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It is SPFL fixture release day and as Premiership champions, Celtic will have a home game on the opening weekend, 2/3 August.

But, how many new signings will Brendan Rodgers have on board in time for his team’s first pre-season match on 4 July?

Well, Celtic have already added Kieran Tierney to their ranks, re-signing the left-back after he became a free agent, while they’ve also reportedly agreed a fee of £1.7m to land winger Benjamin Nygren in the coming days.

The Hoops are not content with just one attacking signing, however.

Celtic chasing a new winger

According to a report by RMC Sport, talks between Celtic and Royal Antwerp are “underway” as the Hoops seek to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who he claims is ‘keen on the move’ to Scotland.

Transfer Focus

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

Meantime, Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has previously reported that Celtic are ‘well-placed’ to make this deal come to fruition, describing the winger as a ‘long-term target’.

Balikwisha, who is 24 years old, began his senior career at Standard Liège, before joining Royal Antwerp in July 2021, making 141 appearances for the Reds to date, scoring 29 goals and registering 17 assists.

He was a key figure in the Antwerp team that won the domestic treble in 2023, the club’s first Jupiler Pro League title for 66 years, then scoring the goal against AEK Athens that saw them qualify for the Champions League for the very first time, also on target against Shakhtar Donetsk at Bosuilstadion in the tournament’s group stages.

This season though, Antwerp missed out on European qualification altogether, disastrously beaten 2-1 by Royal Charleroi in a European play-off last month, fuelling speculation that he could be on the move, and hence why the club are looking to cash in.

How Michel-Ange Balikwisha would improve Celtic

Celtic are in the market for a new winger this summer, partially due to the fact that Jota will be sidelined for between “six to nine months” after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at Tannadice in April.

So, would Balikwisha be a good replacement? Let’s assess his statistics.

Minutes

1,784

99th

Goals

7

17th

Assists

6

9th

Progressive carries

85

10th

Carries into penalty area

34

9th

Shot-creating actions

69

30th

Goal-creating actions

10

13th

Big chances created

6

40th

Key passes per match

1.5

24th

Average SofaScore rating

7.32

14th

Worth noting that the 2023/24 season was chosen because, similar to Jota, Balikwisha is coming off a long-term injury, requiring knee surgery just over a year ago, before a meniscus injury saw him make just three appearances this season before 9 March.

After that, he did enjoy a run of games, starting each of Antwerp’s final 11 matches to conclude the campaign.

Despite his injury issues, analyst Ben Mattinson labels him an “amazing” talent, describing him as “two-footed” and “capable of beating a defender either way”. That certainly suggests he’d be a great replacement for the injury-stricken Jota.

Meantime, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout believes he operates best as an “inside forward”, praising his “pace, dribbling and finishing”, which he believes to be his strongest attributes.

Said to be one of the most ‘talented attacking players’ in the Belgian top-flight by Lee Scott of Total Football Analysis, that’s high praise considering Global Football Rankings believes the Jupiler Pro League to be the eighth-strongest division in the world; for context, the Scottish Premiership is all the way down in 43rd.

Given that Balikwisha has just one year remaining on his contract at Antwerp, it would appear as though Celtic will be able to sign him at a cut-price, and he seemingly has all the qualities to thrive in Glasgow’s East End.

Dream Miller alternative: Celtic ramping up move to sign £1.6m star

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ByDan Emery Jun 18, 2025

Scott Parker will hope he’s in it for the long haul at Burnley as they step back up to the Premier League, after finding his last venture in the top-flight to be short-lived with AFC Bournemouth.

The 44-year-old would only last four top-flight contests with the Cherries during the 2022/23 season before being handed his abrupt marching orders, with a horrific 9-0 loss suffered at the hands of Liverpool during his final game not helping his cause whatsoever.

He returns to the elite division with a point to prove, therefore, having just successfully guided the Clarets up to the big time by collecting 100 points, with a defensive solidity on show that was nowhere to be found at Anfield.

However, bit by bit, the defence that only leaked 16 league goals last season is being picked off, with Maxime Esteve perhaps the next to leave Turf Moor behind after CJ Egan-Riley’s distressing contract situation.

The latest on Esteve's Burnley future

Annoyingly, Egan-Riley – who shone brightly next to Esteve last season – looks set to exit Lancashire for good, amidst interest in his services from RC Strasbourg and West Ham United.

The imposing Frenchman, meanwhile, also has his fair share of Premier League admirers, with Crystal Palace and Everton recently named as onlookers keen on adding the 23-year-old to their rosters, alongside ex-Clarets boss Vincent Kompany also keeping tabs on him from the Bayern Munich dug-out.

This would be a huge blow to Burnley’s confidence if they were to lose their in-demand number five, considering Esteve is just fresh off a campaign that saw him average an unerring 91% pass accuracy per Championship clash, alongside also showing off his brute strength with 3.6 duels won per match too.

But, the Clarets might now have a dream replacement for the ex-Montpellier titan up their sleeve, with the target in question already well-versed in how to battle and fight amid a Premier League relegation scrap.

