فاز نادي الهلال السعودي على الدحيل القطري، بنتيجة هدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة.
الهلال واجه الدحيل، على ملعب المملكة أرينا بالسعودية، في إطار الجولة الأولى من مرحلة الدوري لمواجهات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للموسم الحالي 2025-2026.
وتقدم نادي الدحيل، بواسطة لاعبه الجزائري عادل بولبينة في الدقيقة 37، وعاد فريق الهلال وسجل هدفين متتاليين، عن طريق ثيو هيرنانديز وداروين نونيز في الدقائق 57، 67. أهداف مباراة الهلال والدحيل اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة
أهداف المباراة | الهلال السعودي 2 – 1 الدحيل#دوري_أبطال_آسيا_للنخبة#قنوات_الكاس | #منصة_شوف pic.twitter.com/UKBDBEUacu — قنوات الكاس (@AlkassTVSports) September 16, 2025
وبتلك النتيجة، يحصد فريق الهلال، 3 نقاط أولى في دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا ويحتل المركز الثالث في ترتيب مجموعة الغرب، ويتساوى مع الثنائي المتصدر بنفس عدد النقاط الأهلي السعودي والشارقة الإماراتي.
بينما فريق الدحيل القطري، يحتل المركز العاشر في ترتيب نفس المجموعة لأنية “غرب” في دوري أبطال آسيا بدون نقاط.
طالع.. فيديو | الأهلي السعودي يحقق ريمونتادا مثيرة أمام ناساف الأوزبكي بمستهل مشواره في دوري أبطال آسيا
بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة، تقام بنظام مرحلة الدوري (دور المجموعات) من 24 فريقًا مقسمين إلى 12 فريقا لأندية الشرق ومثلهم لأندية الغرب (التي تمثل المنطقة العربية).
ويخوض كل فريق 4 مباريات على أرضه و4 مباريات خارج ملعبه، في مواجهة ثمانية أندية مختلفة، وتتأهل 8 أندية من كل منطقة (شرق وغرب) إلى دور الـ16، والذي تقام مبارياته من ذهاب وإياب، لتتأهل الأندية الفائزة إلى ربع النهائي.
واعتبارًا من دور الثمانية (ربع النهائي) تلعب مباريات البطولة بنظام التجمع (التأهل من مباراة واحدة) في دولة واحدة تم اختيار دولة السعودية لاستضافة تلك المباريات.
Shamar Joseph could play his first Test in his home nation while Nandre Burger could return for South Africa
Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2024
Rain didn’t allow a result in the first Test at Trinidad•AFP/Getty Images
Big Picture: West Indies, South Africa look to go back to winning waysThat competitive edge we were hoping for in the series opener showed itself on the last day of the rain-affected match, where both teams did all they could to avoid a draw. In the end, too much time was lost to rain and they had to settle for Test cricket’s first draw in 28 matches. The teams will want to get back to winning ways in Guyana.Happily, the elements are not expected to have as much of an impact and more play should be possible. Both teams have plenty of things to work on. At the outset: getting a batter (or two) to convert a start into a three-figure score will be top of mind. Three South Africans – Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs – and one West Indian – Alick Athanaze – scored half-centuries in Trinidad and there were nine other individual scores in the 30s, which suggests that getting in was less of an issue than staying in. The placidity of the pitch aside, batting in this series appears to be a test of patience and the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite and David Bedingham, who are known for their ability to hold vigils in the middle, could be among those to watch out for.For bowlers, the challenge of Test cricket is always time-based as they seek to stay disciplined for long periods. This series appears to demand more than most as Jayden Seals – who bowled eight spells in South Africa’s first innings in Trinidad – and Keshav Maharaj – who sent down 40 successive overs in West Indies first innings – showed. We’ve seen excellent examples of persistence and quality of skill which should continue into the second Test, where there’s plenty at stake.Keshav Maharaj put in long shifts during the first Test•AFP/Getty Images
West Indies remain rooted to the bottom of the World Test Championship points table and are seeking their second win. Their next assignments are against Bangladesh in the Caribbean followed by a tour to Pakistan, and they will want to maximise all the home advantage they can. The drawn first Test means South Africa will face each of their next seven Tests in this World Test Championship cycle as a must win. If they manage a perfect record, their chances of qualifying for the final will be almost certain. If they slip up somewhere, they could still get to Lord’s but will have to rely on other results, among teams who play far more than they do, to go their way.Form GuideWest Indies: DLLLW () South Africa: DLLLWIn the Spotlight: Alick Athanaze and Kyle VerreynneAlick Athanaze fell eight runs short of a first Test hundred in Trinidad, helped save the Test and looked comfortable against the short ball, and used the sweep shot well. His composure against South Africa’s more experienced players – Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada – was also impressive. He has already been identified as a key cog in the revival of West Indies’ long-format fortunes and could underline that with another big performance at a place in which he has historically done well: Guyana. Athanaze has played two first-class matches in Providence and crossed fifty three times. He scored 66 against Guyana in 2019, and 81 and 97 against Jamaica in March 2023.Kyle Verreynne will hope to find form in Guyana•AFP/Getty Images
