Tag Futebol

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has ruthlessly snubbed one of his most influential former Blues teammates when naming his all-time Premier League XI.

Football FanCast ranks Premier League's greatest-ever players

Football FanCast have now ranked the greatest players in Premier League history, and there is certainly no shortage of Chelsea players among them, with former captain John Terry named as the best centre-back to have ever played in the top flight.

Petr Cech also tops the list of goalkeepers, while Didier Drogba is regarded as the ninth-best striker in Premier League history, having maintained a fantastic record in front of goal throughout his time at Stamford Bridge, culminating in the Blues winning the 2012 Champions League final.

Season

Drogba PL appearances

Goal contributions

2004-05

26

15

2005-06

29

26

2006-07

36

24

2007-08

19

14

2008-09

24

9

2009-10

32

40

2010-11

36

24

2011-12

24

6

As such, it will come as no surprise to learn that Terry, Cech and Drogba all feature in Obi Mikel’s all-time Premier League XI, but the former central midfielder has ruthlessly snubbed one of his former teammates.

As reported by talkSPORT, the Nigerian named N’Golo Kante and Paul Scholes as his two central midfielders, leaving out Frank Lampard, and he even went on to clarify that the ex-England international wouldn’t have featured in a three-man midfield either.

Lampard undoubtedly one of the greatest Premier League midfielders

It is a little strange that the 38-year-old opted to omit his former teammate, given that the Englishman is without doubt one of the best Premier League midfielders of all time, particularly impressing on the front foot.

Club 'ready to accept' potential £52m Chelsea bid for defender wanted by Real Madrid

The Blues and Todd Boehly could make a sizeable saving in the market.

BySean Markus Clifford Oct 11, 2025

The Coventry City manager chipped in with a remarkable 211 goals and 149 assists in 648 professional appearances for Chelsea, cementing his place in the Premier League Hall of Fame in the process.

That said, Kante is also a fantastic choice from a more defensive point of view, given what the Frenchman achieved at Leicester City and Stamford Bridge, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the 2020-21 Champions League and the 2018-19 Europa League.

Lampard played in a golden era of midfielders, sharing the stage with the likes of Scholes and Gerrard, and a number of other former Chelsea stars, who also feature in our list of the best Premier League midfielders of all-time.

Arsenal ended up just about getting past Greek Super League champions Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday, courtesy of strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

For all the chances, possession and clear-cut openings created by Mikel Arteta’s side, they held a tender 1-0 lead for the majority of the 90, and goalkeeper David Raya was forced into a magnificent first-half save to keep them ahead.

Martin Odegaard

8.1

Myles Lewis-Skelly

7.9

David Raya

7.6

Mikel Merino

7.4

Chiquinho

7.4

via WhoScored

Summer signing Viktor Gyokeres also had multiple chances to extend their advantage, but the Sweden international just couldn’t quite fire home on what was a frustrating night for him.

Arsenal’s control of the match never wavered, with club captain Martin Odegaard pulling all the strings in midfield and dictating the tempo throughout.

The Norwegian’s vision and passing range constantly stretched the visitors’ defence, creating numerous opportunities, particularly for Gyokeres, with the striker feeding off Odegaard’s excellent through balls but missing the final end product.

The £30 million star was very nearly rewarded for his efforts with a goal, but was unable to convert Bukayo Saka’s cut-back very late in the second half.

Instead, it was Saka who ended up putting the game beyond sight in added time, courtesy of another excellent threaded pass from Odegaard, with the England international slotting home through goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis’ legs.

Their routine win over Olympiacos was Odegaard’s first start after coming back from a shoulder problem, and boy did he deliver on a night where he absolutely silenced his critics.

In the build up to their Champions League clash, former Arsenal player Perry Groves suggested that Arteta should continue to bench Odegaard in order to send a message and help the ex-Real Madrid man rediscover his best form.

However, Wednesday’s heroics sent a clear message in return — the 26-year-old is still one of Arteta’s superstars.

Owen Hargreaves says Martin Odegaard has proved he's still Arsenal's star man

This is echoed by TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves, who told the panel during last night’s broadcast that Odegaard was back to his “absolute best” against Olympiacos.

The £240,000-per-week playmaker now has Eberechi Eze to compete with for a place in the centre of Arsenal’s attacking midfield, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, who the Gunners wish to deploy more centrally rather than in the wide area like last season (David Ornstein).

