It’s almost time for Chelsea to return to action.

The Blues will very much undergo a truncated pre-season schedule, having won the Club World Cup on 13 July, surprisingly defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final in New Jersey.

Thus, Enzo Maresca’s team will have just two pre-season fixtures before their Premier League opener, welcoming Bayer Leverkusen to Stamford Bridge on Friday night, before taking on AC Milan in West London on Sunday.

Before then, will the Blues continue to make more signings?

Chelsea's search for even more attacking talent

Fair to say, Maresca has plenty of attacking options at his disposal.

Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens, João Pedro, and Liam Delap have all already arrived this summer, but the Blues are far from done yet, with potentially two new forwards on their way.

First, as reported by James Olley of ESPN, Chelsea are close to signing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for a reported fee of €50m (around £44m), with the Dutchman eager to make the move.

Meantime, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are still pursuing Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, adding that “no talks” have begun just yet, but the Argentine is “keen” on the move.

Elsewhere, Romano notes that the transfer is “not expected to be imminent” but that Garanacho is prioritising a move to Chelsea, with the Blues focussing on outgoings for now.

Transfer Focus

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

Garnacho was told to find a new club by manager Rúben Amorim back in May. Currently part of Man United’s infamous ‘bomb squad’, not with the first-team squad in the US, rather left behind at Carrington, alongside fellow outcasts Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia.

Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that Man United valued Garnacho at £70m. Still, now that it’s public knowledge he has been cast aside, James Ducker of The Telegraph believes he is available for £40m, with Chelsea in pole position to snap him up.

What Alejandro Garnacho would bring to Chelsea

At the start of the window, Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian reported that Chelsea are ‘priori­tising the addition’ of a right-footed left-winger, with Garnacho very much their top target for this role.

​​​​​His performances for Manchester United have certainly caught the eye, with Statman Dave labelling him one of the two “brightest young talents on the planet” as recently as October, alongside Lamine Yamal, which is high praise indeed.

Elsewhere, Kurosh Moghtader of Total Football Analysis labels him a ‘reliable attacking outlet’ who still has ‘room for improvement’, with Andy Mitten of The Athletic believing his ‘work rate’ and finishing have both got better in recent times.

When looking to compare Garnacho to a former Chelsea player of the not-too-distant past, he is stylistically most similar to Joe Cole.

Like Garnacho, Cole arrived from a Premier League rival as a 22-year-old back in 2003, namely West Ham United, having come through the Hammers’ academy, and made quite an impact during his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge.

In Chelsea blue, Cole made 282 appearances, scoring 39 goals and registering 47 assists, winning three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the EFL Cup.

At his best, Tom Mason of The Guardian believes Cole was ‘breathtaking’, praising his ‘creativity, flair, technical ability and vision’, adding that he was ‘always willing to receive a pass and take on the responsibility’.

Meantime, Sam Wallace of the Independent heralds his ‘silky touch’, noting that his best years came under José Mourinho when deployed as a left-winger in a ‘clearly defined’ role.

Well, in Maresca’s current set-up, Garnacho, who was hailed as “electric” by Statman Dave, could certainly thrive in a similar way.

So, let’s assess how Cole at West Ham and Garnacho at Manchester United compare to one another.

Joe Cole at West Ham vs Alejandro Garnacho at Man United comparison
Statistics	Cole	Garnacho
Appearances	184	144
Minutes	13,250	8,359
Goals	18	26
Assists	9	22
International caps	10	8
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table documents, when comparing Garnacho of the present day to Cole just before his move to Chelsea, the Englishman was more experienced, but the Argentine had produced a greater output in terms of goals and assists.

Cole arrived in the summer of 2003 as part of Roman Abramovich’s first spending spree, alongside Claude Makélélé, Hernán Crespo, Adrian Mutu, Juan Sebastián Verón, Scott Parker, Glen Johnson, Alexey Smertin, Geremi, Wayne Bridge, Damien Duff, and many, many others.

Well, 22 years on, Chelsea are adopting a similar approach in the transfer market, and all available evidence suggests that Garnacho could thrive in a similar way.

