Hugo Ekitike scored twice as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday. Mohamed Salah also made an impact after coming off the bench to replace the injured Joe Gomez. The Egypt international, who is facing an uncertain future at the club, bagged an assist for Arne Slot's side in what was his final game for the club before he joins up with his country's AFCON squad.

Salah was back in the squad but only on the bench at kick-off and could only watch and admire as Ekitike opened the scoring with the fastest Premier League goal of the season so far. Yankuba Minteh made a mess of a cross-field ball which was headed by Gomez to Ekitike. The Frenchman promptly took a touch and then smashed a powerful volley past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to hand the Reds the lead after just 46 seconds.

There was more Anfield applause on 25 minutes as the Salah saga took yet another twist. An injury to Gomez saw Arne Slot send on his talisman and watch him tee up Alexis Mac Allister for a chance with virtually his first touch. Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch also had opportunities for the Reds but could not convert as the hosts took a slender 1-0 lead into the half-time break.

Brighton came close to equalising at the start of the second half. Gomez, who escaped a red card just before half-time for a high challenge on Wirtz, slid in at the far post to connect with a low cross but saw his effort hit the woodwork. Liverpool responded quickly and doubled their lead through Ekitike on the hour. Salah sent in a curling corner for the France international to head home and give the hosts some breathing space.

The game was all set for Salah to apply the finishing touch before he departs for international duty and he was presented with a gilt-edged opportunity in stoppage time. However, Salah could only blast high over the bar as Liverpool had to settle for just two goals but a first home Premier League win since November 1st.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Alisson (7/10):

  Made a crucial save in the first half when he came off his line to block Diego Gomez and saved well from Karou Mitoma in the second half.

  Joe Gomez (8/10):

  Won the header to tee up Ekitike for the opener and set up another chance for the Frenchman before being forced off with yet another injury after 25 minutes. Real blow for the defender.

  Ibrahima Konate (7/10):

  A few scares at the back but looked far more assured than in recent weeks. Did well to block from Minteh and Gomez.

  Virgil van Dijk (8/10):

  Got the better of Rutter in a confident showing and will be happy to keep a clean sheet for the second match in a row.

  Milos Kerkez (7/10):

  Another Liverpool defender who put in a vastly improved performance. Had a tough task up against Minteh but handled it well.

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  Midfield

  Ryan Gravenberch (7/10):

  Along with Curtis Jones, helped Liverpool take control of the game and see off Brighton. A very assured showing.

  Curtis Jones (8/10):

  Played a big role in Liverpool's win with an excellent showing in the middle of the park for Slot's side. Impressive stuff on his 200th appearance for the Reds.

  Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

  Not quite his day. Had a few chances to score in the first half but couldn't convert.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

  Played all over the position as he was forced to right-back after Gomez went off and Salah come on. Looked to be struggling with an ankle problem and had to be be taken off late on.

  Hugo Ekitike (9/10):

  Scored a brilliant first goal to give Liverpool the perfect start to the match and then headed home a second when Brighton were threatening an equaliser. That's now four goals in his last two Premier League outings for the Reds.

  Florian Wirtz (8/10):

  Seemed to pop up everywhere in a free-flowing performance. Found pockets of space all over the place and really enjoyed himself.

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  Subs & Manager

  Mo Salah (8/10):

  Started on the bench but came on after 25 minutes due to Gomez's injury and was given a big ovation by the Anfield faithful. Looked lively, grabbed an assist for Ekitike's second but probably should have scored late on.

  Alexander Isak (6/10):

  Started on the bench due to a minor knock and didn't make much impact when he came on.

  Andy Robertson (6/10):

  Helped Liverpool see it out.

  Federico Chiesa (N/A):

  Late sub.

  Arne Slot (7/10)

  Left Salah out once again but didn't hesitate to turn to his talisman after losing Gomez. Will be relieved to see his team pick up three points and a clean sheet after a tough week.

In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.