Odegaard will undoubtedly be mindful of the growing competition for a place in Arteta’s starting elevens, but he appears to be staking his claim as an undroppable following last night’s sumptuous display and his assist against Newcastle last weekend.

2025 will forever be an historic year for Crystal Palace, but a crucial week or so in the transfer market awaits, if Oliver Glasner’s side are going to enjoy another strong season.

The Eagles had never won a major trophy before, but have now picked up two, defeating Manchester City in May’s FA Cup Final, before fighting back from behind twice to beat Liverpool on penalties in the FA Community Shield earlier this month.

As cup winners, Palace entered a major European competition for the very first time on Thursday night, facing Fredrikstad in the Conference League play-offs, prevailing 1-0 in the first leg at Selhurst Park, with Jean-Philippe Mateta the night’s only scorer.

So, advantage Palace, but work to do if they’re to oust the Norwegian Cup winners next Thursday and book their spot in the league phase.

Meantime, with Glasner’s star man departing, and other key players potentially set to follow, expect Steve Parish to be busy in the transfer market between now and the window closing on 1 September.

Crystal Palace's need for reinforcements

As has been widely reported, including by David Ornstein of the Athletic, Arsenal are poised to sign Eberechi Eze for around £67.5m, hijacking the deal, when it appeared as though the England international was going to join Tottenham instead.

From a Palace perspective, they’re losing their talisman, a player who scored 14 goals and registered 11 assists across all competitions last season, including scoring the opener in both the FA Cup semi-finals and final at Wembley.

Eze certainly will not be an easy man to replace, but have the Eagles identified their top target?

Well, according to Fabrizio Romano, Crystal Palace have Yéremy Pino on “their list of targets” to replace Eze, adding that a deal with Villarreal will not be easy to finalise.

Meantime, a report by the Guardian claims that signing Yéremy is their number one priority, noting that he has a £67m release clause, but Palace are very much ‘hoping to pay less’, making contact with the La Liga side who ‘are not keen on selling’.

To date, just four Spaniards have called Selhurst home, namely Vicente Guaita, Pablo Couñago, José Campaña and Víctor Camarasa, so could that extremely exclusive club be about to gain a new member?

What Pino would be a dream replacement for Eze

To date, Yéremy is a one-club man, joining Villarreal as a 15-year-old, making his senior debut in 2020, and accumulating 169 senior appearances for the Yellow Submarine to date.

By starting the 2021 Europa League Final, which his side won on penalties against Manchester United in Gdańsk, aged 19 years and 4 days at the time, he became the youngest player to win a UEFA club competition final.

Now 22, he’s continued to be a consistent performer for el Submarino Amarillo, who are back in the Champions League this season.

António Mango labels him a “unique talent”, while Ruairidh Barlow is impressed by his dribbling, creativity, intelligence and overall technical ability.

So, let’s assess how he compared to Eze last season.

Yéremy Pino vs Eberechi Eze 2024/25 comparison (league only)
Statistics	Yéremy	Eze
Appearances	34	34
Minutes	1,950	2,603
Goals	4	8
Assists	8	8
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots	0.8	2.2
Shots on target	0.5	1.1
Chances created	1.8	2
Big chances created	0.46	0.38
Forward passes	7.6	8.1
Take-ons completed	1.2	2.4
Take-on success %	50%	52%
Touches	49.3	54.9
Touches in opposition box	5.1	3.6
Average SofaScore rating	6.94	7.28
Statistics courtesy of Squawka and SofaScore

As the table outlines, while Eze does come out on top for the vast majority of attacking metrics included, there are some key stylistic similarities between the pair.

Both registered eight league assists, with the Spaniard creating marginally more big chances per 90, with the pair’s number of forward passes and their take-on success percentage nigh on identical.

Despite mustering fewer shots, Yéremy did rack up more touches in the opposition’s penalty area too, emphasising that he is a goal threat.

Thus, while all Palace supporters will be heartbroken about the news of Eze’s departure, and finding a replacement of equivalent quality will be pretty much impossible, Yéremy might just fit the bill.

Still only 22 years old, the Spain international also has plenty of room for improvement, so could he soon be strutting his stuff in South London?

