Sussex 528 and 126 for 3 (Haines 34, Hughes 33, Yates 2-29) lead Warwickshire 454 (Yates 115, Barnard 82, Davies 66, Mousley 63) by 200 runsWarwickshire and Sussex appear destined to start their Rothesay County Championship Division One season with a draw after three sun and run-soaked days at Edgbaston.Sussex closed the third day on 126 for 3 in their second innings, 200 ahead overall, having taken a first innings lead of 74. It is a solid advantage but taking ten wickets quickly on the final day on a pitch offering some turn but which remains batter-friendly would require something special from the bowlers.The match was pretty much consigned to a draw on the third afternoon when Warwickshire, replying to 528, reached 379 to avoid the follow on. They went on to total 454 thanks to Rob Yates with 115 off 159 balls and half-centuries to Ed Barnard, Alex Davies and Dan Mousley. Jack Carson took 4 for 92, a highly commendable effort in the excellent batting conditions.Sussex have a significant lead but, in such conditions, a last-day declaration would have to be very carefully judged as a run-chase would heavily favour the batting side.After Warwickshire resumed on the third morning on 223 for 3, Sussex struck early. Ollie Robinson needs to fire early this season to advance his case for an England recall and he has started strongly in this match with several hostile spells in conditions favouring the bat. He removed the well-set Yates with the 21st ball of the day, a perfectly-pitched leg-cutter which was edged behind.Robinson then unfurled another fine ball which Mousley, still to score, edged to slip, but Tom Alsop grassed the catch. Less impressive was his next wicket-taking ball – a full toss which Ethan Bamber belted straight to midwicket.At 252 for 5, still 127 short of the follow on, Warwickshire needed steadying and Mousley and Barnard provided the necessary stability with a stand of 124 in 32 overs. Mousley exploited his early reprieve to bat attractively but departed furious at himself for missing a sweep at Carson and falling lbw. Barnard struck seven fours and two sixes in an increasingly fluent innings before he fell lbw to a fine ball from Danny Lamb.Kai Smith’s punchy 27 from 32 balls ended when he lifted Carson to long on and Michael Booth fell in similar fashion after Tazeem Ali edged Lamb to second slip.Sussex were left with a session to bat and they spent it enhancing their lead in less than scintillating fashion for the loss of three wickets to the spinners. Yates added two wickets to his earlier century as he had Daniel Hughes caught at slip and Tom Haines lbw, half-forward.Tom Clark offered no shot to a sharply turning ball from Tazeem and was adjudged lbw. The degree of turn in that last dismissal offers some hope of purposeful cricket tomorrow but it will take some monumentally good or careless cricket for this match to yield a winner and a loser.

Chandrakant Pandit clarified that the franchise is currently not in control of preparing pitches at Eden Gardens

Vishal Dikshit30-Mar-2025Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit has batted for favourable home conditions in the IPL, while also clarifying that currently, the franchise is not in control of preparing the pitches at their home ground Eden Gardens.Even though KKR have played only two games so far in IPL 2025, they started with an opening loss at home, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), before winning the away fixture against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati.Within the first ten days of the tournament, there have been a few captains and support-staff members who have spoken about the home conditions the franchises get – whether favourable or not – as only five out of the ten games have been won by the home teams so far.Related

Slow-starters MI eye first points as they face KKR at home

Sunil Narine fit to play against Mumbai Indians on Monday

Fleming: 'No home advantage at Chepauk'

Thakur on high-scoring pitches: 'All bowlers want is a fair chance'

“Who will not be happy about that? I mean, this is a simple answer,” Pandit replied when asked if all IPL teams should be allowed to have a say in conditions for the seven home matches out of a total of 14 they play before the playoffs.KKR now play Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, before back-to-back home fixtures against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants at Eden. When asked specifically about who decides the nature of pitches in Kolkata, Pandit said: “See, as a coach, as a team management, whatever the surface has been provided to us, we play. The control, of course, that will be under [the] curator. And at this moment, the focus is definitely going to be on the next game tomorrow which we are playing [against MI].”Pandit was pressed again at the press conference about who calls the shots when it comes to deciding pitches in Kolkata. Was the KKR franchise in charge of everything at the ground?”No. In charge of everything at the ground… I don’t know. That doesn’t mean that they [the franchises] have a control of preparing wickets. I mean, ultimately, I don’t know what is the system in different states or different grounds, whether the control is with the franchise. But, at the moment, what I understand is the surface which is given to us, as a team management, as a coach, as a captain, probably we expect something [helpful] to be provided. So, that’s all.”2:12