The £12m "warrior" who'd be the dream Esteve replacement

After all, Esteve has struggled in the demanding top-flight in the past, away from his name currently generating a buzz, with zero clean sheets coming his way for Burnley from 16 league appearances during their relegation season.

On the contrary, the Clarets’ new defensive target – as has been reported by the Irish Sun – in Dara O’Shea at least exited this campaign just gone with his head held high, with the Republic of Ireland international even winning Ipswich Town’s Player of the Season accolade for his valiant efforts at the back, despite the Tractor Boys slipping straight back down to the second-tier.

On top of that, O’Shea was also a popular figure when he last donned claret and blue – away from deserting the Clarets after relegation – with the Dublin-born titan even amassing three goals and four assists in league action during the 2023/24 season at Turf Moor, alongside averaging an imposing 5.5 duels won on average.

Again, however, all of his heroic efforts were for nothing as relegation was ultimately served up. But, the £12m defender will hope to buck that ongoing trend if he does relocate back to Lancashire shortly, amidst interest also coming in for his services from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United.

Games played

35

46

Goals scored

0

1

Assists

2

0

Touches*

58.9

78.0

Accurate passes*

34.0 (79%)

60.5 (91%)

Ball recoveries*

3.1

3.7

Clearances*

6.2

5.0

Total duels won*

5.4

3.6

His most recent stint with Ipswich shows off how he could be a dream Esteve replacement, with the table above displaying his similarities to the Bundesliga-linked defender, as seen in both centre-backs being unfazed by having the ball at their feet, away from completing their gritty defensive basics.

Parker will just pray that he can land O’Shea over other rivals, especially if Esteve does heartbreakingly seek out pastures new, with the Irishman also being labelled as a “warrior” by former West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael for his full-blooded displays.

The under pressure 44-year-old will need everyone singing off the same hymn sheet defensively if his team stands any chance at survival, with a familiar face in O’Shea rejoining potentially working wonders.

Burnley could sign dream Egan-Riley replacement in "outstanding" £25m star

Burnley would soon forget about CJ Egan-Riley leaving Turf Moor behind if they signed this outstanding replacement.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 5, 2025

Sheffield United now know that they will face Bristol City across two legs in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs after the results on the final day of the season.

The Blades, who finished ten points adrift of the automatic promotion places, ended the regular season with a 1-1 draw against play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers.

As you can see in the highlights above, Tom Cannon missed a huge chance to win the game for the Blades late on when he fired well over the bar in a brilliant position.

Tom Cannon's performance against Blackburn

The Ireland international was brought in from Leicester City in a deal reportedly worth £10m in the January transfer window and has yet to hit his stride with the Blades.

Cannon ends the regular season with a return of one goal in 15 appearances in the Championship for Sheffield United, which came in the 2-1 defeat to Burnley on Easter Monday.

His performance against Blackburn on Saturday was a mixed bag. Whilst he did miss that big chance at the end, the Blades striker did complete two of his three attempted dribbles, managed one shot on target, and created two chances for his teammates, which shows that there were positives in his display.

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Cannon will be hoping to retain his place in the starting line-up for the first leg of the play-off semi-finals, but one player who should be taken out of the XI after their performance on Saturday is Sam McCallum.

Why Sam McCallum should be dropped

The former Norwich City full-back has started the last two matches of the Championship season ahead of Harrison Burrows, and Chris Wilder must, now, drop him from the team for the play-offs to strengthen his side’s chances of reaching the Premier League.

Burrows, who has scored five goals and created ten ‘big chances’ in the league this term, should come back into the side when they face Bristol City next time out to provide a creative spark down the left flank.

McCallum has only created one ‘big chance’ in 33 appearances in the Championship for the Blades, which shows that he does not offer the same level of creative quality that the former Peterborough star does.

Vs Blackburn

Sam McCallum

Minutes

85

Clearances

0

Interceptions

0

Tackles

1

Dribbled past

2x

Ground duels won

2/5

Key passes

1

Possession lost

12x

Big chances created

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, McCallum produced a wasteful display on the left flank against Blackburn, losing the ball 12 times without creating any ‘big chances’.

The English dud being dribbled past twice, without making more than one tackle or any interceptions, shows that it was a bit too easy for the opposition’s forwards to get the better of him in defensive situations as well.

These statistics also show that he was even worse than Cannon because, at least, the striker did create a couple of chances for his team and excelled in his attempted dribbles, whereas McCallum put in a disappointing showing all-round.

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Posts 1 ByDan Emery May 3, 2025

Therefore, Wilder must ruthlessly axe McCallum, who struggled in and out of possession on Saturday, from the starting XI in order to bring Burrows, and the creative quality that he provides, back into the team against Bristol City for the first leg.

Arsenal have a long and incredibly proud track record of producing some of their best players from their own academy.

Arsène Wenger once said, “we don’t sign superstars, we make them,” and while the club do spend more money nowadays, that still rings true to a certain extent, with Bukayo Saka now being undoubtedly one of the best players in Europe, let alone the Premier League.

