Lamine Yamal made a dazzling return from injury as Barcelona came from behind to beat Real Sociedad 2-1, with the teenage winger providing an assist just one minute after coming on. While La Real head coach Sergio Francisco called him 'the best in the world', Barca boss Hansi Flick insisted Yamal isn't the only Ballon d'Or contender at the Catalan club.
Yamal wins tight game for Barcelona with 32-minute cameo
Real Sociedad stunned the home crowd at the Estadi Olimpic by taking an early lead through Alvaro Odriozola before Jules Kounde headed Barcelona level just before half-time. Yamal entered the match in the 58th minute and immediately created the winner, crossing for Robert Lewandowski to score his fourth goal of the season. The 18-year-old’s cameo came just days after he finished second behind Ousmane Dembele in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
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Flick happy with Yamal but claims Barca have multiple Ballon d'Or candidates
Speaking after the game, Flick praised Yamal’s impact but reminded everyone that Barcelona’s squad is filled with world-class talent. "I am happy to have him back, we all are," he told reporters. "He showed directly the outstanding strength he has – to create chances, to give the last pass. It's good to have him back."
Reflecting on Yamal finishing second to Dembele in the Ballon d’Or, Flick added: "It’s a decision we cannot change, but Lamine has another chance next year. He will try to get it. For every player, it's a big thing to be one of these guys who can win this trophy. And of course, we have a lot of players in this team who can win this trophy."
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Yamal draws big praise from Real Sociedad boss
Real Sociedad boss Francisco couldn’t help but shower Yamal with praise after witnessing his game-changing appearance. He said: "Lamine's presence on the pitch alone is a threat. It is so difficult to stop him, even bringing on fresh players from the bench to defend him. He showed again that he is most likely the best in the world."
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Barcelona go top of La Liga with comeback win
Barcelona’s comeback sends them back to the top of La Liga after Real Madrid’s 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico. Flick will be hoping Yamal’s fitness holds as the club balances domestic and European commitments. The teenager is fit for the clash against Dembele's Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, however, will not have the chance to face the Frenchman, who is out with an injury.
Jose Mourinho is reportedly in advanced talks to take the reins at Benfica after the Portuguese club sacked manager Bruno Lage in the aftermath of their humiliating Champions League defeat to Qarabag FK. The Liga Portugal giants blew a two-goal lead on their way to a 3-2 defeat in their Champions League opener at home on Tuesday. Lage was immediately relieved of his duties after the game.
Mourinho close to joining Benfica
According to , Mourinho is open to signing with Benfica as he eyes an immediate return to management following his recent exit from Fenerbahce. The Portuguese club have already approached the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss and are now in advanced talks to appoint him as their new head coach.
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Lage shown the door after embarrassing loss
Lage was immediately dismissed after seeing his Benfica team become the first club to lose against an Azerbaijan team in the Champions League. Qarabag found themselves two goals down inside 20 minutes, but they staged an epic comeback. It started with Leandro Andrade's 30th-minute goal, which brought the visitors back into the match. Camilo Duran then scored the equaliser shortly after the game resumed in the second half, before Oleksiy Kashchuk netted the winning goal. Benfica were quick to announce Lage's departure after the loss as the manager's second stint at the club lasted just over a year.
Benfica want a "winning coach"
Benfica president Rui Costa announced Lage's departure in a press conference, where he was directly asked if the club would go after Mourinho. While Costa did not give a direct answer, he did say: "The profile of the next coach will have to be a ‘winning coach’."
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When will Mourinho join Benfica?
The former Manchester United boss is expected to formally join the club in the next couple of days as Benfica ideally want their new manager to be in the dugout for their upcoming league clash against AVS. Mourinho began his head coaching career at Benfica back in 2000, but only oversaw 11 games before resigning to join Uniao de Leiria.
As their first Premier League test against Manchester United awaits, Arsenal are now reportedly favourites to sign a young South American defender for Mikel Arteta.
