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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been questioned about Kobbie Mainoo’s lack of game time in the Premier League so far this season.

The England international only played 45 minutes of football across the first three matches, and was an unused substitute in the first two games, playing the second half against Burnley.

Amorim has explained, in the quotes above, that the central midfielder is competing with the captain, Bruno Fernandes, for a starting berth in the team, which seems like a bit of a waste of talent when you consider that he is one of the most valuable players in the squad.

Where Mainoo ranks among Man Utd's most valuable players

Mainoo is currently valued at £43m by Transfermarkt, having come through the academy system at Carrington, but finds himself out of the picture at Old Trafford, when it comes to making the starting line-up.

It feels like a waste to have such a valuable and promising young talent rotting away on the bench, particularly when the system – a 3-4-2-1 formation – keeping him out of the side has yielded eight wins in 30 Premier League games under Amorim.

Benjamin Sesko

£60m

Matheus Cunha

£52m

Bryan Mbeumo

£48m

Leny Yoro

£48m

Kobbie Mainoo

£43m

Bruno Fernandes

£43m

Amad Diallo

£39m

Manuel Ugarte

£39m

Lisandro Martinez

£35m

Matthijs de Ligt

£33m

As you can see in the table above, only four other players in the squad are more valuable than Mainoo. Three of them, Yoro, Mbeumo, and Cunha, are locked in starters, and Sesko may be a starter once he is up to speed.

Whilst it is a shame that the England international cannot get into the starting XI at the moment, United also had a nightmare with another academy graduate midfielder who is now valued as much as Mainoo, Scott McTominay.

Man Utd's Scott McTominay howler

The Scotland international came through the youth ranks at Carrington, just like Mainoo, and racked up 29 goals in 255 matches for the first-team in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

He had shown some very promising signs throughout his time in the senior side. Gary Neville claimed that he “turned into Paul Scholes and Roy Keane” after scoring twice in a Premier League game against Leeds, for example.

Last summer, however, Erik ten Hag decided to part ways with McTominay and sanctioned a £25m transfer to Italian giants Napoli. It is fair to say that the decision has turned out to be a poorly-judged one.

Manchester United replaced him by agreeing a deal worth up to £50.5m to sign Manuel Ugarte from Sporting, and the two players have had hugely contrasting fortunes since those two transfers.

As you can see in the graphic above, McTominay has delivered 20 goals and assists combined for Napoli, helping them to win the Serie A title last season.

The 28-year-old star won the Serie A Player of the Year award and his Transfermarkt value has shot up to £43m as a result of his exceptional performances, taking him on par with Mainoo and significantly higher than the £25m fee that Napoli paid for him.

Meanwhile, Ugarte delivered one goal and two assists in 29 appearances in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, and has not started a single game in the current campaign.

At the time of writing, the Uruguay international’s Transfermarkt value is £39m, which is less than McTominay’s and far less than the £50.5m deal that was agreed for him last summer.

This shows that United had a howler last summer because they essentially swapped McTominay for Ugarte in the middle of the park, and are worse off for it at this moment in time given how the two players have performed and how their values have changed.

Amorim can revive Mainoo by binning £150k-p/w flop in Man Utd system switch

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim can revive Kobbie Mainoo by changing his formation.

ByDan Emery Sep 7, 2025

Manchester United, as evidenced by his form for Napoli, did not get the best out of McTominay, and they must now avoid repeating the same mistake with Mainoo by leaving him on the bench and in a set-up that seemingly does not suit him.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has not been afraid to make it clear to the board that his squad needs fresh blood before the end of the summer transfer window.

The former Liverpool and Leicester boss is in the final year of his contract at Parkhead and has urged the club to back him with more recruits at the top end of the pitch.

Speaking about transfer plans recently, the Celtic manager claimed that they “need competition at the top end of the field” and said that it is “important” for the Hoops to get that before the end of the window.

The Scottish Premiership champions are set to be without Jota until next year, potentially, as he nurses an ACL injury, and sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como earlier this summer, which has left the squad very light in the wide areas.

At this moment in time, Rodgers only has three ‘natural’ senior wingers at his disposal in Hyun-jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, and 34-year-old veteran James Forrest.

It is, therefore, no surprise to hear that the manager wants the club to bring in attacking reinforcements, particularly as Yang has yet to prove that he can be a frontline option.