Salah only signed a new two-year contract in April, but the "hurt" forward is now being heavily linked with a January switch to the Saudi Pro League, with Slot having suggested that he will not be reintegrated into the first team unless he apologises. Liverpool were already in the midst of a crisis after a disastrous start to their title defence, with Salah among those who have allowed their standards to dip significantly, but the noise around Anfield is near deafening now, and it remains to be seen if a harmonious resolution can be reached that helps the Reds salvage their campaign.

It has to be said, though, that dressing room bust-ups like this are nothing new. Below, GOAL goes through the most infamous rows between managers and players in modern football…

Getty/GOAL composite Sir Alex Ferguson vs David Beckham

Perhaps the most infamous manager-player feud of all time. With Manchester United trailing 2-0 at half-time in a 2003 FA Cup tie against bitter rivals Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson dished out a few angry words during the interval.

At one point, he singled out David Beckham, who the United boss believed had been taking his foot off the pedal as he closed in on a move to Real Madrid. As Ferguson approached the player, he kicked a boot into his face, with the resulting cut requiring several stitches.

The next day, photos of Beckham's wound was all over the newspapers. Ferguson revealed in his autobiography that the incident convinced him he was losing control of the dressing room and he implored the board to sell the midfielder as soon as possible. They duly obliged, with Beckham moving to Santiago Bernabeu that summer.

AdvertisementGetty/GOAL composite Jose Mourinho vs Paul Pogba

In the immediate months following Paul Pogba's big-money return to Old Trafford, his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho was all sunshines and rainbows. However, during the 2017-18 season, the mask began to slip.

At the beginning of the following season, Mourinho took the vice-captaincy off the player. The decision came after months of reports that the pair's relationship had become irrevocably damaged, with the duo clashing on the training ground in a video captured in September 2018.

Mourinho was sacked soon after, but that was not the end of the feud. In April 2021, after the Portuguese had taken over at Tottenham, Pogba launched a scathing attack on his former manager, telling : "Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho. Everybody saw that and the next day you don’t know what happened. That’s the strange thing I had with Mourinho and I cannot explain to you because even I don’t know."

Mourinho did not accept Pogba's version of events, though, replying: "I would like to say that I couldn't care less with what he says. I am not interested at all."

GettyPep Guardiola vs Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The biggest personality clash in the history of the game? It could well be.

In theory, Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have made Pep Guardiola's brilliant Barcelona side even better when he joined the treble-winners from Inter in 2009, and the early signs were promising. Guardiola has even acknowledged himself that the towering and technically gifted forward was "excellent" for the first half of the season. The problem was that their relationship completely collapsed during the second half of the campaign.

Ibrahimovic had never felt quite at home in what he perceived as a school-like set-up at Barca in which everyone obeyed the man he sarcastically referred to as ‘The Philosopher’, and the outspoken Swede began to throw tantrums after effectively losing his starting spot to Lionel Messi, whom Guardiola decided to deploy as a 'false nine'. Ibrahimovic even accused the Catalan coach of having "no balls" and "sh*tting himself" in front of Jose Mourinho when Barca faced Inter in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

While Guardiola has since refused to throw any more fuel on the fire, Ibrahimovic has never shied away from blaming the former Blaugrana boss for him spending just one season at Camp Nou before returning to San Siro – only this time to play for AC Milan.

"The problem wasn’t with me, it was with him, and he never came to terms with it," Ibrahimovic subsequently stated. "I don’t know what his problem was with me."

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Getty ImagesRoberto Mancini vs Mario Balotelli

"I can understand [if some players are frustrated]. I told [Mario Balotelli] that if you played with me 10 years ago I give to you every day maybe one punch in your head. But there are different ways to help guys like Mario."

That was how Roberto Mancini summed up working with Balotelli at Manchester City, with the pair colliding on more than one occasion. Even if the manager did keep faith in the centre-forward through a lot of the chaos, with his favouritism even frustrating some members of the squad, this was certainly a love-hate relationship.

