Tag Futebol

Just over a month from the start of the tournament, England’s settled line-up suddenly looks in disrepair

Andrew Miller26-Apr-2019

Fears…

Alex Hales
Where to begin with Hales’ latest bout of career self-harm? Having finally turned a corner after his role in the Bristol fracas, his plaintive statement last month, that he didn’t want to make “mediocre decisions” anymore, has already aged spectacularly badly. He was never likely to be a first-choice in the World Cup XI, thanks as much to the quality of the men around him as his own decision-making, but a 21-day drugs ban in the final countdown to the tournament has undoubtedly jeopardised even that squad berth. Assuming he is retained in the final cut on May 23, will he be in the right state of mind – let alone form – to be the super-sub that England are bound to have to call upon in the course of an arduous six-week tournament?Jason Roy
The holder of England’s record ODI score – 180 against Australia at Melbourne in 2017-18 – Roy is such a shoo-in for England’s first-choice World Cup XI that much of the pre-season talk has centred around his potential for a Test debut during the Ashes in August. But he hasn’t taken the field for Surrey’s last two Royal London matches after suffering a back spasm against Gloucestershire. Surrey’s coach, Michael Di Venuto, insisted he will be back up and running before long, but his vulnerability just goes to show how vital that squad depth will be.Eoin Morgan
No major concerns surrounding England’s captain, although his early-season form – including some rare red-ball outings – hasn’t been quite as rambunctious as his international displays had been in the preceding few months. Morgan did, however, miss Middlesex’s victory over Surrey in the London derby on Thursday after complaining of sore shins.Sam Billings
The nearly man of England’s white-ball squad, Billings seemed at last to have shown his worth in slamming a matchwinning 87 from 47 balls in England’s final T20I against West Indies in March – and his selection for next week’s Ireland ODI was an indication that he was at the head of the waiting list should a squad vacancy crop up. Instead, on the same day of Hales’ self-sabotage, Billings was himself ruled out for three to five months, effectively the entire season, after dislocating his shoulder within minutes of taking the field for Kent against Glamorgan.

Hopes…

Ben Foakes in action for Surrey•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow
The undoubted good news story in the England squad. His IPL debut was an unmitigated triumph – his partnership with former , David Warner, was a revelation, and he will link up with the England squad in Cardiff on Saturday with a haul of 445 runs at a strike rate of 157 – second only to Warner for the whole competition – and with his confidence as sky-high as it has ever been in an England career that has often been conducted against a mildly paranoid backdrop of point-proving.James Vince
From the very margins of England recognition to the brink of a World Cup berth in the space of two breaking news stories. Not that Vince would have been paying much attention to the updates on Billings’ injury lay-off, or Hales’ travails. He was too busy racking up a monstrous 190 from 154 for Hampshire against Gloucestershire at the Ageas Bowl, an innings laced with the sort of power, poise and beauty that has made his supporters sigh for years. It’s not impossible that he has timed his run to perfection.Ben Foakes
Another unlikely beneficiary of others’ misfortune. Even Foakes’ county coach, di Venuto, recognises that his man lacks the raw power of his England rivals, and it’s probably the need for someone to wear the gloves in the absence of Bairstow, Jos Buttler and now the luckless Billings, that has earned him his opportunity against Ireland and Pakistan next week. But, he has scotched expectations once already in his England career with the manner of his Test batting in Sri Lanka before Christmas, and he will be going to Ireland on the back of three consecutive Royal London half-centuries.Joe Root
England’s Test captain and ODI linchpin is reassuringly fit, and although he has not been involved in the Royal London Cup, he began with scores of 73, 130 not out and 94 in two Championship outings for Yorkshire. The selectors will be praying he doesn’t walk under a ladder any time over the next few weeks.

Celtic are preparing for another exciting campaign under Brendan Rodgers, but they may have to lose one of their key stars while preparations are ongoing ahead of pre-season.

Celtic's early window priorities start to emerge

Next campaign, Celtic don’t have the luxury of automatic qualification in the Champions League, which may bring their transfer planning forward regarding targets in a few key positions.

Kieran Tierney will return to Parkhead on a free transfer from Arsenal to address their left-back berth, leaving an element of mystique regarding who will compete with the Scotland international in his position.

Further up the field, Brendan Rodgers is also keen on a new striker after opting not to replace Kyogo Furuhashi following his move to Rennes in January.

