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Supporting fifties from Middleton, Weatherley and Organ defy Notts push to enforce follow-on

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Hampshire 367 for 6 (Varma 112, Organ 71*, Weatherley 52, Middleton 52) trail Nottinghamshire 578 for 8 dec (James 203*, Haynes 103, McCann 79, Hutton 71) by 211 runsTilak Varma once again proved his enormous talent with his second century in three matches as Hampshire fought hard to keep title-challenging Nottinghamshire at bay at Utilita Bowl.India prodigy Varma added 112 to take his average in his Hampshire stint to just under 79. He put on 42 with Nick Gubbins, 58 with Ben Brown, and most substantially 126 with Felix Organ to bite into Nottinghamshire’s large 578 first-innings score.Organ ended the day unbeaten on 71 with 61 runs still needed to avoid the follow-on – in doing so Hampshire should be safe from defeat on the final day.Fletcha Middleton and Joe Weatherley had hunkered down for 32 overs of hard graft the previous evening. They got their rewards by collecting half-centuries in the morning. Neither showed any flashiness, just survival-style opening batting – putting on 94 together.That was unsurprising for Weatherley who was playing his first red ball match for two years, having lost favour in the Championship and fallen behind Middleton, Toby Albert, Felix Organ, Mark Stoneman, Ali Orr, Ian Holland in recent years.He reached 52 but was bounced out by Mo Abbas – caught on the hook. Middleton also scored 52 and fell on Nelson when he edged Abbas behind.It suddenly felt like an inevitable Abbas day. The Pakistan international had spearheaded the Hampshire attack for four seasons, taking 180 wickets at an average below 20. The Weatherley scalp was his 100th at Utilita Bowl.He was back in his familiar surroundings, not least because the keys to ‘his’ Hilton Hotel suite on the ground had been handed back to him for this week – famously having blocked Manchester City Pep Guardiola from taking the room a few years ago.But despite his mid-morning burst, the Kookaburra ball softened and fast bowling was a game of patience, while the pitch didn’t offer regular turn for the spinners. Not that it stopped Liam Patterson-White ripping one to pin Nick Gubbins lbw playing not shot, before Tom Prest loosely hoicked to mid-on.Brown looked like the man to stick with Varma, but after a 58-run alliance, the Hampshire captain was leg-before to Lyndon James.Josh Tongue had been released by England for the last two days of the match. He replaced Brett Hutton at the beginning of the day but went wicketless in his 18 overs. Notts’ bowlers otherwise toiled for little reward – and will have taken pleasure at the rate never reaching three runs an over.In a low red-ball period for Hampshire, Varma has been a giant. His arrival, which came thanks to Indian owners GMR Group’s influence, has brought a calmness to the middle-order, with plenty of runs to match.He opened with a century against Essex, before 56 and 47 versus Worcestershire and then this century – during those innings he has barely looked like being dislodged. Varma’s judgement of line and length is a superpower, with the ability to boundaries when the right parameters are met for risk.He already has 29 international caps, they will surely only surge in a short amount of time. The left-hander’s century came in 203 deliveries, although he was outdone for patience by Organ, who took zero risks, with large spells of no scoring.Organ’s second fifty of the season came in 138 balls, and even with Varma strangled down the leg side, Hampshire will feel almost safe.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could make a shock move for an “incredible” manager as a replacement for Sean Dyche.

Forest suffer first defeat under Dyche at AFC Bournemouth

Dyche made the perfect start to life as Forest manager, with his side emerging as 2-0 winners against FC Porto in the Europa League, but they were brought back down to earth against AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

The Cherries emerged as 2-0 winners at the Vitality Stadium, courtesy of first-half goals from Marcus Tavernier and Eli Junior Kroupi, and the Tricky Trees boss admitted his side still need to make major improvements in his post-match interview.

The 54-year-old said: “There’s a lot of work to be done. I didn’t come into this job naively, the league table does tell a story so I’m never thinking there wasn’t work to be done but it showed particularly in the first half today.”

With Burnley securing a dramatic 3-2 victory against fellow relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers, Dyche’s side are now three points from safety, having scored just five Premier League goals, the fewest of any side.

