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The summer of 2025 was a significant one for Everton. David Moyes’ side moved into their new stadium on Bramley Moore Docks, and are yet to lose in the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Some of their new signings this summer have already made a real impression.

In particular, one of the standouts has been Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The former Leicester City star joined from Chelsea and has gone on to make seven appearances so far for the Merseysiders. Operating as a number ten, the 27-year-old has one goal and one assist in the Premier League so far.

Dewsbury-Hall is not the only new signing flying under Moyes, with Jack Grealish in sparkling form.

What Grealish has said about working under Moyes

After joining Everton on a season-long loan from Manchester City this summer, Grealish has shown the kind of form that earned him the £100m move to the Etihad Stadium four years ago.

He has been sensational under Moyes so far.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the 30-year-old gave his new manager plenty of credit for how well he’s playing.

Grealish said his form is thanks to the Scot “for giving me that platform to go and play the way I’ve been playing.” The attacker went on to explain that Moyes says, “when you get the ball just go and do what you want to do.”

Well, that seems to be working perfectly for the former Aston Villa star. He’s already assisted four goals and scored once in seven Premier League games under Moyes, playing 90 minutes five times and 88 minutes once.

The England international has put in some huge contributions, too. His first goal in that famous Blue shirt came last weekend, in the 93rd minute, to secure all three points against Crystal Palace.

He also assisted both goals in a 2-0 home win over Brighton and set up two more away to Wolves in a 3-2 win.

Yet, there is no guarantee that Grealish will stay at the club beyond this summer. He’s only at the club on a season-long loan, and whilst there is a £50m buy option, there is no saying Everton will trigger it.

Whatever Grealish’s future may be, the Toffees have a youngster in the academy who could be seen as the homegrown version of their number 18.

Everton’s homegrown Grealish

Over the years, there have been some iconic footballers to have played in Everton’s academy. Of course, the most famous has to be Wayne Rooney, an academy graduate who went on to become one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.

Well, representing the Toffees in their academy now is 17-year-old winger Justin Clarke. The former AFC Wimbledon star has already played professional football, making his debut for the League One side as a 15-year-old back in November 2023.

Having now signed a professional contract at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the youngster has impressed for Everton’s academy. In the under-21s, he’s scored three goals and assisted one in eight appearances.

In the under-18s, Clarke has shone, with 11 goals and one assist in 19 games. It is easy to see why Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas called him ‘outstanding’, having also highlighted how “thrilling” it is to see such “fearlessness” in action.

The former Wimbledon star has already had a taste of first-team football in preseason, where he even had the chance to get on the pitch. In a later interview, Clarke said he will “always be confident, and I’ll never abandon my gameplan,” even in a senior environment.

That courageousness is certainly similar to Grealish, described by England teammate Phil Foden as a “fearless” operator.

Earlier in the season, Toffees fans might have seen more similarities between the pair. Clarke shone in the EFL Trophy against Doncaster Rovers, where he scored a late goal and completed four dribbles.

Touches

43

Passes completed

12/16

Dribbles completed

4

Ground duels won

7

Fouls won

3

Shots

2

Goals

1

That performance against a group of experienced senior players highlighted the confidence Clarke plays with. It is easy to see how he is like Grealish, in that sense, who is also unlikely to shy away from a challenge.

Whatever Grealish’s future is on Merseyside, Everton fans can certainly get excited about Clarke, who seems to be a player with a bright future.

Moyes may have the new Moise Kean in Everton's "world-class talent"

This Everton star hasn’t started the season as he might have hoped.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 8, 2025

Glasgow Rangers need to improve the pipeline from the academy to the first-team because it has not produced enough in the way of regular starters in recent years.

So far this season, no academy graduate has played more than 35 minutes of football for the Light Blues in the Scottish Premiership under Russell Martin, per WhoScored.

Last season, Ross McCausland was the only academy graduate who started more than one league match for the club, starting four times in total before his summer exit on loan.

