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Chelsea booked their place in the final of the Conference League on Thursday night and are now preparing to face Real Betis with a chance to win silverware in Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge.

The Blues beat Djurgarden 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, and 5-1 on aggregate, to clinch their place in the final, whilst the club are also in the race to secure a Champions League place by finishing in the top five in the Premier League.

Despite there still being plenty to play for domestically and in Europe this season, Chelsea are also putting plans in place ahead of the summer transfer window, with talks underway to sign a new centre-forward.

Chelsea have held talks to sign Ligue 1 forward

According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea have already held talks over a deal to sign Emanuel Emegha from Strasbourg ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

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The report claims that the club have spoken with the player and his representatives to discuss a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, as the English giants work on a transfer to bring him over in the summer.

It states that negotiations between Chelsea and Strasbourg are not expected to pose any problems, because they share the same ownership, but does not reveal how much money it would take to strike a deal for the centre-forward.

The Blues are clearly looking to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window and Emegha presents an interesting option, as he could be amazing with Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge next term.

Why Emegha would love Cole Palmer

The Strasbourg number nine could love to play with the England international because the left-footed star has the creative quality to consistently provide him with opportunities to find the back of the net.

Put simply, Palmer is a striker’s dream because he has created 38 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other player in the squad.

Emegha, whose form was hailed as “magnificent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a clever striker with excellent movement, as shown in the clip above, and could be the perfect forward to make the most of Palmer’s exceptional passing quality.

His movement has been evident throughout the Ligue 1 season with Strasbourg because he has racked up 16.58 xG in 27 matches, which shows that he is consistently getting into high-quality positions.

24/25 Ligue 1

Emanuel Emegha

Appearances

27

xG

16.58

Shots per game

2.3

Goals

14

Conversion rate

23%

Big chances created

4

Assists

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old star has only scored 14 goals from 16.58 xG, an underperformance, but it does show that the forward is good at getting into shooting positions.

Having a playmaker of Palmer’s quality in the number ten position behind him could help to make Emegha even more prolific by combining his passing with the striker’s movement, and that is why they could be an exciting pairing for Chelsea with their potential link-up in the final third.

Emegha could become amazing for the Blues by playing with the English star because of the quality of chances that could be consistently created for him, and that is why the youngster, who still has room to improve his finishing, could be an excellent addition to the squad.

Related Forget Walsh: Chelsea star who was their "best player" is now undroppable

Chelsea booked their place in the Europa Conference League final with a 5-1 aggregate win over Djurgarden.

Posts 1 ByEthan Lamb May 9, 2025

Special talents need additional resources to get the most out of them

Ian Bishop19-Apr-2024Everybody agrees that Mayank Yadav is a special talent. It’s very rare to have someone who can consistently bowl around 145kph and go up to the mid-150s. Mayank’s got something that you can’t buy: pace and control.But he also has an injury history, and in this he is not unique. We have seen a number of Indian fast-bowling talents break down. Rohit Sharma, I remember, had expressed his frustration about bowlers picking up injuries frequently.Mayank’s body needs management and it needs great strengthening. How do we ensure his talent gets the chance to blossom fully?Related

• Injured Mayank all but out of IPL 2024

• Mayank Yadav 'pretty close' to return, says LSG assistant coach Sriram

• Mayank to have workload managed as he recovers from injury

• Maxwell on Mayank: You don't often see someone of his pace

• When Mayank hushed the Chinnaswamy

I am a big American sports fan and I particularly follow the NBA, where the top players (or their teams) invest in themselves to the tune of millions of dollars in terms of having support staff and systems. Tennis players, too, do the same. I believe it is time for cricket to go that way – for the top franchises and national teams to preserve special talents like Mayank and support their growth.Pat Cummins is a very good example of someone who came in as a teenager and found that the stresses of the game were too much for his particular technique and his body. He had to come out, rehabilitate, make himself different technically, and return a few years later. And as we’ve found out, Cummins has managed to build an exceptional career, where he has developed into one of the best fast bowlers and captains.It would be a good idea for Mayank at the start of his career to have the inputs Cummins found he required. Whether it’s Lucknow Super Giants, Mayank’s IPL team, or the BCCI, they can undertake a project – not an experiment, mind you – to say, “This guy is a diamond. Let us see if we can allocate some sort of funding and see where this goes.”Give him a personal strength-and-conditioning trainer for, say, a year. Attach that person to him, not just have the player fly somewhere every six weeks for those resources. Maybe have another medical person on the panel as well. And perhaps a dietician too. Build him up.