Given that the former Everton boss has a track record of guiding teams to safety, having preserved the Toffees’ Premier League status, there are arguably few managers better suited to keeping Nottingham Forest in the top flight.

However, according to a report from Football Insider, Marinakis could still make a shock move for Fulham manager Marco Silva as a replacement for Dyche, with the Forest owner previously making it clear he is willing to make big calls.

Related Nottingham Forest now eyeing £87m "powerhouse" striker with eight goals in 25/26

Evangelos Marinakis clearly means business, with the Tricky Trees joining the race for a new centre-forward.

Posts ByDominic Lund Oct 26, 2025

Silva has been a long-term target for Marinakis, and it has previously been revealed the Fulham boss shares a good relationship with the Greek businessman, which means the appointment would make sense.

As such, the Tricky Trees could make a move for the 48-year-old if their new manager fails to turn things around, although the Cottagers are very keen to extend his contract.

Forest must stick with Dyche after turbulent start

The decision to replace Nuno with Ange Postecoglou was met with widespread scepticism, given that the change in play-styles was so dramatic, and the Australian lasted just 39 days in the job.

Considering it has been such a turbulent start, Forest need a period of stability, and Dyche has already shown that he may be up to the task of turning things around, having gotten off the mark with a victory over FC Porto.

Not only has the appointment had a positive effect on the fanbase, but Morgan Gibbs-White has also made it clear he is happy with Dyche’s arrival.

Silva has been lauded as an “incredible” manager by Stephen Warnock courtesy of the job he’s done at Fulham, having stabilised them as a Premier League club, but Forest must stick with their current manager for the foreseeable future.

Liverpool’s class of 2025 have earned an unfavourable comparison to the Paris Saint-Germain team that once boasted Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Reds have assembled a star-studded cast of their own at Anfield, splashing out £240 million ($320m) on deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but are still waiting for their fearsome attacking unit to click.

Getty/GOALEnd product: Salah also struggling for a spark

Mohamed Salah also falls into that category, with the Egyptian superstar seeing his remarkable standards dip at the start of the current campaign – leading to him being dropped to the bench by Arne Slot for important Champions League fixtures on the road.

Swedish striker Isak has just one Carabao Cup goal to his name, while German playmaker Wirtz is still waiting to open his account. Dutch forward Cody Gakpo has also missed some glaring chances, with Liverpool having relied on late goals early in the season to paper over the cracks that were beginning to form on Merseyside.

Time is still on their side when it comes to unlocking full potential, with Isak and Wirtz too talented not to come good, but questions are being asked of whether Slot has assembled a cohesive squad or a collection of individualist superstars – much like PSG once did.

AdvertisementLiverpool likened to PSG of Messi, Neymar & Mbappe

Former Premier League title winner Jeremie Aliadiere – who formed part of Arsenal’s fabled ‘Invincibles’ squad in 2003-04 – has told of the issues that Slot is facing: “I compare this Liverpool side to Paris Saint-Germain when they had Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. You buy all of these superstars which excite the fans, but does that mean they’re going to gel and work well together?

“The signings are also going to upset Salah. He’s the main guy at Liverpool and they’ve done everything they can to keep him. He’s broken various records and has been the best winger in the league for some time. Bringing in all these new players who want to score goals won’t align with what Salah wants. It was the same at PSG. The team sheet looked great, but it didn’t work. At the moment, whatever Liverpool are doing isn’t working and they’re struggling.

“Intelligent players and great players can work together and it’ll take time, but it’s time they don’t have right now. Arsenal and Manchester City are going to keep winning games and if Liverpool can’t get back on track, they’ll be out of the title race within the next five weeks. Slot must find a way to fix things and keep everyone happy.”

GOAL Should Ekitike be starting every game for Liverpool?

Aliadiere believes that one of his fellow Frenchmen should be shown more trust at Anfield, with Hugo Ekitike having outperformed the likes of Isak and Salah when netting six goals through 12 appearances.

