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This season is shaping up very nicely for Chelsea at the moment.

Enzo Maresca’s side are second in the Premier League and have the chance to cut Arsenal’s lead to just three points on Sunday.

Then in Europe, they sent a warning out to the rest of the sides in the Champions League with their thumping 3-0 win over Barcelona, a game in which Estevao shone once again.

Maresca and Co will have a chance to make Chelsea’s season even better once the transfer window reopens in just over a month, not just by signing players, but by selling one who once looked like Estevao when he was a youngster.

Estevao's sensational start to life at Chelsea

The expectations placed upon Estevao have been monumental for quite some time now, to the point that respected analyst Ben Mattinson labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner” months before Chelsea even signed him.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Since then, the hype surrounding him has only grown, thanks in large part to his fine form in Brazil, where he produced 17 goal involvements in 37 games last season.

Even so, few would have expected the start to this season he has had.

The youngster is not only playing a decent number of minutes, but he’s chipping in with important goals and has already shown a hugely impressive ability to get the fans on their feet.

So far, the 18-year-old has scored five goals and provided one assist for the Blues in 17 appearances, totalling 740 minutes.

That comes out to an excellent average of a goal involvement every 2.83 games, or every 123.33 minutes, which would be commendable for a seasoned veteran, let alone a teenager.

The Franca-born wonderkid has been so effective this year that fans and pundits have actually spoken about him being a particular threat to league-leading Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s game.

However, while Chelsea should be delighted with their new wonderkid, they also need to find a way to sell one of their biggest duds, who once looked like Estevao when he was first breaking through.

The Chelsea flop who needs to be sold

Chelsea have become quite good at moving on players they don’t want in recent years, but even then, a couple remain in the bomb squad who are proving tricky to sell, like Raheem Sterling.

The former Manchester City star joined the club in 2022, and while he’s had moments for the club in which he’s looked excellent, they’ve only ever been that, moments.

Moreover, while his tally of 19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games isn’t terrible, he’s never really put together a string of impressive performances, which is why he was allowed to join Arsenal on loan last year.

Unfortunately, that move only made the situation worse, as he ended up scoring just a single goal and providing five assists in 28 games for the Gunners, and was labelled a “passenger” by journalist Charles Watts.

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, the 30-year-old has been left to train separately from the first team, and with a weekly wage of £325k, that is far from ideal.

It is a serious shame that things have not worked out for the former England international, as before his move south, he was one of the best players in the league.

For example, during his time at the Etihad, he scored 131 goals and provided 86 assists in 339 appearances and won four league titles.

He was even a brilliant player for Liverpool, making his debut in the 11/12 season, but making his name in the 13/14 season, when, like Estevao now, he was just 18 years old.

In that season, the Kingston-born phenom managed to rack up an incredible tally of ten goals and seven assists in 38 appearances, totalling 2535 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.23 games, or every 149.11 minutes.

Appearances

38

17

Minutes

2535′

740′

Goals

10

5

Assists

7

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.44

0.35

Minutes per Goal Involvement

149.11′

123.33′

It wasn’t just the goals, though, as, like the Brazilian, he was a serious threat with the ball at his feet, thanks in part to his speed and close control.

Ultimately, Sterling will go down as a legend of the Premier League, but for the sake of all parties, Chelsea need to sell him in January, even if they barely get anything.

The original Estevao: Chelsea lead race to sign "best player in the world"

Chelsea could sign the original Estevao for a mega-money fee.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 28, 2025

Monday's spring training game was an eventful one for New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning. Not only did the new Mets starter put together a solid outing, but also he showed off his catlike reflexes during an interview with SNY.

Canning, who had been a middling starter with the Los Angeles Angels since 2019, impressed on the mound, striking out five and surrendering just one hit in 3 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

While doing an interview with the Mets' booth during the eighth inning, with his teammate Huascar Brazobán facing the Cardinals' Michael Helman, he was nearly hit by a line drive into the dugout. Luckily, he had his eye on the ball and was able to evade the scorcher with his headset on.

