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One of the areas Manchester United have struggled for depth this season has been at centre-forward. After loaning out Marcus Rashford, Ruben Amorim has been limited to three real options up front.

One of those, Joshua Zirkzee, has recently excelled as a number 10. The Dutchman has showcased elite technical skills, and his performances in that deeper role could make Amorim reluctant to start him up top.

That leaves Danish duo Rasmus Hojlund and 17-year-old Chido Obi as the two players tasked with leading the line. Hojlund’s run of goalscoring form was lean, but he now has two goals in three games for club and country. Obi is an exciting talent but still inexperienced.

Thus, it might not be a surprise that United are targeting a new striker ahead of the summer window.

Man United's hopes of signing a new striker

One of the strikers who many clubs across Europe seems to want this summer is FC Porto star Samu Aghehowa.

The Spaniard has made a big impression this term in Portugal and is now a target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Transfer Focus

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

Indeed, according to a report from Caught Offside, one of those sides is the 13-time Premier League champions. The report suggests that Amorim ‘is a big fan’ of the centre-forward and is thought to be ‘driving the Red Devils’ interest’ in Aghehowa.

However, they will not be alone in their pursuit of the Spanish striker this summer. La Liga giants FC Barcelona are strongly interested, and Lamine Yamal is ‘understood to be personally pushing’ for the club to sign his Spain teammate.

German giants Bayern Munich and United’s Premier League rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are also believed to be interested in a deal. As for a fee, Aghehowa reportedly has a £84m release clause in his contract.

Why Aghehowa would be a good signing

What a fantastic debut season it has been for Aghehowa as a Dragoes player. The 20-year-old has been on fire, scoring 21 goals across all competitions, as well as chipping in with three assists in that time.

United know all too well how dangerous the 2024 Olympic gold medalist can be in front of goal. Two of his six Europa League strikes this term came against the Red Devils, back in October in a game that ended 3-3 thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from Harry Maguire.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described Aghehowa as a “monster in the making”, for the early impression he has made in his career. He possesses all sorts of important traits one would want from a top striker: quick, physical and intelligent in front of goal, just as he displayed against United.

The young attacker is capable of scoring all kinds of goals, the hallmark of all good strikers. Take this strike against AS Roma, also in the Europa League. His control in the box to bring the ball down and then the composure to execute the overhead kick is second to none.

Samu could be the dream alternative for Viktor Gyokeres this season. Although it seemed like Ruben Amorim might try to bring the Swede with him to Old Trafford from Sporting, The Athletic recently reported that Arsenal are strongly interested in the former Coventry City star.

Gyokeres has been even more prolific than the Porto star this season in Portugal, scoring 42 times in 42 games for the Lisbon club, grabbing 11 assists, too. That includes 30 goals in 26 games in the top flight in Portugal.

Despite the difference in goal numbers, the pair are still comparable via FBref, and the similarities are there to see.

For example, Aghehowa averages 0.54 goals per shot on target and 0.12 goal-creating actions each game this term, compared to 0.35 goals per shot on target and 0.15 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes. That said, the former is a far greater threat in the air.

Goals

0.72

1.22

Goals per shot on target

0.54

0.35

Shot-creating actions

2.36

2.85

Goal-creating actions

0.12

0.15

Aerial duels won

2.24

0.59

The deal to sign Aghehowa would be an expensive one for the Red Devils, just shy of £100m. However, that might be the investment they need to make in order to supplement the goals of Hojlund, ZIrkzee and Obi.

If they miss out on Gyokeres this summer, perhaps Aghehowa is the perfect alternative to help take Amorim’s side to the next level.

