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The DC head coach managed to keep things light after another heart-breaking loss for his side

S Sudarshanan16-Mar-2025

The Delhi Capitals team contemplate being so close and yet so far•BCCI

It is not often that Jemimah Rodrigues is a far cry from her cheerful self. Alice Capsey and Shafali Verma also seldom shy away from a laugh. But as the Delhi Capitals dragged themselves towards the presentation area, the dejection loomed large. A few hundred fans who were cheering Rodrigues, Shafali, Shikha Pandey and the others only got a nod with heads bowed down in response. The players were desperately searching for a shoulder to lean on. For someone to console them, to tell them it was a bad dream.DC had now lost a third-straight WPL final. In each season, they topped the league stage and earned a direct entry to the title clash. Their margins of defeat in the finals of WPL 2023 and 2024 were seven wickets and eight wickets respectively; but Saturday’s defeat was a mere eight runs.A narrow defeat in the final notwithstanding, Jonathan Batty brought his funny side out in the press conference. He was facing the media after overseeing a third successive runners-up finish as DC’s head coach. Was there a common theme to each of their three finals’ losses? “The opposition got more runs than we did!”Related

Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet seal second WPL title for Mumbai Indians

Stats – Another WPL final, another defeat for DC

Harmanpreet hails Sciver-Brunt and Ismail after MI make 150 look 'like 180'

A Harmanpreet masterpiece blows Delhi Capitals away

In the first two seasons, despite having Jasia Akhter and Laura Harris, they couldn’t find the right gear to finish the innings. They lacked lower-order firepower with wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia batting only five times in 18 matches across the first two seasons. She batted at No. 11 in the WPL 2024 final. But with Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce in the squad this time, DC could field five overseas players. Despite primarily being a top-order bat, a strike rate of 150 while batting at No. 7 points towards a job well done.Which is why this defeat would stink DC most. They found a weak link, filled the gap and still ended up at the same spot. Such was the depth that India internationals Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav featured in only four and two games respectively. But Batty was not reading much into it and conceded that MI played better on another important night.”It will take time to think through what went wrong,” Batty said. “Two great quality teams going head-to-head and it was such a tight game. To lose by eight runs, which is two boundaries, we lost it by two balls in the end. That game can go either way from there. I don’t think there was a common denominator. You always have a side that wins and a side that loses, and we have been on the losing side three times unfortunately.”To finish top of the table three years running, we have played some amazing cricket. You don’t get over the line until [you win] the final. Everyone’s hurting a huge amount at the moment. I think 99% of the time you back yourself to chase 150 on that wicket there. Big match finals, maybe the occasion got to the players.”Twice DC opted to set a target in the finals, twice they crumbled to a below-par score. So Meg Lanning hesitated little in choosing to chase after a third direct final entry. In WPL 2025, teams batting first – dew or no dew – had won all three matches before the final at the Brabourne Stadium. A fresh surface was in use for the final with the square boundaries nearly equidistant. None of that perhaps mattered to Lanning.Harmanpreet Kaur rescued Mumbai Indians after coming in at 14 for 2•BCCI

But for a third title-clash in a row, DC’s batting failed to live up to expectation. The top order caved in to the pressure Mumbai mounted. At most times, DC’s scores were more than Mumbai’s at the corresponding stage. But it couldn’t cover up for the early stutter that saw DC – chasing 150 – slip to 17 for 2, 44 for 4, 66 for 5 and 83 for 6. Marizanne Kapp briefly rekindled their effusive dream by scoring 40 off 26. But MI held their nerve to concede just 14 off the last two overs and win their second WPL title.”I don’t think it is a mental block at all,” Batty said. “You look at how we performed with the ball and in the field in the first half to keep them to 149 on that wicket. You see what’s happened through the week, with the eliminator and the other games here, we were expecting probably 180 to be par score, so we were really pleased with that. The players were up for it, they were fine and I think there was no mental block at all. But it’s just full credit to the opposition, they outplayed us and deserved to win the game.”Chasing 150, you expect the batting unit to play positive, aggressive cricket, and you should, nine times out of ten, win that game at a bit of a canter – I think 180 was par on that wicket. Full credit to Mumbai Indians, they never let us get ahead of the run rate.”Kapp bowled an opening spell that made Lanning’s toss call seem right. It looked as if a side batting first in a WPL final would end up with a low score again. Harmanpreet Kaur’s middle-overs assault was menacing, but the score was not beyond DC at any stage. And despite Mumbai scoring 25 off the last two overs, figures of 2 for 37 at the death was not a blemish on DC’s bowling.”I thought Harmanpreet took the attack to us,” Batty said. “I thought we bowled pretty well and she took a few risks and got away with it, she backed herself to do that. Coming out of the powerplay, we were in charge of the game. There was always going to be a partnership at some point. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur’s partnership was the pivotal one for them, it has been the whole season. To break through that and then reduce the total we were chasing in the end was a really good effort. We held our nerve fantastically through that partnership.”It was a case of being so near yet so far once again for DC. Batty’s humour can alleviate their pain only so much.

