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Chelsea are poised to let another player depart Stamford Bridge this summer amid their mission to trim Enzo Maresca’s bloated books.

Chelsea offer Felix and Nkunku in exchange for £207k-per-week forward

The west Londoners are contemplating unofficial swap deals.

5 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 18, 2025

Financially, they’re in a strong position after winning the Club World Cup, with their tournament victory yieldin £87.5 million in prize money. This, combined with the exits of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli and Djordje Petrovic for an estimated £96 million, means Chelsea are currently in line to sail well under the PSR threshold for next year as things stand.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

However, UEFA struck an agreement with the Blues recently after their fine for breaching FFP rules – sell players to balance out the squad or face an inability to register new signings for next season’s Champions League (Kaveh Solhekol).

A host of Chelsea players could still leave the club before deadline day on September 1, with Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku, João Félix and even Nicolas Jackson all potentially up for sale by BlueCo, according to recent reports.

Another squad member who’s now far more likely than not to depart Cobham in the coming weeks is boyhood Chelsea supporter Alfie Gilchrist.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Sheffield United and was a regular under ex-Blades boss Chris Wilder for a portion of the campaign, before first-team action became harder to come by, partly due to injury.

Alfie Gilchrist "set to leave Chelsea" with Saudi approach made

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Gilchrist’s exit appears to be a forgone conclusion, and he’s attracting interest from both Championship sides and clubs in the Saudi Pro League.

In truth, it is quite a disappointing end to his Chelsea career, but competition in Maresca’s squad is fierce and Gilchrist quite simply needs a new chapter to further his own career.

Chelsea legend John Terry once tipped the Englishman for “big things” after he made his senior debut for the club in 2023, later praising his ferocious work rate in an interview with The Mail.

“Literally from the first training session in which I saw him, he reminded me of myself,” Terry said.

“He was keen to learn, asking me questions about defending and constantly picking my brains over what I would do in different situations.

“And he’s 100 per cent in everything he does. Whether that’s the warm-up to get him going, he’s all-in. You don’t ever want to take that away. Even on his recovery days, he’s 100 miles per hour.

“As he gets older, he’ll understand how to manage that and how to be. But it’s a great trait to have for a young player and it can certainly set you apart.

‘If you’re at Chelsea, you’ve got great ability in the first place to be there. But it’s really important for younger players to have that mentality and Alfie had that in abundance even from an early age.”

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has come out on top for the highest-rated Premier League players in the upcoming EA Sports FC 26 game.

Standard

Standard Edition

It's available across PC, PlayStation and XboxFeatures over 20,000 players, 750+ teams, over 120 stadiums, and 35+ leaguesExperience Manager Career like never before with all-new Manager Live Challenges

From

$69.99

BuyUltimate

Ultimate Edition

Cover featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic recreating a photo of his younger self  You’ll get up to 6,000 FC Points over two months, a Season 1 Premium Pass and an additional Player Evolution slotUntradeable Icon Player item included

From

$89.99

Buy+ Pre Order Bonus

Standard Edition + PO Bonus

Pre-order by 26 September for bonus inclusions Bonus will include Archetype Unlock Consumable, 2 Double AXP for 10 Matches and 3 ICON Career PlayersWill also include 5-Star Coach & 5-Star Youth Scout and Manager Live Challenge Content

From

$59.99

Buy Standard

Standard Edition

It's available across PC, PlayStation and XboxFeatures over 20,000 players, 750+ teams, over 120 stadiums, and 35+ leaguesExperience Manager Career like never before with all-new Manager Live Challenges

From

$69.99

BuyUltimate

Ultimate Edition

Cover featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic recreating a photo of his younger self  You’ll get up to 6,000 FC Points over two months, a Season 1 Premium Pass and an additional Player Evolution slotUntradeable Icon Player item included

From

$89.99

Buy+ Pre Order Bonus

Standard Edition + PO Bonus

Pre-order by 26 September for bonus inclusions Bonus will include Archetype Unlock Consumable, 2 Double AXP for 10 Matches and 3 ICON Career PlayersWill also include 5-Star Coach & 5-Star Youth Scout and Manager Live Challenge Content

