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It wouldn’t be a transfer window without Chelsea being linked with endless players given their antics over the last couple of years.

Todd Boehly has been responsible for a huge overhaul within the playing department, splashing the cash on various players to help push the club back towards the summit of the Premier League.

With less than two weeks to go, the Blues are yet to sign any new players to bolster Enzo Maresca’s side in their quest for a top-four place come the end of his first campaign at the helm.

After the latest win against Wolves on Monday night, the club currently occupy a Champions League spot with just 16 games to go, in what would be a successful first year in West London for the Italian.

However, if the side are to remain in such a position over the coming months, added investment before the market closes could be vital, including one player who’s recently been touted with a switch to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea make contact for PL star

According to journalist George Lakin, Chelsea have made contact with Wolves over a January move to land Matheus Cunha before the end of the transfer window.

The 25-year-old also has admirers from Newcastle United, but at this moment it appears as though Arsenal are leading the race for his signature should he leave Molineux.

Lakin also confirmed that the Brazilian has said he wants to leave the West Midlands outfit just a couple of weeks after news broke that he was set to sign a new deal with Vitor Pereira’s side.

Cunha has registered ten goals and four assists in his 21 Premier League outings throughout 2024/25, undoubtedly being Wolves’ shining light in what has been a hugely disappointing season for the club.

It’s safe to say any deal for the former Atlético Madrid star would bolster Maresca’s attacking options, offering a new dimension and an upgrade on another player who’s been touted with a move to the Bridge.

Transfer Focus

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

Why Cunha would be better than Garnacho for Chelsea

Over the last couple of days, Chelsea have been linked with a plethora of attacking talents, with one name standing out in the form of Manchester United youngster Alejandro Garnacho.

The Argentine has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent days, with the Blues battling Serie A side Napoli in the hunt for his signature.

The 20-year-old could be allowed to leave Ruben Amorim’s side should any club present an offer in the region of £55m, with Maresca’s men still one of the clubs in the race for his services.

However, given the recent emergence of the links to Cunha, a deal for Garnacho should be pushed to the side with priorities needing to be directed towards the Brazilian given his stats from the ongoing campaign.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats via FBref, the Wolves star has massively outperformed the United youngster, providing immediate quality for the Blues in their quest for a top-four finish.

Cunha, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one Arsenal insider, has registered way more combined goals and assists in the Premier League to date, highlighting the quality he possesses in the final third.

Games played

21

21

Goals & assists

14

4

Progressive passes

4.5

1.6

Shot-creating actions

3.9

3

Take-ons completed

2.1

1

Take-on success rate

45%

26%

Aerials won

32%

5%

He’s also completed more take-ons and achieved a higher take-on success rate, having the ability to feature in various attacking roles along with the likes of Cole Palmer at the top end of the pitch.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the Brazilian would cost owner Boehly this month, it’s evident that he has a lot of qualities that would make him a better addition than the Argentine.

If a move was to be successful for any forward before the closure of the window, it’s pivotal that a move is prioritised for Cunha over Garnacho, with the attacking midfielder having the edge in terms of quality in numerous areas – as demonstrated by his figures.

He's a dream for Palmer: Chelsea hold talks to sign £67m "menace"

Chelsea have made contact over a deal to sign the £67m-rated centre-forward.

