Category Uncategorized

Glasgow Rangers must make the right call when it comes to choosing Ibrox’s next manager. No ifs, no buts, no maybes.

With their Old Firm rivals recently securing their fourth Premiership title in a row, Rangers have won only two domestic honours in the last four seasons. This is simply not good enough for the Light Blues.

While an experienced manager is top of the priority list, might a left-field name stand a chance of securing the vacant role?

Rangers search for a new manager

Names such as Russell Martin, Gary O’Neil and Rob Edwards have been linked of late. Indeed, even Steven Gerrard has been touted for a return to Ibrox ahead of the 2025/26 season.

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Davide Ancelotti had emerged as a candidate to take over the role at Rangers in recent days.

He looked to be in line to take over at Como if Cesc Fàbregas departed but things have now changed in the last 24 hours or so.

Son of Carlo, Ancelotti has never managed at senior level, but he has been an assistant to his father at clubs such as Real Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich and PSG. Well, he’s now set to break up that link.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Reports emerged from Spain on Monday evening suggesting that he is, in fact, ‘set to become Rangers manager’ where he will be joined by fellow Real Madrid first-team coach, Francesco Mauri, as his No.2.

The news comes after it was confirmed that his father would be leaving Madrid behind at the end of the month as he becomes the new head coach of Brazil.

Why Ancelotti would be Gerrard 2.0 for Rangers

When Gerrard was appointed in the summer of 2018, his only previous role was taking charge of Liverpool U18s.

During his time as a coach at Anfield, the legendary midfielder won 18 of his 32 games while leading the U18s and U19s and thus, placing him in control of a club with the prestige of Rangers was a gamble. That gamble didn’t work out too badly at all.

Indeed, Gerrard’s first two seasons in charge saw the Light Blues defeat Celtic three times, including a first victory at Parkhead in nine years, as well as mounting a title challenge.

2020/21 would become his Annus mirabilis. Not only did the Ibrox side win the Premiership title, but they also did it undefeated.

Following the end of that season, the club needed investment in the playing squad in order to prove that the league title success wasn’t a fluke.

For Gerrard, he didn’t receive the backing required and eventually left in November 2021. The board took a risk on the inexperienced manager, and it eventually paid dividends.

Could they do something similar this summer? Ancelotti would certainly be left-field but has the name, although that shouldn’t count for too much, and the vital experience of having worked under one of the greatest managers of all time.

So, why’s he so highly thought of? Well, a sports science graduate, he clearly values the fitness of players but he’s particularly astute tactically too.

His main role at Madrid has been to offer different tactical perspectives to his father, which has seen his role grow incredibly important in the Spanish capital.

Not just content at being a second voice, according to the BBC, Davide also oversees training, takes charge of set-pieces and devises patterns of play.

In that sense, he’s a proper coach, perhaps a bit like Michael Beale. He’s the brains on the training ground. While tactically he might be more efficient than Gerrard, the lack of experience is certainly very similar here.

For further insight, the words of former Dundee United coach, Tam Courts, certainly help after he worked with the Italian during a coaching course. He previously praised the 35-year-old, saying: “He’s very humble but he has a lot of decisiveness too. He’s a man of character and has a bit of steel about him.

“I totally understand why he’s a guy Rangers would be considering, especially in terms of player attraction and retention. He’s a big name. Players would want to come, not just to play for Rangers, but for him as well.”

A glowing appraisal of his abilities, no doubt about that and if new reports are anything to go by, a move to Glasgow looks imminent.

Their new Morelos: Rangers eyeing "top striker" who'd cost just £8,000

Rangers have their eyes on a talented young striker

By
Ross Kilvington

May 12, 2025

Leeds United have been given a boost in their efforts to sign Manor Solomon on a permanent transfer this summer.

Leeds on course for Premier League return after crucial Championship weekend

The Whites and Daniel Farke enjoyed a brilliant afternoon in the Championship on Saturday, winning 2-1 against Preston North End at Elland Road thanks to goals from Solomon and Jayden Bogle.