From

$59.99

Buy Standard

Standard Edition

It's available across PC, PlayStation and XboxFeatures over 20,000 players, 750+ teams, over 120 stadiums, and 35+ leaguesExperience Manager Career like never before with all-new Manager Live Challenges

From

$69.99

BuyUltimate

Ultimate Edition

Cover featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic recreating a photo of his younger self  You’ll get up to 6,000 FC Points over two months, a Season 1 Premium Pass and an additional Player Evolution slotUntradeable Icon Player item included

From

$89.99

Buy+ Pre Order Bonus

Standard Edition + PO Bonus

Pre-order by 26 September for bonus inclusions Bonus will include Archetype Unlock Consumable, 2 Double AXP for 10 Matches and 3 ICON Career PlayersWill also include 5-Star Coach & 5-Star Youth Scout and Manager Live Challenge Content

From

$59.99

Buy EA Sports FC 26 ratings revealedTop 26 Premier League stars unveiledSalah tops Haaland, Rodri, Isak & moreFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱EA Sports FC 26SALAH LEADS RODRI & HAALAND IN FC 26

After it was recently revealed that the Egypt international was joint top of the EA Sports FC 26 overall ratings, alongside Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe at 91, a further breakdown of the Premier League's leading 26 players have been released. Manchester City duo Rodri and Erling Haaland are next at 90, as is Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk. Incidentally, Reds summer signing Alexander Isak has jumped from 85 last year to 88 this year. 

AdvertisementEA SPORTS FC 26 TOP PREMIER LEAGUE RATINGS

Top 26 Premier League

Rank

First Name

Last Name

Common Name

OVR (Overall rating)

Position

Team

League

1

Mohamed

Salah

 

91

RM

Liverpool

Premier League

2

Rodrigo

Hernandez Cascante

Rodri

90

CDM

Manchester City

Premier League

3

Virgil

van Dijk

 

90

CB

Liverpool

Premier League

4

Erling

Haaland

 

90

ST

Manchester City

Premier League

5

Gianluigi

Donnarumma

 

89

GK

Manchester City

Premier League

6

Alisson

Ramses Becker

Alisson

89

GK

Liverpool

Premier League

7

Florian

Wirtz

 

89

CAM

Liverpool

Premier League

8

Alexander

Isak

 

88

ST

Liverpool

Premier League

9

Gabriel

dos S. Magalhaes

Gabriel

88

CB

Arsenal

Premier League

10

Bukayo

Saka

 

88

RW

Arsenal

Premier League

11

Cole

Palmer

 

87

CAM

Chelsea

Premier League

12

Moisés

Caicedo

 

87

CDM

Chelsea

Premier League

13

Declan

Rice

 

87

CDM

Arsenal

Premier League

14

Bruno Miguel

Borges Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes

87

CAM

Man Utd

Premier League

15

William

Saliba

 

87

CB

Arsenal

Premier League

16

Alexis

Mac Allister

 

87

CM

Liverpool

Premier League

17

Martin

Odegaard

 

87

CM

Arsenal

Premier League

18

David

Raya Martin

David Raya

87

GK

Arsenal

Premier League

19

Viktor

Gyokeres

 

87

ST

Arsenal

Premier League

20

Ruben Santos

Gato Alves Dias

Ruben Dias

86

CB

Manchester City

Premier League

21

Bruno

Guimarães Moura

Bruno Guimarães

86

CM

Newcastle Utd

Premier League

22

Ibrahima

Konate

 

86

CB

Liverpool

Premier League

23

Sandro

Tonali

 

86

CDM

Newcastle Utd

Premier League

24

Tijjani

Reijnders

 

86

CM

Manchester City

Premier League

25

Ryan

Gravenberch

 

85

CDM

Liverpool

Premier League

26

Youri

Tielemans

 

85

CM

Aston Villa

Premier League

EA Sports FC 26LIVERPOOL & MAN CITY DOMINATE TOP 10

As the table shows, there are five Liverpool players in the top 10 overall ratings, and City have three in the top five. Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and BukayoSaka make up the last two spots with 88 ratings, and Chelsea's Cole Palmer is the first player to break up this monopoly at the top of the rankings, with an 11th-place score for him at 87. Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United's sole representative, with the Portuguese earning an 87 rating down in 14th place. Outside of the traditional 'Big Six', Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali rate in at 86 and Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans has an 85 rating. 

