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They have made more than their fair share of poor signings over the last few years, but Chelsea have also got their hands on some incredible players.

One of those who falls into the latter category has to be Moises Caicedo, who has gone from up-and-coming gem to arguably the best six in the Premier League.

The Ecuadorian monster is almost unmatched when it comes to breaking up play, and with every passing game, seems to get better and better in attacking phases of play.

Therefore, Chelsea fans should be delighted about their most recent signing, as the youngster could well be their next Caicedo.

The exciting youngsters set to join up with Chelsea

Chelsea already have a squad full of exciting talents, and they are set to add even more talented youngsters in the summer.

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

For example, Brazilian left-back Denner put pen to paper on a contract with the club back in March, but due to rules regarding under-18s, he must wait until the summer to join the senior squad.

He looks like a player worth waiting for, though, as, on top of being more than capable at the defensive side of the game, he is also a “marauding LB with so much quality in the final third,” per respected analyst Ben Mattinson.

Further up the pitch, someone who could cause havoc on the opposite flank for the Blues is Portuguese wonderkid Geovany Quenda.

The Sporting CP gem cost around £44m in March, and while that is an enormous sum of money, it looks like he will be more than worth it.

For example, despite still being just 18 years old, the Bissau-born dynamo has scored four goals and provided six assists, with two of those goal involvements coming against Kaira Almaty in the Champions League.

Speaking of the Kazakh side, their most exciting prospect, Dastan Satpayev, will make his way to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Described as “a future Ballon d’Or winner” and “a future rival to Lamine Yamal” by one analyst, to say there is some hype around the 17-year-old would be an understatement.

It’s easy to see why, though, as in 29 first-team appearances last season, totalling 2081 minutes, he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists.

Satpaev’s 24/25
Appearances	29
Starts	21
Minutes	2081
Goals	15
Assists	7
Goal Involvements per Match	0.75
Minutes per Goal Involvement	94.59′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of that, he also became the youngest player to score a senior goal for the Kazakh national team last week, scoring the side’s only goal in their 1-1 draw with Belgium.

With all that said, potentially the most exciting prospect of them all isn’t going to join Chelsea next year, but could still be their next Caicedo.

Chelsea's next Caicedo

What makes Caicedo such an incredible player? Most would agree that it is a combination of his excellent reading of the game, anticipation and technique.

These three things make him exceptional at shielding the back four and brilliant at kick-starting attacking moves.

Fortunately, based on the sentiment of those in the know, those appear to be traits shared by Deinner Ordonez, who just signed a pre-agreement with the Blues.

For example, Como scout Felix Johnstone has described the youngster as “an absolute alien of a talent” who is “physically top, so good in the air” and capable of producing “excellent carries.”

Likewise, Mattinson has described him as a “pacy aggressive defender off the ball who’s able to defend big spaces with a level of dominance rare for his age.”

He’s not just a defensive powerhouse, though, as Mattinson also points out his “outstanding range of passing” and the fact that he is “completely both-footed.”

With all that, it’s not hard to see why Johnston has dubbed the teenager a future “world-beater,” nor is it hard to see the technical traits he shares with Caicedo.

In addition to these physical and technical similarities, the youngster is also Ecuadorian, becoming the youngest player to represent the side at the South American U-20 Championship earlier this year.

Moreover, while he is yet to make a first-team appearance, he is also at the midfielder’s old club, Independiente del Valle.

Ultimately, he might play in a different position, but Ordonez shares plenty of traits with Caicedo and is certainly looked at as someone who could become as important for Chelsea in the future.

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Leeds United travel away from West Yorkshire and Elland Road to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Whites are looking to win back-to-back matches in the Premier League for the first time this season, after they beat West Ham United in their last outing.

Daniel Farke’s side won, thanks to goals from Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon, and Anton Stach did not play a single minute of the match at Elland Road.

Why Leeds should unleash Anton Stach

Despite beating the Hammers, Leeds can improve on their performance from last time out because they failed to put the game out of sight for the away side, which led to a nervy ending when they pulled a goal back.