Arteta reiterates Arsenal "consistency"
The Premier League title has been just out of Arsenal’s reach for the last three seasons in the most frustrating fashion for all involved in North London. First, it was Pep Guardiola’s historic Manchester City side in their way and then, even as they struggled for the first time in four years, Arne Slot came to town to turn Liverpool back into English champions.
Arsenal manager MikelArtetalooks dejected after the match
The problem was clear last season, however. The Gunners simply lacked goals in the most important moments. They desperately needed consistent, almost guaranteed goalscoring and, as such, welcomed the clinical Viktor Gyokeres to solve that problem this summer. Now, at the fourth time of asking, Arteta will be hoping to see his side turn their “consistency” into long-awaited glory.
Meanwhile, as the work commences on the pitch, it may well continue in the transfer market. New sporting director Andrea Berta has already welcomed Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga in an impressive summer, but may yet have more on the way.
In the final two weeks, reports suggest that the Gunners could yet turn towards another defensive reinforcement.
Arsenal now favourites to sign Benedetti
As reported by journalist Diego Firmino and relayed by Sport Witness, Arsenal are now considered favourites to sign Luis Benedetti from Palmeiras. The impressive 19-year-old already reportedly has Arteta’s approval and those in North London could now make their move.
Whilst the centre-back is one for the future, he could quickly follow in the footsteps of Gabriel Martinelli, who swapped Brazil for Arsenal as an unknown star in the early days of his career.
When watching Vitor Reis, who eventually secured a move to Manchester City last January, analyst Ben Mattinson also shared praise for Benedetti – describing the teenager as an “aggressive defender”.
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Whether that “aggressive” nature has convinced Arsenal to make an official move when they get the chance is now the big question. Arteta’s side is already full of young talent and the addition of Benedetti would only add to that.
Aston Villa have now stepped up their interest in signing a Club World Cup star, who is set to be available for a bargain fee this summer, according to a report.
Villa set sights on new goalkeeper
There has been a great deal of speculation surrounding the future of Emiliano Martinez, with former scout Mick Brown revealing that a number of Premier League clubs are in the race for the goalkeeper’s signature.
Brown said: “Martinez is a very good goalkeeper, and from what I hear there are a few clubs who have been made aware that he will be available this summer. One of those clubs is Chelsea, who have been looking to strengthen in that position.”
Speaking about Manchester United’s interest, Brown went on to add: “United are very much in danger of missing the boat over this one. They’ve held talks but a Chelsea hijack is looking likely.”
Aston Villa make enquiry to sign £60m star who scored in win at Villa Park
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A move to Stamford Bridge could be of great appeal to the Argentina international, fresh off the back of the Blues winning the Club World Cup, and the Villans could look at a goalkeeper who excelled in the new-look competition as a potential replacement.
That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states Aston Villa are now stepping up their interest in Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor, who put in a number of eye-catching performances for the Brazilian side out in the USA.
Not only that, but Victor helped Botafogo secure the Brazilian Serie A title and Copa Libertadores last season, being named in the Team of the Year in both competitions, indicating that he could now be ready to test himself in Europe.
John in action for Botafogo.
A deal for the 29-year-old would by no means break the bank, as he has a release clause of just £6m in his Botafogo contract, but there could be competition for the goalkeeper’s signature, with Manchester United also in the race.
"Incredible" Victor has earned Premier League move
It is little wonder that Carlo Ancelotti is considering calling the Botafogo star up for Brazil, given that he has performed extremely well across some key metrics for goalkeepers over the past year.
John Victor Stats
Average per 90
Goals against
0.76 (95th percentile)
Save percentage
80% (94th percentile)
Clean sheet percentage
47.8% (93rd percentile)
Botafogo defender Philipe Sampaio has also singled his teammate out for praise in the past, describing him as a “warrior” last December, with the shot-stopper going on to make some very impressive saves out in America at the Club World Cup.
Given Villa’s PSR concerns, Victor could be a fantastic low-cost addition to the squad, but Unai Emery will still be hoping that Martinez is willing to commit his future to the club.