Promotion rivals Sheffield United also threw away a victory at bottom placed Plymouth Argyle, conceding twice late on at Home Park to lose 2-1.

As a result, Leeds now sit top of the table and are five points clear of the Blades in third, while also having better goal difference with four games to go.

Sheffield United also have to go to second place Burnley, meaning Leeds need a maximum of seven points from their remaining four games to all but guarantee promotion on goal difference, providing the Blades win all four of their remaining fixtures.

Leeds (88 pts)

Sheffield United (83 pts)

Burnley (88 pts)

Oxford United (a)

Cardiff City (h)

Watford (a)

Stoke City (h)

Burnley (a)

Sheffield United (h)

Bristol City (h)

Stoke City (a)

QPR (a)

Plymouth Argyle (a)

Blackburn Rovers (h)

Millwall (h)

If Leeds go up, 49ers Enterprises may quickly look to seal a number of new signings while also expanding Elland Road, and one target is loanee Solomon.

Leeds given boost in permanent Solomon deal

There have been claims that the winger, on loan from Tottenham, is wanted by Leeds on a full-time basis, should promotion be achieved.

Now, according to reliable reporter Alasdair Gold for football.london, ‘Solomon would certainly consider a move to Leeds if they got promoted after enjoying his time at the West Yorkshire club’.

The Isreal international is expected to have more interest from Premier League clubs and from teams abroad, but it seems as if the 25-year-old is open to moving to Yorkshire on a permanent basis.

Back in January, Solomon said on Leeds: “I love it here. I love the fans. I love the club. I love the players, the manager. Especially now, I’m really enjoying it and I love living here. Of course, it’s different to London, less things to do and we have less friends here. All the Israelis, they live in London, but we found our place here.”

Farke was also quick to hail Solomon on the weekend after he scored his eighth goal of the campaign and registered his 10th assist.

Leeds and 49ers now considering £3.5m bid to sign 26 y/o to replace Wober

Daniel Farke and co. have their eyes on a player who is likely going to replace Max Wober.

1 ByBrett Worthington Apr 14, 2025

“Always a joy to work with. A top character. Yes can be tricky, he’s emotional! Especially when he doesn’t finish a game. But top.”

It has been rumoured that Solomon could cost up to £20m this summer amid interest from Everton, so it is a boost for Leeds knowing that the attacker will consider a permanent transfer to Yorkshire.

A year on from his dream debut, he has had to again start from the bottom in what has been a frustrating summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Jul-2025

Gus Atkinson appeals for a wicket on the opening day•Getty Images

Last week was a reminder to Gus Atkinson that the game of cricket does not love you.The 27-year-old had been working behind the scenes to return from a hamstring injury picked up during the first Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe. Now, ahead of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, England’s player of 2024, who seduced the format for 55 wickets, a century and a hat-trick, looked primed to come into the XI. A welcome addition of extra thrust and oomph. And above all else, fresh legs.England, though, decided to ignore Atkinson. Uncertainty over his robustness, having not played since Trent Bridge, meant featuring alongside the likes of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes – all missing the fifth Test – was too much of a risk. Worse still for Atkinson, Surrey thought so too.Related

Series of unfortunate events tests India's resolve

Woakes ruled out of Oval Test and is doubt for Ashes after shoulder injury

Karun Nair fifty resists England on rain-hit day

Stats – Karun Nair ends 3149-day wait; India hit new high at 3393

Usually, a player unselected from an international squad would slot into their county side, especially if they average 22.30 with the ball. But Surrey, a day before facing Yorkshire, needed their own guarantees, that each member of their attack could put in a shift given the Kookaburra ball was in play. Jamie Overton, playing his second game of the season and first in a month, was deemed risk enough.So, Atkinson had to make do with a go in the second XI. It was his second game since injury. The first was a Saturday game during the Lord’s Test for his club, Spencer, when he was ignored the first time having been recalled. At least then he was in the ones.It was a humbling experience but one that the seamer, by all accounts, had taken in his stride after some understandable dismay. Atkinson keeps his emotions in check, comfortably the most inscrutable of England’s cricketers. Bottom of the list of players you would want to play poker against (Harry Brook top, if you were wondering).But there was proper, unmistakable joy throughout Thursday. Atkinson’s 2 for 31 from 19 overs was a threat laced with the kind of unerring accuracy that, remarkably, left him with just a single boundary against his name.Second years, like second albums, are always difficult. But it would still be quite something if Atkinson’s 2025 was even half as statistically impressive as his 2024.2:37