Moreover, this season has seen Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly burst onto the scene, with the latter even coming out on top when facing up against Jude Bellingham on Tuesday night.

There are no signs of the Hale End talent factory slowing down anytime soon either, and one of the club’s most exciting youngsters could even be their own Bellingham in the making.

The future of Lewis-Skelly & Nwaneri

Before we get to the youngster in question, it’s worth pondering the futures of their current young stars, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri.

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The latter didn’t feature on Tuesday night as Saka had made his first start since December, and by the time he was taken off, the hosts were already two goals up and moments away from scoring their third.

However, we’d be surprised if he doesn’t feature in the second-leg or semi-final – if Arsenal get there – as his haul of ten goal involvements from 31 games this year is spectacular.

Nwaneri’s breakthrough year

Appearances

31

Minutes

1198′

Goals

8

Assists

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.32

Minutes per Goal Involvement

119.8′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

The Enfield-born dynamo has primarily played off the right this season, and while we imagine he’ll continue to be the first-choice backup for that role going forward, there is also a genuine chance he spends more time in the middle of the park in the future.

The reason for this is that even though he’s spent so much time on the wing this season, his most played position overall is attacking midfield, and should Martin Odegaard continue to underwhelm in his role as chief creator, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the teenager unleashed there in his place.

The future of Lewis-Skelly, on the other hand, is a little harder to predict, as even though he spent most of his youth career as a central midfielder and is even noted down as a midfielder on the Arsenal website, he has been nothing short of phenomenal at left-back.

The Islington-born ace also won his first two senior England caps in that position, and with Declan Rice one of the first names on the teamsheet and Martin Zubimendi’s transfer looking more and more likely, there is every chance he’ll simply become Arteta’s first choice left-back.

However, even then, the 18-year-old will continue to play an important role in the build-up and attacking phases of play, as against Real, he’d often push up to overload the midfield and use his incredible ball-carrying ability to create chances and chaos for his teammates to exploit.

In all, next season might be another in which Nwaneri slowly sees his game time increase before eventually becoming a regular starter in midfield, whereas Lewis-Skelly looks set to be a regular starter for as long as he remains fit or at the club.

Interestingly, there could be another Hale Ender who breaks into the team next season, a youngster who may well be Arsenal’s Bellingham.

Arsenal's future Bellingham

Arsenal are currently blessed with an abundance of promising youngsters at Hale End, from Dan Casey to Andre Harriman-Annous.

However, when it comes to the most exciting of them all, and the youngster who could be the club’s own Bellingham, there is only one player to talk about: Max Dowman.

Yes, despite still being just 15 years old, we reckon that even non-Arsenal fans will have heard about the young midfielder by now, as that is how highly thought of he is and the level of excitement that surrounds him.

For example, Rice, who has been assigned to mentor him, described him as “the best 15-year-old in the country,” while academy expert Will Balsam went even bigger than that, claiming he has “one of the greatest footballing brains that’s ever come through Hale End.”

While this might all sound over the top, it just reflects how special the teenager could be, and with a first-team debut feeling almost certain next year, this is one of the things that makes him so similar to Bellingham.

The Real Madrid superstar made his debut for Birmingham City at just 16 years old, and should the Hale Ender play early next season, there is a chance he’ll be even younger on debut.

Dowman’s 24/25

Appearances

18

Minutes

1495′

Goals

9

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.66

Minutes per Goal Involvement

124.58′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of that, both are central midfielders by trade but can play higher up when needed, with the Gunners ace already scoring nine goals and providing three assists in 18 appearances for the junior sides this year.

Ultimately, while describing a youngster as the next Bellingham could be seen as too much pressure or hyperbole, neither of those things seem true for Dowman, and if he comes anywhere close to fulfilling the potential that so many believe him to possess, Arsenal may just have a future Ballon d’Or winner on their hands.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 10, 2025

If Danny Röhl did not know he had a big job on his hands already at Rangers, he certainly knows that now.

On Thursday night, the Glasgow outfit were swatted aside 2-0 by Roma at Ibrox, the club’s seventh successive European defeat, leaving them rock bottom of the gigantic Europa League table, still yet to get off the mark.

Having also been beaten by Brann and then Celtic in Sunday’s League Cup semi-finals, Röhl has become the first ever permanent Rangers manager to taste as many as three defeats across his first five games in charge.

In his press conference after the game, the German insisted that this job was not bigger than he first thought but, even though he currently has the fans onside, this can quickly turn, as Russell Martin found out, lasting only 17 games in the Ibrox hot seat.

So, with a game against Dundee at Dens Park next up for the Light Blues on Sunday, which regular starter should be on borrowed time, as Röhl targets an upturn in both performances and results?

Rangers' catastrophic summer spending

Earlier this year, 49ers Enterprises completed their takeover of Rangers, which was supposed to commence a new era of success on Glasgow’s south side.

Well, they inarguably got the appointment of manager Russell Martin wrong, while a huge amount of money was spent in the summer, albeit not very well, as the table below documents.

