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“It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team,” Buttler said

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-20251:41

Roller: Buttler’s captaincy was untenable after Champions Trophy exit

Jos Buttler has resigned as England’s white-ball captain after their group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy, announcing on Friday that he will lead the side for the final time against South Africa in Karachi.England have already been eliminated from the Champions Trophy, after they lost their first two group games against Australia and Afghanistan. They prepared for the tournament with a trip to India which saw them win only one of their eight matches in Brendon McCullum’s first tour as white-ball coach.”I’m going to stand down as England captain,” Buttler said. “It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. Hopefully somebody else who can come in alongside Baz will take the team to where it needs to be.” Harry Brook, Buttler’s vice-captain, is the early favourite to replace him.Buttler will continue to play for England, and said he wants to “get back to really enjoying my cricket”. He said: “The overriding emotions are still sadness and disappointment. I’m sure, in time, that will pass and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket, and [will] also be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it.”Related

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Buttler was appointed as Eoin Morgan’s successor in June 2022 and won the T20 World Cup in Australia later that year. But England’s results have declined sharply since and after three unsuccessful ICC events in a row – the 2023 50-over World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy – Buttler has decided to stand down.He hinted after England’s eight-run loss to Afghanistan on Wednesday – their ninth defeat in 10 white-ball games this year – that he would resign, saying he needed to “consider all possibilities” and work out whether he was “part of the problem or part of the solution.””It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important: results-wise and for my captaincy,” Buttler said. “Two losses and being out of the tournament [was] a bit of a hangover of tournaments before. I’d just reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame and I’m sad about that.”With Brendon coming in only recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward. But it’s not quite worked out that way, so just feels like the right time for me and the team to have a change.”1:35

Buttler: ‘Right time for me and the team to have a change’

Buttler’s position came under increasing scrutiny after a sustained poor run of ODI form for England stretching back to the start of the 2023 World Cup. In defence of their World Cup title, England won just three group games out of nine and were the first team to be officially eliminated from the tournament. It began a run that has seen them lose 18 of the last 25 ODIs, including the two that put paid to their Champions Trophy campaign at the first hurdle.While he will likely go down as England’s best white-ball batter, Buttler’s ODI form, like that of the side he led, had been on a sharp downturn over the last 18 months. He averages 26.40 in his last 21 innings, with a strike rate of just over 100 – down from 115.97 over his ODI career. He managed starts in each of the two games this Champions Trophy, coming into the middle order while England had a platform to build off, but got out for 23 off 21 and 38 off 42.Brook is tipped to succeed him, though McCullum said England had not yet settled on a candidate. He praised Buttler’s leadership while saying he was “incredibly sad” to see him step down.”We’ve all seen over the last couple of years how much he’s invested in captaining his country and trying to get very best out of those guys around him,” McCullum said. “People forget that he literally won a World Cup only a couple of years ago, and that can never be taken away from him. It’s incredibly unselfish from Jos to step aside and to leave the post for someone else, and he’s still a huge player for us moving forward. I’m sure we will look at ways that we can get the best out of him in terms of his role, so he can have maximum impact as well.”Both Rob Key, managing director, England Men, and Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, paid tribute to Buttler’s time in charge.”Working with Jos has been a pleasure,” Key said. “He’s been dealt some tough challenges, but never once flinched trying to drive this team forward for the better. Nobody deserved that World Cup win in Australia more. I can’t wait to see him back in the ranks and at his best.”Gould added: “I’d like to thank Jos for all he has given in his two and a half years captaining England Men in white-ball cricket. Under his leadership, England became men’s T20 World Champions, and throughout his time as captain he has been a role model in the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch.”Jos is one of cricket’s all-time great white ball players. I’ve been lucky enough to follow his career from when he first came through as a youngster in Somerset, and I hope we still have many years to enjoy of him pulling on an England shirt.”

Of all 20 Premier League clubs, one of the sides most likely to be extremely active in the final few days of the transfer window are Crystal Palace.