Stafanie Taylor, who captained the Amazon Warriors to the final of the tournament last season, has been retained
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2024
Chloe Tryon was with Barbados Royals in the inaugural WCPL in 2022•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon and Australia allrounder Erin Burns have joined Guyana Amazon Warriors ahead of the 2024 Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).Stafanie Taylor, who captained the Amazon Warriors to the final of the tournament last season, has been retained alongside Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean and Shakera Selman.They need seven more players to complete their 15-member squad. Six of them will be picked from the WCPL draft which is due to be held in July and one other – the last remaining overseas pick – will be confirmed before the start of the new season.Tryon has represented South Africa in 98 T20Is, making 1136 runs and taking 35 wickets. She is currently with the national team on tour in India. Burns brings the experience of playing 162 T20s – 117 of which were at home at the Women’s Big Bash League, where she’s represented Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes. She has scored 2429 runs and picked up 80 wickets and was part of the Barbados Royals side that became champions last year.This year’s WCPL will be held in Trinidad from August 21 to 29, with all seven matches played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. The tournament is in its third season and will be contested by Trinbago Knight Riders, Amazon Warriors and Royals.Guyana Amazon Warriors squad so farStafanie Taylor, Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean, Shakera Selman, Chloe Tryon and Erin Burns
Tottenham Hotspur are back in the Champions League next season and riding high off their Europa League triumph in Bilbao last month, with new head coach Thomas Frank now preparing to build upon their fantastic end to 2024/2025.
The Dane is tasked with picking up where Ange Postecoglou left off, and he stands to inherit an awkward dressing room atmosphere considering just how popular his predecessor was with the Spurs squad.
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James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were among the players who spoke out in support of Postecoglou, but that wasn’t enough to convince chairman Daniel Levy not to part ways with the 59-year-old who ended their 17-year wait for a major trophy.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
The Lilywhites cited their torrid domestic form as the main reason behind Postecoglou’s dismissal, and it is hard to argue with a record-breaking 22 Premier League defeats which handed them a lowly 17th-placed finish in the table.
Frank must now win over the members of his new team in quick fashion, and it is very likely that the former Brentford favourite will bring in new players of his own.
Right now, Spurs are being repeatedly linked with a vast array of wingers, including the likes of West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, Man City star Jack Grealish, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, Southampton’s Tyler Dibling and Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo places his penalty.
However, while the signing of another wide forward could be imperative, especially given Son Heung-min’s potential exit to Saudi Arabia, it is also believed that the north Londoners are keen to strengthen at centre-half again.
Tottenham were seriously hamstrung by repeated injuries to their backline last term, with Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, Kevin Danso and Cristian Romero all sidelined for extended periods, which even required teenage midfielder Gray to provide cover at one point.
The 19-year-old filled in excellently, and you’d think the arrival of Danso in January would negate the need for another body in that area. However, Romero could well leave Spurs for Atletico Madrid, so Frank would need a replacement for the Argentine.
Tottenham preparing bid for Parma defender Giovanni Leoni
As per CaughtOffside, towering Parma defender Giovanni Leoni is now on their radar as a possible new defensive addition.
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku in action with Parma's GiovanniLeoni
The Italian has been called a “rising star” by sources within the industry, as quoted by this report, and the young 6-foot-5 colossus is a man in demand. Antonio Conte’s Serie A champions Napoli, Inter Milan and AC Milan are all expressing Serie A interest, while Bournemouth and Wolves are believed to be keen on tempting Leoni with a move to England.
Tottenham are even understood to be preparing a £21m bid for Leoni, but this won’t be enough as Parma demand closer to £30 million at least. The teenager was a regular in the top flight last season, and Parma are aware that they have a real talent on their hands, even if the right offer could put them under some pressure to sell.
Serie A has been a fruitful pool of talent for Levy in recent years, so this could be one to watch over the coming weeks, if Spurs decide to go in with a bigger bid.
Chelsea have already made a couple of signings during the 2025 summer transfer window, and have confirmed the addition of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting CP. The most recent of those signings was Mamadou Sarr, the young French centre-back who joined from sister club Strasbourg of Ligue 1.