As big a talent as Eze: Crystal Palace enter race to sign "magic" £40m star

Crystal Palace are on the hunt for a big-money Eze replacement.

By
Joe Nuttall

Aug 21, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Há seis meses do fim do seu contrato com o Corinthians, o meia Giuliano pode ter uma sobrevida em busca de um novo vínculo com o clube alvinegro, até então visto como improvável. O técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo alterou o jogador de posição e, assim como já havia feito com Paulinho, o transformou em primeiro volante. 

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansPor que a torcida do Corinthians paralisou o jogo mesmo com o time perdendo?Corinthians24/06/2023CorinthiansLuxemburgo aponta crescimento do Corinthians após datas Fifa e indica time reserva contra o Liverpool (URU) pela LibertadoresCorinthians24/06/2023CorinthiansFábio Santos recebe terceiro cartão amarelo e será desfalque do Corinthians contra o BragantinoCorinthians24/06/2023

Giuliano entrou no segundo tempo da derrota corintiana por 1 a 0 para o Athletico-PR, neste sábado (24), pelo Brasileirão, exercendo a nova função. Foi a primeira vez que o atleta atuou desta forma com a camisa corintiana, mas a alternativa já vinha sendo testada por Luxa durante os 11 dias de paralisação dos jogos no futebol brasileiro por conta das datas Fifa. Inclusive, o meio-campista atuou como volante em um jogo-treino que o Timão fez com a Portuguesa, no último fim de semana.

+ Defesa vai mal, e Caetano é o pior em derrota do Corinthians pelo Brasileirão

A ideia de ter o camisa 20 como primeiro homem do meio-campo tem o intuito de dar qualidade na saída de bola corintiana, dando mais força física à frente da zona central. Assim, por exemplo, Maycon, que é volante de origem, jogou mais adiantado que Giuliano na etapa final contra o Furacão.

continua após a publicidade

– Treinei (Giuliano como primeiro volante) e foi uma surpresa, como foi o Paulinho. Jogadores com experiência parecem que se encaixam. Jogou bem no jogo-treino contra a Portuguesa, quando observei ele como primeiro volante. Estavam forçando muito a nossa saída de bola – disse Luxemburgo em entrevista coletiva após a derrota em Curitiba.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

A tentativa com Giuliano na nova função é a mesma que Luxa idealizou com Paulinho e chegou a utilizar em três partidas até o meio-campista romper o ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo. Com a lesão, o camisa 15 perdeu a temporada, já que a recuperação média prevê seis e oito meses.

continua após a publicidade

Enquanto primeiro volante, Paulinho fez boas partidas, principalmente contra o Flamengo, pelo Brasileirão, no estádio do Maracanã, independentemente da derrota sofrida nos minutos finais para o time carioca.

Joga a favor de Giuliano a versatilidade. Na carreira, o jogador atuou por diversas funções. Passando pelo meio-campo, ele atuou por todas as faixas, além de ter atuado no ataque, pelos lados e até mesmo como centroavante em algumas ocasiões.

Contratado em 2021 para ser um dos articuladores do meio-campo corintiano, o camisa 20 nunca se firmou na equipe e até mesmo quando viveu um bom momento com a camisa alvinegra, no fim do ano passado, ele nunca foi titular absoluto. O atleta tem vínculo com o Timão até o fim da temporada. A tendência, até agora, é que ele não seja renovado. Porém, possíveis boas atuações na nova posição pode garantir uma nova realidade para o jogador, que tem 33 anos.

Liverpool still have their perfect start to the season thanks to 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who saved the day late in the game on Monday night at St James’ Park.

The former Chelsea academy star scored his first top-flight goal to rescue all three points for Arne Slot’s side, who were being held 2-2 by ten-man Newcastle United.

It was another game where one of their new signings, Hugo Ektike, got on the scoresheet. He has now bagged in all three competitive games for the Reds, and has made a flying start. The same cannot be said for Florian Wirtz, however, who has not hit the ground running.

Stats via Sofascore

Liverpool are still active in the transfer market and will surely hope that any more signings can make a better start than Wirtz.

Liverpool’s next summer focus

It is unclear how much money is at Slot’s disposal after spending big on the likes of Wirtz and Ekitike. One man who is continuously linked is Marc Guehi, with the club said to be in talks over a deal to sign the Crystal Palace skipper.

