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Ladies and gentlemen, Bukayo Saka is back. Wow, what a sight that was. Three months Arsenal fans have had to stand by to watch him kick a ball again and boy was it worth the wait.

The club’s heralded number 7 hasn’t been seen since sustaining a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on 21st December and since then, the Gunners’ title challenge has been extinguished swiftly.

Yet, there is still hope for Arsenal’s season. Despite their 2-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday evening, a game Saka scored in, they are unlikely to win the Premier League title.

However, the winger’s return is timely with Real Madrid to look forward to in just under a week’s time in the Champions League.

For once, Mikel Arteta has a bunch of positives to swoon over. That hasn’t been said too often about the club’s season now has it?

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

The biggest positives from Arsenal's win over Fulham

Oh Saka, you little beauty. It’s been a hellish 12 week period for Arsenal since the Englishman took to the field but he is back and back with a bang.

He had only been on the field for seven minutes before he found the net. It wasn’t in classic Saka fashion but it raised the roof off the Emirates Stadium nonetheless.

Mikel Merino moved into the left channel and swung in a ball that was guided towards Saka with remarkable skill and audacity by Gabriel Martinelli.

The returning hero was just inches out from goal and couldn’t miss, heading the ball past former Gunner Bernd Leno.

Saka wasn’t the only positive either, far from it. The aforementioned Merino and Martinelli were both in top form, the former scoring the game’s opening goal and the latter unfortunate not to leave proceedings with a goal to his name as well.

Minutes played

24

Touches

13

Accurate passes

7/8 (88%)

Key passes

0

Shots on target

1

Accurate crosses

1/1

Duels won

1/3

Was fouled

x1

The Brazilian was a constant livewire, not just providing the assist for Saka’s goal, a game-winning strike, but he also found the back of the net himself, albeit it was ruled out for offside.

Nonetheless, it was phenomenal to see the winger back at top speed. He was a constant nuisance throughout, terrorising Fulham’s Timothy Castagne with a performance that was remeniscent of 2022/23 Martinelli.

He left the field having had three shots, completed two dribbles and produced five key passes.

Chalkboard

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

Beyond Saka’s incredible return, the biggest positive that aside was perhaps the performance of the club’s makeshift centre-forward.

Arsenal have found their modern-day Olivier Giroud

When Gabriel Jesus went down with an injury during Arsenal’s FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United, there was a collective panic. But…it was alright…they were going to strengthen in the January transfer window. Famous last words and all that.

Arsenal did not strengthen. Their reward? A season-ending injury for Kai Havertz too.

Since then, Arteta has preferred to field the aforementioned Merino as his out and out centre-forward and it’s had mixed success.

Truth be told, the £28m summer arrival has done an admiral job. He’s scored five goals in eight games as a striker. Had he started the campaign as the club’s number 9, he’d on for a 23-goal season. Not bad indeed.

Unlike many others during the club’s injury-hit season, he’s stepped up big time and in the words of Arsenal writer Oli Price Bates, is “not getting enough credit for his performances.”

Another game came and went against Fulham where the Spaniard made quite the impression. His goal was a scruffy finish, finding the net via a deflection but it was a crucial goal all the same.

It’s not the first time the former Real Sociedad man has come up trumps, notably scoring that brace off the bench in the 2-0 win over Leicester City.

Since then, he’s been much-maligned, rather in the same way as a certain Olivier Giroud. Now, there are clear differences between the two. Giroud was a direct centre-forward first and foremost.

However, there are specific similarities in the way the two play the game. The Frenchman scored some beautiful goals but he always had quite an awkward play style, a technique that looked rather awkward. At the same time, his left peg was certainly pretty special.

Those traits can certainly be applied to Merino too. He’s not the most technically elegant – he’s a bit scruffy and awkward like Giroud. He’s also pretty underappreciated and underrated. That’s not to mention their ability to act as target men and link play too.

Minutes played

90

Touches

28

Accurate passes

14/16 (88%)

Key passes

1

Shots

2

Shots on target

1

Accurate crosses

1/1

Duels won

3/9

Tackles

2

Interceptions

1

Against Fulham, the Spain international certainly showcased that. He scored the opening goal and went on to complete 88% of his passes and make a key pass too. The 28-year-old was subsequently handed an 8/10 player rating by GOAL.

