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Already thinking ahead, Celtic chiefs have now reportedly held internal talks about signing one Championship player who is on course to become a free agent in 2025.

Celtic transfer news

The Bhoys are once again on course to win the Scottish Premiership, albeit whilst being kept incredibly close by surprise challengers Aberdeen, and have even managed to pick up a couple of impressive results on the Champions League stage to match. Brendan Rodgers’ side even went as far as defeating RB Leipzig 3-1 before the international break and will no doubt be looking to pick up where they left off once domestic football returns.

Those at Celtic Park will be celebrating their recent success with some caution, however. After all, the last time that one of their top stars stole the show on the biggest stage, he swapped Scotland for the Premier League and Brighton & Hove Albion. Desperate to avoid a Matt O’Riley repeat, Celtic will be looking to keep hold of the likes of Nicolas Kuhn amid recent interest in his signature.

Meanwhile, when it comes to incomings, they may get the chance to reverse the trend. According to 67 Hail Hail, Celtic chiefs have held tentative internal discussions about signing Josh Brownhill when his current Burnley contract comes to an end next summer. In what would be a free transfer, the Bhoys could land another Championship star and could offer pre-contract terms in the New Year.

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1

By
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An experienced midfielder who has played Premier League football, Brownhill could replace O’Riley once and for all. Still just 28 years old, the Burnley captain is far from past his best just yet, having scored five and set up one other goal in 15 appearances in the Championship so far this season.

"Key" Brownhill would be the ultimate bargain

A player who’s stealing the show in the Championship as Burnley set their sights on promotion, Brownhill’s rise is one that former manager Vincent Kompany saw coming. When in charge of Burnley, the Belgian told reporters as relayed by Four Four Two: “Keeping Brownhill this season was crucial and he was ready for the responsibility to become a key player.

“I still see some growth in his game. I don’t want to talk him up too far but he can be one of the players of the Championship if he stays on this road this season.”

The Clarets may not be so lucky to keep hold of Brownhill for a second time, however, and will even miss out on the chance to cash in on their midfield star if he fails to sign a new contract at the club.

When January arrives, the 28-year-old will have the opportunity to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of England that makes an approach, which could see Celtic take full advantage.

The Hoops already welcomed one Championship player in the form of Adam Idah last summer and can now land another by signing Brownhill on a free deal next year.

Brighton have now reportedly held face to face talks as they weigh up signing another young talent at the AMEX stadium in the January transfer window.

Brighton's big spending pays off

It was a step into the unknown for Brighton over the summer, as they spent heavily and appointed the Premier League’s youngest ever manager in the shape of 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler.

The Seagulls splashed out almost £200m on nine new players, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Matt O’Riley, Mats Weiffer and Yankuba Minteh all making the move to the south coast.

Brighton’s summer signings

Player

Fee

Georginio Rutter

€46.70m

Yankuba Minteh

€35m

Mats Wieffer

€32m

Brajan Gruda

€31.5m

Ferdi Kadioglu

€30m

Matt O’Riley

€29.5m

Ibrahim Osman

€19.5m

Malick Yalcouye

€7m

Amario Cozier-Duberry

Free

That six of those nine featured in their seven most expensive signings of all time underlined the change in focus from Brighton, who have previously largely been known for plucking talents from relative obscurity and selling them on at massive profit.

However, now they appear to have built the spine of a side capable of regularly competing for the European places in the Premier League, and they have lost just twice so far this campaign, spurred on by Danny Welbeck’s impressive return to form.

Such form puts them just two points behind second placed Arsenal and ahead of Manchester City on goal difference before Wednesday’s fixtures, with a spot in next season’s European competitions a real possibility at the AMEX Stadium.

Despite spending the third most in the Premier League over the summer, Brighton are still not done though, and now a fresh report suggests that they are once again looking to bolster their ranks in January.