‘England would be a little disappointed with the score’

That debut against West Indies at Lord’s, 7 for 45 and 5 for 61 – 12 for 106, the fourth best bowling figures by a men’s player on debut – was the best intro since Mick Jagger (watching on at the Kia Oval on Thursday) and his pals knocked out . Doing so in James Anderson’s retirement Test felt particularly prescient. Grand closing, grand opening, and now involved at the sharp end of a series bearing Anderson’s name.So it proved, at least for the next six months. He returned to Lord’s against Sri Lanka to put himself on the batting honours board, and then, in Wellington, became the 15th England player to take a Test hat-trick. With 52 wickets by the end of that tour of New Zealand, he became only the second Test cricketer to register 50 dismissals in their debut year.There were signs of issues to deal with within those first 11 appearances. That schedule meant he played 16 first-class games in a calendar year, having never featured in more than five (2022 and 2023). Naturally, he struggled to maintain his high 80s pace, which made his high release point and snap gather-cum-delivery that much more potent. Nothing summed the drop-off better than the fact his average speed on debut (85.89mph) was higher than his fastest delivery in last year’s final appearance in Hamilton (84.0mph).There was a similar drop-off across Thursday, despite the hours of rain delays that broke up England’s 64 overs in the field. Atkinson’s four spells saw his average speeds reduce steadily: 85.6mph (six overs), 84.8mph (six), 84.0mph (five), 82.0mph (two).Atkinson has had a stop-start summer•Getty ImagesA nod, perhaps, to the need for more game time to build up his endurance. His nimbleness was clear for all to see when he followed-through to run out Shubman Gill. A bonus for England given the India captain’s prolific run on this tour.The lbw dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal – 85mph – was his first in more than two months after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett. Dhruv Jurel was undone by an 84mph full-of-a-length ball that surprised him with lift, right after surviving an lbw dismissal on review that scuttled in from a scrambled seam that has been fruitful for Atkinson at this level.While happy to return, and get back on the board, Atkinson was not overly pleased. “Being hyper critical, I could have maybe bowled at the stumps a bit more,” he said, matter-of-factly.The good news is those dismissals, and 17 of his overs, came from his lesser preferred Pavilion End, where he averages 31.6 here for Surrey since the start of 2022. The bad news is his two overs from his Vauxhall End (22.6) came about because of a shoulder injury sustained by Chris Woakes. He had domain over that end, having chosen it to open proceedings.1:48

What will be a good score for India?

It is Woakes, ultimately, that Atkinson was going to replace, particularly in Australia later this year. That was initially as a new-ball bowler with more pace, before his batting came on to the point where he and, say, Carse could go some way to replacing Woakes’ batting at eight. Now, Atkinson will have to carry more of the burden with Woakes unlikely to take any further part in this match, certainly as a bowler.The worse news, however, is that on the day when England welcomed Atkinson back with the best seaming conditions of the series, they fluffed their lines.His excellence was unable to make-up for Josh Tongue, who was wayward even with his worldies. Nor Overton, whose lack of feel for the appropriate lengths was what you would expect from someone with just two first-class wickets since September 2023 (as many County Championship matches he has played for Surrey since then).Atkinson might be fresh and hungry for more. But he will now have to step up as the leader of the attack. Just over a year from his debut, he will have to grow up quick and help orchestrate a crucial win in this series decider.

Afghanistan had their chances in all three games of the series but couldn’t capitalise against Pakistan

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Aug-2023

Are Pakistan getting a middle order together?

