da 888： Aston Villa and NSWE are interested in signing a “quality” £30 million player with the same agent as Ross Barkley, according to a new report.

Aston Villa transfer news

da pixbet： Villa boss Unai Emery will have his eyes on January as it is an opportunity for him to once again strengthen his team ahead of the second half of the season. The Midlands side still have plenty to play for in the Premier League and will also hope they will be playing Champions League knockout football come the end of January.

While incomings may be the priority, Villa and NSWE could have a headache on their hands, as Napoli are interested in signing Jhon Duran. The Italian side want to bring in a player who can be a “sidekick” to current frontman Romelu Lukaku, and Duran is the player they have their eyes on. Villa chiefs are not looking to sell the Colombia international, but an offer between £28-33 million could test their resolve, as talks with intermediaries have already begun.

Related Aston Villa now open contract talks with 21 y/o loan star Filip Marschall

Unai Emery is keen to tie down a promising Aston Villa player.

Posts ByBrett Worthington Dec 18, 2024

On a positive note for the Midlands side, they have opened talks with young goalkeeper Filip Marschall over a new contract. The 21-year-old has been impressing this season while on loan at Crewe Alexandra, and given that he is highly rated at Villa Park, they are keen to secure his long-term future. Marschall is under contract until 2027, but he could soon find himself in the first team picture.

Aston Villa now interested in signing “quality” £30m player

As well as looking to tie Marschall down to a new contract, Aston Villa are interested in signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, according to Caught Offside. The midfielder only joined the Blues in the summer transfer window, but it is a move that has yet to get going.

Dewsbury-Hall, who has been dubbed “quality” by Graeme Bailey, was a key player under Enzo Maresca last season at Leicester City. The midfielder was a key part of their promotion, so it wasn’t a surprise that the Italian took him to Stamford Bridge, but what is a surprise is that the midfielder has hardly featured.

The 26-year-old has played 14 games across all competitions this season, but only five have come in the league, and all have come from the bench. Most of Dewsbury-Hall’s minutes have come in the UEFA Conference League, where he has been a regular all season. His time at Chelsea appears to be coming to an end, as this report states that the Blues are open to offers for Dewsbury-Hall and are keen to recoup the £30 million they paid in the summer.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s Chelsea stats

Apps

14

Goals

1

Assists

1

Aston Villa are among the number of Premier League teams looking to sign the midfielder in January. They face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Rangers. What may give Villa the edge in the race is that Dewsbury-Hall’s agent, Wasserman, is also the same agent for Barkley, who joined Villa in the summer.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi congratulated his team-mates on convincingly beating Brazil, while appearing to aim a subtle dig at their arch-rivals.

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Messi sends message to Argentina playersAlso took swipe at arch-rivalsArgentina thrashed Brazil 4-1Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Inter Miami star did not join Argentina's latest camp for their March World Cup qualifiers due to injury, however, the national team captain did cheer for his colleagues from his home. After a thumping 4-1 win over arch-rivals Brazil on Tuesday, Messi took to social media to congratulate the world champions.

AdvertisementWHAT LIONEL MESSI SAID

On his Instagram story, the 37-year-old uploaded a collage of photographs of the Argentina players celebrating and wrote in the caption: "Inside, outside, wherever it may be with this national team. Always speaking through football. Congratulations on the great match you played last night and also on the win against Uruguay."

IG:@leomessiGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi's congratulatory message also appeared to carry a subtle dig at the Brazilian team. Barcelona star Raphinha had made an X-rated provocative statement to rile up Argentina before the game. The winger almost got involved in a physical altercation with a number of Argentina stars after the full-time whistle and was subjected to frequent taunts from the home fans.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Argentina are now qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but Messi has not yet confirmed whether he will play at the tournament in North America. His current focus in on regaining fitness to aid Inter Miami's latest bid for MLS Cup glory, with a clash against the Philadelphia Union up next for Javier Mascherano's side this weekend.