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EA SPORTS FC 26 RELEASE DATE

The popular football game will be released on September 26, 2025. The complete rankings for the Premier League's players will be available to all very soon.

USEFUL LINKSLatest EA Sports FC news & updatesFull list of stadiums in EA Sports FC 26Who are the new ICONS in EA Sports FC 26?EA Sports FC 26 pre-order benefits explainedComplete guide to EA Sports FC 26

Tottenham have set their sights on another quality attacking midfielder after seeing Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White commit his future to the City Ground.

£190k-per-week Tottenham star now close to agreeing exit as talks advance

He would be a sore miss.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 29, 2025

Thomas Frank’s side are arguably in dire need of more creativity. The Lilywhites struggled to break down League One outfit Luton Town in the second of their two Saturday pre-season friendlies last weekend, despite fielding a strong side loaded with key first-team players.

While it’s important not to overanalyse summer preparations for the new Premier League season, with Frank’s players regaining match fitness and sharpness right now, the signs were not overly encouraging.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

In an ideal world, Tottenham would have welcomed new playmaker Gibbs-White to N17 by now, having scheduled a medical on July 11 whilst attempting to trigger his past £60 million release clause.

However, in what was an unprecedented turn of events, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis put a halt to the transfer, threatened legal action against Spurs and somehow convinced Gibbs-White to pen a contract extension instead.

Signing the 25-year-old was Tottenham’s priority for the previous fortnight, but those precious two weeks of the transfer window were seemingly wasted. Technical director Johan Lange and his recruitment team must now turn to different attacking targets, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Tottenham are working on signing alternatives to Gibbs-White.

Despite serious links to north London rivals Arsenal, Spurs have been targeting Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this window, and whilst Mikel Arteta’s side prioritise outgoings right now (Fabrizio Romano), perhaps Lange can use this time to beat the Gunners to his signature.

Eze would be a phenomenal alternative to Gibbs-White, following his campaign of 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions at Palace, including their FA Cup-final winning strike against Man City.

However, in the event Arsenal beat Spurs to Eze, there are other viable candidates for the number 10 role at Tottenham.

Tottenham eyeing Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss

According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, one of them is Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss.

The 21-year-old was a shining light in an otherwise dismal Foxes side who were relegated right back down to the Championship last term, averaging more key passes per 90 in the final third than any of his teammates in the top flight (WhoScored).

Bailey reports that Spurs are now targeting El Khannouss, coming after they unceremoniously missed out on a deal for Gibbs-White and reports that the Morocco international’s contract includes a £22.5 million release clause (talkSPORT).

The clause was tied in with Leicester’s drop to the second tier, and means the young El Khannouss is available for a very astute fee.

Members of the media, like journalist Antonio Mango, have heralded the African as a “genius” attacking player, with El Khannouss now emerging as a very intriguing option for Lange as we enter the final few weeks of the summer.

Fast bowler was fined after angry to reaction to suffering injury in first Barbados T20I