Chelsea looking to do "early deal" for potential £44m-plus striker after Hato

Another centre-forward signing on the horizon?

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 2, 2025

After a long summer, Arsenal finally kickstart their fourth attempt at winning the Premier League tomorrow afternoon.

It feels like it could be the competitive title race for some time, but thanks to their summer business, Mikel Arteta’s side feel well-placed to attack it head-on.

Sporting Director Andrea Berta and his team have overseen six first-team additions so far, with the most significant undoubtedly being Viktor Gyokeres, and if that wasn’t enough, they are still being linked with a move for the sensational Eberechi Eze.

However, if Arsenal really want to make a splash and complete a signing that’d be better than the Swede and Englishman, they should go back in for a player they were linked with earlier this summer.

Why Gyokeres and Eze could be game-changers

While there are always a multitude of motivations behind every transfer, it’s not hard to work out why Arsenal decided to splash £63.5m on Gyokeres this summer: goals.

The Gunners have needed a new goalscoring centre-forward for some time now, and when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, it’s hard to think of many players as good as the Swede.

For example, in just 52 appearances last season, the Stockholm-born “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists to boot.

In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, or one every 63.40 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.

When it comes to their interest in Eze, there is perhaps a little more to it.

For example, on top of his brilliant haul of 25 goal involvements in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season, the former QPR gem can play as a traditional number ten or fill in on the left, which is an area of concern for the Gunners.

Moreover, he is Premier League-proven and proved he has what it takes to step up in the biggest games last season during the Eagles’ incredible FA Cup triumph.

In short, Gyokeres is a brilliant signing, and Eze would be as well, although if Arsenal want to make an even better purchase than both, they should go out and get someone they were linked with earlier this summer: Bradley Barcola.

Why Barcola would be a better signing than Gyokeres & Eze

While the reports touting Barcola for a move to Arsenal seem to have disappeared in recent weeks, he was briefly linked with the club back in June, and since then, stories have claimed that Paris Saint-Germain value him at around £87m.

So then, if Berta were to go out and get the young Frenchman, why would he be a better signing than Gyokeres and Eze?

Well, the first argument comes down to this output, as even though he plays on the wing, the Lyon-born superstar, whom Mattinson has dubbed “one of the best LWs in Europe,” scored 21 goals and provided 21 assists in 64 appearances, totalling 3927 minutes, last season.

Barcola in 24/25
Appearances	64
Minutes	3927′
Goals	21
Assists	21
Goal Involvements per Match	0.65
Minutes per Goal Involvement	93.5′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

That works out to a sublime average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games, or every 93.5 minutes, which trumps the Palace star’s average of one every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Now, you might be thinking that the Frenchman’s numbers still pale in comparison to the Swede’s, and while that is correct, you have to take into account the competitions they play in, as, according to Opta Analyst, the Portuguese league is only the eighth toughest in the world. At the same time, Ligue 1 makes it into the top five.

The second reason the “world-class” PSG gem, as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchley, would be a better signing is down to what he team needs, as while a new striker was important, Kai Havertz was on 15 goals before his injury last season.

In contrast, neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard have impressed off the left for some time now, making it a real weak point in the side.

Finally, and this is important when it comes to squad building and future success, the Champions League winner is still just 22 years old. In contrast, the other two are both 27, meaning they will likely start becoming less effective in three to four years, compared to eight or nine.

Ultimately, Gyokeres is an excellent signing, and Eze would be as well, but from his output to his position and age, we can’t help thinking Barcola would be the best addition of the lot.

Best signing since Rice: Big-money target "in favour" of moving to Arsenal

The international entertainer could be a game-changer for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 14, 2025

خاض منتخب البرتغال، بقيادة النجم كريستيانو رونالدو، مباراته مساء السبت في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، وذلك ضد نظيره أيرلندا.

واستضاف ملعب “جوزيه ألفالادي” مباراة البرتغال وأيرلندا، في خضم تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة إلى مونديال الصيف المقبل، حيث فاز أصحاب الأرض بهدف دون رد. هدف فوز البرتغال على أيرلندا في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

وسيطر التعادل السلبي على مجريات المباراة في السواد الأعظم منها، حيث لم يتمكن أي من الفريقين من التسجيل، مع فرص سانحة لكليهما.

