West Bromwich Albion have got off to the perfect start in their Championship season. Ryan Mason’s side have aspirations of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2021, and although they sit outside of OPTA’s top six favourites to get promoted, have won two from two so far.

The Baggies have been making moves in the transfer market, like signing Birmingham City’s captain, Krystian Bielik, as a replacement for Torbjorn Heggem.

Bielik’s arrival was joined by Man Utd youngster Toby Collyer, whose attitude behind the scenes has been impressing the gaffer.

Mason praises Collyer before Portsmouth clash

West Brom’s season-long loan deal does not include an option/obligation to buy, but perhaps it is something the board will consider working on if the early indications are anything to go by.

The defensive midfielder spoke candidly during United’s pre-season tour about his desire to get minutes this season, whether that be at United or out on loan, and although he has only been seen by Baggies fans for a few moments so far, Mason like what he’s seen.

“Good kid, humble, wants to work, wants to be part of it and you can feel that as soon as you speak to him,” he said ahead of the clash with Pompey.

“He wants to play football, loves football, and that’s super important. We want those types of people in the building who want to work, put in the work, and be part of something.”

West Brom have a real talent on their hands for the next season, and United not including a buy option is a testament to their belief in him, as while he's not Premier League quality right now, they believe he will be in the near future.

The player was also clearly eager for this move as the Manchester Evening News reported that over a dozen Championship sides had inquired about Collyer’s availability, with it coming down to West Brom and Hull in the final few days.

Hull’s interest in the player went as far as the manager, Sergej Jakirovic, speaking publicly about their interest in him: “We’re waiting now for a decision from Man United and Toby as well… he can run 12km, he’s good on the ball and he’s a bit like Joel Ndala. He has a big potential, and he has hunger and ambition, and this is what we’re searching for.”

With the amount of interest in Collyer, the player must see something at West Brom that allures him. Given the promise United see in him and his desire to be at the club, perhaps the two parties could achieve the team’s promotion ambitions.

Sanju Samson and Phil Salt will hope to get back among the runs as the series nears its climax

S Sudarshanan30-Jan-20252:30

Ten Doeschate: ‘Suryakumar a couple of shots away from regaining form’

Big picture: Series alive, using contrasting methodsThe five-match series between India and England was expected to be a high-scoring one. A battle of sixes if you will. But three games in, this hasn’t been the case, but the series has by no means been devoid of thrills.It’s 2-1 going into Friday night in Pune, and it’s the bowling attacks that have stood out, in contrasting ways. While India have stacked their side with as many as four spin options, England have primarily relied on hitting the short-of-good lengths and undoing India with high pace: Mark Wood and Jofra Archer have tried to soften up the batters in the powerplay before handing over to Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton to pound the hard lengths through the middle overs.Related

Left-right combination the reason behind Jurel batting at No. 8, says ten Doeschate

Shami back without a bang, but it's still a big deal for India

Adil Rashid's simple trick to wreck India's batting

India have fielded just the one frontline quick – Arshdeep Singh in the first two games and the returning Mohammed Shami in the third – and used every type of spin at their disposal. England have not really found a way past them, but remain alive in the series thanks to their great escape in Rajkot led by Adil Rashid, who bowled a wily spell of legspin following a last-wicket rescue act alongside Wood.With the track in Pune also likely to favour spin, Rashid could revel once again, but it will only present Varun Chakravarthy and his spin colleagues another chance to get at England’s struggling batters.Form guideIndia LWWWW
England WLLLWSanju Samson will hope he can find answers to Jofra Archer and Mark Wood•PTI