After Rodon’s goal, the Whites did not create a single chance that was worth more than 0.14 xG, per Sofascore, and they allowed West Ham to get back into the game, albeit they were able to hang on for all three points.

Stach, who did not get on the pitch, has proven that he can provide a threat at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position, with one goal, 1.8 key passes per game, and two ‘big chances’ created in eight appearances, per Sofascore.

The summer signing from Hoffenheim has shown that he can be a difference-maker with his individual quality, which could help Leeds to capitalise on a shaky Brighton defence that has conceded 15 goals in the Premier League.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

In order to bring Stach into the starting line-up, though, Farke would have to ruthlessly ditch Ao Tanaka, whose performances he has recently defended.

Why Leeds should drop Ao Tanaka

After the win over West Ham, the Japan international stated that he is “not good enough at the moment” and that he will be using these experiences to improve as a player.

Asked about Tanaka’s honest admission, Farke said: “He had a really good start to the season with us. I didn’t expect him to be man of the match [vs West Ham], being in his first match after injury back in the starting line up, but I think he was quite solid and showed a really, really good performance.”

In spite of his defence of the central midfielder’s comments and performance, the German head coach should drop the midfield maestro from the XI because Stach may be able to offer more quality against Brighton.

Appearances

7

8

xG

0.16

0.79

Goals

0

1

Key passes per game

0.6

1.8

Big chances created

0

2

Ground duel success rate

18%

52%

Aerial duel success rate

43%

77%

Tackles + interceptions per game

0.7

2.3

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka has struggled to influence games in the Premier League this season, as he has offered little in the final third whilst being dominated by opposition players physically.

The Japanese midfielder is seemingly still adjusting to the step up from the Championship, which is understandable, but Stach has shown that he can make an impact offensively and hold his own defensively in his eight starts in the division.

Given Brighton’s defensive struggles this season, conceding 15 goals in nine games, it could be the right time to bring the German central midfielder back into the starting line-up to give the Whites the best chance of causing their defence problems.

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Therefore, Farke should ruthlessly drop Tanaka from the XI, despite his defence of the midfielder’s display against West Ham, because it may improve the team’s chances of winning this afternoon, given the context of the opposition.

MatériaMais Notícias

O CRB recebe o Guarani neste sábado (23), às 17h (Brasília). A partida é válida pela 29ª rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro e terá transmissão da Band e do Premiere.

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+ Condição especial para matrícula no curso Gestor de Futebol, aprovado por Dante, Petković, Léo Moura e outros craques. Saiba mais!

O clube alagoano vem de derrota para o Juventude na última rodada, mas vive bom momento. A goleada por 6 a 0 contra o líder Vitória ainda segue fresca na mente da torcida, mas com o resultado negativo para os gaúchos, viu a diferença para o G4 aumentar para seis pontos.

Em uma sequência de três vitórias seguidas, o Guarani quer continuar vencendo e se tornar líder do campeonato. A fase positiva começou no clássico contra a Ponte Preta, venceu por 1 a 0, placar que se repetiu contra a Chapecoense. No último jogo, vitória maiúscula contra a Tombense por 3 a 0, no Brinco de Ouro da Princesa.

+ Abel Ferreira, técnico do Palmeiras, é denunciado pela Associação Brasileira de Árbitros

Data e horário: 23 de setembro de 2023, às 17h
Local: Estádio Rei Pelé, em Maceió, Alagoas
Onde assistir: Premiere e Band

PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

CRB
Diogo Silva; Hereda, Gum, Fábio Alemão, Edimar; Falcão, Lucas Lima, João Paulo; Léo Pereira, Renato e Anselmo Ramon. (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)

GUARANI
Pegorari, Diogo Mateus, Lucão, Alan Santos e Mayk; Matheus Bueno, Matheus Barbosa e Bruninho; Bruno José, João Victor e Derek. (Técnico: Umberto Louzer)

Crystal Palace have been one of the form teams in the Premier League this term and could now look to the top-flight for a Marc Guehi replacement.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi responds to transfer speculation

Plenty of speculation followed Crystal Palace star Guehi around this summer. Nevertheless, a last-minute move to Liverpool fell through for the England international, who is out of contract at Selhurst Park in 2026.