Transfer Focus

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

Of course, the overarching saga of the summer transfer window has been to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle. Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Merseysiders are “ready to bid again” to sign the Sweden international.

Newcastle are standing firm, and whilst the player still dreams of a move from the North East to the North West, it will not come cheap at all.

It has been reported by The Telegraph that Eddie Howe’s side will demand as much as £150m for their centre-forward.

Why signing Isak could be bad news for Wirtz

There is little doubt that bringing Isak to Anfield would be the cherry on top of the cake for Liverpool this summer. Described as a “machine” in front of goal by Romano, he certainly knows where the back of the net is.

In the 2024/25 campaign, Newcastle striker Isak showed why Jamie Carragher said last December he is the “best striker in the Premier League”.

He bagged 23 top-flight goals in just 34 appearances, including this thunderbolt against Liverpool, and the winner against the Reds in the Carabao Cup final.

The stats showcase why Isak, who earns £120k-per-week at St James’ Park, is held in such high regard.

For example, he averaged 0.75 goals and 0.46 goals per shot on target each game last season, which ranked him in the top 3% and 12% of Premier League strikers, respectively.

Goals

0.75

97th

Shots on target

1.34

83rd

Goals per shot on target

0.46

88th

Goal-creating actions

0.46

88th

Expected goals

0.66xG

94th

Well, Isak’s arrival could certainly rock the boat and become bad news for their marquee summer signing, Wirtz.

It has not been the fast start many might have expected for the German, with Alan Shearer claiming the Reds are “finding it difficult to get him into the game” at the moment.

This is not to say the former Bayer Leverkusen star is a bad footballer.

After all, he did score and assist 31 goals last season for the German side, and grabbed an assist on his Liverpool debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.

However, with Wirtz struggling, the potential arrival of Isak could prompt a tactical shift from Slot. The Dutchman may drop the German attacker and play both Isak and Ekitike up front together, as a pair.

In fact, this is something Liverpool’s boss mentioned in an interview earlier this month. He explained that he sees Ekitike as someone who can “play together with another No. 9”, hinting to Liverpool fans that the Frenchman could work up front with Isak.

Ekitike excels at being able to drop deep, link up play and create chances. This season, he has already created four in two Premier League games. It is easy to imagine him linking up with a finisher as deadly as Isak.

Whilst signing the Swedish star would be a huge move for the Reds, it may impact Wirtz’s game time, after what has been a disappointing start to his career on Merseyside. For Slot and Liverpool, having such a wealth of attacking options can surely only be a good thing.

FSG in talks to sign big-money "monster" who'd bench Konate at Liverpool

Liverpool’s need for a new defender was accentuated during a charged victory at St. James’ Park.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Aug 27, 2025

After missing out on Richard Rios to Benfica, West Ham United have reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive alternative who ticks several boxes for Graham Potter.

West Ham face Soucek concern

West Ham’s interest in Rios came as little surprise earlier this summer. Not only is the South American incredibly talented, but he could have also eased Potter’s Tomas Soucek concern. The Czech Republic midfielder has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium all summer long, with a reunion with David Moyes at Everton potentially on the cards, and his departure would deal West Ham a frustrating blow.

At the peak of his powers, Rios would have provided West Ham with an ideal replacement for their veteran midfielder amid speculation over his future. In the end, however, the 25-year-old couldn’t resist the chance to join Benfica in a deal worth around €30m (£26m).

So, it’s back to the drawing board for West Ham as they look to push on and add to their list of incomings, which currently includes just Daniel Cummings, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters.

After finishing as low as 14th in the Premier League last season too, the Hammers can ill-afford to get things wrong in Potter’s first full season in charge. The last thing they need is to be sucked into an unexpected relegation battle once again.

West Ham launch approach to sign £25m+ ace who outscored Wilson last season

He outperformed Wilson last season…

By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 25, 2025

With that said, reports are now suggesting that they’ve joined the battle to sign an impressive alternative to Rios this summer.

West Ham enter race to sign Deossa

As reported by Claret & Hugh, West Ham have now entered the race to sign Nelson Deossa from Monterrey after sending scouts to watch the midfield star in action. The Colombian grabbed the headlines earlier this summer when he unleashed a sensational strike against Urawa Reds at the Club World Cup and now has both West Ham and AS Roma jostling for his signature.