If South Africa want the option of playing only six batters, they will have to believe Kyle Verreynne can score big runs when needed. He’s had a stop-start time in the Test squad, was dropped for the now-retired Heinrich Klaasen, and faces some competition from Ryan Rickelton. So, Verreynne will want to make use of the opportunities he gets quickly, he has not gotten past 39 in his last five innings. But he will want to draw from his first-class success, where he averages almost fifty, to find form in Tests.Team News: Burger, Shamar likely to returnIt would seem amiss not to play Shamar Joseph at home, especially as he is yet to play an international at Providence. After Gudakesh Motie went wicketless in Trinidad, Shamar may be in, leaving Jomel Warrican as the primary spinner.West Indies (Probable XI): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Jomel Warrican, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shamar JosephSouth Africa were comfortable going into the first Test a bowler short but with the series on the line, they may have to sacrifice the length of their line-up to equip themselves with enough firepower to push a win. That could mean benching Ryan Rickelton and choosing between left-armer Nandre Burger or an extra spinner in Dane Piedt to give them a 6-5 split.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder/Dane Piedt, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Nandre BurgerPitch and Conditions: Tough outing for the batters?With only two Tests played at this ground, and the last of those 13 years ago, there is scant data to go on for what to expect here, but the first-class numbers may tell us something. In 2023, it hosted three red-ball matches and the average first-innings score of 206, which suggests that batters are in for another tough outing. The venue seems to offer enough for both seam and spin with quicks taking 67 wickets in 2023 at 20.20 and an economy of 3.35 and spinners 49 wickets at 21.20 with an economy rate of 2.55.There are some afternoon thunderstorms forecast throughout the match, but the outlook is mostly sunny and dry. The players may need a few extra drinks breaks, though as temperatures will hover in the upper-30 degrees range but with humidity above 90%, so the real feel will be closer to 40 degrees.Stats and Trivia: There have only been two Test matches played at Providence before and West Indies have a 1-1 record. They lost to Sri Lanka by 121 runs in 2008 and beat Pakistan by 40 runs in 2011. Aiden Markram had never been part of a drawn Test before the Trinidad match. He was part of a 37-game streak in which games have either been won or lost by South Africa. Kagiso Rabada needs five wickets to get to 300 in Tests. If he gets there in this Test, he could be the fastest South African to reach the landmark by number of balls. Rabada has bowled 11,596 balls in Tests so far. Dale Steyn, the quickest South African to 300 wickets by number of matches, got there in 12,605 balls. That gives Rabada 168.1 overs to get to 300 quicker than Steyn. In 15 home Tests between 2018 and 2021, Jason Holder took 64 wickets at an ave of 16.4. Since 2022, in six home Tests, he has seven wickets at 58.85.Quotes”On the previous game, there was obviously a little bit of frustration. We felt that with a little bit more time, a result could have been possible. Games ending as draws are few and far between and it wasn’t the case of both teams playing super well over five days. I’m yet to be in that situation. It would be nice to be involved in a test where both teams play at their best and at the end of the day, you can’t get a winner. Test cricket has become attacking. That’s an obvious thing because of T20 cricket. But in these conditions, I think it can be a bit tough to be overly attacking in slow wickets.” “Batting-wise, in the first innings we could’ve put more runs on the board. I think that’s a big focus of ours and bowling-wise, the pitch didn’t offer much, especially the fast bowlers. They [the bowlers] didn’t get much spin in the first innings as well, but we were quite disciplined.”