Aliadiere, who also graced the English top-flight with West Ham and Middlesbrough in his playing days, added: “I feel for Arne Slot having two expensive strikers to keep happy up front, but at the end of the day, Hugo Ekitike deserves to start. He began the season so well, and then they went and spent £130m on Isak. Where does he fit? Isak has to get match fit so he has to get some gametime, he’s not going to just sit on the bench all season.

“Let’s not forget that aside from those two players, you’ve got the best player in the league from last season, Mohamed Salah. Slot can’t just start to play in a 4-4-2 formation and tell Salah he needs to play more defensive just to accommodate the two strikers. It’s a tough job to manage that.

“If I were Ekitike, who was the main guy at the start of the season with plenty of goals and contributions, I’d understand Isak needs some gametime, but I’d be annoyed to be stuck on the bench. He was winning them games early in the season. It’s hard to get the balance right, particularly with two big players like Ekitike and Isak. Slot must manage their egos as well.”

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Liverpool fixtures: Premier League return after Champions League win

Liverpool, on the back of four successive defeats, returned to winning ways last time out when recovering from going a goal down to crush Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in Champions League competition. Ekitike was on target in that contest, while Wirtz registered two assists.

The Reds, who captured the Premier League title last season, will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Brentford. Slot faces plenty of big selection calls heading into that fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Former Arsenal star Jack Wilshere accepts that he is a “risk” when it comes to managerial appointments, with the ex-England international accepting a challenging first full-time coaching job. At just 33 years of age, and with limited experience under his belt, Wilshere has taken the reins at League One side Luton Town – with that move ensuring that his career has gone full circle.

Wilshere's career: How he ended up at Luton

Wilshere, who earned 34 senior caps for his country, started out in the academy system at Luton before moving on to Arsenal in 2001. He would spend 17 years tied to the Gunners, taking in 197 appearances and scoring 14 goals. Unfortunate injuries prevented him from making more of an impact at the very highest level.

Once it became apparent that his body could no longer handle the demands of playing, Wilshere moved into coaching. He led Arsenal’s U18 side to the FA Youth Cup final in 2023 – where they lost to another of his former clubs, West Ham – before leaving north London in October 2024 to become a first-team coach alongside Johannes Hoff Thorup at Norwich City. Two games – a goalless draw with Middlesbrough and a 4-2 win over Cardiff City – were taken in as caretaker boss of the Canaries when Thorup was sacked.

Having accepted that he was not in contention to fill that role on a permanent basis, Wilshere left Carrow Road over the summer. He has completed his pro-license course and finds himself back in the dugout after being appointed as successor to Matt Bloomfield at Kenilworth Road. He will have experienced former Southend United and Charlton Athletic manager Chris Powell alongside him, with Wilshere excited to be taking on a new challenge.

AdvertisementCoaching gamble: Element of risk in Wilshere appointment

Quizzed on whether he could be considered a gamble by the Hatters, Wilshere said: “I’m sure whenever he (CEO Gary Sweet) hires a manager there’s probably an element of risk. I made it pretty clear to Gary and all the staff here which I think is important because as it does feel like a family, and Gary wasn’t the only one who needed convincing, it was a real unity in the staff I felt, but my experiences as a player, I’ve thought about this a lot, is very important. Chris Powell will be next to me, but my experience of being in top environments, high pressure environments since I was 16 years old, I think that experience is very beneficial

“Of course there’s different challenges and I’ve had really good experiences of coaching so far and I’ve had some tough experiences as well. There’ll be many more new experiences, but I think the most important thing is am I ready for this? Yes. Am I ambitious? Yes. Do I want to achieve great things with Luton and get back to the Championship and really make that clear? Yes. And I feel like I’m ready. It’s a very, very proud moment for me, for my family, a massive, massive honour.

“Maybe it hasn't sunk in just yet, I know about this club, I started here, I've had a connection with them for many, many years, recently going back to train, but I’m really excited and really honoured. As soon as the opportunity came up, I was excited. I spoke to Gary first, Gary was excited, we were both excited and the process has been really good and good for both of us as probably he’s got to know me a bit more, I got to know a little bit more about what’s happening at the club and it was very good. It was intense at times, but I’ve enjoyed it.”

