Manchester United are now back in talks to sign highly-rated Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba in 2026.
The Red Devils’ midfield needs to be a key area of focus next summer, due to Casemiro being out of contract at Old Trafford when the season ends.
The Brazilian has enjoyed a resurgence of late, scoring in United’s 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend, however, he still isn’t the player he was and will soon need to be replaced by a younger model.
Baleba emerged as one of the front-runners to join the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, but in the end, he stayed put for the time being, with no defensive midfielders added to Ruben Amorim’s squad.
The 21-year-old Seagulls ace is sure to have plenty of suitors moving forward, though, with a switch to United still very much on the cards, following a new update.
Man Utd willing to pay £90m for Baleba
According to reports relayed by Caught Offside, Manchester United are once again negotiating over the signing of Baleba from Brighton, and INEOS would be willing to pay as much as £90m for his signature.
An official bid is expected to be incoming for the Cameroonian, as the Red Devils look to complete a significant piece of business next year.
Baleba may not have hit top form yet this season, with his focus arguably affected by the level of interest in him from various clubs, but he has all the tools to enjoy a fantastic career.
He is a force both in and out of possession, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League last term, as well as scoring three goals, and Alan Shearer has hailed him as “absolutely wonderful” on Match of the Day.
As mentioned, Casemiro is not the player he once was, no longer being to cover so much ground at pace, but Baleba could bring that to United’s team, suddenly making them far harder to run through.
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He has so much time to improve further as a player, and while his age means that some inconsistency may be a part of his game to begin with, he feels like a leading option for Amorim, as the Red Devils look to bring in the perfect addition to a vital area of the pitch.
Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim
One Chelsea star has been critiqued for his performance in their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Robert Sanchez having more touches than him at Stamford Bridge.
In what was Chelsea’s final Premier League game ahead of the November international break, the Blues played host to a Wolves side who, after 10 games, were still without a win in the top flight.
Enzo Maresca’s side struggled to do much with the chances they generated in the first half against Wolves, frustrating the home support at Stamford Bridge. Soon after the half-time break, however, the Blues broke the deadlock.
Malo Gusto opened the scoring with what was his first-ever senior goal just minutes into the second half. This lead was doubled just after the hour mark when Joao Pedro smashed a deflected Estevao cross beyond Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
The game was put beyond any doubt when, with less than 20 minutes to go, Pedro Neto scored against his former club. The win moved Chelsea to second in the table. However, one Blues player was slammed for his performance against the relegation-threatened side.
Delap failed to make mark against Wolves
Signed in the summer from Ipswich Town, Liam Delap has endured a tough start to life at Chelsea. An injury saw him sidelined for weeks to open the 2025/26 campaign, missing almost two months. Upon his return, against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Delap was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards after coming off the bench.
Delap, who reportedly signed a contract worth £100,000 per week, made his first start for Chelsea since returning from injury against the Old Gold, but failed to make an impact. Simon Johnson, who works for The Athletic, was critical of what the striker produced, noting that he did not appear at match fitness and said he was “struggling”.
As per SofaScore, within 64 minutes of football, Delap had just one shot on target. He was dispossessed on three occasions and by having just 15 touches in the game, had less time on the ball than Sanchez.
Delap is still a young player, one coming back from a relatively long set-back no less. His performance against Wolves, though, can simply not be the level that he consistently operates at going forward.
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Australian slams 25-ball half-century after Linsey Smith, Lucy Higham tie down Phoenix
ECB Media15-Aug-2025
Phoebe Litchfield’s half-century led the Superchargers charge•ECB via Getty Images
Northern Superchargers soared to the top of the women’s Hundred table with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage’s team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix’s flow.Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44 for 1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry’s unfortunate run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end – summing up the Phoenix’s misfortune.From 59-6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of the Hundred’s women’s competition.On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. The Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year’s tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker. Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as Superchargers’ overseas stars wrapped things up with a whopping 26 balls to spare.Litchfield was named the Meerkat Match Hero: “That was good fun out there. Every time we play here at Headingley we know it’ll be a good pitch and you saw that even when Davina and ADR came out, and then especially Bellesey [Sutherland] at the end there.”Litchfield was also full of praise for Superchargers’ spinners, Smith and Higham. “They hit their lengths and kept the stumps in play and forced the Birmingham batters to try something else, and we backed them up in the field. Our two little spinners have done wonders for us for a few years now and they showed it again today.”We’ve had this group together for three years now, it hasn’t changed much, and the vibes are good. We had a pretty average game last time out, but we tried to park that and came out with a positive mindset.”