Merino’s future is certainly not in the final third but credit where credit is due, he’s been a huge servant to Arteta in the back end of this unforgiving season for Arsenal.

Better than Merino: Arsenal must rue selling 'one of Europe's best CFs'

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 30, 2025

Nottingham Forest are having a brilliant campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo and there is every chance their progress could secure Champions League football, which is bound to appeal to prospective summer targets.

Nottingham Forest could enjoy a transformational summer window

At the beginning of the season, there wouldn’t have been too many Premier League fans who would’ve had Nottingham Forest on their bingo card to finish in the Champions League slots.

Nevertheless, the Tricky Trees have put themselves in a remarkable position with nine matches left to play, potentially paving the way for an exciting market period at the City Ground.

Pushing their level of ambition to the limit, Nottingham Forest have made contact with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres’s representatives. The Sweden international is viewed as an ideal long-term replacement for prolific marksman Chris Wood.

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham is also of interest to the East Midlands-based outfit. Securing a mercurial return to Europe’s top table doesn’t seem to be enough for Espirito Santo, so it is no surprise he is aiming to cement their status as one of the most exciting sides in the English pyramid.

While their efforts in the Premier League could reap significant rewards, Nottingham Forest still find themselves in contention for the FA Cup and evidence that silverware is achievable at the City Ground is only likely to further their scope for savvy recruitment.

Nottingham Forest in ongoing talks over signing record £60m+ star for Nuno

He could be a fantastic addition this summer.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 23, 2025

Undoubtedly, the temptation to shell out big fees for premium talent will be on the mind of Evangelos Marinakis. However, value for money appears to be king under Espirito Santo’s reign if their latest target’s contract situation is anything to go by.

Nottingham Forest position themselves for cut-price Yoane Wissa deal

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are set to reignite their attempts to sign Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and could land the in-form frontman for a ‘reduced price’ of between £15-20 million, as per Pete O’Rourke.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international will enter the final year of his deal at the Gtech Community Stadium this summer and is viewed internally as ‘smart business’ should the Tricky Trees manage to push an agreement over the line.

Yoane Wissa’s excellent season for Brentford

Appearances

30

Goals

15

Assists

2

Shot-creating actions (Premier League)

49

Non-penalty Expected Goals (Premier League)

13.6 XG value

Labelled “remarkable” by Bees boss Thomas Frank, he has also managed to create 17 chances and take 117 touches in the opposition’s penalty area this campaign on league duty, illustrating his capacity to bring others into play.

Stepping forward to fill the void left by Ivan Toney’s departure, Wissa has proven himself as a Premier League starter and may be cashed in on by Brentford to avoid the scenario where he departs on a free transfer in 2026.

Seizing their opportunity, Nottingham Forest will now hope to convince the 28-year-old that committing his future at the City Ground is the best course of action in light of the club’s upward trajectory.

Arsenal have appointed former Atletico Madrid chief Andrea Berta as their new sporting director. Berta replaces Edu, who left the club he re-joined in 2019.

The Brazilian’s departure came months before a January window that saw Arsenal fail to bring in a striker to bolster their depleted attacking ranks as their Premier League title challenge faltered.

Jason Ayto stepped in on an interim basis, but this did nothing to help the north Londoners continue their decent transfer record under Edu, who had overseen deals for the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice as technical and sporting director.

Mikel Arteta's 9 best signings at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has made some wonderful signings during his time in charge of Arsenal.

ByRoss Kilvington Nov 5, 2024

Berta left Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in January 2025 after seven and a half years in the same technical role.

The Italian arrived with an intriguing back catalogue of transfer deals for Diego Simeone’s side, who last enjoyed major success with their La Liga triumph in the 2020/21 season.

Atleti were not afraid to splash the cash at times during Berta’s tenure. Here are the 10 biggest deals since his promotion to the sporting director position in the summer of 2017 – could this be a taste of things to come for the Gunners?

