Category Uncategorized

Chelsea secured the Europa Conference League title last night, becoming the first side to win such a title alongside the Europa League and the Champions League.

Enzo Maresca’s side produced a stunning second-half comeback after being a goal down against Real Betis at the break, ending the game as 4-1 victors in Wrocław.

Goals from Enzo Fernández, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo secured the triumph for the Blues, topping off what has been an excellent few weeks.

Such a result saw the Italian claim his first trophy after taking the reins last summer, looking to build on such success throughout the 2025/26 campaign.

However, despite the inspirational second-half comeback, numerous players failed to deliver in the European final, putting their place at Stamford Bridge at huge risk.

Chelsea’s poor performers against Real Betis

Winger Noni Madueke once again started for Chelsea last night, but the Englishman was unable to produce a performance to remember – often failing to deliver in the final third.

The 23-year-old only completed 50% of his dribbles and was unable to complete a single cross, with the attacker’s showing in Poland one to forget.

He wasn’t alone in struggling to perform, with right-back Malo Gusto also producing a disastrous showing, subsequently being replaced at the break by Reece James.

The Frenchman had to play in an inverted role, but made a mistake that led to the Spanish side’s opener, whilst failing to win a single one of the tackles he entered.

However, despite the showing from the aforementioned duo, one other first team member failed to deliver in the final, with his outing last night needing to be his last one for the Blues.

The Chelsea dud who must never play for the club again

Despite such a triumph, this summer promises to be a huge one for Chelsea, with incomings and outgoings to be expected at Stamford Bridge over the coming months.

Maresca has some huge decisions to make, including whether to make Jadon Sancho’s deal permanent or pay a £5m fee to send him back to Manchester United.

As for incomings, the likes of Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitiké and Joao Pedro have all been touted with moves to join the Blues, with the manager evidently targeting reinforcements in the final third.

However, regardless of what deals he decides to pursue or approve, he needs to offload centre-back Benoit Badiashile and allow the defender to move on to pastures new.

He joined the club in a £35m deal from Monaco back in 2023, making 53 appearances, with the majority of his showings this season coming in the Conference League.

The 24-year-old started the final against Betis, featuring for 61 minutes before being replaced by academy graduate Levi Colwill, highlighting his lack of impact.

He may have registered 92 touches, but he was disappointing without the ball, losing 100% of the tackles he entered and committing a foul which led to him being carded.

Badiashile also only made one interception and failed to come out on top in any aerial duels, struggling to produce a display worthy of a European Cup final.

As a result of his showing against the Spanish outfit, he was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by The Standard’s Malik Ouzia – showcasing his lack of positive impact.

With the summer transfer window now just around the corner, it would be a surprise to no one if Badiashile was offloaded during the off-season, ending his spell in West London.

He demonstrated last night that he’s unable to deliver in key moments, with Maresca needing to cut his losses and sell him to allow for added investment in key areas this summer.

Forget Jackson: Maresca has found the new Drogba in 9/10 Chelsea star

Chelsea came from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the Conference League final on Wednesday night

3

By
Joe Nuttall

May 29, 2025

Manchester United are thought to be eyeing a “fantastic” Premier League player as a replacement for Bruno Fernandes, should the captain leave this summer.

Man Utd desperate to keep hold of Bruno

There hasn’t been much to admire about the Red Devils’ season, with Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham embarrassingly leaving them languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table.

Fernandes has been a shining light for United, however, especially as the campaign has gone on, scoring 19 goals and registering 16 assists in all competitions. He has dragged his side through some games, especially in Europe, with his leadership arguably coming to the fore more impressively than it has in the past.

The Portuguese has worryingly been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, however, which would be a massive blow for Ruben Amorim, who lauded him recently, saying: “When we need him, he’s always there. He can change position. He can bring the ball forward. He can score goals. He can make transitions like he showed today.”

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have been mentioned as potential suitors for the 30-year-old, but it would surely be a surprise if he was willing to play at such a lower standard at this peak moment in his career. Still, United will know that they need to keep an eye on possible replacements, should the worst-case scenario happen.

Man Utd eyeing move for "fantastic" Premier League ace

According to a report from Spain, Manchester United have identified Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans as an option to come in for Fernandes this summer. The £150,000-a-week Belgian has stood out as one of Villa’s best players this season, helping them reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

He isn’t the only player mentioned in the update, however, with Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes also mentioned as a possible addition for the Red Devils, and an alternative to the Villans ace.

In an ideal world, Fernandes will remain at United for the foreseeable future, ignoring any interest in him, but the Red Devils should still contemplate the signing of Tielemans to make their midfield more formidable.