Lyall Cameron

Dundee

Compensation

Joe Rothwell

Bournemouth

£400k

Emmanuel Fernandez

Peterborough

£3.5m

Thelo Aasgaard

Luton Town

£3.5m

Nasser Djiga

Wolves

Loan

Djeidi Gassama

Sheff Wednesday

£2.2m

Mikey Moore

Tottenham

Loan

Oliver Antman

Go Ahead Eagles

£3m

Jayden Meghoma

Brentford

Loan

Bojan Miovski

Girona

£2.6m

Youssef Chermiti

Everton

£8m

Derek Cornelius

Marseille

Loan

Cyriel Dessers

Panathinaikos

£3.5m

Hamza Igamane

Lille

£10.5m

Rıdvan Yılmaz

Beşiktaş

£2m

Jefté

Palmeiras

£6m

Robin Pröpper

Twente

£1.5m

Václav Černý

Beşiktaş

End of loan

As the table documents, Rangers spent over £23m in the summer, while recouping a similar amount, all of which has made the squad substantially worse.

£8m, potentially rising to £10m in add-ons, was splashed to bring in Youssef Chermiti from Everton, who has scored just one goal for the club to date, replacing Hamza Igamane who departed for Lille for a similar amount, but has been on fire in Northern France, netting seven times for les Dogues already.

Similarly, Bojan Miovski has so far been a sub-par replacement for last season’s top-scorer Cyriel Dessers, who netted 29 times across all competitions, while star attacker Václav Černý simply has not been replaced, with teenager Jayden Meghoma appearing out of his depth, which isn’t ideal considering both senior left-backs Jefté and Rıdvan Yılmaz were sold.

Speaking on TNT Sports after Thursday’s defeat to Roma, Rangers legend Ally McCoist asserted that it will take at least three transfer windows to fix Rangers current predicament, asserting that he hopes the board back Röhl, noting that recruitment has to be a concern, given what sporting director Kevin Thelwell has delivered so far.

For now, Röhl has to work with the players in his squad and is under pressure to deliver results, so which of the summer recruits is on borrowed time?

The Rangers summer signing Danny Röhl must axe

They say first impressions are the most important, which is not ideal for Nasser Djiga.

Chalkboard

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

After arriving on a season-long loan from Wolves, aforementioned sporting director Thelwell backed the new defender to “flourish”.

Well, the Burkinabé international marked his home Premiership debut by being sent off against Dundee during a dismal 1-1 draw at Ibrox.

Nevertheless, mistakes happen and the 22-year-old former Crvena zvezda defender is only young, we’re sure he will learn.

Well, ten days later, Djiga’s catastrophic error presented Romeo Vermant with the opening goal just three minutes into the Champions League play-off tie, a two-legged affair Club Brugge would go onto win 9-1.

As a result, Djiga then spent a few weeks left in reserve, but has started the last three matches, with Röhl switching to a back three, seeking extra defensive solidity.

Nevertheless, Graham Falk of the Scotsman was not impressed with his performance against Roma, labelling the centre-back ‘unconvincing’, adding that he ‘completely lost his man’ for the corner from which Roma opened the scoring, concluding that he is one of many ‘poor summer signings’,

Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman meantime documented his ‘really difficult’ afternoon for the defender against Celtic at Hampden last Sunday, while Gazzetta dello Sport described him as the ‘worst’ player on the pitch after that game.

Against Roma, Djiga started in the back three alongside captain James Tavernier and John Souttar, meaning Derek Cornelius and Emmanuel Fernandez, who has made just three appearances for the club to date, were left in reserve.

Thus, even if he does stick with this back three shape, Röhl does have alternative options to the ticking time bomb of defensive errors that is Djiga.

Fernandez, who has played just one minute since August, and Cornelius, who has been generally impressive, are surely better options, starting at Dens on Sunday, facing the side Djiga has already been sent off against, so the Wolves loanee must improve if he’s to remain in the first-choice XI.

Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must axe Rangers man who lost the ball 11x

Rangers have now lost four out of four in the Europa League, and Danny Röhl must drop the flop who lost the ball 11 times against Roma on Thursday.

Nov 7, 2025

Rishabh Pant spent an entire day on the field, seemingly untroubled by his foot, as he returned to action after more than two months in rehab for a foot injury sustained while batting during the fourth Test in Manchester.N Jagadeesan wasn’t as lucky, after B Sai Sudharsan’s spikes got stuck into his right hand during a training session on match eve. The selectors were forced to summon Ishan Kishan as cover. Jagadeesan’s injury meant an opportunity at the top of the order for Ayush Mhatre, the Mumbai opener, who was originally set to play only the second four-day fixture.All eyes were on Pant when he arrived early and began the day with warm-ups, timed sprints and a batting hit prior to the toss, which he won to put South Africa A in to bat. On a green surface at the Centre of Excellence, which offered plenty of seam movement and swing, the decision seemed justifiable. But gritty efforts from Jordan Hermann and Zubayr Hamza drove South Africa A to 299 for 9 at stumps. Nonetheless, they will be disappointed with the total, because there was the promise of a lot more earlier in the day.India A’s efforts in the field were led by Tanush Kotian, the offspinning allrounder, who picked up four wickets. He wheeled away for much of the second and third session, and was complemented by Manav Suthar, who was unlucky to have only two wickets next to his name at the end of a day where he got the odd ball to turn sharply, and jump up at the batters, whenever they seemed indecisive.Jordan Hermann used sweeps to great effect•PTI