Pakistan’s top three is outstanding, and the attack is potentially great, but the hole in the donut has been numbers four through seven. In this series, there have been mild awakenings in that area, however. No. 7 Shadab Khan has done the most to provide some heft through the middle – hitting a 39 off 50 as Pakistan were seriously ailing in the first ODI, before making a rousing 48 off 35 in the second match, as they chased 301 (he left the crease early at the start of the last over and as such, left the finishing to Naseem Shah, but his innings was vital). In the last match, Agha Salman provided an important 38 not out off 31, and even more importantly, Mohammad Rizwan made 67 off 79.Are Pakistan still top-three dependent? Probably. But they do seem to have ended the series with more middle-order grit than they began it with.

Afghanistan have endured a (minor) humbling

Picking off lone wins against more-established opposition is not something the Afghanistan men’s team is happy with any longer. As such, losing 3-0 to Pakistan will leave a bruise.There were moments in all three matches where they would have felt as if they were dominating. In the first ODI, they’d had Pakistan at 62 for 4, then bowled them out for 201 – a target they would have felt was well within their grasp, had Haris Rauf not ripped their batting open.In the second match Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s superb run-a-ball 151 propelled Afghanistan to 300 for 5 (it probably should have been more), which is generally a hugely defendable total on Sri Lankan tracks.Even in the third game, they kept Pakistan within reach by restricting them to 268 for 8, but the frailty of their own top order let them down.In their previous ODI series, Afghanistan had defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in Chattogram. They’ve also won two of their last five completed matches against Sri Lanka.The signs are there that the Afghanistan men’s team is on the cusp of something. But this series was a serious disappointment.Afghanistan had their chances in all three matches against Pakistan, but couldn’t convert them•AFP/Getty Images

Babar Azam is coming in hot

In the final wash-up of Babar Azam’s career, scores of 53 off 66 and 60 off 86 will not be cause for serious reflection. But they are proof that he is putting in the work. Babar has spent most of the last two months batting on Sri Lankan decks, first in the Test series in June, then in the Lankan Premier League (in which he hit the only century and finished as second-highest run-getter), before these three matches. Although he will return to Pakistan to play some of his Asia Cup matches, there is no foreign player with as much recent form on Sri Lankan decks as he. Is he building to a crescendo? You wouldn’t count against it in the Asia Cup.

Can Gurbaz make the difference for Afghanistan?

Afghanistan’s big problem is the top order. Their only good total in this series was when Gurbaz fired. Like Babar, Gurbaz has plenty of experience on Sri Lankan decks, having played all four LPL seasons. As the Afghanistan men’s team are in a difficult group in the Asia Cup, with Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka in the first stage, it’s worth mentioning that Gurbaz averages 58.6 in six innings against Bangladesh. Is he ready to take the next step in his career? Perhaps he could carry the Afghanistan top order with him.

As racism scandal rocks English cricket, Harrison knows importance of seizing what remains of the moment

Andrew Miller28-Nov-2021There was a moment of levity on Friday, in the midst of an otherwise sombre unveiling of the ECB’s new anti-racism action plan, when one senior journalist – caught on the hop by an announcement that had first been anticipated on Wednesday but had already been delayed by yet another hour – burst into the media Zoom call five minutes after its start, and interrupted Tom Harrison’s monologue with a loud and exasperated oath.As an instant reaction to a long-drawn-out and deeply embarrassing episode for English cricket, the outburst had some merit. It would not, however, prove to be the mot juste of Harrison’s address. That would be his use of the word “earthquake” to describe the shock of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations and subsequent fall-out for the game – a word so pointed that he uttered it three times, as if to ensure that every headline on the subject would be obliged to lead on his impassioned response to the crisis.As soundbites go, it certainly made a change from Harrison’s stuttering, management-speak display at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) hearing in Westminster last week, at which he had been slapped down from the outset with the chair Julian Knight’s refusal to allow him to read a statement to open the ECB’s defence, and was never able to recover his poise thereafter, as barb upon barb flew in about the governing body’s inability to “get its house in order”.As any amateur seismologist would tell you, “earthquake” is probably an uncannily accurate depiction of how this saga has unfolded for the ECB – first, a grindingly slow build-up of pressure over aeons of apparent inactivity, then a shattering denouement as two irreconcilable bodies rip and twist against one another, causing untold destruction. More troublingly for the body politic, it might also be pointed out that earthquakes tend to re-occur along existing faultlines.