"Oh s—," Canning said during the interview, as he dodged the ball as he was asked a question about New York's use of technology to develop their pitchers. SNY's cameras caught the moment in slow motion.

Canning won the American League Gold Glove award in 2020, and with reflexes like that, it's no surprise that he's strong in the field.

Birmingham City would like England's Lionesses to share their proposed new 'Powerhouse' stadium as the Blues continue their ambitious plans for the £1.2 billion ($1.57bn) new ground, which was officially announced in Thursday. The venue is hoped to be open by the 2030-31 season and could also host the Lionesses, who do not have a permanent home at present.

Lionesses could join Birmingham in £1.2bn new stadium

Reported by , Birmingham’s owners, Knighthead Capital, would like the Lionesses to become one of the long-term tenants of their state-of-the-art new arena. They aim for the stadium to be fully in use all year round, including not only hosting Blues’ home games, but a range of international sports, conferences and boxing fights.

Offering to become the new home of the Lionesses takes these ambitions to a new level, as to make Birmingham synonymous with the two-time European champions would go a long way to raising the profile of the new stadium and attracting a new fanbase to the city’s new 62,000-capacity ground.

Amidst aims to have the stadium opened in less than five years’ time – in time for the 2030-31 season – plans are coming together to see the club’s dream home become a reality in the not-too-distant future.

Birmingham would like to speak to the FA regarding the potential ground-share with the Lionesses, who are not currently tied down to use of Wembley Stadium as are their male counterparts. Sarina Wiegman’s side currently play at Wembley two to three times per year and spend the remainder of their domestic fixtures travelling around other stadiums up and down the country. 

Their proposed use of Birmingham’s ‘Powerhouse’ stadium would put an end to this and see the Euro 2025 winners have a new permanent home.

AdvertisementBirmingham City'Fantastic opportunity' – Blues chief speaks on proposed Lionesses share

A senior figure at Birmingham City said of the proposition: "The Lionesses do not have a permanent, or even semi-permanent, home to call their own.

"We believe we are ideally situated to host them.

"It’s less than an hour’s drive from St George’s Park and, once HS2 is operational, we estimate that around 80 per cent of the country will be able to access Birmingham within two hours.

"The Powerhouse presents a fantastic opportunity to showcase the Lionesses in a home they can call theirs which will be accessible to a huge number of people."

Birmingham aim to convince FA ahead of submitting final plans

Birmingham have reportedly told the FA that they will alter their plans for the build to incorporate the Lionesses if they agree to their idea to share the stadium. The current document outlining the plans for the development is currently more than 500 pages long, which reflects the extensive planning which the ambitious Championship club have put into their future home, which they hope will be hosting Premier League football by the time the stadium is fully functional.

The stadium will also offer ‘top-of-the-range corporate packages’ as part of the deal, with the final plans set to be tabled in front of Birmingham City council once a decision has been reached.

With the stadium set to be ‘comfortably the biggest’ within an 80-mile radius of the city, the use of HS2 could also prove influential in the FA’s decision thanks to its ability to attract fans from across the nation with a much-reduced travel time.

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Getty/GOALWagner speaks of 'huge milestone'

Chairman and co-owner Tom Wagner told the club’s website of his excitement for the ambitious plans: "This is a huge milestone for Birmingham City Football Club, creating a home for the club that reflects our ambition to compete at the highest level. More than that, the iconic design is a statement of intent for the City of Birmingham and the West Midlands, testament to a region that is on the rise. The stadium draws upon the proud heritage of the West Midlands – a heritage of industry, ingenuity and growth. I believe those same qualities can create a new era of success on and off the field and prosperity for local communities that have been starved of opportunities for too long."

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made contact to sign a £30m star for Rob Edwards, and the Old Gold feel he “fits the profile perfectly” at Molineux.

Wolves transfer rumours after Edwards appointment

Fosun and Wolves are ready to back Edwards in the January transfer window as they look to climb up the Premier League table and out of the relegation zone in 2026.