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Phil SaltLast October, Sanju Samson was given the chance to claim ownership of a top-two slot in India’s T20I line-up. And he set about it in fine fashion, scoring three centuries in five outings. One of them was in Johannesburg on a bouncy surface against the likes of Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen. But Samson hasn’t quite mastered the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in this series. He has scores of 26, 5 and 3 so far, and has tended to get dismissed while being late on his shots. This may not yet be a cause for alarm for Samson or the India team mangement, given the next T20 World Cup is a fair distance away. But runs in a game India need to win to seal the series could go a long way towards raising both Samson’s and the team’s confidence.Having given blazing starts to champions Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024, Phil Salt was expected to set the tone for England on his first tour of India since. His last international series was also a productive one, bringing him an unbeaten 103 and a 55 against West Indies in the Caribbean. But his three outings in this series have yielded 0, 4 and 5, even if he hasn’t really looked out of touch. Can Salt overturn this run of scores as England look to push the series into a decider?Team newsIndia assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Rinku Singh batted on Thursday and is fit. This could mean Dhruv Jurel misses out. India could also look at an additional seam-bowling allrounder in Shivam Dube or Ramandeep Singh instead of Washington Sundar.India (probable XI): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Washington Sundar/Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.England did not train on the eve of the match. Jamie Smith had walked off in the third T20I with a stiff calf, so there could be a straight swap with Jacob Bethell, whom he had replaced in Chennai. England could also look at giving either Wood or Archer a break and play Saqib Mahmood.England (probable XI): 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jamie Smith/Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid.Adil Rashid has enjoyed an excellent series with the ball•Associated Press

Pitch and conditionsEvenings in Maharashtra have been on the cooler side with temperature in Pune expected to be in the late teens through the duration of the game. Teams batting first have tended to win more matches at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium: 35 times in 64 men’s T20 matches. The pitch is generally a black-soil one that favours spinners. Mitchell Santner picked up 13 wickets in a Test against India in October 2024, and then the only Ranji Trophy match here this season saw spinners take 34 of 39 non-run-out wickets.Stats and trivia India’s run-rate in the middle overs (7 to 16) in T20Is since the start of January 2024 is 9.45, the best among Full-Member teams. India have picked up 30 first-over wickets in T20Is since the start of 2022, the most by any team. They’ve done this over 91 innings, which means they’ve struck in the first over almost once every three innings. England have lost the only previous T20I they’ve played in Pune, while India have won two and lost two at the venue, including their previous one against Sri Lanka in 2023. Only two of Mohammed Shami’s 24 T20I appearances, including the outing in Rajkot, have come in IndiaQuotes”Regardless of how it went, it is so happy to see him playing for India again. It’s been a long time since he has played. He has been such a performer for the team. I thought he bowled well, apart from maybe that full-toss. Nice to see him build up in training again tonight.”
“We are moving in the right direction. I am really happy with the style we are trying to play and continuing to be aggressive and taking the shots on.”

Tottenham could turn to London rivals Chelsea in search of reinforcements this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, with contact made over signing one Blues player who’s set to leave Stamford Bridge.

Spurs’ need for reinforcements before the transfer deadline on September 1 is indisputable.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Having lost club legend Son Heung-min to LAFC and James Maddison to a serious knee injury this week, with Dejan Kulusevski also still out for a “long time” too, manager Thomas Frank is in danger of entering the 2025/2026 campaign desperately short of attacking outlets.

Their need for a new forward signing has dramatically escalated in the last few days, especially following confirmation that Maddison has ruptured his ACL and requires surgery, with the Englishman now expected to miss most of the campaign.

“I think we are definitely in the market in general,” Frank said about summer transfers, in the aftermath of their 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

“Of course, when players get a long-term injury we need to look into that, but generally we are in the market, yes. Nobody feels close or far away. I’m not saying anything before there’s anything that is completely 100%.”

There isn’t exactly much urgency from Frank here as the Dane attempts to quell panic and let technical director Johan Lange do his work behind-the-scenes, but Spurs need a new attacker desperately – something he’ll be acutely aware of.

Since the announcement of Maddison’s lengthy injury lay-off, a flurry of reports have linked Spurs with a wide array of attacking options.

Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Tottenham have already had a bid rejected for Como forward Nico Paz, while it is also believed that contact was made for Man City star Jack Grealish earlier this week amid Everton’s talks for the 29-year-old (Fabrizio Romano).

Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott is another candidate to reinforce Spurs’ attacking line, but he may not be for much longer as RB Leipzig advance a move for the 22-year-old, so Lange will need to formalise the club’s interest soon.

According to Romano, Spurs are also making contingency plans in the event Richarlison leaves.

Tottenham make contact over signing Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson

The reliable reporter, via X, now claims that Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is on their shortlist of potential replacements for the Brazilian.

It isn’t just interest, either, with Romano revealing that Tottenham have made contact over signing Jackson – who’s set to be one of the next “big players” moving on in this summer’s striker domino.

The Senegalese commands a rumoured valuation of £80-£100 million, according to Sky Sports, and Daniel Levy is very unlikely at best to green-light what would be a club-record deal for Jackson considering Chelsea’s need to sell.

The Lilywhites will almost certainly look to negotiate a lower fee for him, should Richarlison leave, and they decide to move.

Jackson was actually called one of Chelsea’s most important players last season by Joe Cole, but the arrival of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap means he’ll struggle for game time next season – making a move away the best option for all parties.

تحدث الأسطورة الهولندي ماركو فان باستن، عن إقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني بمدينة ميامي في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

ووافق الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم ”يويفا”على إقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال هذا العام في ميامي بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، لتكون هذه هي أول مباراة في الليجا تلعب خارج إسبانيا.

وتبقى فقط موافقة الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم ”فيفا” على مقترح إقامة هذه المباراة في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، ليصبح الأمر رسميًا.

وأبدى فان باستن استيائه من إقامة مباراة فياريال ضد برشلونة في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كما علق على مباراة ميلان ضد كومو في بيرث والتي ستقام في دولة أستراليا.

اقرأ أيضًا | فياريال عن خوض مباراة برشلونة في ميامي: انتصار للكرة الإسبانية

وقال فان باستن، في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “لديك دوري يُلعب في إسبانيا أو إيطاليا، وفجأة تجد نفسك تلعب نفس الدوري في الجانب الآخر من العالم، ميزة اللعب على أرضك مختلفة تمامًا، إنه أمر جنوني بالنسبة لجماهيرك”.

وأكمل: “أي كوميديا ​​هذه؟ لا أفهمها حقًا، تبدو لي ضربًا من الجنون، إنها قلة امتنان لجماهيركم وبلدكم، كما أنها تُمثل فشلًا للدوري الذي يُزيف”.

وأردف مهاججم ميلان السابق: “لماذا يلعب فريق خارج أرضه وآخر لا؟ هذا ليس صحيحًا، إنه تشويه للمسابقة، ويجب إيقافه”.

وأعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” موافقته على إقامة مباراة فياريال وبرشلونة خارج إسبانيا، وستُقام المباراة في 20 ديسمبر بشكل استثنائي لتكون أول مباراة في تاريخ الدوري الإسباني تُقام خارج إسبانيا.

MatériaMais Notícias

Apesar do bom momento vivido dentro de campo, o jovem centroavante Daniel Troiano, de 18 anos, quer o time todo ligado para que o Joinville possa voltar a vencer no Catarinense sub-20. Autor de dois gols e uma assistência em seis jogos pelo JEC, Daniel é o artilheiro da equipe no seu primeiro ano como titular da categoria.

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Após um começo instável, no qual perdeu dois jogos em sequência, o clube emplacou uma sequência de quatro jogos invicto, até ser superado pela atual campeã Chapecoense no final de semana, por 2 a 1, de virada e nos acréscimos. Passado o revés, o time fez um pacto para repetir o que deu certo, buscar a classificação e o título do Estadual.

– Tivemos nossa melhor fase nesses quatro jogos invictos. Acredito que não tem segredo, estamos trabalhando cada dia mais para voltar a vencer na competição. Buscar artilharia não é uma pressão, estou trabalhando forte para quando tiver as oportunidades converter elas. É com essa sinergia que queremos chegar longe – explicou Troiano.