Monterrey are reportedly demanding just $16m (£12m) to sell Deossa this summer in what is a far cheaper deal than the £26m that Benfica paid to sign his compatriot, Rios.

Whether Deossa can replicate Rios’ ability is the big question. And to answer that query, Claret & Hugh were quick to point out that the 25-year-old would tick plenty of boxes for Potter this summer.

The South American is athletic, composed under pressure and well-rounded technically. On paper, West Ham could land a bargain deal which ensures that any Rios failure becomes an instant afterthought.

Up against Roma, who have already made contact in the race to sign Deossa, West Ham must act quickly if they want to secure their fourth arrival of the window.

As their battle with Manchester United to sign Benjamin Sesko continues, Newcastle United have reportedly initiated contact to sign a Serie A alternative this summer.

Sesko deals Newcastle fresh blow

It’s the story of their summer, but a story that is far from finished and the latest twist to the tale is that Sesko now reportedly prefers a move to Old Trafford rather than St James’ Park in the next month. For all they’ve got to offer over Manchester United these days, the RB Leipzig forward is seemingly destined to join a long list of players to turn down a move to Newcastle this summer.

It’s a list of rejections that Newcastle didn’t anticipate ahead of this summer and one which includes Hugo Ekitike, James Trafford and potentially now Sesko.

Just where the Magpies go from here is the big question. After endless rejection, those at St James’ Park will find themselves back at square one just two weeks before the Premier League campaign gets underway if Sesko joins Manchester United.

Before the impressive striker has even made his decision official, however, Newcastle have at least reportedly set their sights on some equally impressive alternatives.

Howe's own Gyokeres: Newcastle in race for "monster" £69m Sesko alternative

Newcastle want to sign a new number nine this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Jul 31, 2025

Ollie Watkins, for example, is a player now on Newcastle’s radar amid Aston Villa’s PSR problems and their own desperate need for an attacking reinforcement. What’s more, if Sesko chooses United, then the Magpies may well be out on their own in the race for Watkins’ signature in what would feel somewhat refreshing given how this summer has gone.

The Aston Villa man isn’t the only name on the shortlist, though. Alongside him, Newcastle have also reportedly set their sights on a Serie A star.

Newcastle initiate contact to sign Dovbyk

As reported by Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Newcastle have now initiated contact to sign Artem Dovbyk from AS Roma. The forward has reportedly been shown the door at the Serie A club after returning to pre-season with fitness struggles.

Available for just €38m (£33m) as a result, Newcastle have now reportedly made their first move for a player who was named in the Ballon d’Or top 30 last season.

Minutes

2,418

2,380

Goals

12

13

Assists

2

5

Expected Goals

11.9

10

When compared, it’s clear to see why Dovbyk has become an option for Newcastle. For around £40m cheaper, the Ukraine international could provide Eddie Howe with a similar level of output and another forward who outperformed his expected goals last season.

There are still some concerns to address, however. Dovbyk’s fitness struggle in pre-season, for one, should not be ignored. Then, Newcastle must decide whether splashing out on a younger option would be a smarter plan this summer even if their immediate output only matches or is even less than Dovbyk’s.

Dovbyk may have been dubbed a “great finisher” by Italian legend Daniele De Rossi, but the Roma forward has arguably reached his peak at 28 years old and Newcastle should set their sights on a striker who has the ability to eventually reach 20 goals a season.

Celtic have made a habit out of buying and developing and selling on young talent over the years, as they have made millions in profit through player trading.

The likes of Matt O’Riley, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, and Virgil van Dijk, among many others, have come and gone thanks to the club’s excellent recruitment work.

Whilst they have had success in plucking players out of top European countries, like van Dijk from the Netherlands or Dembele and O’Riley from England, they have also had success in snapping up talent from more obscure leagues.

For example, Celtic signed Kristoffer Ajer as a 17-year-old for £650k from Norwegian side Start, before they went on to sell him to Brentford for a reported fee of £13.5m.

The Hoops plucked the teenage talent up and sent him out on loan, to Kilmarnock, before integrating him into the first-team to develop into a £13.5m player, and they could repeat a similar trick with their interest in a midfielder this summer.