In an open conversation surrounding his future, the former Chelsea man made it clear on international duty that his only priority at present is focusing on securing his place in England’s World Cup squad.

He said: “For me, it doesn’t really matter, to be honest. As long as I’m playing well and helping Palace, there’s definitely an opportunity for me to be here as I am today.

“Whether it’s sorted or not, it’s not really the most important thing to be honest. Personally, I don’t know if I can think that far ahead. I like to just take it step by step, and that is just focusing on the games that I have at Palace and any upcoming opportunities I have here.”

Oliver Glasner has also been targeted by Nottingham Forest due to being out of contract next summer. Ultimately, Crystal Palace are a club on the up, and others are keen to prize away their main assets after an excellent start to the Premier League campaign.

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Rumours are unlikely to die down if success is continually delivered at Selhurst Park. Either way, putting contingencies in place to prepare for the future will be a key part of their upcoming plans.

With that in mind, Crystal Palace have identified a potential replacement for Guehi should clubs continue to make their interest in his services known.

Crystal Palace want to sign Max Kilman to replace Marc Guehi

According to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Crystal Palace want to sign West Ham defender Max Kilman to replace Guehi, and they could now make a January move to try and secure his services.

However, any deal will be a difficult one to do amid Nuno Espírito Santo’s admiration towards the defender, who was a key part of his Wolverhampton Wanderers side when both worked together at Molineux.

Five similar players to Max Kilman (FBREF)

Scott McKenna

Dinamo Zagreb

Ko Itakura

Ajax

Marc-Oliver Kempf

Como

Kialonda

Lecce

Kevin Danso

Tottenham Hotspur

The London-born man is under contract at West Ham until 2031 and arrived at the Hammers for £40 million on a contract worth £100,000 per week, hence why it may take a significant push to tempt Kilman into crossing the divide.

Making eight appearances this term across all competitions, the 28-year-old has been ever-present on the left-hand side of their backline, and it now remains to be seen whether he would be open to a change of scenery.

Crystal Palace could well mount a credible challenge for the European places this term and Kilman could be tempted by the prospect of replacing such a key figure, though it will be interesting to see if Guehi is sold in January to make room.

It is also worth noting that quality strikers, like Villa’s Ollie Watkins, have called Kilman a “top player”.

After Liverpool lost for the second time in the space of a few days courtesy of Galatasaray, Jamie Carragher has called for one of Arne Slot’s biggest stars to be dropped.

Slot "disappointed" again by Liverpool

After needing late goals in several of their opening games to salvage victory, something seemed off about the Premier League champions. They looked vulnerable and defeat seemed inevitable. The late goal simply wasn’t always going to arrive. And, as expected, Crystal Palace have since exposed that uncomfortable fact for Slot’s side.

The Eagles stole the late show from the Reds to hand them their first defeat at the weekend and Galatasaray have now followed suit to deal Slot back-to-back defeats for just the second time in his Liverpool career. For many, the decision to award Galatasaray a first-half penalty was contentious, but that shouldn’t have been that for Liverpool, who never truly reacted to going behind.

Having his say on his side’s defeat, Slot told reporters: “Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than Crystal Palace]. First half, we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.

“It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this, and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.”

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It doesn’t get any easier for the Reds, either. They travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and club legend Carragher has already called on one player to be dropped against the Blues.

Carragher calls for Liverpool to drop Wirtz

In a brutal assessment, Carragher called for Liverpool to drop Florian Wirtz “right now” following another disappointing display from the £200,000-a-week German. The former Bayer Leverkusen star is without a goal or assist since the Community Shield and is struggling to get up to speed at Anfield.

Whether it’s been out wide or in midfield, it’s hard to argue with Carragher’s verdict. Something is wrong with this Liverpool side and it’s only natural that the blame goes the way of the £116m midfielder who hasn’t contributed since Wembley.

