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Manchester City have a historic summer transfer window ahead of them. The disappointing season they have endured in 2024/25 is almost over, and there is a chase to strengthen the squad in the summer, ahead of the Club World Cup and then the 2025/26 campaign.

It will be all change at the Etihad Stadium next term. Talisman Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club after a decade of success in the famous Sky Blue shirt, including the famous treble in 2022/23. He might not be the only club legend to leave on a free, given that Ilkay Gundogan’s contract is up in a few months.

It means that City will almost certainly sign a new midfielder this summer, and there has already been an update on their targets.

The latest on City's midfielder transfer plans

Well, it is going to be a crucial few months at City, and that all starts with their new director of football, Hugo Viana. The former Sporting CP director, who worked with Manchester United boss Ruben Amoirm, will take over from Txiki Begiristain at the helm in East Manchester.

According to the highly reputable David Ornstein, City’s hunt for transfer targets will “ramp up” now that Viana’s role at the Etihad Stadium is sorted. The journalist has already confirmed two of the De Bruyne replacements they are eyeing up.

City are believed to be targeting Nottingham Forest number 10 Morgan Gibbs-White and Bayer Leverkusen and Germany starlet Florian Wirtz as potential replacements for their outgoing club legend.

There is not a clear first-choice target for the Mancunian side at this stage, and more could well emerge.

However, a deal to sign Wirtz in particular could be an expensive one. Sky Germany reported at the end of March that he could cost as much as £101m if a deal was to be struck.

With that hefty price in mind, perhaps City will be put off any potential deal. This could lead to them turning to an academy star to fill the void left by De Bruyne.

Man City's in-house Wirtz and Gibbs-White solution

There is plenty of attacking talent in the City academy, as you might expect. One of the most exciting players in that group is Reigan Heskey, the son of former England striker Emile and brother of Jaden, another City academy starlet.

Said to possess “Rashford-like ability” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the 17-year-old has made a big impression this term for City’s academy. In 33 appearances across all competitions, he’s amassed an impressive goal tally of 24, as well as grabbing eight assists.

U18 Premier League

17

15

6

UEFA Youth League

8

3

0

FA Youth Cup

4

2

1

Premier League 2

3

3

1

EFL Trophy

1

1

0

It is worth noting that Heskey is, by trade, a winger rather than a number 10, like Gibbs-White and Wirtz. The latter can play in a wide area as well, but, if Pep Guardiola wanted to unleash the youngster, he could move Jack Grealish or Phil Foden into a more central role and play Heskey as a left-winger, where he truly excels.

There is no doubt that the teenager, who is an England U17 international, is an exciting talent. He is a tricky winger who excels when isolated against the full-back, thriving in one-vs-one situations. He also has a natural eye for goal, just as his father did.

Football scout Antonio Mango once said that Heskey is a player who “can’t be ignored” any longer by City. His goal involvement numbers this term across academy sides are exceptional, and it really does feel like he is ready to explode in first-team football.

With De Buryne guaranteed to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, perhaps that opens the door for Heskey’s inclusion in the first team. It certainly would be a very much-deserved opportunity.

Bigger talent than De Bruyne: Man City lead race to sign £87m "superstar"

Manchester City have a huge task in replacing Kevin De Bruyne this summer but have wasted no time in the window.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 8, 2025

A look at some of the takeaways from the men’s and women’s Super Smash that ended with Central Stags and Wellington Blaze winning respective titles