On Saturday, it was confirmed that Eberechi Eze had left the club, joining Arsenal for £67.5m, which represents Palace’s biggest ever sale.

Meantime, the Eagles have made just two new signings, bringing in Walter Benítez to be the new back-up goalkeeper on a free, while paying £3m to sign Borna Sosa, a reserve left-wing-back, from Ajax.

Thus, Oliver Glasner has just 20 senior outfield players in his squad, including those who are currently injured, which is simply not enough if Palace are going to successfully balance both domestic and European commitments.

As a result, the next few days are likely to be very busy for Steve Parish and his recruitment staff, but are they closing in on a Premier League winger valued at £15m?

Crystal Palace's need for signings

Crystal Palace badly need strength in depth all across the pitch, including at centre-back, hence why they reportedly hold an interest in former Newcastle United man, Lloyd Kelly, among others.

Meantime, as they seek to fill the enormous void vacated by Eze, the Eagles are set to sign Yéremy Pino from Villarreal for £26m, with the Spain international having travelled to London to undergo a medical.

However, he might not be the only winger on his way to Selhurst Park.

That’s because, as reported by The Sun, Crystal Palace are ‘in talks’ with Arsenal over the possibility of signing Reiss Nelson.

They add that the Gunners value the 25-year-old at £15m, with Arsenal needing to raise funds before Monday’s deadline, having already spent big; Jakub Kiwior, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fábio Vieira are also very much for sale.

Transfer Focus

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

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Nelson joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of eight so, following loan spells at Hoffenheim, Feyenoord and Fulham, could he finally be on the move permanently, perhaps returning to South London where he was born and raised?

What Reiss Nelson would bring to Crystal Palace

Despite being 25 years old, Nelson actually does not have a vast amount of senior experience under his belt.

To date, he has played just 163 senior matches: 90 for Arsenal, 32 for Feyenoord, 29 during a loan spell at Hoffenheim and 12 in Fulham colours last season, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in December, curtailing his time with the Cottagers.

Nevertheless, he has always been a highly-rated player, with Mikel Arteta labelling him an “exciting offensive talent”, praising his “tremendous ability”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout notes that “pace, acceleration, dribbling, technique and flair” are amongst his primary attributes.

For various reasons, one has to go back to Nelson’s loan at Feyenoord for the last time he played more than 641 minutes in a season, so let’s assess his statistics from that year in the Netherlands.

Nelson – 21/22 stats

Stats

Nelson

Feyenoord rank

Minutes

1,508

16th

Goals

4

8th

Assists

6

4th

Big chances created

5

7th

Shots on target

15

7th

Progressive carries

95

5th

Attempted take-ons

66

6th

Take-on success %

67.7%

3rd*

Carries into the box

43

2nd

Average Sofascore rating

7.02

11th

*minimum 52 attempted.

via FBref.com & Sofascore

As the table outlines, during his campaign in Rotterdam, despite limited minutes, Nelson was a key contributor for Feyenoord as they finished third in the Eredivisie and also reached the inaugural Europa Conference League Final, beaten by Roma in Tirana.

While the Englishman’s end-product was somewhat lacking, the table underlines that his strengths are his dribbling, ranked highly for progressive carries, attempted take-ons, take-on success percentage and carries into the opposition penalty area.

Even in the Premier League last season, he ended up 17th for attempted take-ons per 90, as well as seventh in the division for carries into the final third on a per-90 basis, despite. not taking to the pitch after 5 December.

Thus, while clearly not as good at Eze, Nelson certainly shares his compatriot’s quality dribbling ability, something Palace’s squad now lacks following the departure of their talisman.

In Glasner’s 3-4-3 system, able to be deployed as an inside forward, thereby closer to goal rather than out on the touchline, a move to Selhurst could get the best out of Nelson as he seeks to revitalise his career and prevent it from fizzling out.

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The Eagles have made an approach over a deal for a new defender.

