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Chelsea’s ambitious recruitment policy targeting world football’s most exciting young talents continues to bear fruit, with yet another sensation reportedly on his way in.

Chelsea lead youth revolution through BlueCo transfer policy

Brazilian rising star Estevao has already provided spectacular vindication of the BlueCo ownership’s recruitment strategy.

The 18-year-old forward, signed for an initial £29 million from Palmeiras in a deal potentially rising beyond £56 million, has adapted seamlessly to Premier League football since arriving this summer.

His stunning Champions League goal against Barcelona highlighted precisely why the west London club fought off competition from the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and Barcelona to secure his signature.

Nicknamed “Messinho” during his youth, Estevao has marked himself out as a potential world-class superstar.

South American football expert Tim Vickery proclaimed him “the most talented Brazilian since Neymar,” whilst Enzo Maresca has carefully managed his integration, so far electing to play the teenager out wide.

Chelsea’s pipeline extends far beyond Estevao, with multiple generational talents already contracted for future arrivals.

Chelsea star out for a month through injury with January transfer stance shared

The Blues will be without him for weeks.

ByEmilio Galantini 4 days ago

Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda, dubbed by some Portuguese observers as “the next Cristiano Ronaldo,” will join next summer following a £44 million agreement – securing him for half his £88 million release clause.

Ecuadorian defender Deinner Ordonez has committed to joining in January 2028 from Independiente del Valle, whilst Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Paez – another highly-rated prospect – will return alongside Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders in 2026.

Kairat Almaty forward Dastan Satpaev and Corinthians left-back Denner are also set to arrive in 2026 with Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha, though a move for the latter won’t be brought forward to January despite Liam Delap’s latest injury (Nizaar Kinsella).

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol revealed Chelsea have signings “already lined up” for summers 2026 and 2027, explaining their extensive recruitment department exists specifically to identify tomorrow’s superstars.

Now, as per Africa Foot, the Blues are closing in on yet another exciting youngster.

Chelsea set to sign Mohamed Zongo after reaching 'full agreement'

According to their information, Chelsea have won the race to sign coveted teenage talent Mohamed Zongo after reaching a ‘full agreement’ for the 16-year-old.

He’s been called the ‘next-gen Yaya Toure’ after emerging as one of Africa’s brightest young stars to watch, and Chelsea have moved to secure the player.

BlueCo have apparently beat off competition from the likes of Man City and Man United for the young prodigy’s signature, who was one of the standout performers at the recent Under-17 World Cup with Burkina Faso’s youth national team.

Zongo is now ‘set to join Chelsea’ despite fierce competition from multiple European clubs, with their comprehensive project convincing all parties involved that Stamford Bridge represents the ideal destination.

However, the youngster will not immediately relocate to London.

Instead, Zongo will continue his progression at Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club, allowing him to adapt gradually to European football in an ideal environment before eventually transitioning to Maresca’s first-team.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed what he told defender Riccardo Calafiori right before his immediate impact off the bench against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Arsenal cruise to statement win over Bayern Munich

The Gunners enjoyed a night to remember in Europe on Wednesday after putting Vincent Kompany’s side to the sword over what was a phenomenal second-half display.

Heading into the game, Bayern were unbeaten in all competitions and had reigned victorious in every single game bar one, with Arsenal inflicting their first defeat of 2025/2026.

On paper, it was perhaps Arsenal’s toughest test of the season against Europe’s most in-form team, but the north Londoners still found a way to win and extend their own unbeaten run to an incredible 16 matches on the trot.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Bukayo Saka directed a corner towards the near post and Jurrien Timber glanced his header past the flapping Manuel Neuer to open the scoring, but out of nowhere Bayern conjured up an equaliser.

Joshua Kimmich pinged the ball out to former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry, who cushioned it first time into the path of Lennart Karl. Cool as you like, the teenager – who became Bayern’s youngest Champions League goalscorer against Brugge last month – did not break stride as he crashed his first-time volley into the roof of the net.

Moments later a Kane pirouette in the area had Arsenal flustered until William Saliba hacked the ball clear at the second attempt.

After the break, Saka, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino all threatened for the hosts before the second goal arrived in the 69th minute.

Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano gave the ball away, substitute Calafiori swung in a low cross and Madueke pounced from six yards out – scoring his first ever goal for Arsenal.