Jamie Vardy is embracing a new challenge in Serie A, with it revealed that the ex-England international is living in a £2 million villa on Lake Garda while Italian lessons are teaching him “colourful swear words”. The veteran frontman has stepped out of his comfort zone after reaching the end of his contract at Leicester City and becoming a free agent.

• Vardy ready to emulate evergreen Ronaldo

  At 38 years of age, and with no plans to retire any time soon, Vardy has signed an initial one-year contract with Cremonese – with that deal including the option for a further 12-month extension, which would take him into his 40s.

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• Getty
  

  Linked with Wrexham but headed to Italy

  Vardy snubbed interest from a number of teams in British football, having reportedly registered on the recruitment radar of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham, and is loving his new life in picturesque surroundings.

• Vardy already knows Italian swear words

  He is said to be undertaking “intensive” language lessons, alongside wife Rebekah, with a source telling : “Jamie and Becky are already loving Italian life, and doing all they can to blend in seamlessly. The whole family is having Italian lessons, and Jamie is already au fait with some of the more colourful swear words. ‘Vaffanculo’ is his current fave; he actually knows most swear words in most languages – he is quite the polymath.

  “People close to them thought Jamie would base himself out there for the season and Becky and the kids would stay as they are – but in the end they’ve decided to throw themselves in at the deep end as a family.

  “Actually she really fell in love with the place a year or so ago when they went there on holiday, and it's early days but they are super happy – it's all going really well, and they've made some great new pals.”

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  Why wife & children haven't moved yet

  Rebekah and her five children are yet to join Jamie in Italy on a full-time basis, with Vardy having told reporters of an elongated moving process: “They're not here yet at this moment. You have to go through all the procedures to get visas and things like that. But they're really looking forward to it. A real buzz and excitement, especially with getting to learn a new language as well. So, as a whole, we can't wait.”

“I don’t think the players are mentally down. We give them lot of confidence,” says Sri Lanka’s batting coach

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Dec-2024Comebacks can happen. Sri Lanka have proved that already this year, when having lost a Test at Lord’s by 190 runs, they surged back at The Oval to win by eight wickets.This, at least, is what Sri Lanka are trying to believe, having lost their first Test in South Africa by 233 runs.They can look back at other series-leveling come-from behind Test wins as well, such as in 2018, when they won in Barbados having lost in Port of Spain. Or even at home, when having gone down to Australia in the first Galle Test of 2022, they roared back in the second.Batting coach Thilina Kandamby feels there are enough players in the group who have tasted comeback success.Related

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“We have a very experienced unit, and they have been in situations like this before,” Kandamby said. “We have given comebacks before as well. I don’t think the players are mentally down. We give them lot of confidence.”We started off in a similar fashion in England this year. We came from behind to win a game. We have identified that and we need to be at our best from day one.”Just as in that England series, Sri Lanka’s top order struggled substantially against the moving ball, crashing to a calamitous 42 not out in the first innings. Kandamby said the “options we took were wrong”, particularly the damp surface offered plenty to the bowlers in the first innings.Since that match, however, Sri Lanka have taken every opportunity to train. They’d rocked up to Kingsmead on what would have been day five of the first Test for a long session, and will also train the two days ahead of the Gqeberha Test, with Monday having been their travel day.”We had a chat, and the key here is to see off the new ball. There is no point being too aggressive, but we do have to put the loose balls away. Once we get past the first hour, it gets a lot easier.”Sri Lanka had also been at a significant advantage in Durban, as South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder had fractured his right hand while batting, and as such was unable to bowl. And yet, having collapsed inside 14 overs for their lowest Test total, Sri Lanka were in no place to capitalise on this advantage.”It’s so disappointing really – South Africa were one bowler short, and we should have made most of it,” Kandamby said. “Even with Marco Jansen we didn’t force him to a second spell. But the good thing is, we were a lot more organised in the second innings. If we’d batted the whole day in the first innings, it could have been very different.”The major positive for Sri Lanka, perhaps is that unlike for South Africa, there are no serious injury concerns for their bowlers. They’d had to bowl more than 150 overs in the first three days of the Test, but will have had five days potential recovery before the second Test starts. Although privately, some bowlers had expressed annoyance at having to bowl again so soon after dismissing South Africa for 191, at the time, they just got on with the job, Kandamby said.”Hats off to the bowlers. After one and half hours they had to go out and bowl again. They were not bitter. They just took on the challenge.”