Deivarayan Muthu04-Feb-2025Stags’ youngsters roarNo Doug Bracewell (at the SA20 with Joburg Super Kings). No Ajaz Patel (injury). No Seth Rance (retired). No Josh Clarkson (impending fatherhood). No problem for Stags as they toppled a powerful Canterbury Kings side that included as many as ten players who have played international cricket for New Zealand.For the Stags, it was William Clark, 23, and Curtis Heaphy, 21, who sealed their chase of 136. Toby Findlay, another youngster, sparkled in the final, coming away with 3 for 29 in his four overs, including the big wicket of Daryl Mitchell. Having sussed out that the pitch was two-paced, Findlay used his variations well, often digging the ball into the track to mess with the timing of Kings’ batters. In his first season as a contracted CD player, Findlay emerged as a Super Smash champion and promises more for the future.Blair Tickner, the senior Stags seamer, finished with a chart-topping 16 wickets in nine innings at an average of 18.43 and economy rate of 9.21.Amelia Kerr shone with bat and ball in the Women’s Super Smash•Getty ImagesAmelia Kerr at it with ball and batHaving won the T20 World Cup with New Zealand in 2024, Kerr added the women’s Super Smash trophy to her cabinet. She racked up 441 runs in 12 innings – the highest in the men’s or women’s Super Smash this season – to go with 15 wickets in 11 innings at an economy rate of 6.06. Two of those wickets came in the final where Blaze successfully defended 104 in front of their home crowd.Kerr was also in the thick of the action in the Eliminator against Northern Brave, following up her 29 off 24 balls with 4 for 19. Blaze’s imports from across the Tasman, Hannah Darlington and Maitlan Brown, also played their part in them becoming back-to-back champions in the women’s competition.Jamieson, Shipley, Sears return to actionKyle Jamieson, Henry Shipley and Ben Sears, who were injured before the Super Smash, returned to action and hit full tilt in the competition. Having proved his fitness – and form – Sears also made New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming ODI tri-series in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy.Kyle Jamieson made a successful return from injury in the Super Smash•Getty ImagesAs for Jamieson and Shipley, they were part of an all-New Zealand Canterbury attack that troubled a number of batters. Jamieson, who didn’t play any competitive cricket for 10 months prior to the Super Smash, marked his return from back injury, with 2 for 26 against Otago Volts at Molyneux Park. Midway through the Super Smash, Jamieson earned a PSL deal with Quetta Gladiators and continued to operate without any apparent discomfort.In the men’s final, Jamieson burst through Jack Boyle’s defences with a sharp inducker and proceeded to dismiss Dane Cleaver, who had top-scored for Stags, but it was not enough for the Kings to wrest the title. Jamieson ended the tournament with 14 wickets in 12 innings at an excellent economy rate of 5.95.Shipley, who was also working his way back from a back injury, took 12 wickets in eight innings at an economy rate of 8.04. He also made some cameos with the bat in Kings’ run to another final.Meet Matt Boyle, the breakout star of the tournamentThough New Zealand don’t have the depth of India or England, they have some young talent bubbling through. Twenty-two-year-old Matt Boyle is the latest talent who is already being talked up as a future Black Cap. A tall left-hander who can hit the ball long and far, Boyle emerged as the top run-getter in the men’s Super Smash, with 377 runs in 11 innings at an average of 37.70 and strike rate of 156.43 for Kings. Matt is the younger brother of Jack, who has moved to Central Districts from Canterbury and son of Justin Boyle, who played for both Canterbury and Wellington.Central Stags are Men’s Super Smash champions•Getty ImagesBoyle had also showcased his power for New Zealand XI in December last year, when he clattered an unbeaten 57 off 34 balls against a Sri Lankan attack, which included mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana and slinger Nuwan Thushara, in a ten-over tour game in Lincoln.Bevon Jacobs watchAfter having secured an unexpected IPL deal with Mumbai Indians and having broken into the New Zealand squad, Bevon Jacobs turned up at the Super Smash for Auckand Aces, hitting 263 runs in eight innings at an average of 37.57 and strike rate of 140.64. His unbeaten 90 off 56 balls against Northern Brave in Hamilton was arguably the innings of this season. Having entered the fray at 30 for 3 in the fifth over, Jacobs propelled Aces to 187 for 5. Though Brave chased down the target, Jacobs served a reminder of his raw power and potential.After Aces were knocked out of the Super Smash, Jacobs headed to the UAE to link up with MI Emirates, the affiliate of his IPL side, in the ILT20.

Gill, de Kock and Mayers made sizeable scores too, but the Titans wicketkeeper-batter made the biggest impact