In a rapid turn of events, Telstar forward Youssef El Kachati has rejected a move to Hannover amid interest from the Bhoys. Available under freedom of contract, the 25-year-old has confirmed he will make his next destination known soon.

He stated before playing a starring role in his current side reaching the Dutch top-flight: “I think it is 100 per cent certain that I will make a fantastic step this summer.

After Bain: Rodgers must ruthlessly axe Celtic flop who's a "bit soft"

Celtic must ruthlessly move on from this flop after they already let go of Scott Bain.

ByDan Emery Jun 4, 2025

“But first, I want to leave something behind at Telstar that will make them never forget me. I think it is very important that I end my time here well.”

Speculation over incomings will dominate the landscape for supporters as the Bhoys look forward to another campaign they hope will be littered with success.

However, they may now have to proceed forth without one of their established stars if recent reports are anything to go by.

Celtic star Greg Taylor presented with exit proposal

According to Greek outlet Sportal, Celtic left-back Greg Taylor has been presented with a two-year contract offer by PAOK and they are now ‘anxiously awaiting’ a response from the Scotland international, who could leave Parkhead for nothing this month.

Out of contract in Glasgow’s east end, he has been offered a greater salary than his current terms at the Hoops and is said to be the main defensive target for Razvan Lucescu’s men this summer.

Greg Taylor’s Scottish Premiership statistics in 2024/25 (Fotmob)

Chances created

36

Successful dribbles

10

Pass accuracy

88.1%

Tackles won

22

Duels won

109

Recoveries

111

Labelled “instrumental” by Rodgers, the 27-year-old has registered nine goals and 33 assists in 216 appearances across all competitions at Celtic, contributing to the delivery of 11 trophies during his extremely successful spell.

Seeking replacements, the Bhoys have reportedly made an approach for Peterborough United youngster Harley Mills. The 19-year-old is also attracting interest from Fulham regarding a move during the off-season.

Either way, the wheels certainly appear to be in motion as Celtic plan for the coming months, though they may need to part ways with Taylor officially before making advances for his successor.

India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar has emphasised the importance of “fielding and fitness” as India gear up for a busy few months beginning with the first ODI against South Africa on Sunday in Bengaluru.”When I took over last December, we had said that fielding and fitness have been the cornerstone and we have been driving that message to the group. They [the players] have responded really nicely to that,” Muzumdar said. “Fielding is a work in progress and we are working very hard towards it and trust me, you will see some results out of it.”India play three ODIs, one Test match and three T20Is against South Africa over the next four weeks. Following that, they will head to Sri Lanka for the women’s Asia Cup starting July 19 and then travel to Bangladesh for the Women’s T20 World Cup which kicks off on October 3.Related

• Arundhati Reddy 2.0 – stronger, calmer, ready for all formats

• 'It's more challenging' – Harmanpreet wants points system for multi-format series

• Harmanpreet impressed with India's calmness in 5-0 win

• Jemimah Rodrigues, Pooja Vastrakar named in India squads, subject to fitness

• Brits back from injury; Shangase, De Ridder back in SA squad for India tour

Muzumdar highlighted the scheduling of the South Africa series as an advantage to be seized upon. “The continuity is very important in the few months leading up to the World Cup,” he said, “This series, the format that we are playing is ODI format, then the Test match, then the last one is T20. It is a very well-scheduled series and we go into the Asia Cup which again is T20s.”By then I think, we should be ready for the World Cup. Then we have a layoff of about seven and a half weeks before we head off to Bangladesh. It is a very well-thought-out series and [we are] really looking forward to it.”India are coming into the series against South Africa on the back of a series sweep over Bangladesh. They played all five matches in Sylhet, the venue for India’s group games at the Women’s T20 World Cup later this year.”We have had a fantastic preparation in the last eight weeks,” Muzumdar said. “We went to Bangladesh and had a desired result; 5-0 we won the T20 series. We also practiced over there, in the same ground where we would be playing the World Cup. We’ve had a couple of camps before this series. We had a split camp. The bowler’s camp was held at NCA here in Bengaluru and the batter’s camp was held in Navi Mumbai. It was a concentrated camp and we had the fruitful desired results for the camp.”Muzumdar was also effusive in praise of Smriti Mandhana, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the Women’s Premier League title earlier in the year.”She is a fantastic leader. We do have a leadership group within the team and Smriti is a big factor in that,” Muzumdar said. “Going forward, she definitely has got a role to play. She has a good camaraderie with the current captain Harmanpreet Kaur and we are all working together. She is definitely a fantastic leader as we’ve seen in the WPL. She has won the title for RCB.”