Posts ByDominic Lund Aug 27, 2025

Celtic need to add more firepower to Brendan Rodgers’ squad before the summer transfer window officially slams shut at the start of September.

The Hoops head coach admitted earlier this month, after the team’s 4-0 win over Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly, that the club must add more goals to the team.

When asked about what Celtic need to do in the market, Rodgers said: “I think it’s bringing goals to the squad. Especially when you score four goals, it seems like you’re okay. But we lost an important player in Kyogo [Furuhashi] in January. He brought us a lot of goals. We lost Nicolas Kuhn. He brought us a lot of goals. Matt O’Riley even last summer.

“So even though we scored a lot of goals last season, we still want more. And our ambition is to have more. So I think all across the front areas, we have to be active in order to give us that depth we need.”

The Scottish Premiership champions now have to enter the market to find players who can provide Rodgers with better options at the top end of the pitch ahead of next season.

Celtic have shown that they are willing to enter a diverse range of markets to find new talent, including the Netherlands, as shown by their move for Giorgos Giakoumakis in the summer of 2021.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Giorgos Giakoumakis

The Greek international was signed on a permanent deal from VVV-Venlo after his exceptional return of 29 goals in 33 matches in all competitions for the Dutch side in the 2020/21 campaign.

Giakoumakis arrived at Parkhead as a prolific scorer in the Netherlands and joined at the same time as Kyogo Furuhashi under Ange Postecoglou, competing with the Japan international for a place in the starting XI.

During his 18-month spell in Glasgow, the Greek centre-forward showcased his quality in front of goal by scoring on a regular basis, despite rarely starting matches.

Giakoumakis ended his career in Scotland with a return of 26 goals in 57 matches in all competitions, which included a haul of 19 goals in 40 Scottish Premiership outings.

Appearances

21

19

40

Starts

11

4

15

Goal

13

6

19

Minutes per goal

81

114

92

Goals from shots inside the box

13/39

6/39

19/78

Conversion rate

30%

14%

24%

As you can see in the table above, the experienced forward only started 15 of those 40 league matches for the club, which makes his tally of 19 goals all the more impressive.

Giakoumakis was able to adapt to Scottish football after coming over from the Eredivisie, and Celtic could repeat the blinder they played when they hit gold with the striker by signing another attacker from the Netherlands.

Celtic in talks to sign Danish winger

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, Celtic are in “talks” with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles over a potential deal to sign winger Jakob Breum.

The reporter claims that the Hoops are continuing discussions with the Eredivisie outfit after they had multiple bids turned down for the 21-year-old talent.

Transfer Focus

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

Joseph states that the Scottish Premiership champions have already had two bids swatted away by Go Ahead Eagles, the latest of which was worth up to £2.6m.

He adds that the £2.6m bid fell ‘way short’ of the club’s valuation of Breum, which has been reported elsewhere to be around the £7m mark, and talks are now ongoing to find an agreement.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops are prepared to significantly improve their offer in order to strike a deal for the versatile winger, as there appears to be a big gap between their latest bid and how much Go Ahead Eagles value him.

Why Celtic should sign Jakob Breum

The Hoops should sign the £7m-rated talent because he could be an excellent addition to the squad as a versatile and talented young star who could add a lot of value to the team.

His versatility, first and foremost, is a big asset. Breum predominantly plays on the left flank, with 60 career starts in that role, but he has also started 27 games on the right flank and 29 matches as an attacking midfielder, which shows that Rodgers could use him in a variety of ways.

The Denmark U21 international could also follow in Giakoumakis’ footsteps as another clinical finisher to come over from the Netherlands, albeit in a different area of the pitch.

In the 2024/25 Eredivisie, Breum scored ten goals from 6.27 xG and produced 8.35 xG on target. This essentially means that the quality of the shots he took from 6.27 xG increased his xG by more than two, which shows that he is an incredibly lethal finisher.