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-May-20233:00

‘Wriddhiman Saha plays in the shadows of rest of the team’ – Tom Moody

When you talk about Wriddhiman Saha, there’s always the danger that you’ll end up talking about who and what he isn’t. He spent most of his 20s not being MS Dhoni, and much of his 30s not being Rishabh Pant. And in the way he bats in T20s, all intent and no fear of losing his wicket, you could build the case that Saha isn’t Virat Kohli or KL Rahul or most other Indian openers.With all this it can become difficult to zero in on who and what Saha is.On Sunday, the four openers who featured in Gujarat Titans’ clash with Lucknow Super Giants in Ahmedabad scored a total of 293 runs, an IPL record. Shubman Gill, Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers made significant contributions too, but Saha perhaps played the innings of the match – ESPNcricinfo’s Impact ratings certainly thought so – and in doing so reminded the world of his considerable gifts of feet, eye and hands.There was a moment, for instance, when Saha charged Avesh Khan, and the bowler saw him coming and went short at his body. Saha read the length in a flash and swivelled on his back foot to swat the ball to the backward square leg boundary.There was another pull soon after, off Mohsin Khan, and this time Saha had to fetch the ball from well outside off stump and work against the left-armer’s angle. He hit this even better, clearing the boundary in front of square.A short ball designed to cramp him for room, another designed to make him reach for the ball and potentially lose his shape, and Saha had put them both away, clinically.It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that Saha sits among the top five run-getters from the pull and hook off fast bowlers since IPL 2022. He doesn’t score as quickly as the other four in that list, but it might interest you to know that his strike rate while pulling and hooking is marginally better than that of his opening partner Gill (187.03), a batter who looks like he was born to pull fast bowlers.When Saha bats, he looks like, well, what he is: a wicketkeeper-batter of the old school. Most wicketkeepers look like top-order batters now, but this wasn’t always the case, and in Saha there is an echo of the quirkiness of Alan Knott or Ian Healy, who often made tough runs against high-quality bowling but never looked anything other than wicketkeeperly while doing so.Gill is all smiles as his opening partner celebrates his fifty•Associated PressEven the prettiest of Saha’s shots on Sunday had this flavour: he caressed Mohsin for an effortless four between mid-off and extra-cover in the first over of Titans’ innings, but he didn’t hold his pose like Gill might’ve. Instead, his feet began an involuntary scamper to the other end before he realised there was no need to run.Unless his team is chasing a small target, Saha’s batting in the IPL is driven by the need to maximise the powerplay field restrictions, and score as quickly as he possibly can in this phase, by any means necessary. And this means he’ll often look in less control than the batter at the other end – particularly if it happens to be Gill – with a decent chunk of his runs coming off balls sliced over the infield or dragged into the leg side off the inside half of the bat.He bats this way not because he’s selfless, but because he’s pragmatic; he knows it’s the only way he can stay relevant in the IPL.On days like Sunday, however, there’s a lovely fluency to his ball-striking. The new ball was coming onto the bat beautifully, and a Super Giants attack short on both experience and rhythm – Mohsin, returning after shoulder surgery, was playing his second game and bowling in one for the first time since IPL 2022 – was serving up hittable balls at regular intervals.Where other batters may have dialled down the risk-taking on such a day, reckoning that they were scoring quickly enough without needing to do anything outlandish, Saha kept playing like Saha. He kept charging the fast bowlers; he went over the infield even when the ball wasn’t pitched right up; he walked across his stumps to manufacture a boundary to long leg even when he’d hit a six earlier in the over.Saha hit ten fours and four sixes•BCCIEven his dismissal on 81 came from this sort of intent; he stepped out to Avesh in the 12th over and looked to whip him over the leg side. He might have picked up a boundary if he’d hit it a few meters further to deep square leg’s left, but on this day he hit it within the fielder’s range.Saha was taking this sort of risk almost every time he went after the bowling. He could have been out for 15 or 20 on another day, and other innings he plays often end on scores like that. But Titans would want it no other way from him. They have plenty of batting depth, and every ball Saha doesn’t try to squeeze the most out of is a ball Hardik Pandya or David Miller isn’t getting to face.On this day, Saha’s intent brought him 81 off 43, and went a long way towards Titans all but batting Super Giants out of the game. Had Super Giants been chasing 200 rather than 228, the 88-run opening stand between Mayers and de Kock may have put them in a winning position. As it happened, they were still behind the required rate when the partnership ended, and the rest of their batting struggled to keep up.By then Saha was putting his feet up, letting KS Bharat do the dirty work behind the stumps. There was a sense of poignancy to this substitution – India’s team management phased Saha out of their Test-match plans last year to let Bharat grow into the role of Pant’s understudy.Thanks to events that no one could have foreseen, Pant is out of action for the foreseeable future, and Bharat is the only keeper in India’s squad for the World Test Championship final. There are plenty who believe Saha still deserves that spot – he may believe it himself, but he knows it isn’t in his control.All he can do is control the controllables within the role he’s given by the team that’s picked him, and he’s doing a pretty good job of it.