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2024 • Updated on 14-Nov-2024Reece Topley, the England fast bowler, is to return home from the Caribbean after jarring his right knee in the first T20I against West Indies in Barbados*.The left-arm seamer picked up the injury in his delivery stride during the fifth over of the series opener on Saturday, and though he attempted to continue to bowl after a short rain delay, he left the field after one more delivery, and took no further part in the match.The injury was sufficient for him to miss England’s second match in Barbados, a seven-wicket win on Sunday to give them a 2-0 series lead. Topley will have a scan in London on Friday to determine the extent of the damage.It was the latest cruel setback in a career that has been littered with injury, and as he walked up the steps to the players’ pavilion, Topley was seen picking up a chair and smashing it on the staircase handrail. The reaction earned him a fine from the ICC amounting to 15 percent of his match fee.It was a similar reaction to that which Topley had produced in Mumbai during the 50-over World Cup in October 2023, when he had swiped another chair out of his path after leaving the field with what would later be revealed as a tournament-ending break to his left index finger.The 30-year-old’s damaged knee joins a list of unfortunate issues, including a career-threatening stress fracture of the back, and a rolled ankle – sustained on a boundary sponge during a practice match in Brisbane – that ruled him out of England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign in 2022.Topley escaped punishment for the 2023 incident, but this time, he was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, with Article 2.2 relating to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”Topley admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson, the ICC’s match referee, so there was no need for a formal hearing.In addition to his fine, one demerit point has been added to Topley’s disciplinary record. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. However, this was Topley’s first such offence within the time period.*November 14, 8.45pm GMT – This story was updated with news of Topley returning home

Okay, while there have been some positives to take from this summer, specifically off the pitch, there have also been some worrying signs for Arsenal.

For example, Mikel Arteta’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur out in Hong Kong this time last week, and failed to bounce back with a win against Villarreal at the Emirates yesterday evening.

Not only did the Premier League runners-up lose, but they looked just as blunt in attack as they did at points last season, and, rather unsurprisingly at this point, Gabriel Martinelli was entirely ineffective.

The Brazilian is becoming a real problem for the manager, but, in good news, it looks like the club could get their hands on someone who’d be a solution.

Arsenal target Premier League problem solver

While there have been some concerning signs on the pitch this summer, Arsenal have made some positive moves off the pitch in the transfer market.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera have all massively improved the squad depth, while Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres look ready to come in and make waves in the first team from gameweek one.

Moreover, Andrea Berta and Co don’t appear to be done just yet, as the North Londoners continue to be linked with a super talent who could help solve Arteta’s Martinelli problem.

At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs, who on a recent podcast reaffirmed the Gunners’ interest in Eberechi Eze.

More than that, he claims that the player has “his heart set on Arsenal,” which will surely be music to the ears of the fans.

Interestingly, while the Englishman has a £68m release clause in his current deal, it reportedly expires on the 15th of this month, and it looks like Berta and Co are waiting until after that point to start negotiating a lower price.

It could still be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Eze has proven he’s worth fighting for, especially as he’d help solve Arteta’s Martinelli problem.

How Eze would solve Arsenal's Martinelli problem

So, there are really two prongs to Arsenal’s Martinelli problem: his lack of goalscoring and the lack of chances created for and by him.

Interestingly, there are also two main ways Eze could help solve or alleviate these issues, and the first would be for Arteta to simply start him off the left in place of the Brazilian winger.

It might be the case that the Englishman spent most of last season in the middle of the park, but he’s no stranger to playing out wide, and with how ineffective the former Ituano gem has been over the last few years, we have no doubt the Palace ace would outperform him.

For example, despite playing for a team that are mid-table at best, the former QPR gem managed to find the back of the net 14 times and provide 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes.

In other words, the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 11 was only able to score ten goals and provide six assists in 51 appearances, totalling 3564 minutes, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or every 222.75 minutes.

So, simply replacing Martinelli with Eze would solve the problem of his being ineffective.

Appearances

43

51

Minutes

3303′

3564′

Goals

14

10

Assists

11

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.31

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

222.75′

Still, if the manager wanted to persevere with the 23-year-old for one more season, he could potentially give him a better chance of succeeding by starting the Eagles star as the team’s starting ten.

After all, club captain Martin Odegaard was only able to score six goals and provide 12 assists in 45 games, so there is every chance we’d see more out of the Guarulhos-born dynamo with the Greenwich-born star behind him in place of the Norwegian international.

Ultimately, it’s clear that Martinelli is currently a problem for Arteta, and while it won’t be cheap, Eze could be the perfect solution for Arsenal.