Sunderland are not messing around with their plans to build a squad that is capable of avoiding an instant relegation from the Premier League next season.
The Black Cats have already signed Enzo Le Fee on a permanent deal from AS Roma, Habib Diarra in a club-record £30m move from Strasbourg, and Noah Sadiki from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to bolster their ranks.
They are not done there, though, as the club are also reportedly in talks to secure a deal for Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who played with Diarra in Ligue 1 last season.
At the other end of the pitch, Sunderland are also looking to bring in a new number nine to fire them to safety, as they go in search of their next Asamoah Gyan, Steven Fletcher, or Jermaine Defoe.
Sunderland eyeing deal for new striker
According to Foot Mercato, Sunderland are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Lyon centre-forward Georges Mikautadze, following his team’s expulsion from Ligue 1.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The report, however, claims that the Georgia international is not the club’s main option in that position, as the Black Cats have made Nantes striker Matthis Abline their priority target.
It states that Mikautadze is their ‘plan B’ option in the event that they fail to get a deal over the line for Abline, who is the player they are currently pursuing to bolster their attacking ranks.
Nantes' Matthis Abline shoots against Brest.
The outlet adds that Sunderland have already made an offer of £17m to sign the 22-year-old forward, but it remains to be seen exactly how much will be needed to snap him up.
If the Black Cats can do land their priority target and bring Abline to the Stadium of Light, Regis Le Bris could have his own version of Asamoah Gyan.
Why Abline could be a Gyan repeat for Sunderland
Back in the summer of 2010, Sunderland smashed their transfer record to sign Gyan from Ligue 1 side Rennes for a reported fee of £13m, after he had plundered 13 goals in 29 matches in the French top-flight the previous season.
The Ghana international scored ten goals in 31 matches in the Premier League in his only full year at the club to fire them to safety, and Abline could enjoy similar success.
If Sunderland can bring the France U21 international to the club, he could provide Le Bris with a big goal threat in the top-flight, having proven his quality in the French top-flight last term.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that the 22-year-old is “making waves in Ligue 1”, and that praise is backed up by his impressive statistics in the division for Nantes.
xG
8.10
Top 23%
Goals
9
Top 23%
Non-penalty xG
7.31
Top 23%
Non-penalty goals
8
N/A
Shots on target
27
Top 14%
xA
3.37
Top 9%
Assists
2
Top 33%
As you can see in the table above, Abline ranked highly among forwards in the division with his contributions at the top end of the pitch, as he outperformed his xG and created high-quality chances for his teammates at an impressive rate.
One of his nine Ligue 1 goals was also a sensational solo goal against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, in which he beat Willian Pacho all ends up.
This shows the kind of quality that the £17m forward can produce against the very best in Europe, which also suggests that he has what it takes to deliver in the Premier League against high-quality teams.
Therefore, Abline has the potential to be Gyan 2.0 for Sunderland as another expensive centre-forward recruit from Ligue 1 who has the potential to be a brilliant goal threat for the Black Cats.
Sunderland concern over "excellent" star has Southampton considering move
The Saints are looking to bounce back after relegation…
The start of Celtic’s competitive season is right around the corner.
