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Chelsea have been offered a Real Madrid transfer target by intermediaries, but Enzo Maresca’s side will face a very stern battle as the hotly-contested race for his signature heats up ahead of the summer window.

Chelsea thrash Southampton 4-0 in the Premier League

The west Londoners sealed a much-needed Premier League win with their convincing 4-0 thrashing of Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, with goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella rounding off a superb display.

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Maresca was attracting serious criticism in the build up to their clash with the Saints, and supporters were pictured protesting BlueCo’s ownership just before kick-off, but these three points will ease some pressure surrounding the club as Chelsea solidify their chase for Champions League qualification.

Leicester City (home)

March 9th

Arsenal (away)

March 16th

Tottenham (home)

April 2nd

Brentford (away)

April 5th

Ipswich Town (home)

April 12th

After their victory over Ivan Juric’s strugglers, Maresca also sent a message to Cole Palmer, in a show of support following a recent downturn in form.

“Very happy. We said already that from now on every game is important. And if we get three points it’s even better,” said Maresca after Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Southampton.

“First of all, every game is tricky and anything can happen. We have to embrace that and we started the game in the right way. This is the worst game because everyone takes it for granted. It’s dangerous.

“I think the performance was there. Even the last game against Aston Villa the performance was there.

“We said since we start we cannot rely on Cole [Palmer] for every game. He has to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh they way he does. We are completely happy with him. It is normal to go through a moment where you struggle to score but it doesn’t matter. Just continue and you are going to score many goals.”

In the background, Chelsea apparently have plans to go “big” on a new centre-back in the summer transfer window.

That is according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are expected to make a serious push for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, with The Boot Room now sharing an update.

Chelsea offered Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen

According to their information, from reporter Graeme Bailey’s sources, it is believed that Chelsea have been offered Huijsen by intermediaries, who are pushing to find suitors for the Spaniard ahead of next season.

The 19-year-old’s exceptional performances alongside Illia Zabarnyi at the heart of Bournemouth’s backline have also placed Huijsen on Real Madrid’s radar, with fellow European big-hitters Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen also keen on him.

Alongside Chelsea, it is claimed that the teenage defender’s camp have contacted Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Newcastle United. A move for him is made all the more tempting by his widely reported £50 million release clause, which is set to become active this summer, so we can expect a lot of competition for his signature.

حسم التعادل الإيجابي بنتيجة 1-1 مباراة الجزائر وجنوب إفريقيا، التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين.

والتقى منتخبا الجزائر وجنوب إفريقيا، على ملعب مانديلا الوطني، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين.

وتقدم عبد النور إيهاب بلحسيني بالهدف الأول للجزائر في الدقيقة 29، بتصويبة صاروخية من على حدود منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك مباشرةً.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | منتخب الجزائر يفوز على أوغندا بثلاثية في كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين

وأدرك منتخب جنوب إفريقيا التعادل في الدقيقة 45 من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق تابيسو كوتوميلا بتسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء سكنت يسار حارس مرمى الجزائر.

ويتواجد منتخب الجزائر في المجموعة الثالثة من بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين، رفقة منتخبات جنوب إفريقيا وغينيا والنيجير وأوغندا.

يذكر أن منتخب الجزائر حقق الفوز على أوغندا في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل، بينما جنوب إفريقيا لم يلعب الجولة الأولى.

بتلك النتيجة، يحتل منتخب الجزائر صدارة ترتيب المجموعة برصيد 4 نقاط، بينما تتواجد جنوب إفريقيا بالمركز الثالث، ولديه نقطة وحيدة. أهداف مباراة الجزائر وجنوب إفريقيا اليوم في كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين

The selectors are again planning for the possibility of needing to call on fast bowling depth against India

Tristan Lavalette15-Oct-2024Australia fielding an unchanged frontline pace attack last summer might have been an “outlier” as selectors strategise over their seam options in the wake of losing allrounder Cameron Green.Emphasising their remarkable durability, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have played in Australia’s last nine Tests stretching back to the Ashes tour.Related

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Last summer they were aided by bowler-friendly conditions at home and in New Zealand where none of the seven matches went into a fifth day. In only three of the innings did Australia need to bowl more than 78 overs which helped them keep fresh.But India’s imposing batting line-up represents a different challenge with the expectation that Australia will be made to toil in the upcoming five-match series played over seven weeks. There are doubts over whether Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood can replicate what they did last season and play the entirety of what should be a gruelling series.Australia’s pace depth has been tested with several fringe bowlers working their way back from injuries. Quick Lance Morris, uncapped at Test level but a regular squad member over the last couple of years, suffered an injury setback having picked up a quad strain in training recently but should return before the end of the month.Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who had a five-wicket haul for Queensland against Western Australia to start the Sheffield Shield season, have overcome off-season niggles and will be part of Australia A’s upcoming red-ball series against India A.”If you look at the quicks last year we were certainly prepared that they might not be able to play all the Tests and they did,” George Bailey, Australia chair of selectors, said on Monday.”Potentially that might have been an outlier and again this summer we’ll be prepared that if we do need to make some adjustments throughout the summer that we are ready to go.”The triumvirate’s workload could increase with Green sidelined for the entire summer due to a stress fracture of his back. Green’s bowling has been cautiously utilised in his Test career, but he was set to play a bigger role with the ball against India.”Someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but hasn’t had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more,” Cummins said in August.1:08

Can India risk taking Shami to Aus if he misses the NZ Tests?