Neuer then suffered a horrible moment as he came out to deal with Eze’s long ball, only for another sub, Gabriel Martinelli, to waltz past him and finish into an empty net.

"Magnificent" – Ally McCoist hails "out of this world" Arsenal star in Bayern Munich win

He was truly exceptional on a night to remember for the Gunners.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

‘Are you Tottenham in disguise?’ and ‘Harry, what’s the score?’ were the predictable chants from the home fans as they revelled in their old foe’s misery, all while celebrating a deserved, statement win against the Bundesliga champions.

Declan Rice put on a man of the match display against Bayern, one of his best ever performances since joining the club, but Arteta’s substitutions were inspired and a key part of why they won the blockbuster clash.

Mikel Arteta reveals key Riccardo Calafiori message before Arsenal assist

Just one minute after being introduced by Arteta, left-back Calafiori, who replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly, put the ball on a plate for Madueke after darting in behind to whip in a low cross.

The Italy international played a major role in putting Arsenal back into the ascendancy, with Arteta revealing what he told Calafiori right before his game-changing assist against Bayern.

The £42 million signing from Bologna has further staked his claim as Arsenal’s undisputed number one left-back, and contributions like last night highlight exactly why Lewis-Skelly has struggled for minutes.

In the background, reports suggest that Chelsea are making a bold attempt to convince Lewis-Skelly to join them amid his lack of match action, but the Hale End sensation is determined to battle his way back into the starting eleven.

Unfortunately for him, the teenager might have a hard time doing so with Calafiori proving so instrumental for Arteta right now.

Juan Soto made headlines when he admitted that he's being pitched to differently in the New York Mets' lineup without the protection of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Soto's comments, which came during an interview with on Monday, took on a life of their own in the heavily-scrutinized New York media market, especially in light of Soto's decision to leave the Bronx for Queens this offseason.

So, naturally, reporters wanted to know what Judge thought of Soto's remarks. When asked, the Yankees captain responded perfectly.

"I’m not really going to go back and forth with this," Judge told MLB.com. "He’s got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind right now in what Alonso is doing. It has been fun to watch. He’s hitting close to .400. He’s driving the ball to all over the field, driving guys in.

"I've seen Soto now watching the league for so many years, and getting a chance to see him up close — he can look at what I did last April for an example of, he just needs to keep being himself. He's going to be just fine."

Judge, who won the '24 American League MVP, and Soto, who posted a career-best 41 home runs and a .989 OPS, did their best Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig impression while leading the Yankees to an AL East title and the club's first AL pennant since '09. Soto benefited from hitting behind Judge in more ways than one, but in no way more impactful than the record, $765 million contract he signed with the Mets after his productive season in the Bronx.

Soto, with just two home runs in 16 games in '25, hasn't been as productive from a slugging standpoint so far. But the four-time All-Star is still among the game's leaders in walks and runs scored for a Mets team that is currently in first place.

And Alonso, who's batting .345 and leads the National League in OPS, looks to be in the midst of a career year. Judge is likely right.

Soto will be just fine.

After the climax of The Oval Test spilled over into the final day because of poor light and rain in what has been a thrilling five-Test series, it’s fair to wonder what the weather on the 25th and last day of the series will be like.There is rain around, but there’s no reason to believe there won’t be time to get a result.Both England and India currently have a clear shot at victory, which keeps the possibilities of 2-2 or 3-1 still open. While England are just 35 runs away from lifting the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India need another four wickets, including that of Chris Woakes, who is ready to bat one-handed if needed despite a suspected dislocated shoulder, which is in a sling.The weather forecast for Monday in London says it will mostly be cloudy and breezy with a couple of showers in the afternoon, expected around 2pm local time (6.30pm IST). If the first session is clear, with an 11am local time (3.30pm IST) start, the Test shouldn’t go into the afternoon. According to BBC Weather, there is some chance of rain even around 1pm local time, which, again, might not affect the outcome.The weather has been a feature of this Test – it has rained on three of the four days so far. In the dying moments of the final session of the fourth day, it was bad light that forced the players off the field at around 5.30pm local time, when at least half-an-hour’s play was still left, apart from the extended half-hour which allows action to go on till 6.30pm. It started to rain soon after the players went off and stumps were finally called at 6.01pm.