Fleming: We haven’t been able to read the Chepauk pitches

The talk around the lack of helpful home conditions stirred up after KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane had said after their loss to RCB that they “would love to see the pitch helping our spin bowlers”. KKR bank heavily on their spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, who picked only a wicket each while trying to defend 174, as RCB won with 22 balls and seven wickets to spare. In reply to this, the Eden Gardens chief curator Sujan Mukherjee had said that as per the BCCI guidelines, franchises and players do not have “any say” in the preparation of pitches.”As per the BCCI guidelines, it is clearly mentioned that the pitch and ground preparation for all IPL regular season matches is the responsibility of the chief curator of the host association under the guidance from the BCCI-appointed venue curator, and they will be the sole decision-maker regarding the nomination of practice and match pitches, as is the case for first-class matches in India,” Mukherjee told RevSportz. “It is also instructed that the franchises and players shall not have any say in the preparation of the wicket. The BCCI chief curator is available to give any advice that is required, and will also be able to intervene if any issues arise.”Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming was a lot more scathing in a feisty press conference after their biggest home loss in the IPL, against RCB by 50 runs. Fleming said they had “no home advantage at Chepauk” anymore.

“Mumbai have been preparing themselves by playing on a red [soil] surface. It was a deliberate effort from our side [to prepare that pitch]. We wanted to play on black soil. It’s stopping a bit, and it’s slightly stickier to start with”GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel on the pitch on which they hosted Mumbai Indians

CSK have been known to stack their squad with spinners at the auction to make the most of the traditionally slow and turning tracks in Chennai. But their second home game of this IPL was more helpful for pace bowlers, proven by the RCB quicks Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning combined figures of 10-0-59-6.”Well, as we’ve been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk,” Fleming said. “We’ve won away from home a couple of times. And we haven’t been able to read… we’ve been really honest with you. We haven’t been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. So it’s not new. We are trying to come to grips each day with what we get, and we don’t know. We’re having to work really hard to try and understand what the nature of each pitch is, and it’s quite different.”Gujarat Titans’ home victory against Mumbai Indians on Saturday was a rare occasion in this IPL so far when someone from the team management said publicly that they had asked for a particular kind of pitch to make things difficult for the visiting team.”Mumbai have been preparing themselves by playing on a red [soil] surface. It was a deliberate effort from our side [to prepare that pitch],” GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel had said during an in-game interview with the commentators during the match. “We wanted to play on black soil. It’s stopping a bit, and it’s slightly stickier to start with.”The GT fast bowlers made the most of the conditions by taking the pace off the bowling especially while bowling to the MI middle and lower orders in a chase of 197, and got them a 36-run win.

The United States pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the U20 World Cup group stage, stunning one of the tournament's favorites in a 3-0 win over France. Real Salt Lake’s Zavier Gozo opened the scoring in the 85th minute, and Brooklyn Raines and Marcos Zambrano-Delgado followed with late goals to seal the victory for the U.S.

AFPStatement win

It was the U.S. squad's first win against France at the U20 World Cup since 2019, where they beat Les Blues 3-2 in the Round of 16.  After a tightly-contested first half, the U.S. got more aggressive in creating chances in the second half.

Parma midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, who scored a hat-trick in the team's opening match against New Caledonia, had a chance blocked early in the second half, and from there, momentum continued to build toward Marko Mitrovic's team. Gozo got the breakthrough as he headed a cross from Luke Brennan.

Then three minutes later, Gozo would get an assist of his own, teeing up Raines for the team's second goal in the 88th minute. Zambrano-Delgado got the game's final goal, scoring off a rebound two minutes into extra-time. 