De Gea 2.0: Man Utd already let an "underrated" Onana upgrade leave for £0

Man Utd could be set for a summer of change in the goalkeeping ranks

ByRobbie Walls Mar 31, 2025

With a performance that helped secure a battling three-wicket win, England saw another piece of the jigsaw fall into place

George Dobell at Trent Bridge18-May-2019Perhaps this was the game where the final pieces of England’s World Cup jigsaw fell into place. First there was Mark Wood proving his form and fitness. Then Tom Curran demonstrated his all-round value and Joe Denly enjoyed a much-improved performance.It all combined to ensure England held their nerve to secure this series with a match to play. It is now 20 run-chases in a row in which England are undefeated at home.With no candidates ruling themselves out, England’s selectors have been left with some delightfully tough decisions to make. But it seems, right now, as if that final decision may be made between David Willey, who offers left-arm variation and the possibility of swinging the new ball, and Denly, who offers cover in a variety of areas and can be relied upon to be a low-maintenance, high-quality substitute fielder. The emergence of new-ball alternatives, in Wood and Jofra Archer alongside the established Chris Woakes, may not bode well for Willey. The squad is announced on Tuesday morning.But perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the victory at Trent Bridge, from an England perspective, was the contribution of Ben Stokes.Rumours of Stokes’ recent decline could easily be exaggerated. While it is true he had not, until Friday night, produced an especially eye-catching performance in ODI cricket since the Bristol incident in 2017, his numbers really aren’t too bad. He is actually averaging 49.63 with the bat – albeit at a strike rate of 83.23 – in ODI cricket since the start of 2018.And while his bowling has been a bit anonymous – he has not taken an ODI wicket in seven matches in England since his return – you could make a strong case to suggest Stokes’ big problem of late has simply been a lack of opportunity. He bats behind the likes of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, after all, with Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan also eating up chunks of the 50-overs available.The first-choice England bowling attack, meanwhile, may well only see Stokes used as a sixth bowler. Only once in his last 18 ODIs has he been required to bowl his full allocation of 10 overs and in his last four games he has not bowled more than four overs. That previous statistic about not claiming a wicket in England since 2017 bad, but it actually amounts to just 28 overs. He had bowled his full allocation of 10 overs only once in 11 ODIs before Bristol.Ben Stokes’ body language said it all•Getty ImagesStill, he hasn’t dominated quite in the way we were coming to expect. He had, for example, made two centuries in the six innings he played before night, with a career strike rate of 98.74. He also had a bowling average of 38.20 with an economy rate of 6.12. Since Bristol (SB, as it may come to be known) his bowling average is 62.10 and his economy-rate is 6.21.The suspicion remains that Stokes is so keen to make-up for his irresponsibility in Bristol that he has taken on just a little bit too much responsibility since. So where his batting once seemed gloriously uncomplicated, there is now more knowledge of the consequences of failure; an irony in a team that prides itself on a fearlessness that was largely inherited from Stokes. As Moeen Ali put it recently: “The difference is that his batting has become careful now whereas before it was carefree. I think he feels like he’s let us down a little bit and he’s trying to make it up.”For that reason, giving Stokes the role of middle-order finisher – a position where every innings’ importance can be magnified – may not be especially helpful. But it’s the only place available. And while there’s no guarantee that Stokes will ever completely recapture the he once enjoyed – like Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones after the mid-70s – the signs on Friday night were that, given the opportunity, he could still do the job.Make no mistake: this was not a perfect performance. Had Pakistan’s fielding been better – even barely competent, might have done it – England could have been in real trouble. But with their outfielding ragged, their catching fallible and their captain apparently not knowing the updated Laws of the game, England found a way to win. Good, confident teams do that.There is now only one proper match to go – Sunday’s ODI in Leeds – before the World Cup. The warm-up games will involve up to 15 players a side, do not carry List A status and may well, as a result, lack intensity (even if Australia are the opponents in one of them). As a result, England are likely to field something close to a full-strength batting side on Sunday. That definitely includes Stokes and it can only be good news for England that he goes into the tournament having recovered some form and confidence.

River Plate are pushing to retain Franco Mastantuono until the end of the year, despite reaching an agreement over his transfer with Real Madrid.