During a pre-season friendly against LA Galaxy in 2011, the Italian coach dragged the striker off after he bizarrely attempted – and missed – an audacious backheel, instead of tapping the ball into an empty net. In January 2013, the odd couple even came to blows on the training ground after the striker put in a crunching tackle on team-mate Gael Clichy.

Then, in 2023 when Mancini was Italy manager, and ignored the good form of Balotelli to call up uncapped, Argentina-born striker Mateo Retegui, the then-FC Sion striker appeared to aim a jibe at his ex-City boss on Instagram. There's clearly no love lost between the pair.

Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is quite literally striking fear into opposing managers.

On Friday, Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford led off the top of the third inning with a single and Julio Rodriguez followed it up with a double to give Seattle runners on second and third with Raleigh and his MLB-leading 32 home runs stepping up to the plate. Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux emerged from the dugout to have a discussion with starter Nathan Eovaldi, and Texas then opted to intentionally walk Raleigh to load the bases with no one out.

While Texas's decision also set the club up for the double play, it was still the ultimate sign of respect towards baseball's home run leader.

The Mariners scored a run when second baseman Jorge Polanco grounded into a fielder's choice, then another when outfielder Randy Arozarena hit a sacrifice fly to left field. One could certainly argue that the damage had been limited.

But it wasn't the last time that Raleigh's power would force the Rangers into a tough decision. Just an inning later, Texas skipper Bruce Bochy faced a similar predicament, though this time there were two outs in the inning and the Mariners had two base runners with Raleigh again walking up to the batter's box.

And again, the Rangers intentionally walked the Mariners' backstop. Polanco grounded out to short and the Rangers emerged out of the top of the fourth having only surrendered a run.

It's hard to argue with the strategy, especially given how well Raleigh has been swinging the bat. He has belted 10 home runs in June, giving him a league-leading 32 for the season. Not only did Raleigh break Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Bench's record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break (28), but he is also on pace to break Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez's record for the most home runs by a catcher in a season (48).

Oh, and Raleigh is pacing to break the American League single-season home run record of 62 home runs, set by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in 2022.

Can you blame the Rangers for not wanting to pitch to him with runners in scoring position?

The home side’s pace bowlers quickly assessed conditions and made life tough, especially for Travis Head

S Sudarshanan17-Apr-20255:01

Bangar: ‘SRH need one or two batters who don’t attack all the time’

Deepak Chahar stood with his arms akimbo at the end of his follow-through. The exasperation was writ large on his face. Abhishek Sharma mistimed a slap off a length ball just wide of cover-point rushing to his left. It was the third half-chance Chahar had created in three overs. That was apart from the dropped catch off the first ball of the match.There are expectations of players in this sport. One of those is that the swing bowlers must bowl fuller lengths with the brand-new ball. That is perhaps why Mumbai Indians (MI) like to open the bowling with Chahar and Trent Boult in IPL 2025. It is for them to extract whatever little swing is available with the new ball. So, logic dictated that they would try and counter the threat of Travis Head and Abhishek by moving the new ball both ways. But MI had different ideas.In the first three overs of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mumbai, Chahar and Boult didn’t go in search of swing and bowled just three full deliveries. Chahar started the game with a length ball angled across Abhishek from over the wicket. Abhishek, as is his wont, dashed down the track and got a thick outside edge that burst through Will Jacks’ hand at first slip. Head then looked to whip a length ball through the leg side and almost popped a catch to midwicket. Abhishek, too, nearly did the same in Chahar’s next over.Related