As últimas duas temporadas foram intensas para Daniel. O jovem atacante passou do sub-17 do Joinville ao profissional do clube e atualmente se encontra no sub-20, no qual é titular e artilheiro da equipe. Ele diz que as etapas passadas não atrapalharam seu processo de crescimento, mas o aceleraram.

– Acredito que devido ao período que treinei com o elenco profissional, consegui me adaptar bem ao embate com atletas mais experientes e isso me preparou da melhor forma para a transição do sub-17 para o sub-20 – contou.

O Joinville volta a campo pelo estadual no sábado. O Tricolor enfrenta o Hercílio Luz, fora de casa, às 15h.

Celtic may be in the market to add another centre-forward to their squad before the summer transfer window officially slams shut at the start of next month.

It is fair to say that Adam Idah has not had the best start to the Scottish Premiership season as the main number nine for Brendan Rodgers, particularly given his performance against St Mirren.

The Ireland international, as shown in the graphic above, missed three ‘big chances’ and lost the majority of his duels in the 1-0 win on the opening day.

Idah then failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen in the second match of the league season, despite starting up front once again.

The Ireland international is still looking to prove that he has what it takes to be starting number nine for Celtic this season, after being in and out of the team at points last term.

With his current struggles in mind, the Scottish giants may view their failed pursuit of Danish forward Mathias Kvistgaarden as a bit of a blunder in hindsight.

Celtic's Mathias Kvistgaarden blunder

Back in the summer of 2023, Celtic were reportedly interested in the then-21-year-old number nine from Brondby to bolster Rodgers’ options at the top end of the pitch in his first window back at the club.

They did not heavily pursue a move for him in that window, though, but were reportedly in talks with the Danish outfit in January 2024 to discuss a deal for him.

Celtic were tentatively linked with Kvistgaarden again in the summer of that year, before they reportedly made contact with Brondby once again to talk about a move for the versatile forward in January of the current year.

Despite all of those links and supposed talks, it was eventually Norwich City that landed the striker this summer for a fee of £6.9m, after they activated a little-known release clause, despite a fee of £12m having been mooted.

The post from talent scout Jacek Kulig, from before the end of last season, shows that Kvistgaarden steadily improved throughout his time with Brondby, developing into a sublime goalscorer.

24/25 Superliga	Mathias Kvistgaarden
Appearances	29
Goals	17
Minutes per goal	119
Conversion rate	22%
Big chances created	5
Assists	5
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international delivered 23 goals and assists in 29 league appearances for his former club in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he can make a consistent impact in the final third.

Whilst it remains to be seen how well he will do for Norwich, Idah’s former club, in the Championship, he does seem to be the kind of ruthless and prolific striker that the Hoops are currently lacking.

This is why missing out on a deal for him after three or four transfer windows of reportedly serious interest in him could be viewed as a blunder by the club.

Celtic, though, could avenge their howler with Kvistgaarden by winning the race to sign another reported transfer target from Brondby, Clement Bischoff.

Transfer Focus

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

The Hoops have been touted with an interest in the £6m-rated winger this summer, and they should not allow him to slip through their fingers like they did with the now-Norwich star.

Why Celtic should sign Clement Bischoff

Bischoff is an incredibly exciting young talent whom the Premiership champions should be looking to bring to Parkhead before the end of the window, if the initial report on their interest was accurate.

As explained, Celtic were interested in Kvistgaarden for multiple years and transfer windows and were unable to get a deal over the line before he exploded in the 2024/25 campaign and then went elsewhere, to the Canaries.

Bischoff has not quite had the explosive season that his former teammate had last year, yet, which is why this could be the perfect time for the Hoops to snap him up.

If they wait, as they did with Kvistgaarden after their interest in 2023 and 2024, then the Danish winger could have his breakout year this season and then become unattainable due to interest from Europe’s top leagues, or high-spending teams in the Championship like Norwich.