As well as being a top-quality finisher who could provide goals on a fairly regular basis, just as Giakoumakis did at Parkhead, the Danish youngster is also an excellent creator from the attacking midfield and wide positions.

xA

5.60

Top 8%

Chances created

44

Top 7%

Successful crosses

18

Top 19%

Successful long passes

53

Top 4%

Assists

5

Top 17%

Successful dribbles

23

Top 28%

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic target ranked highly among his positional peers in the Eredivisie when it came to creating chances and assisting goals for his teammates.

These statistics show that Breum, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, is an attacking player who has the quality to score and assist goals at an impressive rate.

This is why the 21-year-old talent could follow in Giakoumakis’ footsteps as another successful attacking signing from the Eredivisie, as he appears to have all the tools to be an excellent player for Rodgers to call upon next season.

Of course, it will be down to Breum to ensure that he adapts to Scottish football and hits the ground running, getting as many minutes as he can, and the forward’s versatility could help with that, as the youngster can fill so many positions.

Better than Balikwisha: Celtic have long-term interest in £7m winger

Celtic have a long-term interest in a forward who would be an even better signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

ByDan Emery Jul 28, 2025

It is now up to Celtic, though, to increase their bid in order to convince Go Ahead Eagles to part ways with the clinical attacking midfielder this summer.

Sean Abbott put his name in the queue of back-up Test quicks with an outstanding spell while Mitchell Starc won a key battle over Marcus Harris that could shape Australia’s side as New South Wales took the ascendency against Victoria on the opening day at the MCG.In front of a lively Sunday crowd of around 1800, Abbott took four wickets and arguably deserved more on the back of some high-quality sustained fast bowling across the day, including an incredible spell after tea that yielded 3 for 0 in 15 balls and the swung the momentum NSW’s way.Related

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Peter Handscomb and Campbell Kellaway made fighting half-centuries in challenging conditions that favoured the seamers.Harris was unable to kick on after batting the entire first session for 26. Starc bowled impressively in the morning but went unrewarded despite finding swing and extra bounce while operating at high pace. Harris fought hard and played reasonably well without being able to score freely. Shortly before lunch, Starc pinned Harris on the underside of his left arm to leave a large egg-shaped bruise.The left-armer returned after the break to first beat Harris on the inside edge and nearly bowl him, before picking him up caught down the leg side. Harris bemoaned his misfortune but Starc’s extra pace and bounce meant he was not in control of the leg glance.NSW did not claim another wicket for the next 34 overs as Kellaway and Handscomb shared a century stand against some excellent bowling. Abbott and Starc in particular beat the bat regularly. Abbott had a number of half-shouts turned down while Starc broke Handscomb’s bat with a searing delivery that climbed from a length and cracked the splice of his blade.Kellaway and Handscomb defended against that duo and then expanded against Nathan Lyon. Kellaway launched him for a huge six over wide long-on while Handscomb played him with typical class.Jackson Bird broke the stand after tea, finding the outside edge with a superb off-cutter to dismiss Kellaway for 55 from 160 deliveries.Abbott then returned to wreak havoc. Handscomb, on 64, attempted a drive at a fuller length, but Abbott managed to get the ball to straighten a touch and Steven Smith held the edge at second slip.In Abbott’s next over he removed Sam Harper in similar fashion. Abbott went wide of the crease and dragged his length back as Harper shuffled forward. Again the ball straightened off the seam and caught the edge with Nic Maddinson claiming the chance sharply at third slip. Abbott should have had another two balls later but Maddinson grassed an easier catch that went straight to him off Will Sutherland’s outside edge.It cost nothing as Abbott nicked off Sutherland again to the safe gloves of Josh Phillippe. When Lyon had Sam Elliott caught at short leg, Victoria had slumped from 164 for 2 to 185 for 7.”I thought we bowled pretty well,” Abbott said after play. “But equally, I think the Vic boys batted very well on that wicket.”It felt a bit frustrating at times. We went past the bat a lot. It was just nice to get some reward late in the day after some hard toil all day.”Tom Rogers took 37 balls to get off the mark while watching three of his team-mates fall at the other end. But he and Fergus O’Neill mounted a rearguard against the second new ball with a 58-run stand before O’Neill fell late in the day for 28. Jack Nisbet picked up a second when he had Todd Murphy caught behind in the shadows of stumps.Handscomb was pleased with Victoria’s score given how much pace and seam movement there was in the surface and how well New South Wales bowled.”They bowled beautifully,” Handscomb said. “They’re always going to be there or thereabouts, and not really give you any loose balls.”We just kept telling each other just to try and fight and keep getting through. Because it’s tough for us out there but it’s also going to be tougher for the next bloke coming in.”I think it’s a really good day for us today. We’re really happy with that situation. I think when you get sent in here day one where, if we can get somewhere between 180 to 220, we tend to feel like we’re still in the game.”