Ex-England star Wilshere eager to impress

Wilshere is eager to separate his playing career from a new coaching venture, with a fresh start being embraced. He added: “I’ve said before many times that I don’t want people to think about my playing career. There’s many things that I can use from my playing career, my experiences with different coaches, good, bad and try and make me the coach I am today, but the first week at Arsenal when I was there with the 18s, I quickly realised that this is something that I’m going to have to get better at.

“Being a good player doesn’t make you a good coach. There’s many things that are quite different and you have to understand that. You have to understand how the club works internally and I wanted to be clear that I didn’t want to step to a first team until I was ready to do that. I wanted to learn about it, and when I did, I went to Norwich and that taught me so much.

“I was in the real world, I was competing for three points. It wasn’t always easy, we had a tough spell, so of course all those experiences and as a player as well, but now this is a new Jack Wilshere, a different Jack Wilshere, who is hungry to achieve great things and I’m so grateful to Gary at the club for giving me the opportunity.”

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GettyWhy Luton need Wilshere to make an immediate impact

Wilshere is following former England colleagues such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney into the world of management – with other high-profile figures experiencing some mixed results in coaching.

Luton need Wilshere to make an immediate impact as – having graced the Premier League in 2023-24 – they have suffered back-to-back relegations and now find themselves languishing 11th in the League One table. Wilshere’s first game at the helm will be a home date with Mansfield Town on Saturday.

A fresh claim has emerged regarding Birmingham City’s hopes of completing the signing of a “brave” player who is currently a free agent.

Davies urges Birmingham City to kick on

The Blues are back in Championship action on Saturday afternoon, making the trip to a Stoke City side who have enjoyed a good start to the season.

Birmingham have also impressed in their own right, though, and manager Chris Davies has now urged his players to build on what has been a promising first few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign.

“I think it’s been a solid start. I wanted to see how we went for those first four games, and obviously you don’t want to go into an international break on a defeat, but what I have seen and what I’ve reflected on is that we have made a solid stat. Defensively, we’ve given very little away, and we’ve stayed clear in our identity in terms of how we press. We’ve pressed successfully, we’ve dominated possession in every game I think and had a lot of territory in those games.

“The part that we’ve probably fallen a little short in is the chance creation and conversion. That’s not an unusual problem for teams that play our style of football, it’s about trying to make clear and better chances from our open play attacks and set pieces. If you had said to me at the start that we’d play like that in the games I’d be really happy, so we have to maintain our level of intensity, work ethic and solidity.”

Reaction to Birmingham City links for free agent Dele Alli

Blues supporters could encourage further new signings outside the window, and speaking to Football League World, Sky Sports man Don Goodman discussed Birmingham bringing in Dele Alli on a free transfer, following rumours over a move there.

It was claimed that the Blues explored a deal for Alli but pulled a U-turn with the former Tottenham star still without a club after leaving Como.

Related Birmingham City tried to sign "excellent" English talent from European club

This would have stolen plenty of headlines…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Sep 5, 2025

Birmingham signing Alli would certainly cause a stir, considering he is a big-name player who has been hailed as “brave” by Son Heung-min, having opened up about his mental health issues.

Dele Alli’s international stats

Caps

Goals

England

37

3

England Under-21s

2

0

England Under-19s

4

0

England Under-18s

2

0

England Under-17s

9

0

There would be a risk to Birmingham signing him, considering he may simply have peaked as a player at 29, following constant injury down the years, and it feels more likely that he won’t move to St Andrew’s than seal a switch here.

تحدث خوسيه بوردالاس مدرب خيتافي، بعد مباراة فريقه أمام ريال مدريد، في تصريحات شملت عدة نقاط مثيرة تخص التحكيم وتوتره مع فينيسيوس جونيور وجود بيلينجهام.

وتعرض خيتافي لهزيمة من ريال مدريد بهدف دون مقابل، وجاء بعد دقائق من طرد آلان نيوم لاعب الخصم.

وكان بوردالاس قد دفع بنيوم كبديل لكنه تلقى بطاقة حمراء مباشرة عقب 30 ثانية فقط من مشاركته أمام ريال مدريد.