The other addition was Liam Delap, who made the move to Stamford Bridge from now relegated Ipswich Town. He cost the Blues £30m, the price of his relegation release clause at Portman Road, although BBC Sport say he will cost Chelsea £20m up front.
Delap, a European champion with England under-21 back in 2023, might not be the only player from that successful side to join the Blues this summer.
Chelsea chasing another English talent
Delap joins his fellow under-21 European Championship winner, Cole Palmer, in the Chelsea squad. It certainly fits the transfer policy we have seen from the Blues under Todd Boehly, to sign young talents who will have an impact now and in the future.
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The man who could join his former England teammates at Stamford Bridge is James Trafford. According to a report from The Telegraph, Chelsea could ‘enter the race’ for the Burnley goalkeeper, having kept a close eye on him ‘for more than a year’.
Indeed, the West London club do not go into the race for Trafford as favourites. Rather, they could end up hijacking the move, with fears at Newcastle United, who are ‘negotiating over the asking price’ with Clarets, that Chelsea could poach the goalkeeper.
James Trafford for Burnley.
Burnley have asked for £30m or more for the goalkeeper, a fee Chelsea would need to match to pull off the hijack.
Why Trafford would be a good signing
If Chelsea were to sign Trafford this summer, and poach him right from underneath Newcastle’s nose, he would join the club with a great reputation. It was a sensational 2024/25 campaign for the Burnley shotstopper, with football scout Antonio Mango calling him the “future England No1” based on those efforts.
Indeed, it was a magical season for Trafford, helping his Burnley side to promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. In 45 Championship games, he conceded just 16 goals and kept 29 clean sheets.
Those numbers are ridiculous. It was a team effort, of course, with a strong defence in front of him, but certainly a large part of the defensive success was down to Trafford between the posts. He conceded an average of 0.36 goals per game across the season, as per FBref.
That is one of the many metrics in which Trafford ranked first amongst Championship goalkeepers last season. Another impressive stat is his save percentage, which was 84.5% last season.
FBref stats show that he stacks up well against Premier League goalkeepers, too. In 2024/25, Trafford conceded the least number of goals compared to top-flight shot stoppers who played at least 50% of games, kept double the amount of clean sheets and had the highest save percentage.
Goals conceded
16
1st
1st
Goals conceded per game
0.36
1st
1st
Saves
85
14th
=13th
Save percentage
84.5%
1st
1st
Clean sheets
29
1st
1st
Equally too, there are a number of similarities between Trafford and Chelsea’s new number nine, Delap. Not only have they played alongside each other for England under-21s, but the pair also represented Manchester City’s academy alongside each other.
In all, they have played 21 games together, and it is certainly interesting that the pair have had such a similar career. After plenty of loans across the EFL, they each left City – joining Burnley and Ipswich for £19m and £20m, respectively – forged their own paths and made a real name for themselves, before potentially reconvening at Chelsea. It is quite the story.
England'sJamesTraffordduring the warm up before the match
On top of that, the Blues also pipped Newcastle to the signing of Delap. Back in May, it was reported by TEAMTalk that they had ‘showdown talks’ with the striker. However, Chelsea won the race to sign him, and they could well be set to repeat the feat with Trafford.
Paying £30m for a goalkeeper with the quality of Trafford seems like an easy decision for the West Londoners to make. This could be one of the sagas of the window, and one Chelsea will be hoping they can win.
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West Ham United have made contact over a summer deal for an “incredible” £20m defender, who has now been identified as a key target, according to a report.
Important summer on the horizion for West Ham
West Ham are set to part ways with a number of long-serving players in the summer, with Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings all confirmed to be leaving upon the expiration of their contracts.
As such, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has insisted the Hammers will need to be busy in the summer transfer window, at which point Graham Potter will have the chance to bring in some players more suited to his style of play.
Potter is well-known for his possession-based style of play, which means it could be wise to bring in a new centre-back who is capable of playing out from the back, and the Irons have now made contact over a deal for a defender.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, West Ham United are now serious about signing Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and they have enquired about his potential availability this summer.