Brighton hold talks over Brazilian teen

That comes as a report from Brazil claims that Hurzeler’s side have undertaken face-to-face talks over a potential move to sign Brazilian teenage talent Matheus Gonçalves, who currently plays for Flamengo. The 19-year-old has made just 13 top flight appearances in Brazil this season, scoring two goals in the process, but that has not stopped interest forming.

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He has long been touted as a future star, with Talent Scout Jacek Kulig taking to X to hail his “incredible left foot” while he was still playing for his side’s U17 side. Now, RTI Esporte claim that Goncalves’ agent “met with representatives of Brighton” in Rio De Janeiro at the end of November, as the Seagulls explore a potential move for the teenager.

It is added that Flamengo are willing to let him leave in January and it is suggested that they will not hold out for his whopping £83m release clause in order to part ways with him. Meanwhile, Goncalves is “interested” in moving, but wants guarantees that he will not immediately be loaned out and will receive meaningful minutes.

That could well be a sticking point for any deal, with Brighton already loaning out Facundo Buonanotte this season and likely to also allow Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso leave in the winter window due to a lack of gametime, while summer signing Brajan Gruda is still waiting for his first start, emphasising just how plentiful Hurzeler’s options in attack are.

Unless Goncalves changes his stance on a potential loan move, a deal in January seems unlikely.

After losing two of four home Tests, and the series in India, the defending Test world champions are precariously placed on the WTC table

Sreshth Shah01-Mar-20222:20

Latham backs NZ to defend WTC title despite slip-ups at home

In a Test match that Tom Latham feels was “even stevens” for the first three days, South Africa’s batting on the fourth day proved to be the difference between a series win and the eventual 1-1 shared result, according to the New Zealand captain.New Zealand lost the Test by 198 runs – their second home Test loss this summer after losing to Bangladesh in the New Year’s Test – and Latham, leading the side in Kane Williamson’s extended absence because of injury, said South Africa did what his side couldn’t: build partnerships, especially lower down the order.Related

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“From 1-0 to here is quite disappointing on our front,” Latham said after the game. “We knew coming in that we had to front up again and we knew South Africa were going to bring their best. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stick with them for long enough [on day four] and get those breakthroughs. They were able to put a good score and then coming into our second innings, we couldn’t build partnerships, especially among our top four.”After South Africa had taken a 71-run first-innings lead, the visitors started the fourth morning on 140 for 5, but managed to get to 354 for 9 before declaring, setting a target of 426. Kyle Verreynne, who finished unbeaten on 136 in the third innings, put on partnerships of 78 for the sixth wicket with Wiaan Mulder and 78 for the eighth with Kagiso Rabada, the runs coming at 7.43 in the latter stand.”I think there were times throughout the Test match where momentum shifted from team to team,” Latham said. “We were able to stay with South Africa for long periods but they managed to get their heads in front yesterday with lower-order partnerships. From a batting point of view, we were unable to do that. If we were able to do that, things might have looked different. Both in the first and second innings.”

“Whatever Test it is, whether the first of a championship cycle or the last one, you always set out with the ambition of winning. So we now focus on the next Test match”Tom Latham

