Celtic will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership when they take on Kilmarnock in their first match since the first international break of the season.

The Hoops travel away from home to face Kilmarnock in the fifth match of the campaign, having won three and drawn one of their first four outings in the division.

Brendan Rodgers may look to hand debuts to new signings Kelechi Iheanacho and Sebastian Tounekti, who both signed for the club after the 0-0 draw with Rangers last time out.

The Celtic boss will be without Alistair Johnston once again at right-back, though, because he was ruled out for 12 weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Kairat last month.

Rodgers confirmed at the time that the club would not look to dip into the transfer market to sign a replacement right-back because of the injury, which is exactly how the rest of the window played out.

Instead of going for a new signing to fill that gap, academy graduate Anthony Ralston has stepped in once again to provide cover in that position.

Why Celtic should drop Anthony Ralston

The Scotland international should be ruthlessly dropped to the bench by Rodgers because he does not provide the attacking thrust and quality that the team need in that area of the pitch.

There were several moments in the bland 0-0 draw with Rangers when a teammate went to find Ralston with a pass but he was sat too deep and not on the front foot and ready to move forward to receive the pass.

He does not possess the attacking qualities that Johnston has or the front-footed mentality that his fellow right-back has, which is evidenced by his form in all competitions so far this season for the Scottish giants.

25/26 season (all comps)

Anthony Ralston

Appearances

5

Minutes played

332

Shots

2

Goals

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Ralston has created one chance, and no ‘big chances’, in 332 minutes of action across five appearances this term, which speaks to his lack of quality on the ball.

Johnston, meanwhile, provided four key passes and created two ‘big chances’ in his two appearances in the Premiership this season before his injury, per Sofascore.

The Canada international also scored four goals, created 15 ‘big chances’, and delivered ten assists in 32 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, which shows that he can provide a huge threat in the final third from a right-back position.

Celtic have clearly missed his quality down the right in the last two matches, as they created just two ‘big chances’ in 210 minutes as a team against Kairat and Rangers and failed to score a goal in either game.

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This is why Rodgers must drop Ralston to experiment with Reo Hatate in a brand-new role for him at right-back, inspired by Arne Slot’s decision to play Dominik Szoboszlai in a similar role for Liverpool in the Premier League.

Why Celtic should unleash Reo Hatate at right-back

It is not a completely unfamiliar position for the Japan international because he did play four times at right-back during Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club in the 2022/23 campaign.

However, he has not played a single match outside of central or attacking midfield in two-and-a-bit-seasons since Rodgers returned to the club in the summer of 2023, which means that this would be a brand-new role for him in the current system.

The Northern Irish head coach has utilised inverted full-backs in build-up for a lot of his time in charge of the club, with Greg Taylor and Johnston inverting into central midfield and Callum McGregor dropping between the centre-backs to create overloads in central positions during build-up.

Hatate could suit this role perfectly in the short term until Johnston is back from injury because he is a natural central midfielder, who is also combative and can hold his own defensively.

The Japan international, who was hailed as “incredible” by Rodgers earlier this year, was only dribbled past 0.6 times per game and won 53% of his attempted tackles, per FotMob, which shows that he can stop opposition players from getting past him fairly effectively.

24/25 Premiership

Reo Hatate

Percentile rank vs CMs

Goals

10

Top 1%

xA

7.95

Top 3%

Assists

4

Top 11%

Dribble success rate

88%

Top 12%

Touches

2,101

Top 5%

Duels won

95

Top 32%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Hatate is a well-rounded midfielder who is incredibly comfortable on the ball in midfield and in the final third, whilst he also excels at winning his duels.

This suggests that he could be well-suited to playing in an inverted right-back role under Rodgers because he has the defensive qualities and the possession-based attributes to pull it off effectively.

Of course, having a player who can make an impact at the top end of the pitch with goals and assists in that position would also improve the team’s chances of creating more in matches than they have with Ralston in recent weeks.

As aforementioned, Ralston has not done enough on the ball to make up for the attacking quality that has been lost through Johnston’s injury, which is why Hatate should be unleashed in this brand-new role in the meantime.

This move would also free up Luke McCowan, who scored eight goals and provided eight assists in the Premiership last season, to play in the middle of the park with McGregor and Benjamin Nygren.