Celtic enquire about deal for Serbian midfielder

According to Cukaricki sporting director Vladimir Matijašević, Celtic have made contact over a potential deal to sign central midfielder Andrej Bacanin before the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “There’s significant interest in our young players, and right now the spotlight is on Andrej Bačanin’s transfer. His performances last season for both our team and the Serbian national side at youth level have drawn attention from numerous clubs.

“We’ve had enquiries from Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, and clubs like Ajax and Udinese are also interested, among others. It’s possible more options will emerge, but I expect the transfer to be completed within the next ten days.”

This shows that the Hoops are interested in the 18-year-old talent, who could arrive at Parkhead to follow a similar path to success in Scotland as Ajer.

Why Celtic should sign Andrej Bacanin

The Scottish Premiership giants should push to win the race for the teenage starlet’s signature this summer because he could be a future star for the club.

At the age of 18, Bacanin should not be expected to arrive as an immediate first-team star, as he only just made his breakthrough at senior level in Serbia in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Instead, the Serbia U19 international could follow Ajer’s path by joining another Premiership team, or a club in another country, on loan to continue his development, before making the step to Brendan Rodgers’ team further down the line.

Although he may not be ready to make an instant impact in Glasgow for Celtic, his performances in the Serbian Superliga show that he does have potential.

Appearances

17

Starts

10

Goals

1

Assists

2

Tackles per 90

2.3

Interceptions per 90

1.8

Error led to goal

0

Penalties committed

0

As you can see in the table above, Bacanin offered a screening presence in front of the back four when he played, averaging 4.1 tackles and interceptions per 90 in the division.

Meanwhile, no central midfielder for Celtic managed more than 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game, which suggests that the Serbian youngster could offer a defensive midfield option that Rodgers does not currently have.

As was the case with Ajer, though, Bacanin will need to be playing games week-in-week-out to hone his skills and develop as a player, which is why bringing the young whiz in before sending him out on loan could be a shrewd move.

The Hoops could snap him up this summer, to ensure that their rivals do not steal a march of them, before sending him away to develop and improve, with the hope that he will come back a better player who is ready to make his mark on Parkhead in the 2026/27 campaign.

He'll send Idah to the bench: Celtic lining up swoop for £7m "goal machine"

Celtic are eyeing up a deal for a striker who would send Adam Idah to the bench.

ByDan Emery Jul 18, 2025

Serbian Football Scout, who is a professional scout for MLS side Colorado Rapids, previously dubbed Bacanin a “true midfield controller”, and he could control games for Celtic in the future, if they get this deal done.

Rockets recover from back-to-back defeats with clinical 22-run win over London Spirit

ECB Media07-Aug-2024

Rashid Khan took three wickets in six balls•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images

Alex Hales wound back the clock to fire Trent Rockets back into the top three of the Hundred men’s competition with a 22-run win over London Spirit at Trent Bridge.The 35-year-old T20 World Cup winner cleared the ropes five times in a typically powerful innings of 68 from 42 balls, before Rashid Khan claimed three wickets in his first six balls to effectively ice the game, save for a couple of massive blows from Andre Russell.”The most important was pitching the ball in the areas I wanted to,” Rashid said, adding of his battle with Russell: “That’s what makes this competition beautiful: playing against the best in the world. I always enjoy such competition with the good batters and that’s true about Russell.”Rockets, who had lost their previous two games after botching run chases, posted 166 for 4 with Tom Banton and Joe Root providing hard-hitting support of their own for Hales.Hales had not passed 38 in his previous 11 innings in the competition but found his groove as the Rockets added 93 from the second 50 balls of their innings – the only moment of concern coming when Hales was temporarily felled by a Nathan Ellis beamer.Alex Hales on his way to fifty•ECB via Getty Images

Banton thrashed 36 from 25 balls to set a platform while Root’s enduring know-how ensured a strong finish to the innings with 32 from 23 balls.Afghanistan legspinner Rashid then made an immediate impact with the ball on his way to figures of 4 for 24.Spirit skipper Dan Lawrence’s attempt to attack Rashid early backfired, picking out Rovman Powell on the rope from his second ball, before Shimron Hetmyer was judged lbw on review from the next.Keaton Jennings hit 31 from 18 only to direct his normally reliable reverse sweep into the gloves of Banton as Rashid again showcased the match-defining qualities that has made him a star in white-ball competitions across the world.Russell responded by dispatching Rashid out of Trent Bridge with a mighty six that got the 10,564 fans off their feet. The Jamaican allrounder crunched another massive blow into the stands while John Turner had to be removed from the attack as a second beamer hit Russell.But just as the hosts had started to feel the pressure, Luke Wood expertly produced a slower ball that kept low and found Russell’s off stump.Matt Critchley offered some late hitting, with 37 from 30 balls, but Sam Cook closed him out and there was too much left to do as defeat left Spirit with just one win from their five games and their hopes of reaching the knockout stage all but over.

