Christian Pulisic has earned high praise from AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta, with the USMNT star being told that there is no other player like him in Serie A. The United States international has starred across two seasons at San Siro, becoming a talismanic presence for the Rossoneri, and is now considered to be one of the leading lights in Italian top-flight football.

• Getty
  

  USMNT star Pulisic now a talismanic presence for Milan

  Pulisic headed to Milan in 2023 when severing ties with Premier League giants Chelsea. He had become a Champions League winner with the Blues, but felt the time was right to embrace a new challenge. He settled quickly in Italy – with golf pro girlfriend Alexa Melton paying regular visits to Europe – and is now considered to be captain material with club and country.

  Personal bests have been recorded on the goal front, raising that bar from 15 to 17 across the last two campaigns, and he has found the target on six occasions through eight appearances this term. That haul could have been even better had the 27-year-old not skied a penalty in Milan’s 0-0 draw with old adversaries Juventus.

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• Nesta's take on Pulisic & Milan's attacking talent

  Despite that miss, Pulisic has helped Milan to third place in the Serie A table and forms part of an attacking unit that has got Rossoneri icon Nesta excited. The World Cup-winning defender, who spent 10 years at San Siro in his playing days, told "I’m in love with [Rafael] Leao, I’d always like to have him in my team. He’s a difference-maker, [Massimiliano] Allegri needs to find a way to make him consistent. It’s true that with talented players, performance and consistency almost never go hand in hand. If you do special things, you can’t do them forever. Rafa can improve his attitude. [Christopher] Nkunku is also a good player. And who in Italy has a player like Pulisic? He’s very strong, impressive: he can play wide, behind the striker, or in the box. He offers a lot of options and provides goals, assists, and runs. You can’t ask for more. [Santiago] Gimenez? I think he’s better than what we’ve seen so far; he arrived at a difficult time. But if he wants to carve out space for himself, he needs to score more."

• Getty Images
  

  Ballon d'Or winner Modric can play until he is 70

  Luka Modric is another superstar to have been added to Milan’s ranks, with the Ballon d’Or-winning Croatian joining as a free agent after 13 memorable years at Real Madrid. There is no sign of the 40-year-old midfielder slowing down, with Nesta adding: “Seeing him on the pitch is a beauty, he thrilled me. Not since the days of [Andrea] Pirlo has there been someone like him at San Siro. With him, Milan is certainly stronger. The team has lost Theo [Hernandez], but in many other positions they are more competitive. With two or three more players, it becomes even more interesting: I hope this is a starting point. Which ones? A defender, a striker, even though I understand it’s difficult to get good ones, and on the wings.

  “About Luka, I’ll add that I didn’t think he’d run so much; with Napoli he’d come in and out, mess up the passing lanes and then get back into position. He has an intelligence that few have, he has football in his head, that’s where he’s different. As long as he has the ball, he can play until he’s 70.”

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• Are Pulisic & AC Milan Serie A title challengers?

  Despite being impressed by what he has seen from Milan’s class of 2025-26, Nesta is not convinced that they are “ready to carry the weight of having to win the Scudetto”. For now, Allegri is charged with moving them in the right direction – having missed out on European qualification last season.

  Any kind of title challenge, while also remaining competitive in domestic cup action, should help to convince USMNT star Pulisic – who is working his way towards a home World Cup in 2026 – that a contract extension offer first put on the table several months ago needs to be signed.

Harry Kane has been told that he should “definitely” be open to the idea of joining Barcelona if the opportunity to link up with La Liga heavyweights presents itself in 2026. Clauses have been revealed in Kane’s contract at Bayern Munich, meaning that he could be on the move when another transfer window swings open next summer. Barca are being credited with interest as questions are asked of how much longer Robert Lewandowski will be spending in Catalonia.

Lewandowski out, Kane in: transfer options for Barcelona

If the Polish frontman were to move on, becoming a free agent when his contract expires, then another prolific goal-scorer would be required at Barcelona to lead the line in a No.9 role.