Harwood-Bellis has been identified as a key target for the Hammers, and an approach has now been made, with the Saints likely to lose the centre-back, who they originally signed for £20m.
Despite being a part of a struggling side this season, the 23-year-old has impressed West Ham’s scouts this season, and the Englishman’s age means his best years could still be ahead of him.
Harwood-Bellis could be "incredible" signing for West Ham
The 2024-25 campaign was far from ideal for the Saints, but there are some signs the centre-back could be a solid signing for the Irons this summer, having received high praise from Pep Guardiola in the past.
The Manchester City manager said: “I’m happy that he’s settling in the Premier League. He’s an incredible threat for Southampton from set pieces and a composer when they have the ball because the manager insists the way they have to play, they have to be close, to move differently.”
The England international’s attacking quality was also on display during his Three Lions debut, scoring on his debut in the 5-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland back in November.
Having impressed for both club and country at times last season, there are signs that Harwood-Bellis could flourish in a better side, so it is promising news that West Ham are stepping up their pursuit of the former Manchester City man.
With the Premier League title now wrapped up, alongside the relegated sides sinking without a trace, the only real point of drama in England’s elite division rests on the race to finish inside the top five positions.
Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all find themselves closely bunched together in the thrilling division heading into the final games of the season, with Sunday’s early kick-off between the Magpies and Enzo Maresca’s Blues a potential humdinger in terms of who clinches a coveted European spot.
Brentford's BryanMbeumoreacts
Obviously, Eddie Howe’s men will be hoping Champions League football returns to St James’ Park over any other destination, knowing full well that landing targets such as Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo will be dependent on whether they’re able to make these European dreams a reality.
Newcastle's ongoing Mbeumo pursuit
Adding in Mbeumo would make Newcastle’s already frightening attack even more of a mouth-watering watch, but the Magpies aren’t alone in wanting the Bees’ star-man.
Recent reports suggest that Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all also keen on snapping up the entertaining forward, with this frenzied interest coming about off the back of Brentford allegedly being ready to listen to offers for their £60m-rated ace.
After all, Howe’s men know all about the 25-year-old’s exceptional firepower, considering he rifled home this stunning effort back in December versus the Toon.
Up to 18 league goals now for the season, he would undoubtedly boost Newcastle’s forward positions which already boast the likes of Alexander Isak.
Brentford's BryanMbeumocelebrates scoring their first goal
But, St James’ Park might already be the home of a talent very similar to the in-demand Cameroonian, with many a shout forming now that this enthralling attacker should start in the crunch clash later today versus Chelsea.
Newcastle's own version of Mbeumo
Newcastle fans watching on will pray that their side are at their free-flowing best against the Blues, with only Liverpool and Manchester City scoring more this season in league action than the Magpies’ impressive 66-goal haul.
Isak has chipped in with a sizeable 23 of those strikes, but faces such as Anthony Gordon have also been a joy to watch in this regard, with nine goals and six assists from the ex-Everton man in league action enabling that goal total to steadily increase.
Further, adding Gordon back into the main XI for the tricky challenge of Chelsea could prove to be an inspired alteration when you realise he bagged this sweet strike versus the Blues just last season, away from impressing recently off the substitutes’ bench.
With Jacob Murphy suffering from a crisis in confidence as of late too – with just one weak effort registered against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out – Gordon could even be pushed out to the right flank for the Toon to replace the ex-Norwich City man, with the usually left-sided winger equally capable of making an impact here in what is Mbeumo’s preferred spot on the pitch.
Gordon’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Mbeumo’s
Stat – per 90 mins
Gordon
Mbeumo
Shots
2.27
2.00
Shot-creating actions
4.36
3.82
Attempted passes
37.60
34.60
Pass completion %
72.7%
66.4%
Progressive passes
3.88
3.68
Progressive carries
4.58
3.38
Successful take-ons
1.60
1.33
Touches in attacking penalty area
5.14
4.28
Progressive passes received
8.05
9.07
Stats by FBref
The table above further illuminates their similarities – as noted by FBref – as fast-paced attackers more content with peppering opposition goalkeepers than linking play up, but Gordon does amazingly better his £60m counterpart when taking in many of the numbers, despite Mbeumo being way ahead of the 24-year-old’s goal count.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will splash the cash on attempting to land Mbeumo after all, knowing they already have their own “nightmare” – as Gordon once confidently labelled himself – attacker in a similar vein to the Bees star.