The series could provide match practice, or serve as an audition, for a couple of back-up players likely to be picked in the Test squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2024 • Updated on 25-Oct-20247:07

What India A squad for Australia tour indicates about Border-Gavaskar Trophy selection

Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the India A squad on their tour of Australia later this month.Gaikwad, who has begun his Ranji Trophy season with scores of 86, 0 and 145 for Maharashtra, is one of the contenders for the role of reserve opener for India’s five-Test tour of Australia, which will closely follow India A’s tour. That role has gained extra significance with India captain and opener Rohit Sharma set to miss one of the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series for personal reasons.Apart from Gaikwad, the 15-member India A squad also includes two other candidates for that role in Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been named vice-captain, and Sai Sudharsan.The matches against Australia A could provide match practice, or serve as an audition, for a couple of other back-up players likely to be picked in the Test squad. Devdutt Padikkal, B Indrajith and Ricky Bhui are set to be the middle-order batters in the India A squad; Abishek Porel and Ishan Kishan the wicket-keepers; Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian and Manav Suthar the allrounders; and Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed and Prasidh Krishna, replacing the initially picked Yash Dayal, the fast bowlers.Abhimanyu, 29, has been part of India’s Test squad previously – in Bangladesh in 2022 – and he has been in superb form this domestic season, scoring two hundreds in the Duleep Trophy, another century in the Irani Trophy, and beginning the Ranji Trophy season with a ton for Bengal. Sudharsan, 23, made a first-class hundred for English county Surrey in August, before scoring a century in the Duleep Trophy and a double-hundred in Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy match in Delhi.Having recovered from a hernia, 21-year-old allrounder Reddy made his T20I debut for India against Bangladesh earlier this month and is currently a reserve player in India’s Test squad for the home series against New Zealand. He is seen by India’s selectors as a promising allrounder who could improve with more experience and exposure.India opt for intra-squad warm-upIndia A are scheduled to play Australia A in two four-day matches in Mackay from October 31 to November 3 and in Melbourne from November 7 to 10. They will then play the India squad in a warm-up match in Perth from November 15 to 17 before the first Test against Australia begins on November 22.India have opted for this intra-squad game as their warm-up to the Test rather than a practice match against an Australian domestic side. This is a departure from their preference on their last two tours of Australia. They began the red-ball leg of their 2020-21 tour with a three-day game against Australia A, and played a four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI before their Test series in 2018.19.India A squad for tour of AustraliaRuturaj Gaikwad (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, B Indrajith, Abishek Porel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna

David Bedingham made his third Championship century of the season against Lancashire and also passed a thousand first-class runs for this campaign to help Durham take control of their Vitality County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.Having restricted Lancashire to 228 all out in their first innings, the home side were 367 for 4 at the close, a lead of 139, with Bedingham on 177 not out and Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 111. The pair’s unbroken stand of 268 has already set a fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket.The one positive aspect of the day’s play from a Lancastrian perspective was the bowling of the Trinidadian, Anderson Phillip, who took 2 for 86 on his debut, but it now looks as though the visitors will face a battle to avoid a third Championship defeat in succession.In the morning session, Lancashire’s last four wickets added a further 51 runs to their overnight total. Matty Hurst was run out for 90 after a mix-up with Tom Bailey and Ben Raine took his fifth wicket of the innings when he had Phillip leg before wicket for 2.Raine finished with 5 for 44, his best return of the season, but crucially for their hopes of staying in Division One, Lancashire failed to earn a batting bonus point for the third successive match.Replying to the visitors’ modest 228, Durham’s batters encountered their own problems against the new Kookaburra ball. Ben McKinney gave Phillip his first wicket for his new county when he played on for 8 and Scott Borthwick’s indeterminate waft at a ball from Bailey edged a catch to Hurst with the home skipper on 9.Bedingham and Alex Lees took Durham to lunch on 46 for 2 and the pair batted serenely for nearly an hour after the resumption, at which point the home side were rocked by two lbw decisions in eight balls.Lees fell to Phillip for 43 and then Ollie Robinson was trapped on the crease by Tom Aspinwall for four to leave Durham on 99 for 4. Bedingham and Ackermann prevented Lancashire making any more breakthroughs and Durham reached tea on 178 for four, only 50 runs in arrears.Shortly after the resumption, Bedingham reached his thousand first-class runs for the season with a single off Tom Hartley and it was noted that nearly a quarter of them had been taken off the Red Rose’s attack.But worse was to follow for Keaton Jennings’ bowlers as Bedingham reached his sixth Championship century in just 15 innings this season when he stroked Hartley to long-on for another single. The South African had reached three figures off 143 balls with 11 fours and a six and there had hardly been a moment in his innings when he hadn’t looked in complete control.Nor was there any point in the evening session when Lancashire looked like taking a wicket. For long periods, Jennings posted five men in the deep and appeared content to cut off the boundaries. The fifth-wicket stand partnership passed 200 when Bedingham pulled a lifter from Aspinwall through midwicket for four.While almost all other Championship games in the country were interrupted by rain, home supporters sat in the sun and waited to see if Ackermann would reach his century and if the Durham pair would eclipse the county’s record fifth-wicket partnership of 254 set by Ned Eckersley and Bedingham himself against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2021.They were not disappointed. Three overs from the close, Ackermann got to his hundred off 165 balls and a new fifth-wicket record was set when Bedingham stroked Bailey to deep square leg off the next delivery.

Tottenham Hotspur now face stiff competition from a rival Premier League side in the race for a “playmaker”, according to a report, with Thomas Frank looking to reinforce his squad in a few key areas ahead of his first full season in charge.

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Spurs are in the race for a major Nottingham Forest target…

Posts ByDominic Lund Jul 13, 2025

Spurs have made a splash in the summer market already with their £55 million deal for winger Mohammed Kudus, which ended a 14-year unofficial transfer embargo between West Ham and their London rivals.

Kudus has been pictured in Lilywhites training as the club prepare for their first pre-season game of the summer against Reading this weekend, with the Ghanaian joining Mathys Tel and Kota Takai as Daniel Levy’s first three official signings of the summer.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

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, Kudus would’ve been joined at Hotspur Way by Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, who was expected to undergo a medical last Friday before a £60 million switch from the City Ground.

However, in a very unexpected turn of events, the Englishman’s transfer is being significantly delayed, with Forest taking legal action over what they believe was an illegal approach from Tottenham for their star attacker, as first reported by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

That being said, some confidence remains that Gibbs-White will eventually seal a move to Spurs (Alasdair Gold), so their potential £115 million double-swoop for the 25-year-old and Kudus is still alive.

Forest are complaining to the Premier League, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side raising concerns over how Spurs became aware of ‘confidential details’ in his contract (Standard Sport).

Interestingly, Forest are “adamant” that Gibbs-White is not for sale (Sky Sports), but Spurs are still hopeful of doing the deal.

As Spurs wait for the green-light to sign-off on Gibbs-White’s transfer, they do have their eyes on other transfer targets, with Levy reportedly after a holding midfielder and a number six as well (TBR Football).

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported last week that Tottenham have held talks with £138,000-per-week Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz’s representatives, and the Old Lady will allow him to leave Turin this summer after a lacklustre debut campaign in Serie A.

Everton threaten to hijack alleged Tottenham talks with Douglas Luiz

Now, according to Calciomercato, Spurs may not have a free run at signing the Brazilian, with Everton threatening a move of their own.

The Italian news outlet states that Everton are ready to bid for Luiz after his alleged talks with Tottenham, and the Toffees have initiated club-to-club discussions as they attempt to back manager David Moyes for his first full season back on Merseyside.

Juve want around £35 million to part company with Luiz, and will not entertain any form of loan, as Igor Tudor’s side seek to sell him immediately and reinvest that money in their own summer recruitment drive.

Aston Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, tipped him to kickstart his career at Juve earlier this year, but it appears the South American could seal a quick-fire return to England instead.

“He’s playing less than we all expected, but we’re talking about a strong player,” said Monchi about Luiz to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“There are guys who arrive and impose themselves, others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion. He will become important for Juve.