Kane would certainly fit the bill, with the Blaugrana having shown with Lewandowski that they are not afraid to show faith in ageing stars that boast stunning strike rates. Another raid on Bayern Munich could be launched, with England captain Kane having already lifted his trophy curse there – becoming a Bundesliga title winner – while passing 100 goals for the club.

AdvertisementGettyShould Kane consider a move to Barcelona?

Amid the Barcelona rumours, GOAL asked former Tottenham star Gus Poyet if Kane should consider another new challenge – one that allows him to compete for the most prestigious of domestic and continental trophies. Speaking in association with , the Uruguayan said: “If he wants something different for his family, I would definitely go to Barcelona – if Lewandowski leaves. It will be completely different to everything that he had before.

“Also the style of play at Barcelona right now, a player like him up front, he will score – wow, will he score! There has been a bit of criticism from Michael Owen, saying he can’t believe he left. I don’t know if he read it and maybe thought about the Premier League and coming back. It is very particular to him. Family is going to be very important to his decision next year.”

Premier League return: chasing Alan Shearer's record

There has inevitably been talk of former Tottenham star Kane retracing steps to his roots. He is already Spurs’ all-time leading scorer, while boasting a similar entry in the history books with England, and may fancy chasing down Alan Shearer’s Premier League goals record.

Opportunities to head back to the English top flight could be put to Kane, with it reported that interested parties can do a deal at £57 million ($76m). It is clear that the 32-year-old frontman could return to familiar surroundings, but should he?

When that question was put to Poyet, the ex-Spurs midfielder said: “After the decision that he made to go away and where he is, and after winning trophies, it is about what he feels. The idea of going to Bayern Munich was to win. He couldn’t win at Tottenham. Funnily enough, he leaves and a few years later they win the Europa League. But he has won now.

“Now it depends on his aim. Is his aim to beat the Premier League top scorer blah, blah, blah or is he willing to keep learning, to keep winning with Bayern, his kids having a different school, a different language to learn? It is very particular. What is clear is that he keeps scoring goals. Every time you look at Bayern Munich it’s ‘oh, Harry Kane’. With no doubt, he can definitely play for a few more years at his age.”

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Getty/GOALBayern contract & settled family: Kane's future poser

Kane is under contract with Bayern through to the summer of 2027. They will be reluctant to part with a player who has maintained remarkable individual standards across his time in Germany. The evergreen striker has found the target on 103 occasions through 106 appearances in all competitions.

He has stated his happiness at the Allianz Arena, with wife Kate and their four children feeling settled in Munich. Few players get the chance to sign for Barcelona, though, and any approach from the Catalan giants may prove difficult to turn down if another opportunity to follow in Lewandowski’s footsteps arises for one of the most consistent goal-scorers in world football.

Shreyas Iyer “has dispelled that notion of taking the game deep,” Daren Ganga says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-20252:04

Jaffer: Shreyas is currently India’s best six-hitter

Shreyas Iyer is “probably the best six-hitter” among current Indian batters. This was Wasim Jaffer’s assessment after Iyer led Punjab Kings (PBKS) to victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chepauk in their IPL 2025 contest on Wednesday.Iyer could always take down spin. Recently, he has upped his game against pace, too. With PBKS chasing 191 on Wednesday, he scored 72 off 41 balls with five fours and four sixes. It was his back-to-back sixes against Matheesha Pathirana that shut the door down on CSK. In ten matches so far this season, Iyer has hit 25 sixes, second only to Nicholas Pooran’s 34.”I am really impressed with the way Shreyas Iyer has been hitting sixes,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “We have seen since the 50-over World Cup [in 2023]. [He is] probably the best six-hitter across spin bowling as well as fast bowling.Related

Shreyas, Prabhsimran and Chahal eliminate CSK

Ponting: Iyer 'understands the game better than before'

