Liverpool would “without a doubt” look to replace Luis Diaz with “world-class” trophy-laden player this summer, according to an exciting new update.
The latest on Diaz's Liverpool future
The future of Diaz continues to be a big talking point at Anfield this summer, with the Colombian pushing for a move away, amid strong interest from Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions have already seen a bid rejected, but it looks as though they will return with an improved offer for the 28-year-old, especially after Jamal Musiala suffered a broken ankle at the Club World Cup, and the fact that they were beaten by Liverpool to the signing of Florian Wirtz.
Reds supporters are split over the idea of Diaz departing this summer, with some feeling he is a vital player, having scored 17 goals in all competitions last season, helping Arne Slot’s side win the Premier League title.
Others believe the winger isn’t a truly elite attacker, however, and given his age, they would be happy to see Liverpool cash in on him, signing a superior option in the process.
Liverpool backed to sign "world-class" superstar
According to a new update from L’Equipe [via Get French Football News], Liverpool will “without a doubt” look to sign Rodrygo if Diaz goes this summer.
The 24-year-old has been mentioned as an option for the Reds plenty of times in recent weeks, with the Brazilian potentially looking to leave Real Madrid, having not been a key part of new manager Xabi Alonso’s plans during the Club World Cup.
The idea of Rodrygo in a Liverpool shirt is a mouthwatering prospect, given his reputation as one of the best wide forwards in European football.
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He has excelled for Madrid, even if he hasn’t always made as many headlines as the likes of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, being hailed as “world-class” by Luka Modric and earning praise from Carlo Ancelotti.
Rodrygo is four years younger than Diaz, and simply a better player, as a tally of 119 goal contributions in 270 appearances highlights, so signing the former to replace the latter could be inspired business by Liverpool, with the Brazil star having the potential to become an icon on Merseyside.
Manchester United’s hunt for a new striker has been far and wide so far this summer as Ruben Amorim looks to strengthen his squad ahead of 2025/26.
The 40-year-old has already added Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to his ranks, but the pair are set to operate in the number ten role behind the striker.
With Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee only netting seven Premier League goals between them last campaign, it reinforces the need for a new talisman during the current window.
However, despite their success elsewhere in the market, a new striker has still eluded them to date, opening the door to added investment from the hierarchy.
Various players have emerged on their radar as of late, with a real importance on landing a new forward to help catapult the Red Devils back to the top of England’s top-flight.
Man United on the hunt to sign a new striker
Benjamin Sesko has been a player who’s emerged as a key target for United this summer, but they’re not alone, with Newcastle United also keen on the 22-year-old this summer.
Amorim’s side are said to be in talks with RB Leipzig over a move for the Slovenian international, after he registered 21 goals for the German side throughout 2024/25.
Benjamin Sesko 2024-25 stats (timeless)
However, the youngster isn’t the only player in their sights, with Chelsea talisman Nicolas Jackson also a player they’re considering, according to The Independent.
They claim that United have held talks with Chelsea over a deal to sign the Senegalese international, but it could be an expensive addition, as they’ve placed an £80m price tag on his head.
Despite the price tag, the report states that the hierarchy are proposing a potential swap plus cash deal which could see bomb squad member Alejandro Garnacho move in the opposite direction.
Why United’s latest target would be a better signing than Sesko
As previously mentioned, Sesko has been targeted by United in recent weeks, but despite his excellent goalscoring record in Germany, the hierarchy must be cautious in any deal for his signature.
RB Leipzig's BenjaminSeskocelebrates their second goal scored by Lukas Klostermann
Whilst the Slovenian has showcased his goalscoring record, he could cost a pretty penny, with his current employers demanding £80m for his signature this summer.
Such a move could see a repeat for Hojlund, after the Danish international scored 10 goals for Atalanta the season before his own £72m move to Old Trafford.
The additions of Cunha and Mbeumo highlight the club’s recruitment strategy of investing money in players who have already proven themselves in England’s top-flight.
A deal for Sesko would go against their ethos during the current window, subsequently needing to avoid a move for the Leipzig star and prioritise a move for Jackson this summer.