“He’s a playmaker and every ball that comes out of his feet has a meaning: last year he played 90% of the games with us. He was decisive.”

With a new era on its way at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, The Friedkin Group and Everton are reportedly looking to sign fresh stars to match their new ground, which could yet see a £50m+ winger arrive.

Everton eyeing attacking reinforcements

It’s not the first time that the Toffees have been linked with attacking additions so far this summer and their plan of attack is clear. Looking to make a statement ahead of their first full season at the helm, Friedkin’s priority, based on recent rumours, is to add much-needed star power to David Moyes’ frontline.

That plan should come as no surprise, either. Whilst Everton improved their attacking numbers last season, they still lacked a consistent threat within their frontline even after Beto’s form picked up under Moyes. And with Dominic Calvert-Lewin still on course to leave the club as a free agent this summer, the Merseyside club must invest up front.

2024/25

42

2023/24

40

2022/23

34

The main factor behind their struggle is clear for all to see. Last season, although improved, was still not a campaign full of goals to savour and only the bottom three managed to score less than Everton.

That stat, alone, may have been enough to send Everton marching towards the transfer market with rumours coming thick and fast as to who could arrive this summer.

Already, names such as Jack Grealish have already threatened to steal the headlines in what would certainly be a statement move by Friedkin. The Premier League-winner is on his way out of Manchester City, having been left out of their Club World Cup squad, and Everton could take full advantage.

He’s not the only name on their radar, however. Reports are also indicating that those in Merseyside have also set their sights on the “king of Lisbon”.

Everton battling to sign Geny Catamo

If not Grealish, then Friedkin could spend big on a talented alternative. According to Caught Offside, Everton are now battling to sign Geny Catamo from Sporting Club this summer. They are reportedly joined by Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Aston Villa and others in a hectic race to welcome the 24-year-old in the coming months, but the deal won’t come cheap.

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The Toffees are lining up a bargain transfer…

1 BySean Markus Clifford Jun 11, 2025

As reported, Catamo has a release clause worth as much as €60m (£51m) in Portugal and Sporting Club look likely to demand that in full if they are to sell their winger this summer. Of course, that verdict should not come as a surprise, given that the Everton target was dubbed the “King of Lisbon” by scout Jacek Kulig after he scored the winning goal against Benfica last year.

Whether Friedkin and Everton deem Catamo a player who is worth over £50m will be the big question in their pursuit. The winger himself, meanwhile, could yet decide to rescind his crown in Portugal this summer amid several interested parties.

After officially missing out on Dean Huijsen, Liverpool are now reportedly working behind the scenes to sign an alternative defensive reinforcement in this summer’s transfer window.

Huijsen ignores Liverpool and Chelsea interest to join Real Madrid

With Virgil van Dijk’s new deal lasting just two years and Ibrahima Konate yet to put pen to paper on a new contract of his own just one year before he becomes a free agent, Liverpool have reportedly set their sights on signing another centre-back this summer.

And for some time, it looked as though it could be Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen who arrived. Even the Cherries reportedly expected former chief Richard Hughes to snap up the defender’s signature.

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May 17, 2025

As Liverpool know all too well, however, a Real Madrid call is not one that a player often rejects and Huijsen has more than just answered. The Spaniard, before the transfer window has even opened, has officially completed his move to join the Spanish giants, where he will line up next to Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold next season.

It’s a killer blow for those at Anfield, who will be sick of the sight of Real Madrid following the Alexander-Arnold saga and now this. But Florentino Perez may not be done there with Liverpool.

In a repeat of his deal to sign their academy graduate on a free, the Madrid chief has now reportedly set his sights on signing Konate at the end of his Liverpool deal next summer. Losing Alexander-Arnold for free was a blow, but losing Konate for the same bargain price should be a reality that the Reds avoid at all costs.

With Huijsen no longer an option and Konate doubt creeping in, Hughes has reportedly been forced to turn his attention towards an alternative option.

Liverpool working to sign Nathan Zeze

According to The Boot Room, Liverpool are now working behind the scenes to sign Nathan Zeze from Nantes this summer in a move that would see them jump ahead of Bournemouth.

It’s a deal that would certainly make sense, too – the Cherries see Zeze as an ideal replacement for Huijsen, meaning that the Reds could skip a step altogether by signing the Frenchman first.