A week on Sunday, the Hoops begin their Scottish Premiership title defence when they welcome St Mirren to Parkhead.
Celticmanager BrendanRodgerscelebrates with the trophy after winning the League Cup
After that, they’ll travel to Pittodrie for a Scottish Cup Final rematch against Aberdeen, while there’s plenty more for supporters to get excited about throughout August, with an Old Firm derby at Ibrox and a Champions League play-off tie to come later in the month.
Thus, with the new season rapidly approaching, Brendan Rodgers is doubly eager to get his new recruits over the line.
Celtic's search for a new centre-forward
Ever since Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais for a reported fee of £10m in January, the Hoops have been in the market for a new striker.
Following last mid-week’s pre-season friendly victory over Stade Rennais, Rodgers stated that he wants “to add to our front line” having “lost a lot of goals” in recent months, given that Nicolas Kühn has also departed for Como for around £16.5m.
In terms of pure centre-forwards, Shin Yamada has arrived from Kawasaki Frontale for around £1.5m, so will challenge Adam Idah for the starting number nine spot, but Rodgers will still want more.
Mathias Kvistgaarden appeared to be their top target since January, but he has instead decided to join Norwich City from Brøndby for a reported fee of £6.9m, leaving the Scottish champions searching for an alternative.
Transfer Focus
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Well, Rodgers does have previous when it comes to unearthing unknown strikers as Celtic manager, namely signing Moussa Dembélé nine years ago, so could he be about to do something similar?
Could Celtic sign a highly-rated young striker?
As Celtic scour far and wide for a new striker, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman claims they should go all in and sign Richard Kone from Wycombe Wanderers.
He believes, should he make the move to Glasgow, Kone “would thrive massively at that level” adding, given that Celtic “dominate games and create chances”, he would score plenty of goals.
Back in January, Luton Town had a £6m bid rejected by the Chairboys for Kone, according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, likely to cost even more than that now.
To support this, a week ago, it was documented that Celtic have an interest in Kone, with the young marksman believed to be worth around £7m.
Richard Kone
Speaking on CBS’ Morning Footy, Wycombe legend Adebayo Akinfenwa noted that “if Hollywood was going to have a script for a story, this would be it”, given that Kone arrived in England to represent Côte d’Ivoire at the Homeless World Cup in 2019.
He then represented Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League, England’s ninth tier, for five years, before being scouted and signed by Wycombe in January 2024, following an extended trial.
Richard Kone
Well, what a find this has proved to be, with the 22-year-old scoring 25 goals in 73 appearances for the Buckinghamshire-based EFL League One outfit, named both the division’s Player and Young Player of the Season, having netted 18 times in the league.
Let’s assess his statistics from League One last year to underline why he scooped up both accolades.
Richard Kone 2024/25 EFL League One statistics
Statistics
Kone
League 1 rank
Goals
18
3rd
Shots
100
5th
Shots on target
40
5th
Shots per 90
3.28
3rd
Successful dribbles
44
16th
Big chances missed
16
6th
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore
As the table notes, only two players, Charlie Kelman and Jay Stansfield, both of whom were playing for clubs who got promoted, scored more goals than Kone, while he ranked highly for every attacking metric included.
His performances certainly impressed writer Kai Watson, who labelled him a “mentality monster”, adding that “aggression, positioning and work rate” are amongst his strengths.
So why could he be a repeat of Dembélé’s arrival from 2016?
Well, before joining Celtic, the Frenchman had made just 64 senior appearances for Fulham, the vast majority of which had come at Championship level, so few could’ve forecast that he burst onto the scene as he did, scoring 32 goals during his first season at Celtic, five of which came in the Champions League.
Thus, there is certainly precedent for a young, inexperienced striker joining Celtic from the EFL and exploding into a top-class centre-forward.
If you’re not yet convinced by the déjà vu, listen to this; Kone’s non-league Athletic Newham are based on Atlético Madrid, they wear the same kit and their badge is nigh on identical, and with whom did Dembélé win La Liga? You guessed it!