Whilst the Senegalese international may not be many of the supporters’ first choice, his experience in the Premier League could be vital, whilst also being a cost-effective option should Garnacho be included in any deal.
He’s also managed to better Sesko in numerous areas during recent times, undoubtedly being a better addition for Amorim’s side during the off-season.
How Jackson & Sesko compare throughout 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)
Jackson
Sesko
Games played
30
33
Goals & assists
15
18
Shot-on-target accuracy
45%
43%
Pass accuracy
76%
67%
Key passes made
1.2
0.7
Shot-creating actions
2.8
1.9
Progressive carries
1.9
1.7
Carries into opposition box
1.3
0.5
Stats via FBref
Jackson managed to achieve a higher shot on target accuracy rate last season, subsequently being more accurate with his efforts in attacking areas, leading to Pubity Sport labelling him as “sensational”.
He also managed to complete more passes, with more of which being defined as key passes, highlighting his all-round ability, which could allow the aforementioned new additions to hit the ground running in Manchester.
His dominance over Sesko is further reflected in his tally of carries into the opposition box per 90, being able to create chances out of nothing, undoubtedly being less reliant on players around him to have chances in front of goal.
If a deal can be agreed with Chelsea over a potential swap deal, it would be a superb piece of business by the club, offloading a player not in Amorim’s plans whilst landing a star who’d fill a key position in the side.
There’s no denying that the Leipzig star would be a solid option, but given the difference in stats and Jackson’s prior experience in England, the hierarchy should be going all out on a move for the Senegalese star.
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After conceding 75 in his first 15 overs, he dismissed Pant, Rahul and Jadeja to put New Zealand in sight of victory
Ashish Pant19-Oct-20241:17
What worked for New Zealand’s bowlers?
William O’Rourke admitted being “pretty streaky” and “hot and cold” in the early part of the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. But having gone for 75 off his first 15 overs, he dismissed Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in three successive overs with the second new ball as India lost their last six wickets for just 29 runs.”Overall, for me, I’ve been pretty streaky, pretty hot and cold with the ball,” O’Rourke said at the end of the fourth day. “Pant and Sarfaraz [Khan] obviously batted very well for a long time there, but that second new ball came on and started doing a little bit for us.”So, credit to Timmy [Tim Southee] for getting that first breakthrough [of Sarfaraz] and then I was lucky enough to get a wee chop on there [from Pant] to give us a bit of momentum going through.”Related
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Sarfaraz, in particular, handled O’Rourke well, picking him for 39 runs in 35 balls and repeatedly throwing him off his lengths with ramps and late cuts. While O’Rourke said he and the rest of the bowling unit could have been tighter with their lengths, he credited Sarfaraz for using the angles and opening up the field.”He [Sarfaraz] played me really well,” O’Rourke said. “With that angle of me sort of falling away, it sort of opens up that little dab shot. Yeah, maybe we could have been in the game a little bit, but he played it so well.”I would have liked to be a little bit tighter. Obviously, one of his strengths is that [the late cut]. So, yeah, I would have liked to be a little bit tighter, but I was missing a little bit wide, and he put me away. So credit to him.”O’Rourke has had a rousing start to his Test career. This is his fifth Test and he has already picked up 26 wickets at 18.84, which includes two five-fors. Fifteen of his 26 wickets have been in the subcontinent. He had an excellent tour of Sri Lanka last month where he picked up eight wickets in two Tests, and has continued his good run in India.William O’Rourke took three wickets in three overs to hurt India•BCCI”I think we had a really good prep in Tauranga and down in Lincoln,” he said about his success in the subcontinent. “We had a few wickets that were a bit drier than probably what we are used to at that time of the year in New Zealand. And yeah, learning from the guys like Matt Henry, Tim Southee, who have been here before and done it before, it’s been massive for me coming here.”In the first innings here, O’Rourke picked up four wickets, including Virat Kohli’s for a duck.”It’s obviously pretty special getting someone so great, one of the greats of our game, out like that,” he said of the Kohli wicket. “You grow up watching those guys. So to come here and take that wicket, it’s probably right up there as one of the [best] wickets I’ve got.”While O’Rourke has been pleasantly surprised by the bounce he has seen on the Bengaluru surface, he is also loving bowling with the SG ball.”It has got a bit more of a pronounced seam than the Kookaburra [that New Zealand use at home], so it seems to be nice and hard to start with. It goes through nicely and big seams are always a big plus. [It’s] my first time here and [Bengaluru] probably had a little bit more bounce, a bit more pace than we expected coming over here, which suits a bowler like me. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it.”We definitely do our scouting and stuff before games. I’d say at the moment in my career, I’m more of a feel bowler. I like to back what I do, run in and do what I do. But definitely I have a look at the players beforehand, I like to know their strengths and weaknesses. But I think it normally comes back to just being me and doing what I do.”