Manchester City have opened talks to sign a “sensational” Bayern Munich player, with the German club now “really worried” about his future.

Man City's unbeaten run comes to an end at Aston Villa

Man City’s nine-game undefeated streak in all competitions was brought to a halt on Sunday afternoon, suffering a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park, with Matty Cash’s first-half strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.

Despite the loss, Pep Guardiola suggested he was happy with his side’s performance, while also insisting it is too early to be overly concerned about the Premier League title race, saying: “I don’t know how many teams can come here and play the way we played, with the courage, possession and chances.

“We have to be stable with that. And after that, to deal with games better.

“But I don’t live in October and November thinking, ‘Oh what is going to happen if we don’t win the Premier League’, so it’s game by game now.”

However, having suffered three defeats already this season, which leaves the Blues six points behind Arsenal in the table, there are clear indications Guardiola may need to strengthen his squad in order to turn them back into title contenders.

According to a report from The Boot Room, Man City have this month held discussions about signing Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, amid the uncertainty surrounding his future at the Bundesliga club.

Upamecano is yet to extend his contract at the Allianz Arena, which means he is currently set to be available on a free transfer next summer, and that is a concern for Bayern.

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Transfer expert Graeme Bailey adds: “Speaking to sources at a couple of Premier League clubs, they actually believe Upamecano is more likely to stay than leave, but I can tell you Bayern are really worried that Upamecano will have offers presented to him in early 2026 if an agreement with Bayern is not reached.”

"Sensational" Upamecano could be solid addition to Pep's backline

Pep has stuck with the experienced duo of John Stones and Ruben Dias at centre-back in recent weeks, with the former managing to put his injury problems behind him, while the manager also has Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov to call upon.

As such, it is debatable whether it is necessary to bring in another centre-back, but the Bayern star certainly has the ability required to succeed at the Etihad Stadium, having received very high praise from journalist Muhammad Butt in the past.

Every player in a Guardiola system must be comfortable in possession of the ball, and the 27-year-old fits the bill in that regard, averaging a pass-completion rate of 93.5% per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 96th percentile, compared to other centre-backs.

Upamecano could be the ideal addition to Man City’s defence, and the £168k-a-week star potentially being available on a free transfer makes signing him an even more attractive proposition.

Glasgow Rangers are back in action in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox on Saturday after the end of the international break, but it remains to be seen who will be in the dugout.

The Light Blues parted ways with their last head coach after their last league match before the break, and Rangers have yet to agree a deal with a replacement.

As shown in the graphic above, the Gers endured a dismal start to the 2025/26 campaign, winning just five of their 17 matches, and they have to find a manager who can turn their fortunes around.

Rangers have held talks with English tactician

Steven Gerrard has withdrawn from contention to be the next Gers manager, after talks with the club, which means that they now have to look elsewhere for a Russell Martin replacement.

Manager Focus

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According to TEAMtalk, Rangers have held talks with former Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick as part of their process to find their next boss.

The English tactician, who left Boro at the end of last season, has had discussions with the Ibrox giants over a potential move to Scotland, and would not cost a penny in compensation.

TEAMtalk adds, though, that Danny Rohl, Kieran McKenna, and Rafael Wicky are also contenders for the role, as the Light Blues look for an alternative to Gerrard.

Why Rangers should appoint Michael Carrick

Carrick would be an intriguing option for the Scottish giants to go for because he has the potential to get Ibrox rocking again with his style of play and history in the game.

Rangers supporters could get behind the English tactician because he had an illustrious playing career, unlike Martin, winning five Premier League titles with Manchester United, making 464 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

This means that he can bring a winning mentality to the club even if his coaching career has not started in a similar vein, as he impressed with Middlesbrough on a “limited budget”, as Mark Schwarzer put it.

Michael Carrick’s two full seasons at Middlesbrough

Championship

23/24

24/25

League finish

8th

10th

xPTS (Expected league finish)

73 (5th)

71 (6th)

xG

69.5

67.4

xGA

55.0

56.4

xGD

+14.5

+11.3

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the results that Carrick’s team picked up did not quite get the rewards that his coaching deserved, which suggests that he did not have the quality of player that he needed to achieve real success down south.

If Rangers are happy with their recruitment work in the summer, the Light Blues may feel that they have the players to make the most of the former Manchester United star’s impressive and attack-minded coaching.