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River Plate keen on having Mastantuono beyond Club World CupWant youngster to play in Copa LibertadoresMadrid have already triggered player's release clauseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Madrid have already reached an agreement to complete Mastantuono's signing in August, after he features for River Plate in the Club World Cup. However, River Plate are determined to keep hold of their most coveted talent until the end of the year, a recent report from claims.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Although Madrid have beaten Paris Saint-Germain to the signing of Mastantuono and have also agreed to cover the taxes in addition to the player's €40 million (£34m/$45m) release clause, one key detail is yet to be sorted out. The relationship between both clubs is excellent, but River Plate president Jorge Brito is insistent on retaining the 17-year-old's services until the end of the year, while Madrid want to bring him to the Bernabeu in August. Brito is hopeful of lifting the Copa Libertadores trophy at the end of this year, and wants Mastantuono to star for the club in the tournament. Having already conveyed his intentions to the player's entourage and Real Madrid, Brito wants to fight to keep hold of his jewel despite knowing that it'll be a challenging task.

"If the player decides to leave, goes and executes the clause, there's not much we can do. We must respect the contract we have, defend the club's interests to the last cent, and try to retain the player as long as possible…," Brito told Argentina recently, well aware that everything depens on the player's will.

DID YOU KNOW?

For now, all signs point towards Mastantuono becoming a Madrid player in August. The teenager acknowledges the efforts Los Blancos put in helping him realise his dream of featuring in the famous white jersey. At the same time, he is also in love with the idea of bidding adieu to River Plate by helping them win the Copa Libertadores in November. As things stand, the decision of whether to join Madrid in August or continue with Los Millonarios until the end of the year rests completely on the Argentine international.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

It remains to be seen what happens with Mastantuono. He will feature in the Club World Cup with River Plate and could also meet his future employers in the knockout stages, should both sides make it far enough.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has ruled out returning to the Eredivisie when he rounds off his illustrious career.

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Van Dijk signs new Liverpool dealTouches on life after the RedsRules out Eredivisie returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Netherlands international Van Dijk began his career at Groningen in the Dutch top-flight but the 33-year-old, who has spent seven years at Liverpool, made it clear he will not be returning to that league before he hangs up his boots.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT VAN DIJK SAID

He told Voetbal International: "I am very clear about that: I will not return to the Netherlands. I started here, and that was very important to me. I am very clear that I do not want to return to the Eredivisie. I am quite proud of my career so far and I think that finishing in the Eredivisie is not an option."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Van Dijk signed a new two-year deal to extend his stay at Anfield until the summer of 2027, ending speculation about a possible Liverpool exit. After starring at Celtic, Southampton, and the Reds, it seems the big defender is focusing on playing at the highest level for as long as he can, rather than returning to the Eredivisie. It remains to be seen what he will do next when his contract with the Merseyside outfit expires, though.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Van Dijk, who played a vital role in Liverpool's Premier League title triumph this season, could represent his country against Malta in their next 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, before heading off on his summer break.

The Todd Boehly regime has been littered with high-profile signings and marquee additions, but are Chelsea actually any closer to competing once again at the top of the domestic and European game?

The wait goes on for silverware to be claimed in the new Clearlake era, with the Blues’ only hope this season now resting in Conference League success, having gone two years without tasting Champions League football.

Even amid the at-times chaotic nature of the Roman Abramovich days, the west London side still remained a real force both in the Premier League and on the continent, a fact epitomised by their two Champions League triumphs.

In 2020/21, for instance, Thomas Tuchel – who only replaced Frank Lampard in January 2021 – steered the club to European glory just six months into his spell at Stamford Bridge. Less than a decade earlier, interim boss Roberto Di Matteo had achieved the same feat, at the end of another chaotic campaign for the club.

A central figure in that glorious 2012 triumph was, of course, Juan Mata, with the Spaniard having made an instant impact following his arrival from Valencia a year earlier.

How Juan Mata compares to Cole Palmer

Signed from Valencia on a £23.5m deal in August 2011, the diminutive playmaker was an integral part of Chelsea’s success that season, having chalked up a remarkable tally of 32 goals and assists in all competitions during his debut campaign.