However, before the Old Gold can make any new additions, they’ll have to navigate eight top flight fixtures, starting this weekend at home to Crystal Palace.

Wolves’ Premier League fixtures before January

Date

Wolves vs Crystal Palace

November 22nd

Aston Villa vs Wolves

November 30th

Wolves vs Nottingham Forest

December 3rd

Wolves vs Man Utd

December 8th

Arsenal vs Wolves

December 13th

Wolves vs Brentford

December 20th

Liverpool vs Wolves

December 27th

Man Utd vs Wolves

December 30th

By the time the winter market opens, the Premier League season will be 50% complete, and with Wolves currently nine points away from safety, Edwards is facing a tough test.

It looks as if Wolves want to bolster all over the pitch following their poor start to the season as well.

A loan-to-buy bid for Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas is thought to be in the pipeline, whereas an offer is also in for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia.

Domestically, Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips and Everton winger Dwight McNeil are two more 2026 targets, and another Etihad Stadium first-team player is on the radar at Molineux.

Wolves make contact for James Trafford

According to reports from TEAMtalk, Wolves and Fosun have made their first move to sign Man City goalkeeper James Trafford.

After returning to the club in the summer, Trafford has already dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, arguably the best goalkeeper in world football.

City are open to a loan-with-obligation or permanent exit in January for Trafford, valuing him up to £30m.

Wolves are firmly in the race to sign the Englishman and have even made contact, with one source from Molineux telling TEAMtalk:

However, unfortunately for Wolves and Edwards, Trafford isn’t so keen on a move the Midlands. He appears to prefer a transfer to Newcastle United instead, with the source adding:

“James wants guarantees of game time, but above all he wants to play for a club pushing upwards, not one looking over its shoulder.”

Wolves now want to sign £20m set-piece specialist compared to Declan Rice

He’s been likened to the Gunners star at dead ball scenarios.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 19, 2025

Wolves are clearly after a new first choice shot-stopper with Sam Johnstone and Jose Sa, who are both 32 years of age, sharing the Premier League load so far. Johnstone has made seven appearances, conceding 14 goals, whereas Sa has turned out four times, letting in 11 goals.

But with Trafford preferring a move to St James’ Park where European football is on offer, perhaps Wolves may go for Mandas.

Wolves now in advanced talks to sign maestro who could be Edwards' first signing

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will begin the Super Four round on September 20

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2025Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will take on each other to begin the Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2025 on Saturday. By knocking Afghanistan out of the tournament in the penultimate group-stage game in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka ensured they progressed to the next round unbeaten, along with Bangladesh from Group B.India and Pakistan had confirmed their spots from Group A after Pakistan’s win against UAE on Wednesday. That means the second India vs Pakistan game in the tournament will be played on September 21 in Dubai. India had beaten Pakistan in their group-stage fixture in Dubai and are undefeated ahead of their game against Oman, which will close out the first round.Pakistan will get a day’s break before they take on Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. But Bangladesh will have play on consecutive days as they take on India on September 24 and Pakistan the next day. Both matches are in Dubai.India and Sri Lanka will conclude the Super Four stage on September 26 in Dubai. The two teams topping the table will play in the final on September 28, also in Dubai. The teams will not carry any points from the group stage into the Super Four round.

FOR THE second consecutive year, MLB’s class of free agents is headlined by one crowned jewel.

Juan Soto’s production through his age-25 season puts him in a cohort with players like Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. For anyone who thought Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers signed last year would hold up, Soto and agent Scott Boras had other ideas. The generational hitter made history with a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets that sent shockwaves throughout the sport.

While Soto's historic contract is the headliner of the offseason and beyond, there’s a lot of intrigue in this year’s free agency class. There’s plenty of options for shoppers in tax brackets high and low, with starting pitching as usual in high demand.

In ranking the 50 best free agents available, factors like past recent production, age, health history and position scarcity were taken into consideration. And, as has become tradition, we’ll be making signing predictions for each player in our top 50, with each team meriting at least one mention even though it’s highly unlikely certain small-market teams will cash out the dough to swim in this part of the free agent pool.