وتحصل منتخب البرتغال على ضربة جزاء، في الدقيقة 73، بسبب لمسة يد على أحد لاعبي الخصم، ونفذها كريستيانو رونالدو ولكنه أهدرها بعدما تصدى لها حارس أيرلندا. رونالدو يهدر ضربة جزاء أمام أيرلندا

وكادت المباراة تمنح نقطة لكل فريق لولا هدف قاتل من روبن نيفيز، في الدقيقة 91 من عمر المباراة، ليتحصل منتخب البرتغال على 3 نقاط ثمينة.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد البرتغال إلى 9 نقاط في صدارة المجموعة السادسة، بينما تجمد رصيد أيرلندا عند نقطة في المركز الرابع والأخير.

وسيواجه منتخب البرتغال خصمه منتخب المجر يوم الثلاثاء المقبل، حيث يحتاج إلى الفوز من أجل التأهل رسميًا للمونديال.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo perdeu a oportunidade de alcançar mais um marco histórico em relação à presença da público no estádio do Morumbi. Nos últimos sete jogos, o clube atraiu mais de 40 mil pagantes em cada partida. No entanto, contra o Athletico-PR, praticamente metade desse público compareceu ao estádio.

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Conforme os levantamentos do historiador Alexandre Giesbrecht, do ‘Anotações Tricolores’, a sequência de sete jogos com mais de 40 mil pagantes igualou o recorde estabelecido em 2017 e repetido no ano seguinte. Curiosamente, em 2018, essa sequência foi interrompida em um Choque-Rei, assim como ocorreu na rodada anterior ao confronto contra o Athletico-PR, no qual o São Paulo foi derrotado em casa por 2 a 0. Se tivesse chegado a oito jogos, tinha feito história.

Apesar dos resultados positivos em relação à presença da torcida são-paulina neste ano, a média de público ficou abaixo do registrado em 2017 e 2018. Enquanto, em 2017, o São Paulo teve uma média de 52.803 torcedores durante essa sequência de jogos, em 2018 a média foi de 49.897. Já neste ano, a média ficou em 48.665 pagantes.

ATUAÇÕES: Gabriel Neves vai do inferno ao céu e Luciano comanda virada do São Paulo contra o Athletico-PR

Para os tricolores apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!

Existem algumas suposições que podem explicar essa queda de público após o período sem jogos devido à Data Fifa. Um dos fatores é o resultado negativo no clássico contra o rival alviverde. Além disso, a partida contra o Athletico-PR foi realizada às 19h (horário de Brasília), período de pico no trânsito da capital paulista, o que pode ter dificultado o deslocamento dos torcedores até o estádio.

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Existem chances de o São Paulo retomar a sequência de grandes públicos nos próximos jogos. Nas próximas duas semanas, o Tricolor terá três desafios em casa: o confronto contra o Tigre, pela Copa Sul-Americana, o jogo de ida das quartas de final contra o Palmeiras, pela Copa do Brasil, e o duelo contra o Fluminense, pelo Brasileirão. Essas partidas representam oportunidades para a torcida são-paulina comparecer em peso e contribuir para o aumento da média de público no estádio do Morumbi.

The left hander was unbeaten on 53 from 189 balls with the visitors chasing an imposing 381

AAP20-Feb-2025

Nivethan Radhakrishnan built patiently for Tasmania•Getty Images

Precocious talent Nivethan Radhakrishnan posted a half-century as Tasmania faced a final-day fight for 217 more runs to defeat Sheffield Shield leaders South Australia.Set 381 runs to win, Tasmania were 164 for 3 at stumps on the third day at Adelaide Oval. Radhakrishnan, an Indian-born 22-year-old who can bowl spinners with right and left arms, has underpinned the chase with an unbeaten 53. He will resume on the last day with Jake Doran, who was 19 not out.Related