Perhaps the key contribution that the then 23-year-old made that season was whipping in the corner which led to Didier Drogba’s crucial bullet header late in normal time, with that marking the 20th and final assist of the campaign for Mata.

A stunning first year at Chelsea was followed by an even more impactful second season in 2012/13, with the silky star registering a mammoth total of 50 goal involvements in 60 games in all competitions.

To put that into context, not even man of the moment, Cole Palmer, has hit such heights as yet, with the Englishman having reached 40 goals and assists last term, following his £40m switch from Manchester City.

As for the current campaign, the Englishman has slowed down after a dazzling start, with ‘just’ 14 goals and six assists to his name thus far, with the 22-year-old having failed to score since mid-January.

Competition

Mata (2011/12)

Palmer (2023/24)

Premier League

19 G/A

33 G/A

FA Cup

8 G/A

3 G/A

EFL Cup

0

4 G/A

Champions League

5 G/A

N/A

Total

32 G/A

40 G/A

In all, Palmer has registered 60 goal involvements in his first 78 games for the club, while Mata, meanwhile, registered 82 goal contributions across his first two campaigns at the club – albeit with that coming from 114 games.

As a creative left-footer with an eye for goal, Palmer – who has also showcased a similar free-kick prowess – has certainly shown shades of Mata to date, although Boehly and co might well be brewing another version of the now veteran Spaniard.

Chelsea's next Juan Mata

The common theme of the Boehly era has been the desire to scour the globe for the next big thing, a fact epitomised only recently with the surprise signing of reported Manchester United target, Geovany Quenda, from Sporting CP.

The £40m teenager will have to wait to feature for the Blues, however, as he is set to spend the 2025/26 campaign back in Lisbon, ahead of linking up with Enzo Maresca’s side next summer.

In the meantime, Chelsea’s squad will be bolstered by the belated arrivals of two other teenage talents in the form of Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez, with the pair set to join from Palmeiras and Independiente del Valle, respectively.

It is the latter man who perhaps could emerge as the second coming of Mata for the Blues, either in a central role or on the flanks, with the Ecuadorian sensation also a creative, “left-footed magician”, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson.

Also described as “one of the most exciting talents in world football” by Jacek Kulig, Kendry – who turns 18 in May – has already caught the eye at senior level despite his youth, scoring and assisting 19 times in 70 games in his homeland.

Much like Mata – who is only 5 foot 7 – the 5 foot 9 sensation is small and slight in stature, but makes up for that with his creative spark and ability to “play a killer pass”, in the words of Mattinson, with it already looking like the Blues have a real gem on their hands.

Also capable of operating all across the midfield, much like Mata, the 17-year-old has also already made 17 senior appearances for his country, scoring twice, with that seemingly further evidence of just what a high-potential star he truly is.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Perhaps, while it is still early days, Kendry can emulate the likes of Mata in helping to steer the Stamford Bridge side to Champions League glory in the coming years.

Best signing since Hazard & Kante: Boehly struck gold on Chelsea's "genius"

Chelsea struck gold signing this “world-class” ace who’s their best signing since Hazard & Kante