Overall, Hatate’s qualities on and off the ball and his prior experience at right-back in a different system under Postecoglou could make him the perfect candidate to fill in for Johnston in a brand-new role under Rodgers against Kilmarnock on Sunday.

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This is why the Celtic head coach should ruthlessly drop Ralston from the starting line-up to see how the Japanese star fares in a new position this weekend.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) suffered another batting malfunction in IPL 2025, this time on a black-soil surface at home, managing 152 for 8 against Gujarat Titans (GT). At one point, they went 36 balls without a boundary and had to wait until the 13th over for their first six. It was Heinrich Klaasen who hit that six, and in the final over of the innings Pat Cummins (22* off nine balls) cleared the boundary to give their attack something to defend.Rashid Khan went wicketless for a third successive game and after four games this season, he has figures of 1 for 143 in 14 overs. Mohammed Siraj, though, was at his best, especially in the powerplay, and then came back in the end overs to york Aniket Verma, SRH’s last recognised batter, and Impact Player Simarjeet Singh. Hyderabad boy Siraj came away with his career-best T20 figures of 4-0-17-4.Siraj had started SRH’s slide when he dismissed both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay. In the very first over on the day, he had Head chipping a catch to midwicket for 8 off five balls. Abhishek picked four fours before Siraj had him caught at mid-on in his third over of the powerplay. Abhishek became Siraj’s 100th victim in the IPL and sixth in the powerplay in IPL 2025. No other bowler has more wickets than Siraj in the first six overs this season.R Sai Kishore, the left-arm fingerspinner, then stifled SRH in the middle overs with his control and variety. He cut Klaasen’s innings short on 27 off 19 balls when he knocked him over with a quick fizzer. He went onto have Nitish Reddy holing out for 31 off 34 balls. GT had handed a franchise debut to Washington Sundar but they didn’t even need him with the ball.Captain Cummins then made a sparkling cameo to push SRH past 150. He was the only SRH batter in the top eight to have a strike rate of over 160.

Rahane also explained why he did not review his dismissal

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-20256:18

Pressure or complacency – why did KKR collapse?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has taken the blame for his side’s failure to chase down 112 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, but called it “a collective failure of the batting unit”. After KKR were skittled for 95 in 15.1 overs, Rahane said that his batters were pretty reckless with their shots in going after a target which was “pretty chaseable”.That Rahane was hurting was apparent when he spoke to the host broadcasters. The usually unflappable Rahane even mentioned that he needed to be “really calm” when talking to his team-mates about the 16-run loss.”Nothing to expect. You all saw what happened there. Pretty disappointed with the effort,” Rahane said immediately after the match. “I’ll take the blame. As the captain of the team, I played the wrong shot even though it [the ball] was missing [the stumps]. But again, it started from there.Related

Stats – PBKS pull off lowest successful defence in IPL history

Chahal back in his element, in the game, in typical style

Chahal four-for stuns KKR as PBKS defend 111

Ponting: That might be the best win I've ever had as coach in IPL

“We batted really badly as a batting unit, and we take full responsibility as a batting unit. I thought bowlers did really well on the surface, restricting a strong Punjab batting line-up to 111.”Later, at the post-match press conference, Rahane said, “It’s not like Punjab bowled very well. I think we played bad cricket as a batting unit. I take this responsibility as a captain that we couldn’t chase this down. But individually, I’m sure, all the players, especially the batters, will think about their own game and improve in the upcoming matches.”KKR lost two early wickets in the chase, but Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi steadied the ship with a 55-run third-wicket stand. Raghuvanshi counter-attacked, scoring 37 off 28 balls, and, at that point, the chase seemed straightforward. But the game changed when Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Rahane lbw. He walked back without opting for the review. Replays revealed that the impact was outside off stump.”As a batter, I thought that I could save the review for later. It shouldn’t happen that I take a review and lose it, then we are only left with one review,” Rahane said. “The communication between the two batsmen [him and Raghuvanshi] wasn’t that clear. If someone clearly tells you that the impact can be out or it can miss, you take a review as a batter.2:59