AdvertisementAFPOn to the knockouts

The win secured a place in the knockout stages for the Americans. In the 2023, 2019, 2017, and 2015 tournaments, the U.S. had their journeys end in the quarterfinals. 

MLS influence

Both Gozo and Zambrano-Delgado are members of Real Salt Lake, while Brooklyn Raines plays for the Houston Dynamo. The trio  scored their first goals of the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.

The U.S. now has nine different goal scorers through two matches, setting a team record for most goalscorers at the tournament. The previous mark was eight, achieved at the 2023 U20 World Cup in Argentina.

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Having France's number

Despite France's track record of producing elite young stars, the Americans have a strong record against them in this tournament. The U.S. improved to 2W-0L-1D in three all-time meetings with France at the U20 World Cup.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Everton are expected to make big progress in their efforts to sign a priority target in the “next 24 hours”.

Grealish delighted after impressive Everton debut

The Blues made a perfect start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, beating Brighton 2-0, thanks to goals from Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner.

It was debutant Jack Grealish who caught the eye the most, however, with the Englishman assisting both goals and speaking of his happiness after the game.

“It was massive, our first game at the new stadium and we wanted to put on a show for the supporters. I think we certainly did that. I always say playing against Brighton is one of the toughest games with the way they play, so we’re very happy to get the win. It was great.

“I absolutely loved my time at Man City – I had a great four years there and won a lot of things, but this summer I felt like it was time for a change and, as I’ve said before, as soon as I spoke to the manager, David Moyes, on FaceTime, I knew this was the place I wanted to come. There were a lot of reasons why I wanted to come here – and today shows why.”

It was a huge win for Everton, especially after the defeat at Leeds United to begin their 2025/26 season, and it’s now a case of them completing more transfer business before the window closes next Monday, with David Moyes proving he can get the best out of limited squad depth during his tenure so far.

Everton closing in on "world-class talent"

According to Romano on X, Everton are on the verge of signing Tyler Dibling after a breakthrough in the deal, with a medical expected to take place imminently.

Dibling has the potential to be such an exciting signing for Everton, during a summer in which much-needed creativity has been added to the squad, from Grealish to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

England Under-21s

2

0

England Under-19s

6

1

England Under-18s

5

0

England Under-17s

15

3

England Under-16s

1

1

The 19-year-old Saints ace is a player with so much ability, invariably taking a right-sided role and cutting onto his left foot, with Southampton’s academy manager Andy Goldie heaping praise on him.

While Grealish is another exciting addition, he turns 30 next month and doesn’t represent the long-term future, whereas Dibling falls into that bracket perfectly.

The teenage attacker can mature into a wonderful player over time, should Moyes get the best out of him, and it looks like a case of when the deal is announced now, rather than if.

There is no getting away from the fact that Chelsea have not had the start to the season they would’ve been hoping for.

Enzo Maresca’s side lost their opening game of their Champions League campaign, and with their defeat against Manchester United on Saturday, they have amassed just eight points in the Premier League.

Fortunately, the Blues’ League Cup clash away to Lincoln City tonight provides them with a chance to bounce back with a convincing and entertaining win.

With that said, the manager should also use it as an opportunity to play some of the younger players in the squad, like Estevao and another Cobham product.

The Chelsea youngsters who should start with Estevao

Starting from the back, tonight’s game surely gives Maresca the perfect opportunity to hand Jorrel Hato another competitive start in Blue.

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

The Dutchman may still only be a teenager, but he’s already got an enormous amount of experience, making 111 appearances for Ajax before leaving this summer.

Moving into the middle of the park, the manager should bring Andrey Santos into the team from the start.

The young Brazilian was brought on in the 21st minute for the West Londoners on Saturday, and all things considered, did rather well, completing 100% of his dribbles, completing 51 passes and earning a 7/10 match rating from the Standard’s Simon Collings.

Then, when it comes to the wide players, one of them has to be Estevao, who was taken off early at Old Trafford due to Robert Sanchez’s ridiculous red card.

The dynamic attacker might not have scored his first competitive goal for the club yet, but he provided a brilliant assist in the game against West Ham United and has generally looked a threat whenever he’s been on the pitch.

However, he’s not the only youngster who should be given the chance in attack tonight.