Rank

Player

Signed from

Fee

Joao Felix

Benfica

Julian Alvarez

Man City

Alvaro Morata

Chelsea

Diego Costa

Chelsea

Thomas Lemar

Monaco

Conor Gallagher

Chelsea

Vitolo

Sevilla

Marcos Llorente

Real Madrid

Rodrigo De Paul

Udinese

Alexander Sorloth

Villarreal

10 Alexander Sorloth Transfer fee: £26.9m from Villarreal (2024)

Alexander Sorloth – international teammate of Martin Odegaard for Norway – had finally found his feet at the top of European football in Spain, having starred for Villarreal in the 2023/24 season.

Formerly of Crystal Palace, the Norwegian exploded into life while at Trabzonspor, scoring 24 Super Lig goals – his best league return to date.

Following his €32m (£26.9m) switch to Atletico Madrid last summer, Sorloth has now started each of the last three seasons with a different La Liga club, with spells at Villarreal and Real Sociedad handing him a shot at league and Champions League glory in the Spanish capital.

9 Rodrigo De Paul Transfer fee: £29.9m from Udinese (2021)

Rodrigo De Paul’s reward for starring in Argentina’s successful Copa America campaign was a transfer to then-La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, with Berta and Simeone sanctioning a near-£30m move.

It has been a successful one for the midfielder, who remains one of Atleti’s key men as they seek silverware this season, with 39 appearances in all competitions to his name ahead of their Champions League decider with Real Madrid.

8 Marcos Llorente Transfer fee: £31.2m from Real Madrid (2019)

Marcos Llorente made the not-too-often trodden path across the city from Real to Atletico, with Los Colchoneros paying up to €35m (about £31.2m) for his services including add-ons.

Llorente was signed as a replacement for Rodri, who joined Manchester City that same summer. Having filled in multiple positions since his arrival, you’d have to say this was money well spent.

7 Vitolo Transfer fee: £33m from Sevilla (2017)

One of Berta’s first signings after being promoted from technical to sporting director, Vitolo joined in the summer of 2017, but was unable to be registered until the turn of the year due to a club transfer ban.

Atletico met the player’s reported £33m release clause to sign him, and while they had to wait around six months to get him on the pitch, Vitolo started his time at the club with a Europa League triumph.

His career petered out soon after, but did bow out a league champion before a couple of loan spells prior to his retirement.

6 Conor Gallagher Transfer fee: £33m from Chelsea (2024)

Conor Gallagher was a surprise summer exit as Chelsea attempted to balance the books as they spent heavily in the off-season once again.

Atletico Madrid were the fortunate beneficiaries on this occasion, though not after some drama as Gallagher was remarkably sent back to Cobham with the deal all but finalised after a planned swap with Samu Aghehowa fell through.

In the end, Atletico were able to offload Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge to finally shake hands on a £33m deal for Gallagher, perhaps hinting that Berta will use any tools at his disposal to get his way at Arsenal.

5 Thomas Lemar Transfer fee: £52.9m from Monaco (2018)

One of several Monaco players to leave the club soon after their title win a year earlier, Thomas Lemar joined Atletico Madrid in 2018 during the World Cup.

Interestingly, Arsenal were among Lemar’s admirers, but Berta and Atletico Madrid got a deal over the line, spending just under £53m to bring the Frenchman to the Metropolitano.

It could be argued that his transfer hasn’t been an undoubted success, but Berta managing to beat several European sides to a hotly contested signature could be a positive sign of things to come for Gunners fans.

4 Diego Costa Transfer fee: £57m from Chelsea (2018)

Diego Costa’s return to Atletico Madrid marks one of the more peculiar deals under Berta’s reign.

The Spain striker had left Chelsea after falling out with Antonio Conte, but despite a clear intention from both parties to part ways, the Blues still got a sweet deal out of Atletico Madrid, who paid around £25m more to bring Costa back compared to his sale price in 2014.

Given Chelsea’s decent record when it comes to selling players, we can maybe give Berta the benefit of the doubt – plus Costa contributed to their Europa League win, so perhaps his hefty price tag wasn’t felt so much in Madrid.