Among the fast bowlers, Gurnoor Brar was potent but had just one wicket to show after 15 overs of toil himself. But the wicket he prised out – of Hamza for 66 – exhibited the virtues he’s been picked for. Gurnoor can hit hard lengths, hustle batters for pace, and have them hopping. This was exactly how Hamza fell, when he tried to evade a well-directed short ball to break a 130-run second-wicket stand.But Hamza had several moments he will look back on fondly from his innings. His manner of tackling spin against Tanush Kotian and Manav Suthar will stand him in good stead, if he gets an opportunity to feature in the two Tests that follow later this month. He didn’t let Kotian settle down, and used his feet superbly to hit him over mid-off repeatedly in his first two overs.Then, Hamza drove Kotian against the turn through extra cover, with Pant keen on leaving cover open to try and trap him into a false stroke. Against Suthar’s left-arm spin, he used his feet well to step out and cover the line to flick him against the turn through midwicket. One such stroke brought up his half-century.Hermann was more sedate after a fiery start. He began with square drive off Khaleel Ahmed, and was quick to pounce on anything short. Once Hamza took charge, however, Jordan slipped back into a more tempered pace, playing himself into the innings. Along the way, he was challenged by Brar’s pace and late movement.India A attacked with close-in fielders before stumps•PTI

Once spin came on, Jordan eased himself against Suthar by playing the lap sweeps and paddles, one of which had him fall over in a manner reminiscent of Pant’s red-ball pyrotechnics. He also played the shot of the afternoon – a sumptuous flick through midwicket, off Khaleel, in the first over after lunch. But he was eventually dismissed on 71, lbw while stuck on the crease to play Kotian against the turn.Shortly prior to his wicket, captain Marques Ackermann perished to Kotian when he tried to step out and flick, unable to get to the pitch and chipping one straight to Suthar. This dismissal briefly brought together Jordan and his older brother, Rubin Hermann, to the crease.The latter did a fine job, after it looked at one point as if India A would run through the lower middle-order, when Rivaldo Moonsamy fell just after tea to leave them 197 for 5. Ruben drove through the line fearlessly as Khaleel went searching for some reverse in the final session, and had a slice of luck when Sai Sudharsan put him down at deep backward square leg on 38.But it didn’t cost India A much as he was out soon after. He was bowled by Kotian for 54, to a delivery that kept low after he was too early into a pull shot. Shortly after, Kotian scalped up a classic offspinner’s dismissal, when he bowled Prenelan Subrayen through the gate, to claim his fourth towards the end of the day’s play.As stumps approached, Pant employed as many as six fielders around the bat, with South Africa A’s lower order at the crease. The tactic worked when Tiaan van Vuren’s top-edge off a slog sweep was lapped up by Devdutt Padikkal. India A then enjoyed the perfect finish to the day, when Khaleel trapped Lutho Sipamla lbw, to help them take the honours on the opening day.

Captain Rovman Powell led the way, smashing an unbeaten 41 off 17 balls, as Barbados Royals secured their first win in CPL 2025. Despite that, Royals remained at the bottom of the points table and David Wiese’s St Lucia Kings remained at the top along with Nicholas Pooran’s Trinbago Knight Riders. Currently, only net run-rate separates Kings and TKR.After they were asked to bat first, Royals didn’t start well. They lost Quinton de Kock to left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre in the third over and by the end of the powerplay, they had managed only 39 for 1. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner from South Africa, then stifled Royals even further by taking out Brandon King (42), Kadeem Alleyne (39) and Sherfane Rutherford (16) in his four overs which cost Kings only 26 runs.When Powell joined Chris Green, Royals were 120 for 5 in the 16th over. Powell then teed off, lining up Alzarri Joseph for two sixes and a four in the 19th over. In the final over of the innings, bowled by rookie Delano Potgieter, Powell and Green combined to take three fours and a six.Green wasn’t done just yet. He struck with the new ball, dismissing Johnson Charles and Roston Chase. Wicketkeeper-opener Tim Seifert raced to 24 off 13 before he was bowled by Jomel Warrican. Tim David, one of the most dangerous finishers in the world, then threatened to take the game away from Royals until Daniel Sams interneved and cut his innings short on 44 off 28 balls.David’s dismissal left Kings at 94 for 6 in 12 overs, needing 98 off 48 balls. Cameos from Wiese and Joseph got Kings closer, but Royals finally wrapped up their first victory this season and kept their hopes of making the playoffs alive.

