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Aston Villa are now seriously considering a January move for an “incredible” striker, who has been in fantastic form this season.

Villa looking to sign new striker this winter

It is becoming increasingly clear that Villa want to bring in a new centre-forward in the upcoming transfer window, having identified a number of targets over the past week or so, namely Brentford’s Igor Thiago, Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Bologna’s Santiago Castro.

Target

League goals in 2025-26

Igor Thiago

11

Joshua Zirkzee

1

Santiago Castro

4

On the face of it, pursuing a move for Thiago would appear to make the most sense, given that the Brazilian has emerged as one of the best strikers in the Premier League this season, with only Manchester City star Erling Haaland scoring more goals.

However, Aston Villa have now joined the race for another striker who has been prolific in front of goal so far this season, according to a report from Spain, which states they are seriously considering a January move for Strasbourg star Joaquin Panichelli.

Unai Emery’s side are said to be closely monitoring the striker, and hold a genuine interest, off the back of Panichelli impressing in the first half of the Ligue 1 season, with Chelsea and West Ham United also joining the race for his signature.

With the Argentinian’s contract not due to expire until 2027, the French club should be in a strong negotiating position, which complicates a deal, and finalising a move in the January transfer window could be difficult.

Panichelli has made "incredible" start in Ligue 1

Given that Ollie Watkins has just three Premier League goals to his name this season, Emery could do with bringing in a more prolific striker next month, and the Cordoba-born marksman has regularly been amongst the goals for Strasbourg, scoring ten times in all competitions.

Scout Jacek Kulig has also praised the former CD Mirandes man for the start he’s made to life at the Ligue 1 side, having only arrived at Strasbourg from the Spanish side in the summer.

The one-time Argentina international is the second-highest scorer in Ligue 1, behind only Mason Greenwood, and at 23-years-old, he is at the right age to be a long-term replacement for Watkins.

Aston Villa could launch attack to sign £44m striker who's outscoring Watkins

The Villans are looking to bring in a new centre-forward.

ByDominic Lund 4 days ago

That said, with Panichelli tied down to a long-term contract and yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top leagues over a sustained time period, it may be worth Villa continuing to monitor him, ahead of potentially launching a move next summer.

Retiring allrounder says he agrees with decision to overlook him for Ashes tour after dislocation

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2025

Chris Woakes has confirmed that his international retirement was accelerated by the shoulder injury he sustained at The Oval in July, which he quickly realised could mark the end of his England career.Woakes, 36, announced his decision to retire from international cricket on Monday after discussions with Rob Key, England’s managing director, in which it became clear that he would not be considered for selection in the upcoming Ashes. He intends to play on both in franchise cricket, starting at the ILT20 in December, and for his county Warwickshire.His decision means that the final act of his England career was to walk out to bat at No. 11 with his left arm in a sling, spending 16 agonising minutes at the non-striker’s end and grimacing in pain every time he ran through for a single. Woakes did not face a ball as England fell six runs short, but was widely praised for his courage and bravery, defying a shoulder dislocation.He sustained the injury while diving over the boundary in an attempt to save a run on the first day of that fifth Test, and admitted in an interview with Sky Sports that retirement soon crossed his mind. “Definitely, there was a part of me that thought then that this could be my last act in an England shirt,” Woakes said.Related