The season may have been abruptly cut short, but there were a number of players who dazzled us with their performances

Sreshth Shah09-May-20211. Shikhar Dhawan (380 runs, ave 54.28, three fifties)Dhawan returned home with the Orange Cap for the most runs. He began the season with a match-winning 54-ball 85 against the Chennai Super Kings. Then against Punjab Kings, he wallopped 92 in 49 balls as he married precision with power in equal measure and followed it up with an unbeaten 69 to anchor a second win against the same side. In between, he notched up two more forties. Dhawan also hit the most fours (43) this season.2. Prithvi Shaw (308 runs, strike rate 166.48, three fifties)After a forgettable IPL 2020, all eyes were on Shaw this season after superb white-ball performances in domestic cricket. He mauled a 38-ball 72 against the Super Kings. Then against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he played a patient 39-ball 53 on a two-paced surface. And against Kolkata Knight Riders, his 41-ball 82 was set up by the first over against Shivam Mavi where he hit his Under-19 World Cup batch-mate for six fours in an over. Shaw pipped Faf du Plessis to the second opener’s spot after a 7-5 vote by the jury.ESPNcricinfo’s IPL 2021 team of the tournament•ESPNcricinfo Ltd3. Moeen Ali (206 runs, strike rate 157.25, 5 wickets)The Super Kings’ 2021 auction recruit took the No. 3 spot and helped his side change gears with his cameos. He also hit a fifty against the Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring contest. His aggressive shot selection helped the well-equipped Super Kings middle order to carry the momentum and helped them post scores of 220, 218, 191, 188 and 188. With the ball, he was used almost always against left-handers alone, and his best performance was a 3 for 7 against the Rajasthan Royals.4. Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper) (277 runs, strike rate 145.78, 1 hundred)Samson lit the tournament up early with a brilliant century, in a loss against the Punjab Kings. His 119 (12 fours and seven sixes) nearly took the Royals over the line as he failed to deposit a six off the final ball of the match in a chase of 222. Then came a string of low scores for the side’s captain, but his return to form with scores of 42*, 42, and 48 in his last three games was interrupted by the tournament’s postponement. He is also the wicketkeeper of our side.5. AB de Villiers (207 runs, strike rate 164.28, average 51.75, 2 fifties)Although de Villiers did not play any cricket since IPL 2020, there was no rustiness in his batting. His 27-ball 48 against Mumbai ensured the Royal Challengers Bangalore started the tournament with a win. Then came his unbeaten 34-ball 76 in an afternoon game against the Knight Riders where he hit Andre Russell to all parts in the death overs and followed it up with the 42-ball 75 against the Capitals. He helped the Royal Challengers win the game by a run, as he went after Kagiso Rabada and Marcus Stoinis in particular. It was de Villiers’ first time batting a whole season at No. 5, and he aced the challenge with flying colours.6. Kieron Pollard (captain) (168 runs, strike rate 171.42, average 56.00, 3 wickets)After hitting just 12 runs in his first two games, Pollard returned to form when he creamed three sixes in a 22-ball 35 against the Sunrisers and followed it up with a two-over spell at an economy of only five. Pollard saved his best for the blockbuster against the Super Kings. He dismissed du Plessis and Suresh Raina, going only for only 12 in two overs in a game where both teams scored over 200. With Mumbai’s backs against the wall in the chase, he masterminded a counterattack by smashing 87 at a strike-rate of 255.88 to chase down 219 off the game’s last ball. The jury also picked Pollard as the team’s captain, over the only other option Samson.Related