A change of attitude, allied to crucial early-season momentum, has carried the team to a first final in eight years

Alex Malcolm23-Mar-2025Confidence is an intangible. So is a winning culture. But those who have seen it know what it looks like.It was something that struck Brendan Doggett the moment he moved to Adelaide in the winter of 2021.”I noticed big time when I first got South Australia four seasons ago, that there wasn’t much belief,” Doggett told ESPNcricinfo. “There wasn’t much confidence in the squad.”Doggett had just left Queensland, having played in a winning Sheffield Shield final in April of that year, helping secure Queensland’s second Shield title in four seasons by taking 3 for 37 in the second innings.Related

• 'They saved my career' – Sangha repays South Australia's faith with Shield final heroics

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• Tension between Khawaja and Queensland builds ahead of Shield final

That he didn’t see any belief was hardly surprising. South Australia had just finished last in the Shield for the fourth consecutive season. They would make it five by the end of Doggett’s first summer there. South Australia have not won a Shield since 1996. Since then, South Australian cricket fans had seen just two domestic white-ball titles, a lone One-Day Cup in 2011-12 and a BBL title for Adelaide Strikers in 2017-18.When Ryan Harris arrived in Adelaide in the winter of 2023 as South Australia’s new bowling coach under Jason Gillespie, he saw the same thing. Harris was returning home, having left the state during his playing career in 2008 to join Queensland, where he won a Shield as a player in 2011-12 and enjoyed great success with Australia before beginning his coaching career in that same Queensland environment.

Ball-by-ball, in the contest, no game is ever too far away from winning. Someone do something special. Play the long gameJake Lehmann on mindset

“When Ryan came along as bowling coach last year, he sort of instilled in us bowlers that we can win from anywhere,” Doggett said. “We’re always going to fight, no matter our position. And I guess the belief sort of started from there. We got glimmers of hope last year where we were going to win matches from being a long way behind, and then that just continued on this year, with him taking charge of the whole squad. He’s kept that same mentality of always fighting, always trying to find a way to win from any position. And that’s probably been the big shift.”

****

There was optimism in Nathan McSweeney’s voice as far back as last September when the newly installed South Australian captain spoke about his new coach and his team’s prospects.”He’s got a great relationship with the group, and his passion for the state is second to none,” McSweeney told ESPNcricinfo on September 19.”Last year, I think there was times where we just let ourselves down in a session, with the bat or ball. I feel like we’re not that far away, and hopefully Ryno can help progress that.”What Harris wanted to build was a squad mentality. He had seen what Western Australia had done in using 25 different players to win a hat-trick of Shield and One-Day Cup doubles over the previous three seasons.What he had observed in South Australia was a culture of individuality.”What’s done is done,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo on September 19. “We haven’t had success. That’s no secret. And we want to do that.Nathan McSweeney’s optimism was in evidence right from the start of the season•Getty Images”We want to individually have success and do well but ultimately, if it comes to selection and you’re not necessarily in that team, which is not always easy, you make sure you deal with your disappointment and you get over it, and then you get back into supporting team mode.”I think that’s part of what’s not been great here in the last few years. That’s probably 1% but that can play a huge role in bringing groups apart. So that’s one thing I’ve probably focused on a lot.”