Aston Villa finds themselves among the Premier League elite under the shrewd leadership of Unai Emery.

Ten years ago, however, the reality was very different. In February 2015, Tim Sherwood replaced Paul Lambert in the dugout following a dismal few months.

Sherwood led the club to safety at the end of the 2014/15 campaign, and hopes were high heading into the summer transfer window.

Aston Villa’s transfer business under Tim Sherwood

The manager spent millions in the transfer market to bolster his first-team squad. In came Jordan Ayew, Adama Traore, Rudy Gestede, and Idrissa Gueye, among a handful of others.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Hardly the players the Villa faithful were expecting, but it was the first team stars which Sherwood sold that took up most of the headlines.

Indeed, Fabian Delph joined Manchester City for a fee in the region of £8m, coming just a week after pledging his future to the Midlands side.

Andreas Weimann was another to depart, yet it was the sale of Christian Benteke which hampered Villa’s hopes of a top-half finish during the upcoming season.

The Belgian had scored 15 goals the previous season, but a £32.5m bid from top-flight rivals Liverpool was too good to turn down.

Over the years, Benteke has continued to score aplenty for two different teams and, at the ripe old age of 34, the striker ranks among one of the world’s best in one key area…

Christian Benteke’s stats for D.C. United

Following his spells at Anfield and at Crystal Palace, Benteke sought pastures new and moved to the MLS, joining D.C. United in 2022.

It has proven to be a wise decision for the centre-forward, who has gone on to find the back of the net 40 times across just 74 matches for the club.

Club

Games

Goals

Assists

Crystal Palace

177

37

11

Aston Villa

101

49

12

D.C. United

74

40

8

Genk

51

21

12

Liverpool

42

10

6

Kortrijk

37

16

9

Standard Liege

25

3

3

Mechelen

20

7

1

The former Villa star even finished top of the scoring charts for the 2024 season, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez.

Previously described as a “beast” by U23 scout Antonio Mango during his prolific spell in the Midlands, Benteke is showing no signs of slowing down in the more relaxed atmosphere of the MLS.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, Benteke now ranks second across 67 leagues for aerial duels won, finishing in the top 3% across players who play in a similar position.

His aerial ability has always been a main strength, scoring 32 of his Premier League goals with his head, indicating how important he was at corners and set pieces.

It is evident that the veteran frontman is still going strong and with a contract at his current side until 2025, he has another year in the MLS to continue his impressive scoring streak.

Perhaps Villa sold him too soon, but there is no doubt Benteke is still a wonderful centre-forward, as indicated by featuring as one of the best in the world in terms of winning aerial duels.

Aston Villa now monitoring "elegant" wonderkid compared to Marquinhos

He’s still just 20 years old.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 5, 2024

It’s not clear which formats he would be in charge of, with S Sriram understood to be at the helm of the T20I side

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2023Chandika Hathurusingha has returned to the Bangladesh men’s national team as its head coach.Not long after Cricket New South Wales confirmed that Hathurusingha had parted ways with them, the BCB announced a two-year deal starting next month. It has, however, not been confirmed which formats Hathurusingha would be in charge of, with S Sriram also around and at the helm of the T20I side.ESPNcricinfo understands that discussions about the roadmap between Sriram and the BCB in Dhaka earlier this month didn’t provide clear answers. But the board had said in December last year that it wants Sriram to be the long-term T20I head coach. If that remains true, Hathurusingha might only be connected with the Test and ODI sides.Related

• Hathurusingha: 'No tension' between senior Bangladesh players and me

• Ireland to stage Bangladesh Super League ODIs in England

• David Moore appointed Bangladesh's head of programmes

• Ireland to play their first Test against Bangladesh

“It’s an honour to have been given this opportunity to coach the Bangladesh national team once again,” Hathurusingha said in a statement. “I really loved the warmth of the people and the culture of Bangladesh. I’m looking forward to working with the players once again and enjoying their successes.”This is 54-year-old Hathurusingha’s second stint with Bangladesh after he had served as the head coach from 2014 to 2017. That included Bangladesh’s famous ODI series-winning streak at home, that included beating Pakistan, India and South Africa in consecutive months. Under Hathurusingha, the team also made the knockout stages of ICC events at the ODI World Cup in 2015 and the Champions Trophy in 2017, and also recorded their first Test wins against England, Australia and Sri Lanka.