U23 scout Antonio Mango described him as an “explosive” and “flamboyant” star with pace and technical ability, which suggests that he has the potential to be a fan favourite at Parkhead as a forward who can get supporters off their seats with his direct play.

His form at the start of the current campaign suggests that he is starting to turn his exciting potential into consistently impressive displays, which makes him an even more attractive target for Celtic.

Clement Bischoff (Brondby)	24/25	25/26
Appearances	39	8
Key passes	51	24
Big chances created	10	5
Key passes per 90	2.0	3.8
Assists	5	2
Goals	2	1
Successful dribbles per 90	1.9	2.0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Bischoff is already showing signs of huge progression early on in the current campaign, with already half as many ‘big chances’ created as he managed in the whole of last season.

These statistics, aided by his move from left wing-back to left wing, show that he is on course to deliver far more at the top end of the pitch, in terms of goals, key passes, ‘big chances’ created, and dribbles.

This is why it is so important that the Hoops make a serious move for him in the current transfer window, because if he continues to improve at his current rate, then he may be beyond the club’s reach this time next year.

Therefore, Celtic can avenge their blunder with Brondby’s last superstar, Kvistgaarden, by paying the £6m fee that it may take to snap Bischoff up before September’s deadline to bolster Rodgers’ squad.

Celtic could land big Idah upgrade in swoop for "magnificent" £7m striker

Celtic may find a big upgrade on Adam Idah by swooping to sign this £7m-rated forward.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 14, 2025

India will face Australia in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday after they beat New Zealand by 44 runs in the final group-stage fixture at the same venue on Sunday. New Zealand, meanwhile, will travel to Lahore to meet South Africa in the second semi-final on Wednesday.Due to tangled scheduling, both Australia and South Africa had already flown to Dubai, with an ICC official saying the decision had been taken to allow the side that plays the semi-final in Dubai (Australia in this case) on March 4 the maximum time to prepare for that contest. However, it means South Africa find themselves in the sub-optimal position of having flown from Pakistan to Dubai recently, only to return to Pakistan soon after.The tangled scheduling was a result of India not playing any of their games in Pakistan for the tournament, and they were supposed to play the semi-finals in Dubai, regardless of their standings in Group A. Such a scenario became all but inevitable after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, despite the country officially being the sole host of the tournament. The PCB had spent several months trying to get India to visit Pakistan, at one stage proposing hosting all their games in Lahore. However, the BCCI said the Indian government did not grant the team permission to play cricket in Lahore.Related

• Glenn Phillips' divine intervention puts tournament rivals on notice

• SA and Australia to travel to Dubai due to tangled Champions Trophy scheduling

• Varun takes five as India top group and set up Australia showdown

New Zealand are set to take an early-morning flight to Lahore from Dubai on Monday while South Africa will fly back to Pakistan later in the day after having spent around 36 hours in Dubai.”Yeah…we will leave [Dubai] at 12.30 or 1 o’clock,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said at the post-match presentation. “We get there and we can rest up and train and be ready to go.”While Rohit Sharma was pleased with India’s showing – they are the only team with three wins in as many games in the Champions Trophy – he turned his focus to the semi-final against Australia.”I think it [momentum] is very, very critical when you’re playing such a short tournament,” Rohit said after the win against New Zealand. “You try and possibly win every game that is in front of you and try and do everything right and while doing that, there are bound to be mistakes but as long as you correct them quickly, that is what matters. I thought the mistakes that we’ve been making from game one now, we tend to correct those mistakes and that is what is required.”It [semi-final] is going to be a good game and obviously we know Australia has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well. We do understand that; it’s about what we want to do against the opposition and try and do that right. We’re all looking forward to that contest and hopefully we can stitch one [more win] towards us.”

Newcastle United have splashed the cash under PIF in recent years, welcoming a number of European stars to St James’ Park. The spending spree has also worked, with the Magpies qualifying for the Champions League back in 2023 and again in 2025, while also winning the EFL Cup.

Football FanCast takes a look at the most expensive transfers of all time for Newcastle.