3 Alvaro Morata Transfer fee: £58.3m from Chelsea (2021)

We’re on the fence with this one from a financial standpoint. Yes, Chelsea were made to settle for a loss when they sold Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid, but even €65m (£58.3m) seemed high for a player whose Stamford Bridge career never really took off.

However, Berta and Simeone can feel vindicated by their exploits following his arrival, initially on loan, in 2019.

Though he never won silverware there, Morata – never the most prolific of strikers – posted his best goals-per-game record while at Atletico (0.38 per game).

And although they let Morata leave on a two-year loan midway through his spell, they made up a decent chunk in loan fees and in his eventual transfer to Juventus and Milan respectively.

Arsenal have had a history of letting players go on the cheap in recent years, so perhaps Berta is someone who can make the best of a tricky situation.

2 Julian Alvarez £81.5m from Man City (2024)

Atletico Madrid welcomed one of their record signings in the summer, with Julian Alvarez – fresh from winning another Premier League title with Manchester City – joining for a potential £81.5m including add-ons.

It was a brave move in the transfer market, and his 22 goals in 42 matches at the time of writing suggest it has been a pretty promising one so far, particularly as Alvarez rarely completes the full 90.

1 Joao Felix £113m from Benfica (2019)

Unfortunately, a big outlay is by no means a guarantee of success, and Atletico Madrid finally took a £68m hit on Joao Felix in the summer when selling him permanently to Chelsea.

Upon Joao Felix’s £113m arrival in 2019, he was one of the most exciting teenagers in the game, having scored 20 goals in all competitions for Benfica at just 19.

However, that campaign is still his best goalscoring season, while he has hopped around Europe looking for a long-term home as his potential remains unrealised.

Whether these deals can offer more optimism than despair for Arsenal and their supporters remains to be seen, but a summer of business under Berta will almost certainly be entertaining.

Todd Boehly's worst transfers at Chelsea… so far

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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024

Kaitlin Olson joined up with husband Rob McElhenney and the Wrexham squad in Las Vegas to celebrate the club's promotion to the Championship.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wrexham celebrating promotion in Las Vegas
• McElhenney and Olson join party in Sin City
• Hollywood stars proud of their team

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham's players have been celebrating a third successive promotion with another party in Las Vegas. Co-owner Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have splashed out yet again on a trip to Sin City to celebrate the team's impressive achievement.

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• Getty/Instagram
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  McElhenney and Olson joined the party in Vegas as the players enjoyed some down time in Nevada that included a pool party and a mechanical bucking bronco. Olson also shared some photos from the party and revealed her pride at seeing Wrexham secure a spot in the Championship.

• WHAT KAITLIN OLSON SAID

  She posted a message on Instagram with the caption: "@wrexham_afc /Vegas collab. Three years in a row!? Sure! Back to back to back history makers. So very proud of you. Now get back to work!"

• Getty/Wrexham AFC
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Wrexham's players will indeed get back to work after some well-deserved time off. The squad are due to fly out to Australia and New Zealand in July for pre-season fixtures against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

After seeing their Champions League campaign come to an abrupt end on Tuesday night, will Celtic get back to winning ways on Saturday?

The Hoops, who’ve never won a Champions League knockout phase match before in their entire history, came so close to a famous victory in Bavaria, 1-0 up on the night, pulling it back to 2-2 on aggregate, only to suffer a heartbreaking gut-punch right at the death, ousted 3-2 by Bayern Munich.

So now, attention turns to trying to secure a sixth treble in just nine seasons, facing Hibernian at Easter Road in Saturday’s early kick off, already a humongous 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

So, while Celtic supporters and players are, largely, loving life right now, one former fans’ favourite very much is not south of the border.

Celtic's best strikers of the last decade

Daizen Maeda’s recent form has earned wide-spread rave reviews, with teammate Alistair Johnston describing him as “one of the most in-form players in Europe”.

That’s because the Japanese striker has scored 11 times since Boxing Day, taking his tally to 51 goals in 144 appearances for the club overall, since arriving in January 2022.