حقق فريق النصر فورًا عريضًا على الرياض بخماسية مقابل هدف، والتي شهدت تسجيل جواو فيليكس هدفين ليتقدم في ترتيب هدافي الدوري السعودي.

وسجل للنصر جواو فيليكس “هدفين” ليتقدم في ترتيب هدافي الدوري السعودي، ورفع كريستيانو رونالدو رصيده إلى 3 أهداف بعد تسجيله ثنائية.

والتقى النصر مع الرياض، على أرضية استاد الأول بارك، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من بطولة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.

طالع.. فيديو | في الوقت القاتل.. الاتحاد يهزم النجمة ويواصل صدارة الدوري السعودي

وأحرز جواو فيليكس هدف النصر الأول في الدقيقة السادسة، وسجل كومان هدفا ثانيًا في الدقيقة 30 ليصبح رصيده هدفين، فيما سجل كريستيانو رونالدو الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 33، وعاد فيليكس ليسجل الثاني له والرابع لفريقه ليرفع رصيده إلى خمسة أهداف في صدارة ترتيب الهدافين، وأضاف رونالدو الهداف لثاني له والخامس لفريقه.

كما شهدت مباريات اليوم، فوز الاتحاد على النجمة بهدف نظيف في الوقت القاتل عن طريق لاعبه نجولو كانتي.

وافتتحت الخميس منافسات الجولة الثالثة بعدة مباريات، حيث التقى التعاون مع الاتفاق، وتواجه الخلود مع ضمك، فيما لعب نيوم أمام الأخدود.

ولعب الهلال أمام الأهلي، في مباراة مثيرة انتهت بتسجيل 6 أهداف بواقع 3 لكل فريق، سجل منها مالكوم دي أوليفيرا لاعب الأزرق وإيفان توني مهاجم الراقي هدفين.

ورفع جواو فيليكس رصيده إلى 5 أهداف في صدارة جدول ترتيب هدافي الدوري السعودي، بينما جوشوا كينج لاعب الخليج، ثانيا برصيد 4 أهداف. ترتيب هدافي الدوري السعودي

جواو فيليكس – النصر – 5 أهداف.

جوشوا كينج – الخليج – 4 أهداف. 

رونالدو – النصر – 3 أهداف.

 مالكوم – الهلال – 3 أهداف.

إيفان توني – الأهلي – 3 أهداف.

كريم بنزيما – الاتحاد– 3 أهداف.

ستيفين برجوين – الاتحاد – 3 أهداف.

كومان – النصر – هدفين.

ألكسندر لاكازيت – نيوم – هدفين.

جون باكلي – الخلود – هدفين.

متعب الحربي – الهلال – هدف.

يانيك كاراسكو- الشباب – هدف.

صالح العمري- الخليج – هدف.