Why Rangers need to improve their academy pipeline

Whether it comes down to academy recruitment, the facilities at the academy, the first-team coaching staff and their willingness to bring through academy talent, something needs to be done.

Findlay Curtis, who turns 19 next month, has scored three goals in 228 minutes of action in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, yet he has only played 35 minutes in the league.

Given that Rangers have scored one goal in their last three Premiership matches combined, Curtis’ lack of involvement does not feel like a wise use, or lack of use, of talent.

Bringing through academy talent is important for multiple reasons, because it can save the club millions on new signings by creating players for the first-team, and it shows young players that this is the place to be if you want to progress your career.

The lack of examples in recent years of players making the step from academy football to first-team regular at Rangers may cause players to rethink whether they want to be at Ibrox, which may be part of the reason why the Gers lost their own version of Bukayo Saka.

Rangers must rue losing their own Bukayo Saka

19-year-old whiz Archie Stevens left the Light Blues this summer upon the expiry of his contract, after the club failed to agree new terms with the winger.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

The teenage talent has since signed for Premier League giants and Champions League outfit Arsenal, though there is no mention of any potential compensation for Rangers, which means that they may have lost him for £0.

Stevens, who signed from Wimbledon in 2022, made his first-team debut for Rangers against Queen of the South in the League Cup in August 2022, at the age of just 16.

Player

Age at debut

Derek Ferguson

16 years, 24 days

Bailey Rice

16 years, four months, and 14 days

Tom Walsh

16 years, four months, and 27 days

Paul Nsio

16 years, five months, and 15 days

Zak Lovelace

16 years, seven months, and 7 days

Alfie Conn

16 years, seven months, and 8 days

Archie Stevens

16 years, six months, and 19 days

The English forward became one of the youngest players in the club’s history when he made that appearance in the cup, but he left this summer with that being his only outing in the first-team.

Now, he has been compared to Arsenal star Bukayo Saka upon his arrival at The Emirates. The Sun are said to have compared the two in because of their similar style of play, as both are wingers who like to drive at defenders and excite supporters.

Dunfermline boss Michael Tidser described him as a player who likes to “get bums off seats”, which is what he did for the B team at the start of last season with one goal and two assists in four Challenge Cup matches, per Transfermarkt.

Whilst it remains unclear as to why the winger decided to move on from Ibrox, the lack of a clear pathway to the first-team may have been a contributing factor.

Rangers must regret losing star who was "like Lionel Messi" for nothing

Rangers had a star who was compared to Lionel Messi and allowed him to leave for nothing.

ByDan Emery Sep 22, 2025

Now, the Gers are left to rue losing a player who is now at one of the biggest clubs in the world at the age of 19, with a chance to progress and become the next Saka or Noni Madueke with the Gunners in the biggest competitions in the world, and they may have lost him for nothing.

But Worcestershire’s bowlers strike back on first day yielding 14 wickets

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Apr-2025

Jake Ball produced a three-wicket opening burst•Getty Images

Somerset loanee Jake Ball took five wickets on his Durham debut to help his new team take the early honours in their Rothesay County Championship match at Visit Worcestershire New Road. But Brett D’Oliveira’s bowlers struck back on a day when 14 wickets fell in the Division One clash.Ball took 5 for 47 as Worcestershire were dismissed for 162, thereby failing to collect a batting bonus point for the fourth successive match this season.However, having seen their bowlers make the most of winning the toss on a helpful pitch, Durham’s batters encountered their own problems in the evening session and the day ended with the visitors on 55 for 4 and the match evenly poised.Related

