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Griffin coached Western Storm to two KSL titles in first of two stints in charge of regional side

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2024Somerset have appointed Trevor Griffin as head coach of their women’s team. Griffin, who has signed a two-year deal, previously had two spells coaching Western Storm in the women’s regional structure.He oversaw Storm’s two Kia Super League successes between 2017 and 2019, before moving on to coach Sunrisers and London Spirit in the Hundred. He also had a four-season spell in charge of Sydney Thunder in the WBBL.A former district sales manager with Nationwide, Griffin took an unusual route into coaching, via the Devon Cricket Board, Chance to Shine, and the University of Exeter. He worked for Canterbury Cricket in New Zealand before being offered the job of analyst and assistant coach at Western Storm, and was subsequently promoted to head coach when Caroline Foster stepped down.Griffin returned to take charge of Storm in 2022 and will now oversee the reintegration between women’s cricket and the county game at Taunton.”I’m absolutely thrilled. To be the first Head Coach and lead Somerset Women into this new era is a huge honour and I’m really excited for the future,” Griffin said. “Women’s cricket is going from strength to strength, and we’ve seen tremendous growth in the southwest in recent years. To be able to build on this as we move forward with Somerset is incredibly motivating for staff and players alike.”Somerset has a great history of supporting women’s cricket, and I can’t wait to share our knowledge and experience and work alongside their staff and players as we build a women’s squad to compete for top honours, inspire others and entertain the fans.”Somerset director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “Trevor is a coach who has achieved domestic success both in England and in Australia. He has a really strong understanding of our domestic structure which will enable him to lead this team into an exciting new era for the women’s game.”He has built and developed key relationships with players and staff across the region during his time with Western Storm and he is someone who shares the values that we at Somerset adhere to both on and off the field.”Trevor is held in high regard by players and staff alike and we very much look forward to working with him as we commence our journey to build a team and a brand of cricket that competes on all fronts and inspires the next generation of players.”

Nottingham Forest make their long-awaited comeback to the European stage this season and have a World Cup winner in their sights that they hope will join the party, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest await outcome on Morgan Gibbs-White conundrum

By now, everyone connected with the Tricky Trees will know Morgan Gibbs-White is at the centre of an impasse after Nottingham Forest threatened legal action after Tottenham Hotspur activated his release clause.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the England international will stay put. The summer window is far from over, and plenty of twists and turns remain despite his return to training and appearance against AS Monaco in a friendly last weekend.

Addressing his future, Ola Aina confirmed that Gibbs-White is maintaining a professional approach despite rumours surrounding his future at the City Ground.

He stated: “He’s keeping it professional; I don’t know the ins and outs of that. He was here today, playing, and he’s training, keeping fit as normal. At the end of the day, we’re all professionals – we’ve got a job to do and that’s what Morgan is doing right now. He’s keeping it professional.”

Regardless, Nottingham Forest are targeting a move for Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, even if West Ham United have already submitted a £34 million offer to bring him to the London Stadium.

Nottingham Forest reach full agreement to sell "wonderful" ace in £19m deal

The Tricky Trees are set to net a windfall…

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 18, 2025

Nuno Espirito Santo and his side are awaiting the outcome of Crystal Palace’s appeal against Europa League expulsion. That may take a few weeks, though they are preparing for European football regardless, potentially paving the way for additions.

Now, with optimism growing in the East Midlands, there is every chance a World Cup winner could be on their way to join the Tricky Trees’ mission.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Nahuel Molina

According to reports in Spain via Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have initiated contact with Atletico Madrid star Nahuel Molina’s camp, as it has become apparent that he is set to leave the Spanish capital this summer due to his non-EU status.

Marc Pubill has joined Diego Simeone’s men, leaving World Cup winner Molina free to explore a move elsewhere, which could occur in the form of a loan switch to the City Ground.

Nahuel Molina in La Liga – would he be a good signing for Nottingham Forest?

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The prospect of the 27-year-old coming to the East Midlands permanently also hasn’t been ruled out, and Nottingham Forest are at an advantage in their pursuit after Juventus decided to intensify their efforts to sign Porto’s João Mario.

Deemed to be on the ‘exit ramp’ at the Wanda Metropolitano, Molina is firmly in the sights of Espirito Santo and would arrive off the back of 46 outings last season across all competitions.

With the scene set for Nottingham Forest to pounce, it remains to be seen if they can tempt the Argentina international with the prospect of a shot at the Premier League.