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Tasmania lost Jake Weatherald early when the left hander didn’t play a shot to a Nathan McAndrew delivery which cut back to clip off stump.Radhakrishnan and Tim Ward took the score to 70 but the latter fell just after tea. Like Weatherald, the left-handed Ward failed to offer a shot to McAndrew bowling around the wicket but was unlucky to be adjudged lbw, given the ball hit his thigh pad and appeared to be tracking over the stumps.Radhakrishnan, who has represented Australia in Under-16 and Under-19 ranks, then featured in a 66-run partnership dominated by stalwart Jordan Silk. Silk made 43 from 66 balls but was bowled by legspinner Lloyd Pope – he chopped on attempting a drive through the off-side an hour before stumps.Earlier, SA were all out for 388 in their second innings. After resuming at 272 for 6, McAndrew and Ben Manenti quickly prospered as they struck five boundaries each and featured in a 78-run partnership.Allrounder Liam Scott returned to the crease after retiring hurt on 43 because of a migraine late on day two, pushing his score to 69 not out. Tasmania quick Riley Meredith was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 81.

They might be missing their first-choice pace attack, but even that might not stop Australia, as England learnt. Both Bavuma and Carey duly exuded confidence going into Tuesday’s game

Firdose Moonda24-Feb-20254:00

Agar: Australia’s bowlers need to control middle overs better

South Africa know better than to underestimate an Australia side at a major tournament, even one that is shorn of its entire World Cup-winning pace attack. They are, after all, a team that has won eight ICC white-ball trophies since South Africa’s last, and only, one in 1998, and who seem to have mastered the formula for tournament success no matter the personnel they have at their disposal.”Any Australian outfit that comes together for an ICC event is one that you don’t take lightly,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s ODI captain, said. “Yes, they don’t have their mainstay bowling attack, but I think they still have enough to be successful as a team.”On the evidence of their opening win, against England, you would have to agree with Bavuma. Even though Australia conceded a massive 351, they paced their chase perfectly and won with 15 deliveries to spare.Related

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The way Australia see it is that what they lack in terms of the prestige of a pace attack, they’ll make up for with their spinners and the explosive batting line-up. “It’s an inexperienced bowling attack, there’s no hiding away from that, but around that we’ve got some experience with our legspinner Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell who’s really smart when he bowls, and Steve Smith who’s a fantastic captain,” Alex Carey said. “The way that Steve Smith uses the bowlers is a strength of ours. He is a great captain tactically, and he reads the play really well. So I’m still really confident with 50 overs of bowling, however that looks for us.”And though their pace attack of Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis and Spencer Johnson only have 17 caps between them, Carey also threw his weight behind them to get the job done if they have to defend a score. “If we are to bat first throughout the tournament, I’ll back our boys to defend, hopefully a good score of 300-plus, but if not, Nathan Ellis has got a lot of tricks, he’s got a lot of good slower bowls; Spencer Johnson’s really damaging up the top; so is Ben Dwarshuis. And you’ve got Sean Abbott ready to go as well,” he said. “We’ve come into this tournament really confident that our bowling attack will still do a fantastic job without the big three [Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood], and hopefully as a batting group we can score as many runs and make it easy for our bowlers.”

“South Africa are playing really good one day cricket at the moment and they look like they’ve got a great balance across their 11 players. We know they’re a great team and they’ll be strong throughout the tournament”Alex Carey

All that said, Australia know better than to crow about their achievements to an ambitious South Africa side. South Africa seem to be getting closer and closer to getting their hands on a trophy. It was just nine months ago that South Africa reached their first World Cup final and, having also reached the World Test Championship final, they are starting to believe a cup is around the corner, especially when they have all their best players available.”South Africa are playing really good one-day cricket at the moment and they look like they’ve got a great balance across their 11 players,” Carey said. “We know they’re a great team and they’ll be strong throughout the tournament.”Though both South Africa and Australia’s squads were hit by absentees, South Africa lost fewer than Australia (only Anrich Nortje was included and then had to withdraw, though Gerald Coetzee was being considered before he suffered a niggle and Heinrich Klaasen missed the last match with an elbow concern) and have retained an experienced core. That may be why they are no longer tip-toeing around questions over whether they think they can win. Bavuma, asked directly how he rated his team chances, answered just as frankly. “We’re quite bullish about our chances,” he said. “Our confidence is good, so we’re quite optimistic about our chances and how far we can go in this competition.”3:05

Australia’s batters vs SA’s bowlers – who has the upper hand?