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7. Ravindra Jadeja (131 runs, strike rate 161.72. six wickets, economy 6.70)In his six outings, Jadeja was out only once, and played the role of the finisher so well that he came out to bat ahead of MS Dhoni and Sam Curran on most occasions. Although his unbeaten knocks of 26 and 22 against the Capitals and Mumbai came in the Super Kings’ only two losses, he produced one of the best all-round performances in IPL history against the Royal Challengers. He first destroyed the 20th over from Harshal Patel to extract 37 runs from it to finish on a 28-ball 64. He then followed it up with a three-for that included the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and de Villiers. And to top it off, he also effected a direct-hit run out in the same game.8. Rashid Khan (10 wickets, average 17.20, economy 6.14)One of the few bright spots in a disappointing season for the Sunrisers, Rashid was the second-highest wicket-taker among spinners and had the best economy of all those who delivered 12 or more overs. The quality of his wickets are even more remarkable: Shubman Gill and Russell against the Knight Riders. Gayle against Punjab, de Villiers against the Royal Challengers, Dhawan against Capitals and Ruturaj Gaikwad, du Plessis and Moeen against the Super Kings. He also bowled a Super Over against the Capitals, and nearly defended a target of 8.9. Rahul Chahar (11 wickets, average 18.36, strike rate 15.2)Chahar was the best spinner in the tournament. Whenever Mumbai needed a breakthrough, they turned to Chahar, and he almost always delivered. His four-for against the Knight Riders helped set up an unlikely win. His 3 for 19 against the Sunrisers bowled them out for 137. And his 2 for 33 put the brakes on the rampaging Royals opening stand, as he dismissed Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal in quick succession. With other Indian wristspinners struggling in the tournament, Chahar’s IPL performances have made him a frontrunner for a starting spot in India’s T20I team.10. Avesh Khan (14 wickets, average 16.50, strike rate 12.8)Avesh Khan 2.0, a leaner, fitter version of his past self was so successful for the Capitals that he was preferred ahead of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. He bowled the difficult transitionary overs between the powerplays and also at the death. He took a wicket in all eight games with two three-fors. His ability to get seam movement with the hard ball and execute yorkers with the older ball made him the player with the most impact points per match average in the whole season, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats. Khan’s consistent performances also helped him get a call up as a standby for India’s red-ball tour of England next month.11. Jasprit Bumrah (6 wickets, economy 7.11)The wickets may have dried up for Bumrah, but the impact has not. And that’s because he is now usually reserved for the back end of the innings where the economy is more impact than wickets. Bumrah’s performance this season gave batsmen a big dilemma. Because if they tried to attack him, they would get out. And if they did not, they would allow the required run-rate to balloon. Either way, Bumrah was king when he had the ball with his wide yorkers and back-of-length balls that awkwardly angle into the batter, or the yorker around leg stump. The way Boult and Bumrah hunted in pairs was a sight to behold.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays delivered a thrilling 2025 World Series that came down to the wire, with Los Angeles coming from behind late Saturday night to capture a winner-takes-all Game 7 for their second straight crown. was on site throughout the Fall Classic in both Los Angeles and Toronto. Here are some of our favorite images from the World Series.

Dodgers Win Back-to-Back World Series TitlesAll Eyes on Shohei Ohtani Blue Jays In First World Series Since 1993 Epic Game 3Fans Pack Rogers Centre and Dodger StadiumDodgers Win Back-to-Back World Series Titles

MatériaMais Notícias

Os torcedores do Vasco que marcaram presença no Galeão, nesta sexta-feira (24), para acompanhar a chegada de Phillipe Coutinho no Rio de Janeiro se surpreenderam com a presença de Ronaldinho Gaúcho no aeroporto carioca.

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A CBF será parceira na organização do evento, que será transmitido pela Globo e pelos canais Sportv. A emissora doará a receita dos patrocinadores para os projetos apoiados pela plataforma “Para Quem Doar”, e o valor arrecadado na bilheteria será convertido em doações para a Central Única de Favelas.

Já Coutinho aguarda a rescisão contratual com o Aston Villa, da Inglaterra, para assinar contrato com o Vasco. O meia-atacante atendeu os jornalistas presentes no Galeão e não escondeu o desejo em retornar ao Cruz-Maltino.

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Se tudo andar como o planejado, Coutinho chega ao Gigante da Colina como principal contratação da temporada já na próxima janela, que abre em 10 de julho. A ideia é que Coutinho tenha poucos dias de férias e volte aos treinamentos o quanto antes para estar à disposição.