وقال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “خلافي مع بيلينجهام؟ فينيسيوس لم يكن عليه أن يقترب مني ليقول إن التبديل كان جيدًا، لم يكن عليه أن يستفزني، هذا فقط، لا شيء أكثر من ذلك، لا يستحق تضخيم الأمر”.

وأضاف: “طرد نيوم غيّر مجريات المباراة، الحكم الرابع هو من قال للحكم أن يمنحه البطاقة الحمراء، نعم، رفع قدمه، لكن فينيسيوس أمسك وجهه وكأنه تعرض لضربة هناك، كانت لقطة قوية المظهر، لكنها لا تستدعى بطاقة حمراء في رأيي، أقصى ما يمكن هو بطاقة صفراء”.

اقرأ أيضًا | رجل مباراة ريال مدريد وخيتافي في الدوري الإسباني

وواصل: “كل ما حدث بدأ من البطاقة الصفراء التي حصل عليها كيكو، رغم أنه لم يلمس فينيسيوس من الأساس، وهذا أجبرني على إجراء تبديل وإشراك نيوم، ومن هناك بدأت كل المشادات التي حدثت مع فينيسيوس بعد الطرد”.

وشدد مدرب خيتافي: “كانت هناك مخالفات مشابهة تمامًا من لاعبي ريال مدريد ولم تُشهر ضدهم أي بطاقات”.

وأفاد: “فرصة كامارا كانت مؤسفة، لقد قدمنا أداءً رائعًا، هذا الموسم نواجه الكثير من الصعوبات، لكن علينا أن ننهض ونواصل العمل”.

وأتم: “أحد المساعدين لي توجه نحو مقاعد بدلاء ريال مدريد، وقد وبّخته على ذلك، وتفهم تشابي ألونسو (مدرب ريال مدريد) الموقف وشكرني”.

He has been picked in India’s Champions Trophy squad, subject to fitness

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jan-20251:11

Why was Rana preferred over Siraj?

India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will test his match fitness by playing the third ODI against England on February 12 in Ahmedabad. India’s selectors and the team management are hopeful the plan works out so that Bumrah is ready to play the Champions Trophy.Bumrah was named in India’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy with an asterisk against his name, implying his inclusion is subject to fitness. Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, said that based on the information BCCI’s medical team shared on Bumrah, he wouldn’t be fit for the first two ODIs against England on February 6 and February 9. He had suffered back spasms that prevented him from bowling on the final day of the Sydney Test.”With Bumrah, we are waiting to hear about his fitness and when he’s likely to be available,” Agarkar said in Mumbai on Saturday while announcing the Indian squads for the England series and the Champions Trophy. “At the moment I don’t think he [Bumrah] is likely to be fit for the first couple of games [of England series] at least from what we gather. We will probably hear more in the next week or so about his fitness.”Related

Shami puts in the hard yards at India's first training session ahead of England T20Is

Bumrah, Jaiswal and Kuldeep picked in India's Champions Trophy squad

Delhi and India fast bowler Harshit Rana will be part of the squad for the England series as cover for Bumrah. While Rana made his Test debut in Australia during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he is uncapped in ODI and T20I cricket. The BCCI has issued no official update on Bumrah, who had briefly left the ground after lunch on the second day of the Sydney Test due to back spasms. The concerns grew the next day when Bumrah did not come out to bowl though he had batted in India’s second innings.While Agarkar said he has asked the BCCI to send out a media release, outlining the medical report, ESPNcricinfo has learned Bumrah’s injury is stress related. Though the first round of tests did not reveal a stress fracture in the back, it is understood the discomfort Bumrah suffered was related to his workload in the five Tests in Australia. He bowled 151.2 overs in nine innings, taking 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.1:11

Why was Rana preferred over Siraj?