Celtic now submit £1.5m bid to sign 17 G/A forward, they've had a response
The Hoops have made a formal approach for an attacker, who was regularly among the goals in the 2024-25 campaign.
He underwent scans after reporting soreness following the third ODI, where he bowled a spell of sustained short balls
Andrew McGlashan27-Sep-2024
Cameron Green underwent scans following the third ODI in Durham•Getty Images
Australia face a nervous wait on the fitness of allrounder Cameron Green after he was ruled out of the final two ODIs against England with a back injury.Green underwent scans after reporting soreness following the third ODI in Durham, where he bowled a spell of sustained short balls, and will undergo further assessment on returning home to understand the full extent of the injury. He has already left the tour.”Cameron Green has sustained a back injury and will play no further part in the ODI tour of England,” a Cricket Australia statement said. “Scans in London overnight revealed the injury after Green reported soreness following the third ODI against England in Durham. He will return home for further assessment where his return to play management plan will be determined.”Green has previously suffered stress fractures of the back as he was coming through the domestic system and again in 2019, the year before he made his Test debut.”Obviously disappointing for him,” Travis Head said after the Lord’s ODI. “He’ll go home and get things sorted. I don’t know a hell of a lot of details but he’s been through these things before, Cam, it’s disappointing but he’ll know the way to get back.”While no timeline has yet been laid out for any potential layoff, if Green was sidelined for an extended period, it would have various knock-on effects to Australia’s planning for their home summer, and particularly the Test series against India, beyond the fact Green was appearing to re-establish himself in the Test side after the 174 not out in Wellington.Related
Green in doubt for India series with surgery on the table
Australia sweat on Green as selection for India becomes complicated
In spite of injuries and illness, inevitably Australia find a way
Cummins: Having allrounders in the top six 'huge'
If not Steven Smith, then who? Australia's opening debate
He is currently a key figure amid the debate about the structure of Australia’s top order and where Steven Smith bats. If Green wasn’t available there would be a middle-order vacancy which would allow Smith back to No. 4 and the potential of a specialist opener coming in alongside Usman Khawaja.Earlier this month, head coach Andrew McDonald said the incumbent top six of Australia’s Test side would, barring injury, be the players who start the series against India but whether Smith will open was up for debate.If there was a need to bring in a player from outside that group it would open the door for the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris. Renshaw was the reserve batter during the series against West Indies and New Zealand earlier this year following David Warner’s retirement.Then there would be the loss of Green’s overs. Last month Pat Cummins talked about his expectations that Green and Mitchell Marsh would have a vital role to play in sharing the workload with Australia’s frontline attack during the Tests. If it was only bowling that proved an issue for Green there would be the option of playing him as a specialist batter.”We know with Cameron Green, he has had stress fractures in his back in the past. Let’s hope it’s not that,” Ricky Ponting said on . “They still have the option of playing him as a batsman if it’s not too bad.”Without Green’s bowling it would put the spotlight back on Marsh’s role. He had not bowled since picking up an injury during the IPL until taking the ball at Lord’s where he removed Will Jacks in his second over. Marsh’s lack of recent bowling had not been a significant concern for the limited-overs teams with a number of pace-bowling allrounders available.Green had been expected to feature in at least one Sheffield Shield match in October before the start of Australia’s home international season. Pakistan visit for T20Is and ODIs ahead of the Tests against India which start on November 22 in Perth.
استكملت اليوم السبت منافسات الجولة الثالثة من بطولة دوري روشن السعودي، وذلك بعدة مباريات قوية أبرزها الاتحاد والنجمة، والنصر ضد الرياض.
والتقى النصر مع الرياض، على أرضية ملعب “الأول بارك”، واستطاع الفوز بخماسية مقابل هدف.
وفي مباراة أخرى أقيمت اليوم بين الاتحاد والنجمة، نجح الأول في تحقيق الفوز بهدف دون رد، على استاد مدينة الملك عبد الله الرياضية.