The 2024/25 campaign was a turbulent one for West Ham United. A change of manager halfway through, moving from Julen Lopetegui to Graham Potter, made things tough, and the Hammers never really gained any momentum, struggling to move out of the bottom few teams in the Premier League.
Yet, relegation was never really a concern, with the Irons finishing almost 20 points clear of 18th.
Looking ahead to the new season, Potter must surely want his side to become more consistent in front of goal. They only managed 46 last season, as per Understat, better than just five other teams in the top flight.
That might be why the East Londoners are targeting a new number nine in the transfer window.
West Ham search for a new striker
After a loan move for Evan Ferguson last season did not work out, the Hammers are still looking for a new centre forward to supplement the likes of Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen in attack. Well, perhaps they have found someone who can add to the goals next season.
According to a report from Tasnim News Agency, the Hammers have ‘expressed interest’ in signing Inter and Iran striker Mehdi Taremi. The 33-year-old’s ‘departure from Inter is now certain’ in the aftermath of Simone Inzaghi leaving the club and the arrival of new summer signings.
This could give West Ham an opportunity to pounce. They are set to go head to head with Fulham, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest for his signature, however, with Turkish side Besiktas also interested.
As for the price, it was reported earlier in the window that Inter would accept up to €10m (£9m) for the 33-year-old this summer.
Why Taremi would be a good signing
The 2024/25 season was tough for Taremi, who struggled for opportunity in the Inter side. Of course, last season’s Champions League runners-up have Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram in their squad, so getting a starting berth ahead of those two is far from easy.
The Iranian international played 43 games last season across all competitions. Although he only managed to find the back of the net three times, he did grab nine assists, four of which came in the Champions League. One of those was in the semi-final second-leg win over Barcelona.
The veteran striker arguably played the best football of his career at Portuguese giants FC Porto. He played 182 games for the club, amassing a sensational 91 goals and chipping in with 51 assists, too. He bagged this acrobatic volley against Chelsea back in 2021, a real standout effort in his large goal catalogue.
Comparisons can be drawn between Taremi and his potential new teammate, Fullkrug. The Germany international joined for £27m last summer from Borussia Dortmund, as an experienced striker, aged 31, when he moved to the London Stadium.
West Ham United's Niclas Fullkrug celebrates scoring their first goal with West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen
It certainly wasn’t the easiest first season in Claret and Blue for the striker, born in Hannover. He played 20 games for the club, scoring three goals and grabbing two assists. Two separate injuries certainly disrupted his progress during his debut campaign for West Ham.
The similarities between each striker do not stop at the fact that they are both experienced players in their early 30s. In fact, they are both stastically similar on FBref, after their respective Champions League campaigns in the 2022/23 season.
The numbers behind their goal-scoring form in that campaign are alike. The Inter star, then playing for Porto, averaged 0.33 goals and 0.22 goals per shot on target each game. In contrast, West Ham’s number 11, then a Dortmund player, averaged 0.26 goals and 0.27 goals per shot on target per 90 minutes.
Taremi and Fullkrug key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Taremi
Fullkrug
Goals
0.33
0.26
Shots on target
1.49
0.96
Goals per shot on target
0.22
0.27
Expected goals
0.43xG
0.47xG
Goal-creating actions
0.87
0.69
Stats from FBref
At upwards of £9m, this move could be a bargain for West Ham this summer. There are certainly shades of the deal to sign Fullkrug last summer, given their age and similar threat in front of goal.