Rayudu: Russell made an honest effort

“But generally, the batsmen in front of you, you think about what they say. The communication wasn’t that clear: ‘Maybe it could be the umpire’s call, maybe it could be hitting’. That’s why I didn’t take a review. But again, no complaints. Apart from that, we also were pretty bad as a batting unit. And that was the reason we lost today.”The wicket brought PBKS back into the game. Chahal ran through the middle order with 4 for 28 as KKR lost their last eight wickets for 33 runs.”See, as an individual, you still have to be confident, be positive,” Rahane said. “Let the ball come and then just take your chances, keep the intent going, but look to play cricketing shots. I thought on this wicket, the sweep was pretty hard to play.”So again, you’ve got to be really positive, keep that intent going. But we were a little reckless and we should take full responsibility as a batting unit.”Rahane stressed that the KKR batters were not complacent and that they hadn’t won the game in their heads before they had. However, he did suggest that the batters lacked “game awareness”.”All the players are confident. They are pretty experienced enough to handle all the situations,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we were complacent or we were overconfident. It’s always about… we didn’t bat well. That’s the truth and the honest answer.2:07

Rayudu: ‘Chahal bowled to get a wicket, not to defend’

“It’s not only about being complacent or taking things for granted. I don’t think we are doing that. Yes, we didn’t bat well. We didn’t have that game awareness, what the situation demanded on that wicket. When we lost those three-four wickets, it was only about taking your time. Even singles. That was important.”It was not a flat wicket. There was something for the bowlers. We had to grind it out. T20, I believe, is not only about hitting sixes. Though we are seeing at this moment that most of the players are going for big shots, they want to look good while batting, it’s not about that. It’s all about reading the situation well. Having that game awareness as a batter, as an individual and then take the game forward – that’s what I thought we lacked today.”What was Rahane planning to say to his team-mates after a heartbreaking loss like this? “At the moment, there are too many things going in my head. It is still early. Let’s see. When I go upstairs, I need to keep myself really calm and then think about what to talk to the boys.”You still have to be positive. It’s still halfway to the tournament. As a team, as a unit, we still have to be positive and keep a good brand of cricket. But at the same time, we would definitely like to address the stuff.”

A “world-class” manager was interested in the Nottingham Forest job before Evangelos Marinakis decided to appoint Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou off to a slow start at Nottingham Forest

Travelling to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal was always going to be a difficult task in Postecoglou’s first match in charge, and Forest didn’t put up much of a fight, with the Gunners running out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Few fans would’ve been expecting to get anything out of the trip to north London, but the manner of the defeat is more concerning, with the Tricky Trees failing to create any real chances throughout the match.

Even more worryingly, Ange’s side then went on to get knocked out of the EFL Cup by Championship side Swansea City on Wednesday night, with the Welsh side scoring two injury-time goals to turn the game on its head after a brace from Igor Jesus.

It is still a little early for Marinakis to be questioning whether he made the right decision by replacing Nuno Espirito Santo with Ange, but fans are likely to be increasingly concerned if Nottingham Forest are unable to defeat Burnley in the Premier League this Saturday.

Interestingly, it has now been revealed that a different manager was keen on becoming Forest boss before Marinakis appointed the Australian, namely Jose Mourinho, who has now agreed a deal to take over at Benfica.

That is according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who told The Boot Room: “Jose was keen to come back to England, the Forest job did interest him, and he was open to other options, but Benfica is a huge opportunity for him.

“But I don’t think Jose is done with England yet.”

Not just Victor: Ange must drop 5/10 Nottingham Forest star after Swansea

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3 ByEthan Lamb Sep 18, 2025 Mourinho would've been gamble despite "world-class" credentials

The 62-year-old is one of the most acclaimed managers of all-time, having won league titles with Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and FC Porto, and he is held in very high regard by Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, who once described him as “world-class”.

That said, the two-time Champions League winner has now gone over three years without a trophy, last lifting silverware during his time with AS Roma back in 2022, when he led the Serie A side to Europa Conference League glory.

Not only that, but podcast host David Amoyal has suggested the former Roma boss underachieved domestically in Italy, given the backing he received, having also failed to win a trophy at Tottenham Hotspur and Fenerbahçe.

Ange suffering back-to-back defeats in his first two games as Forest boss is far from ideal, but there are few indications that Mourinho would’ve been a success at The City Ground.

Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry represent an iconic Premier League era. It was the era of the long sleeves, the T90 ball that would fly in all kinds of directions and, of course, some of the greatest rivalries that English football has ever seen.

It’s only right that both Drogba and Henry featured in such an era. The former, so often the man for the big occasion at Chelsea, sits alongside some of the greats in Stamford Bridge history. Henry, meanwhile, is arguably the greatest Premier League player of all time. The Frenchman, at his best, was simply absurd.

Premier League records

Drogba

Henry

Appearances

254

258

Goals

104

175

Assists

59

73

So many have been so full of praise for both. Legendary ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once told reporters: “People like Thierry Henry [also] had exceptional qualities. They would run 100 metres in 11 seconds when everybody else did it in 12.5 or 13. So if today they are running it in 12, they are still quicker.

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“They start from a huge potential and that’s why at that age they can still survive, because they have the football intelligence. They had exceptional physical qualities at the start.”

Wenger’s counterpart, Jose Mourinho, has rarely hidden his admiration for Drogba, meanwhile. The so-called ‘Special One’ formed quite the partnership with the forward during his time at Chelsea.

As good as they both are, though, Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic named an alternative player as the toughest opponent that he’s ever played against.

Man Utd icon Vidic reveals Rooney was toughest opponent

For all the great battles that he had with Drogba and Henry, Vidic’s toughest games often came on the training pitch against Wayne Rooney. The former Manchester United defender was asked by Rio Ferdinand to pick his toughest opponent between the aforementioned three and quickly named his old teammate.

It should come as no shock that the Serbian defender struggled against Rooney. The former England forward is one of the best that the Premier League has ever seen – scoring 208 goals and assisting another 103 in an incredible career.

Vidic will be thankful that he only had to square off against Rooney in training, rather than in a competitive outing at club level. Other centre-backs didn’t have the same luck and were soon put to the sword.

Those three were certainly the main men of their era when it came to strikers in the Premier League. Although all icons in their own right, Vidic’s verdict suggests that Rooney left a mark on those both inside Manchester United and the rest of English football.

With their playoff hopes all but over, the team is looking to build a squad for the future

Deivarayan Muthu29-Apr-20252:28

Mhatre wows Pujara and Finch with IPL debut fireworks

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have helped rejuvenate the careers of India internationals like Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube in the recent past, but with their IPL 2025 playoffs hopes all but gone, they are hoping to ease the transition into next season by bringing in youngsters like 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, who turned 22 on the eve of CSK’s game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), and see how they go at the highest level.Batting coach Michael Hussey spoke about the young talents they have at their disposal on Tuesday adding that CSK really need to get better at scouting them and nurturing them. “I think it’s one area that we’ve really identified that we want to improve on is that talent identification side of things,” he said at the press conference.”So, we have had different players come in and train with us at various stages, almost on trial a little bit, but also when their names come up for an auction, then at least we’ve seen them, we’ve had eyes on them. I mean, we get sent all the videos, packages and stuff. But to be able to actually watch them in the flesh, it does give you a bit more to go on.”Wednesday’s IPL game will feature four uncapped Indian batters opening for the first time in the league’s history. Having used Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Rahul Tripathi as openers without much success, CSK have turned to Mhatre, who had impressed their team management during a mid-season trial at Chepauk, and Andhra’s Shaik Rasheed, who had not played in the IPL before this season.CSK have blooded the pair and Brevis into their team after putting them in match-simulation training at their high-performance academy on the outskirts of Chennai. Some overseas players, including those from New Zealand and West Indies, have also recently trained at the academy to prepare for subcontinent tours.Michael Hussey: We’ve had [Shaik Rasheed] with us now for, well, at least a couple of seasons and he’s a beautiful player•BCCI”If we can play some practice games, see them [youngsters] under pressure, we can make more informed decisions about the talent that we’re looking at moving forward,” Hussey said. “So, it’s certainly one area that I think they’re putting a lot of time and effort into to make sure that we get the right talent moving forward.”They’re very important decisions. There’s so much talent in this country and [it’s about] picking the right ones. We’re still going to make mistakes, no question. But if we can make more informed decisions, then I think that will help the franchise moving forward.”Hussey believed that the work put in by the players and the staff at the academy could benefit CSK, if not right now, then at least in the future.”Yeah, even in situations like this [playoff hopes fading], as a coaching group, we’re looking for ways that we can do things better as well,” he said. “And it’s a magnificent facility, that high-performance centre. It’s a fantastic resource for us, so we should use it. And to be able to put players into situations in practice games that is closer to the match. I mean, we can bat in the nets, and that’s fine but to expose them in a match situation at practice is closer to what they’re going to experience in a match.”Hussey also said that the CSK team management will remain in close contact with the rookie players and will monitor their progress in their country’s leagues and domestic games so that they level up by IPL 2026. Mhatre has made starts in both of his innings so far but couldn’t press on. Rasheed did well on debut (27 off 19) but his most recent knock was a first-ball duck. Brevis was 17 off 17 against Sunrisers Hyderabad before he opened up and made 42 off 25.”Shaik Rasheed’s a good example [of a young player coming through the ranks],” Hussey said. “We’ve had him with us now for, well, at least a couple of seasons and he’s a beautiful player. But you’re right, we need to find out how he can go under pressure. So, yes, he’s got his opportunity now, and, you know, he’s handling it well at the moment. Like, obviously, he’ll want to get some more runs towards the back end of the season. But he’s certainly got the skill and the talent to be able to do it.”We’ll keep a close eye on them when they’re playing their domestic stuff as well and keep working with them. It’s not just working with them for this two-and-a-half months, it’s still communicating and working with them throughout the rest of the year as well, and seeing how they’re going, particularly in those pressure situations, seeing what their mentality is like.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O departamento jurídico do Corinthians está planejando recorrer da condenação que o obriga a pagar uma indenização à família do cantor Tim Maia, falecido em 1998, e à gravadora Warner Chappell. O clube é acusado de utilizar a música “Não quero dinheiro (só quero amar)”, um dos grandes sucessos do artista, em uma campanha publicitária realizada em 2012, durante a participação do Corinthians no Mundial de Clubes no Japão.