• Maxed out? Glenn Maxwell needs to 'wake up' before it's too late

• MI's bowling tricks on slow pitch get them second straight win

• Jacks emerges as offspin's improbable saviour at the Wankhede

As per ESPNcricinfo logs, 14 of MI’s first 18 legal balls were either on a good length, short of good length or short. Result? SRH with 22 for 0 with one dropped chance and two near-chances. The pitch, described “tacky” by Michael Clarke, wasn’t conducive to stroke-play from get-go. Hitting shots down the ground was difficult. Travishek found success in each of the two fixtures against MI last year, and they specifically chose it to nullify the threat of SRH’s hard-hitting line-up that had arrived at the Wankhede on the back of a 246-run chase. What’s more, they also decided to resort to slower deliveries in the first six overs itself.Jasprit Bumrah, brought on in the fourth over, began with an offcutter outside off that Abhishek swung and missed at. That was one of the plenty of misses Travishek had inside the powerplay. While Bumrah did mix his lengths by slipping in a yorker in his first over itself, he predominantly bowled fast offspin, using the cutters generously to deny Travishek what they desired.Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional with just one boundary off his four overs•AFP/Getty ImagesWhen pace was on offer, Abhishek was at ease. He hit three fours in Chahar’s third over – all by sashaying down the track and hitting over covers – which ended with that half-chance off a 120.6kph length ball that frustrated the MI bowler. It seemed Abhishek had carried his luck from the previous outing to the Wankhede.They made room to go over off, got inside the line to play the pull, used their feet to try and put the bowlers off their lengths. None of it worked. At the end of the powerplay, SRH were 46 for 0. It was SRH’s lowest score in a wicketless powerplay since 2022, when they scored 42 for 0 against Gujarat Titans. Travishek had 15 not-in-control shots in that phase. Even though MI had not managed an early breakthrough, they successfully tied down arguably one of the most dangerous opening pairs in the last couple of seasons.”When Deepak bowled, a couple of balls stuck [on the pitch] and we realised change of pace will be useful,” captain Hardik Pandya said after MI’s four-wicket win. “As soon as we figured that out we were backing that and with the same intent, we mixed it up. Slower balls, even if it’s gripping, if you keep doing it again and again, batters can line you up. We smartly executed yorkers in the middle phase and they were not able to get the rhythm.”Travis Head was kept unusually quiet in what became a decisive part of the game•AFP/Getty ImagesThat pressure MI built in the powerplay came to their aid in the middle overs. Jacks reaped rewards of the squeeze to run away with two wickets, including that of Head, and emerged saviour to a shrinking breed. While SRH’s reliance on Travishek is an open secret, MI did not let that come their way despite a 59-run opening partnership. Nor did they let the skewed dimensions – the square boundaries were 60m and 67m – affect them. Bumrah played a vital part in ensuring SRH were always kept on a leash. He bowled two overs inside the powerplay and one at the death, where he slipped in a low full toss to bowl Heinrich Klaasen, and conceded just the one boundary in his spell.”The feedback from the batsmen was that the wicket was dead. So, the value for shots wasn’t quite there,” SRH head coach Daniel Vettori said. “Every time the slower one came, it was difficult to get your power on it. Therefore, there were a lot of singles. The way Boult bowled to that small boundary, he defended it with superb yorkers.”We got away with a lot in the powerplay, we were a little bit lucky. We understood how difficult it was. To come away from the powerplay with 46 for none was something we were happy with. Mumbai read the conditions exceptionally well. After the first few overs, they relied on the slower balls. Slower balls are effective, but it is mainly effective because of their execution.”In an interview with the host broadcaster during the match, MI batting coach Kieron Pollard termed Travishek a “one-dimensional, hard-hands sort of batsmen” for whom off-pace deliveries could work. MI’s focused planning and execution delivered them the desired result. Even if it had a few frustrating moments on the way.

Team USA is adding another member to its star-studded lineup for the 2026 World Baseball Classic—Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh announced on All-Star media day that he will be officially joining the roster for the World Baseball Classic next year. Raleigh will join Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who will serve as Team USA's captain, in competing for the championship.

"It's like every kid's dream, right?" Raleigh said. "You grow up watching , and the whole thing, and you get 'USA' across your chest. It's like a dream, getting to play for your country. … What a special chance."