Whether it’s advisable to be so candid playing the two former champions you have been grouped with is debatable, but at least Bavuma isn’t shying away from expectation. Instead, he is leaning into it in a way South Africans seldom do. And you could argue that South Africa’s performances in the last two years across all cricket – they have been to the knockouts of every tournament across men’s, women’s and Under-19 cricket since the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023 – has earned them some license to dream, something Australia have always had.You won’t be surprised to hear that even without their regular captain Cummins, Mitch Marsh, Hazlewood, Marcus Stoinis and Starc, they still rate the confidence level as “really high”, as Carey put it, and barely flinch by the magnitude of any task. On what is expected to be a run-fest in Rawalpindi, Carey casually threw in that since defending could be difficult, he hoped Australia would be able to score “400 if we bat first” because it’s “always good to play one-day cricket when the scores are high”.And if you need reminding of how both Australia and South Africa thrive in batter-friendly conditions, rewind 19 years to this game, which only had a bilateral series trophy riding on it but brought out the best in sides that love to compete against each other. It’s not the Ashes, or India vs Pakistan, but Australia vs South Africa is a rivalry built on two evenly matched sides that promise to provide something special.

Rasmus Hojlund has opened up on his admiration for Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and the hard work that has driven his career. The Napoli striker, back in Serie A after two seasons at Manchester United, highlighted Erling Haaland and Viktor Gyokeres as the world’s best behind CR7. Hojlund also reflected on his early sporting life, and ambitions at Napoli.

Cristiano Ronaldo as a role model

Despite rocketing to global fame by joining United in a whopping £72 million ($92m) deal in 2023 after an impressive spell in Serie A with Atalanta. However, the Denmark international was unable to live up to the demands of the number nine role at Old Trafford, and soon saw his hopes of leading the attack under Ruben Amorim fade. The 22-year-old had initially resisted pressure to leave the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, but eventually relented by returning to Serie A to join Napoli on an initial loan deal. 

Those struggles will not keep him down, though, as he takes inspiration from his idol Ronaldo to overcome any doubts about his quality. He told "In my career, I've never felt like the most talented player in the group, even though you have to be a top-notch striker to play for United or Napoli. But I've always had to work harder than others, and I'm aware of that. That's why Cristiano is my idol: he always wants to improve and works hard to become better."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHojlund names Haaland & Gyokeres among his favourites

Alongside Ronaldo, Hojlund highlighted his admiration for Manchester City hero Haaland and Gerd Muller Trophy winner Gyokeres, both of whom he considers among the very best in the world. New Arsenal signing Gyokeres won the coveted award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday after a strong 54-goal season for Sporting CP and Sweden.

Asked for his favourite players beyond Ronaldo, he said: "In my opinion, the best players in the world are Cristiano Ronaldo, Haaland, [Robert] Lewandowski, and Gyokeres. In Serie A, I'd choose [Romelu] Lukaku, [Dusan] Vlahovic, Lautaro Martinez, and then there's me, Rasmus."

Adaptation to Serie A and immediate impact

Settling quickly at Napoli, Hojlund made an instant impact, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 victory over Fiorentina. Napoli’s strong start to the 2025–26 season, topping Serie A with 12 points after four matches, has highlighted his integration into the squad. The Danish striker emphasised the differences between leagues, saying: "[Serie A] is still the same as I remembered it from my season with Atalanta. The football here is very tactical, with lots of man-on-man duels. In the Premier League, however, the pace is a bit higher: everyone is fast, strong, and physically explosive. If I had to point out one difference between the two leagues, it's precisely that."

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GettyAC Milan test up next for Hojlund and Napoli

While, the next test for him is surely going to be challenging as Napoli line up against an AC Milan team that includes Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot on September 28. The reigning champions are leading the Serie A table, but the Rossoneri are just three points behind.

Leeds United looked at signing a new attacker on deadline day but missed out to a rival Premier League club.