****

From little things, big things grow.It might not have seemed like it at the time, but just five days after Harris and McSweeney made those comments, South Australia produced perhaps their most important win of the season, and potentially the previous 13 years, in the context of setting them on the path to a drought-breaking title.In a One-Day Cup clash at Cricket Central in Sydney, their opening match of any form for the season, South Australia had been bowled out for 166. The three-time defending champions in WA were 133 for 3 after 25.5 overs and marching towards a bonus point win.Nathan McAndrew, Wes Agar, Henry Thornton and Ben Manenti combined to take 7 for 31 and South Australia won by two runs.At the same venue a few weeks later, South Australia were 23 for 4 in the fourth innings of their first Shield game against New South Wales, needing an unlikely 389 to win on the final day. McSweeney batted the day to finish 127 not out. Alex Carey also made 111. South Australia survived comfortably against Nathan Lyon to secure a reassuring draw.Two weeks later, they set Queensland a similar target on the final day in Brisbane and bowled them out in 73.3 overs to win their first Shield game of the season.The very next match they bowled Victoria out with just 16 minutes to spare on the final day and break a nine-year drought against their border rivals.”I’ve been a big believer of you learn to win, and then winning becomes a habit.” Doggett said.South Australia kept winning. In December they won the equal-closest Shield game in history off the last ball of the match, taking 4 for 4 in nine balls in Hobart when Tasmania were poised to chase down 429.Alex Carey’s three Shield centuries have been a key factor in South Australia’s progression to the final•Getty ImagesIn the next game in February, after the BBL break, they won the shortest game in Shield history, bowling defending champions WA out for 120 and 66 at the WACA to win in Perth for the first time in eight years.On March 1, they broke the title drought at Adelaide Oval, winning the One-Day Cup for the first time in 13 years by defending just 268 against Victoria who had been 74 for 1 in the chase.Eight days later they beat them again in the Shield in Melbourne, chasing 300 six-down on the final day to secure their first home final in eight years.Jake Lehmann was the hero making an unbeaten 105. Just moments after hitting the winning runs he summed up why South Australia had made winning a habit this season.”It’s just a fighting mentality,” Lehmann told ESPNcricinfo. “Ball-by-ball, in the contest, no game is ever too far away from winning. Someone do something special. Play the long game. All those small little things.”Training has definitely lifted. Our competitiveness at training now has definitely gone through the roof. I think it’s on the back of that squad mentality and blokes who are not playing that are making lots of runs in second XI, lots of runs in club cricket, taking lots of wickets.Nathan McAndrew has been a huge figure in the attack•Getty Images”Selection has been tough, and I think that’s lifted training and Ryno’s really driven that. Those boys run in and put their best foot forward every week.”Lehmann, 32, had been acting captain for the last four games of the previous season and is one of only two surviving members from South Australia’s last Shield final appearance who will play this week.But he started this summer playing in South Australia’s second XI. He made 173 against WA’s second XI to win back his place when the Test players departed in November. Now he enters the Shield final as one of South Australia’s form players, having scored 67 in the One-Day final, 105 not out and 130 not out in his last two Shield games.”For me, it’s been a long way,” Lehmann said. “To win that One-Day final, I think we had played in four of them already, in two Shield finals. Hopefully, it’s just a growing group. And I think the difference this year is we’re probably going to have four or five blokes who are not going to play in the Shield final, like we had in the One-Day, that could easily be playing for us and have played a role throughout the year.”I think that’s the strength of the group. We’ve got a really good squad mentality, and it’s just feeding through.”Winning has become a habit. South Australia is riding the crest of a wave. The whole state is along for the ride. There is a growing sense that a 29-year drought might finally be broken against Queensland at Karen Rolton Oval this week.Doggett knows better than any of them what is required.”Nothing really changes.” Doggett said. “In the same breath, I think we need to acknowledge the fact that it is a Shield final, that it is going to be a special week, the whole build-up to it.”These things don’t come around too often, as many South Australians would know.”So yeah, acknowledge it’s going to be a big week, and it’s going to be a big game. It’s going to be really exciting.”But always falling back to our processes, our training standards and what we’ve done for the whole season.”

Pep Guardiola made ten changes for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, Nico González the only man to keep his place and, well, this certainly did not pay off.

Manchester City were beaten in a home group stage tie for the first time since defeat to Olympique Lyonnais in September 2018, with Leverkusen leaving the Etihad comfortable 2-0 winners.

Nico O’Reilly, Jérémy Doku and Phil Foden were all introduced at half time, with Rayan Cherki and Erling Braut Håland thrown on soon after, but they still rarely threatened die Werkself’s goal.

Thus, the Sky Blues’ top eight spot in the Champions League is now somewhat under threat, traveling to Real Madrid in a fortnight, before rounding out the league phase against Bodø/Glimt in the Arctic Circle and then Galatasaray at home in late January.

After the match, Guardiola bemoaned his lack of squad depth, so could it spark him to go into the January transfer market, potentially set to make a move to sign the “best winger in the country”?

Manchester City targeting attacking reinforcements

In January this year, Manchester City splashed around £180m, recruiting Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Juma Bah, the aforementioned Nico González and Omar Marmoush, thereby spending more than the other 19 Premier League clubs combined.

Well, according to reports in Spain, similar heavy investment is forecast this winter, with the Citizens having made Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo a ‘priority target’.

They add that Man City are among those ‘considering’ making a January move for the Ghanaian attacker, alongside Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and others.

Well, earlier this month, it was reported that Semenyo’s contract contains a £65m release clause that becomes active on 1 January, meaning the winger could have his pick of clubs, and Bournemouth would be powerless to prevent him departing.

So, could the 25-year-old soon swap Dorset for East Manchester?

How Antoine Semenyo would improve Manchester City

So far this season, former England international Chris Waddle has asserted that Semenyo is the “best winger in the country”, while Anantaajith Raghuraman of The Athletic took it a step further, arguing that he is ‘the best player in the Premier League right now’.

These are certainly not outrageous claims, considering the Ghanaian international has scored six goals and registered three assists already in this campaign.

More broadly, the Bournemouth attacker has been one of the stars across the whole league so far, as the table below highlights.

Semenyo’s PL stats 2025/26
Stats	Semenyo	PL rank
Goals	6	4th
Assists	3	5th
Shot on target %	57.1%	2nd*
Non-pen goals – xG	+2	7th
Big chances missed	5	6th
Goal-creating actions	7	3rd
Attempted take-ons	50	6th
Successful dribbles	21	6th
Average rating	7.21	20th
*minimum 10 shots on target.
Stats via FBref and SofaScore

As the table documents, Semenyo has been one of the most outstanding players in the Premier League this season.

Only Håland, Igor Thiago and Danny Welbeck have scored more goals while, of all players who’ve mustered ten or more shots on target, Håland is the only one to boast a higher shots on target percentage, underlining his newfound clinical nature.

Lifting some of the burden on Håland would be a key benefit of signing Semenyo in January.

In the league thus far, the Norwegian already has 14 goals to his name, but the only other player to have netted more than once for the Citizens is Maxime Estève, who scored two own goals when Burnley visited the Etihad in September.