The Cobham ace who should start vs Lincoln

While every game is important for Chelsea, especially in cup competitions, the level of tonight’s opposition provides the club with an opportunity to give some academy talent a proper runout.

In The Pipeline

Therefore, Maresca should bring Shumaira Mheuka back into the squad, and not only that, but hand him what would be just his second start.

Yes, the young Englishman did get a few runouts in the first team last season, including a start against FC Copenhagen, but given his age, it would have been unfair to expect too much of him.

So with that said, why should he come back into the team tonight?

Well, simply put, because he is on fire this season.

For example, in just six appearances, totalling 523 minutes, the Birmingham-born goal machine has put the ball in the back of the net seven times for the youth sides.

In other words, the 17-year-old gem is averaging 1.16 goals every game this season, or one every 74.71, which makes it easy to see where talent scout Jacek Kulig is coming from when he describes him as “the next big thing from Cobham!”

Finally, it’s not just at club level where the youngster is flying, as in 16 appearances for England’s U19s, totalling 970 minutes, he has scored eight goals and provided three assists.

Ultimately, given the level of the opposition tonight and his recent form, Maresca should look to start Mheuka for Chelsea against Lincoln City.

Chelsea ready to open agent talks to sign "spectacular" £61m Arsenal target

The Blues are preparing to make a move for a new forward, who is also being targeted by the Gunners.

ByDominic Lund Sep 22, 2025

And that was all she wrote. Another transfer window done and dusted, and despite some late-stage drama, Liverpool must be rather pleased with their market activity over the past couple of months.

With the clock winding down on deadline day, Liverpool felt they were honing in on a statement signing for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, but Oliver Glasner had other ideas, refusing to subscribe to the sale of his star defender without an adequate replacement welcomed to Selhurst Park.

Guehi, 25, had completed his medical in FSG’s London complex, and the submission of a dealsheet was all that stood in the way of his move to Merseyside.

It’s a blow, for Guehi is one of the finest centre-halves in the Premier League, but Arne Slot still has top-class options in the position, with sporting director Richard Hughes having warded off interest in Joe Gomez and signed Giovanni Leoni, 18, from Parma for £30m.

And though Liverpool missed out with that one, their lob certainly didn’t fall wide of the mark in regard to Alexander Isak, who is very much a member of the Premier League pace-setters.

Why Liverpool signed Alexander Isak

Liverpool did it. After receiving the fondest of farewells at St. James’ Park, Liverpool welcomed Isak from Newcastle United for a British record £125m fee.

It’s certainly been one of the most unsavoury transfer sagas in recent memory, but Liverpool and FSG and the supporters won’t care a jot, not now that they have welcomed a player who pundit Jamie Carragher hailed as “the best striker in the Premier League” last season.

The 25-year-old scored 27 goals across all competitions and landed the winning strike as Newcastle beat Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup in March, instrumental in guiding Eddie Howe’s side back into the Champions League.

Liverpool might have already signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m deal this summer, but Isak gives Slot the complete set in the final third, a clinical striker and skilled in linking up with his teammates.

Exciting times ahead for the Anfield side, not least because Isak will find an almighty bunch of players to combine with, the likes of Mohamed Salah and co.

And, of course, German playmaker Florian Wirtz, whose record-breaking £116m transfer fee lasted all of two months.

Liverpool have hit the jackpot on Florian Wirtz

In May, transfer rumours concerning Wirtz began to intensify. Manchester City and Bayern Munich joined Liverpool in a race for the 22-year-old, and it was Slot’s side who secured the prized signature, underscoring a shift in the European power rankings.

Wirtz hasn’t had the most electrifying start to life in England, playing a neat assist for Ekitike in the Community Shield but yet to register a goal contribution across three Premier League fixtures. Still, his world-class potential is undeniable, hailed by sports media professional Cristian Nyari as a “truly generational talent”.

Former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has even called him “the best midfielder in the world” for his efforts in his homeland, winning the 2023/24 Bundesliga Player of the Season after playing a talismanic part in winning the top flight undefeated in Xabi Alonso’s system.