Newcastle United’s most expensive signings of all time

Rank

Player

Fee

Signed from

Year

1

Nick Woltemade

£69m

Stuttgart

2025

2

Alexander Isak

£60m

Real Sociedad

2022

=3

Sandro Tonali

£55m

AC Milan

2023

=3

Anthony Elanga

£55m

Nottingham Forest

2025

=3

Yoane Wissa

£55m

Brentford

2025

6

Anthony Gordon

£45m

Everton

2023

7

Jacob Ramsey

£43m

Aston Villa

2025

=8

Joelinton

£40m

Hoffenheim

2019

=8

Bruno Guimaraes

£40m

Lyon

2022

10

Harvey Barnes

£38m

Leicester City

2023

=11

Sven Botman

£32m

Lille

2022

=11

Tino Livramento

£32m

Southampton

2023

13

Malick Thiaw

£30m

AC Milan

2025

14

Lewis Hall

£28m

Chelsea

2024

=15

Chris Wood

£25m

Burnley

2022

=15

Joe Willock

£25m

Arsenal

2022

17

Miguel Almiron

£21m

Atlanta United

2019

=18

Callum Wilson

£20m

Bournemouth

2020

=18

Odysseas Vlachodimos

£20m

Nottingham Forest

2024

20

Michael Owen

£17m

Real Madrid

2005

Detailed look at Newcastle's 10 most expensive signings… 10 Harvey Barnes £38m from Leicester City

Winger Harvey Barnes was a long-term target for the Magpies, who eventually signed him from Leicester City for £38m after the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League in 2023.

Barnes had a brilliant individual campaign but couldn’t keep the club in the top-flight, instead signing a five-year St James’ Park deal. The Englishman arrived at the club with plenty of Premier League experience during his time with Leicester and has gone on to star in black and white.

9 Bruno Guimaraes £40m from Lyon

What a signing. Sky Sports has Bruno Guimaraes’ fee at £40m in January 2022, and he was so good in his initial six month-spell that Newcastle could have sold him for double that last summer, with reports suggesting champions Manchester City could have been plotting a player-plus-cash deal to bring the midfielder to the Etihad Stadium.

Instead, they held onto the Brazilian, and that was certainly the right move. Bruno looks like one of the best midfielders in the Premier League right now and Newcastle will do well to find a better signing anytime soon.

8 Joelinton £40m from Hoffenheim

Joelinton arrived for a club-record fee from Hoffenheim as the answer to Newcastle’s goalscoring woes in the summer of 2019. The £40m they paid, per The Guardian, always looked strange as the Brazilian had only scored seven times the previous season, while the most he’d ever managed was eight.

Thus, many joked about Joelinton during his early days on Tyneside, and it appeared Newcastle had made the wrong transfer as he finished his first campaign with two goals. However, it turned out they were just using him in the wrong position. After switching to a midfield role, the player looked transformed and now that £40m fee looks like a very good deal.

7 Jacob Ramsey £43m from Aston Villa

Jacob Ramsey

6 Anthony Gordon £45m from Everton

Sky Sports say Newcastle paid £45m for Anthony Gordon, which sounded like a lot at the time. However, the winger has now justified that fee and is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

In fact, Gordon’s displays during his first full season with the Magpies resulted in him being linked with a move away from the club. Instead of leaving, though, the Englishman signed a fresh long-term Newcastle deal towards the end of 2024.

5 Yoane Wissa £55m from Brentford

On what was a dramatic deadline day in the summer of 2025, Yoane Wissa signed for Newcastle with 30 seconds to spare before the window slammed shut.

A long-term Newcastle target, Wissa pushed for a move to the Magpies from Brentford, costing £55m and taking the number 9 shirt at St James’ Park.

4 Anthony Elanga £55m from Nottingham Forest

Newcastle’s early summer signing in 2025 was Anthony Elanga, who cost £55m after an impressive few years at Nottingham Forest.

The pacey right-winger contributed to four goals in five games against the Magpies for Nottingham Forest, which may have caught PIF’s eye.