Man Utd's £85k-per-week flop is quickly becoming their new Martial

Manchester United may have found their new Anthony Martial this season.

2

By
Matt Dawson

May 12, 2025

The 28-year-old has now proven himself as a top player in the Premier League, making 218 appearances in the competition and also scoring the winning goal for Leicester City in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea, while Unai Emery has lauded his abilities as a footballer.

Tielemans would add box-to-box quality to United’s midfield, having the ability to supply end product and also strong defensive work, having bagged 10 goal contributions in the league this season and also averaged 2.4 tackles per game.

Will Celtic secure a sixth treble in just nine seasons?

On Easter Sunday, the Celts swatted aside St Johnstone 5-0 at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, with Callum McGregor breaking the deadlock and Daizen Maeda bagging a brace, while Adam Idah and Jota were also on target.

Thus, the Hoops will now face Aberdeen in the final on 24 May, also looking to secure a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title before then, requiring just a point against Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday to become champions again.

While Brendan Rodgers’ team continue to dominate on the park, does he have his eye on a new winger in the transfer market?

Celtic seeking to sign a new winger

As reported by Alan Nixon of the Scottish Sun earlier this month, Celtic are ‘eyeing’ a move to sign Stoke City winger Million Manhoef.

The 22-year-old only joined the Potters as recently as January 2024 from Dutch side Vitesse for a reported fee of £3m, but journalist Graeme Bailey believes he is now valued at £10m by Stoke.

So, would this be a good move, and could Manhoef emulate those among Rodgers’ current attacking options?

Why Celtic could be targeting the next Kuhn

Earlier this season, as outlined by Michael Shearer of Breaking the Lines, Nicolas Kühn was ‘poised to become Celtic’s next great attacking player’, starring in the Champions League and unquestionably the best player in Scotland.

However, in more recent times, the German has not been impressing quite so much, as shown in the table below.

Appearances

25

20

Minutes

1,713

1,298

Goals

14

4

Minutes per goal

122

325

Assists

11

3

As the table outlines, Kühn’s form has fallen off a cliff since New Year’s Day, in fact, he’s scored just two goals in 19 outings since bagging a brace against St Mirren on 4 January.

Rodgers stated that Kühn has appeared in the “most games he’s ever played” in a campaign, attributing his drop in form to fatigue, while Robbie Hanratty of the National adds that Kühn hasn’t looked the same since suffering a ‘suspected broken nose’ against Rangers in early January.

Kühn arrived from Rapid Wien for a reported fee of £3m in January last year, now worth £25m, well, according to his agent anyway, with Celtic hoping Manhoef – who is also a diminutive, left-footed right-winger – would experience a similar leap in valuation should he move to Glasgow, so let’s assess how the duo compare.

Appearances

37

46

Minutes

2,524

3,011

Goals

7

18

Assists

4

14

Goals – xG

-2.8

+1.3

Shots on target %

36.8

41.8

Chances created

49

43

Shot-creating actions

103

24

Take-on success %

38%

42.5%

As the table outlines, Kühn does rank higher than Manhoef for the majority of statistics included, albeit this’ll be largely skewed by his performances during the first half of the season.

Also worth considering that, according to Global Football Rankings, the EFL Championship is the 11th strongest league in the world, with the Scottish Premiership ranked 42nd.

Manhoef, to give him credit, does compare favourably, hence why Jacek Kulig from Football Talent Scout labelled him “quality and versatile”, while Dean Jones told Give Me Sport that the Dutchman is “the sort of player that will get fans off their seats.”

Thus, this would appear to be a good deal for Celtic, and they could open negotiations very soon, considering Stoke City’s season will conclude on 3 May.

Frimpong repeat: "Unstoppable" Celtic star could be sold for big profit

Celtic have made a habit of selling their best players for big fees in recent years, Jeremie Frimpong a high-profile example, but who could be next?

ByBen Gray Apr 19, 2025

All the key numbers from a famous South Africa win in India

Sampath Bandarupalli16-Nov-20253:40

Did India let South Africa off the hook in the morning?