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“When my shoulder was in the wrong place and you’re walking off at that moment, immediately you’re thinking about the game, and thinking you’re not going to play any further part. And then once things calm down a little bit, and you get the shoulder back in place, I suppose you start to then reflect and think, ‘Actually, this could be potentially be my last act in an England shirt.'”Woakes had been preparing to take a left-handed stance if required to face a ball, and conceded that he had found the prospect “slightly terrifying”. But he said that he never doubted his decision to bat: “I would’ve never been able to live with myself if I’d have said no… It just wouldn’t have sat right with me. It felt the right thing to do, and I’m sure everyone [else] would’ve done the same.”While he would have been in contention for England’s Ashes squad if fully fit, Woakes’ recovery timeframe effectively ruled him out of the start of the series and he was ultimately not considered for selection. He said that he was confident he could have “done a job” in some capacity if available, but accepted that the severity of his injury changed the picture.”I’ve got to get this right and rehab it well,” Woakes said. “Before that, the body was feeling great, and actually got better as the [India] series went on. Physically, I felt great and I felt like I potentially could have continued, but then obviously this happened and it just did change things a little bit.”I still feel like I would’ve been good enough and had the ability to go out [to Australia] – with my experience – to be able to go and do a job for the team, but I understand the route that the team are wanting to take. We haven’t won in Australia for a long time, so it feels like we’ve got to do something a little bit different and I’m fully behind that.”There was a chance I could have been fit once we go into December, but obviously the series would’ve been well and truly underway [by then]. You’re into the third or fourth Test match by that point, and I’m generally better with cricket under my belt. That call wasn’t surprising and, to be fair, I totally agree with that decision as well.”Woakes said that he had been “overwhelmed” by the response to his retirement, and that he will leave international cricket with no regrets: “To have won two World Cups, been a part of many Ashes series and one Ashes series win, I could never have dreamt of anything more.”

“When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough”

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-20253:59

Kuldeep: Had a good time in England working on myself

For Kuldeep Yadav, rhythm is everything. It’s what aids his drift, helps develop a loop to deceive batters in the air, and gives him confidence to sequence his deliveries better.However, he says, rhythm only comes with time in the middle, something he didn’t have a lot of through the course of an entire Test series in England, because the team opted for batting depth.”In England, obviously, looking at the conditions and the combination of the team, I didn’t get a place in the XI,” he said ahead of India’s final group match against Oman in Abu Dhabi in the Asia Cup. “But it was a very good time for me to work on myself, to improve my fitness and to give more volume to bowling, because it is very important.”Instead of sitting and sulking, Kuldeep developed his own pattern to training, and analysed his game, and picked out certain markers for when his time would come.Related

Kuldeep makes it worth the wait

How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan

“As a player, you learn a lot when you don’t play,” he said. “When the team reacts to certain situations, you can judge from the outside. You have a lot of ideas when you are in this situation, as to how to react and how you can bowl. I got a lot of ideas from there.”The communication [when he didn’t play] from Gauti [head coach Gautam Gambhir] was very clear. He was very straightforward. When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough. There are two ways and players choose according to themselves.”But it is very important that you keep working hard. The game is such that you have good and bad days. If you are not playing, you have time to improve on your own and become a better player when you get the chance.”Kuldeep Yadav did not get to play in England•Getty ImagesKuldeep’s opportunity came soon after, in the form of a Duleep Trophy game in August. The scorecard will show no wickets next to his name, but for Kuldeep, those 32 overs meant so much more.”It was very important for me to bowl there,” he said. “Bowling in nets and bowling in a match are very different. Obviously, you want to play after a long time. You want to perform well. But I didn’t have that much in my mind. I focused on my strength and tried to bowl in good areas.”Now, he feels that sense of rhythm has returned fully at the Asia Cup, where he has picked up seven wickets in two games, against UAE and Pakistan, across 37 deliveries.”Actually, my rhythm is set now,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that. I think it is important to use small angles for bowlers. As a wristspinner, I always think about my release point, my finish, whether the body is transferring [weight forward] or not.

“Between me, Varun and Axar, we are very experienced in the T20 format and understand our roles very well”