Team USA will be looking to win the World Baseball Classic for just the second time, after previously taking home the gold in 2017. They came close to repeating as champions in 2023, but lost to Japan in the first place game.

For Raleigh, joining the Team USA roster is just the latest moment in his breakout season. Raleigh has unequivocally become a star this season, recording a league-leading 38 home runs and 82 RBIs before the All-Star break. He has broken onto the national scene, and is set to play in his first Home Run Derby and All-Star Game this week. Next year, he'll add competing in the World Baseball Classic to his rapidly growing résumé.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will take place next March.

تشهد أروقة نادي الزمالك حالة من الترقب بعد الأنباء التي تم تداولها خلال الساعات الماضية بشأن مستقبل بعض لاعبي الفريق الأجانب، وسط قلق جماهيري من إمكانية حدوث أزمات جديدة تهدد الاستقرار الفني.

وجاءت التقارير الأخيرة لتثير الجدل حول موقف الثلاثي محمود بنتايج وشيكو بانزا وخوان بيزيرا، بعد تردد معلومات تفيد بأنهم أرسلوا إنذارات رسمية للنادي لفسخ عقودهم بسبب المستحقات المالية المتأخرة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. خاص | لاعب الزمالك يخاطب فيفا لـ فسخ عقده

وبحسب ما علمه موقع بطولات، لم يتقدم اللاعبون الثلاثة بأي إنذار رسمي حتى الآن، وكل ما حدث هو مخاطبة قانونية للاستفسار فقط عن المتأخرات المالية وموعد صرفها، دون نية مباشرة لفسخ العقود.

وأوضحت المصادر أن الخطابات جاءت كخطوة روتينية لضمان حقوقهم، خاصة مع تراكم المستحقات في الفترة الأخيرة، وهو ما فتح الباب أمام تكهنات واسعة حول إمكانية رحيلهم في يناير.

كما أكدت المصادر أن الأزمة المالية داخل الزمالك تلقي بظلالها على الفريق، إذ تعاني الإدارة من ضغوط كبيرة لتأمين المستحقات، في وقت يحتاج فيه الجهاز الفني لاستقرار كامل قبل استكمال الموسم.

وفي ظل هذه الأجواء، يسعى مسؤولو الزمالك إلى احتواء الموقف سريعًا، عبر التواصل مع اللاعبين ووكلائهم لطمأنتهم بشأن خطة سداد المتأخرات، وتجنب أي خطوات تصعيدية محتملة.

وترى الإدارة أن الحفاظ على العناصر الأجنبية أمر ضروري لاستمرار المنافسة، خاصة أن الثلاثي يعد من العناصر الأساسية في تشكيل الفريق، ما يجعل ملف مستحقاتهم على رأس أولويات المجلس خلال الفترة المقبلة.

The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play in front of a record-setting crowd Saturday as they meet for Major League Baseball's new Speedway Classic event at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bristol Motor got a makeover for the occasion with a fully constructed MLB field in the middle of the track. With such a large venue, which has a capacity of just below 150,000, the event is bound to set a single-game MLB attendance record.

On Monday, the league announced that the Speedway Classic sold more than 85,000 tickets to date, which will break the previous attendance record of 84,587 that was set at Cleveland Stadium back in 1954.

Even though Bristol Motor has a larger capacity than Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park and Atlanta's Truist Park combined, the Speedway Classic is shaping up to cost more to get in compared to your average baseball game. Outside of the attendance record the game will break, the contest is the first MLB game played on a race track and the first in the state of Tennessee. The league brought out all the stops for the occasion, planning a pregame concert and giving both squads custom NASCAR-themed uniforms. And fans are coming from all over to witness the unique game.

Here's how much it would run you to catch the first ever regular season MLB game in the state of Tennessee:

Cheapest Tickets for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic

The get-in price for the Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds is $67 on TickPick and $75 on SeatGeek as of Friday evening. Of course, fans won't be able to call balls and strikes from those seats at Bristol Motor Speedway which has a capacity of just under 150,000.