In the fourth innings, the only bright spot for New Zealand was Devon Conway’s 92, which gave them a chance of, perhaps, drawing the contest, as there was some possibility of rain on the final day. But New Zealand were met with some hostile bowling from Rabada and Marco Jansen, both taking three wickets each, and Keshav Maharaj, who also picked up three wickets.However, despite Maharaj’s success, Latham did not feel that New Zealand missed a spinner in their side and felt the best available XI had been put on the park.”They were 200 ahead for five down [in South Africa’s second innings]. If we were able to get a couple of wickets then, things might have shifted right away in our favour,” Latham said. “The score they put on was obviously going to be tough to get on that wicket, especially with fresh bowlers.”I don’t think we missed a spinner. Regardless of what side we put on, we have a way we like to go about things. Even though the wicket was slightly flatter, there wasn’t a huge amount of turn and we certainly thought we had a team that was good enough to win.Latham: “There were couple of games where we didn’t quite play our best”•Getty Images”Certainly happy with the side we have. We have full belief in the side we have and the XI we put out. From a batting point of view, in New Zealand, some surfaces – sometimes it is not easy, sometimes it is not your day, and I think we’ve shown over long periods of time that we can be successful on these wickets. We had a couple of guys missing who will come back to the squad and then we will reassess.”Entering the home summer, New Zealand were considered favourites to win all four Tests, more so since they entered 2022 on the back of 17 consecutive home Tests without a loss. But points dropped against Bangladesh and then against South Africa, added to the series loss in India, have now put the defending Test world champions in a precarious position; they might not be able to reach the final of the 2021-23 edition.With away tours of England and Pakistan to follow, along with a home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand at sixth have their backs against the wall. However, Latham was gung-ho about claiming full points in England.”As a whole, we had four Test matches in New Zealand and wanted to win them all, and unfortunately we weren’t able to do that. We played some good cricket in between and there were couple of games where we didn’t quite play our best,” he said. “We’ve got three Tests in England as our next tour and the goal there will be to win three Tests over there. From an England point of view, we played a couple of Tests over there last year [including the WTC final against India], so conditions are familiar.”Obviously you set out to win every Test at home. When we head to England, it will be important we shift our focus to that and win that series over there. Whatever Test it is, whether the first of a championship cycle or the last one, you always set out with the ambition of winning. So we now focus on the next Test match.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Vice-presidente jurídico e geral do Flamengo,Rodrigo Dunshee de Abranches não poupou a sua opinião ácida a respeito do nível visto na recém-finalizada final do Mundial de Clubes, entre Palmeiras e Chelsea, vencida pelos ingleses por 2 a 1, emAbu Dhabi, nos Emirados Árabes Unidos.

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-Independente de qualquer coisa uma coisa é certa. Uma final do Mundial jamais deveria apresentar um futebol tão feio – escreveu Dunshee.

Independente de qualquer coisa uma coisa é certa. Uma final do Mundial jamais deveria apresentar um futebol tão feio.

— Rodrigo Dunshee de Abranches (@roddunshee) February 12, 2022

Campeão da Libertadores-2021 justamente contra o Flamengo, o Palmeiras não conseguiu derrotar o Chelsea, que venceu, na prorrogação, por 2 a 1, neste sábado, com gols de Lukaku e Havertz (de pênalti). O gol do clube brasileiro foi marcado por Raphael Veiga, também da marca da cal.

Celtic have been the laughing stock of Champions League football for all too long now. Remember that 1-0 defeat to Lincoln Red Imps in the qualification stages? Remember the Hoops not even qualifying for the group stages between 2017 and 2022?

It’s been a sorry state of affairs for the Bhoys and one the great Ange Postecoglou struggled to even juggle.

However, for all of those disappointing nights on Europe’s biggest stage, there have been some memorable ones too. Step forward, Tony Watt. That night against Barcelona was oh so special but yesterday evening’s festivities against RB Leipzig perhaps even trumped that glorious occasion.

When the German side took the lead after just 23 minutes supporters would have been fearing the worst. Here we go again, another nightmare display in the Champions League. Think again.

This time Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys rallied in spectacular fashion, notably through man of the moment Nicolas Kuhn who scored twice on the night. Reo Hatate also found the net to cap a mesmeric 3-1 win. What a game, what a night.

Nicolas Kuhn's amazing performance against Leipzig

On that remarkable night back in 2012, a 2-1 win over Barca, Watt’s scintillating winner was a moment that has lived long in the memory. Rightfully so, too.

Well, Kuhn’s magic display on Tuesday night trumped that, quite considerably too.

There have been claims that the summer signing is already a potential £40m player in the making and after this display, teams on the continent will likely take notice. You don’t perform like this on the biggest European stage without attracting some degree of attention.

Kuhn deserved the plaudits too for this was one of the best individual performances we have seen by a Celtic player in Europe.