BCB: Hathurusingha ‘a proven tactician’

During Hathurusingha’s time with the team, Bangladesh had a 40.20% success rate in 102 matches across formats. For the record, that’s lower than what his successors – and now predecessors – Steve Rhodes (51.11) and Russell Domingo (42.34) achieved.”Chandika’s experience and knowledge of Bangladesh cricket will be an advantage for him and will benefit the players,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said. “He is a proven tactician and we have seen his impact on the national team during his first assignment.”Following his time with Bangladesh, Hathurusingha went back to Sri Lanka, his home country, and took charge as the head coach of the national men’s team there, before moving to New South Wales in July 2020.

Liverpool have set their sights on signing a “sensation” of a defender, with manager Arne Slot said to be a huge admirer, according to a report.

Liverpool transfer news

With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Reds continue to be linked with new signings, including Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yildiz and FC Porto right-back Martim Fernandes, who could be brought in to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

However, Slot’s most pressing concern is likely to be keeping hold of the star players he already has on Merseyside, and there has recently been a positive update regarding the future of Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy has now dropped a major update, saying: “Talks remain ongoing between Liverpool and the representatives of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold to give them new contracts.

“I’m told the dialogue has been very positive and has been moving forward, and been held in a very respectful manner on all sides.

“Liverpool want to do right by the players, but right by the club too. It’s been very apparent that Salah and Van Dijk want to stay.

Liverpool considering making £8m offer for player who’s "got everything"

He has a massive future ahead of him.

1 ByHenry Jackson Dec 9, 2024 Liverpool keen on Beukema

Although it appears as though Van Dijk could soon sign a new deal at Anfield, that hasn’t stopped Liverpool from looking at other centre-backs, and a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed they are interested in signing Bologna’s Sam Beukema.

Slot is seemingly a big fan of the 26-year-old, having been described as a long-term admirer, and the manager views him as a potential purchase for the summer of 2025, perhaps because Bologna have no desire to let him leave in January.

The Italian club will demand at least £20m to sanction his departure, amid growing interest from a number of Europe’s top clubs. However, the Reds could have the edge in negotiations, as the defender has already admitted he could see himself moving to the club, saying: “I was a fan of West Ham. I once visited Upton Park with my father and I was really impressed, because the atmosphere was similar to that of Feyenoord or Go Ahead Eagles.

“But there are so many fantastic teams in England, so if another great club like Liverpool came along I would be happy to go there one day.”

If Van Dijk does commit his future to the club, it may be difficult for Beukema to break up the Dutchman’s partnership with Ibrahima Konate, but there are signs he could be a quality signing.

The former AZ Alkmaar man was hailed as a “sensation” earlier this season, having cemented himself as a key player for Bologna in both the Serie A and the Champions League, while also captaining the side on two occasions.

The proposed £20m fee seems a little low for a player of the Dutchman’s quality, and the fact that Slot is a big fan is a very good sign that he could be a brilliant addition next summer.