2 ByDan Emery Jan 22, 2025

England crumble to 110 for 9 as NZ overcome disappointment of semi-final loss

Valkerie Baynes07-Aug-2022An excellent bowling display by New Zealand and Sophie Devine’s unbeaten half-century led them to the Commonwealth Games bronze medal as England were forced into fourth place.England’s Games dream as hosts was shattered the previous day at Edgbaston when India won their semi-final to earn the right to play Australia for gold and silver later on Sunday. New Zealand, meanwhile, overcame their disappointment of losing to Australia in the other semi-final just 12 hours earlier to run roughshod over England, who crumbled to 110 for 9 in their 20 overs.Hayley Jensen finished with three wickets while Devine and Fran Jonas took two apiece as New Zealand reversed their hefty defeat to England in their last group-stage game. Devine then struck 51 not out to ease the team to victory with 49 balls to spare.Wheels fall off EnglandNew Zealand made a fine start to the contest when Danni Wyatt was out on the first ball of Jensen’s opening over – the seventh delivery of the match – to a sharp catch by Suzie Bates at cover.Alice Capsey, the youngster who has more than once lifted England after the loss of early wickets this summer, then edged Hannah Rowe behind to Isabella Gaze and England were 10 for 2 in the third over.Nat Sciver restored the powerplay to respectable territory for England, however, cruising to 26 off 15 deliveries to make it 41 for 2 after six overs. But after adding just one more run to her score, Sciver saw her middle and off stumps flattened by a gem from Devine.Bowling to bronzeWhen Jonas, who made her T20I debut earlier in the tournament, had Maia Bouchier out lbw attempting to sweep a fuller ball which struck her back leg, England slumped to 57 for 5 at the halfway point of their innings. Katherine Brunt then lofted Jonas straight down the ground and Maddy Green sat under the ball at long-on for a straightforward catch.Sophie Devine celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesIt was going to take something special from Sophie Ecclestone and Amy Jones to haul their side out of trouble and they took England to the 100-mark but that was as far as they got. Jensen bowled Jones and Issy Wong in the space of three balls, the former losing her middle stump and the latter falling to a textbook yorker that sent off-stump flying and had the home side in disarray.Tempers frayBefore Jones and Wong fell, Ecclestone had pumped Lea Tahuhu for six over deep midwicket in a clear sign of her strength in England’s lower middle order. But when Devine ripped out Ecclestone’s off stump with an excellent fuller ball she had to depart for 18 off 21.Ecclestone let her disappointment boil over when she reached the top of the stairs leading to the changeroom and smashed the back of a chair with her bat, knocking it over. It came after Brunt had received an official reprimand and one demerit point for using an audible obscenity when she had a catch off Deepti Sharma dropped the previous day as the pressure on the host nation began to show.’Old’ hands make light work’Experienced’ is a better word than ‘old’ to describe New Zealand’s opening pair, Devine and Bates, who broke the back of their light run chase to reach 54 without loss inside the first five overs. Sarah Glenn took a blinder of a reflex catch, thrusting both hands above her head instinctively at short fine leg to remove Bates for 20 off just 10 balls pulling a short, leg-side delivery from Sciver but failing to beat Glenn’s reaction time.Devine had just moments earlier launched Sciver’s first delivery over the rope at deep midwicket but then Georgia Plimmer – who made her international debut against Australia the previous evening – edged Freya Kemp to Sciver at slip via keeper Jones’ glove. Devine remained in command though, raising her 39-ball fifty and levelling the scores by powering Wong to the deep midwicket boundary. In one last low for England, Devine skied the next ball and Sciver, running in to mid-on, let the catch slip through her fingers, the resulting single giving New Zealand the win.

The January transfer window has been open for over two weeks and Leeds United have yet to dip into the market to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

They will remain at the top of the Championship table if they beat Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Sunday, which means that they are in a very good position in the league as it stands.

However, Daniel Farke may still want to add to his options across the pitch by bringing in more quality to help with the promotion push in the months to come.

Leeds must also consider that some players may need to be replaced, whether that is this month or in the summer, with Junior Firpo one of the stars out of contract at the end of the season.

Junior Firpo's form this season

The former Barcelona defender, who is currently out through injury, has been the go-to left-back for Farke when fit, starting all 15 of his appearances in the Championship this term.

There is not any news currently out there to suggest that he is close to signing a new contract, but it has not been confirmed that the defender will be moving on from Elland Road in the summer, which means that his future is up in the air.

Firpo has provided one goal and three assists from left-back in his 15 appearances, to go along with 3.8 tackles and interceptions combined per match.

This shows that he offers an attacking threat going forward from his defensive positions, whilst also being able to get back in to make challenges to win the ball back for his side.

Farke and Leeds could, though, sign a dream replacement for him by moving for reported transfer target Bali Mumba, who they are said to have sent scouts to watch this season.

Why Bali Mumba would be a dream Junior Firpo replacement

The Pilgrims defender could come in as an excellent signing to replace Firpo if the left-back moves on from West Yorkshire at the end of his contract this summer for a number of reasons.

He would come in as a young talent, at the age of 23, with plenty of time left to develop and improve under Farke’s coaching, whilst he also worked with the German boss at Norwich City and made his Premier League debut for the manager.

Mumba has also showcased his quality in the Championship this season for Plymouth and this, along with his relationship with the Leeds coach, suggests that he could hit the ground running at Elland Road.