Slot certainly has a big decision to make. A few, in fact. As the Chelsea game approaches, Liverpool must lay down a marker as Premier League champions.

Celtic did not have a perfect summer transfer window, as they failed to land any strikers on deadline day, but they did do some good business on the whole.

Bringing Kieran Tierney back to the club on a free transfer from Arsenal was arguably the highlight of the window on paper, six years on from his £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019.

The Scotland international was the first signing of the window and the highest-profile addition to the squad to replace Greg Taylor for Brendan Rodgers.

How Kieran Tierney has performed for Celtic

Expectations were, understandably, high for the left-footed star after what he achieved during his first spell at the club, and the fact that he has played in the Premier League and LaLiga over the past six years.

The 28-year-old full-back has not had a perfect start, losing 100% of his ground duels in the second leg against Kairat for example, but that should have been expected given his injury issues in recent years.

Tierney missed 45 matches through injuries in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined, per Transfermarkt, but he has still shown glimpses of the quality that he can provide, with an excellent assist against Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.

Whilst it has been exciting to see such a high-profile player return to Celtic this season, Tierney is not the most valuable full-back in the squad – Alistair Johnston is.

Celtic have hit the jackpot with Alistair Johnston

Ange Postecoglou signed the Canada international from Montreal for a reported fee of £3.5m in January 2023, and the Australian head coach hit the jackpot for the club with that move.

The impressive right-back, whose work rate was hailed as “phenomenal” by Rodgers, has gone on to play 115 times for the Scottish giants in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, and registered 22 assists.

Johnston did not have a Transfermarkt market value at the time of Tierney’s £25m move to Arsenal in 2019. Now, six years later, the Canadian star is worth even more than the Scotland international.

August 2019

£25m move to Arsenal

N/A

July 2020

£24m

£43k

May 2021

£28m

£2m

May 2022

£28m

£2.5m

June 2023

£21m

£6m

March 2024

£10m

£7m

October 2024

£9m

£8m

June 2025

£8m

£9m

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old star is worth more than the Scottish defender for the first time in their respective careers, which speaks to his rise and the fall of the left-back.

This also shows that the Hoops hit the jackpot with the right-back because his value has soared from £3.5m to £9m in less than three years, making him a far more valuable asset than he was when they signed him from the MLS.

Johnston, who is currently out injured, has proven himself to be a huge attacking threat from right-back for Celtic, creating 15 ‘big chances’ in 30 league starts last term, per Sofascore.

His superb performances on the pitch for the Scottish giants have led to his market value soaring to the point that he is now worth even more than Tierney, who was once a £25m-rated player.

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Overall, Postecoglou hit the jackpot for Celtic by signing him from Montreal and the club will be hoping that he can continue to deliver on the pitch to increase his value by even more.

It has been a dire start to the 2025/26 season for Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side have picked up a single point so far this term, and are yet to score a goal, three games into the new campaign. It is a worrying sign.

Of course, losing players like Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who were both on loan for the second half of last season, has impacted them.

That is why, on transfer deadline day, the West Midlands side are pushing for a new attacker.

Aston Villa’s latest attacking target

With the transfer window set to slam shut at the earlier time of 7pm, it does not give Emery long to add an attacker to his squad.

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

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Fabrizio Romano is reporting that there are ongoing ‘negotiations’ for Villa to sign Manchester United star Jadon Sancho today, amid the prospect of Emi Martinez heading in the other direction.

Both clubs are attempting to secure an ‘agreement’ on those deals.

Romano explains that the England international ‘has to decide his future today’, and a move to Villa Park could offer a viable solution. A fee of £20m was quoted for the forward earlier in the window, and that could be a fee Villa need to pay themselves.

Why Sancho would be a good signing

Described as a “maverick” in his younger days by former coach Louis Lancaster, Sancho’s career trajectory has perhaps not gone as expected. His time at Old Trafford has been far from easy, although he did impress on loan at Chelsea last season.