The wicketkeeper-batter will continue to play BBL and other franchise T20 tournaments

Andrew McGlashan29-Oct-2024Matthew Wade has announced his retirement from international cricket and will immediately transition into a coaching role with Australia for the T20I series against Pakistan next month.Wade was part of Australia’s side at the T20 World Cup in June and it had been expected that tournament would mark the end of his international career after he was overlooked for the tour of the UK in September. In March he had retired from red-ball cricket after Tasmania’s run to the Sheffield Shield final.Related

Wade to retire from first-class cricket after Sheffield Shield final

Rizwan announced white-ball captain; Babar, Afridi, Naseem return for Australia tour

Australia Test players rested for T20Is against Pakistan with captain to be named

Wade will continue to play in the BBL for Hobart Hurricanes and some franchise tournaments around the world. He will also now work with what is a reasonably youthful Australia T20I squad which will be coached by Andre Borovec while Andrew McDonald and his other assistants preparing for the Test series against India. Wade will also spend time with Australia’s coaching group during the ODI series in an unofficial capacity.”I was fully aware my international days were most likely over at the end of the last T20 World Cup. My international retirement and coaching has been a constant conversation with George [Bailey] and Andrew [McDonald] over the past six months,” Wade said.”Coaching has been on my radar over the last few years and thankfully some great opportunities have come my way, for which I am very grateful and excited.”Overall, Wade played 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20Is for Australia between 2011 and 2024. He was a key figure in their T20 World Cup title in the UAE in 2021 where he became a finisher, hitting an unbeaten 41 off 17 balls in the semi-final against Pakistan.Finest hour: Matthew Wade was a star of Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup title•ICC via Getty Images”As my international career closes, I want to thank all of my Australian team-mates, staff and coaches,” he said. “I enjoyed the ride as challenging as it can be at international level. Without good people around me I would have never got as much out of myself as I did.”I also thank my family, mum, dad and sisters for the countless hours they put in over the years getting me to games and training.”Lastly to Julia and the kids. I can’t thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made for me to continue to pursue my dreams. No words can explain how grateful I am to them, none of this would have happened without their support.”Wade’s Test career ended in 2021, during India’s previous tour, after he had made a successful return to the side as a specialist batter for the 2019 Ashes where he scored two centuries. His last ODI also came in 2021 when he briefly returned to the team after a gap of four years during the tour of West Indies in the Covid period.”Congratulations to Matthew on what has been a wonderful international career during which his skill and versatility has made him an outstanding performer across all formats,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said.”I’m delighted he will add to his massive contribution by coaching the next generation of stars and also continuing to light up the Big Bash with the Hobart Hurricanes.”

Despite only just signing Joao Palhinha, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly back in the market for a midfielder and in pole position to sign a La Liga star this summer.

Frank "surprised" by Palhinha deal

After securing a loan deal with an option to buy worth around £26m, Spurs may have just landed an underrated bargain by signing Palhinha. The Bayern Munich midfielder may have endured a tough year in Germany, but it was only two seasons ago that he thrived under Marco Silva at Fulham. And now, he could be the perfect fit for Thomas Frank.

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Instantly full of praise for his new arrival, Frank admitted his surprise over Bayern’s decision to open the door for Palhinha’s exit just one year after securing his signature.

The Spurs boss told reporters: “Yeah, I was a bit surprised. Bayern went hard for him for two years and for whatever reason, which I actually don’t care about because we can get him, it was an opportunity for us.

“Sometimes everything goes a little bit in circles. Sometimes it is impossible to get a number nine. Sometimes it is impossible to get a number six. Sometimes it is impossible to get a right-back. At this moment in time, there are not many clear number sixes in the market so we are quite lucky to get him.”

“I think he is a top player. He impressed everyone in the Premier League in the two years he was with Fulham. He is a regular for Portugal. Whatever the reason [Bayern let him go maybe] is the coach, the culture, the club, himself. Sometimes it is difficult to say. My concern is that he wanted to come and we wanted him to come.”

That said, the Lilywhites may not be done there with midfield additions. Alongside Palhinha, reports are now suggesting that they could welcome a second familiar face back to the Premier League.

Tottenham willing to submit Gallagher offer

According to reports in Spain, Tottenham are now willing to submit an offer worth €50m (£44m) to sign Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid this summer. The England international is reportedly free to leave the Spanish club this summer and it is those in North London who are in pole position to secure his signature.

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Unlike Palhinha in his first season away from the Premier League, Gallagher received ample game time at Atletico last season. But even after with that game time, he is seemingly destined to suffer the same exit fate as the Portuguese midfielder.