Taremi is a “complete striker” according to Statman Dave and capable of scoring 20 goals a season, as he showed at Porto. This could be one of the bargains of the summer.
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Former India batter Venugopal Rao will be their new director of cricket
Nagraj Gollapudi17-Oct-20246:12
Making sense of the musical chairs in DC’s ownership structure
Former India batter Hemang Badani will take over as the new head coach at Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025. Along with Badani, DC have also appointed former India batter Venugopal Rao as the director of cricket.While Badani replaces Ricky Ponting, who amicably parted ways recently after seven seasons as head coach, Rao takes over the role performed in the past few years by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Both appointments are part of the decision taken by the DC ownership to overhaul the coaching staff and the overall running structure of the franchise which has never won the IPL. The franchise has also decided not to renew the contract with Pravin Amre, who served as assistant coach and talent scout since 2014.”With the mega auction around the corner, my job, in collaboration with the rest of our coaching staff, is cut out,” Badani said in a franchise release. “I can’t wait to get started.”ESPNcricinfo has learnt the recruitment drive to bolster the coaching bench will continue with more assistant coaches and mentor to be appointed.As part of the restructuring, the co-owners of DC – the GMR Group and JSW Sports – will swap the operational leadership roles every two years for their teams in the IPL and the WPL; it means the GMR Group will take over the men’s team for the next two seasons and JSW Sports the women’s team for 2025 and 2026. Consequently, Ganguly will take over as director of cricket in the WPL for the next two seasons. Ganguly will switch back to the IPL from 2027 when JSW Sports will be back in charge. In a media statement on Thursday, the franchise said “key decisions like auctions, captaincy, player release and retentions of both teams will be made by the Delhi Capitals’ board, and will be decided mutually by senior leadership of both groups.”Why Hemang Badani? While the appointment of Badani, who played four Tests and 40 ODIs, is expected to arouse curiosity, the former Tamil Nadu captain has been a successful coach in the domestic T20 circuit. After being part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squads in the initial few years, Badani was the head coach at Chepauk Super Gillies, who have won four TNPL titles, one of which was shared. With them, Badani played a key role in the development of young players like R Sai Kishore, the current Tamil Nadu captain.That experience played a role in Badani joining the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coaching staff in IPL 2022. He also has coaching experience in overseas T20 leagues: with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in 2023, when they won the inaugural SA20 title, and with Jaffna Kings, who won the most recent season of the Lanka Premier League. He was the head coach at Dubai Capitals (also owned by GMR Group) who finished runners-up in the ILT20 this January.Rao, who played 16 ODIs between 2005 and 2006, was part of Deccan Chargers’ IPL – winning squad in 2009 and has also been part of Dubai Capitals, first as mentor in the inaugural season and then as director of cricket.
The defending champions were 18 for 4 in their small chase before Hilton Cartwright and the in-form Josh Inglis guided them home
Tristan Lavalette23-Oct-2024
Cameron Bancroft made his fourth single-figure score of the Shield season•Getty Images
Cameron Bancroft’s bid for a Test recall took another hit after a fourth consecutive failure to start the Sheffield Shield season. But Josh Inglis continued to press his case while Hilton Cartwright capped a whirlwind few days to guide Western Australia to a six-wicket victory over Tasmania at the WACA.With WA chasing just 83 runs under sunny conditions early on the final day, Bancroft had a golden opportunity for a confidence boosting innings having scored just eight runs in his first three Shield innings.Related
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But he looked uncomfortable from the get go against probing new ball bowling from quicks Riley Meredith and Kieran Elliott. With the pressure building having scored just two runs from his first 15 deliveries, Bancroft decided to attack but miscued a pull shot off Meredith to fine leg and trudged off with his Test hopes to fill the vacant opener’s slot having seemingly nosedived.”He’s pretty good to be honest…keeping things really simple,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said of Bancroft. “I think it’s a matter of time. Each fail…he’s one closer to a big score. He’s a pretty positive guy.”The low target proved tricky for WA and the tension heightened among the sprinkling of fans when they slumped to 18 for 4 after Whiteman, Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Hardie fell to Elliott, who conjured movement from the grassy wicket.It was a quiet match for Marsh, who had scores of 9 and 6 as a specialist batter at No. 4. He had stated ahead of the match that he would build up his bowling loads, but a return with the ball has been put on hold.There appeared to be some tense scenes between Hilton Cartwright and Tasmania•Getty Images
Inglis and Cartwright steadied the ship with a quick half-century partnership to guide WA over the line. Having scored two game-changing centuries to start the season, Inglis again looked at ease to finish 26 not out from 36 balls.Cartwright remained unbeaten on 39 from 50 balls to cap a remarkable match after he had to dash from the ground at tea on day two when his wife went into labour. He returned on day three to resume his innings on 52 after the birth of his second child in the early hours. Cartwright needed Tasmania to agree for him to return to the crease.There appeared to be tension on the field on day four with Cartwright engaged in a war of words with Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald. They had a lengthy exchange while shaking hands after the match.Tasmania started day four in a forlorn position with a lead of just 80 runs and one wicket in hand. They only added two runs before quick Brody Couch claimed his fourth wicket of the innings after trapping Meredith in front of the creaseAfter a patchy performance in his WA debut against Queensland, Couch was outstanding throughout to finish with match figures of 7 for 83 and touching speeds of 143kph.