Accordingly, on advice from medical experts, the BCCI decided to allow Bumrah to rest for at least five weeks (the Sydney Test finished on January 5) after which he will undergo another scan to determine if he can return to action. Agarkar confirmed the time frame.”I know he was asked to offload for five weeks of bowling, which is early first week February if I’m not wrong,” Agarkar said. “And we’ll probably find out a bit more around that time what exactly and with regards to what his medical condition is. I’m sure BCCI might just put something out from the physio itself. It’s better it comes from the medical department than me trying to explain what exactly is wrong with him. But that’s the time frame that we’ve been told. And hopefully, he’s okay after that.”Asked if the selectors had pencilled in a reserve if Bumrah doesn’t recover in time for the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19, Agarkar said his panel was “just hoping Bumrah’s fit. We will have a chat if he’s not fit.”India play three ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12 – their first ODIs since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year – before the Champions Trophy. India are in Group A at the Champions Trophy and begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, after which they play Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2. India play all their matches in Dubai because their government refused to let the team travel to Pakistan.

He was reported for a suspect action during a county game in September and subsequent testing found his action to be illegal

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2024Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in all competitions organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), after his action was found illegal at independent testing at Loughborough University earlier this month. Shakib’s action had been called into question by the umpires in September, in his one-off appearance for Surrey in the County Championship.To overturn the suspension, Shakib will need to pass an independent reassessment of his action – that is, his degree of elbow extension in testing will need to be below the 15-degree threshold laid out in the regulations.The suspension is officially dated from December 10, the date when the ECB received the results of the assessment from Loughborough University.Shakib claimed nine wickets in that match for Surrey in Taunton in September, his first appearance in county cricket since 2010-11.Of late, Shakib’s career has been marred by controversy stemming from his role as a Member of Parliament in the now overturned Awami League government in Bangladesh, following protests in which several hundred civilians – mostly university students – were killed in July and August. He has retired from T20Is and eventually withdrew from travelling to Bangladesh (he is based in the USA with his family) for what would have been his farewell Test in Mirpur in October, as protests – for and against him – were staged in Dhaka. He has not played international cricket since then.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has added a host of new faces to his squad at Parkhead during the summer transfer window ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Benjamin Nygren, Ross Doohan, Kieran Tierney, Callum Osmand, and Hayato Inamura have all arrived in Glasgow on permanent deals to bolster the group.

There is more to come for the Scottish Premiership giants, though. Whilst discussing interest in Napoli’s Giuseppe Ambrosino, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed the manager wants a major striker signing, telling Football Insider: “It’s a bit of a surprise link, with Ambrosino – I think Brendan Rodgers would prefer a more established, marquee number nine to bring into his Celtic squad.

“Rodgers is obviously looking to make inroads in the Champions League again and would probably prefer a more established striker who can come in and guarantee him goals.”

If the Hoops go into the market to sign the ‘marquee’ centre-forward that the Northern Irish boss is looking for, it will be interesting to see what kind of role Adam Idah will play next season.

Why Adam Idah's role could be reduced

The Ireland international enjoyed a fairly important role in the team during the 2024/25 campaign, as the striker started 19 of his 35 appearances in the Premiership.

However, the 6 foot 3 marksman only started three of the club’s ten games in the Champions League, as Kyogo Furuhashi – before his January exit – and Daizen Maeda were often preferred ahead of him up front from the start.

In those 45 appearances in the two competitions, the 24-year-old attacker scored 16 goals for the Scottish giants, with 13 in the Premiership and three in the Champions League.

Whilst it was a respectable return for the Irish forward, Celtic may have been expecting more quality in front of goal from a player they reportedly agreed a £9.5m deal with Norwich for last summer.

Idah’s lacklustre finishing in the Premiership prevented him from adding even more goals to his record, and possibly prevented him from being a guaranteed starter, rather than just a regular one.

As you can see in the table above, the forward underperformed his xG by almost two goals in the league, which shows that he was not as efficient as he could have been.

This is why Idah’s role could be reduced next season if the Hoops are able to find the marquee striker they are looking for, as that signing could potentially be an upgrade on the Ireland international, who would then be permanently resigned to bench duties.

A fresh report detailing the club’s interest in a forward from down south suggests that the former Norwich man is in real danger of a reduced role in the 2025/26 campaign.