You don’t have to tell a guy what to do right. But I can tell a guy what to do because I have made the same mistake. I can tell him what to do to avoid that. We don’t have to leave a lot of these things up to players finding out through trial and error

Mayank will still be playing cricket through this, to be clear; just that this person is attached to him. See how that pans out after a year. You have the resources for an effort like this.Whether in the future Mayank plays a lot of red-ball cricket, whether he plays all formats, or whether you keep him as a white-ball option you will be able to know after a year or two. So it is a worthwhile project, not only for India and LSG, but for the world game. This young kid, who is 21 now, by the time he’s 23 or 24, when his body has matured, he can give you almost a decade of excellent fast bowling. That’s one thing I’d like to see happen.Alongside the physical development, it is also imperative that young fast bowlers like Mayank get to hear the right voices. I came through at a time when the great Malcolm Marshall was around. While I thought Marshall was one of the greatest tactical fast bowlers that I interacted with, I could only talk with him when we were on the field together or when we were in the dressing room together. Had I been able to access his insights more often, and while I was younger, it would have expedited my learning curve. I have no doubt about that.So I get a little frustrated that icons like, say, Jasprit Bumrah, are not made to interact frequently with young fast men. When we hear Bumrah speak, we know that he understands the game. He’s clear in his thinking and he’s a great communicator. For the next generation, the Under-19 guys, and even for those who are playing alongside him, you could organise some formal Zoom meetings and have him share his wisdom with them. Bumrah doesn’t have to fly everywhere; just utilise technology.Let him talk through formal bowling plans, preparation, what he would do in certain situations. Let him talk through variations in pace and lengths, and how he sees the game. Expedite that learning curve. It doesn’t have to be something that happens every month – half-yearly or quarter-yearly should work.Jasprit Bumrah is too good a cricket brain to not be taking lessons from•Getty ImagesMS Dhoni is a similar example. Excellent captain. If you want to bring in your next generation of leaders, why not tap into his expertise? I’m not saying that these two gentlemen are the only people to talk to, but you get the drift.I picked up something always from talking to Wasim Akram when Derbyshire played Lancashire at Old Trafford. I picked up a lot from Marshall, as I said. Michael Holding, when I met him briefly early in my career, gave me something that I had to sift through and that I could hold on to. You can give players a lot of inputs without overloading them with too many different opinions. This is like a university of fast bowling. Why not formalise it?Kartik Tyagi might run into Bumrah after an IPL match and he might stand and talk to him for five minutes. We could do more than that. I thought Tyagi was someone who could have pushed on, but he has had injuries.You don’t have to tell a guy what to do right. But I can tell a guy what to do because I have made the same mistake. I can tell him what to do to avoid that. We don’t have to leave a lot of these things up to players finding out through trial and error.Let us not only leave these things to playing a lot of first-class cricket and learning as you go, but let us supplement it from the outside as well. Let them play, but also let us help them with knowledge. It is time to start being a little bit more precise and determined in our development of players, especially if you have the resources for it.