As of Thursday, TickPick reported the average purchase price for the game was $99 which is 106% more expensive than a typical Reds home game at the Great American Ball Park, which has an average purchase price of $48 for Reds home games.

Most Expensive Tickets for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic

To get closer to the action, fans can sit in the constructed stands just off the field inside the race track. That option will cost a pretty penny, though. On SeatGeek, there are a pair of seats available three rows behind the Reds dugout for a whopping $1,273 apiece. To shift a section over to sit right on top of the action just beside the Reds dugout, that will cost a pricey $1,528 a seat. TickPick has some seats behind home plate just aside from the Braves' dugout, but that top-notch experience is going for $1,850 a seat. To pay a bit less but stay on the floor, SeatGeek has two seats for $985 each. Those are in the ninth row on the third-base line.

MatériaMais Notícias

Fernando Diniz deve promover uma novidade na equipe titular do Fluminense para o duelo contra o Colo-Colo, do Chile, válido pela segunda rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores. Durante a preparação para o confronto, o técnico realizou testes na equipe e existe a possibilidade do volante Martinelli iniciar a partida no Maracanã como zagueiro.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Fluminense

Com isso, o jogador deve ocupar a vaga de Thiago Santos, que vai para o banco de reservas, e formar a dupla de zaga com Felipe Melo. Lima, por sua vez, assume uma posição no meio-campo.

No entanto, essa não será a primeira vez que Diniz promove uma mudança de posicionamento de seus jogadores no clube. Contratado como volante em março do ano passado, Thiago Santos passou a atuar como zagueiro sob o comando do treinador e teve seu vínculo renovado com o Flu até o fim de 2025.

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Outro jogador que experimentou essa transição foi André. Formado como meia nas categorias de base, o jogador já atuou como defensor em diversas ocasiões. Inclusive, desempenhou o papel em parte do duelo contra o Boca, na final da Libertadores.

O treinador também foi responsável por transformar Caio Henrique em lateral-esquerdo. Meia-atacante de origem, o jogador migrou de posição sob comando de Diniz em 2019 e se tornou titular absoluto do Fluminense. Caio Paulista, atualmente no Palmeiras, também foi passou por transformação semelhante no Tricolor das Laranjeiras.

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PROVÁVEL ESCALAÇÃO DO FLUMINENSE

Após empatar em 1 a 1 com o Allianza Lima, no Peru, o Fluminense terá novidades para o duelo contra o Colo-Colo. Recuperados de lesão, Paulo Henrique Ganso e Germnán Cano estão à disposição de Diniz e devem iniciar o duelo.

Para dar maior qualidade e fluídez à saída de bola, Martinelli deve ocupar a vaga de Thiago Santos e forma a dupla de de zaga ao lado de Felipe Melo.

Portanto, a provável escalação do Fluminense tem: Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Felipe Melo, Martinelli, Marcelo; André, Lima, Ganso; Marquinhos, Arias, Cano.

Tudo sobre

Fernando DinizFluminenseFutebol NacionalLibertadoresMartinelli

Celtic have endured a fairly disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign across all competitions so far, in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.

The Hoops sit second in the league table, behind Hearts, with five wins and two draws, whilst they are still looking for their first win on the European stage.

Brendan Rodgers has overseen one point from two Europa League matches after his team were beaten by Kairat in their Champions League play-off clash.

There have been several players in the squad who have not performed to the best of their ability this season, including central midfielder Reo Hatate.

Why Reo Hatate's form is a concern

The Japan international has gone eight matches without a goal or an assist to show for his contributions on the pitch, which is concerning for a player who typically provides creativity and quality on the ball in midfield.

Hatate delivered ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 37 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, but he has failed to provide the same kind of quality at the top end of the pitch in the current campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese star’s output as both a scorer and as a creator of goals has decreased for the Hoops in the Premiership.