Babar carries bat for 87 too, but Sam Curran’s cutters prove the difference in bowling stakes

Danyal Rasool30-Sep-2022Pakistan made a change up top, replacing a reliably consistent wicketkeeper with a potentially explosive one, but it was England’s wicketkeeper-batter who had the last say. In a sensational shock-and-awe approach that paid off to its fullest extent, it took the visitors just 14.3 overs to chase down 170 and level up the series with a handsome eight-wicket.Much of it came thanks to a brutal onslaught by Phil Salt in the Powerplay, who took a mere 19 balls to reach his half-century – the third-fastest by an England cricketer in T20I cricket – as England posted 82 in the Powerplay, their second highest score in the first six overs. England weren’t done, though, with the next two overs yielding a further 35 as Salt rocketed towards a stunning century. He would finish just short of that milestone, managing an unbeaten 88 in 41 balls, but that didn’t prevent an England cakewalk to the target.England needed the win if they were to keep the series alive, and that perhaps showed in the team selections, too. With Pakistan aware they had margin for error, two of their key players, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf, were rested. Mohammad Haris, who came in for the former, couldn’t quite take his chance, but Babar Azam carried his bat, scoring the sort of classical 59-ball 87 not out that almost appears to be his trademark.The innings took Babar to 3,000 T20I runs in 81 innings, joint-fastest with Virat Kohli, but with limited support from the other end and one of the more consistent England bowling performances to deal with, Pakistan always felt a touch behind par. It was only when Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz helped out with cameos at the death that Pakistan approached a total they thought they could defend. Salt, and England’s batters, however, would swiftly make them reconsider.Salt peppers Pakistan No sooner had Pakistan got back out into the middle – with momentum ostensibly with them after a strong finish – did Salt wrench it all away from the hosts. When he backed away to pick Nawaz up over extra cover through the air and just beat the man in the circle, it set the tone for things to come. Another boundary followed two balls later, but it was really Shahnawaz Dahani’s following over that demonstrated the astronomically high ceiling of Salt’s ability, whatever his game-to-game inconsistencies might be.Twenty-two runs came off that over, and with Alex Hales joining the fun with a 12-ball 27, England simply kept hurtling along. There were four boundaries in the third over and four in the fifth as Salt made a mockery of what Pakistan had deemed a par score. The game was nearly a foregone conclusion when the Powerplay ended, but the bellicose mood Salt found himself in wouldn’t end with the fielding restrictions. Aamer Jamal was slapped for 20 in the seventh over, including a stunning flat pulled six that seemed to scorch the air it passed through, no higher than 15 metres off the ground. In the end, a gentle backfoot punch that belied the brutality of his earlier exploits would seal the win, the insouciance of the shot symbolizing Pakistan’s complete inability in stifling him.Babar Azam anchored Pakistan’s innings with an unbeaten 87•AFP/Getty ImagesCurran exploits conditions It’s not what the game will be remembered for, but Sam Curran’s canny use of the sticky conditions played a huge part in ensuring the batters could polish this game off quickly. Understanding the conditions with the accuracy of a local player and exploiting them with the intelligence of a more seasoned one, he was all over Pakistan through his four-over spell. Curran’s variations, the fingers rolled over the seam, the ball digging into the pitch, were about as hard to swat away as the bugs encircling the ground, and no batter could quite manage it. The short ball, even at his pace, was a challenge to handle, and it brought about the downfall of Haider Ali, while the cutter put paid to Iftikhar. Curran had punctured Pakistan’s innings right through the middle, setting up Salt to really let the air out of their hopes.Babar excels in vain Rizwan’s absence didn’t seem to dim Babar’s ability to get runs up top, and the early loss of his opening partner didn’t faze him, either. Babar and Rizwan have often talked up how much they understand each other’s games, but in Rizwan’s absence today, Babar almost seemed to transform into his opening partner, playing a knock Rizwan himself would have been proud of. Watching his partners come and go, Babar kept up the pace in the Powerplay before gradually upping gears, never seeming to break sweat to pick up the routine boundaries that seemed to elude his team-mates. The 87 he ended up with took Pakistan to a higher total than they defended in each of the last two games, and the Pakistan captain would have been well within his rights to assume it would end up being the most telling contribution of the day. Salt, however, ensured it would end up as little more than a footnote in a game that sets up a grandstand finale.