Why Celtic need to replace Yang

Kuhn’s departure earlier this summer opened the door for the South Korea international to start the opening game of the Premiership season against St Mirren earlier this month.

Unfortunately, the right-sided attacker did not win a duel, produce a shot on goal, or create a chance for any of his teammates in 59 minutes on the pitch, as per Sofascore, which shows that he was totally ineffective in and out of possession.

It was telling that Yang was then an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend, as Rodgers clearly felt that he did not offer enough in the win over St Mirren.

The 23-year-old forward’s initial struggles at the start of this campaign suggest that he may be best suited to going back to the role that he played last term, rather than being a frontline option as a regular starter.

Appearances

23

Starts

9

Goals

5

Minutes per goal

196

Key passes

18

Big chances created

3

Assists

2

As you can see in the table above, Yang provided a solid threat as a squad option for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign, producing seven goals and assists in just nine starts.

That is a role that suits his ability, as he can come off the bench to make an impact and start the odd game when needed, but he does not have the game-changing quality to be a regular starter as a ‘replacement’ for Kuhn on the right flank.

Celtic eyeing deal for Danish forward

According to the Daily Record, Celtic remain interested in a deal to sign Go Ahead Eagles attacker Jakob Breum before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the 21-year-old talent is on the ‘agenda’ for the Scottish giants, as they note that Rodgers is keen for more attacking talent to be added to the squad.

Transfer Focus

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

It adds that the versatile Danish star, who can play out wide or through the middle as an attacking midfielder, is high up on the club’s wishlist of possible signings.

Earlier this month it was reported that Go Ahead Eagles are looking for a fee in the region of £5m for Breum, and that the Hoops have already had an approach turned down for him.

It is now down to the board to go back in with another attempt to sign the Dane, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, before the deadline at the start of September, because he could come in as a big upgrade on Yang.

Why Celtic should sign Jakob Breum

The Hoops should swoop to sign Breum because he has played 27 games as a right-sided winger in his career, as well as 60 matches on the left flank, as per Transfermarkt, which suggests that he can fill the current gaps in the squad in the wide areas.

Celtic need to sign at least one winger, given Yang’s struggles and the fact that Maeda is the only left winger in the team, and the Go Ahead Eagles star could be the ideal addition due to the versatility that he would bring.

Whilst Yang, 23, has never scored more than eight league goals in a season in his career, and no more than five in a European league, Breum plundered ten goals in the Dutch top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign.

The 21-year-old star, who is two years younger than the South Korean flanker, put in some fantastic performances in the Eredivisie for his side last term, and his displays in the Netherlands suggest that he could come in as a big upgrade on the right wing for Celtic.

Appearances

26

23

Goals

10

5

Goals per game

0.4

0.2

Big chances created

6

3

Assists

5

2

Successful dribbles per game

0.9

0.7

Dribble success rate

47%

40%

As you can see in the table above, Breum was far more impressive with his work at the top end of the pitch at league level in the 2024/25 campaign in comparison to Yang.

These statistics suggest that he has the potential to offer more to the team as a scorer, a creator, and a dribbler in any of the positions across the front, whether that is on either flank or as an attacking midfielder.

If Breum is able to translate those performances and the output that he provided over to the Premiership, he would be a superior option for Rodgers to call upon in the final third.

This would also allow Yang to go back to the role that he played last season for Celtic, coming off the bench more often than not to make an impact as a rotation player.

Edouard 2.0: "Seriously talented" £13m star has emerged on Celtic's radar

Celtic are interested in a deal to sign a star who could be an Odsonne Edouard repeat at Parkhead.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 12, 2025

Therefore, the club’s interest in a potential deal to bring Breum to Parkhead before the end of the summer could make a lot of sense, both because of how it could improve the starting line-up and what it would do for Yang’s role.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has not been afraid to make it clear to the board that his squad needs fresh blood before the end of the summer transfer window.

The former Liverpool and Leicester boss is in the final year of his contract at Parkhead and has urged the club to back him with more recruits at the top end of the pitch.

Speaking about transfer plans recently, the Celtic manager claimed that they “need competition at the top end of the field” and said that it is “important” for the Hoops to get that before the end of the window.