Jake Ball signs for Somerset

Durham sign South African Codi Yusuf amid injury crisis

The morning began poorly for Worcestershire, who slumped to 22 for 3 inside the first hour. Ball marked the beginning of his two-week loan spell by taking all the wickets in 12 deliveries, each of his victims being caught behind by Ollie Robinson.Gareth Roderick perished for 4 when cutting, Jake Libby feathered an attempted forward defensive stroke on 9 and Rob Jones nicked a drive when on only 3.Matters could have been even worse for Worcestershire had Henry Nicholls’ edge off Ball not evaded George Drissell’s grasp at third slip when the New Zealander had made 7. As it was, Nicholls and Adam Hose took their side to 75 for 3 at lunch, only for Hose to be lbw on the front foot to Ben Raine for 23 eleven balls after the resumption.Worcestershire’s woes continued when another Durham debutant, Codi Yusuf, who will play for Durham until early July, brought one back off the seam to have Henry Nicholls lbw for a 155-ball 42. Mathew Waite then meekly steered a wide delivery from the same bowler to the Lancashire loanee, Jack Blatherwick, at backward point and departed for 8.That left the home side on 116 for 6 just after the midpoint of the day’s play and D’Oliveira followed his colleagues to the pavilion half an hour later when he was leg before wicket to Ben Raine for 28. Hopes of a recovery were further dented on the point of tea when Drissell had Tom Taylor lbw for nought with a sharply turning off-break.Ball was switched to the Diglis End immediately after tea and had Ethan Brookes caught at long leg by Blatherwick for 23 before he completed his fine return when Jake Duffy nicked him to Drissell at slip. Yusuf finished with 2 for 36 from 12 overs but the visitors were also indebted to Raine, who held the attack together with figures of 2 for 16 from 17 overs.Durham’s reply began poorly when Alex Lees chopped on to Jacob Duffy for nought in the third over of the innings and having stroked four lovely boundaries, Ben McKinney was well caught low down at first slip by Hose off Taylor for 24.The visitors’ problems increased when Colin Ackermann was bowled by Waite’s second delivery of the innings for 5 and Worcestershire’s fightback was completed when Ollie Robinson was leg before wicket to Waite for a 17-ball nought. Having ridden his luck, Will Rhodes was 17 not out at the close and nightwatcher Blatherwick was unbeaten on 2.

This season feels like a hugely important one for Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca did an excellent job winning the Conference League and securing Champions League football last year, but his side need to take another step forward over the next ten months.

At the very least, the Blues should be looking to win another trophy and stay in the Premier League title race for longer than they did in 24/25.

Fortunately, the team is stronger today and has an array of incredibly talented youngsters coming through, including one who could rival Lamine Yamal in the not-too-distant future.

Chelsea's hotbed of young talents

Their transfer strategy has come in for plenty of criticism over the last few years, but Chelsea now have an abundance of incredible young talent in their squad.

Chalkboard

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

For example, just this summer, Maresca has been handed one of the most promising defenders in Europe, Jorrel Hato.

The Dutchman is still just 19 years old but made an astounding 111 senior appearances for Ajax before his move last month.

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

Moreover, he captained the Amsterdam outfit on several occasions and has even won six senior caps for the Netherlands national team.

Likewise, despite turning 21 just last month, Jamie Gittens had already made 107 appearances for Borussia Dortmund before his move to Stamford Bridge.

In those games, the “explosive” Reading-born winger, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was able to score 16 goals and provide 13 assists, and was described as “England’s best left winger in 2024/25” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley.

Last but by no means least, the West Londoners also got their hands on Alejandro Garnacho.

The former Manchester United ace might be something of a controversial player, but his talent is undeniable, and even though he played in a historically poor Red Devils side last season, he was still able to rack up 21 goal involvements.

Yet, while all three of these youngsters could be superstars for Chelsea, there is another prospect on the club’s books who feels like he could rival Yamal for the Ballon d’Or in the future.

Chelsea's Yamal rival

It’s hardly a controversial opinion to consider Yamal as already being one of the very best players in world football.

After all, the young Spaniard has won the European Championships with his country and La Liga titles with Barcelona, all before even turning 18.

So, if Chelsea have a player who could one day rival him for the very top honours, the youngster in question has to be something really quite special.

Fortunately, from what we have seen so far, and his performances back in Brazil, Estevao looks like the real deal.