Will Aston Villa soon make their maiden first-team signing of the summer?
So far, teenager Yasin Özcan has arrived from Kasımpaşa for a reported fee of around £5.8m, albeit he was immediately loaned out to Anderlecht, while veteran goalkeeper Marco Bizot and 19-year-old winger Zépiqueno Redmond have both joined on free transfers.
Aston Villa managerUnaiEmeryduring a lap of honour after the match
Thus, right now, ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United, Unai Emery will not have any high-profile new signings to showcase, but could that be about to change?
Aston Villa transfer news latest
Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Dan Bardell notes that Aston Villa have so far been unable to spend money in this summer window due to their lack of PSR headroom, but forecasts that they will be active and “opportunistic” in the coming weeks, having to date kept their powder dry.
This was exactly the strategy that saw the Claret and Blue Army land both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan in January, but the pair will need replacing, with the Englishman having joined Barcelona, while it appears unlikely that the Spaniard will return to Villa Park either.
Thus, as they target attacking reinforcements, with Alan Nixon revealing on his Patreon that Aston Villa had joined the race to sign Evann Guessand, and were willing to outbid Crystal Palace, who have long been viewed as the front-runners to secure the Ivorian’s signature.
That has since been followed up by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that the Midlands has reached a “verbal agreement” with Nice, having lodged a bid of around €30m (£26m), plus add-ons.
That comes after it was previously noted that the forward was valued at around £22m by the Ligue 1 outfit.
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So, Guessand looks set to become just the second player from Côte d’Ivoire to call Villa Park home. Jonathan Kodjia is the first, and so far only, in case you were wondering!
What Evann Guessand would bring to Aston Villa
Guessand, who is still only 24 years old, joined Nice at the age of 15, but only became an outstanding figure in les Aiglons’ first-team as recently as last season.
He spent time out on loan at Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and then Nantes in Ligue 1, scoring five goals for la Maison Jaune, most notably bagging a stoppage-time winner against Olympiacos in the Europa League, sparking wild scenes of celebration at Stade de la Beaujoire.
He has returned to Nice for the last two seasons, very much a key figure for his boyhood club, scoring six goals in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, before bagging 12 during the most recent campaign, firing Franck Haise’s side to a top four finish and possible Champions League qualification; they face Benfica in the first leg of a qualifier this week.
The table below emphasises Guessand’s impressive form in Ligue 1 last season.
Goals
12
10th
Assists
8
6th
Shots
27
10th
Goals – xG
+2.8
9th
Shot-creating actions
91
23rd
Goal-creating actions
17
8th
Attempted take-ons
103
15th
Progressive carries
87
19th
Average SofaScore rating
7.23
7th*
*among forwards only.
The table outlines that Guessand is an all-round attacker, ranked highly when it comes to both goals and assists, but also chances created and dribbling, overperforming his expected goals figure by almost three, underlining his clinical edge.
