journalist Elliott Jackson, would be far more likely to be available week-in-week-out during the season, which is backed up by his statistics for the English side in the 2024/25 campaign.
24/25 Championship
Tyrhys Dolan
Appearances
44
Touches per game
38.1
Goals
7
Conversion rate
14%
Big chances created
7
Key passes
44
Assists
6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Dolan featured in 44 of their 46 league matches in the Championship, and contributed with 14 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined.
Whilst that return in front of goal may not be hugely exciting on paper, it is worth taking into account that Blackburn averaged 49.1% possession per game and only racked up 51.7 xG in 46 matches, the 16th lowest amount in the division.
This means that Dolan has not been playing in a dominant, successful, and attacking side with Blackburn, which is why his personal numbers are not particularly amazing.
Now, the thought of a player who can score seven goals and create seven ‘big chances’ in a defensive Blackburn team playing in a dominant, front-footed, Rodgers-coached Celtic side is an exciting thought, as he would have far more opportunities to showcase his ability at the top end of the pitch.
Tyrhys Dolan in action for Blackburn Rovers.
This is another reason why the 23-year-old star could be an even more exciting signing than Tierney for Celtic, because of the untapped potential that the Northern Irish boss could get out of the winger.
Dolan would arrive as a young talent with huge potential and an encouraging injury record, rather than an experienced head with a concerning availability record, and it is now down to the club to strike a deal for his services.
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Oliver Glasner entered his first full season at Crystal Palace after losing two of his key players from last season, with Michael Olise joining Bayern Munich and Joachim Andersen joining Fulham.
Crystal Palace manager OliverGlasnerbefore the match
As a result, Crystal Palace spent around £78.5m in the 2024/25 season, making five permanent signings and two loan signings in the summer window, with a further one permanent signing and one loan move in January.
Eddie Nketiah
£25.4m
Maxence Lacroix
£15.4m
Ismaila Sarr
£12.8m
Chadi Riad
£12.8m
Romain Esse
£12.1m
Daichi Kamada
£0
Many have spoken about the impact of losing Olise and effectively replacing his output, but after also losing Andersen, the Eagles bought two new defenders on permanent deals, as well as Trevoh Chalobah on loan from Chelsea.
Crystal Palace's defensive numbers in 2024/25
This season, Palace are averaging 43% possession per game, giving them the fourth lowest possession numbers in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace's Jefferson Lerma, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace's Trevoh Chalobah and Crystal Palace's AdamWharton
However, with this, the Eagles have formed a formidable defensive unit, conceding 12.9 shots per game and only conceding 1.36 goals per game – having notably held off Bournemouth last time out despite losing Chris Richards to a red card.
Chalkboard
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Playing in Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system, the three central defenders and two wingbacks have formed a brilliant defensive contingent, pulling the Eagles up to comfortably in mid-table in the league this term.
Crystal Palace star will become more important than Guehi
The likes of Richards, Dean Henderson, Marc Guehi, Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell have all been key to this defensive solidity, but one summer signing has arguably been the most important in their entire back line, bringing a new dynamic to Glasner’s defence this campaign.
Crystal Palace bought a certain Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg for a fee that will reach up to £18m. The 25-year-old has made 35 appearances for the club since joining, scoring once, providing one assist and contributing to 12 clean sheets in his 3,209 minutes played.
The French defender has been deployed as the central centre-back in Glasner’s back three, often partnered by Guehi to his left and Richards to his right.
The addition of Lacroix has added some much-needed recovery pace to their backline, as well as some extra aggression when jumping out to press.
When comparing the underlying metrics of both Lacroix and Marc Guehi this season, you can see how their roles differ.
Goals + Assists
0.06
0.14
Progressive Carries
0.28
0.67
Progressive Passes
1.99
4.10
Pass Completion %
82.1%
83.4%
Tackles
2.20
1.80
Blocks
1.33
1.73
Interceptions
1.65
0.86
Aerial Duels Won
1.89
2.13
Guehi has better passing numbers, often orchestrating from the back with his progressive nature, whilst Lacroix is more of the defensive aggressor, making more tackles and interceptions to regain possession for his side.