The Blues signed the incredibly gifted 18-year-old from Palmeiras in the summer of 2024, but due to his age, he had to wait another year to officially join up with Maresca’s squad.

That extra year in his homeland might have been good for the Franca-born gem, as in just a few appearances for the Blues, he is already looking like the “future Ballon d’Or winner” that respected analyst Ben Mattinson claimed him to be.

For example, he came off the bench and added some much-needed dynamism to proceedings against Crystal Palace, and then when he was tasked with starting again against West Ham United in place of Cole Palmer, he was near unstoppable.

The Hammers seemingly had no way of stopping him, leading to panic every time he decided to take a defender on, which is also how he registered his first official assist for the club.

The dynamic winger is also now a regular face in Brazil squads and scored his first international goal in just his second start against Chile during this international break.

Ultimately, it might take him a season or two to really get up to speed, but Estevao looks like the potentially world-class talent so many expected him to be, and therefore, he could soon be challenging the likes of Yamal for future Ballon d’Ors.

Chelsea have struck gold on "insane" star who's worth more than Simons

The international star is going to be hugely important for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 9, 2025

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stated on August 1st that his squad needed attacking signings to replace the quality that has been lost this year, through Nicolas Kuhn, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Jota.

The Northern Irish boss said: “I think it’s very clear. We need to improve in the front end of the pitch. The attacking department has always, and always will be, the strengths of my teams. We’ve lost important players in that area, and we need to replace players in that area.”

19 days later and the Hoops started their Champions League play-off tie against Kairat at Parkhead with James Forrest, Adam Idah, and Daizen Maeda as their front three, with Hyun-jun Yang as the only natural winger in reserve.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, despite the level of opposition, the match ended in a 0-0 draw with few chances for either side, and some home supporters decided to voice their concerns with boos.

Adam Idah's toothless performance for Celtic

The Ireland international failed to score in the opening two games in the Scottish Premiership, missing three ‘big chances’, but was rewarded with another opportunity to impress on Wednesday night.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Unfortunately, Idah did not impress at Parkhead in the first leg clash and was substituted at half-time in favour of Yang, which allowed Maeda to play through the middle.

In his 45 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, the former Norwich marksman registered zero shots, created zero chances, and only completed five passes. Toothless.

However, Idah was far from the only Celtic attacker who failed to perform. Rodgers should also ruthlessly ditch James Forrest from the starting XI for the second leg.

Why James Forrest should be dropped

As aforementioned, Rodgers wants more attacking players in the building and that is why it feels harsh to criticise the veteran Scottish winger too badly, as he may not have been playing if the manager had his way with transfers already.

However, you have to deal with the situation at hand and that is why the manager should drop Forest, who was given a 5/10 player rating by the Scotsman, for the second leg, as he was just as ineffective as Idah at the top end of the pitch.

Whilst the Irish striker did not do himself any favours with some of his touches, the lack of quality in the wide positions also meant that the forward was starved of service most of the time.

Minutes

45

70

Touches

12

48

Shots

0

1

Dribbles completed

1/1

1/4

Big chances created

0

0

Crosses completed

1/2

0/0

Duels won

3/7

1/3

As you can see in the table above, Forrest had 36 more touches than Idah yet did not attempt a single cross into the box in an attempt to create a chance for his teammates.

His lack of quality in his attempted dribbles played a part in that because his failure in three of his four attempts limited the space he had to put crosses into the box, as he was unable to beat his opposing full-back to create the space that was needed.

Ultimately, Celtic should not want to be relying on the 34-year-old, who scored one goal in all competitions last season, to win them matches in the Champions League, but that is the situation they have found themselves in.

It did not work on Wednesday night and that is why Rodgers should roll the dice with Yang out wide on the right for the second leg, unless the club are able to wrap up a move for a new winger in the days leading up to the trip to Kazakhstan.