Tottenham Hotspur are in ongoing talks with a “superstar” player who’s already announced that he’s set to leave his club this summer, with chairman Daniel Levy attempting to reinforce the Spurs squad early doors after an injury-ravaged campaign.

Ange Postecoglou dealt injury headache ahead of Europa League final

Whether or not Ange Postecoglou remains at N17 beyond 2024/2025 is up for debate right now, and reports suggest that the 59-year-old is highly likely to depart regardless of their success in the Europa League final next week (David Ornstein).

£19m "wizard" privately tempted by Tottenham move after "fresh" discussions

The Lilywhites have made contact.

ByEmilio Galantini May 16, 2025

Statistically, Postecoglou is Spurs’ worst-ever manager of the Premier League era, having recently guided the club to their record number of defeats in a single campaign since the competition’s inception.

Their dismal number of top-flight losses this season now stands at 21, following Spurs’ 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Friday, but Postecoglou still has a chance to etch his name into the club’s history books in much more positive fashion on Wednesday.

Son Heung-min

7.00

Pedro Porro

6.98

James Maddison

6.98

Dominic Solanke

6.85

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Lilywhites face-off against fellow strugglers Man United in a blockbuster Bilbao encounter, where Postecoglou could win Spurs their first major trophy in 17 years while simultaneously qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

However, the tactician, akin to the vast majority of this campaign, has been dealt an injury headache going into the final – with Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall all set to miss the Europa League final next week.

Postecoglou was also dealt a major Pape Sarr scare, after the Senegalese went straight down the tunnel following his substitution against Villa through injury.

Even though Postecoglou has since confirmed that he doesn’t think Sarr’s problem is too serious, the series of aforementioned injury blows highlights Tottenham’s need for reinforcements in key areas, as Spurs head into their biggest game of the season with a weakened squad.

Injury absences have debilitated Postecoglou’s options and chances of success throughout 2024/2025, and it’s made the need for Tottenham to strengthen this summer pretty evident.

Tottenham in talks with Lille striker Jonathan David

The trouble for Levy is that credible media sources report Spurs may need to operate on a sell to buy policy, with transfer funds seemingly limited.

That makes world-class free agents, like Lille star Jonathan David, all the more tempting for Tottenham’s recruitment team.

The Canada international has been free-scoring in Ligue 1 since his move there five years ago, racking up strikes in big Champions League games this season against the likes of Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Liverpool.

Earlier this week, David announced that he is set to leave Lille when his contract expires, and this has piqued interest from a host of top sides, including Spurs.

Postecoglou’s side have had some contact with the 25-year-old’s camp leading up to the summer (Graeme Bailey), but as per esteemed French newspaper L’Équipe, Tottenham are in ongoing talks with David over joining them right now.

The north Londoners, despite murmurs of advanced Napoli talks for the Brooklyn native, haven’t given up hope of striking a deal for David, with Spurs, Antonio Conte’s side, Juventus and Aston Villa all in the mix.

While David is technically a free agent, Levy could still end up forking out around £28 million for his signature when factoring in salary, various commission fees and his signing bonus (Sacha Tavolieri). That being said, his impressive goalscoring record still marks the “superstar” out as a serious bargain.

Arsenal have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres, with a clause greasing the wheels of €60m deal.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Arsenal handed Viktor Gyokeres boostClause in contract revealed

€60m deal to be struck

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A Bola in Portugal report that from July 1, any offer of €60m for Gyokeres that Sporting reject would see the club have to pay €6m to the player's agent. That stipulation could mean a deal moves fast if any club can hit that figure.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The same report goes on to state that "Arsenal are willing to reach this value". The Gunners have been on the hunt for a new number nine all summer and this development could see the Swede move to the top of the queue.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mikel Arteta's side were previously said to be closing in on a deal for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, though negotiations have proved difficult. They are also reportedly back in the mix for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Arsenal will be keen to get a new striker in the door in time for the beginning of the new Premier League campaign, which they kick off against Manchester United on Sunday August 17.