Wirtz at Leverkusen (all comps)
Season	Apps	Goals (Assists)
24/25	45	16 (15)
23/24	49	18 (20)
22/23	25	4 (8)
21/22	31	10 (14)
20/21	38	8 (8)
19/20	9	1 (0)
Stats via Transfermarkt

Wirtz has much still to give, but there’s little question that he has what it takes to become the defining player of the era ahead at Liverpool, perhaps even more so than a superstar striker such as Isak.

FBref’s data delineates Wirtz’s wide range of quality, as he ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and progressive passes, the top 4% for through ball and successful take-ons, and the top 11% for assists per 90.

Slot has proven himself over the past 12 months at Liverpool to be one of the most tactically astute coaches in the business, and there’s every faith that he will fashion Wirtz into one of the biggest hitters the Reds have seen.

His market value certainly attests to that.

Wirtz was Liverpool’s record signing until Isak came along, but CIES Football Observatory values actually demonstrate that the German is regarded as having a higher ceiling, boasting a market figure of as high as £152m.

Isak, while still regarded as one of the most lucrative players in the game, amid his £125m move, comes in at a peak value of £100m. Given that the Sweden forward has already enjoyed three years on Premier League pitches, scoring at a clinical rate throughout, it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that Wirtz might prove to be the cream of the crop after settling into life in a new sphere.

Even without lighting up the Premier League over these first few weeks, Wirtz has showcased an underlying tenacity and robustness, with Sofascore recording that he has won 55% of his ground duels and averaged 1.7 tackles per game.

The goals will come, and the assists too. Of course, when working behind a focal outlet such as Isak, there’s sure to be plenty of optimism around Wirtz’s capacity to dazzle, his creative skill feeding through to the world-class goalscorer.

Market Movers

In any case, what really matters is Liverpool have landed two of the finest footballers in the game, and Slot now has all that he needs to make it a season for the ages on Merseyside.

Now worth more than Isak: Liverpool wanted to sign "one of the best in the world"

With Alexander Isak joining Liverpool for £125m on deadline day, do the Reds rue missing out on “one of the best players in the world” worth more?

By
Ben Gray

Sep 2, 2025

Shadman Islam’s second Test century set a strong platform as Bangladesh went into a 64-run lead over Zimbabwe, with three wickets in hand, on the second day of the Chattogram Test. A flurry of late wickets, however, helped Zimbabwe stay in the hunt. Bangladesh headed into stumps with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam batting on 16 and 5 respectively.Debutant Zimbabwe legspinner Vincent Masekesa took three wickets, while Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza and Brian Bennett took one each.Bangladesh openers Anamul Haque and Shadman put together an enterprising stand, after Zimbabwe were bowled out on their overnight score of 227, with No. 11 Muzarabani lasting just one ball in the morning session. Shadman got off the blocks with a flurry of boundaries, which included couple of serene straight drives. He also struck the ball well through the covers, while Anamul, playing his first Test in more than two years, seemed to focus on reading the pace of the pitch. He struck four boundaries in the day’s first session, as the pair reached the century stand shortly before lunch.Muzarabani ended Zimbabwe’s wait for a wicket soon after lunch when he trapped Anamul lbw with a full delivery that held its line to beat the right-hander. Anamul made 39 off 80 balls and added 118 with Shadman for the first wicket. Shadman and Mominul Haque continued Bangladesh’s solidity with a 76-run second-wicket stand. Mominul struck a straight six among his three boundaries in his 33 off 64 balls, before hitting one straight to Ben Curran at deep midwicket.Brian Bennett ended Shadman Islam’s stay•MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty

Zimbabwe got another next ball when Brian Bennett trapped Shadman lbw for 120 off 181 balls. Shadman looked in control during the second session too, hitting a further seven boundaries including a six. Interestingly, it was only the second six in Shadman’s Test career.Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto deposited Bennett for a six each on either side of the tea break. Mushfiqur struck Bennett for two more fours in his next over, before he struck Masakadza for two fours, through backward point and with a slog sweep. Shanto clattered a pull against Richard Ngarava but fell shortly afterwards. Shanto gave Nick Welch a simple catch at short midwicket, handing Masekesa his first Test wicket.He added a second when he had Jaker Ali caught and bowled for 5 in the 75th over. Soon Mushfiqur was run-out after a misjudgement. He hared out of the crease after hitting Masekesa for a single towards mid-on. Wessly Madhevere threw down the stumps, with Mushfiqur well short of the non-striker’s end. Nayeem Hasan became Masekesa’s third victim when he edged to Sean Williams at second slip, after making three off 23 balls.