فيما شهدت الجولة أمس الجمعة مواجهات، القادسية والخليج، والفيحاء ضد الشباب، وكذلك الأهلي ضد الهلال في قمة نارية.
طالع أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري السعودي بعد ثنائية مالكوم وإيفان توني في مباراة الهلال والأهلي
وتعادل الهلال مع الأهلي، بنتيجة 3-3 على أرضية استاد مدينة الملك عبدالله الرياضية في جدة، بينما فاز القادسية على الخليج بهدفين مقابل هدف.
ويتصدر النصر جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي برصيد 9 نقاط، بينما يأتي الاتحاد في المركز الثاني متساوياً مع النصر بنفس عدد النقاط، بينما يأتي القادسية في المركز الثالث بـ 6 نقاط. جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي
1- النصر: 9 نقاط.
2- الاتحاد: 9 نقاط.
3- القادسية: 7 نقاط.
4- الخليج: 6 نقاط.
5- نيوم: 6 نقاط.
6- التعاون: 6 نقاط.
7- الهلال: 5 نقاط.
8- الأهلي: 5 نقاط.
9- الاتفاق: 4 نقاط.
10- الشباب: 4 نقاط.
11- الفيحاء: 4 نقاط.
12- الخلود: 3 نقاط.
13- الرياض: 3 نقاط.
14- الحزم: نقطتين.
15- ضمك: نقطة واحدة.
16- الفتح: نقطة.
17- النجمة: بدون نقاط.
18- الأخدود: بدون نقاط.
يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري السعودي محدث باستمرار من هنا
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of a promising attacker who’s already undergone his medical tests in west London, according to Fabrizio Romano.
£80m Chelsea star tells agents to find him new club after becoming "unhappy"
He’s keen on leaving Stamford Bridge.
ByEmilio Galantini Jul 25, 2025
Enzo Maresca’s side return to Cobham for pre-season training on August 4, around three weeks after their triumphant 3-0 Club World Cup final win over European champions PSG in New Jersey.
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
Chelsea will have just 13 days to get up to speed before their opening Premier League game of the new season against Crystal Palace, with Maresca facing unprecedented preparations as he looks to potentially spearhead a title challenge.
Right now, the Blues are working to back their manager as much as possible in the transfer market – having already sealed deals for Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro for a total of around £145 million.
Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Pedro celebrate.
BlueCo are actively working on two more signings, with Ajax starlet Jorrel Hato in advanced talks to join Chelsea after agreeing personal terms and informing the Eredivisie side that he wants to leave.
Alongside Hato, Chelsea are in negotiations with RB Leipzig to sign playmaker Xavi Simons too, with Maresca’s side informing the Germans that they want to sign him and a first offer is thought to be imminent.
To make room for the arrivals of Hato and Simons, Chelsea are expected to sell many players before deadline day on September 1, especially amid pressure from UEFA to balance out their squad through departures.
Chelsea agree deal for Crystal Palace "sensation" Jesse Derry
According to Romano, Chelsea have now also agreed a deal to sign Crystal Palace “sensation” Jesse Derry – who was a man in demand with eight clubs thought to be in pursuit of the teenager.
Derry was closing in on a move to Europe too, but it is believed that Chelsea “hijacked” that switch with a medical even taking place on Friday.
“Chelsea agree deal to sign 18-year-old winger Jesse Derry from Crystal Palace beating 8 European clubs for the England wingers,” wrote Romano on X.
“Medical will take place on Friday as the teenage sensation looked set for a move to Germany before Chelsea hijacked the move.”
The versatile forward was a rising star at Selhurst Park, racking up 20 goals and five assists in just 27 outings for Palace’s Under-18s, but he’s now set to become a new Chelsea player.
It is unclear right now what Maresca and co have planned for Derry, but he’ll likely go straight into the academy before eventually working his way up to the senior team.