Don’t say it too loudly, but things might be on the up for West Ham United.
After months of poor performances and even worse results, the Hammers finally won a Premier League game on the weekend, as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side dismantled Newcastle United 3-1.
It was a game in which practically the whole team showed up, one in which any number of players could have been man of the match.
Moreover, it was an afternoon in which West Ham’s next big-money star may have announced himself, someone who has shades of Declan Rice to his game.
West Ham's standout stars vs Newcastle
When talking about the West Ham stars who really shone on Sunday afternoon, it would be ridiculous not to start with Lucas Paqueta.
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The Brazilian has come in for some justified criticism this season, but against the Toon, he was simply sensational.
It was his wonder strike in the 35th minute that started the Hammers’ fightback, and were it not for some good goalkeeping four minutes earlier, that would have been his second in the game.
Someone who was almost as influential on the match was Jarrod Bowen, as while he didn’t score or assist a goal, he came awfully close, rattling the post just before Jacob Murphey’s opener.
Finally, while they’ve been woeful almost every time they’ve played this season, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo deserve plenty of credit for their resolute defending.
Between them, they made 16 clearances, won five of seven duels and were dribbled past just a single time.
In all, there were unreal displays across the board for West Ham against Newcastle, including from one player who could be their next big-money star and already looks a bit Rice-esque.
West Ham's future big-money star
While the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville all deserve credit, the starter who left a significant impression on fans and pundits alike was Freddie Potts.
The academy graduate has featured a few times for the first team, but Sunday afternoon was his first competitive start for the club, and to say he repaid the manager’s faith would be an understatement.
The 22-year-old was utterly sensational in the middle of the park, bringing some much-needed dynamism to the role while maintaining a technical level some might not have expected from him.
Potts’ game vs Newcastle
Minutes
90′
Key Passes
2
Crosses
2
Passes
33/39
Touches
57
Tackles (Won)
3 (2)
Interceptions
1
Clearances
6
Recoveries
1
Ground Duels (Won)
4 (3)
All Stats via Sofascore
In his 90 minutes of action, the Englishman played two key passes, completed two crosses, was accurate in 33 of 39 passes, took 57 touches, won 66% of his tackles, made six clearances and won 75% of his ground duels.
It was a quintessential all-action display from the midfielder, and if his boots were one size smaller, he could have topped it off with a well-taken goal.
Unsurprisingly, such a strong showing from an academy graduate has led to comparisons with the club’s former captain, with one content creator noting that he has a “similar aura to Rice when he first came through.”
In addition to his development as a player, the content creator credited the Englishman’s “supreme confidence and ability to create time and space on the ball” as reasons for the comparison.
Now, it might sound a little over the top considering it was his first start for the club, but thanks to his ability to protect the ball, carry it into dangerous areas and play the right pass at the right time, it is easy to see where such comparisons come from.
Moreover, as was the case with the former midfielder, there already seems to be a connection between the Barking-born ace and the fans, with journalist Dan Woffenden claiming he “understands what it means to wear the shirt.”
Ultimately, West Ham will want to keep hold of Potts for the long term, but if he does end up emulating Rice and eventually leaves, at least they should once again get massive money for an academy graduate.
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It feels like an absolute age since Thomas Tuchel was first announced as the England manager.
Truth be told, it is an age. On October 16th 2024, a year ago now, he was unveiled in front of the press.
England manager Thomas Tuchel watches on.