At 25 years of age, Sancho has bags of Premier League experience now. He’s featured 89 times in the English top flight for the Red Devils and Enzo Maresca’s Blues, with 12 goals and 11 assists coming in that time.

Of course, the London-born star became known thanks to his sensational time at Borussia Dortmund. Over two spells in Germany, Sancho played 158 games, scoring 53 times and assisting 67, helping win the DFB-Pokal in 2020/21.

Well, this would be a move similar to one Villa made in January, when they brought Asensio in on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

The former Real Madrid star enjoyed a successful loan spell at Villa Park for the second half of last season, where he was able to get his career back on track after falling out of favour in the French capital.

Asensio only played 21 times for the club, but had a huge impact on Emery’s attack. He was deadly in front of goal, bagging eight times, and chipped in with an assist, too.

It is easy to see why Sancho could be the second coming of Asensio at Villa Park. Both players have somehow seen their careers take a bit of a downward spiral, falling out of favour at their respective clubs.

Yet, with the Spaniard able to play regular first-team football and become a key player for Villa, he bolstered his stock once more. It is easy to see how Sancho could do the same.

Their numbers from last season are similar, too. For example, Sancho averaged 1.94 key passes and 2.3 take-ons completed per 90 minutes.

In comparison, Asensio notched up an average of 2.12 key passes and 1.06 completed take-ons each game.

Sancho vs Asensio

Stat (per 90)

Sancho

Asensio

Key passes

1.94

2.12

Progressive passes

4.59

5.36

Take-ons completed

2.3

1.06

Progressive carries

5.2

2.72

Ball recoveries

5.05

3.05

Stats from FBref

Sancho could certainly become Villa’s new Asensio and really get his career back on track at Villa Park. He is clearly a talented attacker who could thrive in the pockets for Emery and help revitalise a struggling Villa attack, which is missing Asensio’s impact.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Sep 1, 2025

The summer of the saga is finally over, but it’s difficult to know how Newcastle United supporters will feel about it.

On deadline day, Alexander Isak joined Liverpool for a reported fee of £125m, including add-ons, which makes this a British transfer record.

The Swede has, quite publicly, been on strike all summer as he attempted to force through this move to Merseyside, skipping the Magpies’ pre-season tour of Asia and also not turning up to the PFA awards, where he was named in the team of the season.

As a result, the Geordie faithful have completely turned against Isak, making it frankly unfathomable that he would ever play for the club again, so most will be glad to see him gone, albeit their team are losing arguably the best striker in the Premier League.

The Magpies have signed two very expensive strikers to fill his void, it remains to be seen if they’ll come good, but the astronomical fees being paid by all clubs this summer has only underlined the fact that Newcastle struck gold snapping up their talisman.

Newcastle's Isak replacements

On Saturday, Newcastle announced the signing of striker Nick Woltemade, arriving from Stuttgart for an initial fee of £65m plus up to £4.3m in add-ons.

This time last year, barely anyone had heard of Woltemade, considering he’d scored just two top division goals during his time at Werder Bremen.

However, the 23-year-old really burst onto the scene at Stuttgart, netting 18 times in just 36 appearances for die Schwaben, including scoring during each round of the DFB-Pokal, breaking the deadlock against Arminia Bielefeld in May’s final, as his side won the competition for the first time since 1997.

He then further enhanced his reputation during this summer’s U21 European Championships, bagging a hat-trick during Germany’s tournament opener against Slovenia, picking up the golden boot by netting six times in total, as die Mannschaft were defeated 3-2 by England in the final in Bratislava.

Standing at 198 cms (6 ft 6 in) tall, he is nicknamed “Woltemessi” due to his perceived good touch for a big man, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he fares on Tyneside.

That is not all, though, because on deadline day, Newcastle also finally completed the signing of long-term target Yoane Wissa.

The DR Congo international himself had gone full-Isak at Brentford, refusing to play as he pushed for a move, but the two clubs agreed a fee of £55m on Monday, after bids of £25m and £40m had both been rejected earlier this summer.