Celtic in talks to sign Premier League forward

According to TEAMtalk, Celtic have made contact with Crystal Palace centre-forward Odsonne Edouard to discuss a potential return to Parkhead this summer.

The report claims that the Hoops are in talks with the player’s representatives to explore the possibility of a transfer for the French marksman ahead of next season, as Rodgers looks for his marquee number nine.

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It adds that the Premier League side, who sent him out on loan to Crystal Palace last season, are looking for a fee in the region of £15m to sell the attacker.

However, Celtic are hoping to persuade them to sanction a season-long loan deal, which would then allow them to make him a contract offer in January, as his deal expires at the end of next season.

That, of course, would mean that the Eagles would lose him for nothing, though, and that is why this will be a difficult deal to get over the line, unless the English side do not get any other offers from elsewhere for his services.

Why Celtic should sign Odsonne Edouard

Celtic should push to get a transfer over the line for the 27-year-old striker because he would come in to guarantee the goals that Rodgers is looking for this summer.

The Frenchman should be in the prime years of his career, age wise, and is already a proven performer who has been there and done it in Scotland with Celtic, which suggests that he could hit the ground running as an upgrade on Idah.

As shown in the graphic above, Edouard enjoyed a sensational time at Parkhead in his first spell at the club, winning two Golden Boots and four Premiership titles.

The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster, who was hailed as “outstanding” by Neil Lennon, is also the only Celtic striker to have scored 20 or more goals in three successive seasons in the past seven years for the Hoops.

This shows that the £15m-rated star is the best and most consistent forward that the Scottish giants have had in the past decade or so, which means that he would return as a proven goalscorer for Rodgers.

Edouard only played six games in the Premier League last season, which means that he did not get a chance to show off his skills, but the striker did manage seven goals from 6.25 xG in the division for Palace in the 2023/24 campaign.

Whilst Idah has never scored more than 13 goals in a league season, the French marksman scored 15 or more goals in three of his four Premiership seasons with the Hoops.

This suggests that the potential is there for Edouard to come in as a big upgrade on the £9.5m-rated centre-forward, as he can ‘guarantee’ goals on a regular basis in Scotland, having already proven his quality for the club in the past.

It would be a terrific signing for Celtic, particularly if they can bring him in on loan with a view to a free transfer next summer, and it is one that could see Idah’s role reduced to riding the bench most weeks.

Wanyama 2.0: Celtic place "creative" £5m star at the top of their wishlist

Celtic could repeat their Victor Wanyama masterclass by signing this star from the Pro League.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 14, 2025

Harmanpreet Kaur is “quite confident” with the India squad at her disposal for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 because of the experience they bring. As many as 12 of India’s 15 squad members have prior experience of playing the tournament. Only Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and S Sajana are making their first appearances at a World Cup, having come through eye-catching performances in the Women’s Premier League.”If I talk about this team, we have a few players who have been playing for a long time and they know their roles really well,” Harmanpreet said at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai. “I can say that this is the best team we are going for a T20 World Cup with.”Pooja [Vastrakar] is doing well and Renuka [Singh] is supporting her really well. She [Renuka] is someone who is always giving us breakthroughs. Arundhati [Reddy] is someone who can always come and bowl a few overs for the team and bat in the deep. I can’t compare our bowling line-up with other teams because every team has its own positives and negatives, but I’m quite confident in my team. I know what they are doing and what they are capable of.”Related

• 'Pressure is a good thing' – fit-again Shreyanka Patil looks to keep the dream run going

• Harmanpreet: 'Want to give the country another reason to celebrate this year'

• Bhatia returns as India name tried and tested 15 for T20 World Cup

• Women's T20 World Cup winners to get big increase in prize money

• Harmanpreet wants regular sports psychologist to address 'mental fatigue'