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A torcida corintiana costuma cantar uma paródia da música nas arquibancadas, e um trecho dessa paródia foi usado pelo clube na propaganda. Isso levou a gravadora e a família de Tim Maia a argumentarem que o Corinthians utilizou a obra para obter vantagem financeira. Essa tese foi aceita em primeira instância pela Justiça.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

A equipe de advogados do Corinthians está preparando um novo argumento para contestar a obrigação de pagar a indenização. Inicialmente, as partes que entraram com a ação pediam uma compensação de R$ 4 milhões do clube.

continua após a publicidade

De acordo com uma fonte citada pela reportagem, o Corinthians está determinado a lutar contra essa decisão até o último momento. Esse otimismo é baseado, inclusive, na vitória judicial obtida sobre a neta do ex-presidente do clube, Alberto Dualib, em abril do mesmo ano, em um processo que poderia chegar a R$ 195 milhões. Naquela ocasião, Carla Dualib buscava exclusividade em acordos de marketing relacionados ao Corinthians.

No entanto, o clube considera que as situações são diferentes e argumenta que a utilização da música foi uma paráfrase, ou seja, uma reinterpretação que utiliza sinônimos, mas em um contexto diferente da obra original. Além disso, o clube defende que a canção é parte do patrimônio da torcida corintiana. No entanto, essa alegação não foi aceita de maneira favorável pelos órgãos judiciais responsáveis pela análise inicial do caso.

continua após a publicidade

Filho de Tim Maia, Carmelo Maia justificou o movimento judicial contra o Corinthians. Segundo ele, houve tentativa de diálogo com a diretoria da época, que era comandada por Mario Gobbi, mas o clube não abriu margem de contato na ocasião.

Nottingham Forest had really ramped up their transfer activity heading into the drama that is deadline day.

At the time of writing, the Tricky Trees have welcomed in ten brand-new faces to the City Ground this summer, with John Victor the latest capture from Botafogo to enhance the Premier League outfit’s options in goal.

All this frenzied activity isn’t slowing down either as we head towards 7pm’s sharp cut-off, as Forest now look set to land a long-term target to further bolster their plentiful attacking personnel.

Nottingham Forest close in on £35m star

There had been whispers all window long regarding Forest’s chase for RC Strasbourg ace Dilane Bakwa.