Appearances

26

15

Big chances created

2

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.9

3.8

Duel success rate

55%

56%

Dribbled past per game

0.4x

0.8x

As you can see in the table above, the Plymouth star may not make as many tackles and interceptions per game but Firpo is dribbled past twice as many times per match, which suggests that opposition forwards find it harder to get past Mumba.

The English whiz, who was once hailed as “pacey” by Farke, also produced six goals and seven assists for the Pilgrims in the 2022/23 League One title-winning campaign, and this shows that the potential is there for him to improve his attacking output whilst playing in a dominant, promotion-chasing, side.

Overall, the £15k-per-week star, who can play at right-back or left-back, could be a dream replacement for Firpo as a young talent with experience in the Championship and the raw materials, defensively and offensively, to be a terrific option for Leeds.

Leeds make contact to sign "incredible" star, it's bye-bye Bamford

Leeds United have reportedly made a move to sign the centre-forward this month.

ByDan Emery Jan 18, 2025

Umran Malik, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sarfaraz Khan also make the cut for the three four-day games

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2022Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna have been named among a contingent of international players in the India A squad to face New Zealand A over the course of three unofficial Tests starting on September 1.A majority of the 16-member squad consists of up-and-comers such as Umran Malik, the Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler, who lit up IPL 2022 with his ability to bowl at 150kph, and Tilak Varma, the Hyderabad batter who earned high praise from Mahela Jayawardene while playing for Mumbai Indians.A couple of India A mainstays – Priyank Panchal, who will captain the side, and Abhimanyu Easwaran – are to shoulder most of the batting burden in the long-form matches. Both players have an enviable record in first-class cricket as well as the experience of being around India’s Test squad.ESPNcricinfo LtdAlso part of the squad are Rajat Patidar, who scored a century in an IPL knockout match this year; Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been travelling with India’s white-ball teams as back-up opener; KS Bharat, widely regarded as Rishabh Pant’s understudy in Test cricket; and Sarfaraz Khan, the top run-getter in the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy with 982 from nine innings.India A and New Zealand A will play each other across three first-class matches to be held in Bengaluru and Hubli between September 1 and 18, and three 50-over matches to be held in Chennai between September 22 and 27. New Zealand A have named a strong squad for the tour.

Ollie Watkins has hit out at Unai Emery's decision to bench him for four of Aston Villa's last five games.

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Watkins chasing Villa recordCame off bench to score vs Saints Admits he is unhappy with Emery's decisionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The England international has been managing a knee injury in recent weeks and as a result has been forced to sit on the bench for four of Villa's last five games. Watkins' reduced role comes at an important time in the season with the Villans chasing the European spots and a place in the Champions League semi-finals. Unsurprisingly, the forward is not happy with the situation.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT WATKINS SAID

Speaking against the huge clash against Paris Saint-Germain, Watkins opened up on his frustrations, saying: "For me, I’m not happy to sit on the bench. It’s disappointing every game that I’m on the bench, but it’s the manager’s decision at the end of the day."

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Watkins' frustrations also come from the fact that he is closing in on a record for Aston Villa. The 29-year-old is one goal away from matching Gabby Agbonlohor's 74 Premier League goals.

He added: "Am I aware of the record? Of course I am. That is why I wanted to take the penalty as well. To equal it, then one more to get the record. Two more to beat it. I am thinking of breaking it. I will do it at some point and I’m looking forward to that day."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WATKINS & VILLA?

Watkins only played 11 minutes of Villa's 3-1 loss in the Champions League first leg against PSG. He will be hoping to see more minutes at Villa Park as Emery's men look to pull off a seemingly impossible task and book their place in the semi-finals.

Managing director says decision to drop opener was “the one we spent the most time on”

Vithushan Ehantharajah02-Sep-2022Rob Key says the decision to drop Jason Roy was the most deliberated-over part of a “fiddly” selection for England’s 15-man squad for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.Having been almost an ever-present in the limited-overs teams since 2015, with 171 caps and 5500 runs across both white-ball codes, the opening batter has endured a rotten run of form in the home season, with just 78 runs (at an average of 12.66) in six T20Is this summer. The hope from all involved was that the Hundred would offer the opportunity to rediscover his touch, only for the rut to continue with just 51 runs across six innings, with three ducks to boot, for Oval Invincibles.Key, who is temporarily acting as chair of selectors in his role as managing director, revealed Jonny Bairstow will open with Jos Buttler at the World Cup, with the onus on Ben Stokes to fill the middle-order role Bairstow had spent time honing.Related