His first goal, in particular, was incredible. Drifting inside from the left-hand side like a prime Arjen Robben, the German – once of Leipzig’s parish – unleashed a devasting effort that found the top corner. Oh how good it was, it really really was a fabulous piece of play.

But the 24-year-old’s outing wasn’t just about his brace. Throughout his Man of the Match performance, he supplied two key passes to demonstrate his creative side, performed four crosses and completed three of his five dribble attempts. Not bad at all.

Chris Sutton summed things up aptly, describing the winger’s performance as “outstanding”. The former Celtic forward also thought defender Auston Trusty was pretty “phenomenal” too.

Auston Trusty's performance in numbers

Signed from Premier League relegated Sheffield United over the summer, Trusty initially didn’t set the world alight during his time in Glasgow but his recent form has been excellent. His crowning moment – certainly so far anyway – came against Leipzig this week.

Prior to Tuesday evening’s win, the American was part of a backline that kept four consecutive clean sheets and despite conceding this time out, he was still fantastic at the back.

Handed an 8/10 rating by the Scotman’s Graham Falk, the journalist outlined how it was ‘another top performance’ having ‘handled a really tricky customer in Benjamin Sesko with little fuss.’

Minutes played

90

Touches

109

Accurate passes

95/97 (98%)

Ground duels won

5/5

Aerial duels won

1/3

Clearances

3

Tackles

3

Interceptions

0

Dribbled past

0

Possession lost

2x

During his time on the field, Trusty was..well..pretty trusty really. It was a near-flawless performance from the centre-back who had a staggering 109 touches, completed 98% of his passes and won an impressive six duels.

For context, only Alistair Johnston had more touches of the ball and won more ground duels. No player at Parkhead had a better pass success rate either.

So, Kuhn may well steal the back pages in Scotland this morning but his fellow summer arrival in Trusy deserves equal praise for a night where he stood up and was very much counted. Sesko, who? The USA star dealt with him with ease.

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How much do the all-conquering Premier League powerhouse earn annually and who receives the most into their account?

When you talk about the Premier League, one of the first clubs that come to mind are Manchester City. The Sky Blues have become the most successful team in England in the past 15 years, boosted by the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008 and then by the mastery of Pep Guardiola, who has led City to six Premier League titles in his eight full seasons at the club since arriving in 2016.

Manchester City transformed into a financial powerhouse following its acquisition by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 as the ownership, led by Sheikh Mansour, injected vast wealth into the club, funding top-tier player acquisitions, world-class infrastructure, and expansive global commercial ventures.

This financial backing allowed City to secure star players like Sergio Aguero, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, and Raheem Sterling over the years, significantly enhancing the team’s performance.

The four-time reigning Premier League champions are currently the team with the most expensive wage bill in the league.

But who is the highest earner at Manchester City this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?

GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!

*

• Getty
  

  Goalkeepers

  Ederson, who was signed by Manchester City for one of the highest transfer fees ever paid for a goalkeeper, is the highest-paid among the club's first-team shot-stoppers. However, despite his prominent role, his salary is not among the top earners at the club, with players in other positions commanding significantly higher wages.

  Veteran German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is the second-highest paid goalkeeper at the club, while 39-year-old Scott Carson, a former England international, is even further behind on the wage bill.

  Name	Salary
  Ederson	£5,200,000
  Stefan Ortega	£4,680,000
  Scott Carson	£1,560,000

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Defenders

  No surprises here as John Stones, one of the first signings of the Guardiola era, is the highest-earning defender in the squad, and one of the only two defenders along with Josko Gvardiol to earn in double digit millions annually.

  Shockingly, though, Ruben Dias is the joint third-highest earner as far as defenders go in the squad along with Manuel Akanji. Given the Portuguese centre-back's stature as a leader and their best defender, it's safe to say that City fans won't be too pleased to find out that he isn't on the top of the defenders' wage bill.