“An earthquake can provide the opportunity to accelerate years and years of change in a very quick period of time”Tom Harrison

So here it is, the ECB’s attempt to provide the sport with sufficiently robust architecture to “Build Back Better” in the short term (not that the post-Brexit lingo of the Conservative Party is necessarily the ideal point of reference for this journey), and to cope with whatever ructions may be thrown up in the future. It is a 12-point plan, sub-divided into five distinct sections, to address the structural flaws within the English game, and point the way to a more genuinely inclusive future for the estimated 11 million cricket fans in this country, too many of whom have felt excluded.If the initial reaction to the plan has been perhaps a touch underwhelming, then that’s largely a reflection of the ennui that can creep in whenever the ECB’s lumbering machine attempts to grind its corporate gears and spit out something that goes beyond mere platitudes.And sure enough, when compared to the draft document that emerged from last week’s all-stakeholder’s meeting at the Kia Oval, the proposals in the final product are notable for a fair bit of sandpapering around their roughest edges – perhaps most tellingly, in the ambitious commitment to having 30 percent boardroom representation by women and representative ethnicities by April 2022.Even before that commitment was in the post, the challenge got steeper still with the resignation of Leicestershire’s chair, Mehmooda Duke, who had previously ticked both of those boxes, but whose parting call for “fresh leadership at national level” didn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of the proposals she had been party to crafting.As such, there is a rather ambiguous caveat within that particular proposal, calling for counties to “comply or explain” why they are unable to fulfil the quota within the agreed time. Such are the reasons why an ECB spokesperson had said on Thursday that they “weren’t quite there” with the final wording of the document. When you consider the overwhelmingly white, male make-up of boardrooms across the 18 first-class and 20 national counties, this process may not be so much a case of turkeys voting for Christmas, but dinosaurs bracing for the meteor.Either way, the cataclysm has now been thrust upon the ECB, and Harrison knows it is incumbent upon his regime to seize what remains of the moment.”An earthquake can provide the opportunity to accelerate years and years of change in a very quick period of time,” Harrison said. “It highlights a situation that doesn’t change through cajoling or through contracts, or through moving people through education processes. Perhaps this is the shock that is going to enable us to bring this game together once and for all. And I don’t mean that as the game as we see it now, but the game which has got 11 million fans taking part and who want to be part of it.”Related

• PCA to appear before Parliament in wake of Azeem Rafiq's 'inept' claims

• Azeem Rafiq: 'Time is right' for Yorkshire to get back right to host international cricket

• Tom Harrison pledges to 'lead change' as English game addresses racism scandal

• BBC drop Michael Vaughan from Ashes coverage, as BT Sport consider options

• Tom Harrison believes 'earthquake' can accelerate change as ECB unveil plan to tackle racism