3 Sandro Tonali £55m from AC Milan

Sandro Tonali arrived in a high-profile transfer from AC Milan in 2023, however, months after Newcastle splashed the cash, the Italy international was suspended for ten months following illegal betting charges.

The midfielder returned in 2024, and since then, Magpies supporters have seen why the club were willing to spend £55m on his signature, with Tonali a regular in the starting lineup.

2 Alexander Isak £60m from Real Soceidad

The arrival of Alexander Isak was a coup for Newcastle and a true statement that they wanted to sit at the top table. The Swedish striker was one of the top young strikers on the planet and few questioned the £60m fee in 2022, as reported by the BBC.

However, the summer of 2025 changed everything between Isak and Newcastle, with the forward going on strike, looking to sign for Liverpool. He got his wish, with the Magpies recieveing a British record £125m fee for Isak from Liverpool.

1 Nick Woltemade £69m from Stuttgart

Prior to Isak’s departure, Newcastle broke their transfer record by signing young German forward Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart.

After starring at the U21 European Championships, Woltemade was linked with the likes of Bayern Munich but instead moved to St James’ Park in a deal worth £69m.

Former NZ quick suggests caution since another injury in the same spot where Bumrah has already had back surgery “could be a career-ender”

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Mar-20251:54

Bond: Transition from IPL to Tests a danger period for Bumrah

Another back injury for Jasprit Bumrah in the same spot where he had surgery “could be a career-ender” according to former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, whose career ended prematurely due to chronic back problems.Bumrah has not played since he walked off for scans on the second afternoon of the New Year’s Test in Sydney this year. What was reported as back spasms then turned to be a stress-related injury, which forced him to miss the Champions Trophy. Bumrah is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru doing rehab and there is no clarity yet on when he will be fully fit or whether he will start for Mumbai Indians (MI) at IPL 2025.This is the first time Bumrah has suffered a back injury since he had surgery in March 2023. Bond, who has worked with Bumrah in the past – he was bowling coach with MI for several years – and is currently in India as bowling coach at Rajasthan Royals, said that Bumrah’s workloads need to be managed conservatively to avoid another relapse.Related

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“When he went off for scans, it was at Sydney, there was some messaging coming up around that he had sprains and stuff like that,” Bond told ESPNcricinfo in a wide-ranging chat* during the Champions Trophy, when he was one of the experts on the analysis show Match Day. “I worried that it wasn’t going to be a sprain, it might be a bony injury around that area [the back]. I thought he may struggle to make the Champions Trophy if it was.”Bond was probably the first fast bowler, at least this century, to undergo back surgery, which he had at 29, the same age at which Bumrah had his surgery. Despite persistent injuries Bond continued to play until he was 34 before deciding to retire, first from Tests and then from all formats in less than six months. In a chat with ESPNcricinfo in 2010, Bond said, “I broke if I played few games on the bounce” in first-class cricket and he was sick and tired of doing rehab.The “danger” zone where fast bowlers suffer injuries, according to Bond, is when they quickly transition from T20 to Test cricket. And that, Bond highlighted, would be his primary concern for Bumrah too, considering India will travel to England to play five-Test series in June barely a month after the IPL ends on May 25.”Look, I think Booms will be fine, but it’s just that [workload] management [matters],” Bond said. “Looking at the tours and the schedule going forward, where are the opportunities to give him a break, but really where are the danger periods? And often it is that the [transition from] IPL to the Test championship will be a risk.Jasprit Bumrah poses with his ICC Awards for 2024•ICC/Getty Images”Anywhere you transition from particularly T20 to a Test match, it’s challenging. If you are playing a one-day series, it’s generally not too bad. You will play three games a week, you will have a practice, you are sort of in around that 40 overs [range], that’s pretty close to a Test match week anyway. But in T20, particularly in the IPL, when you might be playing three games in a week, there’s two days of travel, you might get one training [session], you are sort of bowling 20 overs maybe if you’re lucky. That’s sort of half of a Test match load or even under a half of, which then is a big jump and you are not bowling back-to-back days. That’s a big jump when you transition out of that.”India’s schedule for the England tour is a tight one with five Tests between June 28 and August 3. Bond said that India cannot give Bumrah the kind of workload he carried during the 2024-25 Australia tour, which also comprised five Tests. Overall, Bumrah bowled 151.2 overs in nine innings including 52 in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, his most in a Test match.Going forward, Bond said, he would not want Bumrah to play more than two consecutive Tests at one go.”He’s too valuable for the next World Cup and stuff. So you’d be looking at five Tests in England, I wouldn’t want to be playing him in any more than two in a row. Coming out of the back end of the IPL into a Test match is going to be a huge risk. And so how do they manage that is going to be key.