The Scottish Premiership champions are set to be without Jota until next year, potentially, as he nurses an ACL injury, and sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como earlier this summer, which has left the squad very light in the wide areas.

At this moment in time, Rodgers only has three ‘natural’ senior wingers at his disposal in Hyun-jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, and 34-year-old veteran James Forrest.

It is, therefore, no surprise to hear that the manager wants the club to bring in attacking reinforcements, particularly as Yang has yet to prove that he can be a frontline option.

Why Celtic need to replace Yang

Kuhn’s departure earlier this summer opened the door for the South Korea international to start the opening game of the Premiership season against St Mirren earlier this month.

Unfortunately, the right-sided attacker did not win a duel, produce a shot on goal, or create a chance for any of his teammates in 59 minutes on the pitch, as per Sofascore, which shows that he was totally ineffective in and out of possession.

It was telling that Yang was then an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend, as Rodgers clearly felt that he did not offer enough in the win over St Mirren.

The 23-year-old forward’s initial struggles at the start of this campaign suggest that he may be best suited to going back to the role that he played last term, rather than being a frontline option as a regular starter.

24/25 Premiership	Hyun-jun Yang
Appearances	23
Starts	9
Goals	5
Minutes per goal	196
Key passes	18
Big chances created	3
Assists	2
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Yang provided a solid threat as a squad option for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign, producing seven goals and assists in just nine starts.

That is a role that suits his ability, as he can come off the bench to make an impact and start the odd game when needed, but he does not have the game-changing quality to be a regular starter as a ‘replacement’ for Kuhn on the right flank.

Celtic eyeing deal for Danish forward

According to the Daily Record, Celtic remain interested in a deal to sign Go Ahead Eagles attacker Jakob Breum before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the 21-year-old talent is on the ‘agenda’ for the Scottish giants, as they note that Rodgers is keen for more attacking talent to be added to the squad.

Transfer Focus

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

It adds that the versatile Danish star, who can play out wide or through the middle as an attacking midfielder, is high up on the club’s wishlist of possible signings.

Earlier this month it was reported that Go Ahead Eagles are looking for a fee in the region of £5m for Breum, and that the Hoops have already had an approach turned down for him.

It is now down to the board to go back in with another attempt to sign the Dane, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, before the deadline at the start of September, because he could come in as a big upgrade on Yang.

Why Celtic should sign Jakob Breum

The Hoops should swoop to sign Breum because he has played 27 games as a right-sided winger in his career, as well as 60 matches on the left flank, as per Transfermarkt, which suggests that he can fill the current gaps in the squad in the wide areas.

Celtic need to sign at least one winger, given Yang’s struggles and the fact that Maeda is the only left winger in the team, and the Go Ahead Eagles star could be the ideal addition due to the versatility that he would bring.

Whilst Yang, 23, has never scored more than eight league goals in a season in his career, and no more than five in a European league, Breum plundered ten goals in the Dutch top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign.

The 21-year-old star, who is two years younger than the South Korean flanker, put in some fantastic performances in the Eredivisie for his side last term, and his displays in the Netherlands suggest that he could come in as a big upgrade on the right wing for Celtic.

24/25 season	Breum (Eredivisie)	Yang (Premiership)
Appearances	26	23
Goals	10	5
Goals per game	0.4	0.2
Big chances created	6	3
Assists	5	2
Successful dribbles per game	0.9	0.7
Dribble success rate	47%	40%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Breum was far more impressive with his work at the top end of the pitch at league level in the 2024/25 campaign in comparison to Yang.

These statistics suggest that he has the potential to offer more to the team as a scorer, a creator, and a dribbler in any of the positions across the front, whether that is on either flank or as an attacking midfielder.

If Breum is able to translate those performances and the output that he provided over to the Premiership, he would be a superior option for Rodgers to call upon in the final third.

This would also allow Yang to go back to the role that he played last season for Celtic, coming off the bench more often than not to make an impact as a rotation player.

Edouard 2.0: "Seriously talented" £13m star has emerged on Celtic's radar

Celtic are interested in a deal to sign a star who could be an Odsonne Edouard repeat at Parkhead.

1

By
Dan Emery

Aug 12, 2025

Therefore, the club’s interest in a potential deal to bring Breum to Parkhead before the end of the summer could make a lot of sense, both because of how it could improve the starting line-up and what it would do for Yang’s role.