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Ben Stokes waiting for final look at pitch before making call on all-pace attack

Matt Roller20-Nov-2025England have deferred a final decision on their team for the first Ashes Test until Friday morning as they weigh up the merits of picking a spinner in Perth.Ben Stokes has often named an XI two full days out from Tests since taking over as captain, but on this occasion England announced they had trimmed their 16-man squad down to 12 names on Wednesday. Stokes said before England’s training session on Thursday afternoon that they would “probably” have a final team later in the day, but has instead opted for a final look at the pitch on the first morning.England’s biggest decision surrounds the possible inclusion of Shoaib Bashir on a pitch expected to offer pace and bounce for their fast bowlers. Australia’s Nathan Lyon has a formidable record at Perth Stadium, with 29 wickets at 20.86, but visiting spinners have a combined record of eight wickets at 87.50 at the venue.Related

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Bashir has not played competitively since taking the final wicket in England’s fifth-day win over India at Lord’s in July, having broken the little finger on his left hand earlier in the match. He was expensive in England’s warm-up match last week, returning figures of 2 for 151 off 24 overs, but Stokes backed him to play a role at some stage in the series.”Team sport takes all 11 [players] to influence a game at some point,” Stokes said. “All 11 guys who get the honour of being selected in the next five games will be just as important as each other. He was always going to be in the 12-man [squad]. Seeing the way the game at Lilac Hill went, it felt like we could just get him as many opportunities to bowl as possible.”It leaves open the possibility that England will field an all-seam attack for only the third time since Stokes took over as captain three years ago, which would see Jofra Archer and Mark Wood paired together for only the second time in Tests. They have lost on both previous occasions, against Australia at Lord’s in 2023 and against India at The Oval in August.Wood appeared to be a major doubt after hamstring soreness in England’s warm-up game, but Stokes was bullish about his prospects on Thursday. “He’s flying,” Stokes said. “I know you guys say he only bowled eight overs in the game, but he’s been bowling for a long, long time. He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in a game, and he’s bowling rapid.”Some of England’s unused squad members may feature for England Lions in their four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill, which also starts on Friday. Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts are all in contention to play.England XII: Ben Stokes (capt), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

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.

Heskey – U17 World Cup stats

Stat

Per 90 mins

Tournament total

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

Stats from Sofascore

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.

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The San Diego Padres have awoken from their spending slumber and done so in a big way.

On the eve of spring training, the Friars have agreed to a deal with free agent right-hander Nick Pivetta. The 31-year-old is widely considered the top free-agent starter left on the market. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal is for four years and $55 million, with a pair of opt-outs.

In 27 appearances (26 starts) during the 2024 season for the Boston Red Sox, Pivetta went 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 172 strikeouts in 145 2/3 innings pitched. It was his first season as a full-time starter since 2018 when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pivetta turned down a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, so the Padres will lose their second-highest pick in the 2025 MLB draft for signing him, plus $500,00 from their international bonus pool. The Red Sox would earn the 77th pick overall as compensation.

The Padres have a glaring hole on their staff, as Joe Musgrove will spend the season rehabbing following Tommy John surgery. The rotation will be led by Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish, and Pivetta. The fifth spot will likely come down to a battle between a group featuring Randy Vasquez, Matt Waldron, and Stephen Kolek.

Pivetta turns 32 on Friday, so a deal with opt-outs that allows him to test the market again in search of a big contract makes sense for him.

Many of Eddie Howe’s trusty Newcastle United old guard now find themselves on borrowed time on Tyneside.

Indeed, with just two wins next to their name from their opening eight Premier League games, it’s clear that the Toon aren’t firing on all cylinders anymore week in week out, with figures such as Dan Burn on shaky ground arguably when it comes to consistent first-team minutes heading their way in the near future.

Burn will be worrying when he will next be reinstated to the heart of the Magpies’ defence with the emergence of Malick Thiaw into the side, with the £30m summer recruit already looking right at home on English shores, hailed by some as their “signing of the summer.”

With Kieran Trippier not getting any younger in the right-back spot, either, it does feel as if Newcastle are heading towards a situation where a refresh is needed in certain areas of the squad.

Obviously, watching these Toon stalwarts decline in front of their very eyes will be heartbreaking to watch from a Newcastle fan’s perspective.

But, Newcastle have been here before in terms of having to pull the plug on a once regular starter in the form of Miguel Almiron, who was a beloved presence at St James’ Park, even if his playing days in black and white did unfortunately fizzle out.