Alex Barker of The Athletic is certainly a fan, labelling him a “real physical handful” as well as being an “agile” forward who is capable of creating “high-quality chances” too, concluding that his ability to do it all makes him “Bruno Fernandes-esque”.
Venkatanarayanan of Total Football Analysis agrees, noting that he is a ‘good dribbler’, which is surprising given that he is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm).
Meantime, Mohamed Fathall of Breaking the Lines states that he thrives when able to ‘support a central striker’, adding that he is ‘constantly looking to take on defenders’, using his ‘intelligent movement’ to get into goal-scoring positions.
Nice winger Evann Guessand
Well, this makes him the ideal strike partner for Ollie Watkins who, as documented by Ahmed Walid of The Athletic, only truly started scoring goals with impressive regularity at Aston Villa after Emery had coached him to remain within the width of the penalty area.
Watkins has reached double figures for goals in each of his five Premier League campaigns, although such consistency could be maintained if fed by the Fernandes-esque talents of Guessand, considering he created 12 ‘big chances’ in Ligue 1 last term, as per Sofascore.
For context, Manchester United’s skipper was only just ahead with 16 ‘big chances’ created in the Premier League.
With Villa’s number 11 thus able to pounce on regular, quality service, Guessand and Watkins could form a deadly attacking partnership, as Villa target a top five finish and Europa League glory in the season ahead.
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Leeds United have now “rejected” a loan offer for an “excellent” player, according to an update from reliable journalist Beren Cross.
Leeds closing on Paixao and eyeing more signings
It looks as though Igor Paixao is increasingly likely to be the Whites’ latest signing this summer, with a move for the Feyenoord attacker now “fully approved” by the club.
The Brazilian has the ability to be a big hit at Elland Road, providing Leeds with the additional firepower that is badly needed back in the Premier League, having bagged 16 goals and 10 assists in the Eredivisie last season.
Paixao hopefully won’t be the Whites’ only addition between now and the end of the summer transfer window, however, and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell has emerged as an ambitious target who would bring a huge amount of experience and quality to Daniel Farke’s team.
Meanwhile, Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz is also said to be a target for Leeds, with the Brazilian keen on securing a move to Elland Road after an impressive 2024/25 campaign with the Cottagers.
Leeds reject offer for "excellent" attacker
Writing on X on Friday, The Athletic‘s Cross claimed that Leeds and 49ers Enterprises have now “rejected” a loan bid with an option to buy for forward Mateo Joseph from La Liga side Real Betis.
“Leeds United asked Getafe about Christantus Uche a few weeks ago. €25m release clause. Not advanced, but one they have checked on. Betis loan offer, with option, for Mateo Joseph has been rejected. Leeds insist he’s not for sale.”
This is good news from a Leeds perspective, with Joseph a young player with lots of potential – one who Farke has spoken of fondly in the recent past.
“I’m happy with what Mateo’s delivering. As a striker you’re only 100 per cent if you score game after game, but I don’t rate him in output of just goals. His link-up play is excellent and how he holds defenders. For example the third goal [vs Coventry], Joel Piroe, everyone is speaking about Ao Tanaka and the really good assist of Willy [Gnonto]. But I praise Mateo, under pressure keeps the ball against aggressive forward defending to keep possession and bring the midfielders into a good position.”
Granted, Joseph may struggle for regular football in the Premier League, having only started 11 Championship matches last season, so it is understandable why a fresh challenge may appeal to him.
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He still has so much to offer, though, and should only develop as a footballer over the next five or six years, so Leeds selling him would be a risk.
Celtic kicked off their defence of the Scottish Premiership title with a dramatic 1-0 win over St Mirren at Parkhead in their opening match on Sunday evening.
Luke McCowan scored the goal of the game for Brendan Rodgers’ side, as he came off the bench to fire into the bottom corner, via a deflection, from the edge of the box.
The Scottish midfielder saved the Hoops from drawing a blank on the opening day, as they had looked rather blunt at the top end of the pitch in the 86 minutes that preceded his strike.
Adam Idah was selected to start as the centre-forward for the Premiership champions ahead of new signing Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny, and he failed to justify his inclusion.