Hat-trickster Chahal is still making batters look silly

“How easily he dispatches the ball into the crowds – it’s absolutely amazing. He is never in two minds. You hardly see him mistime it. It doesn’t just carry over the boundary, it goes really long. Looks like he has worked really hard at that. Across all the Indian batters, he is somebody who you feel can hit sixes with ease.”Iyer came out to bat in the fifth over of the chase and added 72 off 50 balls with Prabhsimran Singh for the second wicket. When Iyer got out, PBKS needed just three from eight balls.”For me, his mentality when chasing a total stood out,” Daren Ganga, Jaffer’s co-panellist on the show, said. “He has dispelled that notion of taking the game deep. He is someone who will not leave a lot of runs for other batters, which is a critical thing in the modern T20 game.”He really put his team into a commanding position. When it’s two required in the last over, he’s done the heavy lifting that makes it very, very easy for the other batters. Once he’s at the crease, he’s sort of committed to walk the hard yards.”The other thing I’d like to say is when you look at Prabhsimran batting in the powerplay, going deep into the middle phase. And then you have Shreyas Iyer batting all the way into the third phase. You look at the teams that have been successful this season, like a Gujarat Titans (GT), batters are transcending the different phases of the innings. That to me is an essential goal to set internally.”

This season feels like it’s do-or-die for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

The North Londoners have been a real force in the Premier League over the last few seasons, but after three second-placed finishes in a row, they need to get over the line.

Unfortunately, that is a lot easier said than done, as while Manchester City are no longer as much of a threat, Liverpool look incredible, and with Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak, arguably have the two best attackers in the league.

However, it is not all doom and gloom, because as long as he stays fit, Arsenal have a player in their ranks who could get to the level of those two.

Salah & Isak's 24/25

Unfortunately for Arteta and Co, the Egyptian superstar had what most would consider to be the greatest campaign of his career in 24/25.

For example, in 52 appearances, totalling 4501 minutes, the Red game-changing superstar amassed an out-of-this-world tally of 34 goals and 23 assists.

In other words, the 33-year-old winger was able to maintain an average of 1.09 goal involvements every game, or one every 78.96 minutes, which was a massive reason the Merseysiders won the league.

Another way to look at it is that, should the former AS Roma ace have another year like it this season, the Gunners may as well give up now.

While it sounds absurd to say, Isak’s campaign, while spectacular, wasn’t quite on the same level.

For example, before he burned his bridges with the Newcastle United supporters, the Swedish international managed to score 27 goals and provide six assists in 42 appearances, totalling 3324 minutes.

That comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.27 games, or every 100.72 minutes.

In short, Liverpool have two world-class attackers in Isak and Salah, but Arsenal have a star of their own who could emulate their importance this season.

The Arsenal star who could emulate Salah & Isak

The good news for Arteta is that he already has a number of players who could be described as some of the best in the world, such as William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Gabriel Magalhães.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes to the attack, it could be said that there is just one player from his squad who currently falls into that category: Bukayo Saka.

Yes, the player in question is none other than the Hale End superstar, and while he hasn’t quite hit the levels of a Salah yet, he’s getting closer and closer, and there is an argument that he is on Isak’s level already.

For example, in the 23/24 season, the Englishman managed to rack up a brilliant haul of 20 goals and 17 assists, in 47 appearances, totalling 3865 minutes.

That comes out to an unreal average of a goal involvement every 1.27 games, or every 104.45 minutes.

Then, despite missing almost four months of action last season and struggling to regain full fitness towards the end, he still scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2,619 minutes.

In other words, the Gunners’ “legend in the making,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, averaged a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or every 100.73 minutes.

Appearances

267

Minutes

20271′

Goals

71

Assists

72

Goal Involvements per Match

0.53

Minutes per Goal Involvements

141.75′

To do that in a normal season would be incredible, but to manage those numbers in a campaign in which you’re injured for large parts and are without a striker in others is undoubtedly world-class.

Finally, while he is no longer ‘young’ in a footballing sense, he is still two years out from when we’d expect him to hit his peak, per research from The Athletic.

Therefore, as long as he can remain fit, we see no reason why he cannot once again surpass Isak from an output perspective and match Salah in terms of overall impact.

Ultimately, Saka isn’t the finished article just yet, but it feels like a matter of when, not if, he leads Arsenal to glory.