A player who Frank Lampard once dubbed an “amazing character”, Gallagher could now be on his way back to the Premier League and on his way to former London rivals Spurs.

Ruben Amorim has been warned he may not "make it to Christmas" at Manchester United, with his team still only "one bad performance away from crisis". The Red Devils have only picked up one win from their first three Premier League games of the new season and exited the Carabao Cup at the hands of League Two side Grimsby in the second round.

Amorim warned he might lose job before ChristmasBody language questioned by GallasMan Utd face Man City this SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has questioned Amorim's "body language" during United games, claiming that the Portuguese looks "lost" most of the time. He has also suggested that the 40-year-old could be sacked before the festive period gets underway in December.

AdvertisementWHAT GALLAS SAID

Speaking to , the ex-France international said: "The problem for Ruben right now is that he looks like he’s struggling for the solution on the bench. He looks like he’s trying to figure things out for the first time, trying to make them play better somehow. He looks lost. I don’t think his body language and manner, his emotional response, gives a great impression to his players and the fans of Manchester United. Looking at him, I don’t know if he will make it to Christmas, to be honest, because it feels like United are one defeat or one bad performance away from a crisis."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite Gallas' doubts, Amorim is planning team-bonding trips to Portugal and Dubai for warm-weather training over the winter, which will help to fill the gaps in United’s schedule. The Red Devils are not competing in Europe this season and their exit from the Carabao Cup means that the team will play just one midweek fixture – a Premier League clash with West Ham on December 3 – before Christmas.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Amorim's United team, who registered their first win of the 2025-26 campaign against Burnley before the international break, will next face local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Chakravarthy, Bishnoi claim three wickets apiece to secure 61-run win

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-20243:23

Samson and spinners see India dominate in Durban

Sanju Samson struck his second successive T20I century and shattered records and South African hopes at Kingsmead. His was the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian against South Africa and will be remembered as one of the most destructive.For India, runs came mostly in boundaries: 17 fours and 13 sixes, including seven fours and 10 sixes for Samson. Overall, 88 of his 107 runs were scored in boundaries and he was particularly brutal square of the wicket. He scored 69 runs from 19 balls in the region between point and cover and square leg and mid-wicket, and only 13 runs behind square. Samson took on the spinners with gusto and scored 58 runs off the 27 balls he faced from Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj and Nqaba Peter combined. He also shared in two explosive stands: 66 runs off 37 balls with his captain Suryakumar Yadav and 77 runs off 34 balls with Tilak Varma. That meant India’s innings had middle-order momentum that South Africa could not match.They may have thought they gave themselves a chance when they pulled India back at the end. South Africa were staring at conceding the highest total at Kingsmead and highest against India but after Samson’s dismissal in the 17th over, India scored 28 runs off 20 balls and lost four wickets. They still ended up with their fourth-highest total against South Africa, and it proved way too much.South Africa were never in the chase as only three batters scored more than 20 and there was only one partnership of more than 30. The two legspiners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each and conceded 53 runs in their eight overs after Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan made the initial breakthroughs which all pointed to a more experienced Indian bowling line-up.Gerald Coetzee’s comeback It has been 166 days between internationals for Gerald Coetzee but it did not seem like he had been away a day. Given the ball in the fourth over, Coetzee immediately started with a full delivery outside off and found some extra bounce. Abhishek Sharma tried to get under it and clear mid-off but only got the ball over Markram in the ring. He ran backwards and took the catch over his shoulder to bring out an almighty roar from Coetzee, who has recovered from a hip injury and had come back from a 12-week conditioning block.The rest of the over did not go quite as well. India’s captain Suryakumar hit Coetzee over his head for four and then over fine leg for six to take 10 runs off his opening over. Coetzee closed out the Powerplay which India finished on 56 for 1. Coetzee also made an in-match comeback when he was called on to bowl at the death and had Hardik Pandya caught at deep point for just 2 and Rinku Singh caught behind with his penultimate ball.Varun Chakravarthy finished with 3 for 25•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesKruger’s timeless over which ended with a wicket Patrick Kruger started off with what seemed like a good plan to keep India quiet – a slower ball that Suryakumar had to dig out but Samson was in no mood to be stopped by that. The next ball was also slower and hit over long-off. Kruger put in extra effort in response and overstepped. Then sent down a full toss. Then a wide, a no-ball and another wide and he still had three balls left to bowl. He got it right with a full delivery outside off, then pulled his length back and could not resist going back to pace off to end the over. His 11th ball was a knuckle ball which Suryakumar dragged to deep square leg where debutant Andile Simelane was stationed. He put the nerves aside to make his first contribution to the game, and not a moment too soon. Simelane was brought on as South Africa’s seventh bowler, in the 10th over.Tilak too good to be left out Tilak hit the second ball he faced with the wind over deep backward square for six as he joined in on the boundary hitting action. He sent the first ball of Peter’s second over between deep mid-wicket and deep backward square for four and then tore Kruger’s tactic to avoid the shorter leg-side boundary to shreds. He hit over backward point and slog swept over fine leg. His innings was cut short when he hit Maharaj to the deep backward square boundary where Marco Jansen took a good catch but his cameo gave India’s innings middle-order momentum.Markram’s lean run continues, as does South Africa’sIt has been 25 innings and two years since Markram scored a T20I half-century and the run continued with a seventh single-figure score in this match. Markram looked especially out of sorts when he tried to play Arshdeep through mid-wicket but closed the face of the bat too early and got a faint edge to Samson to fall in the first over. That set the tone for an innings in which South Africa were never really able to get going. Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton were both dismissed in the Powerplay, which South Africa ended on 49 for 3. The combination of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller put on 42 in 6,1 overs but when they were separated, South Africa crumbled. They were bowled out inside 18 overs and were bowled out for their fourth-lowest score against India to lose the series opener by 61 runs.Varun removes South Africa’s best Chakravarthy took out South Africa’s two middle-order players and he got them in the space of three balls. In his final over, Klaasen tried to pull a slightly shorter ball but sent it straight to Axar Patel at long-on. And two balls later, Miller hit Chakravarthy to Avesh at square leg and South Africa went from 79 for 3 to 87 for 5 and were looking straight at defeat.