From 196 for 5 in a chase of 309, King’s composed knock at No. 4 almost took West Indies over the line against India

Deivarayan Muthu23-Jul-2022.That was Ian Bishop on commentary after King had rumbled to a 59-ball century in the CPL 2019 qualifier. King’s 72-ball 132 not out, which is still the highest individual score in CPL history, moved Johan Botha, who was the coach of Guyana Amazon Warriors at the time, to tears and signalled the rise of a new star in West Indian white-ball cricket.After a breakout season, King was immediately called up to West Indies’ white-ball squads to face Afghanistan and India in India in 2019. King’s CPL star quality, however, faded out in international cricket, and he was dropped from the West Indies set-up after those stints in 2019 and 2020.Having then made his comeback on a tour to Pakistan in December 2021, King is rising once again, but as a middle-order batter.Related

• Old-school Hope does his job for West Indies, the way he knows best

• Dhawan, Siraj, Thakur star in thrilling win as India go 1-0 up

• 'Really proud' Pooran lauds West Indies' fighting spirit: 'Feels like a win for us'

• Pooran: West Indies must 'believe that we can fight'

King had started his career as a middle-order batter for Jamaica, and after having two productive first-class seasons, he was picked for a similar role in the West Indies A side in August 2019. He also began his CPL career in the middle order for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots before Botha transformed him into a hard-hitting opener at Amazon Warriors.Though King enjoyed some success at the top – he has also batted at No. 3 for West Indies B in the Global T20 Canada – his dream was always to become a middle-order batter for West Indies, like his hero Ramnaresh Sarwan.King wears jersey no. 53 as a tribute to Sarwan, and against India at the Queen’s Park Oval on Friday, where Sarwan has played a number of excellent hands, King produced one of his own – although he couldn’t take his team over the line against India.He came out to bat at No. 4 after West Indies were 133 for 2 in their pursuit of 309. Shamarh Brooks had just holed out for 46, and two overs later, King watched Kyle Mayers chase a wide ball and nick it behind for 75. When Nicholas Pooran and then Rovman Powell also fell, West Indies were 196 for 5 in the 37th over.King, however, didn’t panic and just focused on taking the chase deep along with the lower middle order. He loves pace on the ball, and has been vulnerable to spin in the past, but he worked his way around that potential weakness on a Port of Spain surface that slowed down considerably in the second innings.King took 34 off 39 balls against Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel before Chahal ultimately trumped him. When Axar was just finding some grip and turn, King unsettled him by dashing out of the crease and clattering him with the turn over extra cover. Then, when Chahal erred too full with his wrong’un, he sank to one knee and slog-swept him over midwicket for a six.

“It’s not too much about beating India. It’s just about our batting formula and how you want to play cricket.”Brandon King on a close loss in the first ODI

When the asking rate shot past ten, King decided to take another chance against Chahal, but the spinner hid a wide legbreak away from his reach and had him skewing a catch to deep cover.West Indies needed 57 from 33 balls at that stage, and they eventually lost by three runs despite late blows from Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein. However, West Indies’ comeback, after they were swept 3-0 by Bangladesh earlier this month, made Pooran feel like it was a win.In a way, it was a win for King too, who showed that he could cut it against India’s IPL stars. It was a win for King’s first West Indies captain Kieron Pollard, who was vocal about protecting him and other bright talents from “vultures that are out to take down their careers”.Fittingly, Pollard was in attendance at the Queen’s Park Oval to see King blossom in international cricket. On another day, King could have finished it off for West Indies, but he took his dismissal and the other early wickets in his stride.”Even though they [India] scored 300-plus, it was a lovely batting wicket,” King said at the post-match press conference. “It wasn’t a wicket where you had to take a lot of risks – just rotate the strike and take the game as deep as possible. That’s all I tried to do.”We always believed that if we bring the game down to the last five overs, we have the guys that can chase down any total, and I think [Romario] Shepherd and Akeal [Hosein] showed that today that we’re always in the game. [We] would have liked it if some of the early wickets didn’t fall and we could’ve had some of the batsmen there at the end; but it’s part of the game.”West Indies still have many holes to plug in their batting – with or without the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis – but Friday’s chase was a sign of their progress, and perhaps, a cause for alarm for India.”It’s not too much about beating India,” King said. “It’s just about our batting formula and how you want to play cricket. Bringing down the game to the last ball chasing 300-plus was good for us. On another day, we would get over the line.”