Without further ado, let’s get to the list.

Alex Crook, chief football correspondent at talkSPORT, has provided an update on rumours linking Bruno Lage with a return to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Last December, Wolves hired Vitor Pereira to replace Gary O’Neil, who had nearly steered the club into a relegation battle. Through a strong run of form and sense of unity in the second half of the season, Pereira guided Wolves away from the bottom three, ultimately finishing comfortably within the confines of mid-table.

Across the summer, Wolves lost important players, including Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo and Matheus Cunha. As has often been the case in recent years, the Midlands side replaced them with players who were not of the same calibre, which has hampered their 2025/26 campaign.

After 10 games in the Premier League, Wolves remain without a win and have just two points. Pereira, despite signing a new contract just weeks ago, was sacked at the start of November, sparking a hunt for Wolves to find their new manager.

O’Neil had been linked with what would’ve been a sensational return, only to pull himself out of contention. Other names include Erik ten Hag, no stranger to the Premier League following his tenure as Man United manager. In his latest job, however, the Dutchman was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three matches.

Elsewhere, a boss that Wolves are particularly acquainted with has been linked with a return to the Premier League.

Lage reportedly on Wolves' radar

In recent days, Wolves have been linked with a move for former manager Bruno Lage. The Portuguese first joined Wolves in 2021, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm. Despite a promising start, form ultimately faltered under Lage, who was dismissed in late 2022.

Since then, Lage has worked in both Brazil and his native Portugal, having last been in charge of Benfica, who sacked him in September. Given his status as a free agent, Lage’s links to a Wolves reunion are understandable, though it appears that there is little truth to the rumours.

It remains unclear who will be the next manager of Wolves, though a reunion with either O’Neil or Lage now appears impossible. Given how their respective tenures ended, it may suit the club to pursue a manager that has no prior links at Molineux.

"World-class" manager wants talks with Wolves

However, if he’s picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla will replace him for the zonal tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-20252:40

Gill: England-India series a great learning curve for me

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill will lead North Zone in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which will kick off the domestic season in Bengaluru later this month.Seamers Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh, who were recently part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, were also named in the North Zone squad. Harshit Rana, who made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, will add more depth to North Zone’s seam attack.However, if Gill, Arshdeep or Harshit get picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla, Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral will replace them for the Duleep Trophy. The Asia Cup, which will run from September 9 to September 28 will overlap with the Duleep Trophy, which will start on August 28, with the final scheduled between September 11 and 15.Ankit Kumar, who was the top scorer for Haryana with 574 runs in 14 innings at an average of nearly 59 in the previous Ranji Trophy season, was appointed North Zone’s vice-captain. His Haryana team-mate Nishant Sindhu, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, also found a place in the squad.Apart from Harshit Rana, Yash Dhull, the former India Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, and Ayush Badoni are the only Delhi players in the squad. The trio is currently in action in the second season of the Delhi Premier League T20 tournament.Related

Kuldeep, Khaleel in Jurel-led Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Tilak Varma to lead South Zone

Iyer, Sarfaraz in West Zone squad

Mohammed Shami in East Zone squad

Five players from Jammu & Kashmir made the cut for the Duleep Trophy, including opener Shubham Khajuria and seamer Auqib Nabi, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, with 44 wickets in eight matches at an outstanding average of 13.93.Services’ Ravi Chauhan and Chandigarh’s Nishunk Birla are among the stand-bys.The Duleep Trophy has reverted to its traditional format of a zonal contest after a season where four teams – A, B, C and D – comprising players in the Test fray were picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee. Teams for this year’s tournament will be picked by zonal selection committees, comprising one member from each of the state sides from the zone.North Zone will play the domestic season’s opening game against East Zone from August 28 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.North Zone squadShubman Gill (capt), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vice-capt), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk)Replacements: Shubham Rohilla to replace Gill, Gurnoor Brar to replace Arshdeep and Anuj Thakral to replace Harshit in case of any India commitments during the tournament.Stand-bys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma

The schedule for Euro 2028 has been released, with England – if they qualify – set to take in their first game of that tournament away from Wembley at the Etihad Stadium. The home of Manchester City will play host to the Three Lions after a competition opener that heads to Wales and the Principality Stadium – with the countdown on to an event that will also see fixtures take place in Scotland and Ireland.