Wissa leaves West London as Brentford’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, having been on target 49 times in all competitions for the Bees, 19 of which came in the Premier League last season, a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah, Isak, Erling Braut Håland, Bryan Mbeumo and Chris Wood.

At 28 years old, however, £55m for Wissa, when you’ve also just signed another striker for around £70m, does seem very high, further underlining how much of a bargain Newcastle’s talisman has proved to be.

Newcastle talisman signed for a bargain fee

Back in October 2021, the Saudi Public Investment Fund completed their £305m takeover of Newcastle United and, after swiftly replacing Steve Bruce with Eddie Howe, they wanted to make a splash in the transfer market.

During that first January window, with the Toon Army very much embroiled in a relegation battle, having won just one of their first 20 fixtures, the new owners spent big to ensure Premier League survival.

Four new signings arrived for a combined £90m, namely Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimarães, and the latter instantaneously became a cult hero on Tyneside.

To date, Guimarães has made 147 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 23 goals and registering 24 assists, playing an instrumental role in the team that won last season’s EFL Cup, ending the club’s 70-year wait for major domestic silverware.

The table below emphasises his importance to Newcastle.

Guimarães 2024/25 stats

Statistics

Guimarães

NUFC rank

Minutes

3,844

2nd

Goals

5

7th

Assists

8

4th

Shots

54

4th

Completed passes

1,481

3rd

Key passes

52

1st

Passes into final third

180

1st

Progress passes

271

1st

Shot-creating actions

133

1st

Big chances created

13

2nd

Tackles

83

1st

Interceptions

33

3rd

Ball recoveries

188

2nd

Touches

2,213

3rd

Avg Sofascore rating

7.22

3rd

As the table reinforces, Guimarães is pivotal to everything Newcastle achieve; ranked first by every passing metric, while also in the top two for out-of-possession statistics, tackles and ball recoveries, producing goals, assists and chance creation at the other end of the pitch too.

The £40m paid to Olympique Lyonnais to secure his signature has turned out to be a complete bargain, especially considering his current estimated transfer value is around £69m.

For comparison, new signings Woltemade and Wissa are valued at around £26m and £27.6m respectively, substantially lower than the fees Newcastle have paid.

His international teammate Casemiro is certainly a fan, stating that Guimarães has been “exceptional” at Newcastle, adding that he is a “great player who has been demonstrating this in the most difficult league in the world”.

Thus, now that Isak has finally departed Tyneside, the Brazilian midfielder is ready to step up and be Newcastle’s talisman, leading them into a Champions League campaign, with Barcelona the first visitors to St James’ Park on 18 September; what a tie that’ll be.

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Arsenal chiefs were recently handed the chance to sign a Chelsea star this summer, with sporting director Andrea Berta and the Gunners recruitment team delivering a clear response.

Mikel Arteta’s side have spent north of £200 million this window – an outlay signaling major ambition ahead of another Premier League title challenge.

There’s still interest in Eberechi Eze, with reports suggesting the player is keen on the move, but there’s still been no official bid to Crystal Palace. Arsenal are still in dialogue with the 27-year-old’s representatives (Fabrizio Romano), though, so a move for Eze remains on the cards as we enter the final three weeks of the summer.

Interestingly, BBC journalist Sami Mokbel doesn’t see it happening unless Arsenal can sell players first, namely Leandro Trossard.

They’ve also been linked with Rennes defender Jérémy Jacquet recently, who’s believed to be debating his long-term future after Arsenal’s approach for the 20-year-old recently (Graeme Bailey).

In a major boost for Arteta, the north Londoners brought an end to their long search for a new number nine.

Viktor Gyokeres sealed a blockbuster move from Sporting CP to the Emirates Stadium late last month, in a deal worth up to £64 million with bonuses included following weeks of back-and-forth negotiations.

It’s a major statement from Berta, who was thought to be a big admirer of the 27-year-old and prioritised him over fellow top striker target at the time, Benjamin Sesko (Simon Phillips).