“When you don’t play, these things run in your mind. But obviously, with the help of video analysis, you get an idea of how you are bowling. I think my rhythm is good now. In the beginning, when I changed [in 2022, he worked on a straighter run-up and went through the crease faster], it took time. But now I am used to it.”The rhythm and confidence tie in nicely to his spin chemistry with Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel in India’s T20I set-up, with all three having different roles.”Everyone knows their job and my job is to take wickets in the middle overs,” Kuldeep said. “Axar, obviously, we have seen him bowling in the powerplay and he did the controlling job for us. Between me, Varun and Axar, we are very experienced in the T20 format and understand our roles very well.”Giving a lot of inputs really helped me, or anyone who is bowling in the middle. Whether it is Axar or Varun or me, whoever bowls first assesses the conditions and then suggests something. So it’s a good combination and we are very happy with that.”Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav ran through Pakistan’s middle order•AFP/Getty ImagesWhile Kuldeep’s rhythm has given him a fresh verve on the field, he also consciously tries to find a balance off the field, something he believes helps him find a release, especially when he is not playing. That balance has come through football.”If you follow other sports, you get to know how it feels when a team is performing really well,” he said. “You see the bench strength of their team. They have some unbeatable bench strength and when you focus on them, they are not getting enough time -15 minutes, 20 minutes – but they are so good, they can start in any game.”You see other teams, especially the big ones, and how they play against smaller teams – the communication, the decision-making, how quickly it all happens. You hardly have enough time to react.”Obviously, I play cricket on the field, that’s my job. After that, I enjoy football. There are so many games, you just watch and enjoy. In any sport, you admire how they play, especially in team games. The communication, the connection between players, how they lift each other – that’s the most important thing.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Corinthians e Racing-URU, vice-líder e líder do grupo F da Copa Sul-Americana, respectivamente, duelam nesta terça-feira (28) pela liderança da chave e, consequentemente, pela classificação direta às oitavas de final da competição continental.

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A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Um ponto atrás do clube uruguaio na tabela de classificação, o Timão precisa de uma vitória em Itaquera para garantir a primeira colocação do grupo.

Em caso de empate ou derrota, a equipe comandada por António Olivera terá que disputar um mata-mata contra um dos terceiros colocados da fase de grupos da Libertadores. A definição deste possível confronto será definido por sorteio.

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Após um início conturbado de Sul-Americana, onde conquistou apenas quatro pontos em três rodadas, o Corinthians venceu os últimos dois duelos, eliminou o Argentinos Juniors da competição e colou no Racing-URU, líder do grupo.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians

Maycon e Ruan Oliveira, com lesões no joelho, estão fora da temporada. Pedro Henrique, Matheuzinho e Palacios seguem em transição física. No entanto, todos os jogadores considerados titulares da equipe comandada por António Oliveira no momento estarão à disposição.

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O Corinthians recebe o Racing-URU, na Neo Química Arena, às 19h (de Brasília), pela sexta e última partida da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana.

CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO GRUPO F

1º lugar: Racing-URU – 11 pontos2º lugar: Corinthians – 10 pontos 3º lugar: Argentinos Juniors-ARG – 6 pontos (elimiado)4º lugar: Nacional-PAR – 1 ponto (eliminado)

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFutebol NacionalSTARPLUSSul-Americana

The Tigers had lost eight consecutive games entering Thursday night's matchup with the Guardians in Cleveland. Once up by 15.5 games in the American League Central, Detroit needed a win in order to get back even with the Guardians as the regular season enters its final weekend. A.J. Hinch turned to rookie Troy Melton to deliver in the biggest spot of the year and the young righthander rewarded that confidence by throwing 3 2/3 innings and surrendering a single run.

Upon getting relieved from the game, Melton savored the moment by singing along to Blink-182's "All The Small Things" as it blared throughout the stadium.

Here's that cool moment.

Detroit and Cleveland now have a three-game race to the division crown. The Guardians hold the tiebreaker so it would have been all but over had Melton not stepped in to stop the historic skid. It's a good sign for the Tigers that Melton can be this cool in such a huge moment.

And kudos to the Fan Duel Sports Detroit broadcast for catching on to what was happening.

The India men’s and women’s teams are currently playing international cricket without a team sponsor

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025

Apollo Tyres has replaced Dream 11 as the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket teams, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.The board’s new sponsorship deal with Apollo is for two and a half years and will run until March 2028. It is worth Rs 579 crore (US$ 65.7 million approx), according to a PTI report.”The new partnership, secured after a rigorous bidding process, represents a substantial increase in sponsorship value, signifying the immense and growing commercial appeal of Indian cricket,” the BCCI said in a statement.The BCCI needed a new lead team sponsor after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 in August banning real-money gaming, which was Dream 11’s core business, forcing them to withdraw from their contract.The men’s team is currently playing the Asia Cup in the UAE without a sponsor and so is the women’s team in their ongoing bilateral ODI series against Australia.Dream11 had a US$ 44 million (INR 358 crore approx.) deal with the BCCI for the period 2023 to 2026 before they pulled out. On September 2, the BCCI began the process to secure a new sponsor by releasing an invitation for expression of interest for the lead sponsorship rights and the deadline to submit a bid was September 16. The BCCI had specified that alcohol brands, betting or gambling services, cryptocurrency, online money gaming, tobacco brands, or any product or service likely to “offend public morals such as, including but not limited to, pornography” were not eligible to submit a bid to become the team sponsor.