  Captain Kyle Walker ranks next in salary, though there is little distinction between his earnings and those of Dias and Akanji. Following Walker is Dutch defender Nathan Ake, with the list rounded out by academy graduates Rico Lewis and Josh Wilson-Esbrand.

  Name	Salary
  John Stones	£13,000,000
  Josko Gvardiol	£10,400,000
  Ruben Dias	£9,360,000
  Manuel Akanji	£9,360,000
  Kyle Walker	£9,100,000
  Nathan Ake	£8,320,000
  Rico Lewis	£1,300,000
  Josh Wilson-Esbrand	£364,000

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfielders

  No surprises in midfield either. Club legend Kevin De Bruyne is on the final year of his contract and if he doesn't extend, he'll go out as one of the highest-earning players in the squad.

  Bernardo Silva is the next best earning midfielder in the squad, and deservingly so. The Portuguese signed a new deal last year amid exit rumours, and is tied to the club until 2026.

  Ilkay Gundogan returned to Manchester City after a one-year stint at Barcelona last summer, and it may come as a surprise that he earns more than key players like Phil Foden and Rodri — who was named the 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Season and the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, respectively.

  Name	Salary
  Kevin De Bruyne	£20,800,000
  Bernardo Silva	£15,600,000
  Ilkay Gundogan	£11,960,000
  Phil Foden	£11,700,000
  Rodri	£11,440,000
  Mateo Kovacic	£7,800,000
  Matheus Nunes	£6,760,000
  James McAtee	£780,000

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  Attackers

  Erling Haaland is the absolute top earner up front after signing a new nine-year deal.

  Meanwhile, Jack Grealish, the most expensive City signing of all-time, is the second-highest earning forward and one of the squad's best-paid players, with new arrival Omar Marmoush in third place.

  The young trio of Jeremy Doku, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho are not earning half as much as the aforementioned duo, but are still fairly compensated given that none of them have nailed down a spot in the XI just yet.

  Name	Salary
  Erling Haaland	£27,300,000
  Jack Grealish	£15,600,000
  Omar Marmoush	£15,340,000
  Jeremy Doku	£2,600,000
  Oscar Bobb	£2,600,000
  Savinho	£2,080,000

One of the most talented players in Manchester United’s recent history is Paul Pogba. The Red Devils broke the world record transfer fee at the time, 2016, to bring him to Old Trafford from Juventus for £89m.

Whether or not he lived up to the expectation is entirely down to personal perspective.

The midfielder’s stats at Old Trafford, however, are more than respectable. He played 226 times between 2016 and 2022 in that famous Red shirt, scoring 39 goals and grabbing 48 assists.

The midfielder also won two trophies, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League, scoring in the final of the latter.

What made Pogba’s move to Old Trafford even more incredible was the fact it was his second spell at the club, after he left for free in 2012. He is a graduate of the esteemed Carrington academy, and it was there where all the hype for the Frenchman was built.

Pogba’s first spell at United

Back in his academy days at United, Pogba was unstoppable. He was already physically far more developed than most others his age and stood tall above the rest, although not only in his height; the Frenchman was simply better than many other players.

Watching back clips of the former United midfielder during his time as an academy player, it is clear to see just how much of his game today has been transferred from those early days. The silky talent, who is known today for his wicked long passes, trickery on the ball and strength in duels, possessed all those traits in the academy.

His performances for the Red Devils reserve side in 2011/12, the campaign he broke into the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, showed exactly why the legendary Scotsman put his faith in the youngster. Pogba played 16 reserve games that term, scoring three goals and grabbing six assists.

The France international, who won the World Cup in 2018, achieved FA Youth Cup success with the academy, alongside the likes of Jesse Lingard and Ravel Morrison. That side of 2011 did have the claim as United’s most recent triumph in the competition until 2022 when Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo began to get widespread recognition.

Pogba made seven first-team appearances for the Red Devils before leaving for Juventus in 2012, and, of course, rejoining the club four years later. It is fair to say he was creating some of the biggest hype in world football and was described as a “highly-rated young player” back in 2012 by The Guardian.