Mitchell Marsh might be required to help cover Green’s absence, but has bowled just four overs – all of which were in the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s – since tearing his hamstring during the IPL. He blasted 94 at No. 4 for WA in their second innings against Queensland, but did not bowl in the match as he mostly fielded in the slips and occasionally helped carry the drinks.If selectors decide on a like-for-like replacement then Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster will be in the frame. Hardie did not play in the opening Shield round due to a quad injury he picked up at the end of the England tour, but he is set to return for WA’s next match against Tasmania at the WACA starting on October 20.Bailey believed having an allrounder was a “luxury” rather than a necessity. “Even looking at the three quicks that we generally play in Test cricket, they’ve played a lot of Test cricket together where they haven’t had an allrounder as well”, he said.”Think it certainly depends on the personnel that are available. Guess the role that Cam and Mitch have played is that they’ve been able to hold down a spot purely on the back of their batting and think that’s still fundamentally what’s most important in that top six.”Will continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to bowl some overs as well, that’s been part of his management for the last couple of months.”Australia’s hierarchy have carefully managed workloads of the quicks ahead of the India series, with Cummins missing the entire white-ball England tour to give him a break from bowling.Cummins is unlikely to play a Shield game before the India series and will instead prepare by leading Australia in their ODI series against Pakistan. But Hazlewood and Starc are set to play in at least one Shield match before the Pakistan series.”Pat’s obviously had an individual prep, but if you go through the Test team from the end of last year and their build up to the first Test this year, everyone’s slightly nuanced,” Bailey said.”There’s always an eye to the individual as to what their best preparation is for any Test summer. I think the proliferation of franchise cricket means that there are plenty of opportunities and temptations for players to fill gaps.”Pat, Mitch and Josh have been pretty amazing over how they’ve been able to select which franchise tournaments they play. And they always give themselves good breaks when it’s appropriate as well.”

Diogo Dalot has shared a heartfelt tribute to late Portugal and Liverpool star Diogo Jota, describing the loss as an "indescribable tragedy". The Manchester United full-back, who attended Jota’s funeral alongside Bruno Fernandes, spoke openly about the emotional impact and lasting memories of his national team-mate, and paid tribute to the Anfield favourite.

• Dalot speaks on emotional toll of Jota’s passing
• Calls him "role model" and "great man"
• Football world unites in paying tribute

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The football world was left stunned by the sudden passing of Jota last month in a tragic motor accident in Spain. Dalot joined fellow players and fans in mourning the loss of the 27-year-old forward and his brother Andre Silva. The Manchester United full-back has now paid tribute to the 'role model'.

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  WHAT DALOT SAID

  Speaking to the media, Dalot said: "It's tough to talk about it, but it was a tough week for me, for every teammate that played with him. I cannot imagine what the family went through. I had the opportunity to see them and it's just tough. There aren’t any words to describe it when such a tragedy happens like that. 

  "It hits you. I felt that everybody, the whole world felt it, even if they didn't know him personally. It's just a tragedy. Every time I go on the pitch, I think of it. Even today, I saw shirts with his name. He will be remembered forever, and he deserves that because he was a great man, a great teammate. 

  "Diogo was someone that I would say was a role model for me because I always like to see a player's behaviour when they play and when you don't play. He was always the guy that was thinking and putting the team first. So I will always remember him like that. Hopefully, he's at peace now and resting where he is."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jota’s death brought the footballing community together in grief and remembrance. Supporters of rival clubs came together to honour his life and career. Dalot added that his influence went beyond football, leaving behind a legacy of character and camaraderie.

  Dalot continued: "He could have played for any team. When you're talking about the personal side, I don't look to the shirts that he represents. Obviously, I played a lot of years with him in the national team and I spent some time with him. So you create that connection, you create some memories. That's what I want to keep, the good memories. It's how I want to remember him."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Liverpool and Portugal are expected to honour Jota during the upcoming season with tributes and commemorations. Dalot and others who knew him will carry his memory forward on and off the pitch, while the wider football community continues to grieve a player gone far too soon.

da dobrowin： A Rangers star who Russell Martin is looking to keep at Ibrox is now “ready to quit” the club this summer, according to a new report.

Martin expecting new Rangers signings before Panathinaikos clash

da bet7： The Gers don’t have long until their first competitive game of the 2025/26 season, with a two-legged Champions League qualifier against Greek side Panathinaikos scheduled for the end of July.