Anthony Gordon
The former Toffees winger will hope he can live up to his own hype if he is handed a start versus Chelsea, with the Toon needing to be on their A-game from minute one to blow away Maresca’s challengers.
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On Saturday, the Hoops demolished Dundee United 5-0 at Tannadice, Nicolas Kühn and Adam Idah both bagging braces, as they secured a fourth successive Scottish Premiership title, and a 13th in only 14 seasons.
So now, even with an Old Firm to come on Sunday, Brendan Rodgers’ focus has already, somewhat, turned towards summer plans, so could he snap up a “quality” new wide-forward?
Celtic's winger target
According to a report by Bréhima Diakité of Africa Foot earlier this month, Celtic are ‘monitoring’ Ajaccio winger Moussa Soumano, with Brentford, Leicester City, Leeds United and Atalanta amongst those also interested.
Soumano is just 19-years-old, his 20th birthday is coming up this summer, and he plays for Ajaccio in Ligue 2, scoring four goals and providing two assists for L’ours this season, with the Corsica-based club down in 13th, despite being in France’s top-flight as recently as two seasons ago.
Thus, could Ajaccio be forced to sell their most-prized asset?
How Soumano compares to Celtic's current forwards
Scout Mathieu Duhamel describes Soumano as a “quality” winger, adding that he is “capable of dribbling” with both feet and is a “promising player” who “should leave Ajaccio this summer” in order to “take a step forward” in his development.
Avradeep Mukherjee of Sports Illustrated believes Soumano would be a ‘valuable’ squad member for Rodgers, considering he can play both out wide and as a centre-forward, while the original report notes that he is valued at around €3m (£2.5m).
So how does he compare to Celtic’s current forward options? Well, he’s unlikely to usurp Daizen Maeda in the depth chart, considering the Japanese forward has now scored 33 goals this season.
With four Premiership matches remaining, followed by the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen, Maeda is still on course to break a few records, as the table below highlights.
John Hartson
2004/05
30
Scott McDonald
2007/08
31
Gary Hooper
2011/12
29
Gary Hooper
2012/13
31
Kris Commons
2013/14
32
Leigh Griffiths
2015/16
40
Moussa Dembélé
2016/17
32
Scott Sinclair
2016/17
25
Odsonne Édouard
2019/20
29**
Kyōgo Furuhashi
2022/23
34
Daizen Maeda
2024/25
33*
As shown in the table, since Henrik Larsson’s 41-goal haul in 2003/04, only Leigh Griffiths nine years ago has broken the 40-goal mark in a single Celtic season, with Maeda requiring seven goals from the final five fixtures to match this; it’s very possible.
However, Maeda aside, the other two positions in Celtic’s attack are very much up for grabs.
Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais for £10m in January, while Jota, who rejoined the club from Rennes in the winter, is set to spend the next few months on the sidelines, after suffering a knee injury against Dundee United on Saturday, joining in the post-match celebrations at Tannadice on crutches.
Jota, Celtic forward (now Al- Attihad)
Meantime, Kühn’s form has fallen off a cliff since the turn of the year, Yang Hyun-jun, who’s currently sidelined, is very hit-and-miss, while Adam Idah is also yet to establish himself as a regular starter.
Thus, these positions in Celtic’s attack are certainly up for grabs, and Soumano certainly appears to have the talent to come in and stake a claim.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Similar to Maeda, as already alluded to, Soumano is comfortable playing both as a striker and a winger, while his £2.5m valuation would be a bargain, just as the Japanese forward was, arriving from Yokohama F. Marinos for a reported £1.5m back in January 2022.
That deal has proven to be a masterstroke for those at Parkhead – perhaps this could be the next transfer coup?
Celtic set to lose "fantastic" player until 2025/26 after painful injury
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