“Looking at five Tests in England, I wouldn’t want to be playing him in any more than two in a row. Coming out of the back end of the IPL into a Test match is going to be a huge risk.”Shane Bond

“They may say, look, it’s four Test matches in total. Or three. If we can get him through the English summer and he’s fit, we can probably then go with some confidence that we can carry him across the rest of the formats. So that’s hard because he is your best bowler, but if he has another injury in the same spot, that could be a career-ender, potentially, because I’m not sure you can have surgery on that spot again.”With the Indian domestic season over, the IPL is the only competitive series Bumrah can feature in before the England tour. While Bond felt the IPL “maybe touch and go” for Bumrah, he said “there will be an element of risk depending on the intensity that he’s bowling at by the time he gets back”.Bond said that it was also Bumrah’s responsibility to work in tandem with the decision-makers in Indian cricket to chart out a safe path that would help him extend his career. “So it’s going to take some good management and just some open conversations with the player and say, look, we are doing this with your best interest in your career. Any player who’s gone through that, and having myself [gone through it], you are desperate to play, but you also understand there are some risks at certain times and you have to make some compromises.”* The full interview will be published on ESPNcricinfo later this month.

Glasgow Rangers have reportedly submitted an offer worth over £1m in an attempt to sign their latest EFL star for Russell Martin.

Latest Rangers transfer news

The Gers have endured a frustrating start under Martin. After such a promising summer, which has been full of incomings, there was plenty of hopes that a new manager, new owners and a new season would result in the ultimate change. So far, however, that has been far from the case.

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He struggled in the defeat.

ByTom Cunningham Aug 14, 2025

Whilst Rangers did find a way past Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday night, it wasn’t without suffering defeat and falling back on their first-leg smashing to sneak in to the next round of Champions League qualifiers.

Outside of European football, things haven’t been much better, either. For the first time since 1989, the Scottish giants have failed to win either of their opening two league games – drawing against Motherwell and Dundee – and Martin wasted no time before airing his particular discontent about their opening day struggles.

Since his scathing review, it remains to be seen whether the former Southampton boss can tame the egos within the Rangers squad as more reinforcements potentially arrive this month.

Rangers submit opening offer to sign Charles

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Rangers have submitted an opening offer to sign Pierce Charles worth over £1m but are yet to receive a response from Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls could certainly do with such a sale amid their financial troubles, but Dejphon Chansiri’s failure to respond currently means that any deal is off the table.

Whether the Gers attempt to get a response for a second time remains to be seen. Charles’ sale would reportedly go a long way towards paying staff wages at Sheffield Wednesday, which makes it all the more frustrating for all involved at the club that neither Rangers nor West Ham United have had a reply regarding their offers.

What’s more, it’s easy to see why clubs like Rangers and West Ham are interested in Charles. At just 20 years old, Charles forced his way into Sheffield Wednesday’s plans last season and earned the praise of former boss Danny Rohl, who said: “We have two young, good goalkeepers.

“We have James Beadle who deserves a lot of credit since he arrived last year in the relegation fight, he helped us to get a lot of points. On the other side we have our own goalkeeper with Pierce, who has worked very hard. He is now the number one for his national team and has improved a lot – he deserved it as well.”