Martin and the 49ers Enterprises are therefore looking to get deals over the line before July 22 and the first leg at Ibrox, with the new manager expecting a couple of signings by then.

Midfielder Lyall Cameron became the club’s first official signing of the summer after penning a pre-contract agreement back in February, whereas right-back Max Aarons will move to Rangers on loan from Bournemouth.

More could be on the way, but several incomings may also be coupled with a few departures. The likes of Robin Propper and Cyriel Dessers heavily linked with leaving Ibrox.

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There have also been rumours of an exit for Nicolas Raskin, however, Martin wants to keep both Raskin and Hamza Igamane and build his Rangers side around the pair.

Despite this, a new worrying transfer update has now emerged on Raskin’s Rangers future.

Nicolas Raskin "ready to quit" Rangers

According to a report from Ibrox News, Raskin is “ready to quit” Rangers over the coming months and “could soon inform Rangers of his decision to leave”.

It is added that the Belgium international “is only willing to depart Ibrox if a side from a top league is to show a strong interest in his signature”.

The 24-year-old, dubbed “unbelievable” in the past, has been linked with the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds United, with the latter also owned by the 49ers.

Nicolas Raskin 24/25 stats

Games

48

Goals

5

Assists

11

Yellow cards

11

Red cards

0

Minutes played

3,845

After joining in January 2023, Raskin has gone on to make 95 appearances in total for the Gers, half of which came in 2024/25 where he was a key man under both Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson.

Ibrox News have added that “there is no guarantee of a move as things stand”, but with plenty of time until the transfer window closes, it does look as if an exit could materialise between now and September 1.

Newcastle United have now identified their next target after a move for Anthony Elanga is completed, according to an update from Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

Newcastle agree deal for Elanga

The start of the new Premier League season is edging closer all the time, with Eddie Howe and his players hoping to kick on again in 2025/26, aided by sparkly new signings. Anthony Elanga has been the leading target to come in and make the Magpies even more of an attacking force, arriving as an upgrade on the departed Miguel Almiron, and a deal has now been agreed for aorund £55m.

It also feels like a matter of time until Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is a Newcastle player, with the young Englishman seen as the perfect long-term replacement for Nick Pope. It would be a shock if he didn’t complete a move in the near future.

A centre-back appears to be near the top of Newcastle’s list of priorities, with interest in Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi refusing to go away, and the likes of Giorgio Scalvini and Leonardo Balerdi also linked with summer moves to St James’ Park.

However, Newcastle’s focus after Elanga will be further up the pitch, with Downie revealing on Tuesday morning what’s coming next.

Newcastle set to target new striker in coming days

Now, according to Downie on X, Newcastle ‘will turn their attention to bringing in a striker’ once they wrap up a deal with Forest.

Elanga has the potential to be a real favourite at St James’ Park, possessing blistering pace and end product, bagging six goals and 11 assists in the Premier League last season for a Forest side who set up more defensively than the Magpies.

Still only 23 years of age, there is so much more to come from the Sweden international, who has even earned praise from the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the past.

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A new winger is essential for Newcastle and Elanga fits the bill perfectly, but another number nine to support Isak is perhaps even more important.

The Magpies’ main man has missed games through injury in each of his campaigns with the club, and while his durability certainly improved last season, the presence of four competitions again next term is simply too much for the Swede, with only young talent William Osula available to lighten the load in the current squad.

The allrounder has battled multiple injuries to get back to international cricket. Now South Africa hope he can take on a Kallis-like role in the side

Firdose Moonda22-Jan-2021Wiaan Mulder arrived at the Wanderers in October 2016 with a helmet, hope and homework. He was 17 and already earmarked for bigger things.Geoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach at the time, had heard about a schoolboy allrounder who was being courted by other franchises, so he had gone down to St Stithians, one of South Africa’s most prestigious schools, the alma mater of Kagiso Rabada among others, to see what the fuss was all about.Toyana was so impressed by Mulder at the school that he nearly guaranteed him a place in the Lions first XI. “I remember saying to him that we don’t have many allrounders at the Lions and that if Dwaine Pretorius got selected by the Proteas, [Mulder] would be the next guy in,” Toyana said. “Within a week Dwaine was selected and even though Wiaan was busy with his school exams at that point, I couldn’t go back on my word.”Pretorius’ call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad came at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, when the domestic franchises were about to kick off their four-day competition. Mulder slotted straight into a high-performing Lions side with a strong bowling attack – bypassing the second-tier provincial structure entirely – and made his debut against the historically strong Cape Cobras. He bowled second change and took three wickets in the first innings. In the next, he was promoted to first change and took four more. Mulder had hit the big time while still occupied with his studies and turning up for training in his school uniform.

Last year came to training in a school uniform this year protea ,proud of you young a Wiaan Mulder @HighveldLions a href=”https://t.co/zyfngTYAbo”>pic.twitter.com/zyfngTYAbo

— Geoffrey Toyana (@geoffreytoyana) October 22, 2017