Premier League legend Alan Shearer labelled Lacroix a “commanding” presence in the heart of the Palace defence, something that has been echoed this season by plenty of Eagles fans.
With many fans unsure about Guehi’s future entering the last season of his contract next campaign, the signing of Lacroix is even sweeter, knowing, no matter what, the Frenchman will be at the club next season. Thus, he could soon become even more important to Glasner and Co.
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Since taking the Arsenal job, when the club were at their lowest point in a generation, Mikel Arteta has made some seismic changes.
Some of the most significant have come in the transfer market, as the Spaniard spent a massive sum of money building a squad capable of challenging for major honours domestically and on the continent.
In doing so, the former captain has signed an enormous number of players over the years, and while some haven’t exactly panned out, like Willian, Pablo Mari and Nuno Tavares, others, like Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya, certainly have.
Arsenal manager MikelArteta
In fact, it would be fair to say that one of Arteta’s acquisitions is now comfortably the club’s best signing since Mesut Özil joined the team over a decade ago.
Özil's Arsenal career
It’s a moment that no Arsenal fan who was around at the time will forget, Özil being announced on transfer deadline day 2013, in what was a club-record £42.4m deal at the time.
The German international was leaving Real Madrid to come to the Emirates, and saying that fans were excited about it would be a colossal understatement.
It didn’t take long for the mercurial midfielder to make good on his transfer fee either, as on his debut, away to Sunderland, he provided a brilliant assist for Olivier Giroud.
Throughout his stint in North London, the World Cup winner made 254 appearances for the club, scoring 44 goals, providing 75 assists, and playing a significant role in three FA Cup triumphs.
Unfortunately, after signing his bumper £350k-per-week deal in 2018, things started to go wrong, and he began to face criticism for his perceived lack of work rate, which worsened when Arteta took charge.
However, while things ended poorly, and he eventually left for nothing to join Fenerbahçe in January 2021, it cannot be forgotten that in his pomp, Özil was an incredible footballer to watch and, had the club built around him, he may have led them to league glory.
There have been some great signings made in the years since he left, but one potentially era-defining acquisition under Arteta could be fairly described as the club’s best since the German.
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Arsenal's best signing since Ozil
As we mentioned above, Arteta has made his fair share of impressive signings since taking the job at Arsenal, but in terms of needle-moving purchases, the spotlight falls on one player: Declan Rice.
The former West Ham United captain moved to the Emirates for a club-record fee of £105m in the summer of 2023, and while there was a mountain of pressure on him, he’s since surpassed every expectation people had of him.
In fact, the fans often sing about signing him for half-price, and while that is somewhat tongue in cheek, there is likely an increasing portion of the support that is genuinely starting to believe it.
Appearances
94
Minutes
7640′
Goals
14
Assists
18
Goal Involvements per Match
0.34
Minutes per Goal Involvement
238.75′
For example, since moving to North London, the “world-class” midfielder, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, has made 94 appearances, in which he’s scored 14 goals and provided 18 assists, despite moving between the six and eight positions.
We saw just how devastatingly effective the Englishman can be last night when he scored two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid to give his side an incredible opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 08/09 season.
On top of his impressive level of output, the 26-year-old also has some sensational underlying numbers.
For example, FBref places him in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and carries into the penalty area, the top 6% for assists, the top 7% for goals plus assists, the top 8% for shot-creating action from dead-ball passes and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Arsenal would have expected Rice to perform to a high level considering his price tag, we are not sure they nor anyone else expected him to be this good, and that’s why he’s their best signing since Ozil.