He became only the seventh bowler and the fourth pacer to the landmark

Sreshth Shah28-Jul-2020Courtney Walsh – March 2001 v South Africa, Port of SpainThe first man to reach 500 wickets, Walsh pinned Jacques Kallis lbw on the backfoot on the third day of the second Test. At the time of his dismissal, Kallis was displeased with the decision, suggesting an inside edge onto his pads; but Walsh didn’t care, and neither did the home fans. Walsh retired a month later, but not before adding a further 19 wickets to his tally.Shane Warne – March 2004 v Sri Lanka, GalleIn the spring of 2004, all eyes were on the two greatest spinners of the generation to see who would reach the 500-mark first. And it was the Australian who pipped Muttiah Muralitharan to the mark, when he forced Hashan Tillakaratne to top-edge a heave on the final day of the first Test with the visitors hunting for the win. Warne took 208 more wickets in the next three years to finish with 708 wickets, still the second-highest in the history of Test cricket.Muttiah Muralitharan – March 2004 v Australia, KandyWhile Warne got to 500 in the final innings of the first Test, Muralitharan got there in the first innings of the second Test, and that too at his home town. Fighting a stomach bug, Muralitharan took 4 for 48 in 15 overs, including the wicket of Michael Kasprowicz with an offbreak that bowled him through his defences. Although Warne’s match-winning performances dampened the Test match for Sri Lanka, Muralitharan reached the mark 21 Tests before the Australian. At the time, Muralitharan said that he wished to reach at least 650 wickets. He finished with 800, which is still 92 more than anyone else.Glenn McGrath – July 2005 v England, Lord’sMcGrath entered the iconic 2005 Ashes with 499 wickets, and the first English wicket – of Marcus Trescothick – helped the quick reach 500 when the opener edged one to Justin Langer at slip. It was a start Australia deperately needed, having been bowled out for 190 in the first innings. McGrath’s impetus helped them take a first-innings lead and even win the opening Test. Before the second game, however, McGrath injured his right ankle and the series turned on its head. Over the next 18 months, McGrath took 55 more wickets and at the time of his retirement, his tally of 563 was the most by a fast bowler.Anil Kumble – March 2006 v England, MohaliIn his 105th Test, Kumble became the second-fastest man to 500 when he trapped Steve Harmison lbw on the third day of the rain-hit second Test against England. It was his second wicket in two balls, with Kumble bowling Geraint Jones in the previous delivery with a wrong’un. He led through the game with nine wickets in a Player-of-the-Match performance. Kumble finished on 619 wickets, and remains the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.James Anderson – September 2017 v West Indies, Lord’sLord’s became the first ground to witness two men getting to the hallowed figure when Anderson bowled opener Kraigg Brathwaite at the start of the second innings, ending an 11-year wait for a man to reach 500 Test scalps. In typical Anderson fashion, it was an inswinger that did Brathwaite, crashing into the batsman’s middle stump. The day got even better as Anderson took another six to wreck West Indies, finishing with 7 for 42 for the innings. Anderson is currently inching towards the 600-wicket mark, and if he gets there, will be the first pacer to do so in Test history.Stuart Broad – July 2020 v West Indies, Old TraffordBroad was on the field when Anderson got to 500, and Anderson accompanied him too when Broad got there three years later. The opponents were the same, and co-incidentally, so was the batsman. Kraigg Brathwaite, looking to defend off the back foot, was trapped lbw with a ball staying low and hitting him on his back leg on the final day of the final Test of West Indies’ tour. Broad got to the mark in his 140th Test, and is the slowest in terms of matches to get there.

Manchester City have announced that head coach Pep Guardiola will skip pre-match press duties ahead of a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace due to a "personal matter". Guardiola was due to face the assembled media on Friday, but his place in that hot seat will be filled by assistant manager Kolo Toure – with the Blues’ talismanic boss set to be back in the dugout at Selhurst Park.

Title challenge: Man City chasing down Arsenal

City are confident that the issue will not impact plans for a trip to South London. Guardiola is expected to take his place on the bench as usual after naming a team that he hopes can pick up three more points in an ongoing title bid.

A morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in midweek Champions League competition has helped to raise spirits in the City camp. They are now just two points adrift of table-topping Arsenal – who play host to rock bottom Wolves on Saturday evening.