Newcastle United is in desperate need of some fresh blood in the centre-forward department.

Not only are the Toon having to come to terms with Alexander Isak’s anticipated exit from St James’ Park, they are also light on their feet up top owing to Callum Wilson leaving the Premier League club behind this summer for a fresh chance at West Ham United.

With Isak also soon to be potentially out of the picture, that would leave the Magpies with just 21-year-old William Osula as an option to lead the line.

Therefore, it’s make-or-break territory for Eddie Howe’s side this month heading into September’s looming deadline, as they frantically look around now for striker recruits to boost the mood on Tyneside.

Newcastle confident about signing £50m star

Thankfully, the rumour mill has been going into overdrive linking the Premier League outfit with a whole host of exciting striker options.

Indeed, reports have even suggested that hot-and-cold Chelsea attacker Nicolas Jackson is on the Toon agenda, alongside the top-flight side eyeing up in-demand Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, with the likes of Aston Villa also keen.

However, away from this growing list of names, a report by the Daily Mail has stated that Newcastle remain confident about sealing a deal for long-term target Yoane Wissa.

The Toon will look to line up a move for the wantaway Brentford striker when Liverpool return with a new bid for Isak, having had an eye-watering £110m move turned away already. It’s stated that a mammoth £150m bid could get the pricey move up and running instead.

To add more fuel to the fire, it’s also stated that a move for Wissa to finally come to Tyneside would be back on the cards if Brentford can seal their own replacement, with £50m perhaps the magic amount here to see the Bees part ways with their star man.

This is a far more likely move than the waiting game surrounding Benjamin Sesko, with Wissa’s potential arrival on the scene also gifting Howe and Co. a dream Wilson upgrade after the declining 33-year-old veteran departed for East London.

How Wissa is a dream Wilson upgrade

Whilst Wilson’s playing days at the Toon had worryingly begun to fizzle out last season, Wissa was continuing to be a man possessed in front of goal for Brentford.

Last campaign, Wissa – who has been dubbed “incredible” in the past by ex-Bees boss Thomas Frank – would help himself to a devastating 20 goals in all competitions. On the contrary, his ageing counterpart would fail to muster up a single Premier League effort from 18 outings, as he sank more and more into the background as an unwanted member of Howe’s squad.

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Wilson might well be experiencing a depressing decline in performances, but the same can not be said for his Congolese counterpart, with that aforementioned 20-goal haul last season the sturdiest amount of strikes the 28-year-old has powered home across his four-season stint at Brentford.

The more experienced Wilson does have the added stature of 88 Premier League goals next to his name, with Wissa lagging behind on 45 strikes, but it’s unlikely that amount will increase too much for the Hammers, with the 33-year-old a regular in the treatment room when still situated at St James’ Park.