سجل الدولي النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي الهدف الثاني لصالح فريقه أمام موناكو في المباراة التي تجمعهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويحل مانشستر سيتي ضيفًا على موناكو، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

كان النرويجي المتألق قد استطاع أن يسجل هدف مانشستر سيتي الأول في الدقيقة 15 من عمر الشوط الأول، بعد تمريرة رائعة من زميله جفارديول.

وأضاف هالاند الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 44 من عمر الشوط الأول بضربة رأس قوية على يمين حارس موناكو.

⚽ رأسية متقنة من هالاند تعيد الأفضلية لمانشستر سيتي#دوري_أبطال_أوروبا #UCL #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/wvYHiF6SPy — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) October 1, 2025

توقفت مباراة فريقي ليفربول وكريستال بالاس، الجارية حاليًا في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لعدة دقائق بشكل مفاجئ، مما تسبب في إثارة حالة من الحيرة لدى المتابعين.

ويستضيف ملعب “سيلهرست بارك” مباراة ليفربول وكريستال بالاس، في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26 (لمتابعة البث المباشر من هنا).

واحتسب الحكم خطأ لصالح ليفربول، وكان محمد صلاح على تنفيذ الركلة الحرة، ولكن فجأة توقفت المباراة بشكل مفاجئ، وبدأ اللاعبون يلتفتون إلى الحكم لمعرفة ما يحدث.

وذكرت شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية أن السبب وراء الإيقاف يعود إلى وجود حالة طارئة لدى أحد المشجعين في المدرجات، حيث أشار لاعبو ليفربول إلى الطاقم الطبي من أجل الإسراع لعمل ما يلزم.

وبعد مرور عدة دقائق، تم الانتهاء من الأمر حيث يبدو أن الحالة قد استقرت، قبل أن يتخذ الحكم قراره باستئناف المباراة والتي تشير نتيجتها حاليًا إلى تقدم كريستال بالاس بهدف دون رد.

Tottenham Hotspur have now made an approach to sign a “world-class” midfielder, who could be in line to join alongside Morgan Gibbs-White, according to a report.

Spurs' Gibbs-White pursuit takes twist

It appeared as though Tottenham were very close to getting a deal for Gibbs-White over the line, having triggered the £60m release clause in his contract, but the saga has recently taken a twist.

Nottingham Forest have now reported Spurs to the Premier League, with the Tricky Trees threatening legal action, as they believe an illegal approach was made for the midfielder, which means the deal has stalled.

However, Fabrizio Romano has since provided a positive update on the situation, with the transfer expert saying: “Tottenham maintain their position. They are convinced about their behaviour. They want to proceed with the deal, they want to sign the player. Nottingham Forest are prepared to fight. So, let’s see what’s going to happen there.

“But, for sure, the Gibbs-White deal now has an issue to be solved between the two clubs. That’s going to be one to watch in the coming days and hours, with Tottenham still hopeful and confident to get the player.”

Not only are the Lilywhites vying to sign a new attacking midfielder, but they are also keen on a more defensive option, and a report from GiveMeSport has revealed Spurs have also made an approach to sign Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha.

Tottenham have made initial contact over a deal for Palhinha, who joined the German club from Fulham in a deal worth around £47m last summer, and Daniel Levy is prepared to launch a bid if it becomes apparent the Portuguese midfielder is available.

It may take a sizeable bid to tempt Bayern into a sale, however, and the 30-year-old’s wage demands are likely to be high, considering he rakes in £200k-a-week at the Allianz Arena when bonuses are triggered.

"World-class" Palhinha could be ideal Spurs signing

Tottenham struggled defensively for large parts of the 2024-25 campaign, shipping 65 goals in the Premier League, and the Portugal international could provide some stability in midfield, given that he is exceptional at winning back possession.

Chief flies to London for transfer talks with £100k-per-week Tottenham star

He could leave Spurs this summer.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 13, 2025

During the 2023-24 Premier League season, no player won more tackles than the former Fulham man, and he has continued to catch the eye at times for Bayern over the past year.

Statistic	Average per 90
Tackles	3.19 (93rd percentile)
Aerials won	2.34 (96th percentile)
Blocks	1.49 (79th percentile)
Pass completion %	92.4% (97th percentile)

Having already proven himself in the Premier League, during which time he was lauded as “world-class” by journalist Dom Smith, Palhinha could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham this summer, but it may be a slight concern that he is now in his thirties.