Yang upgrade: Celtic have serious interest in deal for "flamboyant" winger

Celtic reportedly have a serious interest in a star who would be a big upgrade on Hyun-jun Yang.

ByDan Emery Aug 20, 2025

Whilst their striker search develops following news that Alexander Isak wants to leave, Newcastle United and PIF have reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Premier League rival instead of Benjamin Sesko.

Newcastle "working" on Sesko deal

The Magpies have sprung into action following Isak’s bombshell and have instantly turned their focus towards Sesko. The RB Leipzig ace has attracted the interest of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool this summer, but now Newcastle have emerged in search of a blockbuster move of their own.

According to transfer reporter Ben Jacobs, those at St James’ Park are now “working” on personal terms with the talented striker and are set to submit an opening bid to Leipzig, who are open to a summer sale.

Although reports have suggested that Leipzig will demand as much as £67m to sell the 22-year-old ahead of next season, money will be no issue for Newcastle if Isak departs for a deal which could be a staggering worth £150m.

It certainly makes sense that Newcastle have turned straight towards Sesko too. The Serbian has been on the rise for a couple of seasons now and once again showed plenty of his potential in the Bundesliga last time out.

Minutes

2,380

2,756

Goals

13

23

Assists

5

6

Expected Goals

10

20.3

There will be concerns that Sesko managed just 13 Bundesliga goals last time out, but it’s key to point out that both he and Isak outperformed their expected total by three goals. Based on that figure, the Serbian certainly has the potential to improve his numbers if chance creation around him is improved.

PIF set sights on signing 13-goal star for Newcastle after Isak bombshell

The Magpies have instantly turned towards potential replacements.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 25, 2025

Alas, with how this summer has gone for the Magpies, having alternative options lined up certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea and one Premier League rival may find himself on that shortlist.

PIF offered chance to sign Jackson

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, PIF have now been offered the chance to sign Nicolas Jackson for Newcastle this summer. The forward’s agent has offered his signature around the Premier League to the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa and now Newcastle as he looks to ensure that his client receives his desired game time.

After Chelsea signed both Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, that game time is unlikely to arrive at Stamford Bridge – allowing Newcastle to come swooping in should they please this summer.

Dubbed “fantastic” by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, Newcastle’s backline paid witness to Jackson’s ability first-hand last season when he scored in a 2-1 victory over the Magpies.

It goes without saying that Jackson must work on his consistency after scoring 13 goals in all competitions last season, but he could yet find that by swapping Chelsea for Newcastle this summer.

Chelsea are now in negotiations to sign a “beautiful footballer”, and they have discussed the possibility of sending Christopher Nkunku in the opposite direction, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

Blues looking to offload Jackson and Nkunku

Once again, it has been a summer of heavy spending for the Blues, which means Enzo Maresca has been left with a somewhat bloated squad, and the manager may need to get two of his current forwards off the books.

Nicolas Jackson and Nkunku have been the subjects of widespread interest this summer, with the former now keen on joining Premier League rivals Newcastle United, while Bayern Munich have been named as potential suitors for the French striker.

Of course, Nkunku flourished during his previous stint in the Bundesliga, which led to his move to Stamford Bridge, with the former RB Leipzig man amassing a remarkable 35 goal contributions in 34 league outings during the 2021-22 campaign.

Same agent as Caicedo: Chelsea now eyeing "warrior" who's better than Araujo

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is set to miss a significant portion of the upcoming season.

ByBen Goodwin Aug 11, 2025

As such, a move back to Germany could appeal to the forward, and a return could now be on the cards, according to Fabrizio Romano, who recently took to X to reveal that Chelsea have discussed swapping Nkunku for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.

The same applies to Tyrique George, with the Blues looking to orchestrate a swap deal for the RB Leipzig star, having perhaps been unwilling to match the German club’s reported £67m asking price outright.

In order to make room for the attacking midfielder and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, the west Londoners are trying to get Jackson and Nkunku off the books, but negotiations over a deal for Simons remain ongoing in the meantime.