Jude and Jobe Bellingham face a potentially unwelcome distraction away from the field, with the Daily Mail reporting that their parents have parted ways. It is claimed that Mark and Denise Bellingham have separated, having spent much of the last five years living apart as their time has been split between England, Germany and Spain – as they helped Jude and Jobe to thrive at club level. It is claimed that Mark is “growing close” to another woman.

• Getty
  

  Split reports & splitting time between different countries

  Police sergeant Mark and Denise, who previously worked in human resources, are said to be bringing a marriage that has spanned more than two decades to a close. They gave up their own careers in order to further those of Jude and Jobe. The pair are credited with having masterminded meteoric rises that now have the Bellingham brothers on the books of European heavyweights Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – having both stepped out of the academy system at Birmingham City in their native West Midlands.

  Rumours of a split began to surface when Mark and Denise were spotted sitting apart when watching Jobe in Champions League action against Athletic Club. German media outlets reported at the time how there was a supposedly “dangerously tense atmosphere” in the Bellingham camp – with Mark only talking to a close family member during the match.

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• New partner for Mark & concerns regarding Jobe

  The now cites sources as having “confirmed that Mark has grown close to Shelley Punshon, a detective constable in the West Mercia police”. Ms Punshon has posted a picture on Facebook of the pair looking comfortable in one another’s company, with one comment reading: “Lovely couple”. Punshon has also stated that they are “off to Santorini soon”, with a Greek getaway being hinted at.

  News of an uncoupling is unlikely to have come as a surprise to Jude and Jobe, as they will be fully aware of family dynamics, but they could do without any distractions at present – with the former being left out of the latest England squad as he continues to make a full recovery from shoulder surgery, while the latter has been struggling for starts at Dortmund.

  The claims to have been told by sources in Germany that “concern is increasing within the club at the impact the domestic troubles in the Bellingham family are having on Jobe, who is said to be particularly close to Denise”.

  The insider said: “It's obvious to the management that Jobe is struggling with personal matters. He has struggled to make friends in the team, rarely goes out socialising in Dortmund and spends most of his time in his house alone. The atmosphere and tension in the family is affecting his performances on the pitch. At the recent match his parents attended they came and left alone and didn't speak once. There are worries that Jobe feels very insecure and pressurised by what is going on.”

• Getty/GOAL
  

  Roles that Mark & Denise fill for Jude & Jobe Bellingham

  Mark Bellingham courted controversy in August when confronting Dortmund officials after Jobe had been replaced at half-time in a Bundesliga season opener. Friends and family are now said to be banned from the tunnel and dressing room area.

  Mark acts as an agent for Jude and Jobe, helping to negotiate transfers, salary packages and sponsorship deals. He was once a decent amateur footballer himself, netting more than 700 career goals across spells with 20 different clubs between 1994 and the late 2010s.

  Denise, meanwhile, handles financial affairs for her sons. She is joint-director of several companies set up alongside Mark. It remains to be seen how business affairs will work in the wake of a reported split.

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• What next for the Bellinghams? Club & international commitments

  Both Jude and Jobe have spoken glowingly of their parents down the years, with the role that they have played in helping to maximise undoubted potential being talked up. They must now try to ensure that focus remains locked on professional matters – with Jobe in the latest England U21 squad while Jude is counting down the days to a return to action with Real Madrid against Getafe on October 19.

Despite getting back to winning ways against Hibernian, Rangers’ summer recruitment has once again come under fire after a focus on youth over experience, with former Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart not impressed by 49ers Enterprises so far.

Martin "grateful" for Rangers victory

Several rumours suggested that another poor result against Hibs would spell the end of Russell Martin’s Rangers tenure. The former Southampton manager has endured a disastrous few months in Scotland and felt the full force of Ibrox’s frustration last time out in the Scottish Premiership when fans called for his dismissal. One week on, however, Martin’s finally got the Gers back to winning ways.