Adam Idah's disappointing showing against St Mirren
The Ireland international was provided with a big chance to show the supporters that he has what it takes to be the main number nine for Celtic, but he failed to take it.
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Idah had a huge opportunity to open the scoring from close range in the second half and rattled his effort off the past, albeit from a fairly tight angle, whilst the striker failed to score with his other three shots on goal.
The 6 foot 3 forward did with both of his aerial duels, to his credit, but the former Norwich man also lost four of his five duels on the deck and failed to complete his only attempted dribble.
It was a blunt performance from the Irish striker, who may have harmed his chances of keeping his place in the XI, but he was far from the only disappointing performer, as Benjamin Nygren also struggled on his debut.
Why Celtic should drop Benjamin Nygren
Rodgers must ruthlessly drop the Swedish central midfielder for the trip to Aberdeen next Sunday because he was just as bad as Idah against St Mirren.
The left-footed summer signing was picked over Arne Engels in midfield and failed to justify his inclusion, with an awkward-looking showing in the middle of the park.
Benjamin Nygren
Nygren appeared to trip over his own feet a few too many times, with Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton describing a few of his touches as “dreadful” during commentary.
Like Idah, the 24-year-old attacker also fired a shot against the post, although his was via a save from Shamal George, and had two shots on target without scoring.
Minutes
78
Big chances created
0
Shots on target
2
Accurate crosses
1/8
Successful dribbles
0/1
Ground duels won
1/5
Aerial duels won
1/4
As you can see in the table above, Nygren was too much of a lightweight in midfield for Celtic, as he lost 77% of his overall duels, whilst Idah, at least, was dominant aerially.
This shows that he was just as bad as the Irish forward because he was even worse in duels and only came slightly closer to scoring than the striker with his shot that was saved.
Hoops supporters also may not want to see too many more corners from the Sweden international, as he only completed one of his eight attempted crosses from set-pieces and open play combined.
Nygren may just need some time to settle in and adapt to Glasgow and Scottish football before Celtic fans can see the best of him on the pitch, which is why it may be best for Rodgers to place him on the bench for the time being.
Engels delivered ten goals and 13 assists in his debut campaign in Scotland, and McCowan won the game with his strike off the bench on Sunday. They are both suitable options to come in and replace Nygren as a starter for the trip to Aberdeen next weekend.
Celtic can finally replace Kyogo in swoop for "unplayable" £150k-p/w PL gem
Brendan Rodgers can finally replace Kyogo Furuhashi with an ambitious Celtic swoop for this Premier League forward.
A pressão sob o Corinthians aumentou após a derrota por 1 a 0 contra o Argentinos Juniors, pela Libertadores. Depois do apito final, a torcida corintiana protestou contra o elenco, entoando a cântico “ou joga por amor ou joga por terror”.
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A maior parte dos protestos vieram do setor Norte, onde ficam as torcidas organizadas do Timão. Outros cânticos foram entoados, como “P… que saudade, quando o Corinthians jogava com vontade” e “Vamos jogar bola, oh oh”. Durante o intervalo, foi possível escutar pedidos de raça nas arquibancadas.
+ Assine o Star+ por apenas R$32,90 por mês e acompanhe o Timão na Libertadores quando e onde quiser!
Para o duelo contra o Argentinos Juniors, Lázaro promoveu mudanças no time titular, optando por Balbuena no lugar de Bruno Méndez, e Cantillo na vaga de Roni. Após o intervalo, ele colocou trocou os volantes citados, e optou por Romero na vaga do jovem Matheus Araújo.
+ATUAÇÕES: Fernando Lázaro tem noite desastrosa e leva a pior nota em derrota do Corinthians
Mesmo perdendo, Lázaro optou por não fazer todas as substituições, fazendo apenas quatro alterações no time durante a partida.
+ Veja tabela e a situação do grupo do Timão na Libertadores
O Timão volta a campo pela Libertadores no dia 2 de maio, contra o Independiente del Valle, na Neo Química Arena. Antes, o clube alvinegro enfrenta Goiás e Palmeiras, pelo Brasileirão, e tentará reverter a desvantagem contra o Remo, pela Copa do Brasil.