ByConnor Holden Mar 22, 2025

Recent ups and downs in form have turned him into a different kind of player

Karthik Krishnaswamy16-Jul-20231:16

Dasgupta on Kohli: Very good innings on a difficult pitch

Virat Kohli has played every kind of cover drive you could think of. The front-foot cover drive, the back-foot cover drive, the step-out-and-step-away inside-out cover drive. The cover drive to the left of the cover fielder, the cover drive to his right. The straight-bat, punchy cover drive, the bottom-handed topspin cover drive with twirly flourish. The middled cover drive, the edged cover drive.It took until his 110th Test match, however, for Kohli to play a cover drive followed by a punch-the-air celebration when he hadn’t brought up 50, 100 or multiples thereof.Kohli celebrating a milestone, however. He had just hit the first boundary of his innings, off the 81st ball he had faced.It was that kind of innings. The pitch for the first West Indies-India Test in Dominica was a slow turner with a bit of bounce for the spinners, ingredients that limited batters’ ability to drive the ball unless it was pitched right up, or use the bowlers’ pace to score their runs.And so it was that Kohli took 81 balls to hit his first boundary, another 43 to hit his second, and another 36 to hit his third, by which time he had already passed 50.It was far from Kohli’s most fluent innings, and there were slices of luck along the way – two dropped chances on 40 and 72, and a missed run-out chance on 45 – but he was doing what he needed to do. India were looking to bat once and bat big after bowling West Indies out for 150 on the first day, and he was helping them do just that. He was happy to bat time, grind out his runs, and pump his fists whenever a boundary happened to come along.Related

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A broad grin accompanied these boundary celebrations, suggesting both that he was enjoying his struggle and aware of how mortal it was making him look. Great batters don’t score runs only when every ball is pinging off the sweet spot; they often place greater value on the times they had to fight their own lack of fluency but scored runs nonetheless. They love waging heroic battles against the greatest bowlers on difficult pitches, and they also love days when they are themselves their stiffest opponents.The most remarkable thing about Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not-out in Sydney wasn’t so much that he shelved his cover drive but the fact that he shelved it on one of the flattest pitches he ever batted on, against a middling Australia attack. It takes a lot for one of the greatest batters of all time to acknowledge that he wasn’t playing one of his bread-and-butter shots well enough to use it even in those circumstances.Virat Kohli took 81 balls to score his first boundary in the first Test against West Indies•AFP via Getty ImagesOver recent months and years, some of Kohli’s longest Test innings have featured this sort of self-denial: for instance the 79 in Cape Town, which featured one of the highest leave percentages of any Test innings in recent times, and the 186 in Ahmedabad, where he went 122 balls before hitting his first boundary of day four. He’s been happy to pare his game down to its most prosaic components when required to, almost revelling in the setting aside of his ego.But sometimes it’s felt different from the kind of situation-specific curtailing of shots that Tendulkar would perform every now and then. With Kohli over recent seasons, it feels like something may have changed in his game, perhaps even irrevocably.Until the end of 2019, Kohli scored his Test runs at a strike rate of 57.81. Since the start of 2020, he’s gone at 44.43.This, of course, is partly an effect of his diminished returns in this period – he has only averaged 30.75 in the pandemic and post-pandemic eras – and partly an effect of the quality of attacks he’s faced and the bowling-friendly nature of the pitches he’s batted on. Kohli has been far from alone among India’s batters in seeing his average and strike rate drop significantly since the turn of the decade.The difference with Kohli, however, is that when he had scored runs against quality attacks in testing conditions in the pre-pandemic period, he had often done so at a significant clip. Take three celebrated innings from 2018: the 153 in Centurion came at a strike rate of 70.50, his 149 in Birmingham at 66.22, and his 97 in Nottingham at 63.81.It isn’t easy to say why Kohli has slowed down to the extent he has, post-2020. The fundamentals of his game don’t seem to have changed to any great extent, but his limitations may be hampering him now in a way they didn’t in his prime. These limitations have always been evident. He’s a superb puller, for instance, but he’s never had much of a back-foot repertoire on the off side; against spin he only rarely sweeps or hits over the top or uses his feet to get down the pitch. In Dominica, for instance, he didn’t sweep or use his feet even though he faced a lot of bowling from West Indies’ part-time spinners.It could be that his eye isn’t quite what it used to be, and he isn’t hitting his go-to shots in quite the ruthless way he used to. Or it could be that bowlers are denying him his go-to shots more successfully now than they used to.Whatever the reasons may be, Kohli hasn’t changed his game or added new shots to his repertoire. And by not changing his game, Kohli has paradoxically turned into a different kind of player. He scores his runs slower now, and perhaps with less certainty than before, though he seems to be over the worst of his lean run – he averages 48.44 this year, compared to 26.20 in the 2020-22 period. What hasn’t changed, as Dominica showed, is how much he relishes a scrap – even if his fiercest opponent happens to be himself.