GettyEngland in Manchester: Three Lions head to the Etihad

The Three Lions have made light work of recent qualification campaigns – last failing to reach a major international tournament in 2008 under Steve McClaren. They are now aware of what their path will be when chasing down continental glory in 2028.

England will be looking to reach a third consecutive Euros final there – having suffered heartache against Italy and Spain in the last two competitions. Their bid for the ultimate prize will be opened in Manchester – as the Etihad stages an England men’s game for the first time since May 2016, when the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Turkey in a friendly.

Said contest will take place on Saturday June 10, 2028. From there, England will return to Wembley Stadium for their two remaining fixtures in the group stage. If they were to top Group B then they will head to St James’ Park in Newcastle for a last-16 match, or Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium if they finish second in their pot.

AdvertisementEuro 2028: Nine host stadiums across UK & Ireland

Wales have been made aware that, if they are able to qualify, Cardiff will have the honour of hosting the opening game on Friday June, 9. The Republic of Ireland have games heading to Dublin, while Hampden Park will welcome fixtures to Scotland. Both semi-finals and the final will take place at Wembley in north London. Two automatic qualification spots will be held back for host nations that do not reach the finals through the normal routes.

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the list of nine host venues – with each of those set to figure in at least one knockout match. The quarter-finals will be split across the national stadiums of the four host nations. The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, with Northern Ireland missing out on games after it was revealed that Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time.

GettyEuro 2028 final: Change to kick-off time

The final – on Sunday July, 9 – will kick-off at 5pm. That is three hours earlier than the last Euros showpiece to take place at Wembley in 2021 – with that clash between England and Italy being marred by fan unrest as supporters broke through barriers and forced entry.

The Football Association’s chair, Debbie Hewitt, has said of moving that game forward – in line with changes to Champions League final kick-off times: “It's easier to get there – we all know what happens to public transport late on a Sunday night.

“Also we hope that the fans will want to celebrate after the game and so it allows that to happen. And of course, you have safety and security too. So all of those factors come together and it's a common sense decision.”

She added on working with UEFA to ensure that ticket prices will be as fair as possible: “It will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and ability to bring people together.

“We're not a fan of dynamic ticketing pricing and I think UEFA have heard that loud and clear. There's been no pushback from UEFA. They're great partners. They understand, and have at their core, too, that we want to make this the most accessible Euros. So we're giving a lot of thought to ticket pricing, how we make sure that the accessibility metrics are delivered on.”

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Euro 2028: Dates for qualifying draw & group stage

The qualifying draw for Euro 2028 will be held on December 6, 2026. The group stage will then run from March 2027 until November 2027, with the play-offs being held in March 2028. Ultimately, 24 teams will take part in the tournament.

Baseball fans were not having it with Dave Roberts's latest quote.

On Monday afternoon on the eve of Game 3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers' NLDS matchup with the San Diego Padres, Roberts made an odd statement.

The Dodgers manager was asked about reports of Padres third baseman Manny Machado tossing a ball into the L.A. dugout during a contentious Game 2 on Sunday night. Roberts claimed he saw video that showed Machado throwing a ball at him that was stopped by a net. He said he thought there was "intent behind it."

Video is below.

For his part, after the game, Machado claimed he was throwing the ball over to the ball boy, something he does often.

Roberts then followed up his claim about Machado by saying, "That team over there, they like the villain-type kind of role."

That's an odd thing to say the night after Dodgers fans threw things at Padres players on multiple occasions during their 10–2 win over L.A. in Game 2. Also, it's rich to hear someone associated with a team that spent roughly $1.2 billion over the offseason discuss another team embracing a "villain-type kind of role."

MLB fans weren't on board with Roberts's statement.

Yeah, not sure that characterization is going to go over well with people after what happened Sunday night.