Whilst Chelsea fans won’t fully be on board with Enzo Maresca all of the time, it has been evident this season in patches that the Stamford Bridge side are showing some signs of improvement under the ex-Leicester City manager.

Indeed, under the former guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues had to stomach a sixth-place finish come the end of the 2023/24 season, with Maresca steering his team to fifth in the overall rankings at the moment with an ambition to break into the top four.

Still, it’s fair to say the West London outfit are a work in progress when contrasted with their former Premier League title-winning glories, with one new face already being lined up to join the ranks this approaching summer to enhance the Blues.

Chelsea want to sign "one of the best players in Europe"

Much of the transfer chatter surrounding Chelsea in recent weeks has revolved around two of the Premier League’s finest young players.

Indeed, reports suggest that the Blues want to sign Ipswich forward Liam Delap and Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Not just content with raiding England for the best young talent, Todd Boehly and Co may also look towards Serie A.

Indeed, as per reports from Spain, a whole host of European giants are now looking to land Como star Nico Paz, with his ex-employers in Real Madrid holding a buy-back option of £7.7m if activated this year.

This won’t deter Maresca’s men, however, who are also named as another suitor looking at the explosive attacking midfielder, alongside further interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St. Germain.

How Paz possesses shades of Lampard

Recently hailed as “one of the best young players in Europe” by football social media account SCOUTED, Chelsea will hope they can land the up-and-coming 20-year-old to boost their attacking options, away from over-relying on faces such as Cole Palmer in the number ten role.

Moreover, Paz even possesses shades of Frank Lampard’s terrifying attacking game, strutting his stuff for Cesc Fabregas’ Como, meaning the promising Spaniard could take to the Premier League well on his potential arrival.

Before going on further about Paz’s electric campaign in Italy to date, it’s worth reminding everyone how much of an attacking threat Lampard was during his celebrated Stamford Bridge stay.

The now-retired 46-year-old would go on to bag a startling 211 strikes for his much-loved Blues, adding in a further 147 assists along the way from 648 outings.

Paz will have to play out of his skin to ever reach this bumper total if a move to England came to fruition, but there are signs from his overall attacking game at Como now that he could take the Premier League by storm by picking up assists and goals aplenty.

Indeed, the slick 6 foot 1 attacker has certainly had a breakout season in the senior game after regularly showing off his quality in Madrid youth circles, leading to all this frenzied interest popping up from Chelsea and beyond.

Paz’s Serie A numbers for Como (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Paz

Games played

30

Games started

25

Goals scored

6

Assists

7

Shots*

3.1

Big chances missed

5

Big chances created

9

Total duels won*

5.4

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, some similarities to Lampard already begin to stick out from Paz’s blistering numbers for the season, with both the 20-year-old and the current Coventry City manager in his prime content at testing the opposition goalkeeper with many efforts on goal during a contest.

Moreover, Paz also has the firepower to find the back of the net and assist teammates away from merely looking lively, with 13 goal contributions tallied up from 25 Serie A starts, more than piquing the interest of Maresca and Co.

It’s that ability to find the net with regularity from midfield that evokes the most memories of Lampard, with Paz notably scoring five of his league goals over a spread of nine matches throughout the middle stages of the campaign. If he’s doing that aged 20, just imagine the numbers he could generate in his prime.

The Italian occupying the Stamford Bridge dugout will hope Paz can come in and be an instant success with the 45-year-old already getting the best out of some of the youngsters at his disposal, as seen in academy product Tyrique George netting versus Fulham last match.

Further, Lampard himself was only a wide-eyed prospect when he entered the building back in 2001, with Paz hopeful he can be a top star in the years to follow if a switch takes place.

Related Top 2% for dribbling: Chelsea now keen on signing "monstrous" £80m PL star

The Blues have registered their interest in one of the Premier League’s standout players this season.

Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 21, 2025