Fast bowler commits to three-year county deal that could free him up for franchise stints

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2024Saqib Mahmood insists he “still has an ambition” to play Test cricket for England, despite committing to a white-ball deal with Lancashire for the next three years.Mahmood, 27, made two Test appearances in the Caribbean in March 2022, claiming six wickets at 22.83, but has been beset by injury in recent seasons, including consecutive stress fractures of the back in 2022 and 2023.He has not played a first-class match for Lancashire since a wicketless display against Durham in May, but returned to the England set-up in last month’s T20I series against Australia, having confirmed he was back to his best with a matchwinning haul of 3 for 17 for Oval Invincibles against Southern Brave in the Men’s Hundred final in August.Mahmood played nine Vitality Blast matches for Lancashire this summer, taking 12 wickets in their progression to the quarter-finals, and will continue his international comeback next week after being named for England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean.While his three-year deal includes “options” to appear in the County Championship, schedule and fitness permitting, and thereby stake a claim for an England Test recall, Lancashire’s priority is to manage Mahmood’s availability around their full Blast schedule, with the likelihood that he will be in demand for franchise competitions that overlap with the English season.”In the ever-changing landscape of cricket, this contract allows greater control over Saqib’s availability during the Vitality Blast blocks in the summer,” Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, said. “This is something we will work closely with Saqib on, particularly around his franchise commitments, which may include the PSL in the early part of next season.”Following a tough few years for Saqib, with two stress fractures of the back, it was great to see him back on the park this summer performing for us in the Vitality Blast before earning a well-deserved England recall.”Mahmood, who is a product of Lancashire’s academy, joined the club in 2012, aged 15, before making his senior debut in 2015 and being awarded his county cap in 2021.”I am delighted to commit my future to Lancashire in the Vitality Blast for at least the next three seasons,” he said.”2022 and 2023 were both difficult years for me injury-wise, but it was brilliant to get through this summer fully fit. I’d like to thank the medical team at Lancashire for their hard work throughout this period and having their continued support was a key factor in signing this new contract.Related

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“While this is a white-ball contract, I still have an ambition to play red-ball cricket for England again and for Lancashire in the County Championship, which is still the biggest test of skill and fitness outside of Test match cricket, and there are options within this contract for that to happen.”While Mahmood’s deal does not preclude him from forming part of the “stable” of fast bowlers that Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, has said he wants to be able to call upon ahead of next year’s Ashes tour, it represents a potential retreat from availability, with his previous injury issues meaning that a future on the T20 franchise circuit might be a prudent option for his longevity, not to mention a lucrative one.Speaking in Multan earlier this week, Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, acknowledged that the encroachment of such tournaments on the English season was a challenge to the county game that will require a coherent response going forward. He cited concerns raised by Daniel Gidney, Lancashire’s CEO, that county contracts risked becoming “diluted” unless the board took a more robust approach to the issuing of No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for overseas tournaments.”We are certainly hearing from our clubs and our members that we need to control things a little bit,” Gould said.”Last year there were 74 English players, men, that played in franchise tournaments around the world. The next best was Pakistan with 45. It’s great that we’ve got them out there playing but we have to protect what we’ve got.”I do think there will be added protections that come in. We’re having discussions, I saw that Lancashire made some comments a couple of weeks ago. We have to be proud of what we’ve got and protect it.”