A dream for Saka: Arsenal plot move to sign "world-class" £43m sensation

The incredible attacker would help Arsenal and the Englishman reach another level.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 6, 2025

Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan are also likely to be retained by the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Oct-20245:23

IPL 2025 retentions: Shami a risky retention for Gujarat Titans?

Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.While the amounts for each player are not yet known, GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. If they pay more than INR 51 crore to retain five players, then the higher amount will be deducted from their purse.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Gill and Rashid were picked by GT before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. While Rashid got INR 15 crore (USD 1.807 million approx. then), Gill got INR 8 crore (USD 963,000 approx. then). While Rashid remains their lead bowling allrounder, Gill was given the GT captaincy for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.Related

SRH set to retain Klaasen, Cummins, Abhishek

KL Rahul unlikely to stay with LSG; set for mega auction

LSG set to retain Pooran, Mayank and Bishnoi for IPL 2025

IPL retention: How many players can a team keep? And at what cost?

While the retention of 23-year-old Sudharsan ahead Mohammed Shami and David Miller might be a surprise, GT believe the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu is a long-term player who can perform a key role in the top order. Sudharsan, who was bought for INR 20 lakhs in 2022, was sixth highest run-maker in IPL 2024 with 527 runs with an average of nearly 48 and strike rate of 141. He is considered as a potential future Test player too by India’s selectors and the team management lead by Gautam Gambhir. It is learned Sudharsan was discussed as a candidate for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Tewatia and Shahrukh, both uncapped allrounders, were among the most expensive buys for GT and have been retained for their power-hitting ability in the lower-middle order. Tewatia, who was bought for INR 9 crore ($1.084 million approx. then) in 2022, has played several impactful knocks as a finisher and has been a key sounding board for GT’s leadership group with his knowledge the domestic Indian players. Shahrukh, who is also a part-time offspinner, is among the strongest hitters in domestic cricket and was bought in 2024 auction for INR 7.4 crore ($891,000 approx. then).

Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has blamed the club's "eventful" transfer window for their "worst start in 21 years".

Aguero disappointed with City's startBacks Pep Guardiola to turn form aroundCity underwent summer rebuildFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

City sit 13th in the Premier League table after three games, having beat Wolves 4-0 on opening day, before losing to both Tottenham and Brighton in succession. That has led to criticism of manager Guardiola, but Aguero insists that he has proved he has the ability to turn their form around, and says he is "amazed" that critics are doubting one of the best managers in the game. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Indeed, City signed multiple first-team players in the summer that need to be bedded into the team: Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, and Gianluigi Donnarumma. They have also seen Ederson, Manuel Akanji, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish leave the club and Aguero is not surprised they have not exactly hit the ground running. 

WHAT AGUERO SAID

Aguero told GOAL via Stake.com: "They have made their worst start in 21 years..

"Can't say it's been a stellar start. I chalk it off to a very eventful transfer window, with a lot of players coming and going. They are still going through a process of rebuilding the squad, and some time might be needed for the team to perform at full capacity. I'm sure they'll be able to achieve it."

On Guardiola, he added: "I believe Pep's achievements should merit consideration for his point of view. I'm still amazed that he's getting fresh criticism after a not-so-stellar season, and a rocky start to this one. For years on end, Pep has led the team to take many titles, and when we couldn't, we were consistently one of the key challengers. He has built an enormous legacy, something everyone should value. 

"Is it possible the team has hit a slump? Perhaps – but that only serves as a foil for the epic accomplishments of his tenure. Fighting every tournament every year is no easy thing to do. That's why I trust him to correct course and show us the path to return to form."

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City face Manchester United in a huge derby this weekend; Ruben Amorim's side are currently ahead of their neighbours in the league table. 