Agents tell Arsenal they can sign £36m France star who loves Saliba like a "brother"

He’s very close to the Gunners’ star centre-back who’s set to sign a new deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 26, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Com um golaço no jogo de ida e outro na partida de volta, Samuel Xavier foi o principal nome do Fluminense nas oitavas de final da Libertadores. Nesta terça-feira, o Tricolor venceu o Argentinos Juniors no Maracanã por 2 a 0 e avançou de fase na competição sul-americana. Autor de um dos gols, o camisa 2 vive, aos 33 anos de idade, o seu momento mais artilheiro da carreira.

Desde que chegou às Laranjeiras, no início de 2021, Samuel já estufou as redes adversárias seis vezes. Em 2023, já são quatro tentos anotados em somente 37 jogos disputados. Com uma média superior a um gol a cada 10 partidas, Xavier supera os números alcançados em 2014, pelo Ceará, quando também marcou em quatro oportunidades. Naquele ano, porém, o jogador entrou em campo 62 vezes, 25 a mais do que na atual temporada.

A mudança ocorreu principalmente após a chegada de Fernando Diniz ao clube, em 2022. Em seu primeiro ano de Fluminense, sem o treinador, Samuel Xavier disputou 45 jogos, não marcou nenhuma vez e deu somente uma assistência. Já com Diniz, são 77 atuações, seis gols marcados e cinco passes para seus companheiros anotarem, tendo uma média de uma participação direta em gol a cada 11 confrontos disputados.

SAMUEL XAVIER EM 2023

37 jogos
3170 minutos em campo
4 gols
3 assistências
7 cartões amarelos
1 cartão vermelho

RelacionadasFluminensePróximos jogos do Fluminense: onde assistir, datas e horários das partidasFluminense10/10/2023FluminenseANÁLISE: Fluminense não joga bem, mas avança e busca superar ‘barreira traumática’ na LibertadoresFluminense09/08/2023FluminenseDiniz exalta classificação do Fluminense na Libertadores: ‘Temos que comemorar muito’Fluminense08/08/2023

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are back on the BCCI’s central contracts list for 2024-25 after being left out of it the previous time.The top tier of the contracts (A+) has four players – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. That’s unchanged apart from R Ashwin, who retired from international cricket late last year, being dropped. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja have been retained in the top category despite retiring from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup in June last year.Rishabh Pant has been promoted from Grade B to Grade A, which also has Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami.Pant had previously been in Grade A – for the 2022-23 season – but was moved down to Grade B after not playing for over a year following a horrific car crash in December 2022. He returned to play IPL 2024 and has since been part of all formats for India – he’s played ten Tests, one ODI and ten T20Is since then – and has returned to Grade A.Related

• Doesn't BCCI know a Test in Delhi in November is a bad idea?

• India's white-ball wizards need a new cheat code

Iyer, meanwhile, is part of Grade B along with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, while Kishan has been added to Grade C.The new entrants in the contracts’ list – all currently in Grade C – are Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Abhishek Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana.Shardul Thakur, KS Bharat, Avesh Khan and Jitesh Sharma, who were all in the Grade C list – the lowest of the retainers – last year, have been dropped.The BCCI did not mention the amounts for the four contract categories, but ESPNcricinfo understands that they are likely to be INR 7 crore (A+), INR 5 crore (A), INR 3 crore (B) and INR 1 crore (C).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Iyer and Kishan had lost their contracts last year after having made themselves unavailable for the domestic season. While Iyer had informed the Mumbai Cricket Association that he had been suffering from back spasms, Kishan had chosen to play the DY Patil T20 tournament instead of making a return to domestic cricket for Jharkhand. Kishan, too, returned to playing domestic cricket later, turning out for Jharkhand across formats in the 2024-25 season.The BCCI had asked in a statement at the time that “all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team”.Since then, Shreyas has had an excellent run across formats. He has been part of five title wins since March 2024: The IPL win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as captain aside, he won the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, the 2024-25 Irani Cup, and the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy titles with Mumbai. He was also a key member of India’s title-winning Champions Trophy team, a tournament in which he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 243 runs in five innings.Varun, among the new entrants in the list, has risen through the ranks in the past year. He made a comeback in the T20I series against Bangladesh last year and has been a regular in the format since. He also went on to make his ODI debut last year and played in the Champions Trophy as well, where he picked up nine wickets in three matches. Rana, too, made his debut in all three formats recently and played in two matches at the Champions Trophy.