The club, who own Lord’s, are in a transitional period with key figures moving roles

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2024Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has started the search for a new chief executive, with incumbent Guy Lavender standing down to take up the same role at Cheltenham Racecourse.MCC, the owners of Lord’s and the custodians of the laws of the game, are in a transitional period with significant turnover in key roles. Mark Nicholas will become the club’s chairman in October, replacing Bruce Carnegie-Brown, while Mervyn King will replace Nicholas as president. Earlier this year, Rob Lynch replaced Jamie Cox as director of cricket and operations.Related

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In MCC’s statement confirming his departure, Carnegie-Brown described Lavender as an “outstanding CEO”. The club said his major achievements included leading MCC through the Covid pandemic, continuing the redevelopment of Lord’s, ensuring strong financial results and delivering major matches, including the men’s 50-over World Cup final in 2019.He has also been heavily involved in discussions with the ECB and the club’s members around the Hundred’s future, with MCC set to be given a 51% stake in London Spirit later this year. The other 49% will be sold centrally by the ECB, with Nicholas recently suggesting that several IPL franchises have registered their interest.”It has been an immense honour and privilege to have been CEO of this great club,” Lavender said. “I have every confidence that MCC will go from strength to strength. The committed, excellent and diligent staff across the club do a superb job in support of the membership and make the MCC the wonderful club it is.”MCC said that the club has already started the process for appointing a replacement, which will be lead by its nominations committee later this year. The club added that Lavender will “continue to fulfil his duties at MCC” to enable a “smooth transition period” before his departure.

Cole Palmer’s time at Chelsea so far has been sensational, and it was perhaps summed up last week during the Conference League final. The Blues beat Real Betis to become the first ever side to win all European trophies on offer, and a large part of that was thanks to Palmer.

The England international grabbed two assists to help Chelsea turn around a 1-0 deficit, providing goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson. His magical assists put the West Londoners 2-1 up, before the floodgates opened and two more goals were scored.

Palmer’s influence on that game, and indeed across his Chelsea career, has been astronomical. Interestingly, the Blues have been linked with someone who could be the second coming of the England international.

Latest on Chelsea's transfer search

Signing someone to have the same impact as Palmer has at Stamford Bridge will not be easy, by any stretch of the imagination. With that being said, one man in the Premier League who could become the second coming of Palmer is Morgan Rogers.

Transfer Focus

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

Chelsea are once again linked with the Aston Villa forward, this time by journalist Simon Phillips. He said that Rogers is ‘firmly on the radar’ at Stamford Bridge, with the West London outfit ‘prepared to bid for him’ this summer.

In his report, Phillips does not name a price, but suggests that Nicolas Jackson and Joao Felix are two players of interest to Villa, so a swap deal could be on the cards.

However, talkSPORT have previously quoted the versatile attacker at £100m, should he move this summer.

Why Rogers would be a good signing

The 2024/25 campaign ended in disappointment for Unai Emery’s Villa side, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Champions League on the final day of the campaign. However, it was partly due to Rogers’ good form that they were in that position in the first place.

In 54 games across all competitions, the 22-year-old attacker was sensational. He found the back of the net on 14 different occasions and grabbed a further 15 assists. It is fair to say he was a rich source of goals in Claret and Blue last season.

Break those numbers down further, and you have someone who is “unstoppable” in the Premier League, according to Jamie Carragher. Rogers managed eight goals and 11 assists in the English top flight this season, coming in 37 games.

There was not too much difference between Rogers’ 19 goal involvements and Palmer’s eventual tally of 24 in the Premier League. The England international also played 37 times, and managed 15 goals and nine assists across the top-flight season.

It is not just the goal involvement numbers that are similar between Palmer and Rogers. Not only are they both versatile attackers, but they both played for Manchester City’s academy. Whilst Rogers never made his debut for the East Mancunian outfit, their early footballing education has largely mirrored each other.

In fact, you could make a case for the early part of their professional careers being like for like, too. Palmer left City for a big move to Chelsea, a side competing for top four in the Premier League. Likewise, Rogers went to Villa, who have the same goals, except he made his move via Championship side Middlesbrough.