The Whites head into the first international break of the Premier League season above the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle United in the table, however Daniel Farke still wanted more signings before Monday’s deadline.

Picking up four points from the first three games, Leeds are yet to score from open play in the Premier League, bringing in Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on free transfers.

Leeds incomings

From

Fee

Noah Okafor

AC Milan

£18m

Anton Stach

Hoffenheim

£17.4m

Jaka Bijol

Udinese

£15m

Lucas Perri

Lyon

£13.9m

Sean Longstaff

Newcastle

£12m

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Lille

£10m

James Justin

Leicester City

£10m

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Wolfsburg

£5m

Louis Enahoro-Marcus

Liverpool

Undisclosed

Lukas Nmecha

Wolfsburg

Free

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton

Free

Noah Okafor has been the marquee addition in the final third, but Farke urged the 49ers Enterprises to bring in more quality.

“I don’t play any games. Everyone in the club says: ‘OK, we want to try everything to give us the best possible squad’. Everyone wants to add, in the offence, some more quality players. If not, we also won’t raise the white flag and say, ‘OK, that’s it’.

“We have shown we are competitive in the first three games, but it will be difficult (thereafter). There’s also no moaning, but, until the last hour of the window, we have to try everything to bring some more quality in.”

Related Contact made: Leeds now plotting last-gasp offer to sign "underrated" star

He’s in excellent form.

Posts 5 ByTom Cunningham Sep 1, 2025

It remains to be seen whether or not Farke will get his wish in January, or if he’ll have to rely on Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor, Jack Harrison, Dan James, Brenden Aaronson and Wilfried Gnonto for the entire season.

Leeds were big fans of £35m Dilane Bakwa

Linked with a move to Leeds over the summer was Strasbourg winger Dilane Bakwa, and he remained on the Whites’ radar with hours remaining of the transfer window.

Leeds were thought to be in pole position to sign the attacker before the 5-0 defeat to Arsenal, however, Nottingham Forest have since come in for the 23-year-old and sealed a deal late in the day.

Wingers similar to Bakwa

Club

Jarrod Bowen

West Ham

Jack Harrison

Leeds

Igor Paixao

Marseille

Dan James

Leeds

Ismaila Sarr

Crystal Palace

According to LeedsLive in their transfer deadline day blog, Bakwa had big admirers at Leeds and a £35m deal would have been a near record from what the club paid for Georginio Rutter back in 2023.

As can be seen, Bakwa has been compared to Harrison, James and even summer transfer target Igor Paixao by Football Transfers, and Leeds ultimately missed out on his services.

As they do every year, Chelsea have really made the most of the transfer window so far.

The board have been able to shift players like Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke while bringing in a handful of seriously exciting and potentially game-changing talents.

The likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens should make them far more dangerous in attack, while Jorrel Hato looks like he could develop into a superstar defender.

Moreover, the Blues clearly want to do even more business before the window closes and have been linked with someone who could be their own Eberechi Eze.

Chelsea target their own Eze

Despite already doing so much business this summer, Chelsea appear intent on bringing in at least a few more players.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, the deal for Alejandro Garnacho seems to be moving along at a pace, and Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapié continues to be touted for a move to Stamford Bridge following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury.

However, there is an even more exciting deal the West Londoners could pull off this summer that would see them land someone who could be their own Eze.

At least that is according to a recent report by Kieran Gill, who has reaffirmed Chelsea’s interest in Xavi Simons.

More than that, though, Gill has revealed that, despite interest from Bayern Munich, the RB Leipzig star “only wants Chelsea” this summer.

While no price for the Dutchman is mentioned in the report, stories from earlier this summer claim that a fee of around £61m should be enough to tempt the German side into selling.

It would be a significant investment from Chelsea, but Simons has proven himself over the last few years and could even be their own version of Eze.

Why Simons could be Chelsea's Eze

Now, even though Simons is five years his junior, and therefore in a different phase of his career and development, there are still some key similarities he shares with Eze, such as his versatility.

For example, even though he has been described as “one of the best 10s in the world” by one analyst, and has spent plenty of time playing there, the 22-year-old dynamo is just as comfortable off the left.