Almiron's decline at Newcastle

Even if it did end in Almiron being offloaded back to Atlanta United last January for a cheap £11m fee, considering he was once purchased for £20m by the Premier League side, it’s clear from goals such as his outrageous curled effort against Everton that the South American is still fondly remembered as an entertainer on Tyneside.

Back in January of 2019, the Paraguayan entering the building for that high amount meant that he was seen as a statement purchase from the get-go, which had a negative effect initially on him being able to settle in his new environment.

Staggeringly, it took Almiron 27 appearances in the Premier League before he finally broke his top-flight duck with a strike against Crystal Palace.

Thankfully, with a monkey now off his back, the 31-year-old would eventually go on to be seen as a “very special” asset to have around St James’ Park by Howe.

Across a mighty 223 appearances for the Toon, Almiron netted 30 goals and 16 assists for the club, with one of those efforts even pushing the former number 24 into the record books to sit alongside Magpies royalty in Alan Shearer.

Amazingly, Almiron would score Newcastle’s first strike in Champions League action since 2003 when getting the ball rolling during that famous night against PSG at St James’ Park, with Shearer the last goalscorer to bag for the Toon in such an illustrious competition, before Almiron delivered.

With an 11-goal Premier League season also under his belt during the 2022/23 campaign, it appeared as if Almiron would be sticking it out with Newcastle until the very end of his long career, with the 31-year-old continuing to age gracefully as a star capable of serving up “magical” moments, as his manager also waxed lyrical.

However, all began to unravel for Almiron last season, as the adaptable attacker – who can play all over the attacking positions if needed – was frozen out of his manager’s lineups, as injury issues also took a hold of the declining South American.

Even when he was fit and free of knee troubles, the once slick and daring forward looked a shadow of his former self, with zero goals or assists coming his way during limited opportunities last campaign.

In the end, Almiron closed out his long-standing affliation with the Toon on a sombre note, with a very real fear in the air now that Howe has an Almiron 2.0 scenario going on.

Newcastle have another Almiron problem

Around the time Almiron joined the club in 2019, Newcastle were splashing the cash regularly on some exciting new gems.

In the summer transfer window after the 5-foot-9 playmaker had moved to England from America, Newcastle also purchased Allan Saint-Maximin, who was guilty of some hit-and-miss moments himself on Tyneside.

Alongside him, the Toon also went all out to land Joelinton for a whopping £40m.

At the start, much like his fellow South American counterpart before him, Joelinton severely struggled in the bright lights of the Premier League, with the-then striker seen as an expensive laughing stock, when scoring just a meagre two league goals during his debut campaign.

However, much like Almiron managed, Joelinton would breathe significant life into his Magpies playing days the more he became attuned to the intense nature of the English game, with Howe’s decision-making to push him into a central midfield spot proving to be a masterstroke.

Even Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher heralded the no-nonsense Brazilian as a “revelation” for what he would go on to offer his side from the middle of the park, with a clear highlight of his 230-game spell in black and white to date surely being the Carabao Cup trophy being lifted earlier this year.

Joelinton was vital in that 2-1 upset being pulled off against Arne Slot’s heavily fancied Liverpool, and although he didn’t add to his goal or assist tally at Wembley – which stands at an impressive 52 goal contributions – it’s clear why Howe once noted that the 29-year-old was “gold dust”, always putting in a shift when needed.

Yet, despite all his past successes making him an undoubted modern icon, time has seemingly caught up with Joelinton in the same way it begun to weigh down on Almiron, with this season – in particular – highlighting the number seven’s alarming drop-off.

Joelinton’s creative spark has now left his game, with zero goals or assists coming his way in league action from seven largely forgettable games, with his energy and determination also lacking, when you consider he has only won 4.2 duels per game across that same span of games. As journalist Mark Douglas noted after Saturday’s defeat to Brighton, the midfielder is now “nowhere near his best.”

To add context, at the peak of his powers during the 2022/23 campaign, he won a high seven duels per game, with his lacklustre showing last time out against Brighton seeing Magpie Media state that his performance was “tough to watch.”

With Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes still performing at their optimum in the middle of the park – with Tonali boldly being branded as “world-class” by one Newcastle content creator this season – it feels as if Newcastle might need to have some tough conversations soon about ditching Joelinton, with Almiron leaving the building initially hurting, but is now seen as the correct and decisive call looking back.

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