Staggeringly, the ex-AFC Bournemouth forward was missing from 57 games across the last two seasons through injury, meaning his once-notorious impact substitute billing took a beating. On the contrary, Wissa missed just six across the same period.

However, unlike Wilson, who had to frequently rely on scraps on Tyneside, the “remarkable” £50m striker – as he was further lauded by football journalist Zach Lowy – will surely be Howe’s main man in a post-Isak reality.

With Anthony Elanga also by his side, it will be a thrilling new dawn ahead for Newcastle in attack, as Wilson is likely to be quickly forgotten about, too, if Wissa is heroically leading the line.

Isak clone: Newcastle are in talks to sign £60m Premier League "monster"

Newcastle United are reportedly in talks to sign a striker who could be an Alexander Isak clone.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 2, 2025

Cummins says Australia hierarchy are “not beholden to stats” when it comes to appraising the lean run returns of Khawaja, McSweeney and Labuschagne

Alex Malcolm18-Dec-2024Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended the output of his top-three batters – particularly makeshift opener Nathan McSweeney – in difficult batting conditions, as Australia’s selectors mull their options for the final two Tests of the series.Australia’s selectors are due to meet on Thursday morning to select the sides for Melbourne and Sydney after a rain-affected draw in Brisbane left the Border-Gavaskar Trophy poised on a knife’s edge at 1-1.Top of the selectors’ agenda will be extra bowling cover for the injured Josh Hazlewood with Scott Boland the obvious man to come back into the XI. But it would be hard for them not to at least discuss the top three, and in particular their openers, after another difficult week in Brisbane.Related

India and Australia take a moment to recalibrate as Gabba stalemate leaves everything up for grabs

Hazlewood likely to miss rest of India series with calf strain

Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 on Wednesday, was undone by Jasprit Bumrah for the second time in the Test match and the fourth time in the series. His partner, McSweeney, escaped Bumrah’s clutches for the first time in the series but instead nicked a wide delivery from Akash Deep. Marnus Labuschagne nicked one of Bumrah’s most innocuous deliveries of the series for just 1 as Australia slumped to 16 for 3 on their way to a bizarre third innings of 89 for 7 declared as they tried fruitlessly to set up a result before rain ended the game.Labuschagne averages 16.40 across five innings in the series, with 64 of his 82 runs coming in one hit in Adelaide. McSweeney averages 14.40 with a highest score of 39. Khawaja is averaging just 12.60, having been arguably Australia’s most reliable batter in 2022 and 2023.It appears unlikely that any change will be made despite the lean returns.Calls from the public for 19-year-old phenom Sam Konstas are growing louder following his stunning 20-ball half-century on BBL debut for Sydney Thunder on Tuesday night. That followed his century against an India attack that featured all of the Test bowlers bar Bumrah.But Cummins defended the contributions of his top three in the context of Travis Head’s two magical centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, which according to the skipper were set up by the top three ensuring he didn’t walk out to face the new ball.”Everyone’s always hoping to score more runs,” Cummins said after rain ended the third Test. “I think the trend in world cricket pretty much all around the world is the top three is a really hard place to bat at the moment. Particularly here in Australia, the wickets are tough. I think there’s little snippets that have been important. Again, that first innings, Trav walks in 35 overs into the game, I think that makes a big difference, the same in Adelaide. Obviously they [the top three] would be hoping to score more runs, we’d like them to score more runs, but I think they have made some important contributions that others have benefited from.”Usman Khawaja has been cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah four times this series•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesBy that measure, Australia’s top three are doing their jobs given Head’s two centuries, plus Steven Smith’s century and Alex Carey’s 70 in Brisbane put Australia in commanding positions in both games. It is clear that Australia are content, given the quality of Bumrah and the difficulty of new-ball batting, to simply ask their top three to absorb pressure and buy Head time to come in and play the way he does.”The trend is, it seems like, five, six, seven is sometimes where a bulk of the runs are scored in Test cricket all around the world,” Cummins said. “I spoke ahead of this summer when there was all the talk about batting orders, we didn’t really want to move our five, six, seven – they’ve been so important to many of our wins over the last couple of years. We’re not beholden to stats, we know there are certain roles, there are easier times to bat, harder times to bat, just like bowlers, so you are always looking at the best seven batters who will function as a unit and place them as best you can.”McSweeney and Khawaja’s numbers look extremely lean compared to that of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are averaging 47 and 38.60 respectively in the same conditions against Australia’s attack. But Rahul’s 84 in Brisbane could have been 30 had Smith held a straightforward chance at slip on day four, while Jaiswal has made just 32 runs in five innings outside of his match-winning 161 in Perth.Cummins was particularly supportive of the job McSweeney has done in his first three Tests, having been asked to debut as an opener with no prior experience at Sheffield Shield level and just two brief innings in the role for Australia A.”It’s been really hard for the opening batters for both sides really,” Cummins said. “I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s gone about it. Even today, someone starting out his career still being selfless enough to go out there and try to play shots rather than try and preserve and get a score. Really impressed with him, again probably hasn’t scored the runs he would have liked, but he has played some important knocks that have set up a win in Adelaide and a really good result here.”