Now, it looks as if Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have finally won their long-sought-after attacker, with journalist John Percy first taking to X to confirm that the Europa League competitors were in advanced talks for the Frenchman, with the Ligue 1 side looking for a fee of around £35m.

Following that, another Forest-based journalist, Tom Collomosse has added more fuel to the fire by stating that a medical will take place today for the winger to join the ever-increasing ranks.

After failing to secure a deal for the now Benfica-bound Dodi Lukebakio, this would be a welcome relief if Forest could snap up the signature of Bakwa instead, with the assist-hungry attacker arguably an improvement on the Belgian.

How Bakwa compares to Lukebakio

Of course, nobody at the City Ground would have actively turned their nose up at Lukebakio entering the building, with the 27-year-old just fresh off an 11-goal season in La Liga with soon-to-be ex-employers Sevilla.

But, away from that standout offering, he has struggled in the Spanish top-flight previously to be at that same consistent peak, with only five goals powered home during the 2023/24 season.

Bakwa for Strasbourg vs Lukebakio for Sevilla
League stats	Bakwa	Lukebakio
Games played	64	63
Goals scored	10	17
Assists	18	3
Big chances created	27	10
Stats by Sofascore

Whereas, Bakwa has only grown in confidence the more he’s donned Strasbourg blue, with a ridiculous tally of one goal and three assists already next to his name in Ligue 1 action this campaign, despite only lining up for three contests so far.

Lukebakio might well have more strikes next to his name when comparing the head-to-head statistics, but the £35m attacker is an unbelievable creative force when he gets going, with a whopping 27 big chances created for his Strasbourg teammates from 64 league appearances.

This will surely be one facet of his varied game that has caught Forest’s eye, considering Anthony Elanga is no longer under Nuno’s wing, who was an assist king for the likes of Chris Wood throughout his stint in the Midlands.

Moreover, with Bakwa being just 22 years of age – compared to Lukebakio, who is 27 – Nuno will hope he can get even more out of a talent who has dazzled Ligue 1 defences for fun, with the young attacker already being branded as “very exciting” to watch by journalist Josh Bunting.

The real challenge for Forest’s statement deadline day purchase will be how he acclimatises to the pressures of the Premier League.

But, if his blistering Ligue 1 numbers are anything to go by, this could be a golden deal at the £35m mark, as Forest instantly brushes Lukebakio’s move falling through to land their long-term man.

Nottingham Forest now agree deal to sign gem with same agent as Chris Wood

Forest are set to complete a deadline day move for a defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Sep 1, 2025

It’s been an odd summer for Chelsea this year, as, on the one hand, they made a whole host of exciting signings as they tend to do every year.

Yet, on the other hand, they came out of the window in profit from the astounding number of players sold and moved on.

However, even with the amount of money brought in, the Pensioners ultimately decided against signing Barcelona’s tremendously exciting Fermin Lopez.

Fortunately, the Enzo Maresca still has an abundance of talent in the squad, including one player worth millions more than the 22-year-old.

Chelsea's pursuit of Lopez

In part thanks to the Club World Cup, Chelsea actually completed the bulk of their most pressing transfers early on in the window this year.

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 likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Dario Essugo all put pen to paper prior to the victory over Paris Saint-Germain, and then Jorrel Hato did the same in early August.

However, with money to spend and a desire to further improve the side, the Blues looked to make more signings late in the window, and while they secured Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte, it wasn’t to be for Lopez.

It wasn’t through lack of trying, though, at least to begin with, as numerous reports late on in the window made it quite clear that the club had been in contact with the player, with some even claiming they were keen for him to push for a move.

Yet, with some stating he could have cost as much as £78m, perhaps it was for the best that Chelsea ultimately opted against signing him, especially when they’ve already got a star in the squad worth millions more than him.

The Chelsea player worth millions more than Lopez

Thanks to Chelsea’s ability to spot talent and their willingness to go out and sign it, Maresca has an array of brilliant players in his squad.

Yet, when it comes to the most exciting star, the one who fans are desperate to watch, it’s impossible to look past Cole Palmer.

The England international has been a tour de force since his move to Stamford Bridge two years ago, and his valuation reflects that.

For example, the CIES Football Observatory value him at up to a staggering €153m, which works out to around £133m, or £55m more than Barça reportedly wanted for Lopez.