List of contracted players for 2024-25

Category A+ – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
Category A – Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant
Category B – Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer
Category C – Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana

Glasgow Rangers finally got their first win on the board in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, after they failed to win any of their first five league games under Russell Martin.

There would not have been a more relieved man in the ground than the Light Blues head coach when Max Aarons popped up in stoppage time to score the winning goal for the away side.

The Ibrox loanee came off the bench to rattle a finish into the bottom corner from Nicolas Raskin’s corner to prevent Rangers from falling to a fifth draw in six league games.

James Tavernier’s penalty miss did not help matters in the first half, as the captain failed to make it 2-0 before half-time, but the Gers still conceded a sloppy goal and lacked a cutting edge in the final third before Aarons scored the winner.

It was a win and a much-needed one for Martin. However, the manager may not be too pleased with some of the individual performances that were on display when he goes back to review the match.

Summer signing Bojan Miovski is one of the players who may end up finding himself on the bench because of his underwhelming start to life at Ibrox.

Why Bojan Miovski may be dropped to the bench

The Macedonia international was signed on a permanent deal from Girona in the summer transfer window to bolster the club’s attack, as a player who has already proven himself in the Premiership.

Miovski, as shown in the graphic above, scored 32 league goals in the division during his two seasons at Aberdeen before a move to Girona in the summer of 2024. This shows that he can score goals at an impressive rate at that level.

The Light Blues are yet to see the best of the left-footed forward in front of goal, though, as he missed a huge chance to open the scoring in the 2-1 win over Livingston on Sunday.

It was like watching Miovski at Aberdeen to create the chance. His movement on the last line to beat the offside trap was superb and he looked in control and composed, up until he needed to find the target.

The 26-year-old marksman, who scored his first goal for the club in the League Cup against Hibernian, has not done enough in his Premiership outings to warrant keeping a place in the starting line-up.

xG

0.87

Top 47%

Goals

0

Bottom 3%

Shots

4

Bottom 28%

xA

0.02

Bottom 9%

Assists

0

Bottom 3%

Duel success rate

21.2%

Bottom 9%

Aerial duel success rate

11.1%

Bottom 6%

As you can see in the table above, Miovski ranks lowly among his positional peers in a host of attacking and physical metrics, as he has failed to deliver quality in the final third and reliability out of possession.

This is why Martin must drop the former Aberdeen and Girona centre-forward from the starting line-up, because he has not offered enough to the team in or out of possession.

The Macedonian number nine is not the only Light Blues star who showed that he should not be starting for the club at the moment in the win over Livingston on Sunday.

Chalkboard

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

Thelo Aasgaard was selected once again in the left-sided central midfield role in Martin’s 4-3-3 system, but he failed to justify his inclusion in the team with a strong performance.

Why Thelo Aasgaard should not be starting for Rangers

The Norway international was signed from Luton Town during the summer transfer window with a view to adding an attacking threat to the team from a central midfield position.

Aasgaard scored 11 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for Wigan Athletic and Luton combined in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he did offer a decent threat in front of goal last term.

The English-born star, who was described as a “huge talent” by former Wigan communications officer Jamie Allen, has yet to show the Rangers fans what he is capable of at the top end of the pitch.

That has not been through a lack of opportunity, though, because Martin has provided him with six starts in all competitions, yet the attacking midfielder has not delivered a single goal or assist.

Aasgaard made no key passes, did not complete any dribbles, and did not register any shots on target in 73 minutes against Livingston, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered next to nothing in possession for the Gers.

Unfortunately, a lack of quality at the top end of the pitch has become a theme for the Norway international in the Premiership for Rangers so far this season.