This has been something entirely different for the German. He’s never managed at international level and since he began the job, he has still only managed eight games. It really is a struggle to gather any momentum or know truly what his Three Lions are capable of until the World Cup kicks off next summer.
Things started off pretty slowly in all honesty. Tuchel’s England laboured to a 2-0 win over Albania in his first game before beating Latvia 3-0.
His second international break at the beginning of the summer was even worse. They secured just a 1-0 victory over Andorra and then lost 3-1 to Senegal.
Fortunately, things have got better since then, putting five past Serbia in September and demolishing Wales 3-0 inside 20 minutes in October’s break.
Regardless of those results, England were always going to be one of the favourites in America next summer. But, the age-old question, who will be on the plane?
We asked AI to put together what they think Tuchel’s 26-man squad will look like and here was the outcome…
1 The goalkeepers
There are no prizes for guessing who AI reckons will be Tuchel’s no.1 next summer. That honour goes to Jordan Pickford who has cemented himself as one of his country’s finest goalkeepers in recent years.
The Everton man has been to every major tournament (4) since the World Cup in 2018 and according to AI, will be joined by Newcastle duo Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope. Ramsdale hasn’t appeared in any of Tuchel’s squad lists yet so will need to find a way to play some football before the tournament kicks off next summer.
At the moment, he is behind Pope in the pecking order but there’s no doubting that he’s a fine ‘keeper, someone who was seen as the future no.1 when at Arsenal.
Full list of goalkeepers: Pickford, Ramsdale & Pope.
2 The defenders
AI anticipates that Tuchel will take four out-and-out centre-backs to the USA next year with John Stones set to partner Marc Guehi at the back, just as they did during Euro 2024.
While denied his move to Liverpool during the summer, Guehi has begun the season in fine form at Crystal Palace and really does look like England’s standout defender.
AI also thinks that AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori could be on the plane, set to earn his first minutes for his country since 2023. Note there is no place for Dan Burn who has been a regular in Tuchel’s first few England camps.
Levi Colwill is currently out with an ACL problem but is expected to be back for the latter stages of the season, potentially giving him the opportunity to make the squad.
At full-back, England are blessed with options. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento and Reece James have been picked on the right-hand side. James offers strong versatility and could be fielded at centre-back if required.
At left-back, there are places on the plane for Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. The England boss recently hinted that Lewis-Skelly would need to start playing more to earn his place in America.
Full list of defenders: Guehi, Stones, Tomori, Colwill, Alexander-Arnold, Livramento, James, Lewis-Skelly, Lewis.
3 The midfielders
To the joy of most supporters around the country, AI thinks that Jordan Henderson will miss out on this occasion. The Brentford midfielder has been recalled to the fray under Tuchel but despite his experience and leadership, could actually miss out.
There is also no place for Elliot Anderson who has impressed so much since earning his first England caps during the September international break. Perhaps he is going to pay the price for Nottingham Forest’s poor run of form.
Regulars such as Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze are included while there is a place for Jude Bellingham who was left out of the camp in October, allegedly due to fitness concerns and a lack of minutes for Real Madrid.
They are joined by some wildcard options in the form of Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton who gets in ahead of Anderson to fill the no.6 spot.
Kobbie Mainoo also makes the cut. Has Ruben Amorim been sacked? It’s likely if the youngster is playing enough minutes to be in the reckoning. The last name is arguably the biggest surprise of the lot with Everton’s James Garner on the plane. To his credit, he has started the season well under David Moyes, registering a goal and an assist in his first seven outings.
Full list of midfielders: Rice, Bellingham, Gallagher, Mainoo, Eze, Wharton, Jones, Garner.
4 The forwards
To the surprise of nobody, Harry Kane is the first name on the squad list. The England skipper is one of the best in the world after taking his game to a new level in 2025/26, putting his name firmly in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or. Why? Well, in his first ten games of the ongoing campaign, he had scored a mind-boggling 18 goals.