Any slip up from the Gunners would leave the door open for City to climb to the summit, as they prepare to tackle high-flying Palace on Sunday. Guardiola heads into that game aware that his record against Eagles boss Oliver Glasner is not the best – with an FA Cup final defeat suffered against the Austrian tactician last season.

AdvertisementGettyWhy Toure is facing the press instead of Lijnders

Guardiola will, however, have City ready for another tough test in the English capital. That is despite being forced to miss a press conference due to issues in his private life. He has left matters in the capable hands of Toure.

Pep Lijnders, who once worked alongside Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, boasts more experience in the coaching department – and is accustomed to facing the media – but was also unavailable on Friday due to a scheduled day off.

Toure promotion: Guardiola freshened up backroom staff

Toure is speaking as the public face of City for the first time since being promoted to a first-team role over the summer. The 44-year-old represented the Blues and Arsenal – winning Premier League titles with both – in his playing days.

He began his coaching career as an assistant to ex-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, before following him to Leicester. An unsuccessful spell was taken in as manager of Wigan Athletic during the 2022-23 campaign, with that stint lasting just nine games as no wins were picked up.

Former Ivory Coast international Toure – who played alongside his brother Yaya at City – returned to the Etihad Stadium as an assistant to U18s manager Oli Reiss in 2024. He was then allowed to bridge the gap between youth and first-team ranks in July 2025.

City’s academy director Thomas Krucken told the of that decision, as Guardiola freshened up his backroom staff: "Before the season starts, we sat together with Txiki [Begiristain], Hugo [Viana], the head of coaching, Kolo – he is a very important part now because he knows the players really well – and there are a core of four players training. The EDS train every day next to the first team so it's easy for us and the players Pep needs, he gets.

"The door to the first team is always open. I think we have a fantastic interface. Kolo is an important part but also Pep Lijnders has huge experience over a period of his seasons at Liverpool and before. He is an expert in working with young players. We have a regular meeting with Hugo, Pep Lijnders and Kolo, the head of coaching Jose [Luis Rueda] who is our head of Individual Player Development."

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GettyGuardiola at Man City: Win ratio and trophy wins

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has been in charge of City since 2016. He has taken in 556 games at the game and boasts a win ratio of 70.5 per cent. The Catalan passed 1,000 matches as a manager this season.

He has overseen six Premier League title triumphs, with one of those – in 2022-23 – forming part of a historic Treble. In total, he has won 18 trophies with City and is tied to a contract through to the summer of 2027.

Manchester United are falling behind their rivals at academy level due to poor facilities and trouble recruiting staff, according to a new report. The club is renowned for developing young talent but that reputation is at risk amid a lack of players pushing for places in Ruben Amorim's first-team squad at the moment, while there is concern among staff about the direction the academy is heading in.

• Staff turnover causing disruption

  That's according to a report in which claims that the high level of turnover due to people leaving and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's redundancies is causing disruption. Nick Cox, the director of academy between 2019 and 2025 who oversaw the rise of Alejandro Garnacho among other graduates into the United first team, left in the summer to become Everton's technical director. Under-18 coach Adam Lawrence has gone to Newcastle to take charge of the Magpies' under-21s. Paul McShane, David Hughes and Simon Wiles have all left the academy lately, leading to concern about the club's ability to retain experienced and talented staff. 

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Players using temporary facilities

  United spent £50m renovating the first team's training facility, which opened in August. However, there is concern that the investment in Ruben Amorim's side has come at the expense of the academy. Staff are working in prefabricated structures in the players’ car park, while a report in in October revealed that academy staff and first team analysts have to wash their own kit. A shortage of staff led to the under 13s not having enough socks and shorts for a match against Everton earlier this season, leading to the players having to wear Everton kit.

  Ratcliffe was less than complimentary about the academy in a recent interview with ' The Business podcast.  "The academy has really slipped at Manchester United," he said. "You need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. That’s not a light switch. You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time. We just recruited a new academy director."