Meantime, having netted against Slovan Bratislava, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge and then Bayern Munich in Europe this season, Maeda became the first Celtic player since Joe Craig 47 years ago to score four or more goals in a single Champions League campaign.

How ever good Maeda may be, he’ll never exceed the legacy left by Henrik Larsson, widely considered Celtic’s best player of the modern era.

Larsson scored 224 goals in 292 games for Celtic between 1997 and 2004, scoring every 113 minutes on average, before departing for Barcelona, helping the Catalan giants win the Champions League in 2006.

Speaking on the Soccer 101 Podcast, Graham Ruthven, believes Larsson to be the best player Scottish football has seen in the post-SPL era (1998 onwards), describing him as “legitimately one of the best strikers in the world”, which, he adds would “never happen now” in the Premiership.

So, let’s compare Larsson to some of the best Celtic centre-forwards of more modern times.

Player

Years at Celtic

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Minutes per goal

Henrik Larsson

1997-2004

292

224

61

113

Daizen Maeda

2022-present

144

51

25

196

Kyōgo Furuhashi

2021-2025

165

85

19

126

Moussa Dembélé

2016-2018

94

51

18

121

Odsonne Édouard

2017-2021

179

87

38

140

Leigh Griffiths

2014-2022

262

123

51

118

Gary Hooper

2010-2013

138

82

30

136

As the table shows, none of the strikers who’ve come since have scored more goals, nor registered a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Larsson.

Fast forward to today, one of the strikers included in the table, currently 27 years old, once labelled the best since Larsson, isn’t enjoyed a season to remember.

Former Celtic striker in Premier League exile

Odsonne Édouard initially arrived at Celtic on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, but impressed to such an extent that the Hoops were convinced to spend a then-record £8m to secure his services permanently.

Martin O’Neill, who was manager during the glory years of the early-2000s, stated that he believed Édouard to be Celtic’s “best striker since Larsson”.

Affectionately known as French Eddy, he scored 87 goals in 179 appearances for the Hoops, before being sold to Crystal Palace for £14m in August 2021.

Well, his career in South London could not have started much better, scoring twice off the bench on his debut as the Eagles beat Tottenham 3-0 at Selhurst.

Édouard scored a steady yet unspectacular six, seven and then eight goals during his three seasons at Palace, but was deemed surplus to requirements by Oliver Glasner last summer, given Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red-hot form and following the arrival of Eddie Nketiah.

The Frenchman was allowed to join Leicester City on loan but this move, that John Percy of the Telegraph describes as a ‘shambles’, certainly has not worked, with Édouard making just six appearances for the Foxes, totalling a mere 113 minutes, not even named on the bench for 13 of their last 14 Premier League fixtures, most-recently appearing on 10 November.

Odsonne-Edouard

FIFA rules stipulate that a player can only play for two clubs in a single season so, given that the striker featured twice for Palace in August before making the move, he’s not able to be registered by a third club.

However, to cut a long story short, because MLS is a summer league, their equivalent of next season starts this weekend, so Atlanta United did reportedly bid £15m for Édouard in January, but this move did not come to pass, and he remains in exile, out of the picture at Leicester and unable to appear for anyone else.

Where Are They Now

Celtic supporters will be sad to see the predicament Édouard has ended up in, but this suggests they were right to cash in at £14m, given that his status has surely plummeted in recent years.

93% passing: Rodgers' "underrated" Celtic star just had his O'Riley moment

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1 ByBen Gray Feb 19, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da betcris： O casamento entre São Paulo e Adidas, sua atual fornecedora de material esportivo, ganhou mais um capítulo de rusgas entre as partes, na pré-temporada do clube, que começou na quarta-feira (14), no CT da Barra Funda. Tudo por conta da falta de atualização dos uniformes de treinos usados pelos jogadores, que continua expondo uma marca que rompeu o contrato de patrocínio no início de setembro.

Segundo o LANCE! apurou, pessoas próximas do presidente Julio Casares estão irritadas com o fato de as camisas de treino e outros uniformes do clube ainda exibirem a marca da Roku, fabricante de players de mídia on-line, cujo acordo com o Tricolor venceu há três meses e não foi renovado.