Jonny Bairstow will feature for Joburg Super Kings in 2025. It will be his first time participating in the SA20. Faf du Plessis, Gerald Coetzee and Donovan Ferreira are among the other players retained by the franchise. They have traded in Tabraiz Shamsi from Paarl Royals with Dayyaan Galiem going the other way.JSK’s overseas retentions include Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana and David Wiese. Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams and Imran Tahir will also return to the Super Kings after helping them reach the Qualifier in the previous edition.Reeza Hendricks and Sam Cook are the notable absentees from last season. There will be additions to the 13-member squad, which du Plessis will continue to captain, at the auction.Related

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• Sunrisers Eastern Cape sign Bedingham, Crawley and van der Merwe for upcoming SA20 season

Joburg Super Kings squad
Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana, Jonny Bairstow, Gerald Coetzee, David Wiese, Leus du Plooy, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Sibonelo Makhanya, Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir

Stoinis back with Durban’s Super Giants

Last season’s runners-up, Durban’s Super Giants, had announced earlier that they have Kane Williamson and Chris Woakes on board this time. They will also have firepower in the form of Marcus Stoinis, who was the team’s wildcard pick last time around. They’ve also retained a strong local core in Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock and (their captain) Keshav Maharaj.Also back on their books are Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad, local players Prenelan Subrayen, Dwaine Pretorius, Jon-Jon Smuts, Wiaan Mulder, Junior Dala, Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith and Bryce Parsons.Durban’s Super Giants squad
Keshav Maharaj (captain), Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan), Matthew Breetzke, Junior Dala, Quinton De Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Bryce Parsons, Dwaine Pretorius, Jason Smith, Jon-Jon Smuts, Prenelan Subrayen

Paarl Royals retain Miller, Ngidi, Phehlukwayo

Captain David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo are among a list of ten South African players retained by Paarl Royals for the new season of the SA20 in 2025. Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, rookie signings from the 2024 edition, have also been retained by the Royals ahead of the auction.Dane Vilas, Evan Jones, Wihan Lubbe and Ferisco Adams have been let go to make space in the squad that currently has 11 players, including being seam-bowling allrounder Galiem.David Miller led Royals to the Eliminator in 2024•SA20

Royals made the Qualifiers in the last SA20 edition but suffered five straight losses including a nine-wicket thumping in the Eliminator against Super Kings. The new season begins on January 9.”We are delighted to go into the upcoming auction with a very formidable core of capped and uncapped South African players,” Kumar Sangakkara – Royals’ Director of Cricket – said in a press release. “After the disappointment of last season where we faltered towards the latter stages of the tournament, it was important to re-look at the squad and make certain changes.”Paarl Royals squad
David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem (Traded in)

MI Cape Town hold on to Rabada, Brevis

There were not too many surprises in MI Cape Town’s announcements. They held on to Kagiso Rabada and Dewald Brevis via pre-signings, and also retained Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen.They let go of Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Grant Roelofsen and Neelan van Heerden, statement from the franchise saying: “MI Cape Town would like to thank [these] players for their support and contribution over the last 2 seasons and wish them the very best.”

Sunrisers Eastern Cape bring in Crawley

Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the defending SA20 champions, have signed South Africa batter David Bedingham, England opener Zak Crawley, fast bowler Craig Overton, and Netherlands allrounder Roelof van der Merwe for the upcoming season. More on their squad here.

Aston Villa have lofty ambitions for next season, despite missing out on the Champions League.

Unai Emery’s project is still very much ongoing, and the next step is for him to lead the club to their first major trophy in nearly 30 years.

The Europa League might be their best shot, especially as winning it will secure a spot in the 2026/27 Champions League.

In order to do this, he will have to sign a few high-profile players while also complying with PSR regulations in the process.

With this in mind, it looks as though the club are chasing a move for a current Barcelona player.

Aston Villa chasing swoop for Barcelona sensation

While it might be slightly more difficult to lure the type of players Emery wants at the club this summer, it isn’t stopping the Spaniard from trying.

Reports in Spain (as per Sport Witness) claim that Villa are battling it out with Chelsea and PSG to sign Barcelona starlet Fermin Lopez.

The report goes on to state that Villa and the French giants have made contact with Lopez and are showing the most interest.