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England keep faith with old guard as Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes return for T20 World Cup

Although there are seven T20Is in Pakistan ahead of the global tournament in Australia, the ICC deadline of September 16 for naming the 15 players plus three reserves meant using that tour as one last shot for Roy to come good was not a viable option.”That was the one we spent the most time on, trying to work out the best thing to do,” Key said. “Fiddly selection as much for logistics as anyone else. We worked out the World Cup 11 and squad for that, and worked back from there. We thought about the best opening pair for the World Cup. It’s unfortunate timing for Jason Roy as much as anything else. He’s hit a bad patch of form at the worst time.”The latest we could announce the World Cup squad was the 16th. So it wasn’t like we could use Pakistan. We’d be taking a gamble on him finding form in that time. So we felt with the abundance of openers we had, and we felt Jonny Bairstow is one of the best openers in T20 cricket in the world – he’s done it in the IPL, but been very good in the middle order as well – we felt the best combination at this time was Jonny and Jos and we worked back from that point.”Roy was informed of the decision by Buttler a couple of days ago – the captain wanting to deliver the bad news himself. Chats with Key and limited-overs coach Matthew Mott followed. All reinforced the fact they believe the 32 year old is by no means finished at international level.”‘Gutted’ was the phrase he used,” Key said. “He wanted to make sure this wasn’t the end. You always feel these are long meaningful chats when you speak to players about this stuff.”I still think he’s a fantastic player but the timing has been awful for him, to lose form at that time. To not have a huge amount of time to stop, reset, and then find it again. Certainly in that white-ball series [against South Africa], the close nature of every game means once you got on a roll in one way it’s very hard to get out of.”The game is about confidence as much as anything else. If he finds that again he too is one of the best openers around when he’s at the top of his game. I don’t see it by any stretch that his T20 career is over. It’s just a case of him finding form, and I’m sure he will have plenty of opportunities in the abundance of T20 cricket that there is around the world to find that form again.”I certainly don’t think the age that he is that this is the end of Jason Roy. I would argue that the 50-over format is his strongest suit and we still see him as very much part of this set-up. Given his white-ball summer and then the Hundred we feel it’s too much of a gamble to continue going into Pakistan and straight into Australia.”Alex Hales, who has not represented England since being dropped for the 2019 50-over World Cup over a second failed drugs test, was also discussed. Though unselected, Key reiterated his stance that Hales had done “his time for his misdemeanours” and was left out purely on form. The Nottinghamshire batter was regarded as secondary to Bairstow for the vacant opening slot. That he has not made the squad at all, given he can bat anywhere in the top three and has been a consistent scorer in the shortest formats over the last few years, has bemused many, including, Key revealed, the man himself.Alex Hales was unable to force his way into England’s plans•ECB/Getty ImagesKey also made a note of saying Hales, had he been selected, would have been welcomed back into the team. Under former captain Eoin Morgan, Hales seemed to be unofficially blacklisted. Stokes, during the press tour for his new documentary, was non-committal on his relationship with Hales after they were both caught up in the Bristol street fight in 2017 which eventually saw Stokes found not guilty of affray. When speaking of the incident in , Stokes referred to Hales as his “friend at the time”.”From what we’ve spoken about, it’s never been an issue really as far as we were concerned,” Key said in response to a query on how the rest of the team would have taken Hales’ inclusion. “We were able to just talk about form.”And look, I spoke to Alex Hales. He rang me actually, and he argued why he wasn’t there and I think quite right too. I much prefer when these people pick up the phone and say, ‘come on then, why wasn’t I there?’ I’ve a huge amount of respect for that as opposed to people who go behind the scenes moaning about why they’ve not been picked for something.”You look and it’s just an unfortunate time where there’s a hell of a lot of very good players. People say it’s a good problem to have but it’s not straightforward with who you pick as a batter in this format of white-ball cricket because there’s so many good options. There’s a lot of people who have also missed out who quite rightly could have said ‘how come I’m not in?’.”Even with those selected, there remains a degree of uncertainty on a few first-choice names. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, while fit after knee and elbow issues respectively, have not played any competitive cricket this summer and last played for England during the Test tour of West Indies back in March.Chris Jordan (finger) and Liam Livingstone (ankle) are also nursing injuries and will sit out the Pakistan tour, while Buttler will hand over captaincy duties to Moeen Ali in Pakistan as he continues to recover from a calf injury.Key acknowledged the gamble of selecting players with question marks over their immediate availability. He hopes the time remaining between now and England’s first group game against Afghanistan on October 22, which includes seven matches in Pakistan plus three T20Is against Australia and ICC warm-ups on the eve of the tournament, will be enough for them to prove their match fitness. And he also believes England’s depth, typified by the five uncapped players in the Pakistan touring party, will be able to cover for any late hitches.

