Tag Futebol

Celtic are currently searching for their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last month, but there have yet to be any reports that suggest that an appointment is close.

Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge at Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in the dugout, but it remains to be seen whether or not the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership will be his last outing.

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen, Cardiff’s Brian Barry-Murphy, and Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy are among the managers who have been linked with the vacant job in Glasgow.

However, no deal has been agreed with any of those candidates at the time of writing, which is why it is unclear as to whether or not O’Neill will still be in the dugout after the international break.

Whilst there is plenty of speculation over who the next manager is going to be, and understandably so, there has also been speculation over what the club could do in the January transfer window.

One player who has recently been linked with a possible move to Parkhead is Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, but it is a move that may not make too much sense for the Hoops.

Why Celtic should avoid a deal for Andy Robertson

It was recently reported that the Scotland international is ‘open’ to the idea of putting pen to paper on a pre-contract agreement with Celtic in January, which would see him sign for the club on a free transfer next summer.

The left-footed star’s contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season, opening the door to a potential exit from Liverpool, and it appears as though a move to Parkhead could be on the cards.

At face value, signing a 31-year-old star who has won two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy, on top of delivering 68 assists in 314 games for the Reds, would be a phenomenal piece of business for the Hoops.

Robertson, who assisted 12 goals in the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign (Transfermarkt), is an attack-minded left-back who would bring quality, experience, and creativity at left-back.

However, Celtic already signed Kieran Tierney, who spent six years at Arsenal, to provide those three things when they brought him back to the club earlier this year on a free transfer.

25/26 Premiership

Kieran Tierney

Percentile rank vs FBs

xG

0.67

Top 10%

Goals

1

Top 20%

xA

1.48

Top 10%

Successful crosses

13

Top 10%

Chances created

13

Top 10%

Assists

2

Top 1%

Cross accuracy

52%

Top 1%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the Scottish defender has been one of the best attack-minded full-backs in the Premiership so far this season, which shows that he has provided the expected creativity.

Tierney is three years younger than Robertson and signing another left-back who will want to play week-in-week-out and offer the same qualities may not be a logical move for the Hoops.

Meanwhile, though, the Scottish giants have been linked with another Premier League defender who would be a better signing than the Liverpool full-back.

Celtic offered chance to sign Premier League defender

According to 67HailHail, Celtic have been made aware of the potential availability of three Chelsea players ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that Deivid Washington, Raheem Sterling, and Axel Disasi are all set to move on from Stamford Bridge for the second half of the season, as they do not feature in Enzo Maresca’s plans in London.

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

67HailHail adds that there is nothing at this stage to suggest that the Hoops will definitely make a move for any of those three players, but the club have been offered the chance to swoop for the Chelsea outcasts.

Disasi is possibly the most intriguing name on the list because of the long-term injury that central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers recently sustained.

The £80k-per-week France international could come in as an even better signing than Robertson in January, if the Hoops decide to dip into the Premier League to make an addition to their defence.

Why Celtic should sign Axel Disasi

Carter-Vickers suffered an Achilles injury against Sturm Graz in the Europa League and is expected to be out of action for up to five months, which means that he may not return until March.

That has come as a big blow for the Hoops because he is the first-choice right-sided centre-back and it is has left Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, two left-footed players, as the first-choice pairing.

Whilst the Hoops have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Premiership, Scales and Trusty struggled in the 3-1 loss to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, as the hosts created four ‘big chances’ and 2.73 xG.

Therefore, bringing in a right-footed centre-back with European experience in January could make a lot of sense for Celtic with Carter-Vickers’ injury situation, which is why Disasi could be an excellent signing.

Whilst the Hoops, for the aforementioned reasons, have little need to push the boat out for Robertson, who is reportedly on £160k-per-week, the Chelsea centre-back could be worth the wages to sign him on loan to fill a glaring hole.