Rishabh Pant will start IPL 2024 as Delhi Capitals’ captain but will not keep wicket in the first half of the season, franchise co-owner Parth Jindal has said. In a chat with ESPNcricinfo, Jindal also said Capitals were expecting South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje to be fit to play from their opening game, against Punjab Kings on March 23.Jindal said the Capitals think-tank, led by the team director Sourav Ganguly and head coach Ricky Ponting, was confident about Pant starting the IPL, subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI which is imminent.”Rishabh is batting. He’s running. He has started his wicketkeeping. He is likely to be fully fit for the IPL,” Jindal said on Thursday. “I am expecting Rishabh to play IPL and he will lead from match one. First seven games we are going to play him only as a batter and depending on how his body reacts, we will take a call for the rest of the IPL.”Related

• Pant on his comeback: 'Feels like I'm going to make my debut again'

• Rishabh Pant suffers multiple injuries in serious car crash

• Pant on his life-threatening car crash: 'I felt my time in this world was over'

• Ponting: Pant is 'very confident' of playing entire IPL 2024

• Rishabh Pant begins match-simulation exercises in Bengaluru

The IPL will mark Pant’s return to competitive cricket since the Test series in Bangladesh in December 2022. After his horrific car crash on December 30, 2022, Pant has worked hard to make a remarkable recovery post successful surgeries to three major knee ligaments in his right leg. Having told his doctors that he would shave at least six months off their prescribed time of recovery, Pant played practice matches in Bengaluru this week, which were organised by the National Cricket Academy.On Tuesday, Pant also posted a video on his Instagram doing some wicketkeeping and mobility drills, which have become part of his lower-body conditioning over the past six weeks. On Wednesday, he batted and fielded in a 20-over match, which comprised a series of match-simulation exercises. The game was overseen by the BCCI medical staff. There were no visible concerns. Pant is expected to play at least a few more such games before joining Capitals. Once the BCCI clearance comes, he will join the side for a preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam, where the team will also play two home matches.With the second half of WPL 2024 – comprising 11 games including the playoffs – set to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the Capitals men’s team had to shift their home base for the early part of the IPL to ensure they didn’t start on tried pitches. In the 21-match IPL schedule released on Thursday, Capitals are scheduled to play two home and three away matches. Jindal confirmed the team would return to Delhi for their remaining five home games.

Anrich Nortje ‘good to go for first game’

Nortje, who has been out of action for a while because of injuries, is good to go and is also expected to join the camp in Visakhapatnam, Jindal said. Nortje had recovered from a groin injury to play ten matches for the side in the 2023 season before heading home for personal reasons. He was retained by the franchise ahead of the 2024 auction.While he played the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the USA, he pulled out of the ODI series at home against Australia in September following a suspected stress fracture in the back and was eventually ruled out of the ODI World Cup as well. Doubts about his availability for IPL persisted after he did not play the SA20 either.Anrich Nortje played ten games in IPL 2023•Associated Press

“He’s fit,” Jindal said. “Right now, he is bowing at 80% intensity. Next week, he will bowl at 100%. He’s going to make his comeback in the IPL. He is going to join our camp and should be good to go for our first game.”Jindal also said Australia fast bowler Jhye Richardson is unlikely to be fit for the initial part of the tournament as he recovers from a side strain that had ruled him out of the latter half of the BBL as well as the home ODI series against West Indies. Richardson was bought by Capitals at the mini-auction in December for INR 5 crore (US$ 602,000 approx).”He’s touch and go but will definitely be available for some part of IPL,” Jindal said.

Harry Brook set for No. 6 role

Jindal was confident Capitals would make the playoffs mainly because Pant’s return provided the right balance to the team. He also said Tristan Stubbs and Mitchell Marsh made the team a well-rounded unit.”We feel very confident, the balance of the team is a lot better with Rishabh coming back in,” he said. “We have a very good squad and a lot of options with players like Tristan Stubbs, who had a phenomenal SA20 [with champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape], and Mitch Marsh becoming captain of Australia’s T20I team.”Jindal said he was also expecting big things from David Warner, an IPL legend, who is likely to feature for one last season at Capitals with the mega auction in 2025. Jindal also said he was looking forward to England power hitter Harry Brook playing a key role in the lower order.Another key reason behind Jindal’s optimism for this season is the recruitment of a fresh batch of uncapped Indian players who, he said, were scouted and recommended by Ganguly. Among the uncapped Indians bought by Capitals at the auction are Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra, Haryana allrounder Sumit Kumar and Madhya Pradesh batter Ricky Bhui (who is currently the leading run-scorer in Ranji Trophy).”We know our younger Indian players [better], we know which players to back in what positions a lot better than we did in the last season,” Jindal said. “A lot of credit goes to the systems and processes put in place by [Ganguly].”

da fazobetai： This season continues to go from bad to worse for Arsenal.

da roleta： After almost four months on the sidelines, Bukayo Saka made his long-awaited return to action in the Premier League game against Fulham on Tuesday night and even scored the Gunners’ winning goal.