Australia thought they could not be faulted for preparation, but it seemed to make no difference to the outcome

Alex Malcolm11-Feb-20233:17

Chopra: ‘Australia just couldn’t play against spin’

What now for Australia? They came here with a plan. A plan to pick horses-for-courses at the cost of the in-form Travis Head. A plan to be proactive with the bat and stick to their individual methods. A plan to bowl dry and control the tempo of the game and attack with two spinners and reverse swing.In the end, nothing went to plan. As Mike Tyson famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Australia got punched in the mouth not once, not twice but three times with India throwing a 1-2-3 combination from Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin to knock Australia down and score the first points in this heavyweight Border-Gavaskar fight.It leaves Australia staggered and wondering what to do next. Australia have had a habit of making fast starts on tours to India. They won the opening Test in 2001, 2004, and 2017 and went close in 2010. But in Nagpur in 2023 they have been annihilated in two days and two sessions.Related

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For all the pre-match worry about a made-to-order pitch that would rag square from specifically curated rough patches outside the left-hander’s off stump, Australia’s batters were beaten on the good part of the pitch. The same pitch where Rohit compiled a sublime 120. The same pitch where India’s No.9 Axar Patel made his highest Test score of 84. The same pitch where India’s No.10 Mohammed Shami made 37. Australia’s only score higher in the Test match was Marnus Labuschagne’s 49 in the first innings.”I think everyone came with pretty clear plans,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said in the aftermath. “I think the challenge is under the furnace to be brave enough to be proactive at the time. They will be the conversations over the next couple of days. We faced some pretty tough bowlers at times.”Each player had prepared their own individual method. But the plans simply didn’t work. For all the preparation against spin, Usman Khawaja and David Warner both fell to pace against the new ball in the first innings.In the second, Khawaja edged a very full delivery trying to drive Ashwin out of the rough while Warner went completely into his shell. He defended for his life for 41 balls and it yielded just 10 runs. His crease-bound defence meant he was a sitting duck to Ashwin. He was dropped at slip by Virat Kohli off the outside edge by one that gripped, before being beaten on the inside edge by one that skidded and pinned lbw. He now has just three half-centuries in 18 innings in India, averaging 22.16, and had the look of a defeated man as he trudged off.2:53

Can Warner overcome the Ashwin challenge?

Labuschagne was beaten trying to play forward and trying to play back. His 49 in the first innings was Australia’s best innings of the match. He played some glorious shots, including driving Ashwin inside-out through cover against the turn and clipping Jadeja wide of mid-on against the turn. But after looking near flawless in two hours of batting he was lured out to drive Jadeja and was beaten by flight and spin to be stumped. It wasn’t dissimilar to his dismissal to Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya in Galle in Australia’s innings defeat last year. Having been burnt using his feet in the first innings, he was trapped on the back foot in the second to Jadeja and pinned lbw to a fuller length.Steve Smith looked outstanding in both innings. He played some sublime lofted drives off the left-arm spinners. But having worked so diligently not to be beaten on the inside edge by left-arm orthodox in India in 2017 to great reward, he was beaten on the inside by Jadeja in both innings. He was bowled twice through the gate by balls that skidded on. He was only reprieved in the second thanks to a no-ball.Matt Renshaw was preferred over Head as the better horse for the course against spin, yet he was pinned on the crease lbw in both innings trying to defend for 0 and 2. He did not unfurl any of the sweeps, reverse sweeps, or powerful drives he possesses.Peter Handscomb defended as well as any Australian in the first innings and looked impressive for his 31. But he too was pinned twice lbw while trying to defend from the crease.Alex Carey’s plan to sweep and reverse sweep everything was clear for all to see and he was prepared to do it from ball one. He found the boundary with a reverse sweep first ball in the first innings and a conventional sweep in the second. His proactivity caused India’s bowlers to rethink their fields in both innings and he looked as free-flowing as any Australia batter in the game. But he lived by the sword and died by the sword, out attempting premeditated reverse sweeps from the line of stumps in both innings.Alex Carey’s positive knock in the first innings was ended when he dragged on a reverse sweep•Getty ImagesAustralia’s bowlers contributed 18 runs across two innings of the Test match, while India’s last four batters compiled 130 between them in one innings.Cummins believes that both Smith and Carey’s proactivity was still the way to go despite their limited success in the Test match.”You saw Smithy and Alex Carey at times put the pressure back on the bowlers,” Cummins said. “I think it takes a bit of bravery, it’s easier said than done. If you’re just facing ball after ball and the bowler’s pretty good, you’re going to get one with your name on it. Again, that will be the conversation this week. If we get the same conditions, the same bowlers, what are we going to do differently? I think at times probably being more proactive.”Do Australia’s batters now stick or twist? Do the selectors stick or twist? All the advice coming to India was for Australia’s batters to find a method and stick to it. But as Cummins notes, that is easy to say and harder to do. How do you stick to a plan when you’ve been punched in the mouth?