Simons keen on move to Stamford Bridge

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed the RB Leipzig attacker is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge this summer, and there are plenty of indications that he would be an excellent addition to Maresca’s squad.

Josh Bunting was left very impressed with the maestro’s performance in his side’s 4-2 victory over Werder Bremen back in January, singling him out for high praise on X.

The 22-year-old chipped in with ten goals and seven assists in 25 Bundesliga outings last season, which is a solid return, with the Dutchman also catching the eye against Spain at international level.

There should be some caution about the potential signing of Simons, given that Nkunku also flourished in the Bundesliga, before failing to kick on in the Premier League, but the Netherlands international clearly has the ability to succeed at Stamford Bridge.

New Zealand have separated the opening pair of Bates and Devine; Harmanpreet will bat at No. 3 for India

Vishal Dikshit03-Oct-2024

Watch out for Deandra Dottin•Getty Images

South Africa vs West IndiesDubai, 2pm local timeSouth Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe TryonWest Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt, wk), Ashmini Munisar, Afy Fletcher, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa CraftonRelated

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South Africa head in new direction with calm Laura Wolvaardt at the helm

'It can be tough to do both skills full out' but Kapp will do it for SA

'I'm still World Boss' – Dottin is as hungry as ever

Tournament form guide: South Africa and West Indies lost both their warm-up games in the lead-up to the tournament, although South Africa’s losses were more surprising. They were bowled out for 92 against New Zealand to lose by eight wickets and then couldn’t get close to their target of 145 against India. West Indies’ losses came against teams ranked much higher than them. They first lost to India by 20 runs and then to Australia by 35 runs, on both occasions struggling to chase down totals in the 140s.News brief: South Africa finished as the runners-up in the 2023 T20 World Cup and will be looking to carry their form into this tournament after a 2-1 away series win against Pakistan. Despite a poor 7-14 win-loss record against West Indies, South Africa have won three of their last four T20Is against them. West Indies, too, come on the back of a 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka, although that was back in June. South Africa could go spin heavy by picking 18-year-old legspinner Seshnie Naidu along with allrounders Chloe Tryon and Sune Luus. It’s expected to be a hot afternoon in Dubai, with the temperature around 37°C at the time of the toss. It won’t be much cooler even when the game ends.Player to watch: She last played a T20I in August 2022. Since then, she has played franchise cricket around the world, retired from international cricket, and returned. Deandra Dottin is a powerhouse of a figure, not just a batter. Her presence in the West Indies line-up will be a massive boost who need to start on a winning note if they are to make the semi-finals.0:57

Shafali Verma: Dubai is so hot that we couldn’t even breathe during first practice

India vs New ZealandDubai, 6pm local timeIndia squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan SajanaNew Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze (wk), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea TahuhuTournament form guide: India won their two warm-up games with fairly convincing margins, by 20 runs against West Indies and 28 runs against South Africa. New Zealand, meanwhile, had a 50% success in the warm-ups. They beat South Africa by eight wickets and went down to England by five wickets.News brief: Two players were named in the India squad subject to fitness: allrounder Shreyanka Patil and wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia. Both played both warm-ups, which bodes well for India. Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed on match eve that captain Harmanpreet Kaur would bat at No. 3, as was the case in the two warm-ups. She has batted there only five times since the start of 2019. The last time was against Ireland in the 2023 T20 World Cup when India’s opening stand lasted 9.3 overs. New Zealand come into the tournament after a streak of ten straight losses in T20Is, most recently being blanked 3-0 by Australia, against whom they play their second game. Therefore, they would be desperate for a win on Friday to push for a semi-final spot. If India have made a late call about their No. 3, New Zealand have decided to move their power-hitting captain Sophie Devine to the middle order recently, with Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates to open. Both teams are expecting plenty of dew in this evening game, so toss could play a massive role.Player to watch: Shafali Verma has worked on her mental game, she has worked on her consistency, and she is trying to mature into a more complete batter. If she can strike a balance between her early ball-bashing mentality with consistent performances from the first game itself, she could play a vital role in giving India a start similar to her nickname in the dressing room for her batting style: (dashing).