League stats 24/25 per 90 (via FBref)	Nathan Zeze	Dean Huijsen	Ibrahima Konate
Minutes	1,493	2,324	2,410
Progressive Passes	2.77	4.96	3.92
Tackles Won	1.33	1.01	0.97
Ball Recoveries	3.73	3.91	3.32

Although the 19-year-old has struggled to match Huijsen when progressing play, his numbers out of possession highlight a player who could be an ideal candidate to replace Konate in the coming years.

Included in an “elite” group of players by football talent scout Jacek Kulig last season, Zeze has only kicked on ever since. In the face of a centre-back dilemma, Liverpool could do a lot worse than turning towards the young Nantes star when the summer transfer window swings open.

Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic to manage the club for a second time in the summer of 2023 when Ange Postecoglou decided to ditch Parkhead for the Premier League.

The Northern Irish head coach, who had left the Hoops to join Leicester City in 2019, enjoyed a fantastic first season back in Glasgow, winning the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup.

Celtic, despite already enjoying a successful campaign, backed Rodgers in the summer transfer window by signing the likes of Auston Trusty, Arne Engels, and Luke McCowan, as well as signing Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on permanent deals.

That backing looks to have paid off because the Hoops are a SFA Cup final win over Aberdeen from winning the domestic treble, which would be an improvement on the 2023/24 campaign.

Celtic could, therefore, back Rodgers once again in the upcoming summer transfer window to bolster the squad even further, potentially with a view to going further in the Champions League.

One player who has been linked with a potential move to Parkhead ahead of the 2025/26 campaign is Lennon Miller, who is currently starring in the Premiership.

How much Lennon Miller could cost Celtic

Back in March, The Scottish Sun reported that Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise are working on a deal to sign the Motherwell star for a fee of £5m.

They are Brighton & Hove Albion’s sister club and the report claimed that the Premier League side view him as a long-term prospect and would want him to play European football with USG before making a move to the AMEX in the future.

The Scottish Sun added that both Celtic and Udinese had offers turned down by Motherwell for the Scotland international in the January transfer window.

Football Insider have since reported that the Hoops remain interested in a deal for Miller and are set to pursue him in the summer transfer window, which suggests that they could challenge USG for the £5m-rated star.

The Scottish star, dubbed Motherwell’s ‘Star Boy’ by the league’s official X account, has caught the eye with his impressive performances in the Premiership for his club at such a young age this season.

Miller, who only turns 19 in August, has showcased his quality in and out of possession in the middle of the park throughout the 2025/26 campaign, as a midfielder who can break up play as well as provide quality at the top end of the pitch.

Appearances

29

Goals

2

Big chances created

11

Assists

7

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.1

Ball recoveries per game

6.5

Duel success rate

52%

As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star has been an excellent creator for Motherwell, with 11 ‘big chances’ created in 29 matches, whilst also being able to consistently break up opposition attacks with tackles, interceptions, and recoveries.

These statistics, for a player who is only 18, explain why he could be well worth the reported £5m transfer fee for Celtic, or any of the other clubs interested in signing him.

The Hoops, though, already have a central midfield player who is worth even more than the £5m that it would take to sign Miller, because the club have hit the jackpot with club captain Callum McGregor.

How much Callum McGregor is worth

The former Scotland international came up through the youth ranks at Parkhead before emerging as a first-team star for the club after a loan spell with Notts County in England.

McGregor first came into the senior set-up in the 2014/15 campaign, after that loan down south, and has gone on to rack up a staggering 514 appearances for the club in all competitions.

The left-footed star, who has won ten Premiership titles with the Scottish giants, is now the Celtic captain and an integral part of Rodgers’ team in the present day, at the age of 31.

McGregor was valued at just £127k by Transfermarkt at the time of his emergence in the first-team at Parkhead, and that value has soared significantly in the past 11 years, as shown in the table below.

May 2014

£127k

November 2015

£848k

August 2018

£1.7m

August 2019

£4.2m

July 2020

£5m

May 2021

£5.9m

December 2022

£6.7m

December 2023

£7.6m

December 2024

£6.3m

March 2025

£5.5m

The Scottish star’s value skyrocketed throughout his early career at Parkhead and peaked at £7.6m in 2023, but it has gone down slightly in the last couple of years.

That is not because of his performances, though, as he has naturally declined in value with age. There is not much sale value in a player who turns 32 this summer, which may be why his value has dropped down to £5.5m.