124 Target India failed to chase against South Africa at Eden Gardens. It is the second-lowest that India have failed to chase in a defeat, behind the 120 against West Indies in 1997 in Bridgetown.It is also the second-lowest target that South Africa have defended successfully in Tests. The lowest is 117 against Australia at Sydney in 1994, which they won by five runs.The target of 124 is also the second-lowest any team has lost chasing in the fourth innings in Asia. The lowest is 107 by Australia against India in 2004 at Wankhede Stadium, where they got bowled out for 93.Related

• Kolkata minefield: Bavuma stands tall, Washington stands longer

• 'Job's far from done' – Conrad eyes series win

• With 'small hands' and strong instincts, Bavuma shows self-assurance of a player at his peak

• Shubman Gill under observation, out of remainder of Eden Gardens Test

• Bavuma, Harmer and Jansen script sensational South Africa win at treacherous Eden Gardens

2010 Previous Test win for South Africa in India, when they won in Nagpur by an innings and six runs. South Africa played eight matches between that win and this one in Kolkata, of which they lost seven, including five in a row, while another game ended in a draw with no play after the first day.32-2 India’s record while chasing sub-200 targets in Test matches at home. Their previous defeat came in last year’s Mumbai Test against New Zealand, where they lost chasing 147.Before the start of the 2024-25 season, India’s record in sub-200 target chases at home was 30-0 out of 33 matches, with another three ending in a draw.312 South Africa’s aggregate at Eden Gardens, the second-lowest by them in a Test win, where they got bowled out twice. Their lowest is 298 against England in 1957 at Gqeberha.It is also the lowest aggregate for any team to win a Test match against India, despite being bowled out twice. The previous lowest was 365 by Pakistan in the 1987 Bengaluru Test.Temba Bavuma’s 55 was the highest individual score in the match•AFP/Getty Images159 South Africa’s first-innings total at Eden Gardens is the third-lowest by them in the first innings of a Test match, which they went on to win. The two lower totals have come against England at Johannesburg – 126 in 1930 and 148 in 1922.The 159 is also the third-lowest total by a visiting side in their first innings to defeat India in a Test match in India.93 India’s fourth innings against South Africa at Eden Gardens. It is their fourth-lowest total in the fourth innings in Tests and their third-lowest ever against South Africa. It is also their second-lowest total at home against South Africa, behind the 76 all-out at Ahmedabad in 2008.1 This Test between India and South Africa is the first-ever in India to record sub-200 totals in all four innings. It is only the 12th instance of four sub-200 all-out totals in a Test match and the first in 66 years.39 KL Rahul’s first innings score is the highest individual score for India at the Eden Gardens. Only once was India’s highest individual score lower than 39 in a home Test, when they were bowled out twice – 33 against Australia, also at Eden Gardens in 1956.Simon Harmer finished with match figures of 8 for 51•BCCI55* Temba Bavuma’s score in the second innings is the only individual score in this match higher than Rahul’s 39. It is the second-lowest ‘highest individual score’ for a completed Test match in India. The lowest is 40 during the 2015 Nagpur Test match, also played between India and South Africa.10 Ten wins as captain for Bavuma in the eleven matches he led South Africa, while the other game ended in a draw. Bavuma’s ten wins are the joint-most by any captain before losing a game, alongside Mike Brearley, who also won ten Tests before his first defeat as England captain.South Africa’s win at Eden Gardens also meant Dhruv Jurel’s record-winning start to his Test career – seven wins in seven matches came to an end.8 for 51 Simon Harmer’s bowling figures at Eden Gardens are the second-best for South Africa in Test cricket in India. Dale Steyn’s 10 for 108 at Nagpur in 2010 is the best for South Africa in India.Harmer’s match figures of 8 for 51 are also the best Test match figures for a South Africa bowler without taking a five-for.

The cricket community mourns the death of one of its finest

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2023BS Chandrasekhar, Bedi’s longtime friend and fellow member of the great spin quartet, told PTI: “I have shared such a long friendship with Bedi. He was so much more than a teammate, a true friend whom I could call anytime and speak. It’s a huge personal loss.”He was a terrific bowler. His use of crease and angles were just stunning. Batsmen often were made nervous by the prospect of facing him, he had just about every trick up his sleeve, not to mention his flight.”Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, wrote in the , “I am heartbroken. I have lost a part of my heart today. I can’t express in words how I am feeling. I have lost a friend, a younger brother. Last year, around the same time, we met at the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. He forced me to sing Louis Armstrong’s songs, held my hand, we smiled, we cried. Those were some of the most beautiful few hours of my life. I can still recall his smiling face, waving us goodbye once he crossed the border.”When contacted, Sunil Gavaskar said, “Sad news indeed. He was the finest left hand bowler that I saw.”On social media, Indian – and other – cricketers past and present spoke of the man they knew.

"Sashu," he'd say with warmth that only he possessed. To Bishan Paaji, I wasn't just another cricketer; I was like a son. Under his nurturing guidance, I scored my first 100 in England. On chilly NZ evenings, we'd sit over meals, and I'd hang on to every story he told, every… pic.twitter.com/z0ahschCvp

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 23, 2023