In spite of his tendency towards white-collar obfuscation, it does bear repetition that Harrison has tried to do the right thing on the diversity and inclusion front, ever since his arrival at the ECB in 2015. He stepped in personally to address Rafiq’s concerns last summer, after reading about his experiences at Yorkshire on ESPNcricinfo, and he was similarly proactive in the board’s initial response to the Black Lives Matter movement, even if England’s subsequent failure to take a knee before all internationals drew further accusations of tokenism, most notably from the then-Sky Sports commentator, Michael Holding.There was the launch, in 2018, of the South Asian Action Plan – the first concerted bid to build bridges to a community that provides between 30 and 40 percent of all recreational players in the UK. The aims of that initiative have come under fire in recent weeks, not least since Rafiq pointed out in the DCMS hearing that those levels of Asian participation have dropped by the same percentage since 2010. But in highlighting a rise from 7 percent to 28 percent in the past four years for ethnic minority enrolment in ECB academies, Harrison insisted that the fruits of that investment were slowly becoming apparent.Even so, the commitment within the ECB’s action plan to “remove barriers in talent pathways” was perhaps the most significant of its five key proposals, because for all the justifiable focus at boardroom level, it is at this vital choke-point between the grass-roots and the professional game that so many of the sport’s problems lie.A number of factors have long been at play here. The tendency of youth-team coaches towards conformity, both in terms of techniques (many of which have often been honed at extra expense, either through the private-school system or one-to-one lessons); the lack of feedback to talented players from marginalised backgrounds, who are unable to make the most of their one shot at a county trial. The sheer cost of a sport in which helmets, for instance, are now mandatory across all age-group levels.”That decision-making point between talented youngsters and becoming professionals around the country is a worrying statistic for us,” Harrison said. “There may be structural and cultural barriers in place that we need to remove. We just need to accelerate the work that’s going on here, but I don’t think we have all the answers yet.”Tom Harrison has likened English cricket’s racism scandal to an “earthquake”•Getty ImagesIn the course of his defence of the ECB’s progress, however, it was telling that Harrison choose not to address perhaps the most notable aspect of their commitment to doing things differently – the launch of the Hundred, a competition that has been perhaps the central plank of his seven-year tenure as chief executive.Harrison had hinted at the Hundred’s existence during the DCMS hearings, when he spoke of how the ECB had struggled to get “the first-class game to wake up” to the need to put EDI initiatives at the front and centre of its offerings.But it’s a sign perhaps of how desperately the board now wants to limit the contagion from the Yorkshire saga, that an issue that had been shoved down every cricket-loving throat for the past three years is now stuffed very much up the executives’ sleeves, perhaps stored away for a brighter, post-fall-out future – far removed from the rubble that cricket’s earthquake has strewn across the county game – when the prominence of the women’s tournament, the move towards family-friendly, non-alcohol-fuelled events, and the drive towards greater diversity in ticket sales can once again be trumpeted as successes.Either way, given that the executive patted itself on the back to the tune of £2.1 million in bonuses following the Hundred’s launch last summer (Harrison bluntly dismissed that pay-out as an “employment contract” matter when asked to reconsider it on Friday), it would be a remarkable failure of imagination were they not at some stage to embark on some hasty retro-fitting, and present that tournament as the elusive “silver bullet” that Harrison himself admitted the action plan was not.For despite all the best intentions of this action plan, English cricket as we know it is painfully exposed by the revelations of the past month, and damaged by the broad-brush facts that the DCMS hearings placed in the public domain. There’s little room for nuance when politicians on both sides of the House are railing against historic failures and calling, as Jo Stevens, the shadow culture secretary, did on Friday, for a public enquiry. Sometimes, when the faultlines are too exposed, there’s no easy way to rebuild after an earthquake.

Chelsea are beginning to reap the rewards of their ambitious spending since Todd Boehly and his private equity firm Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich in 2022.

It’s been a twisting road for the Blues over the past several years, but Enzo Maresca has advanced after a promising, trophy-winning 2024/25 campaign to establish his side as budding Premier League title contenders.

Maresca leads a young squad. A hungry group of talented players yet to reach the top of the game.

Chelsea

2nd

24.0

Brentford

13th

24.7

Man City

3rd

25.0

Bournemouth

8th

25.0

Sunderland

7th

25.2

There are ostensible drawbacks to employing such a strategy, but it’s bearing dividends, and the success will only grow over the coming years, with more set to follow in Estevao Willian’s footsteps.

Estevao's start to life at Chelsea

In May 2024, Chelsea finalised a deal for Brazilian youngster Estevao, an initial £29m deal which could eventually rise to £52m with performance-related add-ons.

18 years old, Estevao has enjoyed a dream start to his Chelsea career, having notched five goals from his first 17 senior outings for the Londoners.