Appearances

4

Starts

4

Goals

0

Big chances missed

2

Big chances created

0

Key passes per game

0.3

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, the summer signing from Luton has created one chance in four starts in the league, with no goals or assists to his name.

These statistics show that he is not offering enough to the team in front of goal, as is also the case with Miovski, despite being in the side to provide a spark and break down opposition defences.

This is why the Rangers head coach should ruthlessly drop both players from the starting XI for the trip to Falkirk in the Premiership after Thursday’s Europa League clash with Sturm Graz, because both of their performances on Sunday showed that they should not be starting.

Miovski and Aasgaard are not terrible players, as their records at previous clubs prove, but they are not delivering enough quality on the pitch for the Gers, which is why they should have a spell on the sidelines.

Worse than Tavernier: Martin must drop Rangers flop who was saved by Aarons

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin must drop this flop who was saved by Max Aarons against Livingston.

ByDan Emery Sep 29, 2025

If the two attackers can impress off the bench and start to show more promising signs at the top end of the pitch in matches, then they can earn back their place in the XI and start to kick on at Ibrox.

It would not be overdoing it to suggest the wheels have well and truly come off at West Ham United this season.

Well, we say this season, but in reality, things have been going wrong for East Londoners for some time, and Graham Potter has not helped.

The former Chelsea manager led the club to a 14th-place finish in the Premier League last year, but as things stand, he has them in the relegation zone, with one win and three losses this year.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, it’s time for the Hammers to find a new coach, and while Slaven Bilic’s name has been thrown around, there is another out-of-work coach who’d be a far better option.

The coaches linked with West Ham

Given the size of the club, it’s not been a surprise to see a host of pretty good managers linked with West Ham over the last couple of weeks.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

One of those has been Gary O’Neil, who has been out of work since being fired from Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.

Now, there is certainly a line of thinking that suggests hiring a manager who was fired by another relegation candidate is a bad idea, but it’s important to remember he also saved the Old Gold and Bournemouth before that from going down.

So, while he might not be the perfect long-term option, he might be worth bringing in for this season to stabilise the ship – he can’t be worse than Potter.

Another, more exciting name touted for the job has been Nuno Espírito Santo.

The Portuguese boss is another one fired by a Premier League side, but it’s really not the same, as after saving Nottingham Forest from relegation, he then led them back into Europe for the first time in generations.

Lastly, as we’ve already mentioned, Bilic has been touted for a return to the London Stadium.

Now, while there is an undeniable romanticism to that idea, there is another free coach who’d be a way better hire.

The manager West Ham should hire over Bilic

There are quite a number of quality managers out of work at the moment, from Marco Rose to Sean Dyche.

However, the one West Ham should be going all out for, and should stand a chance of getting, is Luciano Spalletti.

The Italian coach is currently out of work after being let go by the national team.

Still, fans shouldn’t be put off by the fact that things didn’t work out there, as even Roberto Mancini failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, despite being European champions at the time.

Moreover, it was his record at club level that even earned him the chance to manage the Azzurri, and it is an impressive one.

For example, he won back-to-back promotions with Empoli, two league titles and two cups with Zenit Saint Petersburg, back-to-back Coppa Italias with AS Roma and the big one, Napoli’s first Serie A title in a generation in 22/23.

Unsurprisingly, then, when we hold up his record to Bilic’s, there is only one winner.

During his last spell in club football, the coaching “phenomenon,” as dubbed by former Roma sporting director Walter, oversaw 96 games, of which he won 62, drew 16 and lost 18, resulting in a points per game average of 2.10.

In contrast, Croat’s last job was with Al-Fateh, where he oversaw 36 games, won 13 of them, drew nine and lost 14, which came out to an average of 1.33 points per game.

Games

96

36

Wins

62

13

Draws

16

9

Losses

18

14

Points per Game

2.10

1.33

Ultimately, while Bilic would probably do a better job than Potter, it’s crystal clear that Spalletti would be a far better hire for West Ham.