Big picture

It’s pretty straightforward, as Wayne Parnell put it: South Africa are in the knockout stages. They must beat Netherlands to go through to the semi-finals and if you’d said that pre-tournament, many would have thought the conclusion foregone, but this has been a World Cup of surprises and perhaps there’s one more?Netherlands looked to be steadily improving from the first round, when they nearly toppled Bangladesh in their Super 12 opener, but then they ran into India and Pakistan and came apart. Had they also lost to Zimbabwe, they might have considered this campaign something of a waste, but they rallied and now have the opportunity to bow out on a high – and do Pakistan a favour.If Netherlands beat South Africa in first of three Group 2 games on Sunday, Pakistan only need to beat Bangladesh to go through to the semi-finals. If South Africa win, the result of the second match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will dictate what India have to do to ensure they qualify. That’s a lot of ifs before we even get to wondering what kind of contest this will be.South Africa and Netherlands have only played one T20I against each other but they have some recent history. Netherlands were in South Africa for a three-match World Cup Super League ODI series last November, when the omicron variant of Covid-19 hit and they left the tour early, but not before taking 10 points off South Africa in a washed-out match. South Africa will host Netherlands again in April 2023 and those matches are crucial to ensuring their automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup so there’s some wider context to the clash. And there’s also the obvious niggle: Netherlands are coached by a South African – Ryan Cook – and have as many as four South African-born players in their squad. Even if South Africa may not know much about the Dutch approach in the shortest format, they will know plenty about the players involved.For South Africa, their blueprint has mostly worked but there’s still work to do in the batting department. They will view this game as a final opportunity to get the likes of Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs into form and a chance to make a statement about whether they can justify the favourites’ tag placed on them just a few days ago.Temba Bavuma’s batting form is still a concern for South Africa•Getty Images

Form guide

South Africa LWWWL(last five completed matches, most recent first)
NetherlandsWLLLL

In the spotlight

In a pace pack that seems to have it all, Kagiso Rabada has flown under the radar. He has taken only two wickets from four matches so far and has the highest economy rate of any of the South African bowlers. In dealing with swing from Parnell, pace from Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi’s slew of slower balls, line-ups have identified Rabada as a bowler they can target, which is unlikely to sit well with him. Although he has long shied away from being called the leader of the attack, Rabada is South Africa’s most experienced bowler, and he will want to turn in a big performance as the tournament approaches the business end.It had to be a South African expat and though Roelof van der Merwe is the headliner, Colin Ackermann is a player many will be interested in as he plays his first T20I against his home country. Ackermann made his name as a red-ball player in South Africa and, with a first-class average over 40, there was much consternation when it turned out that he was unavailable for national selection. He hasn’t had quite the same impact in shorter formats, with just 96 runs from his four ODIs and a T20I average under 25. He has had a fairly quiet tournament so far, apart from a 62 against Bangladesh, and should see this match as a final opportunity to go out with a bang.

Team news

David Miller sat out the match against Pakistan with lower back spasms and South Africa will be keen to get him up and running as soon as he is fit. If that’s in this game, Tristan Stubbs may miss out with Heinrich Klaasen retaining his place. South Africa may also bring back Keshav Maharaj at the expense of one of the quicks.South Africa: : (possible) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen/Tristan Stubbs 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Keshav Maharaj/ Anrich Nortje, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Kagiso RabadaAfter a convincing win over Zimbabwe, Netherlands are likely to go in unchanged.Netherlands: 1 Stephan Myburgh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Tom Cooper, 4 Colin Ackermann, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (capt, wk), 7 Roelof van der Merwe, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Fred Klaassen, 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Brandon Glover

Pitch and conditions

An early start may prove challenging for the batters because the ball won’t skid on as it does at night. Expect inconsistent bounce and a slowish start, although runs may come from the short, square boundaries. The surface also won’t offer the quicks as much as some of the other venues, which could take the sting out of the contest to some degree. There’s been rain in the lead-up to this match but Sunday’s forecast is clear.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa and Netherlands have met once in a T20I before, at the 2014 World Cup. South Africa won by six runs.
• In four matches at this venue so far in this World Cup, the average first innings score is 164, and the chasing team has only won once.