With three goals in his past three Champions League outings, the hype is growing around his skilful and dynamic youngster, who outshone Lamine Yamal in the Blues’ romping 3-0 win over Barcelona in midweek.

So intense is the hype around Estevao’s potential that Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled the Brazil international a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, and that’s definitely not out of the equation.

Estevao has what it takes to become London’s most talented wide forward, for sure, perhaps taking that crown from Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka.

But the fact that Chelsea have landed themselves another Estevao-esque talent who could rival these cream-of-crop players is a perfect illustration of Chelsea’s burgeoning strategy.

Chelsea have a talent "just like Estevao"

Arsenal have the lead in the Premier League title race, and there’s no question that Mikel Arteta is deeper into his project than Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea are building something special, and they would welcome another poster boy to further strengthen Maresca’s system. Well, that player could have already been signed in Geovany Quenda, with a £40m deal in principle agreed at the end of last season to welcome the Portugal U21 international in 2026.

Hailed as “one of the most exciting teenage prospects in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quenda has “been on fire” for Sporting Lisbon this season, coming into his own on the right wing.

The 18-year-old’s energy, pace and skill on the ball have seen him hailed as having a mentality “just like Estevao” – as per Alex Goldberg – that will see him succeed in the Premier League, endowed with an athletic underbelly to complement his blistering pace and skill on the ball.

Goals scored

0.09

0.43

Assists

0.35

0.16

Shots taken

1.72

2.92

Shot-creating actions

4.62

4.69

Touches (att pen)

3.39

6.74

Pass completion (%)

72.9

73.8

Progressive passes

5.11

2.45

Progressive carries

3.30

4.34

Successful take-ons

1.58

1.85

Ball recoveries

4.75

3.90

Tackles + interceptions

1.54

2.05

His sharp-minded approach and combativeness on the ball could indeed see him emulate Saka. Sofascore record that Bissau Guinean-born Quenda has won 52% of his ground duels in Liga Portugal this term, and for one so young, this bodes well for a future in the harsh climate of the Premier League.

Furthermore, he is developing a ball-playing game that suggests he has the natural talent on the ball to emulate someone like Saka, having also followed in the Englishman’s footsteps by shining at both full-back and wing-back, prior to cementing an attacking role on the flanks.

Whether the Portuguese talent would hit the ground running in the same way that Estevao has is uncertain, of course, but there’s no denying he has the potential to rival his soon-to-be teammate.

A big factor in a winger like Saka’s success (and Estevao’s) is that he is able to merge the many elements together, forming something complete.

Quenda is already proving that he has similar qualities in the locker, and it is for this reason that there is such excitement brewing around his signature.

Chelsea, truly, are rebuilding themselves toward superstar status.

Hazard 2.0: Chelsea lead race to sign "best player on the planet" for £100m

Enzo Maresca and Co could deliver Chelsea fans their next Eden Hazard by signing the international superstar.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 29, 2025

The Assam Cricket Association (ACA), on Friday, suspended four players – Amit Sinha, Ishan Ahmed, Aman Tripathi and Abhishek Thakuri – following their alleged involvement in corrupt practices during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025.The ACA has also lodged an FIR at the state police’s crime branch against the four players, who have represented Assam at various stages.They are being accused of influencing and attempting to instigate some of the Assam players who took part in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”After the allegations came to light, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU) of the BCCI conducted an enquiry. The ACA has also initiated criminal proceedings. Prima facie, there appears to be their involvement in serious misconduct, affecting the integrity of the sport,” Sanatan Das, the ACA secretary, said.Assam’s SMAT league matches were held in Lucknow from November 26 to December 8, and the team did not progress to the ongoing Super League stage.”They have been suspended to curtail any scope of further deterioration of the situation,” Das said. “ADuring the suspension period, these players are barred from taking part in any state-level tournaments or matches conducted by the ACA, its district units or affiliated clubs.Participating in any cricket-related activity, including officiating as match referee, coach, umpire etc., are also banned while under suspension.Das said all district associations have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the order, and to inform clubs and academies under their jurisdiction of the ACA’s decision.