24/25 Champions League

Axel Disasi

Appearances

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.7

Ball recoveries per game

3.7

Dribbled past per game

0.3x

Ground duel success rate

55%

Aerial duel success rate

80%

Error led to shot, goal, or penalty

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Disasi put in a few dominant performances in the Champions League for Aston Villa on loan in the second half of last season, showing that he can compete at the top level in Europe.

The 27-year-old star also made 13 appearances in the Premier League, per Sofascore, and won 62% of his aerial duels, whilst completing 90% of his attempted passes, featuring at both right-back and centre-back.

Disasi, who was described as a “complete” and “dominant” defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also put in a performance against Manchester City last year that was heralded as the best Jamie Carragher had seen that campaign, which is further evidence of his potential to deliver high-quality performances at the top level.

The right-footed star, therefore, could be an excellent signing to fill the hole created by the injury to Carter-Vickers because the Chelsea outcast is a Premier League and Champions League-proven defender, who should be in the prime years of his career at the age of 27.

Related Dream for Maeda: 4-3-3 boss now a frontrunner to replace Rodgers at Celtic

As Celtic search for a new manager, the board’s top target is reportedly now the “frontrunner” for job and would be the dream hire for Daizen Maeda.

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 14, 2025

For whatever reason, possibly due to the volume of players signed by the Blues, Disasi has become available to the Hoops in January and they should take advantage of that, because he would be an even better signing than Robertson, based on the team’s current needs.

The defending champions have lost three in a row, leaving their hopes of a three-peat greatly diminished

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2025As far as title defences go, it’s fair to say Sunrisers Eastern Cape have gotten off to the worst possible start. They’ve slumped to their three biggest defeats in their history – their largest by runs in the tournament opener against MI Cape Town – and their two biggest by balls remaining in their losses to Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals, and thoughts of a trophy three-peat have become ever-more distant.It’s still early in SA20 2025 but the initial indications are that a significant part of the problem is in the top order, where Sunrisers have not fired. Across the three matches, their highest score by a top-three batter is Zak Crawley’s 27 against Royals, and collectively, their top three has scored 85 runs at an average of 9.44. In season 1, the top two averaged over 30 and in season 2, 22.67. There is time to build back up to that but they will need to turn things around quickly and that may start with settling on their opening pair.With Dawid Malan not part of the squad this season, Sunrisers started with Jordan Hermann and Crawley but then played against Capitals with Crawley and David Bedingham. Batting coach Russell Domingo explained that Hermann’s omission was to open up a spot for allrounder Patrick Kruger.”It was just to bring in another option. Patrick Kruger was available for the first time because he had been struggling with a cough and he is a starting player for us,” Domingo said. “David Bedingham’s obviously a quality player so we decided to give him an opportunity up the order where he’s probably best suited.”ESPNcricinfo LtdBut Bedingham has been struggling recently. Since his 59 in the Chattogram Test, he has had 12 innings across formats and been out in single figures six times. On five occasions, Bedingham has been caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slips and there may be concerns around how tight he is outside off stump.The reading is not much better for Sunrisers’s key batter Tristan Stubbs. He was their top-scorer last season but is also in a rut. Since his second-innings century in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka, Stubbs has been out in single figures five times in nine innings. His most common mode of dismissal is with deliveries in line with the stumps, when he has been late on shots and either bowled or lbw, which suggests there’s an issue with the timing of his strokes.Through Bedingham, Stubbs and captain Aiden Markram, Sunrisers will expect to score most of their runs, especially as they carry a fairly long tail. Marco Jansen’s form at No.7 is a welcome bonus though his main job is to operate as their strike bowler, another area they seem to be lacking in.Ottneil Baartman, who enjoyed a breakthrough tournament last year, missed out on the first match, returned with figures of 0 for 33 in 2.4 overs in Paarl and then took 1 for 9 at SuperSport Park. In Craig Overton and Richard Gleeson, Sunrisers have the personnel but the attack needs their batters to give them something to work with, which Markram knows. In the post-match presentation, he acknowledged lack of runs as the main concern but cited the quick turnaround between games as being one of the hurdles that can be difficult to overcome. “When you’re trying to look for form, it can be quite tough,” he said.Zak Crawley hasn’t yet fired as Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s opener•SA 20This is already a slightly different line to the one he had voiced two days ago, when Sunrisers lost to Royals. That defeat came two days after they lost to MICT in the tournament opener and Markram was asked how a team can properly address form concerns in a schedule where matches come thick and fast. His answer suggested they just have to roll with the punches.”You almost get used to dealing with things really quickly and then moving on. I don’t think you have much of a choice nowadays with the amount of cricket that we play,” he said then. “Of course, pay attention to areas that need attention but it’s really important to bank that, make notes of it and then to wake up the next day and either do something about it or play another game of cricket. From an emotional side, I think each person is quite different. I generally don’t try to get too high when things are going well and low when things aren’t going well. I try to stay consistent. Obviously, easier said than done.”That day, Markram also said his is an outfit that “are all not really good at losing” and would be able to pick themselves up quickly. Two more days have gone past and they find themselves at an even lower point.”We know we haven’t played well in these last three games and we need to make our own luck,” Domingo said. “We need to do the basics a little bit better which we’re not doing at the moment. Fortunately there’s still seven games to go. We know it’s a long competition. We haven’t started well in this competition in previous editions and managed to find our way and hopefully we can get into that sort of form, and that sort of confidence in the next couple of weeks because we’re running out of time and we need to make a play.”Sunrisers did not win either of their opening matches in season one or two but this is their third successive defeat in SA20 2025. So they’re already further behind than they have been before. That means the need to turn things around is more pressing and their attempt to do that will take place in three days’ time. They travel to Kingsmead for their next match against Durban’s Super Giants on Friday.