The stats on FBref also hint at the fact that Rogers could become the second coming of Palmer at Stamford Bridge. For example, the Villa star averages 0.46 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to 0.42 goal-creating actions each game from Palmer.

Goals and assists

0.52

0.64

Key passes

1.47

2.45

Goal-creating actions

0.46

0.42

Take-ons completed

1.91

1.44

Ball recoveries

3.44

2.99

Should Chelsea sign Rogers this summer, then he can certainly have the same impact on the club as Palmer has. The stats are there to suggest he is capable of such achievements, and he has certainly showcased last term just how much of a difference-maker he is.

Whilst £100m is a lot of money, there is no doubt that Chelsea would be upgrading their attack by signing Rogers, and he could well be the second coming of Palmer, which is a scary thought for the rest of the Premier League.

Delap upgrade: Deal being worked on for Chelsea to sign £60m "superhuman"

With Liam Delap poised to sign for Chelsea this week, could the Blues also bring in another “superhuman” striker, reportedly worth £63m?

Jun 2, 2025

A crucial afternoon awaits for Chelsea.

Going into the final day of the Premier League season, the Blues kick off in fifth place, thereby occupying the final Champions League spot, but are far from guaranteed to remain there.

Their hosts, Nottingham Forest, are just a point behind Enzo Maresca’s team, so, defeat at the City Ground would see them slip out of the Champions League places and, assuming Aston Villa avoid defeat at Old Trafford simultaneously, the Blues would end up seventh.

This would mean, if they’re then also beaten by Real Betis in Wednesday’s Conference League Final in Wrocław, they would end up back in next season’s Conference League, which absolutely no Chelsea supporter wants to come to pass.

Given all of that, there is so much for Maresca’s men to play for on the pitch while, off it, plans are already coming together for next season, so could Chelsea land a new striker?

Chelsea's search for a new striker

According to a report by Cahê Mota of Brazilian outlet Globo, Chelsea have made a €60m (around £51m) offer to sign Brighton & Hove Albion forward João Pedro, adding that the Blues are attempting to ‘speed up negotiations’, hoping to have the star in place ahead of the Club World Cup.

Well, the 23-year-old appears likely to be on the move at some point this summer because, as documented by Steve Sutcliffe of BBC Sport, Pedro will not be involved when the Seagulls face Spurs on Sunday, have also not been in the matchday squad to take on Liverpool last Monday either, following a ‘training ground altercation’ with teammate Jan Paul van Hecke.

Despite this, the Brazilian is still a sought-after striker, with presenter Sam Ucko labelling him a ‘special player’ who is destined to go to ‘the very top’, so could he be on his way to Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea's search for their next great striker

As noted by Richard Jolly of Four Four Two, Chelsea have had their fair share of striker flops through the years; the names Andriy Shevchenko, Chris Sutton, Adrian Mutu, Mateja Kežman, and many others immediately spring to mind.

In fact, one could argue that Chelsea have not had a clinical centre-forward since the days of Diego Costa.

After arriving from Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2014 for a reported £32m, the Spanish international scored 59 goals in 120 appearances for the Blues, winning two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup, also named in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of his first campaign in England.

The table below outlines all the Blues’ highest-scoring centre-forwards in the last decade.

Chelsea’s highest-scoring strikers season-by-season

Season

Strikers

PL goals

Total goals

2014/15

Diego Costa

20

21

2015/16

Diego Costa

12

16

2016/17

Diego Costa

20

22

2017/18

Álvaro Morata

11

15

2018/19

Olivier Giroud

2

13

2019/20

Tammy Abraham

15

18

2020/21

Tammy Abraham

6

12

2021/22

Romelu Lukaku

8

15

2022/23

Kai Havertz

7

9

2023/24

Nicolas Jackson

14

17

2024/25

Nicolas Jackson

10

12

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, no Chelsea centre-forward has reached 20 goals across all competitions since Costa’s departure, while noting that Eden Hazard in 2018/19 as well as Cole Palmer last season did reach this milestone, albeit, of course, neither of those are strikers.

So, could João Pedro change this fact?

Well, let’s look at his statistics this season to help answer this question.