This is concerning because it shows that Hatate is not as influential or effective as he once was for the Scottish giants, but it has also provided other players with a chance to step up and shine.

Chalkboard

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

One star who has stepped up and is now looking like a Reo Hatate-type player is summer signing Benjamin Nygren in the middle of the park for Celtic.

Why Benjamin Nygren looks like Celtic's new Reo Hatate

The left-footed star was signed from Nordsjaelland for £1.3m in the summer and may have been expected by some to play on the right wing, as that was where he played the majority of his football last season and Nicolas Kuhn left to sign for Como.

Despite that, Rodgers has played Nygren as part of his midfield three more often than not, essentially taking Arne Engels’ spot in the starting line-up from the 2024/25 campaign.

The Sweden international, who was described as “fearless” by Alexander Isak, has started five of the club’s seven matches in the Premiership, which shows that the manager already trusts him to start consistently.

Nygren has also shown that he can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position with four goals in five league starts, whilst no other Celtic player has scored more than two league goals for the club.

As well as being an impressive goalscorer, the summer signing ranks second in the squad for ‘big chances’ created (two) and first for key passes per game (2.6) in the Premiership.

These statistics show that Nygren has hit the ground running at Parkhead as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position, taking on the role that Hatate played last season with his ten goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created.

The Japan international has not been at his best in the current campaign, as evidenced by his aforementioned form, but the Swedish star has stepped up to carry the team on his back at times.

Cost £0, now worth more than Tounekti: Celtic hit gold on "phenomenal" star

Sebastian Tounekti has made an impressive start to life at Celtic, but a “prolific” attacker who arrived for free has a higher estimated market value.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 10, 2025

There is still plenty of football left to be played this season, but the left-footed star’s form for Celtic suggests that he can be the new midfield star in the final third moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici is now planning to spearhead a move for a “world-class” £100m forward, having recently returned to N17 after a FIFA ban.

Spurs looking to strengthen attacking options

Thomas Frank is off to a solid start as Tottenham manager, despite being left a little light on attacking options at times, with Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Randal Kolo Muani and Dejan Kulusevski all spending time on the sidelines.

In the week, Frank stressed just how important Kulusevski is to his side, and appeared to hint that the Sweden international may be back sooner rather than later, saying: “He’s a key, key player for us. Instead of putting an exact month on [his return]. I just want him back as quick as possible. I know the medical team and Dejan are working very hard on that. It’s not tomorrow, hopefully not too far away.”

The 25-year-old was a shining light in a Spurs side that underperformed in the Premier League last season, while also playing his part in the Europa League triumph, chipping in with four goal contributions during the run to the final.

Competition

Appearances

Goal contributions

Premier League

32

11

Europa League

11

4

FA Cup

2

2

EFL Cup

5

4

As such, the winger’s return will be a welcome boost for Frank, but Tottenham have set their sights on bringing in a new forward, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they are among the clubs chasing AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Having enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, Semenyo is being chased by a number of top Premier League clubs, but a deal could be very expensive, with the Cherries planning to hold out for a fee of around £80m – £100m.

Paratici has given the green light to lead the pursuit of the 25-year-old, with the Lilywhites expressing a strong interest in getting a deal done, which pre-dates the Italian’s return to north London.

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ByDominic Lund Oct 19, 2025 "World-class" Semenyo would be statement signing for Tottenham

In his fourth season as a Premier League player, the Ghanaian appears to be entering his prime, having chipped in with six goals and three assists in eight matches, winning Bournemouth’s Goal of the Month award courtesy of a stunning strike against Liverpool in August.

Journalist Liam Canning was left particularly impressed by the forward’s performance in the Cherries’ 3-1 victory over Fulham earlier this month, singling him out for high praise on X after the match.

Even at £80m, the Bournemouth star would be by far Tottenham’s most expensive signing of all-time, but if the board want to make a real statement of intent in the post-Daniel Levy era, signing Semenyo would show they truly mean business.