Manchester United have now joined the race to sign a “phenomenal” midfielder, who recently put in an impressive performance at Old Trafford.

Man Utd stepping up pursuit of new midfielder

Man United have set out to sign a new central midfielder in the January transfer window, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes is the object of their desires, with it recently being revealed the 24-year-old has said ‘yes’ to a move to Old Trafford.

INEOS are now working on a deal for the Wolves star, with David Ornstein revealing the Old Gold may choose to cash-in during the January transfer window, as his value may decrease if they are a Championship club by the time summer comes around.

The need to bring in a new central midfielder may also be exacerbated if Kobbie Mainoo moves on, with it now emerging that talks over the 20-year-old signing a contract extension have been put on hold, amid interest from reigning Serie A champions Napoli.

However, it would be understandable if Wolves were unwilling to sell Gomes, given that he has been one of their key players this season and remains contracted until 2030, and the Red Devils have now joined the race for a potential alternative.

That is according to a report from talkSPORT, which names Man United as potential suitors for Everton midfielder James Garner, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

The Toffees have little interest in sanctioning a departure, however, and have recently stepped up talks over a new contract, with Garner’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

David Moyes is personally keen to keep hold of the central midfielder, and it is no surprise, given that he recently played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Garner impresses in shock Everton win at Old Trafford

After Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for an altercation with teammate Michael Keane on Monday night, United would’ve been expecting to take all three points, but they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal of the game just before the half-an-hour mark, with Garner grabbing the assist, while also making three interceptions and one clearance to keep Ruben Amorim’s side at bay.

Man Utd have advantage over Chelsea in race for "midfield sensation" Assan Ouedraogo

He has a massive future in the game.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025

Hailed as “phenomenal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, a deal for the Englishman wouldn’t break the bank at £20m+, and he has outperformed Gomes across some key defensive statistics over the past year.

Key defensive statistics per 90 (past year)

James Garner

Joao Gomes

Interceptions

1.41 (85th percentile)

0.81 (34th percentile)

Blocks

1.41 (77th percentile)

1.31 (68th percentile)

Clearances

2.19 (80th percentile)

1.37 (40th percentile)

That said, both Garner and Gomes aren’t experienced at the highest level, and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni would perhaps be a more exciting addition to the squad, with the Spanish side’s asking price recently being revealed.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been urged to steer clear of signing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as there is too much hype around him. United are in the market for a new central midfielder either in January or more likely in the summer of 2026 after prioritising strengthening in other areas in the squad last window such as attack and goalkeeper.