Perhaps a loan away could even be on the cards for this dazzling talent as Chelsea secure yet another head-turning prospect.
Celtic have already been busy this summer, but this activity is only set to continue.
The main headlines are the fact that Nicolas Kühn has been sold to Como for a reported fee of £16.4m but, in more exciting news, Kieran Tierney has returned on a free transfer, six years after departing for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Nygren, Hayato Inamura, Callum Osmand, and Ross Doohan have also arrived, as has a new striker, more on him in just a second, but could Brendan Rodgers be about to reinforce his attacking options further?
Celtic's search for a striker
On Saturday morning, ahead of a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United at Parkhead, Shin Yamada was unveiled as the Hoops’ latest summer recruit, arriving from Kawasaki Frontale for a reported fee of £1.5m.
The 25-year-old was the third-highest scorer in the J League last season with 19, accumulating a goal or an assist every 91 minutes, while also helping the Sky Blue and Blacks reach a first-ever AFC Champions League Final, dumping out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr en route.
Nevertheless, following Wednesday’s pre-season friendly victory over Sporting CP in the Algrave, Rodgers stated that he wants “to add [more] to our front line”, so could he be about to get his wish?
Well, according to reports in Romania, Celtic have seen a bid of around £6.9m rejected for CFR Cluj striker Louis Munteanu.
They add that the 23-year-old is valued at closer to £16m by the Railwaymen, while Ligue 1 duo Nice and Lille have also expressed ‘interest’ in signing him.
Munteanu is expected to be on the move this summer but, if he is to end up in Glasgow, it would require a sizeable fee.
How Louis Munteanu would improve Celtic
Munteanu was signed by Fiorentina as a teenager, representing I Viola’s Primavera side, but never in the first team, thereby returning to Romania with Farul Constanța, before joining CFR Cluj for around £2m last summer.
Lousi Munteanu.
Well, safe to say he has impressed in Transylvania, scoring 26 goals in 43 appearances for Cluj, ending up the Romanian top division’s leading scorer, while also on target during a Europa League qualifying victory over Hungarian outfit Paksi FC at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu as recently as last Thursday.
Goals
23
1st
Goals per 90
0.76
1st
Non-penalty goals
19
1st
Shots
115
2nd
Shots on target
57
1st
Shots on target %
49.6%
3rd*
*minimum 40 shots attempted.
These performances earned Munteanu international recognition, part of Romania’s squad for last month’s under-21 European Championships in Slovakia, scoring this absolute rocket against Spain at Národný futbalový štadión in Bratislava.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout documented the striker’s “amazing season”, while Ewan Paton of the National labelled his form ‘sensational’, having become the first player to reach 23 goals in a single Liga I season since Mihai Adam 51 years ago.
So how does he compare to Celtic’s latest striker signing Yamada?
Let’s find out.
Appearances
43
83
Minutes
3,052
4,212
Goals
26
26
Assists
3
8
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis.
Shots
3.8
3.28
Shots on target
1.88
1.43
Shots on target %
49.6%
43.5%
Big chances missed
0.52
0.63
Average Sofascore rating
7.22
6.72
Worth noting first and foremost that Munteanu’s statistics document last season while, because the J League runs from February to December, that is all of Yamada’s statistics throughout 2024 and 2025, hence why he made 40 more appearances.
Nevertheless, the Romanian’s statistics are more impressive, scoring the same number of goals but in almost half the number of appearances, while registering more shots and shots on target on a per-90 basis.
Most expensive SPFL signings (timeless) Rangers Celtic
Thus, it is clear that Munteanu would surely be an excellent addition to Rodgers’ squad, even if Cluj are demanding a record-breaking Scottish transfer fee.