Gyökeres netted 54 goals in all competitions last season – numbers that made Europe’s elite take notice, but Arsenal ultimately won the race.

He arrives as the long-term solution through the middle, and has been handed the iconic No.14 shirt, once worn by Thierry Henry. Gyökeres has big shoes to fill, and the Sweden international will be desperate to get off the mark as soon as possible.

Arsenal needed firepower, and they’ve got it.

Interestingly, Berta was actually handed the chance to sign another rival centre-forward before agreeing a deal for Gyokeres.

Arsenal's response after being offered Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson

That man was Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who’s now set to leave Stamford Bridge and become one of the next moving number nines in this summer’s striker domino (Fabrizio Romano).

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal turned down the chance to sign Jackson this summer after being offered the chance to do a deal, which also comes as good news for Newcastle, who’ve held informal talks with the Senegalese and have less competition in pursuit of his signature, with Man United also signing Sesko.

The 24-year-old did command a valuation of £80-£100 million, according to Sky Sports, but it is now believed that Chelsea could sanction his sale closer to the £56 million mark.

Joe Cole has actually called Jackson one of Chelsea’s “most important” players, but their deals for Joao Pedro and Liam Delap means his place in the first team is no longer cut and dry, with an exit firmly on the cards.

The current norm is for the chair and independent director to serve three terms of two years each

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2024

Jay Shah will start his job as ICC chair on December 1•Getty Images

Jay Shah could end up being the ICC chair for two terms of three years each instead of three terms of two years each, which is the current norm, after he takes over on December 1. This after the ICC Board, which met in Dubai over the weekend, recommended that the term – for the chair and the independent director – be changed.In a statement on Monday, the ICC said that the recommendation will now be “circulated for approval” among its members, comprising Full and Associate Members.While no reason behind the recommendation was made public, it is understood that the move is part of the ICC’s drive for better governance. The ICC Board believes it will provide security and stability to both the chair and independent director, who sit on the ICC Board, without having to worry about elections every two years. Also, while the overall term of six years remains the same, there will be more continuity.Shah, who is 35, was elected unopposed to replace outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay, who has served two of his three terms since being elected in 2020 for the first time. The independent director’s position, meanwhile, has been lying vacant since former Pepsico chair Indra Nooyi finished her three terms earlier this summer.There were changes to the ICC men’s cricket committee, too, with New Zealand businessman Scott Weenink appointed Full Member representative, and Scott Edwards, the 28-year-old Netherlands captain, named Associate Member representative.In a statement issued by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association*, Edwards said, “I am extremely excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee. Having been in the ICC Associate Member system, and playing with and against many Full Member and Associate Member sides over the past six years, I believe I have a good understanding of the challenges Associate countries and players face. I look forward to representing these countries to the best of my ability.”The women’s FTP – the second, after the one announced in 2022 – will be out soon•Getty Images

Women’s FTP for 2025-2029 to be out soonThe ICC Board has approved the next women’s future tours programme (FTP) for the 2025-2029 cycle, which will be announced in a few days. It will be the second FTP for women following the one announced in 2022.The ICC chief executives’ committee (CEC) also approved shifting the calendar for the women’s rankings annual update from October 1 to May 1 each year. In order for the rankings to reflect, the teams will have to play a minimum of eight matches per format (ODIs and T20Is) as opposed to the six currently. This is because of the increase in the volume of women’s cricket.The mechanism for Associate teams to gain ODI status has also been formalised. Currently, there are 16 women’s teams with ODI status. Apart from the 11 Full Members, five Associate Members – Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand and USA – were included in the 2022-2025 cycle. For the 2025-2029 cycle, the top-two Associate teams that qualify for the women’s ODI World Cup qualifier 2025 will gain ODI status, while the remaining three slots will be filled based on the T20I rankings at the time of annual update [May 1, 2025]. This will mean that their ODI status will hinge on their T20I performances.The creation of two annual T20I tournaments between 2025 and 2028 for Associate teams has also been approved. This is to boost competition ahead of the 16-team women’s T20 World Cup in 2030.