Shohei Ohtani is used to recording stats that baseball has never seen before.

One of the wildest stats the two-way superstar has, though, is about the batter he's faced when throwing his hardest heat. Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his MLB career, a 101.7-mph four-seam fastball, to Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino in June. He threw an even harder pitch in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which hit 102-mph, for the fastest pitch in his career.

Incredibly, Pasquantino was on the receiving end of Ohtani's 102-mph heater too, and he's starting to think Ohtani may have a problem with him. He had a hilarious response to the stat back in June, and he recently got to question the superstar as he served as an MLB players ambassador at World Series media day.

"World Baseball Classic, we faced each other. And with Kansas City this year, why do you throw so hard to me?" Pasquantino simply asked. "Why? Why do you hate me?"

Ohtani responded that Pasquantino is a really good hitter, so he has to. He's right, as the Royals slugger led his team with 32 home runs and 113 RBIs this year. That wasn't a good enough answer for Pasquantino though, as he responded, "You throw too hard, Shohei."

Check out the hilarious moment below:

Ohtani and the Dodgers are headed to the World Series after an all-time performance from the superstar where he hit three homers and threw six scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to close out the Brewers. He hit 55 homers in the regular season, behind only Cal Raleigh (60) and Kyle Schwarber (56).

On the mound, Ohtani had a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts and 47 innings pitched with 62 strikeouts in his return to pitching this year. He's won both of his postseason starts thus far, punching out 19 in 12 innings. He has five playoff homers this year, too, the most outside of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with six.

Ohtani is doing things never seen before. Hopefully he has it in his heart to take it a bit easier on Pasquantino next season.

MatériaMais Notícias

O início da partida entre São Paulo e Vitória, válida pela quinta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, foi marcado por polêmicas envolvendo o VAR. Antes dos cinco minutos de partida, o zagueiro Wagner Leonardo se envolveu em uma disputada com Calleri na área.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

Após revisão, o árbitro da partida decidiu por expulsar o jogador do Leão, que passou a atuar com dez atletas em campo.

Nas redes sociais, torcedores do Vitória criticaram a atitude de Wagner, que teria acertado uma cotovelada no atacante adversário. Os são-paulinos, por sua vez, comemoram a decisão da equipe de arbitragem. Confira alguns comentários a seguir.

Tudo sobre

Campeonato BrasileiroFutebol NacionalSão PauloVitória

Unlike in years past, Arsenal are very well represented when it comes to England squads these days.

The likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are guaranteed starters, while a couple of other players tend to make it into the squad, like Eberechi Eze.

The former Crystal Palace star featured in both games this international break and certainly made his case for a place at the World Cup.

However, his form on the domestic front has been somewhat middling, and if he’s not careful, he could eventually be replaced by one of the brightest talents in the country.

Eze's start to life at Arsenal

Now, to make things clear, Eze is an extraordinarily gifted footballer and has not been bad for Arsenal this season.

However, it would be fair to say that, aside from a goal against his old side and a few moments of magic, he has not exactly hit the ground running just yet.

For example, in 15 appearances for the Gunners, he has scored two goals, one of which was against Port Vale, and provided three assists.

Those are not really the numbers of a marquee summer signing, no less one who managed to produce a sensational tally of 25 goal involvements in 43 games for a significantly worse team last year.

However, there might not be too much to worry about, as according to FBref, he still ranks in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league for shot-creating actions coming from his own shots and the top 5% for goal-creating actions stemming from live passes, per 90.

In other words, while the output has been underwhelming, the 27-year-old still has some promising underlying metrics, which suggest that as he becomes more familiar with the team, the goals and assists should come.

After all, while his performance against Albania was nothing to write home about, fans were reminded just how technically magnificent a player he is with the goal he scored against Serbia.