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da bet nacional： 🎥 Nossa quinta-feira na #SPFCplay#VamosSãoPaulo 🇾🇪 pic.twitter.com/ecFYNFeISE

— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) December 15, 2022

+ Edenilson próximo de novo clube, gigante brasileiro quer Nikão… o Dia do Mercado!

Pessoas ouvidas pela reportagem apontam o que chamam de ‘sinuca de bico’. Ou seja, o clube não recebeu fardamentos atualizados para oferecer aos jogadores. E por isso continua trajando as peças que sua rouparia tinha à disposição.

Para piorar, a situação só deve mudar no fim de janeiro, quando, enfim, o clube deverá lançar parte da sua nova coleção.

– Falamos com o Casares e avaliamos que tampar a marca com esparadrapo ou outra fita adesiva seria uma solução ainda pior e passaria a imagem de amadorismo, o que não é verdade, já que a culpa não é nossa – ponderou uma pessoa da cúpula tricolor.

Não é o primeiro atrito entre o clube do Morumbi e a multinacional alemã. Também em setembro, o clube se viu refém da marca esportiva e taxou como ‘descaso’ o fato da terceira camisa são-paulina, que faz alusão ao agasalho usado pelo elenco campeão mundial de 1992, ter sumido das lojas após esgotado o primeiro lote.

Lançada em agosto, a peça esgotou em um fim de semana. E a reposição do lote de 3 mil unidades, prometida pelo Tricolor à torcida na ocasião, em até 15 dias demorou quase dois meses.Depois de arrecadar quase R$ 1 milhão no fim de semana de lançamento da camisa, a previsão do marketing são-paulino é que o clube deixou de arrecadar mais R$ 6 milhões com a peça por causa das listas de espera de clientes feitas por lojas.

Desde o ano passado, o clube reclama de não ter tratamento semelhante a de rivais também servidos pela marca, como Flamengo, Atlético-MG e Internacional.As queixas giram em torno dos valores pagos e material disponibilizado à venda, com a ausência de camisas e agasalhos na mesma variedade.

No início de 2022, a rescisão chegou a ser estudada pelo jurídico tricolor, mas os valores da multa impediram o avanço do planejamento. O contrato entre as partes vai até o fim do ano que vem.A desavença é tamanha que o técnico Rogério Ceni entrou no ‘fogo cruzado’ ao usar roupas da Under Armour, antiga fornecedora são-paulina, no jogo contra o Juventude, em abril, pela Copa do Brasil.

A reportagem não conseguiu contato com a assessoria da multinacional alemã até a conclusão desta reportagem, para comentar as informações.

> Confira tabela e resultados da Copa do Mundo-22 no Qatar
​> Confira tabela, classificação e simule resultados do Paulistão-23

The Crew defender was seen displaying a limited-edition gold and diamond-studded basketball featuring the Cavaliers' logo and spotted courtside

• French-born defender photographed in Cavaliers merchandise
• Moreira held team's commemorative gold basketball during presentation
• The Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat in the first game of their playoff

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• Jeff Le-Imagn Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Columbus Crew right back Steven Moreira was captured supporting fellow Ohio sports franchise Cleveland Cavaliers, during their recent NBA playoff matchup, with the French defender receiving special recognition during a game break. Moreira, a key defender for the Crew, was presented with a gold, diamond-encrusted commemorative basketball featuring the Cavaliers' logo during a timeout ceremony acknowledging Ohio's professional sports connections.

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• WHAT THE COLUMBUS CREW POSTED

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This comes after Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was seen at a Columbus Crew’s game against Inter Miami where he was their designated fan to ignite the match before kick-off.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Following this high-profile loss in Cleveland against Inter Miami, Columbus Crew will return to their regular home at Lower.com Field for upcoming MLS fixtures, looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season. They are in third place on the Eastern Conference table with 18 points and host back-to-back home games against San Jose Earthquakes and Charlotte FC on April 26 and May 3 respectively.

Newcastle United have accepted that a move for long-time transfer target Bryan Mbeumo may not work out this summer, with the Brentford forward reportedly preferring to sign for Manchester United.