Simran Shaikh, G Kamalini and Prema Rawat all went for big money

Ashish Pant15-Dec-2024The uncapped Indian players grabbed headlines as they fetched big money at the Women’s Premier League [WPL] 2025 auction held in Bengaluru.Simran Shaikh, the Mumbai allrounder, turned out to be the biggest buy on auction day with Gujarat Giants picking her up for INR 1.9 crore (USD 223,000 approx). Mumbai Indians meanwhile picked up 16-year-old Tamil Nadu batter G Kamalini for INR 1.60 crore (USD 190,000 approx) while Uttarakhand legspinner Prema Rawat went to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for INR 1.2 crore (USD 140,000 approx).Among the overseas players, West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin raked in the most money. She was the first name out of the bag on auction day and was snapped up for INR 1.7 crore (USD 200,000 approx) by Gujarat Giants, incidentally the same team that had controversially excluded her after the first season.Related

WPL 2025: Can new captain Gardner change Gujarat Giants' fortunes around?

WPL 2025 FAQs: Fixtures, players to watch, injury updates, and everything else

Charlie Dean replaces the injured Sophie Molineux at RCB for WPL 2025

Dottin goes back to Gujarat Giants to cap her year of new beginnings

A Sunday to savour for Kamalini and family: runs, a trophy and a big payday

With most of the squads already set, a total of 19 players were sold among the 124 that went under the hammer, of which five were overseas names. Each of Mumbai, Delhi Capitals, Giants, and RCB picked four players, while UP Warriorz made just three buys.Shaikh has played in the tournament before while this will be Kamalini and Rawat’s first WPL rodeo. Shaikh was part of the Warriorz side in 2023 where she returned just 29 runs in seven innings. She entered the auction at a base price of INR 10 lakh which swelled thanks to the bidding war between Giants and Capitals.”We’ve been watching the local competitions closely, the T20s and the Challengers. She stands out in terms of her hitting power and strike rate, and complements the other local Indian players [we’ve got in the squad],” Giants head coach Klinger said. “To have someone like her, potentially in our top six-seven, who can hit sixes straightaway, completes us. We were targeting her.”Shaikh scored 176 runs in nine innings at the 2024 senior women’s T20 trophy at a strike rate of 100.57.Kamalini also entered the auction at a base price of INR 10 lakh. She had earlier in the day scored an unbeaten 29-ball 44 to guide India to a nine-wicket win in their opening game of the Under-19 women’s Asia Cup against Pakistan. Rawat, 23, is a promising legspinner for Uttarakhand. She put in impressive performances for Mussoorie Thunders during the inaugural Uttarakhand Premier League and is also known to be an outstanding fielder.The World Boss Deandra Dottin was in huge demand•Getty ImagesAmong the unsold bunch, the most surprising names were of India spinner and former Giants captain Sneh Rana, England seamer Lauren Bell, England captain Heather Knight and former South Africa opener Lizelle Lee. No Indian capped player was sold at the auction with only the uncapped and overseas players getting bids.RCB made four bids – all on uncapped players – while Mumbai got Nadine de Klerk for INR 30 lakh (USD 40,000 approx). Capitals’ most expensive pick of the day was the uncapped bowler Shree Charani, who they picked for INR 55 lakh (USD 70,000 approx), while they also bought wicketkeeper-batters Nandini Kashyap and Sarah Bryce.”Very good auction for us to be honest,” Sourav Ganguly, Capitals’ director of cricket, said after the auction. “I’ve been with this WPL team for two seasons now, watching them closely, involved in the auction and everything. And we are far stronger squad than we were last year, with Nandini and Sarah in the squad now, we are looking very good.”Warriorz meanwhile got Australia legspinner Alana King late in the accelerated round of the auction while Giants also signed England allrounder Danielle Gibson.Players bought at the WPL 2025 auctionDelhi Capitals: Shree Charani, Nandini Kashyap, Sarah Bryce (Scotland), Niki Prasad
Gujarat Giants: Simran Shaikh, Deandra Dottin (WI), Danielle Gibson (Eng), Prakashika Naik
Mumbai Indians: G Kamalini, Nadine de Klerk (SA), Akshita Maheshwari, Sanskriti Gupta
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Prema Rawat, Joshitha JV, Raghvi Bist, Jagravi Pawar
UP Warriorz: Alana King (Aus), Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud

Chelsea chiefs are plotting ways to cope without defender Levi Colwill after his serious ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for the majority of 2025/2026.