Chelsea could be set to make an offer worth €75m (£63m) in the near future to secure his signature, meaning Emery will have to act swiftly to get his man.

Why Aston Villa must sign Lopez

There are so many talented players at the La Liga side now. Lopez joins a list which includes Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí and, of course, Lamine Yamal.

Well, of those players, it is Yamal he is most similar to. When compared with positionally similar players in LaLiga this term, FBref suggest that the generational wonderkid and Ballon d’Or contender is the fourth most similar player to Lopez.

While the latter might play a more central role compared to Yamal, who operates on the right wing, the duo have shared similar statistics in La Liga last season.

According to FBref, the duo recorded similar metrics, including shot-creating actions (4.10 vs 5.92) per 90, goal-creating actions (0.50 vs 0.91), successful take-on percentage (45.5% vs 50.9%) and shots on target percentage (36.6% vs 31.9%) per 90 in La Liga for Barcelona.

On that evidence, they are both creative players who love to get at their marker/

Metric

La Liga

Champions League

Goals

6

1

Assists

5

3

Big chances created

8

3

Shots per game

1.5

1.5

Key passes per game

1

0.5

His former manager at the Catalan club described Lopez as having the “whole package” and judging by his statistics and performances last term, this assessment is bang on the money.

Alongside his 11 goal contributions, Lopez also created eight big chances in the top flight, along with averaging one key pass per game.

Considering he started just 12 league games, averaging only 45 minutes per match, these are impressive statistics indeed.

Should he make the move to Villa, he would certainly secure more gametime in the starting XI than he was afforded under Hansi Flick last season.

Will he want to drop and play in the Europa League, however? Or is the long-term project at Villa enough to entice the youngster?

The next few weeks could be interesting indeed, and given he offered similar statistics to those of Yamal last season, he would make for an excellent signing.

"Sensational" GK emerges as Aston Villa's top target to replace Martinez

The Villans have identified a 25-year-old goalkeeper as their first-choice option to replace Emiliano Martinez this summer.

ByDominic Lund Jun 9, 2025

Liverpool have been busy in the transfer market over the past several weeks. Well, the transfer window hasn’t actually opened yet, but that’s a credit to Richard Hughes’ savvy negotiating.

Arne Slot created something special this season, but the Dutch coach is no fool, and knows the importance of strengthening whilst ahead. Liverpool have been crowned Premier League champions, and are now ringing the changes.

There’s been a concerted focus on strengthening the flanks, over these past weeks: Jeremie Frimpong has completed his medical, while discussions with Bournemouth for left-back Milos Kerkez are ongoing, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool enquire about new defender

Improving the defence is very much the order of the day for Slot and Co this summer but their efforts may not stop with the full-backs.

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 TEAMtalk, Liverpool have made initial enquiries to RB Leipzig as they consider a move for Castello Lukeba, with the left-footed defender earning Slot’s nod of approval.

Though Lukeba, 22, has a €90m (£74m) release clause in his contract, FSG would be hoping to bag him for a cheaper fee. However, while Slot is personally keen on a move, Real Madrid and Manchester United are both known admirers too.

Liverpool have already made it known they would be open to signing a centre-half this summer, having failed in their bid to sign Madrid-bound Dean Huijsen, but in Lukeba, they could score the perfect fallback.

Why Liverpool want Castello Lukeba

A defensive hybrid, Lukeba is a naturally central defender, though bears an athleticism and energy that has seen him weave out onto the left flank, which is an interesting proposition for Slot to chew on.

He’s powerful, yes, but not overbearing in the backline, playing his role consummately. Lukeba missed three months of the campaign with muscular difficulties, but featured prominently across the latter phase of the year.

Liverpool will be frustrated they missed out on Huijsen, who has been regarded as a “world-class” player in the making by analysts, but in Lukeba, the dream alternative has been identified.

Leipzig have fostered Lukeba, pulled him to the fore, but now he should take the next step in his career and join the Liverpool fold. After all, he’s got the balanced skill set to make Slot forget all about Huijsen.