"Fantastic" manager now tempted to replace Graham Potter at West Ham

Graham Potter could be gone in the next few games.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 19, 2025

Board secretary Devajit Saikia says there has been no communication from the BCCI to the ACC regarding upcoming events

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2025Amid growing speculation over whether India will play in this year’s Asia Cup, in the wake of tensions with Pakistan, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has downplayed reports that India were pulling out, insisting that the issue was yet to be “discussed”.India are due to host the six-team event in the T20 format but the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which runs the Asia Cup, has not yet announced the schedule or the venue. September has unofficially been pencilled in as the window.”The Asia Cup matter or any other ACC event issue has not come up for discussion at any level,” Saikia said in a statement on Monday. “… till now, BCCI has not even discussed or taken any such steps regarding ensuing ACC events, leave alone writing anything to the ACC. At this stage, our prime focus is on the ongoing IPL and subsequent England series, both men and women.”Related

Women's Emerging Asia Cup postponed due to weather and health concerns in Sri Lanka

Gambhir: India should not play Pakistan at all

Saikia said the BCCI had not communicated any decision to the ACC concerning India’s participation in the Asia Cup as well as the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.However, ESPNcricinfo has learned the women’s Emerging Asia Cup has been postponed though the reason could not be confirmed. The ACC has not yet made any formal announcement on the postponement.Speculation about India’s participation and the fate of this year’s event has arisen as tensions between India and Pakistan soared this month after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. The two countries engaged militarily briefly, temporarily halting both the IPL and PSL. Both leagues resumed on May 17 after the countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, though bilateral relations remain fraught.India head coach Gautam Gambhir recently said there should be “absolutely no” cricketing ties between India and Pakistan. Speaking in his personal capacity, Gambhir said: “Till all this [terrorism] doesn’t stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan.”The BCCI has normally sought permission from the Indian government to play Pakistan in multinational events. In 2023, when Pakistan were the host of the Asia Cup, a precursor to the ODI World Cup, the BCCI said it did not have the Indian government’s permission to travel to Pakistan. Consequently, PCB adopted a hybrid model to conduct the tournament in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the latter hosting all of India’s matches including the final. Earlier this year, India did not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy for similar reasons, and played all their matches including the final in Dubai.India-Pakistan contests are among the most-watched cricket matches and play a significant role in the valuation of broadcast rights both for the ICC (at World Cups) and ACC (Asia Cup). Several editions of the Asia Cup have been hit by strained political ties between the countries, leading to withdrawals and the entire tournament being shelved in the past.

In an effort to complete a full 20-overs match in case of rain interruptions, the IPL has decided to add 120 minutes of extra time for the remaining nine matches in the league phase of the 2025 season.Normally the two-hour extra time allowance has been part of the playing conditions for the playoffs only. However, with the tournament resuming after a week-long suspension and the onset of monsoon across India, the IPL has decided to ensure play as far as possible.Eight of the nine remaining league matches are scheduled to be played in the evening barring the Gujarat Titans-Chennai Super Kings game which will be played in the afternoon on May 25. As per the playing conditions, the regulation completion time for an evening match is 10.50pm and 6.50pm for an afternoon game (all timings IST).This means with an extra two-hour allowance now, a full 20-overs match can start as late as 5.30pm (afternoon game) or 9.30pm (evening game). For a minimum five-overs game, the cut-off time for an afternoon match will be 7.56 pm (including 10-minute changeover) and 11.56 pm for an evening game.So far in IPL 2025, three matches have been abandoned due to rain, with teams sharing points, while two other games have been shortened due to the weather.Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Kolkata was the first game to be abandoned due to rain, followed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)-Delhi Capitals (DC) match in Hyderabad. The first match that was scheduled after the week-long suspension of the tournament, between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and KKR, was then abandoned without a ball bowled in Bengaluru.PBKS earlier defeated RCB in a shortened game, while Gujarat Titans (GT) came up trumps against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a match that saw multiple stoppages.Due to a yellow alert issued by the meteorological department in Bengaluru that has predicted “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the city until Thursday, RCB’s final home game against SRH on May 23 has been shifted to Lucknow.