Juventus have lined up midfielder Matt O’Riley as they appear to have lost hope of signing either Sandro Tonali and Morten Hjumland.

O'Riley and Bissouma alternativesBissouma rules out MolinaBrighton ready to accept loan with obligationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Juventus have turned to Brighton’s O’Riley and Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma as alternatives after moves for Tonali and Hjumland fell through. Brighton, who signed O’Riley from Celtic in 2024 for €30 million (£25m/$35m), are open to a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

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Juventus aim to strengthen their midfield around Italian star Manuel Locatelli. Their top target was Sporting CP’s Hjulmand, but after losing Viktor Gyokeres, the Portuguese side are refused to sell their captain unless his €80m (£68m/$92m) release clause is met. Juventus then shifted focus to Italy and Newcastle midfielder Tonali, proposing a player swap deal involving striker Dusan Vlahovic, which Newcastle rejected.

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If Juventus move for Bissouma, it would rule out signing Atletico Madrid’s Nahuel Molina, as both are non-EU players and only one slot remains after the arrival of Canadian striker Jonathan David.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR O'RILEY AND JUVENTUS ?

Juventus will hope to secure O’Riley as the transfer market heats up and the new season approaches. Juve will take on Parma in their first Serie A match on August 24.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is attempting to have his say on the club’s summer recruitment plans, and the Italian has his eyes on one player in particular to reinforce a key area of the squad.

Chelsea ready to offer six-year deal to £45m player, talks "now advancing"

The west Londoners could make their next signing soon.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Maresca’s side want to strengthen a number of areas before their manager’s second full season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Over the last week, Chelsea have been holding talks with Borussia Dortmund officials over Jamie Gittens, and it is believed by some that a deal could soon be done.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Alongside Gittens, Chelsea are reported to still be in the market for another centre-back, which perhaps indicates that at least one of Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Renato Veiga or Tosin Adarabioyo could be sold.

Even after their £30 million deal for Liam Delap, there are many suggestions that Chelsea could look to sign a second new striker as well, following widely reported talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over a deal for Hugo Ekitiké.

As well as this, Chelsea could still bring in another goalkeeper. As per journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are looking to sell both Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez this summer, with a move for AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan not completely off the table despite failing to reach an agreement before the Club World Cup.

Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen has been linked in the past week too, so their hunt for a shot-stopper could still be one to keep an eye on.

Enzo Maresca asks Chelsea to sign Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa

According to journalist Christian Martin, speaking to DSports, £150,000-per-week Aston Villa number one Emiliano Martínez is now said to have major admirers at Chelsea, including Maresca.

Maresca is “asking” Chelsea to make a move for Martinez, and goalkeeping coach Willy Caballero has also given his seal of approval to the potential transfer.

“They want him as their starting goalkeeper,” said Martin.

“Enzo Maresca is asking for him, Willy Caballero, who is part of the coaching staff and trains the goalkeepers, has already given his approval. For now, Chelsea is a very reliable and precise option.”

The Argentine World Cup winner boasts both top-level quality and proven experience on the biggest stages. After becoming a leader at Villa, there is every reason to believe the 32-year-old could be tempted by the prospect of Champions League football next season and becoming Chelsea’s new number one.

Unai Emery’s side are also under pressure from PSR to sell big-name players before the start of the next football financial year, which begins on July 1, so a deal could well be had here.