He replaces former fast bowler Salil Ankola in the role

Shashank Kishore03-Sep-2024Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, has been named as the fifth selector in the Ajit Agarkar-led India men’s selection committee. Ratra was one of four candidates, alongside Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Shakti Singh and Ajay Mehra, to be interviewed for the post by the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee.Ratra replaces Salil Ankola, the former India fast bowler, to complete a process that had begun in January this year when the BCCI invited applications for the position. The season-opening Duleep Trophy will be Ratra’s first assignment.The need for a new selector in the committee arose after Agarkar’s appointment as chairman led to a deviation from the convention of picking one selector from each zone (north, south, east, west and central).The north zone position had been vacant ever since Chetan Sharma officially resigned as chairman in February 2023, after being caught in an undercover TV sting operation. Agarkar’s subsequent ascendancy meant Ankola, who had formerly been Mumbai’s chief selector, was the likely candidate to make way, even though the BCCI’s advertisement at the time made no mention.Ratra, who played six Tests and 12 ODIs in 2002, comes with a rich body of work in the coaching sphere. He’s been involved as a head coach with Assam, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and was most-recently part of VVS Laxman’s interim coaching staff for the ODI series in South Africa late last year, soon after the 50-over World Cup.Ratra had also been involved in various coaching programmes for the women’s senior and junior teams. In 2021, he was part of Ricky Ponting’s coaching staff, as one of the assistant coaches, at Delhi Capitals.Ratra is best remembered for his unbeaten 115 against West Indies in the Antigua Test of 2002, when he became the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test century. He was also part of the Mohammed Kaif-led squad that lifted the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In all, he scored 4029 first-class runs in 99 matches with eight centuries and 17 half-centuries.

Chelsea have missed out on a transfer target, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing news that the player is poised to remain at his club instead.

Enzo Maresca has watched BlueCo orchestrate a fairly productive transfer market thus far.

Related Maresca is now pushing Chelsea to sign £150k-per-week World Cup winner

The Italian and his staff are big fans.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025

The Blues sealed a £30 million move for highly-rated young English striker Liam Delap, who’s already got on the scoresheet with his first-ever goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, and it is believed that optimism is growing over a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

They haven’t had it all their own way, though, as Dortmund rejected three bids from Chelsea for the 20-year-old before the last transfer deadline on June 10.

Chelsea also failed with an attempt to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, with the Rossoneri insisting on a far higher price tag than Maresca’s side were willing to pay, and talks surrounding a pre-CWC move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké didn’t go anywhere either.

Maresca’s side are in the market for a centre-back too, but according to Romano, they’ll have to move on from Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite – who’s now been added to the list of players who Chelsea won’t be signing.

Jarrad Branthwaite set to reject Chelsea and sign new Everton deal

Earlier this month, journalist Simon Phillips reported that Chelsea were planning to push for Branthwaite, and there was a possibility that the 23-year-old could ask to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

“Chelsea intend to push for him [Branthwaite] again and there is a possibility that they offer players to Everton in an attempt to get the fee down and make the deal more appealing on both sides,” said Phillips.

“We’ve also heard that he is a little frustrated, on Everton putting such a big valuation on his head. We had initially heard that Branthwaite would not actively push for a move. But it has now transpired that he is keen on Chelsea and could end up asking for the move.”

However, despite Chelsea’s intention, the £70 million-rated centre-back has just been put out of Maresca’s reach.

Romano confirms that Branthwaite will commit his future to Everton by signing a new long-term deal until 2030, dealing a blow to Chelsea and other suitors, who are poised to miss out on the Englishman tipped for a very bright future.

The former PSV Eindhoven loanee was also a wanted man at Tottenham, according to some reports, but any potential move to London will have to be put on the back-burner for a long while.