“The likelihood is Wood and Woakes will start getting fit towards the back end of the Pakistan trip. We’ve got to somehow make sure if they are our best options they are in rhythm and in form”Rob Key

“You have your information from the medical teams on where they’re at and we are optimistic, I suppose. That might not be the best way to look at things with the way injuries have gone this year.”We sat down and looked at different scenarios – ‘what if he gets injured?’ Hopefully we have enough back up. The Pakistan trip has made it logistically a tough one to organise your squad for the World Cup. But it gives us a chance to look at other players.”Jonny and Ben aren’t going to be there, as multi-format players it’s just too much cricket for them. They’ve played a hell of a lot of cricket, IPL cricket, T20 cricket. It’s not like they don’t know the format. We’ve got a chance in Pakistan to look at the next generation almost, the next cabs off the rank in some regard. You never know, they may find themselves going to the World Cup.”The likelihood is with Wood and Woakes that they will start getting fit towards the back end of that Pakistan trip. We’ve got to somehow make sure if they are our best options they are in rhythm and in form. It’s no good having them back if they’re not able to perform to the best of their ability.”It’s great to have those guys back, people we haven’t had for a while in any format, and now let’s hope our luck changes in terms of injuries and we have those guys able to take a full role when it comes to the World Cup.”On the subject of Pakistan, Key insisted the floods has not changed the ECB’s stance on making the trip out there. On Friday, the death toll passed 1200 after irregular monsoons left around a third of the country under water. Having reneged on a trip last winter, the onus is on England to show solidarity with the PCB, with these T20s and the Test series in December making amends for 2021’s late withdrawal. Key, who was in Pakistan earlier this year to commentate on the Test series against Australia, hopes the trip will be a much-needed positive at such a trying time.”It’s a moving picture at the moment,” he said. “There’s been a hell of a lot of communication between people out there and the ECB, the PCA [Professional Cricketers’ Association]. But it’s a trip we’re desperate to go on and it’s going to take a lot for us not to get out there. I think hopefully us going out there and playing will be a positive for what’s been a pretty harrowing time for the people of that country. I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”

Darwin Nunez is being linked with a move away from Liverpool, and a Reds legend believes Borussia Dortmund would be an ideal club for him.

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Nunez is being tipped to leave LiverpoolUruguayan has scored just seven goals this termReds legend sees Dortmund as perfect landing spotFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Dietmar Hamann has touted Borussia Dortmund as a potentially perfect landing spot for Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay international is expected to leave Anfield following the end of this season and former Reds midfielder Hamann sees the Bundesliga as the ideal place for him to revitalise his career.

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Nunez joined Liverpool in 2022 for an initial fee of £64million with add-ons taking it to £85million following a two-season spell at Benfica in which he scored 48 goals. However, he has never come close to reaching those heights in the Premier League and has just seven goals in 42 appearances this season. The expectation is that he will bid farewell to the club after the end of what is set to be a title-winning season for the Reds.

WHAT HAMANN SAID

Hamann, via CoinCasino, said: "Darwin Nunez has carnage in him, but unfortunately we don’t see that enough. When it comes to Borussia Dortmund, they have nurtured players in the past and this season it looks like they won’t reach the Champions League.

"Jamie Gittens has made it clear that he will want to leave the club if that is the case so there might be some movement there. I'd love to see Nunez in the Bundesliga because forwards have rejuvenated or kicked started their careers here in the past.

"Looking at Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and more, the question might be whether Dortmund can afford him because Liverpool paid around £80million ($106M) and will want at least half of that back. But I think Nunez is tailor made for Borussia Dortmund.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR NUNEZ?