  According to , those comments did not go down well with parents of young academy players. One of them told the newspaper: "Sir Jim’s comments don’t represent what parents think of the club. All it has done is unsettle some of the boys and their parents. He might even find that what he’s said means some families start to wonder if their child’s future would be best served at another club. His comments aren’t helpful and are confusing as most are happy at United. They have access to great pitches, the changing rooms are fantastic. They have opened a new parents’ lounge, and the boys can use the state-of-the-art facilities that the first team use for gym and rehab.

  "It’s quite the contrast from Sir Jim’s comments. The majority of the parents have said that Sir Jim seems to have his own agenda, which does not align with what is really happening. The coaches try to be upbeat and put a brave face on, but you can tell that Sir Jim’s comments have hurt them. They don’t understand what he’s talking about."

• Rooney comments split opinion among academy

  Wayne Rooney – whose eldest son Kai has played for the U18s, with 12-year-old Klay also in the club's academy system – has also aired his concerns about the club. He told the :  "The culture of that football club has gone. I see it on a daily basis. I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs. I’ve got two kids at that football club and I really hope this doesn’t affect what they’re doing." 

  The report claims that Rooney's comments divided opinion. While senior staff were annoyed with United's all-time top scorer for publicly slamming the club, others felt his analysis was "shrewd" and were pleased he had spoken out.

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• Getty
  

  Lacey next in line for senior debut

  Amorim is yet to give any academy players a first-team debut this season, having played Chido Obi, Tyler Fredericson and Harry Amass last term. He did call up 18-year-old Shea Lacey to the matchday squad against Everton, and the Liverpool-born winger – who participated in the post-season tour of Asia in May – is regarded as being the most likely player to make his competitive debut. The fact that United are not involved in European competition this season and exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle has reduced the number of chances for youngsters although more opportunities in the first team could arise when the Red Devils enter the FA Cup in January.

It is no surprise to anyone that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been in such dominant form this season. The Citizens number nine cannot stop scoring, and already has 19 goals to his name from just 16 games so far in 2025/26, chipping in with an assist, too.

His form in the Premier League has been largely unstoppable. Haaland has found the back of the net 14 times in the English top flight, coming in just 12 appearances. In two of those games, the 25-year-old didn’t score. His form has been as good as ever for City.

However, it is not just at club level where Haaland has been in fine goalscoring form. Norway are reaping the benefits, too.

Haaland’s form in the November international break

Despite only playing 48 games for his country, Haaland has 55 goals already. That makes him the top goalscorer in Norway’s history, 22 clear of anyone else. Captaining his nation in the November internationals, he added four more goals to that tally.

The first of two braces Haaland scored during the international break came at home to Estonia. Two second-half strikes, six minutes apart, helped Norway to a 4-1 win, pushing them closer to automatic World Cup qualification.

Next up was a tougher assignment against Italy. The City striker, however, helped to brush the our-time World Cup winners aside, securing another 4-1 win.

The strikes came within a minute of each other, the first an acrobatic effort in the penalty box and the second an easy goal from close range, with City teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma unable to stop Haaland from scoring.

The goals from Haaland this week will certainly please the Citizens faithful. The fact that their talismanic number nine is continuing his deadly form ahead of a huge festive period surely means they can expect to see similar results at club level.

Haaland, however, was not the only City striker who shone during the November international break.

Man City’s other in-form international striker

There is one question surrounding Haaland, and that is who City have as an alternative to the striker. There is no obvious understudy in the first team, despite the likes of Omar Marmoush being able to operate as a nine.

Well, Pep Guardiola could always turn to the academy if needs be, where the club might have the homegrown Haaland in the form of Reigan Heskey. The 17-year-old is the son of former England striker Emile and has been impressing for City’s academy for several years.

Heskey, who was born in Liverpool, can operate on either flank or as a striker. He shone for City’s under-18s last season in the U18s Premier League, a competition in which he bagged 18 goals in 19 games and assisted a further seven.

Guardiola is possibly the most important person who could take note of this impressive form of the teenager. Well, the Spaniard gave Heskey his first-team debut this season, a seven-minute Carabao Cup cameo against Huddersfield Town, along with his brother, Jaden.