Despite his value having dropped in the last couple of years, McGregor is still worth £500k more than Lennon Miller, who is reportedly valued at £5m, which shows that Celtic have hit the jackpot with their captain.

They have struck gold with the central midfielder because he did not cost them a penny to sign, given that he came up through the academy, and has developed into an incredibly valuable asset and key player on the pitch.

In the 2024/25 campaign, McGregor has made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops and is on course to lead the team to a treble, if they beat Aberdeen in the SFA Cup final.

The experienced star has also scored ten goals, including the one above, in those 50 matches, which shows that he has provided a big threat at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position.

Earlier this year, his Rodgers lauded his quality, saying: “He is such a unique player, the tempo setter for the team. He’s tactically so good, he really is a coach on the pitch.

“He sees all the pictures we want and he knows when to release himself to shoot or create goals. A wonderful player who is the glue for this team.”

This shows that McGregor remains an important player for the manager, given how often he has played this season, whilst also being more valuable than a midfielder the club are reportedly looking to sign this summer.

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Celtic have, therefore, hit the jackpot with the Scottish metronome, who is on course to spend his entire career at Parkhead, and they may hope that they can develop more players like him through the academy system in the years to come.

Leeds United fans would have entered Elland Road on Monday full of both nerves and excitement, knowing that one more win and Sheffield United failing to win in a showdown with Burnley in the Championship would clinch promotion.

Well, the Whites certainly kept to their end of the bargain in West Yorkshire with Daniel Farke’s hosts hammering a petrified Stoke City side 6-0 in front of their jubilant home masses and after the Blades later went on to lose against the Clarets, promotion to the Premier League was sealed in spectacular fashion at the second time of asking.

Joel Piroe – who has had his fair share of critics in recent weeks for his wasteful showings – staggeringly chipped in with four of the strikes, with the Dutchman a man possessed in front of goal as he became their promotion hero.

Piroe's remarkable performance vs Stoke City

Heading into this big clash against Mark Robins’ visitors earlier today, Piroe was deep in a barren patch of form, with nine Championship clashes passing him by without finding the net.

He more than made up for these lacklustre showings on Monday, however, as the deadly 25-year-old sucker-punched Stoke with two goals inside the first ten minutes.

Constantly in the right place at the right time to tap home, Piroe would go on to secure a memorable hat-trick inside a bonkers 20 minutes after his early brace, before further managing to fire home his fourth of the remarkable day four minutes before the half-time interval.

Now up to a league-high 19 strikes for the season in the second tier, the ex-Swansea City man will be hoping he can be equally as clinical for the Whites if Premier League football returns to Elland Road, with this whirlwind win pulling them ever closer back to the promised land.

But, whilst Piroe obviously delivered a display of the highest order, he wasn’t the only Whites performer against the Potters who was near faultless…

Performance in Numbers

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

10/10 Leeds star was as good as Piroe

Nobody in Leeds white exactly let the team down in all fairness, with every single player picked by Farke singing off the same hymn sheet to secure a huge three points.

While the attack were en song at Elland Road, the two full-backs were in fine fettle too, evoking memories of Ian Harte in his prime, charging forward to contribute in the final third with Junior Firpo finding the net and Jayden Bogle running the Stoke defence ragged.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

63

Accurate passes

28/42 (67%)

Shots

2

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

3/3

Interceptions

2

Tackles

4

Total duels won

10/12

He has had a fine season in West Yorkshire to date after dramatically leaving Sheffield United behind for Leeds last summer.

The gung-ho full-back would get in on the act when assisting Piroe’s second of the day, taking Bogle’s assist count for the season all the way up to a weighty four, on top of his stunning six strikes, while he also hit the post in the build-up to Piroe’s fourth.

Bogle would constantly maraud forward and leave Stoke shirts in the dust – seen in his 100% dribble completion rate – leading to Leeds reporter Graham Smyth to remark that the expansive 24-year-old “absolutely mullered” the Potters across a breathtaking first half.

But, the ex-Blades defender also looked strong defensively when infrequently called into action, with four tackles and ten duels won to preserve Leeds’ likely clean sheet.

Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned Smyth dished out a flawless 10/10 rating to Bogle post-match too, waxing lyrical further that he “tortured” Robins’ visitors who just had no answer to the home side’s persistent waves of attacks.

Come the full-time whistle, Leeds simply looked top-flight bound after brushing aside Stoke with ease, with both Bogle and Piroe ready for the challenge of Premier League football.

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