Whether that will happen is another matter, and no longer the Magpies’ concern, for Eddie Howe and the powers that be have turned their attention to alternative options, Anthony Elanga and Mohammed Kudus among the targeted.

While Newcastle are in talks with Callum Wilson for a new contract, the ageing striker failed to register a goal contribution in the Premier League last season as he battled through injury problems, and some extra firepower to complement Alexander Isak wouldn’t go amiss.

Newcastle plotting to sign new striker

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro is right at the top of the shopping list, but Newcastle may well be plotting to sign an even more exciting centre-forward.

Transfer Focus

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

According to Football Insider, Newcastle are considering an official move for Porto’s Samu Aghehowa in the coming months, having been keeping tabs on the prolific striker.

Though the 21-year-old has an £82.5m release clause in his contract, he could be sold for considerably less, with a fee of £63m mooted.

Manchester United are also interested as they search for an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund, and the Premier League competitors may well battle it out for the number nine.

What Samu Omorodion would bring to Newcastle

Tall, powerful and blessed with swift pace, Aghehowa has the fundamental skills to become a fearsome marksman in the Premier League, more still a perfect counterpoint to ther breezy dynamism of Isak.

He might not be the finished article, but this wouldn’t actually be a negative: Aghehowa would join a Newcastle team blessed with “the best striker in the Premier League” in Isak, as has been said by pundit Jamie Carragher, and Wilson, an experienced poacher.

It’s a fantastic mix, and one which could see Aghehowa springboard into the ascendency. Who knows, he might even prove an even bigger star than Pedro with some careful man-management over the coming years.

Though Pedro has impressed since joining Brighton from Watford in a deal worth around £30m two years ago, scoring 30 goals and providing ten assists across 70 matches, 18 of those strikes have come from the penalty spot.

Aghehowa’s ceiling is higher.

Joining Porto from Atletico Madrid last summer just weeks after a move to Chelsea collapsed, Omorodion has thrived in Portugal, scoring 25 goals across 42 matches in all competitions, including a six-goal haul in the Europa League that saw him fire two past Man United.

League 24/25 – Samu Omorodion vs Joao Pedro
Stats (* per game)	Omorodion	Pedro
Matches (starts)	30 (23)	27 (23)
Goals	19	10
Assists	3	6
Shots (on target)*	2.7 (1.1)	1.7 (0.7)
Big chances missed	18	7
Pass completion	79%	75%
Big chances created	5	11
Key passes*	0.6	1.1
Dribbles*	0.4	1.1
Duels won*	3.3	4.9
Stats via Sofascore

Hailed as a “monster in the making” with a “complete profile” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Aghehowa has the mark of an elite-level goalscorer, and while Brighton’s Brazilian forward is more creative and dynamic, Newcastle must invest their chips in the man who could become one of the deadliest number nines in the business.

The dream XI Newcastle can build: No Gordon; Joao Pedro & £120m trio sign

Newcastle are looking to make sweeping changes as they step back into the Champions League.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 10, 2025

Beth Mooney will take the gloves for the three-match series but the opening match is threatened by the weather