Carrick, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has also shown that he can develop and get the best out of young players, like Morgan Rogers.

The England international explains in the clip above that the head coach helped him to take the next step in his development as a young player.

Rogers was valued at £1.5m by Transfermarkt at the time of his move to Boro from Manchester City. At the time of writing (14/10/2025), the 23-year-old star is valued at a whopping £48m by Transfermarkt.

This shows that Carrick can help to develop big-money talent, which aligns with the club’s strategy to bring in and improve young players, which is why another reason why he could be a fantastic appointment.

Overall, the 44-year-old head coach could get Ibrox rocking because his success and reputation in the game would command respect, and he is a manager who has shown that he can coach attacking football at Middlesbrough on a ‘limited budget’.

Related Tottenham now in contact to sign "complete" fast winger ahead of Rangers

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It will now be interesting to see if the Light Blues decide to seriously pursue an agreement with Carrick or if they go elsewhere, with Rohl, McKenna, or Wicky.

Usman Qadir impressed with the ball to derail Islamabad’s chase

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2025

Finn Allen, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, and Faheem Ashraf crashed significant scores at a strike rate of better than 150. And when these four batters had propelled Quetta Gladiators to a total of 209 for 6, their bowlers locked the game down through the middle overs, sending Islamabad United eventually to 179 all out.Gladiators advance to the final, deservedly. Not only have they won this match by a significant margin, they had also easily topped the league ahead of the playoffs, winning seven of their ten matches. United now have to face the winner of Thursday night’s eliminator – between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars – in Qualifier 2.The Chandimal-Ashraf spectacularIf you want one reason why Gladiators bossed this game, it is the period between overs 11.6 and 19.5, when Chandimal and Ashraf were at the crease. Chandimal clobbered 48 not out off 28 balls, Ashraf hit 45 off 23, and the pair (to use a Gen Z term) “twinned” on the boundary count – hitting three sixes and four fours apiece. Their partnership was worth 95 runs off 48 balls.Chandimal, as usual, was strong on the leg side, that powerful bottom hand coming into play, though he also sliced a boundary through backward point when United had stacked the off side and James Neesham was attempting to bowl wide yorkers.Ashraf was just as impressive. He was strong on the leg side too, but when bowlers attempted to go full and wide, he crashed them over the cover region as well.United’s top order make a chargeThere were a few moments in which it seemed not impossible that United could run down a target of 210. These came almost exclusively during the first 14 overs. First, Sahibzada Farhan and Rassie van der Dussen hit 71 off 45 balls together. Farhan went on to make 52 off 35 – the highest individual score of the game and his sixth T20 half-century.No. 4 batter Salman Agha then produced a little gem too, scything 44 off 26, but found little support at the other end. When he departed, with 16 balls to go and 42 runs still to get, there were no more viable paths to victory for United.Usman Tariq imposes himselfMohammad Amir and Ashraf took two wickets apiece, but it was offspinner Usman Tariq who inflicted the more telling blows. His first wicket – that of Farhan – was slightly lucky. Farhan had merely mis-hit a leg side full toss but found Khawaja Nafay running in from the deep.But then there was also the wicket of Salman, which was down to a piece of utilitarian T20 bowling, going fast and wide outside off stump to a batter trying to smash to leg, resulting in a top edge gobbled up at long-on. To cap it off, he also had Naseem Shah caught in the deep. He finished with 3 for 32, which were his figures in his previous game as well.He outshone both Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed, who are now both equal second on the tournament wicket-takers’ list, with 16 apiece.

MatériaMais Notícias

Podendo ganhar até três posições no Campeonato Brasileiro em caso de um novo triunfo, o Bahia visitará o São Paulo, na manhã do próximo domingo (30), no Estádio do Morumbi. Diante do cenário em questão, o meio-campista Rezende ressalta a relevância da partida.

– Num campeonato por pontos corridos, toda rodada é igualmente importante, mas as circunstâncias são diferentes. Os três pontos seriam muito bem vindos, pois nos afastariam do Z4 e permitiriam que ganhássemos posições. No entanto, o confronto certamente será bastante duro, temos consciência disso – afirmou.

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>Olho no Brasileirão! Assine o Prime Video e acompanhe todos os jogos do seu time do coração!