It is not just his club form that has been superb, but his form for England under-17s.

Heskey has been a key member of the Three Lions U17 World Cup squad this month, with football scout Antonio Mango describing him as “unstoppable this international break.”

The 17-year-old attacker played five matches in the competition, finding the back of the net four times and assisting three. He also averaged 1.9 key passes and three successful dribbles per 90 minutes, showing just how much of a threat he is.

Goals and assists

1.4

7

Key passes

1.9

9

Big chances created

0.6

3

Dribbles completed

3

14

Tackles and interceptions

2.3

11

Heskey is certainly showing deadly form in front of goal, which Guardiola has already rewarded with minutes in the first team. If he continues on this upward trajectory, there is no reason to suggest he cannot break into the squad permanently a bit further down the line.

Haaland was not the only City striker in form for his country this month. Heskey has been on fire, and would love to keep this form going when he returns to club football.

No Rodri & the "next Kroos" signs: Man City's dream lineup after January

Here is how Man City could line up if they can get their January targets

2 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 16, 2025

Dhruv Jurel scored his second first-class century on a day when all India A batters except captain Shreyas Iyer were among the runs against Australia A. The hosts ended day three on 403 for 4, still 129 runs behind the visitors’ first-innings total of 532. Apart from Jurel, who was batting on 113 at stumps, Devdutt Padikkal, B Sai Sudharsan and N Jagadeesan also went past fifty at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.India A started day three trailing Australia A by 416 runs, with nine wickets in hand, and Xavier Bartlett had Jagadeesan caught behind by Josh Phillipe for 64 in the sixth over of the day to end a second-wicket stand of 49. Padikkal then joined Sudharsan in a productive stand, but with their partnership nearing a hundred, Sudharsan missed an attempted reverse-sweep off Cooper Connolly and was trapped lbw for 73.Australia A struck again 3.2 overs later, with Iyer was trapped in front by Corey Rocchiccioli for 8. It was Iyer’s third successive low score in a first-class game, after he was dismissed for 25 and 12 against Central Zone in the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy earlier this month.But Iyer’s wicket turned out to be the last for Australia A on Thursday, as Jurel and Padikkal rebuilt. India A were 310 behind when the two came together, and by the end of the day they had put on an unbroken 181 for the fifth wicket.Padikkal was more the patient of the two batters, taking his time in getting to his fifty off 117 balls. The aggressive Jurel reached the landmark in just 54 deliveries, getting there by smashing Rocchiccioli for two consecutive sixes and a four.Rocchiccioli was the most expensive of the Australia A bowlers, going for 128 runs in 24 overs at an economy rate of 5.33. Jurel especially took a liking to the offspinner, scoring 47 runs off him at just better than a run a ball, with three fours and three sixes.By the end of the day, Jurel had rattled along at a strike rate of 85.61 over 132 balls, and Padikkal at 48.31. The left-hand batter went to stumps batting on 86, in sight of a seventh first-class century. Their 181-run stand had come at nearly five runs an over.With only the final day’s play left, and with neither team having begun their second innings, the match seems headed towards a draw.

استأنف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك تدريباته، اليوم الاثنين، على ملعب استاد الكلية الحربية، ضمن الاستعدادات لمواجهة زيسكو الزامبي في الجولة الأولى لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الأفريقية.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الزمالك مع زيسكو الزامبي، في التاسعة مساء يوم الأحد الموافق 23 نوفمبر الجاري على استاد القاهرة الدولي. عودة آدم كايد للتدريبات الجماعية

انتظم اللاعب الفلسطيني آدم كايد في التدريبات الجماعية للفريق، بعدما تماثل للشفاء من الإصابة في عضلة السمانة التي أبعدته عن المشاركة خلال الفترة الماضية.

وأكد الجهاز الطبي للزمالك جاهزية اللاعب قبل عودته للمشاركة مع الفريق في التدريبات الجماعية.