India played T20Is against Australia, England, South Africa and Bangladesh, apart from the Asia Cup, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. While they lost the series against England and Australia, each by a 2-1 margin, they won 5-0 in Bangladesh and tied the series against South Africa 1-1 after one game was washed out. The surprise result, though, came at the Asia Cup, where Sri Lanka beat them in the final to win their maiden title.”During the Asia Cup, we played really good cricket, if I talk about the entire tournament,” Harmanpreet said. “It was just one odd game that day when things didn’t go according to the way we wanted. We sat and discussed how we wanted to work on our shortcomings in the camps and where we can improve if next time these kinds of situations arise.”The Asia Cup, in July, was India’s last outing before the World Cup. Since then, they had a couple of camps while a few players played in the Hundred and the Women’s Caribbean Premier League. Head coach Amol Muzumdar said that the camps were designed with a focus on specifics and that the lack of game-time should not hamper India at the World Cup.”We had a fitness camp which happened at the NCA and fitness and fielding camp,” Muzumdar said. “That was specifically done for those two areas and the skills [aspect] were not touched. The entire 15 days were delegated to fitness and fielding.”Later on, we had a ten-day skills camp, where there were not just the net sessions but the players played almost five games in ten days. So if you ask for game time, we have ticked that box. We played some very competitive games. There were different oppositions, there were different skill sets that were chosen for those particular games.”In 2020, India lost to Australia in the final•AFP via Getty Images

India finished runners-up at the T20 World Cup in 2020 and lost in the semi-finals in 2018 and 2023. They also narrowly lost the gold medal to Australia at the inaugural Commonwealth Games in 2022.In a bid to deal with pressure better, the players have had sessions with sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare. In the past, Harmanpreet has spoken about how Bavare helped her overcome mental fatigue, and the sessions in the camp last month have helped the players, she said.”When you talk [to a psychologist] personally, you know what you are talking and the areas you want to focus on,” she said. “But when it comes to the team, it is important that everyone opens up so that as a team we can work together and help the player as needed. We had a few sessions where we talked to each other about how we wre feeling and how we wanted to go about it. With Mugdha’s help, there were a lot of sessions after which we felt well and then after executing it on the ground, we felt better. She is really working hard on us, and so far, it is really helping us.”

‘We will reveal our No. 3 closer to opening game’ – Muzumdar

Muzumdar was also guarded on the No. 3 spot, which has been in focus in recent times. Since Jemimah Rodrigues’ shift down to No. 5 in April, India have tried Yastika Bhatia, D Hemalatha, S Sajana and Uma Chetry at that spot. Hemalatha got the longest run, batting at No. 3 in seven of the 12 games India played since April. With Bhatia’s return, though, things are a bit unclear.”Ever since I’ve taken over, we have had some tough series against good teams – England, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and then Asia Cup. So, I think the preparation has been fantastic,” Muzumdar said. “As far as the top six is concerned, I think they’re the best in the country.”I know for a fact that in T20, the No. 3 sets the game up. We have identified [our No. 3] but we will reveal that only closer to our opening game.”The World Cup was moved to the UAE after the anti-government protests in Bangladesh. Muzumdar said while the change in the venue did put a spanner in the works, India were well-equipped for the challenges.Harmanpreet and Amol Muzumdar speak to the media before departing to the UAE for the T20 World Cup•PTI

“We had specifically gone to Bangladesh in May and played five T20Is to get used to conditions. I think conditions [in UAE] would be like what we have over here in India,” said Muzumdar, who was the batting coach of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020, which was held in the UAE around the same period. “It is just that start of the season, I think there will be a little bit of bounce on the surfaces in Dubai especially.”Humidity will play a part over there. There will be a lot of heat over there, hot and humid. But I think we’ll have to go there and just assess the situation, assess the ground conditions first. We do have three games in Dubai and then one in Sharjah. We will have to really go there, feel the pitch, and then decide how and which bowlers and what combination we need to play.”For Harmanpreet, it will be her ninth T20 World Cup, having played in every edition since the inaugural one in 2009. She said she would tap into that experience to handle the pressure.”I’ve played so many World Cups and that experience and atmosphere is totally different to any bilateral series or any other tournament,” she said. “I’m going with the same excitement as I had when I was just a 19-year-old. I just want to go there and enjoy myself. I know now I have so much experience with me.”I know what the pressure is like and how I’m going to handle it. [It is about playing] with full freedom and just not thinking about what is the result. But if I go there and play freely and enjoy my cricket, I know I can change a lot of things.”