Matches (starts)

32 (26)

23 (18)

Goals

3

0

Assists

2

0

Touches*

63.9

65.4

Pass completion

84%

87%

Key passes*

0.5

0.2

Dribbles*

0.1

0.9

Ball recoveries*

3.3

3.2

Tackles + interceptions*

2.7

2.0

Clearances*

6.1

3.0

Duels (won)*

3.6 (56%)

4.0 (65%)

He might not be quite as attack-minded or silky on the ball as Huijsen, but Lukeba is still crisp and collected. Moreover, he’s a veritable machine when it comes to defensive duties, so commanding in the duel.

And that’s not to say Lukeba isn’t good on the ball. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 13% of centre-backs across Europe this season for passes attempted and the top 20% for progressive passes per 90.

With only four of his 23 Bundesliga outings coming from the flank, it’s clear he could play the role envisaged for Huijsen, especially given both are left-footers.

Analyst Ben Mattinson hailed the Frenchman’s “freak profile,” drawing positive awareness to the dynamic and powerful set of skills. He even went on to say that transferring to Anfield would be a “perfect move” for Lukeba, and given that Huijsen is now out of bounds, Slot must throw the kitchen sink at getting it done.

He's the new Coutinho: Liverpool set to sign "generational" star very soon

Liverpool are moving quickly to make new signings for Arne Slot’s side.

ByAngus Sinclair May 27, 2025

With Matheus Cunha possibly heading for the exit door this summer, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly set their sights on signing an Atletico Madrid star who’s actually been compared to Nelson Semedo.

Cunha could leave Wolves with Premier League giants keen

By signing a new contract and staying put in January, some may have believed that Cunha had put any talk of an exit to bed once and for all. However, it quickly emerged that his new deal included a release clause worth around £63m which is reportedly likely to be triggered this summer.

The Brazilian is certainly not short on suitors, either, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both in the race for his signature. Alas, as things stand, it seems as though it’s Manchester United who are leading the race to secure his signature having reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Wolves star.

He'd make Larsen unplayable: Wolves targeting move for "sensational" PL ace

Wolves could make a move for a Premier League midfielder this summer

ByRoss Kilvington May 2, 2025

Before the arrival of Vitor Pereira, the thought of Cunha’s exit would have sent most Wolves fans into overdrive. However, even in the absence of their star man thanks to suspension a few weeks ago, the Midlands club began to put together a vital winning run and dominantly ended their relegation fears. It was then Cunha’s return to the side which helped stretch that run to six games before Manchester City stopped it there on Friday.

Speaking with great pride about his side’s run even after it came to an end against Man City, Pereira said: “Yes, but in the end, this is football. I am still proud of my team.

“I told them that we can lose a game, but we cannot lose our identity, our courage, our ambition, our commitment, our team spirit. Today, I saw everything in my team, everything except the result. “

Wolves eye move for Atletico Madrid's Samuel Lino

Still needing to replace Cunha despite recent results, those in the Midlands have reportedly set their sights on a new target. According to South American journalist Juan Arrien, relayed by Give Me Sport, Wolves are now eyeing a move to sign Samuel Lino from Atletico Madrid in an attempt to replace Cunha this summer.

A player who has been compared to Nelson Semedo by Football Transfers, Lino mainly operates as a left-winger but can also feature on the opposite flank to offer Pereira key versatility. Having scored four goals and created a further six in all competitions this season, the Brazilian’s output has far from matched Cunha’s, but a move to the Premier League could be exactly what he needs.

Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that Cunha was struggling at Atletico Madrid before starring at Wolves. Once dubbed “incredible” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Lino can now follow that same path by swapping Madrid for Molineux in the coming months.

Nine special moments from an enthralling Test match between India and England

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2024India and England played out four days of riveting Test cricket as the hosts levelled the series in Visakhapatnam. We’ve picked out the best moments and this is your chance to pick your favourites. Over to you to rank them.