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2024

Alyssa Healy is still working her way back from injury•BCCI

Australia captain Alyssa Healy’s niggling knee will prevent her from keeping wicket in the ODI series against New Zealand.But she is hopeful she can play as a batter in all three games to ready herself for the Ashes in January. Beth Mooney will continue filling in for Healy behind the stumps, starting in Thursday’s series-opener at Basin Reserve in Wellington.”I won’t be wicketkeeping this series … but there’s not a lot of cricket leading into the Ashes, so for me, it’s an opportunity to try and get back on the park, as a batter, and try and find some runs more importantly,” Healy said on Wednesday.”I feel like I’ve hardly played any cricket for the last eight or nine months and there’s a good opportunity to do that. The knee’s tracking well, it’s just a day-by-day thing, and we’ll just assess as we go.”Healy’s frustrating run with injury opened the door for Australia to debut Georgia Voll in the recent home series against India. Voll, who hit scores of 46 not out, 101 and 26 in her first three ODIs, is set to be the unlucky player to drop out with Healy returning.”We’ve been transitioning for a little while, getting some youth in the side,” Healy said. “But obviously forced hand with some injuries at the moment. I think we’re in a really great space, the depth in Australian cricket is really strong.”And everyone who keeps stepping in, to take my job in particular, seems to make my runs or take wickets, so we’re in a good space at the moment.”New Zealand will enter the battle for the Rose Bowl on a high after winning the T20 World Cup in October with this their first home cricket since that historic moment. However, they have not beaten Australia in a bilateral one-day series 1999 or in an ODI since 2017.”I just remind them we pumped them in the round game, but they’re okay to have the trophy,” Healy said. “There is an air of disappointment around our group after the World Cup, I don’t think there is any way to beat around that.”I think the discussions that have come post that have been really promising, and where we want to take our cricket moving forward and how we want to play our style of game, as sad as that may seem.”New Zealand are in danger of missing direct qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup with this three-match series their last of the current Women’s Championship. They are currently sixth in the table with two automatic spots to claim alongside hosts India and already-qualified Australia, England and South Africa. Bangladesh and West Indies, who are below them, still have matches to play.A crowd of 4000 is expected at the Basin Reserve on Thursday although the forecast is poor before being more promising for the matches on Saturday and Monday.”It’s well overdue [beating Australia], but we also know the challenge we’re up against and we know that we’re going to have to be at our best to win at least two games to get that cup back,” New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said. “This is our first opportunity to play back up at home as T20 world champions…so now we just need the Wellington weather gods to play ball as well.”

As part of an ambitious overhaul which has received the green light from those upstairs at Craven Cottage, Fulham are now reportedly ready to open talks to sign a Champions League midfielder this summer.

Fulham working on fresh Marco Silva deal

When Tottenham Hotspur sacked Ange Postecoglou, there may have been some nerves around West London regarding Marco Silva’s Fulham future. Those nerves have since been eased courtesy of Thomas Frank, however, who is reportedly set to swap Brentford for the Lilywhites. Now, the Cottagers are reportedly keen to agree a fresh deal with their manager.

As things stand, the former Everton manager has just one year remaining on his Fulham contract, which will leave those in West London with a major problem this time next year unless anything changes.

Whilst concerns continue to grow over his contract situation, Silva has remained as calm as ever. When asked about whether he had rejected a new deal or whether negotiations were even underway, the Fulham boss told reporters: “No, not at all. We didn’t even start. I know there are some rumours around that I refused something but from my side, it’s not true at all.

“Our connection is very, very strong and it’s clear there are so many things for the club to be careful about with players’ contract situations, there are many important decisions ahead with the summer coming up after a great season where we improved like all the other years before.

Fulham now enter race to sign "strong" Premier League-winning midfielder

He’s set to leave his current club.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 6, 2025

“We managed to reach some great numbers again, the best Premier League points tally in our history and if you want to improve, you have to focus on the most important things. I’m not saying the manager’s situation is not important but I’m under contract with the club, I just wanted to clarify that the conversations didn’t start and that’s not for professional reasons but it was just not the moment.”

Whilst the Portuguese manager remains in charge too, Fulham could be well positioned to seal a shock deal to welcome back an impressive midfielder this summer.

Fulham ready to make Palhinha move

According to GiveMeSport, Fulham are now ready to open talks to sign Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich if the Bundesliga champions are willing to show their midfielder the door in the coming months. His arrival would be part of an ambitious plot to overhaul Silva’s side with as many as five fresh faces this summer.

The Portugal international is, of course, a name well-known around Craven Cottage given that he swapped West London for Bayern just one year ago. After making just six Bundesliga starts, however, the 29-year-old could be on his way back to the Premier League already.

Silva is certainly likely to welcome Palhinha back with open arms too, having praised the midfielder during his time at the club. The Fulham boss told reporters in Palhinha’s final season at the club: “His attitude, his commitment, the way he leads the others around are things that are hard to find in football.”

There’s no doubt that the midfielder’s return would suit all parties, but that’s not to say negotiations would be easy. Palhinha currently reportedly earns around £162,000-a-week at Bayern Munich, which is unlikely to be matched by Fulham.