Depending on which clubs show interest, Nunez will have a decision to make about his future. Saudi Arabia is considered a possible destination for the 25-year-old, though any offers from Europe would surely be more tempting from a football perspective. Before it comes to that, however, he should at least be able to celebrate winning the Premier League with Liverpool.

Tony Mowbray would have been overjoyed by what he saw during his second game back in charge of West Bromwich Albion as the Baggies tore Portsmouth to shreds.

Indeed, his new side would end up beating John Mousinho’s men by five goals to one, with the emphatic nature of the scoreline made to look even more impressive by the fact West Brom’s main striker Josh Maja is sidelined through injury.

Although Mowbray would have been pleased by his side’s attacking intent without the ex-Sunderland man present, he will still be looking for some fresh blood in the striker department this transfer window as this new target begins to be linked with the Championship side.

West Brom interested in loan deal for PL ace

As per club insider DOOD, West Brom are now interested in securing a loan deal for Chelsea starlet Marc Guiu before next week’s deadline, having already lodged an enquiry in recent days.

The report further elaborates that other clubs are in the mix for the promising Spanish hotshot, with the ex-Barcelona attacker in need of some more game time away from being a reserve member of Enzo Maresca’s squad at Stamford Bridge.

This would see West Brom delve into the market again for some more up-and-coming gems, having already forked out £2.5m to win former Everton youth player Isaac Price.

Why Guiu could be the next Lukaku

The Baggies could well look to turn back time with this deal too, with the promotion hopefuls once gaining another promising Blues attacker like they managed with Romelu Lukaku back in 2012, as the loan switch in question then catapulted the imposing Belgian into the spotlight.

Guiu will hope the same can happen here as the 19-year-old has been tipped for greatness in the past, with signs of that promise coming to the forefront in spurts when playing in the first team ranks in West London.

So far this season, when gifted chances in the senior mix by Maresca, Guiu has delivered the goods with an impressive six strikes tallied up from 12 games, with all of those strikes coming in the UEFA Conference League.

Now, the former Barcelona man – who was labelled as “exquisite” by former Chelsea great Joe Cole earlier this campaign – will hope he can show off his class in a more testing environment such as the Championship to begin to really earn his stripes like Lukaku did.

After all, before his formative loan spell to the West Midlands came to be, Lukaku hadn’t quite transformed yet into the clinical attacker he’s known as today, with eight appearances in the Chelsea men’s set-up passing him by.

However, the switch to the Baggies helped the Belgian gain his confidence in the men’s game with a blistering 17 strikes coming his way from 38 total games, before then going to star at the likes of Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Guiu will hope his time at the Hawthorns can be as impactful if a move gets off the ground, having already bagged two goals in the Barca main team before Chelsea swooped in to further prove his raw ability to finish off chances under pressure.

Playing alongside the likes of Karlan Grant and other attackers at West Brom will no doubt be helpful for the 19-year-old’s development too, as Mowbray goes about leaving his mark on his new side in their ongoing quest to win promotion.

Mowbray has found his next Jobe Bellingham in "outstanding" West Brom ace

Tony Mowbray will enjoy working with this youngster at West Bromwich Albion.

ByKelan Sarson Jan 28, 2025

A former Bayern Munich technical director staunchly believes that signing a rival playmaker this summer that will guarantee them the Bundesliga title.

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Bayern desperate to sign Florian Wirtz A summer transfer could be on the cards Bundesliga 'guaranteed' if Wirtz arrives, according to former Bayern chief Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Bayern Munich technical director Michael Reschke is of the firm opinion that Florian Wirtz's switch from Bayer Leverkusen to their rivals at the Allianz Arena would ensure that the Bavarians "definitely become German champions before the season starts."

AdvertisementWHAT MICHAEL RESCHKE SAID

Speaking on Sky Sport Germany, Reschke said: "If you get Wirtz, you will definitely be German champions. It's like a guarantee. The question of who will win the championship will then be definitely settled before the start of the season."

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From the perspective of Reschke, who also worked as a manager at Bayer Leverkusen for many years, Wirtz's move to Bayern would therefore be a "disadvantage for the Bundesliga." As a result, a possible transfer of the young star from Leverkusen to Munich must be viewed "with mixed feelings."