João Pedro 2024/25 Premier League statistics

Statistics

João Pedro

PL rank

Minutes

1,948

170th

Goals

10

19th

Goals per 90

0.46

17th

Assists

6

26th

Goals + assists per 90

0.74

9th

Shots per 90

1.94

59th

Goals – xG

+1.1

65th

Shot-creating actions

72

72nd

Goal-creating actions

9

63rd

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table outlines, despite limited minutes, Pedro has managed ten Premier League goals this season, thereby ranking very highly for goals-per-90 in particular.

This is on top of the 20 goals he managed last season, six of which came in the Europa League, a very impressive return during his debut campaign with the Seagulls and would have been the highest by any Chelsea striker since Costa left.

Adrian Clarke of the Premier League praises the Brazilian’s ‘versatility’ as well as his quick movement and ability to ‘dribble past players with ease’, while Liam Tharme of the Athletic underlines how his ‘technical prowess’ allows him to drop deep and get involved in the build-up play.

Meantime, Shay Hicks of Talent Football Scout asserts that Pedro ‘would thrive with higher-quality teammates’, so could he be on his way to Chelsea, possibly becoming the striker they’ve spent nigh on a decade searching for?

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Sheffield United must simply get back to winning ways in the Championship on Good Friday or their promotion push will be significantly derailed once more.

Indeed, heading into this must-win fixture versus relegation-threatened Cardiff City at Bramall Lane, Chris Wilder’s Blades are now without a victory from their last three outings in the second tier, whilst Leeds United and Burnley continue to pull off results to push away inside the coveted top two.

Regardless of what fate awaits the South Yorkshire giants, this coming summer transfer window looks likely to be a busy one, with one defender already being linked to join Wilder’s ranks.

United's interest in new £15m man

The United boss will be well aware that a minor rebuild will need to take place when the window swings back open, owing to the multitude of loanees that currently call the Blades home, among other factors at play.

One problem area for the promotion chasers that will presumably be addressed is the centre-back department, with Rob Holding needing to be drafted in as a late arrival in January here to boost numbers, away from Wilder’s regulars.

United’s new chosen man could well be £15m-rated Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard, with reports recently revealing that there’s interest on the end of the South Yorkshire side involving the ex-Arsenal youth product.

With 112 Championship career games under his belt, the experienced 25-year-old would be a worthwhile addition to the Bramall Lane camp, but his sketchy injury record – which has seen him be sidelined for a weighty 26 games this season – could put off Wilder and Co forking out an excessive £15m.

Instead, alternative targets could be looked at, or Wilder might pull all his trust in this defensive star already at his disposal who is amazingly worth more than Ballard’s steep valuation.

The "dominant" United star worth more than Ballard

After all, the defender in question here can already boast Premier League experience with the Blades over Ballard’s EFL-centric career path, having tallied up 31 top-flight appearances to date.

Of course, Anel Ahmedhodzic won’t look back on his Premier League voyage with United fondly – considering his lowly side finished rock bottom of the pile at the end of the 2023/24 season – but he’s more than bounced back this campaign as Wilder’s men attempt to instantly return.

The “dominant” defender – as he was once lauded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – has been a stalwart of his manager’s reinvigorated XI all season long, with this goal one of three goal contributions he’s managed to chip in with from 34 league clashes.

More importantly, over firing home crucial winners such as the one versus Middlesbrough, the Bosnian has also been a reliable brick wall when many a Championship side has bombed forward attempting to breach the Blades, with the 26-year-old colossus picking up a hefty 14 clean sheets along the way.

Matches played

34

Goals scored

2

Assists

1

Touches*

59.8

Accurate passes*

43.1 (90%)

Ball recoveries*

3.6

Clearances*

4.6

Total duels won*

3.9

Clean sheets

14

Value when joining

£5.1m

Value now

£20m

These regular standout showings – as can be seen glancing at his impressive numbers above – make United’s move to land the ex-Nottingham Forest man for just £5.1m back in 2022 look like a great steal, considering past transfer rumours surrounding Ahmedhodzic hint that he now has a £20m price tag above his head.

With Wilder also having the likes of experienced head Jack Robinson to call upon here, a splurge of £15m to land Ballard might not be deemed necessary after all, especially if other cheaper targets are out there.

Before any possible new faces enter through the door, however, United will be desperate to make their promotion dreams a reality, with Ahmedhodzic needing to remain rock solid during some crunch clashes to come.

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