In all, Eze will more than likely come good for Arteta and Co, but if he doesn’t, Arsenal might already have his perfect long-term replacement.

The Arsenal gem who could replace Eze

In this situation, many fans might instantly think of Ethan Nwaneri, as the 18-year-old already has plenty of first-team experience and is surely set for an England call-up at some point in the next year or so.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, while he might one day become a regular starter in the first team, he has already been somewhat usurped as the most exciting prospect at Arsenal, if not in the country, by Max Dowman.

Yes, it is certainly still early days for the 15-year-old dynamo, but he has been considered one of the next big things for some time now.

For example, in September of last year, talent scout Jacek Kulig boldly proclaimed him as the “most exciting prospect” he had seen “since Lamine Yamal.”

Then, just two months later, Hale End expert Will Balsam described him as “one of the greatest footballing brains that’s ever come through Hale End” and “the biggest talent in England.”

That might sound like a lot to say about someone who was just 14 at the time, but it probably wasn’t as thoroughly the season he proved time and time again that he is a special talent.

Appearances

23

Minutes

1945′

Goals

19

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

Minutes per Goal Involvement

81.04′

For example, in 23 appearances, totalling 1945 minutes, he racked up a tally of 19 goals and five assists, which comes out to an average of 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Then, on the pre-season tour, he made it clear that, be it junior or senior football, he was more than capable of, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson, “humiliating” opposition players with his incredible close control.

It was this technical brilliance that saw him win a penalty against Leeds United on his Premier League debut, and then again, why he started and shone against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup.

If that wasn’t enough, the Chelmsford-born teen then became the youngest player in Champions League history against Slavia Prague, and was called a “miracle player” by defender David Zima.

Finally, if fans needed any more convincing that the Hale End gem is truly special, then recent news about him already being considered for England’s U21S should do just that.

Ultimately, Eze is safe from losing his place for now, but if he doesn’t start scoring and assisting more, then he could be usurped by Dowman within a season or two.

The new Rice: Arsenal chasing "generational" midfielder in £100m move

The international star could be as good a signing for Arsenal as Declan Rice has been.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 17, 2025

TORONTO —  There is a laundry list of problems the Seattle Mariners will take into Game 7 of the American League Championship Series tonight. They have struck out almost twice as many times as the Blue Jays (62–34). They don’t win when they don’t hit a home run (13–30 in 173 games this year). And they must win in the toughest place to win this year in the AL.

None of those issues are their biggest problem. The Mariners have a Vlad problem.

To go to their first World Series, they must figure out how to pitch to a smoking hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is having a postseason for the ages. So hot is Guerrero that the best course of action for Seattle pitchers is to swallow their pride and pitch around him in any spot with a smidgen of meaning.

No offense to Alejandro Kirk, who is swinging a hot bat behind him right now, but there is no way the Mariners can go home allowing Guerrero even a chance of beating them. You pitch to him every time in Game 7 as if there are two outs and first base open. He is that good and that hot.

In a too-easy 6–2 victory over a tight Seattle team Sunday (three errors, three double plays grounded into and 13 strikeouts), Guerrero’s night went like this:

• Popped out for only the second time this postseason.
• Grounded out on a slider on one of the seven hardest hard balls he has hit all year (116 mph).
• Ripped a curveball for a home run.
• Shot a classic “how-dare-you” look at the Mariners’ dugout upon scoring after they hit him with a pitch.
• Hit a sinker twice for a single—once as it broke his bat on the handle and again, on the carom, with his barrel.

“He came in the dugout and said, ‘I hit that twice,’” said Toronto center fielder Dalton Varsho. “That’s how hot he is. He knew he hit it twice.

“It’s amazing to watch this.  He’s hitting everything right now. It doesn’t matter where they pitch him—in, out, up or down—and what they pitch him. I mean, he’s so hot right now they flipped him a curveball out of nowhere and he’s on time and hits it out.”

The Mariners have thrown him 77 pitches in this series. Only two have been curveballs. He smoked one for a double and whacked the other for a homer to end the night of a wholly ineffective Logan Gilbert, Seattle’s Game 6 starter.