The Cobham academy graduate will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, around six to nine months, as is the case with most ACL problems – leaving Enzo Maresca a key centre-half short ahead of what is an imperative Premier League campaign for him.

Expectations are high after their Champions League qualification, Conference League triumph and victory at the Club World Cup, with a solid central defensive pairing key to their potential success.

Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana will most likely start their opening Premier League game against Crystal Palace this weekend, considering Benoit Badiashile is also out injured, Axel Disasi remains surplus to requirements and summer signing Jorrel Hato is viewed more as a left-back.

Fofana’s suffered from extensive injury problems of his own since making a £75 million move from Leicester City in 2022, so it is highly debatable whether the Frenchman can really be relied upon for long periods of the season.

Taking this into account, Maresca has reportedly asked Chelsea for a new centre-back in light of Colwill’s injury.

“At the moment, Chelsea have still not sold Axel Disasi, so we need sales at the back really if they are to pursue a new centre back. Trevoh Chalobah still remains a player who could be sold by the club if an offer comes in because he represents pure profit,” wrote journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack.

“A solution is to potentially loan in a new centre back which as reported, they have been considering as well.

“But Chelsea are exploring all options internally and externally and SPTC Sources learned yesterday that Maresca has asked the club to sign a new centre back ideally.”

Time is running out for the Blues to bring in a new central defender with just over two weeks to go before the transfer window slams shut, so Chelsea will need to operate quickly in terms of both identifying a top target and making room for him – amid their ongoing talks for Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho.

Given Chelsea’s links to PSG outcast Gianluigi Donnarumma too, this could be a hectic end to the window at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea plan direct offer for Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate

According to a report from Chelsea News, the west Londoners could turn to Anfield in search of defensive cover.

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has entered the final year of his contract, and Arne Slot’s side face the very real prospect of losing their France international star for nothing in 2026.’

This has resulted in mounting speculation over his future and Real Madrid are widely reported to be serious admirers, but Liverpool have apparently quoted a seismic valuation of around £60 million, according to some media sources.

Nevertheless, it is now believed that Chelsea are planning a direct offer for Konate, and are prepared to test both Real and Liverpool’s resolve by bidding “serious money” for the 26-year-old.

Konate is arguably one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs, but his potential price tag and age doesn’t exactly fall in line with Chelsea’s traditional recruitment philosophy, so this would be a head-turning move to say the least.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has claimed that he knew that Gabriel Martinelli would turn out to be the match-winner against Athletic Club on Tuesday. The Gunners boss sent on the Brazilian in the second half and saw him break the deadlock just 36 seconds after coming off the bench as the Gunners started their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory at San Mames.

Martinelli and Trossard fire Arsenal to victory

The Gunners took all three points away from Bilbao, as substitutes Martinelli and Leandro Trossard secured a 2-0 victory for Arteta's men. The Gunners started the game with new signings Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke in attack, but it was the substitutes who made the difference in Bilbao.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta knew Martinelli was ready

Arteta spoke about Martinelli's contribution after the game and told reporters he could see he was ready to go before he sent him on. He said: "I looked on the bench, I looked at him, and in his eyes I could see that [Martinelli] was ready, Leo as well. That's going to help us a lot for the future, it is going to dictate the quality of our season. The finishers are going to be more important this year than the starters. I love it. That’s the attitude I need from all of us. It’s always very difficult emotionally to leave players out. I know how much they want to play in this competition and what it means to them. Every time you do a line-up, you are disappointing a lot of players. It hurts me."

Martinelli makes history with Arsenal goal

Martinelli's goal saw him make history for the Gunners. His strike, just 36 seconds after coming on, is Arsenal's fastest ever substitute goal in the Champions League. Trossard and Martinelli are also the first Arsenal duo to assist each other's goals as substitutes in the Champions League.

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(C)Getty ImagesArsenal's next fixture: A tough test against Man City

Arsenal now head back to the Emirates to prepare for a testing Premier League clash with Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side haven't made the best start to the Premier League season but will move level on points with the Gunners if they taste victory on Sunday.