Euro 2016
4
0
World Cup 2018
6
6
Euro 2020
7
4
World Cup 2022
5
2
Euro 2024
7
3
Joining him will be Ollie Watkins, who netted against the Welsh in October and Marcus Rashford who has rediscovered himself at Barcelona this season.
Further options include Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon.
Remarkably, there is no place for Chelsea star Cole Palmer. Currently injured at the moment, will he still be feeling the effects of that come next summer? There’s no room for Man City superstar Phil Foden either.
Full list of forwards: Kane, Watkins, Rashford, Saka, Gordon, Bowen.
There has been a twist regarding Martin O’Neill’s stay as Celtic interim manager involving his relationship with Dermot Desmond.
O'Neill guides Celtic into League Cup final with win over Rangers
The Hoops have enjoyed a resurgence following O’Neill’s return to Glasgow on a short term basis following Brendan Rodgers’ Parkhead departure.
Celtic won 4-0 in O’Neill’s first game back against Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership and then, days later, got the better of rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup.
Goals from Johnny Kenny, Callum McGregor and Callum Osmand saw the Hoops win 3-1 in extra time at Hampden Park, booking their spot in the final against St Mirren.
O’Neill’s attention now turns to a Europa League trip to take on FC Midtjylland before a home fixture against Kilmarnock prior to the international break.
Speaking to talkSPORT reporter Jim White, O’Neill admitted he had to return to London to retrieve his passport ahead of the trip to Denmark. The Hoops caretaker was also asked if shareholder Desmond had more of a ‘persuasive tone’ when they spoke about a longer stay in Glasgow, to which O’Neill said:
O'Neill now willing to stay on as Celtic manager
It has now been reported by 67 Hail Hail that O’Neill is in fact ‘willing to stay on as Celtic manager until the end of the season’.
Despite saying on multiple occasions that his role would be short term, the Irishman is open to remaining at Parkhead until 2026, and that is seen as a ‘genuine possibility’.
67 Hail Hail add that O’Neill’s relationship with Desmond ‘is believed to be a crucial part of this idea, with Celtic willing to take their time to find the long-term replacement’.
Games
266
Wins
200
Draws
26
Losses
40
Trophies
7
Players used
56
As long as results remain positive under O’Neill, then the Hoops will surely be open to the idea of taking their time to find a long-term replacement.
The 73-year-old has steadied the ship at Parkhead, and his next task is to take Celtic higher up the Europa League table. Another three points in the Scottish Premiership will keep the pressure on Hearts, and by the looks of it, there is a real chance we may see the 4-2-3-1 manager in the Celtic dugout until 2026.
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Félix Bautista was away from MLB for a whopping 556 days before making a return to the mound on Monday during the team's spring training game against the Boston Red Sox.
Bautista last pitched in a professional baseball game on Aug. 25, 2023. He suffered a right UCL tear that resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery.
It was a heartwarming and successful return for Bautista, as he put together a quick one-two-three inning on just 13 pitches (nine strikes) in the fifth. He struck out Trayce Thompson—the first batter he faced in 556 days—with a 96-mph fastball, and he couldn't help but break out in a big smile afterwards. He went on to strike out Nate Eaton and got David Hamilton to ground out to end the inning.
The crowd at Ed Smith Stadium rose to their feet as the top of the fifth ended and Bautista walked back to the dugout. He hugged teammate catcher Adley Rutschman and smiled at the crowd.
“That was very exciting," Bautista said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I missed my fans. I missed hearing them every time I stepped onto the field. It was very gratifying being able to go out there today and hear them once again.”
Bautista is expected to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster as long as everything continues to progress well during spring training.
The 29-year-old pitcher played for the Orioles in 2022 and '23, etching a 2.19 ERA and a 1.48 ERA, respectfully, in those two seasons.
The Cincinnati Reds will have a new look this year as they're adding a patch to their uniforms honoring one of the franchise's greatest players.
For the 2025 season, Cincinnati will wear a No. 14 patch on the sleeve of their jerseys to honor MLB career hits leader Pete Rose.
What does the 14 patch on Reds uniforms stand for?