There would have been a feeling of relief this time around Ibrox, as Rangers eased past Hibs and into the last four of the Scottish League Cup. Martin, likely among those relieved, expressed his gratitude after his side handed his tenure a glimmer of hope.

The Rangers boss told reporters: “I think I enjoyed it more than any other game this season – maybe the Plzen on. Just really pleased, really grateful. The players and the staff stuck together this week.

“Not easy circumstances, but it was a really good performance – a lot of good stuff against a good team and maybe could have scored a couple more.

“It was never going to be easy. We should have been better than we are and have been, but hopefully today they would have enjoyed the way we did it. I enjoyed the performance. It looked way more like the way I hope we are going to be. I thought the fans were brilliant, and I hope that, in time, they feel differently about me than they do now.”

Related Rangers must rue losing their own homegrown Bukayo Saka for £0

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There is still a lot more work to do though. Martin and others will be well aware that one victory does not solve the problems that the Gers have. It also doesn’t end the criticism that is still falling the way of the 49ers.

Stewart doesn't "understand" Rangers' recruitment decision

It was all change at Rangers in the summer. A total of 14 players arrived and only a handful – if that – have managed to impress at Ibrox. It has so far reflected incredibly poorly on the 49ers’ first summer at the club and Stewart has been particularly confused by their decision to sign Mikey Moore over the more proven Vaclav Cerny.

Stewart’s not wrong, either. Cerny enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Rangers last season – scoring 18 goals and assisting another nine in all competitions – but will ultimately go down as another one that got away. Moore, by comparison, has so far played 327 minutes for the Gers but is yet to find the back of the net.

In what could see them finally get one over on Real Madrid, Liverpool could yet hijack the Spanish giants’ move to sign an England international when 2026 arrives.

Slot slams "stupid" Ekitike red card

Away from potential incomings, it was one of Liverpool’s summer signings who stole the headlines for the wrong reasons against Southampton. After emerging from the bench, Hugo Ekitike was perfectly placed to score another late winner for Liverpool as they edged past the Saints in the Carabao Cup.

For a brief moment, the Frenchman was the hero of the hour. And then he continued his celebration by replicating Lionel Messi’s famous shirt celebration to receive his second yellow card and subsequent red card in the 86th minute. It’s a moment that he won’t be forgetting anytime soon and one that Arne Slot slammed in his post-match reaction.

The Dutchman told reporters: “I told him if you score in a Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it into the top corner I can maybe understand that you are like ‘this is all about me’.

“I’m old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old and I haven’t played at this level but I did score a few goals and if I had scored a goal like this I would have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said this goal is all about you, not about me. “So needless, not smart, you call it stupid, I call it stupid as well.”

"Really difficult" – £150k-p/w Liverpool star admits he wasn't at "level" Slot wanted

The player is feeling much better now.

ByCharlie Smith Sep 24, 2025

It’s fair to say that the manager didn’t hold back when sharing his true feelings, but that’s the type of mistake that cannot happen at Europe’s top clubs. It’s the type of mentality that attracts players in the first place and the type that is now reportedly tempting a Real Madrid target.

Jarrad Branthwaite tempted by Liverpool move

As reported by Caught Offside, Jarrad Branthwaite is now tempted by a move to Liverpool and Manchester United, which could yet see him reject the chance to join Real Madrid in 2026. The Spanish club have admired the England defender from afar, but could see any potential move hijacked by Premier League opposition.

Speaking about Branthwaite’s desire to join a big club, Caught Offside’s Mark Brus wrote: “Everton have sometimes had to sell their star names to bigger clubs, though they’ll obviously hope to be able to keep Branthwaite for as long as possible. As per my sources, though, it’s well established that the talented young Englishman has the desire to play for a top club.”

Brus also claimed that Man United are expected to submit an offer worth as much as £60m to sign Branthwaite in 2026. Whether Everton deem that worthy of selling their star man or Liverpool decide to match that price is the big question.

It would certainly steal the headlines if one of the Toffees’ most important players jumped ship to Anfield.