In fact, the Amsterdam-born star is more versatile than the Englishman, as he can also play off the right and has even spent some time playing up top as a centre-forward.

The second similarity with the Palace star is his effectiveness when it comes to goals and assists.

In just 33 appearances for Leipzig last season, totalling 2763 minutes, the dynamic “game-changer,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, put the ball in the back of the net 11 times and then provided eight assists to boot.

Appearances

33

43

Minutes

2763′

3303′

Goals

11

14

Assists

8

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.57

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

145.42′

132.12′

That means that the former PSV Eindhoven gem maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 145.42 minutes.

Finally, just as the former QPR gem has been entertaining fans in the Premier League for a few years now, the former Paris Saint-Germain ace is the sort of player who’ll get fans on their feet.

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last season for passes into the penalty area, through balls and carries into the final third, all per 90.

In other words, on top of his brilliant output, the Flying Dutchman is someone who will progress the game for his side, either with pinpoint accurate passes into dangerous areas, or bringing it there with a dribble.

Ultimately, while it might take him a little while to adjust to the Premier League, Simons looks like he has everything he’d need to be the next Eze, and therefore, Chelsea should be doing all they can to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea verbally agree deal for £192k-a-week star but need Nkunku to leave

It’s a case of one in, one out at Stamford Bridge.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 16, 2025

Heather Graham, Nicole Faltum and Charli Knott will captain Australia A in a multi-format series against England A from late March.The series includes three T20s, three one-day games and a four-day match with all the games being played in Sydney.Graham will lead the Australia A T20 side while Faltum, who has been called up for the T20I tour of New Zealand starting March 21, will captain the one-dayers and Queensland allrounder Knott will take charge of the four-day contest from April 12-15 at Cricket Central.

Australia A vs England A fixtures

26 March: First T20, Hurstville Oval

28 March: Second T20, Hurstville Oval

30 March: Third T20, Hurstville Oval

2 April: First 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney

4 April: Second 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney

7 April: Third 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney

12-15 April: Four-day match, Cricket Central, Sydney

The England A matches will be preceded by the second running of the Green vs Gold fixture where two groups of Australian players face each other in a three-day game which will be held in Canberra from March 12-14. The concept was introduced last year and Georgia Voll scored a double century.Faltum will captain the Green side while Gold will be led by Knott.”These series make up a crucial part of the elite player pathway, providing some our best and most promising domestic players with additional development opportunities and the chance to show selectors what they can do against strong international opposition,” national selector Shawn Flegler said.”The National Selection Panel is always looking to the future as we’ve seen in recent years with Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield transitioning into the Australian team with great success, so this is a great opportunity to get a look at a wide range of players.”We’ve included some fresh faces across the squads and are excited to see the likes of Grace Dignam, Elsa Hunter, Gabby Sutcliffe, Sianna Ginger and Rhys McKenna in action.”With a one-day World Cup in India this year and a T20 World Cup next year, the ‘A’ series in particular, will allow us to have a good look at players we think could push for selection.”The visit of England A comes after the senior side was whitewashed 16-0 in the Ashes earlier in the season.

Australia A squads vs England A

T20s
Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Heather Graham (capt), Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Rhys McKenna, Madeline Penna, Amy Smith, Courtney Webb, Tahlia Wilson50-overs
Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum (capt), Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Nicola Hancock, Ella Hayward, Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Amy Smith, Georgia Voll, Courtney Webb, Tahlia WilsonFour-day
Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Nicola Hancock, Ella Hayward, Charli Knott (capt), Anika Learoyd, Lilly Mills, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

Australia Green v Gold Squads

Green
Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Grace Dignam, Nicole Faltum (capt), Sianna Ginger, Ella Hayward, Elsa Hunter, Katie Mack, Lilly Mills, Georgia Prestwidge, Gabby Sutcliffe, Rachel Trenaman, Amanda-Jade WellingtonGold
Maitlan Brown, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Emma de Broughe, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Charli Knott (capt), Anika Learoyd, Bridget Patterson, Amy Smith, Courtney Webb, Tahlia Wilson