Celtic learn star player's one key demand as contract talks near resolution
New Zealand will tour India for three women’s championship ODIs later this month. The series, part of the women’s FTP for the current cycle, had been postponed indefinitely in July last year due to a crowded calendar, where India hosted England and Australia.All three ODIs, on October 24, 27 and 29, will be played in Ahmedabad, with both teams expected to fly in straight from the women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. If they make the World Cup final, both sides will have less than 72 hours to prepare for the series.The late addition to the cricket calendar means a number of first-choice players across both sides, including India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia and D Hemalatha could miss at least the first few games of the 2024-25 WBBL season.Mandhana was among the WBBL’s big-ticket pre-draft signings by Adelaide Strikers. Meanwhile, Sophie Devine, the New Zealand’s captain and Mandhana’s WPL team-mate, will also be unavailable for the first few games of the tournament for Perth Scorchers.Related
Mandhana joins Adelaide Strikers to complete pre-draft signings
With eight wins in 18 matches, New Zealand are currently placed sixth, a spot below India, in the women’s championship table. With West Indies and, theoretically even Bangladesh, capable of leapfrogging them on the points table, the series is crucial for New Zealand as far as direct qualification is concerned.The hosts along with five top-placed teams will earn a direct entry to next year’s 50-over World Cup in India. Two others will be identified through a global qualifier, where the bottom four from the championships and four associates will compete.New Zealand last played ODIs in India in 2015, during the first iteration of the women’s championships. Back then, New Zealand overturned a 1-0 deficit to clinch the series.
India A gather healthy lead after India D are skittled out for 183
Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2024Khaleel Ahmed’s India career hasn’t quite taken off, but a decent IPL opened the doors for a white-ball return in Zimbabwe in July for the first time since 2019. Now, Khaleel is working his way back up to a steady diet of first-class cricket.The ongoing Duleep Trophy fixture is only his 14th since his debut in 2017, and with Yash Dayal having leapfrogged him to the Indian Test squad for Bangladesh, Khaleel had another opportunity to impress. On Friday, he built on his five wickets from the opening round to pick up another three first-innings wickets to give India A control.Having added just two runs to their overnight 288 for 8, India A bowled out India C for just 183, with Khaleel turning in a superb spell of swing and seam bowling to finish with 3 for 39.While he just bowled eight overs, he managed to create opportunities and kept batters guessing with his late movement and lift. He dismissed Atharva Taide with a wicked inswinger that he shouldered arms to off the third ball of the innings and then had Shreyas Iyer for a seven-ball duck in his second over.Iyer, seemingly troubled by the away-movement and a short ball that he somehow managed to sway out of, fell as he lobbed a full delivery to mid-on, unable to fully commit to the shot because he had been hanging back in the crease.Khaleel’s third was Zaheer Khan-esque for the angle he managed to create from around the stumps as he bent one back in late to strike Ricky Bhui on the pads. Bhui was overbalanced and was trapped plumb in front.File photo: Devdutt Padikkal scored 92 of India D’s total of 183 all out•PTI Khaleel’s fire from one end was matched by the intensity of young Uttar Pradesh quick Aaqib Khan. Just 12 first-class games old, Aaqib isn’t express pace but makes up for that with his control and minute deviations off the pitch. In what is possibly his most high-profile first-class appearance so far, Aaqib remained unfazed by the quality of batters up against him.One of his three wickets early in his spell was that of the returning Sanju Samson, whose stay lasted just six deliveries as he miscued a pull to mid-on. Aaqib finished with 3 for 41.For India D, only Devdutt Padikkal was among the runs, a punchy 92 filled with sumptuous cover drives and a solid back foot game, especially off his statemate Prasidh Krishna, who bowled a lot better than his figures of 11-4-30-1 suggest.Prasidh had the last laugh, however, when he had Padikkal with one that decked away sharply to take the edge through to the wicketkeeper. Padikkal’s 92 came off just 124 balls with wickets falling around him. He hit 15 boundaries in his knock.Having taken a 107-run lead, Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh tucked into a tired attack to hit half-centuries late in the day, before an innocuous delivery from Iyer had Agarwal tamely lobbing a return catch in the dying moments of play.