For Bayern, who have repeatedly expressed their interest in Wirtz in public, Reschke sees only advantages. With the 21-year-old, they would have a "much, much better chance of winning the Champions League," he said, adding with regard to the quality of the midfield around Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala: "Then you're sensational in the centre of the game."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Recent reports from Germany revealed that Bayern are preparing to implement drastic cost-cutting measures to fund Wirtz's transfer this summer. Indeed, it has been reported that the entire operation of the German international's arrival could cost Die Roten around €250 million (£210m/$280m).

A fit-again Daryl Mitchell is likely to return, in place of Mark Chapman, for New Zealand

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Oct-20221:29

Tim Southee: On the day everyone poses different threats

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Fatigue-wise, New Zealand have had a kind start to the tournament. They thrashed Australia in Sydney, then took the short flight to Melbourne, where their match against Afghanistan was rained out without a ball being bowled. They’d have preferred to play that match, of course, but they’ve not had to contend with crazy schedules or serious changes in timezone.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been whipped around, and they arrive in Sydney in some disarray. They’d started their campaign in Geelong, in the qualifiers, and have since lost no fewer than three fast bowlers to injury. Then three days after the qualifiers ended, they were playing a match in Hobart. Two days after that they played Australia in Perth. Now they’ve been shot back across the breadth of the continent to Sydney. Within the side, there seems to be a little consternation about their schedule, by the way. Their next match, on Tuesday, is in Brisbane. Then they come back to Sydney.Related

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Sri Lanka tend to find grievance in high-profile assignments, however, but perhaps more importantly, they have a history of weaponising that grievance, to blast their way to good results. Test tours of South Africa in 2019, England in 2014, the T20 World Cup in 2014, and of course the big one – the 1996 World Cup – are some examples. But here they are up against a side that seems much-better drilled, and way more settled than they are.Out of 13 completed matches this year, New Zealand have lost only three. They have a nuclear top order, good firepower through the middle, and a top-class seam attack for Australian conditions. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are getting by on top-order runs without the middle order really contributing, and their attack looks more vulnerable following Tuesday’s loss to Australia.Sri Lanka have to dig deep and find a new gear to overcome their cricketing, and fatigue-related circumstances. New Zealand merely have to build on what they’ve already been doing.Form guide
New Zealand WLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWWLIn the spotlight
That the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson are good at turning it on is known, but don’t sleep on Mitchell Santner, who has put up some impressive stats this year. Against Australia, he took 3 for 31 bowling inside the powerplay, and then through the middle overs. In T20Is this year, he has 17 wickets from 12 games, with an economy rate of 6.69.Wanindu Hasaranga went for 0 for 53 against Australia•ICC via Getty ImagesIt’s not often that Wanindu Hasaranga gets taken apart, but he clearly was in the last match, going for 0 for 53 from his three overs, as he kept trying to toss the ball up and get Australia’s batters caught in Perth’s big outfield, but failed repeatedly. Perth’s bouncier pitch didn’t quite suit his bowling but Sydney, where Sri Lanka’s spinners have done well in the past, may suit him nicely. It’s rare that he has two bad games in a row.Pitch and conditions
Thankfully, after two rained-out games on Friday, the forecast looks good in Sydney. This match will be played on a fresh pitch, and the short boundary will be the opposite direction to New Zealand’s first game here. The SCG has generally been the best batting surface so far in the tournament.Team news
Pramod Madushan will likely slot in for Binura Fernando, who was the third Sri Lanka quick to be ruled out of the tournament.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Pramod Madushan, 11 Lahiru KumaraNew Zealand are set to bring in Daryl Mitchell for Mark Chapman.New Zealand (possible): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt.), 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultStats and trivia
Pathum Nissanka is the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is this year, with 636 from 21 innings. But those runs have come at a strike rate of only 111. Sri Lanka have been one of Santner’s favourite opponents in the past. He has taken seven wickets against them in five matches at a strike rate of 6.26. New Zealand have won 10 and lost seven T20Is against Sri Lanka. In T20 World Cups, however, the tally is 4-1 in Sri Lanka’s favour, though they haven’t met at this tournament since 2014.Quotes
“If it’s a good batting wicket and a fast outfield, the runs are there for taking. We need to go with a different game plan on a pitch like this..”
Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz on needing to adjust to Sydney, having played in three other venues in the past 12 days.“Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve played, but we’ve had a couple of good trainings in between.”
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee on the entirely different kind of challenge that his team faces.