طالع أيضًا | طلعت يوسف: وضع الزمالك لا يسمح بالمنافسة على الدوري.. واستمرار عبد الرؤوف قرار صحيح أحمد ربيع يؤدي تدريبات تأهيلية

واصل أحمد ربيع لاعب وسط الفريق أداء تدريباته التأهيلية، بعد إصابته في العضلة الضامة خلال تواجده مع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العرب.

ويعمل الجهاز الطبي على تجهيز ربيع للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية خلال الأيام المقبلة. تصعيد حارس شباب جديد للفريق الأول

قرر الجهاز الفني بقيادة أحمد عبد الرؤوف تصعيد محمد عبد الفتاح حارس مرمى فريق الشباب مواليد 2005 لتدريبات الفريق الأول، في ظل غياب محمد صبحي مع المنتخب الأول ومحمد عواد مع منتخب مصر في كأس العرب.

وشارك عبد الفتاح في تدريبات الحراس تحت قيادة فيتور بيريرا، إلى جانب كل من المهدي سليمان ومحمود الشناوي. فقرة بدنية

خصص الجهاز الفني فقرة بدنية للاعبين، وتولى البرتغالي نونو كوستا روبيرو مدرب الأحمال قيادة هذه الفقرة، التي تضمنت تدريبات بدنية متنوعة بجانب فقرة خفيفة بالكرة.

وبعد انتهاء الفقرة البدنية، ركز الجهاز الفني على تطبيق بعض الجوانب الخططية، وحرص أحمد عبد الرؤوف على توجيه اللاعبين باستمرار، قبل خوض تقسيمة فنية في ختام المران.

Cummins’ 6 for 28 is also the best figures by a captain at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan12-Jun-20251:53

‘Once the ball gets older, Cummins puts his hand up’

Australia captain Pat Cummins became the eighth from his country to 300 Test wickets as his 6 for 28, the best by a captain at Lord’s, dismantled South Africa on the second day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final.It meant that, for the first time in Test history, a bowling attack had three players with 300 or more wickets: Cummins joined Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in the group. Josh Hazlewood sits on 280.”It’s great, and I’ve got some family here, which is nice,” Cummins told the host broadcast at the innings break. “It’s way, more than I could have asked for. For any fast bowler 300 is a big number, means you’ve battled a few injuries and niggles, got through it and played well in different conditions.”Related

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Speaking again after the day’s play, Cummins reflected on his journey, which saw him miss six years of Test cricket after a memorable debut against South Africa in 2011.Carefully nursed through the intervening period by the Cricket Australia medical team, he has been almost ever-present since returning in 2017. Cummins missed a couple of Tests against Pakistan in 2018 owing to a back injury, one against West Indies in 2022 with a quad strain, and may have missed the Sri Lanka series earlier this year with an ankle problem if he hadn’t already been on paternity leave.”I’ve had a really good run the last half-a-dozen years or so of not missing too many games,” he said. “For the first few years, I didn’t know where my second Test was coming, so I still feel like I’ve got lots of miles in the legs.2:38

Cummins: Reaching 300 wickets a sign of durability and resilience

“Back in the day, 300 [wickets] felt like you’re close to the end. [Starc], he’s almost [at] 400. So hopefully I don’t feel like I’m going to end any time soon. The medical staff, I really need to thank, the way they looked after me in the early years and continually to get through a Test match, the way they manage the fast bowlers, a lot of that is a nod to them as well.”Cummins, who had removed Wiaan Mulder on the first evening, claimed all five South Africa wickets to fall to bowlers on the second day, the other being the run out of Keshav Maharaj. He broke South Africa’s fightback in the morning session when Temba Bavuma drove to cover. After lunch, he was magnificent in a spell that finished 4.1-1-4-4.There was the lbw to remove Kyle Verreynne after the pair clattered mid-pitch, a leading edge gathered off Marco Jansen, the outside edge off David Bedingham, and finally, Kagiso Rabada brilliant caught at deep square-leg to bring up the 300th.At that moment, he held the fourth-best strike rate for a bowler with 300 Test wickets, behind Rabada, Dale Steyn and Waqar Younis. Overall, it gave him 79 wickets at 23.03 for this WTC cycle.