However, what should have been a brilliant night was soured by Gabriel Magalhaes coming off early on in proceedings with a hamstring injury that has since needed surgery and has made him the latest player who will miss the rest of the campaign.

However, while the mood around the club is undoubtedly grim at the moment, there were some positive developments about the club’s pursuit of Nico Williams, a player who’d seriously improve their chances of finally getting over the line next season.

That said, he’d have to step up in a big way to see his valuation surpass that of a Unai Emery signing who’s been compared to Thierry Henry.

The latest on Nico Williams and Arsenal

On Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the club’s win over Fulham, the Guardian’s Ed Aarons revealed that Arsenal’s pursuit of Williams was still very much alive and that it was being led by new Sporting Director Andrea Berta.

In fact, he claimed that in “one of his first acts” at the club, the Italian had “held talks” with the player’s representatives in a bid to convince him to come to North London in the summer.

However, while it’s encouraging to hear that talks are happening, it would still require a significant investment from the Gunners, as on top of paying the player’s £48m release clause, they would have to place him “in their highest bracket of earners,” per journalist Sam Dean.

With that said, it would still likely be an investment worth making.

We say this as, since the start of last season, the sensational Spaniard has scored 17 goals and provided 25 assists in 75 appearances, which works out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.78 games, and on top of that, he’s also won the Copa del Rey and European Championships.

Williams’ recent form

Season

23/24

24/25

Appearances

37

38

Minutes

2729′

2689′

Goals

8

9

Assists

18

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.68

0.36

Minutes per Goal Involvements

104.96′

168.06′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Yet, if he does move to Arsenal this summer, he will still be worth considerably less than one of his new teammates, someone signed by former manager Unai Emery.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Williams

While his time in North London was not successful, Emery did at least make a couple of important signings for Arsenal, including one of a teenager in Brazil that practically nobody had heard of at the time: Gabriel Martinelli.

Yes, the former Ituano gem joined Arsenal in a £6m deal in the summer of 2019, and while he barely played under the Gunners’ former boss, he has since developed into an important member of the squad.

In fact, he is deemed to be so crucial that the CIES Football Observatory value him at an astounding €101m, which converts to about £85m, or a whopping £37m more than the North Londoners might pay for Williams in the summer.

Now, we know there will be some of you out there who think this is an absurd valuation – he’s being outperformed by the Spaniard, after all – but there are likely a few reasons why it is as high as it is.

The first is the simple fact that, at 23 years old, he still has a long time left in his career and plenty of time to further develop despite already having so much first-team experience in a top-five league.

The second reason is that while he can sometimes be frustrating, the Brazilian “monster”, as journalist Mark Mann-Bryans described him, has a pretty good record for a winger.

For example, in 213 appearances for the North Londoners, he has scored 48 goals and provided 27 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.84 games, which isn’t bad considering he was 18 years old when he joined the club.

Martinelli’s Arsenal career

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

Goal Involvements per Match

19/20

26

10

4

0.53

20/21

22

2

2

0.18

21/22

36

6

7

0.36

22/23

46

15

6

0.45

23/24

44

8

5

0.29

24/25

39

7

5

0.30

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, the Guarulhos-born ace is somewhat versatile and can play off the right or even down the middle at times, leading talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor to compare him to the iconic Henry.

Ultimately, if Arsenal can sign Williams, then they absolutely should.

Still, as his valuation and track record demonstrates, the fans shouldn’t forget that in Martinelli they already have a brilliant winger and someone who could still get better.