Baleba and Anderson heavily linked with Man Utd

The club held initial discussions with Brighton & Hove Albion over signing Carlos Baleba but turned away from the move after disagreeing with the Seagulls' £100m ($131m) valuation. The Red Devils have more recently been linked with a move for Elliot Anderson, who has established himself as an England regular in the last three months and whose statistics put him up there with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo as the most impressive midfielders in the Premier League. 

Palace midfielder Wharton, who made his first England start last week against Albania, is another player who United are believed to be interested in. But former United striker Dwight Yorke does not think the 21-year-old is the player they should be targeting.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportYorke: Wharton not the answer

Yorke said, via "I’m not sure Adam Wharton is the answer. He's still not quite there for me yet and that's an area of concern we have to look to improve. It is a gap in this Man United team. You look at the history behind the football club in its most successful years and they always had a fantastic number six in that position.

"Casemiro has been hit and miss at times and it’s a key part of your team. You listen to all the great managers, that central area of your midfield is always so important. It’s a tough gig that one to find the right players and I think that's why they're struggling. They haven’t got that player who can set the floor of the game, as I always call it, and dictate the pace, who defends but passes the ball forwards, and can see the pass. 

"These types of players are rare which surprises me as on the face of it it’s not the most difficult job in the world but it’s the most crucial. Who I would like to see in that position more? I can’t think, honestly, because there’s too much hype around some of these players. Bring back Michael Carrick, maybe? There we go. He’d have done a job in this team!"

Casemiro future in doubt despite upturn in form

Amorim has settled on a midfield pairing of captain Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, with the Brazilian staging a stunning revival after his worrying campaign in 2023-24, when he was told by Jamie Carragher to quit elite football and wind down his career in Saudi Arabia or the United States. However, neither players are long-term options. Fernandes' contract expires in 2027 while Casemiro's is up next June. The club have the option to extend both deals by an additional year but big investment is ultimately needed to refresh their midfield and make them future Premier League title contenders.

Amorim has said he wants the club to extend Casemiro's deal and Harry Maguire's by at least one year although the Brazilian's massive wages, believed to be £350,000 per week, are an obstacle. It has been reported that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was critical of Casemiro's contract when he bought his stake in the club in 2023 given his age. The former Real Madrid lynchpin turns 34 next February and was signed in 2022 for an initial fee of £60m rising to £70m.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyUnited without Sesko for Everton test

United have drawn their last two games against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, interrupting their previous run of three consecutive wins. They will be hoping to return to winning ways at home to Everton on Monday although they will be without striker Benjamin Sesko, who is expected to be out for a month after hurting his knee in the 2-2 draw with Spurs.

Lisandro Martinez is hoping to make his first appearance of the season against Tottenham. He recently joined Argentina for training in Europe although he did not play any matches for his country. Maguire could also be back to face the Toffees. The Everton game will mark one year since Amorim's first game in charge of United against Ipswich Town.

“I think more about the team’s win than about my scores,” he says after scoring second first-class century

Daya Sagar20-Sep-2025Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batter, is now a regular in India’s Test squad. But before India A’s ongoing four-day series against Australia A, he had only one first-class century to his name, that too from December 2022, when he scored 249 against Nagaland. And – guess what? – the lack of really big scores doesn’t even bother him.”Honestly, earlier it did matter to me whether my score was 100 or 150. But now I understand that the team’s victory is more important,” Jurel said after scoring 140 in 197 balls in India A’s only innings in the drawn first game in Lucknow. “In first-class cricket, I have seven-eight (he has four) scores in the 90s, which could have been centuries.”One of them was in the Ranchi Test [against England in February 2024], where I became Player of the Match and the team won the match. Cricket is a team game, and we play cricket so that the team wins. Now I think more about the team’s win than about my scores.”Related