Quotes

“It’s a crucial game for us. In T20 cricket, teams get closer. We still have to play well to beat them. They are a quality side. They’ve shown they can play good cricket. Hopefully it’s only in patches and if we bring our A game, I reckon we should have enough.”
“We do understand the significance of the game if we do beat South Africa. But obviously for us it’s just playing a game and beating South Africa, so we don’t think too far outside of that. But we just have to do what we’ve done well, and if we do that well against South Africa, you never know, we might have a good day against them.”

Plays of the day from the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in Hyderabad

Devashish Fuloria11-May-2015 The Maxwell effect
With no help in the first six overs for either the seamers or the offspinner Gurkeerat Singh, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan made brisk progress, adding 56 runs. So when Glenn Maxwell came in to bowl in the seventh over, Dhawan hoped to continue in the merry way. Maxwell, not known for turn, not only got his first ball to dip, but also got it to spit away from an advancing Dhawan, leaving him stranded down the pitch.The Neo effect
Warner had been hitting the ball hard all day, but one got very close to the non-striker. As the batsman made room to hit Sandeep Sharma inside out in the 11th over, the bowler followed him. Warner, though, went ahead with the shot and hit it firmly back at Moises Henriques, who, to his credit, stayed mostly still before just getting his right shoulder out of the way. The ball was travelling at some speed, but Henriques probably saw it in slow motion.The parallax
In the 17th over, Warner, while trying to make room, had to reach out for a low full toss outside off. He managed to hammer it over cover for a boundary but instead of being forced to stay on his normal stance, Warner went in the other direction. He took stance way wide of leg stump, just inside the wide marker. Anureet, confused whether to go for the open stumps or the batsman, ended up serving another low full toss. That was clubbed to the cover boundary as well.The misfiring gun
No runs should have come off the last delivery of the Sunrisers innings. Instead, two were given away. Sandeep Sharma bowled an accurate yorker that was dug out back down the pitch, straight to the bowler, by KL Rahul. As the batsmen went for a non-existent single, Sandeep had plenty of time to walk to the non-striker’s end and take the bails off. But he chose to fire a throw from his position a couple of meters away from the stump only to miss them. Sandeep couldn’t believe it. George Bailey couldn’t believe it either.Six in third dimension
It would be hard to beat Chris Gayle on the length of his sixes, but M Vijay could now possibly stake claim on the vertical dimension. He greeted Trent Boult with a flick that launched the ball as high as the light towers and but didn’t seem to have much horizontal distance. When it landed, though, it was over the square-leg boundary, 68 meters away.

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن اقتراب تعاقد آرسنال مع الدولي البرازيلي رودريجو جوس، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وكانت انتشرت تقارير سابقة عن رغبة الإسباني تشابي ألونسو، مدرب ريال مدريد الجديد في الاعتماد على رودريجو، إلا أن التقارير الأخيرة في الساعات الماضية كشفت غير ذلك.

وتتنافس 5 أندية أوروبية على التعاقد مع الدولي البرازيلي خلال فترة الانتقالات الحالية، رغبةً منهم في ضم أحد أكبر وأفضل المواهب الموجودة في تشكيل ريال مدريد والذي يعتبر عنصرًا مؤثرًا في الإنجازات التي تحققت على مدار الـ 4 أعوام الماضية.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا: رودريجو يبلغ إدارة ريال مدريد بقراره النهائي بشأن مستقبله

ووفقًا لصحيفة “سبورت”، فإن ريال مدريد قد حدد سعر بيع رودريجو، وهو 100 مليون يورو للأندية التي ترغب في التعاقد معه نظرًا لاستمرار تراجع أدائه خلال الفترة الأخيرة من الموسم ومباراة الهلال في كأس العالم للأندية.