Related Their best CF since Aubameyang: Arsenal in talks to sign £58m "powerhouse"

The unreal goalscorer would be a game-changer for Arsenal.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 3, 2025

The previous best ranking had been held by Kapil Dev, who was No. 2 on the retrospective table in 1979-80

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2024

Jasprit Bumrah had a match haul of 9 for 91 against England in Visakhapatnam•BCCI

Jasprit Bumrah has become the first India quick to reach the top spot in the ICC’s Test bowlers’ rankings. Bumrah, who climbed three places to be ranked No. 1, replaces his team-mate R Ashwin in the position. Before this, his highest ranking had been No. 3.The previous highest ranking achieved by an India fast bowler was No. 2 – on the retrospective Test bowlers’ table – by Kapil Dev from December 1979 to February 1980. Apart from Bumrah, Zaheer Khan has also occupied the No. 3 spot, in October-November 2010.Bumrah’s rise follows a match haul of 9 for 91 in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, where he was named Player of the Match as India levelled the series 1-1. Six of those wickets came in the first innings, when he picked up his tenth five-for in only his 34th Test, a match he finished as the fastest Indian to 150 Test wickets.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He put India on top with a spell of two-way reverse swing, getting Joe Root to edge to slip before cleaning Ollie Pope up with a searing inswinging yorker to dismantle both middle and leg stumps. He later dismissed Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes to give India a 143-run first-innings lead.Bumrah also had an impact in the second innings, where he picked up 3 for 46. With Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley threatening to keep England alive in their chase of 399, Bumrah had Foakes caught-and-bowled, foxing him with a slower offcutter.Bumrah is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 15 strikes at 10.67. He picked up six wickets in the first Test in Hyderabad, which India lost by 28 runs.Meanwhile, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also made big gains among Test batters. Jaiswal raced up 37 places to No. 29 following a career-best knock of 209 in Visakhapatnam. His England counterpart Zak Crawley also had a good Test, scoring 76 and 73 to climb eight spots to No. 22.Kane Williamson continues to occupy the top spot among Test batters, having cracked 118 and 109 in the first Test against South Africa in Mount Maunganui.

Daizen Maeda added another two goals to his tally in Celtic’s 3-0 win at Parkhead in their Scottish Premiership clash last weekend.

The Japan international has now racked up 30 goals and nine assists in 43 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops so far this season, as he has proven himself to be a reliable figure in front of goal for Brendan Rodgers.

TEAMtalk recently reported that teams from Italy and Germany, as well as elsewhere across Europe, have taken an interest in the Japanese forward ahead of the summer transfer window.

The outlet did not name any of the interested clubs but did reveal that it would take significantly more than £10m to prise him away from Parkhead, which could result in him being one of the most expensive sales in Celtic’s history if he moves on later this year.

As you can see in the graphic above, an exit for more than £10m would place him among the top ten biggest sales in club history, alongside the likes of Jota, Virgil van Dijk, and Jeremie Frimpong.

Of those ten sales, Celtic may rue not being able to cash in on van Dijk for even more money than the £13m they did get from Southampton for him, given what the centre-back has gone on to achieve.

Virgil van Dijk's soaring market value since leaving Celtic

The Netherlands international joined the club from Groningen in the summer of 2013 and went on to score 15 goals in 115 first-team appearances for the Hoops across two seasons in Glasgow.

Van Dijk’s form at the heart of the Celtic defence earned him a £13m move to Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2015, and that was a significant profit on the £2.6m that they had paid Groningen for his services.

However, it was the Saints who ended up landing the biggest profit of the Dutchman’s career as they went on to sell him to Liverpool for a reported world-record fee – for a defender – of £75m in January 2018.

This meant that Southampton made a mind-boggling profit of £62m on the central defender, compared to the £10.4m profit that Celtic made on him after two years in Glasgow.

As you can see in the clips above, Van Dijk has gone on to become a terrific defender for Liverpool over the years, racking up 311 appearances in all competitions and winning a Premier League and a Champions League trophy.

Celtic may, now, look back on their deal to sell the Dutch colossus to Southampton and wonder if they could have held out for more money, given the incredible value that he went on to accrue.

Several years after van Dijk’s departure from Parkhead, the Hoops had a centre-back on their hands who was tipped to be the club’s next version of the Liverpool superstar.

Celtic star who was tipped to be the next Virgil van Dijk

The Scottish giants had signed Leo Hjelde from Rosenborg’s academy at U18 level in the summer of 2019 and the young defender came up through the ranks before eventually getting his senior breakthrough on loan at Ross County in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.

In those five months, the Norwegian central defender, who was born in Nottingham, started ten of his 11 appearances for the club at the age of just 17.

Appearances

11

Starts

10

Interceptions per game

1.8

Tackles per game

1.7

Clearances per game

3.3

Ground duel success rate

51%

Aerial duel success rate

38%

As you can see in the table above, Hjelde got stuck in during his time at Ross County, making plenty of tackles, clearances, and interceptions each match, although – as expected at the age of 17 – he did struggle a bit with his physical duels.