Sam Kerr returned with a bang for Chelsea as the Australia international made her long-awaited comeback from a serious injury. After spending 20 months stuck on the sidelines, with it proving difficult to overcome an ACL setback, the Blues superstar was back among the goals when finding the target late on in a WSL clash with Aston Villa in the West Midlands.

What happened to Kerr? When injury was sustained

It was revealed in January 2024 that Kerr had picked up an injury that would keep her out of action for a considerable period of time. Few could have predicted at that stage that she would miss so much action for club and country.

AdvertisementWatch Kerr score first goal after 20 months outLong wait finally over for Australian superstar

A long road to recovery has been taken in, with Kerr working her way through the most gruelling of rehabilitation programmes. She had been hoping to grace the field again before the 2024-25 campaign came to a close, but said season proved to be a complete write off.

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GettyWho did Kerr return against? Emotional comeback

Chelsea confirmed that Kerr was training with their first team in August, which hinted at an imminent return to competitive action being made. Said appearance finally arrived, 634 days after her last, when paying a visit to Villa Park.

As they do every year, Chelsea have really made the most of the transfer window so far.

The board have been able to shift players like Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke while bringing in a handful of seriously exciting and potentially game-changing talents.

The likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens should make them far more dangerous in attack, while Jorrel Hato looks like he could develop into a superstar defender.

Moreover, the Blues clearly want to do even more business before the window closes and have been linked with someone who could be their own Eberechi Eze.

Chelsea target their own Eze

Despite already doing so much business this summer, Chelsea appear intent on bringing in at least a few more players.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, the deal for Alejandro Garnacho seems to be moving along at a pace, and Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapié continues to be touted for a move to Stamford Bridge following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury.

However, there is an even more exciting deal the West Londoners could pull off this summer that would see them land someone who could be their own Eze.

At least that is according to a recent report by Kieran Gill, who has reaffirmed Chelsea’s interest in Xavi Simons.

More than that, though, Gill has revealed that, despite interest from Bayern Munich, the RB Leipzig star “only wants Chelsea” this summer.

While no price for the Dutchman is mentioned in the report, stories from earlier this summer claim that a fee of around £61m should be enough to tempt the German side into selling.

It would be a significant investment from Chelsea, but Simons has proven himself over the last few years and could even be their own version of Eze.

Why Simons could be Chelsea's Eze

Now, even though Simons is five years his junior, and therefore in a different phase of his career and development, there are still some key similarities he shares with Eze, such as his versatility.

For example, even though he has been described as “one of the best 10s in the world” by one analyst, and has spent plenty of time playing there, the 22-year-old dynamo is just as comfortable off the left.

In fact, the Amsterdam-born star is more versatile than the Englishman, as he can also play off the right and has even spent some time playing up top as a centre-forward.

The second similarity with the Palace star is his effectiveness when it comes to goals and assists.

In just 33 appearances for Leipzig last season, totalling 2763 minutes, the dynamic “game-changer,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, put the ball in the back of the net 11 times and then provided eight assists to boot.

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That means that the former PSV Eindhoven gem maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 145.42 minutes.

Finally, just as the former QPR gem has been entertaining fans in the Premier League for a few years now, the former Paris Saint-Germain ace is the sort of player who’ll get fans on their feet.

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last season for passes into the penalty area, through balls and carries into the final third, all per 90.

In other words, on top of his brilliant output, the Flying Dutchman is someone who will progress the game for his side, either with pinpoint accurate passes into dangerous areas, or bringing it there with a dribble.

Ultimately, while it might take him a little while to adjust to the Premier League, Simons looks like he has everything he’d need to be the next Eze, and therefore, Chelsea should be doing all they can to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea verbally agree deal for £192k-a-week star but need Nkunku to leave

It’s a case of one in, one out at Stamford Bridge.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 16, 2025