The No. 14 patch honors Rose, who died on September 30, 2024. He was one of the greatest players in franchise history and is a member of the team's Hall of Fame.
A 17-time All-Star, Rose spent much of his career in Cincinnati. He played 19 seasons with the Reds across too stints. The first coming from 1963 to '78, the second from 1984 to '86. He helped lead the Reds to back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and '76, and was named World Series MVP in '75.
Rose is the Reds' all-time leader in games played (2,722), hits (3,358), singles (2,490), doubles (601), runs scored (1,741), total bases (4,645) and walks (1,210).
Pete Rose career summary
During his 24-year career, Rose set several MLB records as well. He is the league's all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), most times on base (5,929), plate appearances (15,890) and most seasons with 200-plus hits (10). He was a 17-time All-Star, won three World Series and three batting titles, was named NL MVP in 1973, earned two Gold Gloves (1969, '70) and a Silver Slugger in 1981,
Despite his incredible career, Rose is not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame after accepting a permanent ban from baseball due to a gambling scandal. The sport's hall of fame voted to exclude members on MLB's permanently ineligible list.
They have received plenty of criticism for it over the last couple of years, but Chelsea seem determined to continue building a team full of exciting young talents.
For example, the West Londoners added Jorrel Hato, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Estevao to Enzo Maresca’s side this summer.
However, one player who is just that little bit older than them is Liam Delap, who, at 22, is arguably still a prospect, but at the same time, needs to start delivering on a more consistent basis.
If he does do that, there is also more than a passing chance he could establish himself as an England regular; if not, Cobham is already producing an incredible gem who could surpass him for club and country.
Delap's route into the England team
While Thomas Tuchel arguably has the strongest England squad for a very long time, a narrative that has been doing the rounds this international break is that, after Harry Kane, there aren’t many, if any, obvious strikers to take as backup for the World Cup.
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For example, Ivan Toney is still playing in the Saudi Pro-League, Ollie Watkins has just one goal and no assists in 16 games this season, and Dominic Solanke is still out injured.
In fact, the search for a backup number nine has been so desperate that there are now genuine conversations around recalling Danny Welbeck ahead of the summer, and while he deserves to be in the conversation, he’ll be 35 this month, so he is not a long-term option.
This, then, is how, even though he’s not had the best of starts this season, Delap could very realistically find himself on that plane to the World Cup next summer.
After all, even though he was playing for a really relatively poor Ipswich Town side last season, the former Manchester City prospect was still able to rack up a reasonable enough tally of 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances.
So, if he can rediscover some form this year, there is surely a place in Tuchel’s squad with his name on it, but if not, one of Cobham’s most exciting prospects in a long time could eventually usurp him for club and country.
The Chelsea gem who could usurp Delap
Cobham have long produced Premier League-level youngsters who have gone on to star for Chelsea or other sides, and it looks like Shumaira Mheuka is the next one up.
The 18-year-old goalscoring machine began his footballing journey on the south coast with Brighton & Hove Albion, but made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2022.
In the two and a half years since, the youngster has gone from strength to strength and is without a doubt one of the most exciting up-and-coming centre-forwards in the country.
For example, even though he was just 16 at the start of last season, he ended the campaign with 11 goals and three assists in 30 appearances across the u18s and u21s.
However, while his exploits last year were impressive, what he has been able to do this year has been utterly remarkable.
Mheuka’s youth record
Appearances
61
Goals
34
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.70
All Stats via Transfermarkt
So far, the teenage phenom, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed “Cobham’s finest,” has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances for the youth sides, totalling 997 minutes.
In other words, he is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 62.31 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.
If that wasn’t enough, the Birmingham-born monster is also doing the business for the national side, racking up a tally of 14 goals and three assists in 20 appearances for the u19s.
With numbers and performances such as these, it’s easy to see why Kulig described the youngster as “the future of Chelsea and English football.”
Ultimately, if Delap doesn’t start performing for Chelsea soon, there is every chance he could be replaced by Mheuka, who could also soon make his way into Tuchel’s plans.
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