In recent years, United may well have lost another talent who was even once compared to Pogba, although he too departed in underwhelming circumstances like the Frenchman.

The midfielder who Man Utd sold for peanuts

The player in question here is another Red Devils academy graduate, Zidane Iqbal. The 21-year-old once had plenty of hype around him, just as Pogba had in his academy days, but it did not work out for him at Old Trafford.

A composed, press-resistant midfielder, Iqbal made well over 50 appearances for the United academy. He first got the chance to show what he could do in the first team under Ralf Rangnick in 2021, making his sole Red Devils appearance in December in the Champions League against BSC Young Boys.

He was compared to United’s former number six by Goal, who claimed the excitement level surrounding the Iraq international was similar to that of Pogba, before going on to say ‘Iqbal’s talent is undeniable’.

It may seem puzzling, then, that Erik ten Hag was happy to sell him in June 2023, particularly after claims that the Dutchman had been left impressed by him during the 2022 pre-season.

In the end, the 21-year-old moved for a fee in the region of £857k to Eredivisie side Utrecht, having surprisingly failed to make a first team appearance in 2022/23 under Ten Hag’s watch.

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 youngster has impressed in the Netherlands, making 22 appearances so far after injuries disrupted his progress. Some of his performances in particular stand out, including two impressive showings at the start of the season.

Stat

vs. Zwolle

vs. Heerenveen

Touches

68

60

Pass accuracy

87%

82%

Passes completed

47/54

31/38

Ground duels won

5/6

10/14

Tackles won

1/1

5/7

Long balls completed

4/7

2/3

Fouls won

3

4

The Red Devils may well look back on the deal to sell Iqbal one day as the wrong move, just as they arguably regretted losing Pogba.

They will surely be disappointed the youngster could not quite live up to expectations and become the next great academy graduate at Old Trafford.

Man Utd star who left under Solskjaer has seen value soar 680% since exit

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ByJoe Nuttall Oct 16, 2024

Arne Slot has set Federico Chiesa a challenge for the second half of the season amid his ongoing struggles for Liverpool game time.

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Article continues below

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• Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer
• Barely played for Premier League side
• Slot sets challenge for Italian winger

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Italy international swapped Juventus for Liverpool in a £12 million ($15m) deal last summer but he has barely played for Slot's team thus far. The Reds boss hinted that the 27-year-old's lack of a pre-season due to injury has been behind his limited first-team presence but stressed he could feature more in the second half of the campaign as it is "even more important than the first half."

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT ARNE SLOT SAID

  When asked about Chiesa's role in the second half of the season, he told reporters on Friday: "Like I said, every game is a chance for every player to get some playing time. It's not only for him been difficult because of all of the things you just said – I'm not going to say all these things again – in terms of match fitness, it's also that he has to compete with the likes of Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah. Everybody here knows the numbers Mo Salah brings in; there's not many times a reason to take him out during a game or before a game. Also because he is so fit. I said many times before, he was the fittest player that came in in pre-season and he does everything every single day to keep his match fitness, he wants to play every game. And he shows up every single game. So, it's not only about Federico when we are talking about him being limited in his playing time, it's also about the others. But in terms of Federico, it definitely has to do with the way he came in. I don't know the English words… the rest were already training a lot and we had to bring him up in terms of match fitness. So, it's a combination of reasons why he didn't play that much yet, but let's wait and see in the upcoming weeks and months if he's able to help us, because the second half of the season is even more important than the first half."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chiesa was once seen as one of the best wingers in the world after helping Italy win Euro 2020 but injuries have curtailed his progress. He has chalked up just 123 minutes of game time for Liverpool so far and that has led to links with a Serie A transfer return. His agent shut down such speculation but if Chiesa continues to be left out, a move could be on the cards eventually.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Chiesa will look to get some much-needed minutes when Liverpool host Accrington Stanley in round three of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Geovany Quenda broke a 22-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo record for Sporting CP after starring in the Liga Portugal against Benfica on Sunday.