ووفقًا للصحيفة الإسبانية، فإن آرسنال يعتبر النادي الأقرب للتعاقد مع رودريجو، نظرًا لعدم وجود جناح أيسر أكثر موهبة وأفضل من الدولي البرازيلي، لذلك ينتظر الجانرز تيسير أمور راتبه حتى يتقدموا بعرض رسمي للاعب.

Chelsea has been the home to countless elite-level attackers over the years, helping the club transform into one of the biggest names in England and across Europe.

Eden Hazard will go down as one of the most memorable, featuring over 300 times for the Blues, scoring some crucial goals – helping them claim the Premier League title twice during his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian would also make the club a hefty profit in the process, leaving for Real Madrid for a fee in the region of £150m in the summer of 2019 – making them a profit of £118m on their investment from 2012.

Frank Lampard was another who featured at the very top level during the entirety of his time in West London, making just shy of 650 appearances for the Blues, breaking their record and becoming the top scorer in their history with his tally of 211.

The Englishman has since returned to manage the first-team squad on two separate occasions, trying to stabilise the ship in uncertain times such as embargoes and poor on-field performances.

One striker will remain in the hearts of almost all supporters forever after his impact at the club following his out-of-the-blue transfer under José Mourinho.

Didier Drogba’s stats for Chelsea

Didier Drogba will always be remembered for his goalscoring ability with his array of different finishes following his time at the Bridge, scoring 147 times in his 344 appearances for the Blues during a combined 11-year stint in West London.

He joined the club in the summer of 2004 from Ligue 1 side Marseille, with then-manager Mourinho having to convince former owner Roman Abramovich to splash the cash for his signature – with the Ivorian his number one target.

Drogba scored various key goals for the Blues, but his ability to create an opportunity or an opening in front of goal, essentially out of nothing, made him as popular as he was, with the fans adoring him for his efforts.

The now 46-year-old achieved double figures in every season he played in England bar his final one in 2014/15, providing the goals when the side needed them most.

Undoubtedly, his most memorable moment for the club came in the 2012 Champions League, where he scored the crucial equaliser, before scoring the winning penalty in the shootout – cementing himself in the club’s history forever.

It’s now been nine years since his final game for Chelsea, with various managers and behind-the-scenes staff trying to find the club their new version of the African superstar.

However, their attempts are yet to be successful, with one player previously having high hopes upon his move to England.

Chelsea's next Didier Drogba not living up to the hype

Fellow Ivorian David Datro Fofana followed in the footsteps of his compatriot, joining the Blues in an £8.4m deal from Norwegian side Molde back in January 2023.

The striker would make four appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 season, which remain his only appearances for the club to date after his transfer.

His move to the Bridge was an exciting one, with Turkish commentator Hakan Gulec, dubbing the 21-year-old as the “baby Drogba” – a huge heap of pressure that up to now, he’s failed to live up to.

Fofana has since been sent on various loan spells across Europe to allow him to reach his potential and have an opportunity to prove that the comparisons really on in his career were accurate.

Union Berlin and Burnley were the sides who signed the youngster on temporary loans, before returning to West London this summer for pre-season ahead of 2024/25.

However, he wouldn’t get his chance under new boss Enzo Maresca, being shipped on loan to Turkish side Goztepe after a failed move to join Greek outfit AEK Athens.

Given his young age, there’s still a lot of time for Fofana to progress and reach the levels he was credited with before his move to England, but he needs to do so quickly if he is to remain at the Bridge.

Owner Todd Boehly isn’t afraid to axe or sign new players if he feels that an area needs strengthening, with the centre-forward area undoubtedly the one in need of most attention – but Fofana could find himself on the brink if he doesn’t impress this season.

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