Padikkal and Jurel hit centuries in high-scoring draw

Pant heads to BCCI's Centre of Excellence to restart training

In Ranchi, playing only his second Test, Jurel batted at No. 7 in India’s first innings and scored 90, before scoring 39 not out in the second as India won by five wickets.Jurel, 24, first got into the India A set-up in December 2023 on the tour of South Africa. There, in the second four-day game in Benoni, he scored 69 in India A’s only innings, and was in the Test squad for India’s next home series against England. Just one-and-a-half months later, he had a Test cap to his name in Rajkot. So far, he has played five Tests – usually when Rishabh Pant hasn’t been around – including in Australia and in England, and has 255 runs and 11 dismissals to show for it.”Staying with or around the [India] team definitely gives you confidence,” he said. “I consider myself very lucky and privileged that I got the chance to play Tests for India and to be with the team. Even if you are not playing, when seniors are around. you learn so many things from them. In a country of billions, how many people get this opportunity?”

“I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead. The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself”Dhruv Jurel

Curiously, Jurel’s overall numbers with the bat have improved since he started playing Test cricket (he has also played four T20Is). Before his Test debut, Jurel averaged 46 in first-class cricket, and had one century and five half-centuries from 19 innings. Since then, his average has gone up to 54-plus, and he has one century and seven half-centuries in 18 innings. These include valuable innings for India A, and the 93 he scored for Rest of India against Mumbai in last season’s Irani Cup.”Everyone dreams of playing for India. When I got the Test cap, I realised, ‘yes, this can happen’,” Jurel said. “I come from a small city, Agra. It feels really good that I could make my parents and the people there proud. Where I come from, there wasn’t even a proper wicket. I practiced on a cement wicket. So people there should feel that no matter where you come from, you can still make it, as long as you work hard with a true heart.”India will start their home Test season next month, and play two Tests each against West Indies and South Africa. Jurel will most likely be in the squad, whether or not he gets a chance to play, which will be dependent on Pant’s fitness.”I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead,” he said. “The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself. Right now, I played a match today, and three days later, the next match [against Australia A] is there. So, I am only thinking about the next match, and only after that will I look further.”

India won their first toss in 21 ODIs, their first since the 2023 World Cup semi-final

Shubh Agarwal06-Dec-2025KL Rahul chuckled before tossing the coin up in the air in the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. When the coin landed in his favor, he gave a little fist bump before stating that India will bowl first.The chuckle and the fist bump captured India’s wretched luck with the toss. They had lost 20 tosses in a row in ODIs before this game – a statistical oddity with a mathematical probability of 1 in 1,048,576 instances.The last time India won the toss in ODIs was in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. It was 753 days ago (more than two years). Hardik Pandya was still with Gujarat Titans in the IPL at the time, Gautam Gambhir wasn’t anywhere near India’s coaching staff and India still hadn’t lost a Test series at home for over a decade. Now, eight Indian players have made their ODI debut since India last won a toss in this format.Netherlands held this unfortunate record previously. They lost 11 consecutive tosses in ODIs between March 2011 and August 2013. India were close to doubling it.Netherlands won only three ODIs during this phase, including an abandoned game and a tie. India, on the other hand, won 12 of the 20 ODIs during their dreaded streak (win percentage of 60%) alongside a tie. It includes winning the 2025 Champions Trophy undefeated despite the toss going against them every single time.India’s success rate with the toss was abysmal across formats. Since the 2023 World Cup final which started this streak, India had won the toss only 33 times in 96 completed matches.They lost 11 tosses in a row between November 2023 and January 2024. It included seven matches (two T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests) across their full tour of South Africa. Between January 31, 2025 and July 31, 2025, India went a few steps ahead, losing 15 tosses in a row, which included the England tour where they lost the toss in all five Tests.The previous record belonged to West Indies, when they lost 12 consecutive tosses across formats in 1999.In the two years prior to that (from Nov 15, 2021 until Nov 15, 2023, the semi-final against New Zealand), India won more than 50% of the tosses.