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The allrounder was a key figure for Madhya Pradesh after they endured a shift from boiling Puducherry to freezing Dharamsala
Shashank Kishore06-Feb-2024Venkatesh Iyer can’t remember playing a game in India in sub-zero temperatures. That’s until earlier last week, when he landed in Dharamsala for Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy Group D fixture against Himachal Pradesh.”My first thought was: I shouldn’t be out here playing,” Iyer tells ESPNcricinfo.The HPCA Stadium was covered in snow. There were sheets of rain and icy-cold winds. A day earlier, Madhya Pradesh had finished a game in 32-degree Celsius heat with over 90% humidity in Puducherry.”Temperature-wise, the chill in Ireland two years ago [when Iyer was part of an India squad that toured the country for a T20I series] was a lot more, but this was unique, a first for me in India. Even three layers of sweaters didn’t help,” Iyer says. “It was freezing, the entire ground was covered in snow. There was heavy rain as well.”MP’s situation was compounded by logistical challenges. From Puducherry they had to drive down four hours to Chennai and board a flight to New Delhi before reaching Dharamsala. A three-day break between games was whittled down to two.”From extremely hot, we came into freezing conditions, but weather can’t be an excuse for poor performance,” Iyer says. “That said, it was tough. That’s why we had to go there a couple of days prior to know how the body is going to react, how we’re going to recover. Else we would have been caught completely off guard. The two days of training was very crucial to our conditioning.”So what did it entail?”It was more about mobility exercises and warming up our muscles,” Iyer explains. “We also tried to leave the hotel for the ground a lot earlier than usual. If we used to leave usually at 7.45am, we left for the ground at 7.30.”Even 15-20 minutes of extra warm-up time was massively important in that weather. You can’t enter the ground and immediately start running in that weather, it can take a toll on your back. The entire schedule was superbly planned by our trainer.”What were the key aspects to training in such weather?”A lot of stretching for starters,” Iyer says. “It’s normal for muscles to cramp, they tend to become stIff, so it was important to keep them loosened in that cold. Even whe we were in the hotel, we were called to the gym for stretching more than any other form of conditioning because you never know which muscle you will end up pulling.Venkatesh Iyer missed MP’s journey to the 2022-23 Ranji title due to a combination of injuries and India duty•Getty Images”In the room, we were advised to use heaters at all times, and keep our bodies warm throughout.”On the field, Iyer had a memorable performance. He first picked up a three-for to help skittle Himachal out for 169 and then contributed a vital 72 in tough conditions to help MP eke out a first-innings lead. This earned him the Player of the match award in a drawn, weather-impacted fixture during which no play was possible on days two and three.”The forecast is very accurate there,” Iyer says. “The first day we arrived, the ground was covered in snow, but the first day’s play, the sun was shining bright, and we got in a full day of cricket. Overall, we knew we’d get probably 2-2.5 days to try and push for an outright result.”They got a good partnership lower down the order [Himachal recovered from 36 for 6 on day one]. Had we bowled them out for 70-80, and we got what we did, it would have been game on.” As it turned out, Himachal were 42 for 5 in their second innings, still six runs short of making MP bat again, when the game was called off.”Batting-wise, this is an innings I’ll remember for a long time,” Iyer days. “I had to battle the conditions. It was so difficult that you were never set. But once you know which direction you need to head to, the clarity makes this slightly better. I knew we had to make 170-180, that gave me increased focus.”Iyer found himself struggling at different times. He was recovering from a back spasm, which made it tougher given the conditions.”There was genuine travel fatigue” he says. “You’re on the bus for a long time. And then with the distances we had to cover, it took a toll, but you have to take care of it as a professional and ignore things you can’t change.”Iyer is driven by the desire to win the Ranji Trophy, having missed out on the team’s journey to the title in 2022-23 due to a combination of injuries and being on India duty.”We now know what it takes to be champions, we have the ability to win,” he says, with MP potentially one win away from entering the knockouts. “That belief has come since our win. For someone not part of the set-up there, to come in here, I find this an amazing place to be.”More than the team goal, it’s my burning desire to do something special to help us win the Ranji Trophy. Some things complete you as a cricketer. A Ranji Trophy win will complete it for me.”