Ross County manager John Hughes saw enough from the Norway youth international to compare him to Virgil van Dijk, adding that he hoped that the defender would go on to be a regular at Parkhead.

He told the Press and Journal: “One hundred percent, Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk. Trust me on that. I would love to see him make his debut for Celtic and become a regular. I would love nothing more to see him running out there.”

These quotes, and his form in the Premiership at such a young age, suggested that Hjelde had a bright future in Glasgow, but that is not how it worked out.

What happened to Leo Hjelde

Instead of getting a chance in the first-team under Ange Postecoglou, who arrived at Celtic in the same summer that the centre-back returned from his loan spell, the defender was sold.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Towards the end of August in the summer transfer window, Hjelde was sold to Premier League side Leeds United for a reported fee of £1m, without making a single first-team appearance for Celtic during his two years at the club.

Postecoglou brought Cameron Carter-Vickers, who remains a key first-team figure to date, in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and signed Carl Starfelt on a permanent deal from Rubin Kazan, which made Hjelde’s task of breaking into the senior side all the more difficult.

Unfortunately, though, the 21-year-old defender has not had much more luck elsewhere in his career. He only played eight first-team matches for Leeds before his permanent move to Sunderland in January 2024.

Appearances

12

10

Starts

11

2

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.9

0.9

Clearances per game

2.6

1.2

Ground duel success rate

51%

43%

Aerial duel success rate

57%

63%

As you can see in the table above, Hjelde seemed to hit the ground running as a regular starter in the second half of last season, only to lose his place in the side in the current campaign.

The 21-year-old, who can play at centre-back or left-back, has been an unused substitute for 25 Championship games under Regis Le Bris, which suggests that he has not done enough to impress the manager to earn more minutes on the pitch.

At his young age, there is still plenty of time left for Hjelde to turn his career around, whether that is at Sunderland or elsewhere, to deliver on the early promise he showed to earn a comparison to Van Dijk at the age of 17.

However, at this moment in time, Postecoglou’s decision to allow the promising young centre-back to move on from Celtic for £1m appears to have been a fair decision, as the Norwegian youngster is yet to prove the Australian manager wrong by fulfilling his potential.

Celtic ace left for £600k, now he's similar to a future Ballon d'Or winner

The player Celtic lost for just £600k is now similar to a star who has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or.

ByDan Emery Apr 1, 2025

نجح نادي برشلونة في تسجيل أحد لاعبيه قبل ساعات من خوض مباراته في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، ضد خصمه رايو فاليكانو، مساء يوم الأحد.

ويلتقي برشلونة مع رايو فاليكانو، في الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإسباني موسم 2025/26، ضد رايو فاليكانو.

ويمتلك برشلونة 6 نقاط، بعدما حقق فوزًا في الجولتين الأولى والثانية ضد كل من مايوركا وليفانتي، بنتيجة 3/0 و3/2، على الترتيب.

من جهة أخرى، ذكرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية أنه قد تم تسجيل حارس مرمى فريق برشلونة، فويتشيك تشيزني، لدى الدوري الإسباني، وسيكون متاحًا للمشاركة ضد فاليكانو غدًا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد مباراة برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان في دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025/26

ولم يكن تشيزني جزءًا من قائمة برشلونة في الجولتين الماضيتين، حيث لم يتمكن النادي من تسجيله، قبل أن يرحل إيناكي بينيا إلى إلتشي، حيث أتاح ذلك مساحة كافية للبولندي لإتمام تلك الخطوة بنجاح.

وأفادت أنه يتبقى الآن أن يحل برشلونة مسألة تسجيل روني باردجي، حيث ينتظر إنهاء عقد أوريول روميرو، قبل عام من نهاية صفقته، ورحيل هيكتور فورت الذي يقترب من مايوركا على سبيل الإعارة.

وكان برشلونة يستطيع تسجيل باردجي في صفوف فريق الرديف، ولكنه فضّل الانتظار من أجل تسجيله مع الفريق الأول، لتجنب أي مشاكل محتملة مع رابطة الدوري الإسباني.

الجدير بالذكر أن برشلونة نجح في تسجيل جيرارد مارتن، أمس الجمعة، مع العلم إنه سجل ماركوس راشفورد وخوان جارسيا قبل ساعات من خوض مباراته الأولى في موسم الليجا.