Players such as Foden, Cherki, Doku, Savinho and others have shown glimpses of brilliance, but nothing on a consistent basis on par with what Semenyo has been producing by the South Coast.

Thus, alongside Håland, he could form an unstoppable partnership that could bring the glory days back to the Etihad, as they seek to chase down Premier League leaders Arsenal once again.

4/10 Man City duo who "offer nothing" must now never start together again

This pair struggled in Man City’s 2-0 home loss to Leverkusen

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 26, 2025

Between Marsh’s brutality and Pooran’s flamboyance, LSG have found a batting axis that’s not just working, but redefining their chances this year

Sreshth Shah08-Apr-20252:04

Jaffer: Not many areas where Pooran is vulnerable

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seem to have figured out their top three in IPL 2025 better than most teams. By putting faith in experienced and overseas batters, particularly Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, they have ensured their explosive players get maximum time in the middle. And on a hot Tuesday evening at Eden Gardens, it was on show – not for the first time this season – as Marsh slammed 81 and Pooran hammered 87 with 13 sixes and 13 fours between them, off just 84 balls. The two innings ensured LSG had enough to win a game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where 472 runs were scored.The two have not only climbed the Orange Cap table to take first and second positions at this stage, but have transformed LSG’s top order into one of the most potent of the season. What makes this more remarkable is Marsh walking out to open, a role he’s rarely played. Before this season, he had opened just four times in all T20s and only twice in the IPL.But as his opening partner Aiden Markram said post-match, “Some opening pairs just happen by chance.” It also says a lot about how highly head coach Justin Langer – a fellow Western Australian – rates Marsh’s batting.Related

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The transformation has taken the tournament by storm. In all IPLs before this season, Marsh had only three fifties to his name, but with bowling off the table owing to injury, he has been able to focus solely on his batting, and he has looked liberated – four fifties in five games this season must mean something. That’s the kind of form that only three others – Virat Kohli, David Warner and Chris Gayle – have matched at the start of an IPL season.On Tuesday, Marsh made his second-highest IPL score in a continuation of that run. He pulled anything back-of-a-length, drove anything full, and even stepped out to slap Sunil Narine’s wide delivery over the covers – a shift from his previously modest returns against slower bowlers. At one point, Marsh was crawling on 13 off 14 balls. But he recovered well.”I’ve never been more motivated to score runs,” he joked after the innings, referring to his role as LSG’s Impact Player. But there was a serious side to his reflection, too. “Being 14 off 14 felt like panic stations. But on a quick outfield like this, there’s always time to catch up. I’m just preparing well, trying to enjoy my cricket.”And he is. The smile has been there all season. He is delivering quotable quotes one after the other, too. At 33, Marsh is playing with the freedom of someone who’s got nothing to prove and everything to enjoy. The quicks don’t faze him – not when you’ve grown up in Perth – and his chemistry with Pooran at No. 3 has clicked.ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter Marsh, there is Pooran. A destroyer of spin, Pooran has now hit over 200 T20 sixes since the start of 2024 – comfortably more than anyone else. He is also topping the Orange Cap race, and Tuesday’s 87 was his highest IPL score. Narine, who has often troubled him, was twice launched over the short boundary as Pooran made a statement.His spot at No. 3 always made sense. Originally slotted at No. 4 or No. 5, Pooran has batted at one-drop regularly since the start of the 2023 CPL, MLC, the Hundred and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Yet, at the beginning of the season, LSG faced a dilemma: that spot was between Pooran and his captain Rishabh Pant. “It’s a position of freedom,” Pant had said after LSG’s first win, revealing how he gave up that spot for his overseas superstar.On Tuesday, Pooran wasn’t just clearing boundaries, he was manipulating the bowlers too. With one side of the square significantly longer than the other, KKR’s bowlers tried forcing him to hit towards the bigger boundary. It was a sound idea. But the combination of a good batting surface and the bowlers missing their lengths slightly made it simple for Pooran. He could anticipate the angle and line, set up for it, and unleash. In the end, LSG scored 133 runs to the longer side – 41 more than to the shorter side – largely thanks to Pooran’s muscle and method.1:15

No bowling responsibility frees up Marsh

“I practice a lot. Everything you see in the game is because I practice it,” Pooran said after being named the Player of the Match. “You understand what’s coming – full and wide balls, slower short ones. Spinners bowling straight or wide. And you work on it.”But he wasn’t taking the credit alone. “Not just today, but throughout the tournament, Mitch and Aiden have been brilliant,” he said. “They’re reading the conditions, dropping their egos, playing the team game. That’s what sets us up.”What is my role at No. 3? To get a start, carry on, and capitalise on my match-ups. I’ve been doing it the last two or three years, and I’m doing it consistently now.”Between Marsh’s brutality and Pooran’s flamboyance, LSG have found a batting axis that’s not just working, but redefining their chances this year. The season has only just begun, but if these two keep batting like this, LSG won’t just be chasing the playoffs, they’ll be storming into them.