Restando somente três rodadas para o fim do primeiro turno da Série A, o tricolor baiano enfrentará ainda a dupla mineira, América e Atlético. Compromissos esses que precisam ser encarados como capazes de encerrar a primeira metade da competição em viés de alta:

– Vamos lutar muito para conseguir bons resultados nessas últimas rodadas. Dessa maneira, ganharíamos moral para começar o segundo turno ainda mais confiantes.

Big picture: PBKS put the chaos behind

A year ago, Punjab Kings (PBKS) had hit a few lows with confusion around the real Shashank Singh, Shikhar Dhawan’s dismal form, and them finishing ninth with just five wins to miss out on a playoffs spot for the 10th year in a row.There’s a sense of calm around the group now. Led by Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, they have started IPL 2025 with two away wins and hope to set right their home record.PBKS won just one out of their five games in Mullanpur in IPL 2024. But this is a different team, with the kind of depth that makes them everyone’s envy. Only their top order is doing so well that it has made that depth almost decorative. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen are all very useful with the bat but they have hardly been needed.Rajasthan Royals (RR), though, are grappling with several issues, starting from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s underwhelming start to concerns about their batting depth. They have tried to circumvent this issue by being flexible with their line-up, which is why their win over CSK, courtesy a Nitish Rana special last week to round off the Guwahati leg, would have come as a soothing balm.Both sides have had the propensity to produce thrillers while playing each other. Can they produce another?

Form guide

Punjab Kings: WWL (Last three matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals: WLL
Sanju Samson will take back captaincy of Rajasthan Royals•Associated Press

New Loyalties

Yuzvendra Chahal is up against his former franchise, with whom he achieved considerable success. He took 27 wickets for RR in IPL 2022 and earned the purple cap and a place in the final for his team. RR let him go and PBKS snapped him up for INR 18 crore, making him the most expensive spinner in the tournament’s history.

Team news and likely XII

Sanju Samson is set to take over the RR captaincy from Riyan Parag after being cleared by the Centre of Excellence to keep wicket following a finger injury. Samson had played the first three matches as an Impact Player.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Wanindu Hasaranga, 7 Shimron Hetmyer, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Shubham DubeyPBKS have used two different impact subs in the two games so far. How they juggle with their options is anybody’s guess.Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Suryansh Shedge, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak/Nehal Wadhera

Big Question

Should Shimron Hetmyer be batting as low as he has been in the first two matches? Against KKR, Hetmyer came in at No. 8, even below their impact sub, Shubham Dubey. Against CSK, Hetmyer came in at No. 7, behind Wanindu Hasaranga. RR are seemingly focused on his entry point as against his batting number, but the question remains. Are they maximising his potential?

In the spotlight

Prabhsimran Singh has been playing IPL since 2019. He has got through two mega auction cycles with the same franchise. But for all that time, he only has five half-centuries, including the his 34-ball 69 from earlier this week. This is Prabhsimran’s opportunity to show he can add consistency to his potential.Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn’t been anywhere near his best in the 32 deliveries he has faced so far in IPL 2025. Between his previous game and now, his switching from Mumbai to Goa in domestic cricket has been dissected threadbare. If he can find form, Jaiswal will help deflect attention away from the off-field rumblings.2:58

Boucher: Jaiswal almost seems to be missing Buttler

Pitch and conditions

PBKS were left confused about what home advantage really means, having to navigate through slow surfaces in Mullanpur in IPL 2024. The bigger boundary dimensions at the ground usually bring spinners into play and explain why in five games last year, 180 was breached just twice while batting first.

Key Stats

• Samson is one win away from being the most successful RR captain outright. He is currently tied on 31 with Shane Warne.
• Sandeep Sharma has a favourable match-up against Shreyas Iyer, whom he has dismissed three times in nine T20 innings while conceding 47 runs at a strike rate of just 84.
• Samson has been out five times in 11 T20 innings to Chahal. Will that force PBKS to go out of the box and throw him the ball during the powerplay?
• Teams scoring 170 or more while batting first have defended their score successfully eight times out of nine in all T20s in Mullanpur

Quotes

“Rolls-Royce just stayed in third gear for most of the day. Didn’t have to go any harder than that. Just steers the ship home.”
PBKS coach Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer’s 52* off 30 after their second win against LSG”It was just two games, but it felt very long. Happy.”
Riyan Parag after securing his first win as RR’s stand-in captain