It’s an extraordinary amount of money, but it’s not hard to see why the 23-year-old is worth so much, as he has been unreal for the Blues.

In 98 appearances for the club, totalling 7950 minutes, the “world-class” superstar, as dubbed by Pat Nevin, scored 43 goals and provided 29 assists.

That means he’s averaged a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 110.41 minutes, which is utterly superb.

In contrast, the El Campillo-born prospect has scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 90 appearances, totalling 4013 minutes, for the Catalan giants.

Appearances

98

90

Minutes

7950′

4013′

Goals

43

19

Assists

29

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.73

0.33

Minutes per Goal Involvement

110.41′

133.76′

That translates to a reasonable, but notably worse, average of a goal involvement every three games, or every 133.76 minutes.

Ultimately, Lopez is a very exciting talent and could well develop into a superstar, but as things stand, Palmer is clearly the better player, and his valuation represents that.

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ByDominic Lund Sep 2, 2025

Yorkshire claimed eight Worcestershire wickets during a rampant second-afternoon performance as their seamers helped gain a stranglehold on this Rothesay County Championship match at Headingley.Jordan Thompson was Yorkshire’s standout player, but he wasn’t head and shoulders above the rest having completed a swashbuckling 70 at the start of day two before returning 3 for 27 with his seamers. There were a number of impressive performances.In reply to Yorkshire’s 456 all out, Worcestershire had reached 90 without loss shortly after lunch, but they lost eight wickets for 46 in 25 overs to slump to 136 for 8 at tea and were later bowled out for 162, conceding a lead of 294.The hosts, however, opted against enforcing the follow-on, and increased their lead in the day’s remaining 19 overs. They closed on 61 for 1 – 355 ahead.The day started with Yorkshire advancing their first innings from an overnight 425 for 8. Ben Allison struck twice to finish with an impressive three-for, while the excellent Ben Coad also completed a useful 31 amidst a ninth-wicket stand of 75 with Thompson.Coad, 22 with the bat overnight, also added a superb 4 for 39 from 15.3 overs later on.New-ball partner Jack White claimed two wickets and George Hill one, with Yorkshire’s catching behind the wicket particularly impressive. They took five slip catches added to two for wicketkeeper-captain Jonny Bairstow.Worcestershire captain Brett D’Oliveira suffered a dislocated thumb whilst trying to take a diving catch in the outfield before lunch, and he only batted at eight rather than his usual number six before losing his off-stump to White.The Pears had started their reply strongly through openers Jake Libby and Gareth Roderick, who posted 53 and 37 respectively on a pitch which has offered something for everyone. Good pace and carry is its most obvious feature.During the action-packed afternoon, the home attack were right at it. They hardly gave their visitors a moment’s breathing space.Yorkshire’s breakthrough came when White had Roderick caught at second slip by Adam Lyth, who also helped Coad remove Libby at 101 for 3 in the 37th over. Thompson forced Kashif Ali to play on to his leg-stump in between.Hill also held a juggling catch at first slip to help Coad remove ex-Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite for one. Waite was the hero of last week’s draw with Somerset at Taunton, unbeaten in both innings for 32 and 87.Worcestershire suffered a first-innings collapse in that game of all 10 wickets for 84 but dug themselves out of a hole second time around. Whether they can do the same here remains to be seen.Thompson had Ethan Brookes caught at mid-on for 19 after tea before Coad wrapped things up when Jacob Duffy edged behind.The only wicket to fall in Yorkshire’s second innings went the way of Allison as Fin Bean played on for 14. Lyth will begin day three on 32.Thompson ensured an entertaining start to the day, moving from 48 not out to help Yorkshire secure their fifth batting bonus point for passing 450. The visitors also secured their third bowling point.Yorkshire lost Coad caught behind off Allison, leaving the score at 435 for 9.But Thompson took two sixes in an over off another Worcestershire seamer Tom Taylor – one pulled, the other reverse scooped over the wicketkeeper’s head. The second took his side beyond 450. He also reached his fifty off 48 balls.Yorkshire’s innings, however, was wrapped up when sub-fielder Rob Jones took a superb juggling catch on the deep square-leg boundary to help Allison remove Thompson, whose influence on the day was far from done.