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• Quenda broke Ronaldo's record at Sporting CP
• Became the youngest player to appear in Lisbon derby
• Sporting CP beat Benfica 1-0

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  At 17 years and eight months, Quenda became the youngest player ever in Sporting CP's history to feature in the Lisbon derby as he played 72 minutes in a 1-0 victory. The record was previously held by club legend Ronaldo, who appeared in the derby against Benfica in December 2002 at the age of 17 years and 10 months.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Quenda has been a revelation for the Portuguese giants in the 2024-25 campaign. The youngster rose to fame under former manager Ruben Amorim, who handed him his senior debut in the summer. His impressive performances in the Liga Portugal have reportedly attracted interest from Manchester United, with Amorim said to be eyeing a reunion with the winger at Old Trafford.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In August, Quenda became the youngest player in Sporting's entire history to score a league goal at 17 years and 95 days, as he found the back of the net in his team's 4-3 loss to FC Porto.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SPORTING CP?

  Sporting will be back in action after the winter break in Portugal on January 3 as they take on Vitoria in another important league clash on January 3.

The left-hand batter strengthened his chances of a Test debut with a half-century in the intra-squad warm-up game

Hemant Brar28-May-2021

Devon Conway pushed his case for a Test debut even further by scoring an unbeaten 55 against the Williamson XI on the opening day of New Zealand’s intra-squad two-day warm-up game at the Ageas Bowl.After the Latham XI opted to bat, Conway and Tom Latham added 106 for the first wicket against the likes of Tim Southee, Jacob Duffy, Neil Wagner and Mitchell Santner. Both batters retired at the lunch interval and were replaced by Tom Blundell and Ross Taylor. However, the duo fell to Southee in quick succession, Blundell caught behind for 8 and Taylor lbw for 9.Wagner then bowled Kyle Jamieson for his first wicket of the day before Colin de Grandhomme and Doug Bracewell scored half-centuries.After the 75th over, Latham and Blundell again came to the middle. But this time Latham’s stay was a brief one with Wagner bowling him off the pads for 7. Rachin Ravindra then cut Jamieson’s second stint at the crease short and removed Matt Henry in the same over as the Latham XI finished the day on 289 for 6.Conway is competing with Blundell for the second opener’s role in the Test side. At the end of the day’s play, he said opening the innings with Latham was an exciting experience but also an intimidating one with Kane Williamson and Southee in the opposition.”Good opportunity to bat with him [Latham] out in the middle,” Conway said. “Fortunately, we are both left-handers, so I could just feed off a couple of things that he was doing. He is very experienced, knows his game inside out. Just watching how he goes about things, not only in today’s game but in training and his discipline around, his shot selection, the way he plays his game, it’s pretty awesome to learn from. Just to be there at the other end was pretty exciting and good learnings throughout the day.”You’ve got Kane Williamson there at gully watching you bat. That’s pretty intimidating, one of the best guys watching you go about your business. Then also fronting up and facing guys like Tim Southee, who have been there for a long time. I didn’t get the opportunity to bat with Ross Taylor today, which was a bit unfortunate, but hopefully one day I’ll get that chance.”Conway has played most of his first-class cricket batting at No. 3. Out of his 174 innings in the format, he has opened only 19 times but if he makes his debut in the first Test against England, it will be most likely as an opener.”There’s probably not too much difference to be fair,” he said. “Sometimes if you’re batting three, you could be in in the first over. So it’s just about backing your game plan, backing the way you play, and just staying true to that as much as you can, regardless of the situation. It’s just about adjusting to the surface and being positive throughout.”I like to see myself as a guy who bats anywhere really. If the opportunity presents itself to bat up the order in Test cricket or ODIs or Twenty20, I would be happy to take that with both hands. It’s just a number. At the end of the day, it’s about adjusting to different scenarios and situations of the game and just batting accordingly.”