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A “fantastic” Celtic hero now won’t play any part in the current international break, with the individual in question withdrawn after picking up an injury.

Celtic handed Carter-Vickers injury boost

Injuries can have the potential to define any season, and while the Hoops have been relatively fortunate on the fitness front in 2024/25 to date, that’s not to say that there still haven’t been some concerns.

For example, Cameron Carter-Vickers missed Celtic’s 2-0 win away to Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon, with the USA international seeing his minutes affected so far this season. Thankfully, Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the 26-year-old should be back for the trip to Hearts on November 23rd.

“He just felt a little bit of fatigue in his hamstring with the work that we’ve put into him. But nothing serious. We didn’t want to risk anything today, he will recover, and then obviously be ready for Hearts when we come back.”

With plenty of Celtic’s squad now heading off on international duty to play for their respective countries, supporters will be keeping their fingers crossed that no fresh injury concerns emerge. Worryingly, one individual hasn’t even met up with his compatriots, with a new fitness worry emerging.

"Fantastic" Celtic player suffers injury

On Monday, the Republic of Ireland’s official X account said that Celtic striker Adam Idah has been withdrawn through injury, along with a number of his other teammates.

Idah may not have been a regular for the Hoops so far this season, but this is still a worrying update for Rodgers, who won’t want to see his attacking options limited once the international break is done and dusted.

The 23-year-old has scored twice in the three appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, while Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper said of him during the summer: “He’s a fantastic player, and in winter he had one of the best goals per minute ratios in Europe.

“He’s a proven goalscorer at Championship level and did very well at Celtic. He’s a full international who’s home grown and has come through the system. He’s exactly the type of player who excites me.”

Idah showed last season what a threat he can be when he is fully fit and on top of his game, scoring eight times in 15 league appearances, of which only five were starts. He also scored the dramatic late winning goal against Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final – an achievement that will immediately endear you to the fans.

Worse than Scales: Rodgers must drop Celtic ace who lost 73% duels

The Celtic attacker did not grasp his opportunity to impress against Kilmarnock.

2

By
Dan Emery

Nov 11, 2024

Hopefully, the Celtic loanee’s withdrawal is more precautionary than anything, prior to being available for the meeting with Hearts after the break.

Crystal Palace’s squad has been built really well in the past few years, with a mixture of experienced Premier League players being signed, some astute youngsters being poached for good fees, and even bringing some academy prospects of their own through.

Players like Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson were all signed for good fees relative to their potential ability.

Alongside clever additions such as Jefferson Lerma, Daichi Kamada, Daniel Munoz, Will Hughes, Ismaila Sarr, and Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who are more experienced members of the squad.

But it’s their academy that has plenty of promise to add more to this squad in the next year or so, adding to Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne who are the only real starters in the squad to come through the academy.

Crystal Palace's upcoming academy stars

One of the brightest stars in the academy is winger, Asher Agbinone, who has made two sub appearances totalling four minutes for the Eagles this season. Oliver Glasner has used him from the bench, stating he has “a lot of pace” and calling him a “very good talent”.

Justin Devenny is another to have broken through this season, making two senior appearances alongside his eight U21 appearances this campaign. The 21-year-old made a heroic impact just last weekend, scoring his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa, as the sides drew 2-2 at Villa Park.

But one academy product who is currently out on loan, and could return to make a real impact for the Eagles, is Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, a player who teammate Marc Guehi praised as a player with “great potential” last season.

Why Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could be the new Zaha

Rak-Sakyi is making waves in the Championship this term, and has impressed of late. Indeed, he notably scored in Sheffield United’s 3-0 victory over Oxford on Tuesday night, also making three key passes in the game.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has made 17 appearances for the Blades, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 884 minutes. Sheffield United currently sit top of the Championship, and Rak-Sakyi has played a big part in that so far this season.

So, how could he fit into the current squad at Selhurst Park?

Goals

0.41

0.27

0.14

Assists

0.20

0.11

0.14

xG

0.36

0.26

0.29

xAG

0.23

0.11

0.27

Progressive Carries

4.51

3.39

3.02

Progressive Passes

1.76

2.95

1.59

Shots Total

2.45

2.65

2.61

Key Passes

1.98

1.46

1.59

Shot-Creating Actions

4.62

3.58

4.29

Successful Take-Ons

2.53

2.17

0.63

When comparing Rak-Sakyi to Wilfried Zaha in his last season at Palace, and new signing Sarr this season, the 22-year-old impressively comes out on top in seven of the ten metrics analysed, providing better output (goals + assists), more progressive carries per 90, and more creative actions such as take-ons, key passes and shot-creating actions.

These are all traits that Palace have been missing since losing Zaha, and also losing Michael Olise in the summer. Rak-Sakyi clearly looks like he could be the man to provide that extra creative edge from wide areas, certainly in comparison to summer signing Sarr who hasn’t had the fastest start to life with the Eagles.

Once the Eagles youngster returns next season, if Sarr fails to impress to a satisfactory level, he could well be given a chance in the first team, enabling him to finally become the Zaha replacement that Palace fans have been craving since his departure.

Their next Olise: Crystal Palace could have a £100m + star in the making

Crystal Palace could have their next Olise with £100m ace in the making

ByConnor Holden Nov 16, 2024

South Africa seamer available to play in County Championship and Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2022Beuran Hendricks, the South Africa left-arm seamer, has signed to play for Leicestershire in 2022. Hendricks is set to feature in the County Championship and Royal London Cup in his first spell as an overseas player in county cricket.He will join compatriot Wiann Mulder as one of four overseas signings for the summer at Grace Road – with Afghanistan pair Naveen-ul-Haq and Rahmanullah Gurbaz on board for the Vitality Blast.”It is a great privilege to represent Leicestershire CCC for the upcoming season,” Hendricks said. “I would like to thank Claude Henderson and the club for this great opportunity. The Running Foxes have a very proud history and it gives me great excitement to be able to ply my trade in helping the club achieve their goals for the upcoming season.”I am very much looking forward to working with Paul Nixon and Colin Ackermann and I cannot wait to meet up with the rest of the squad.”Hendricks, 31, has played one Test, eight ODIs and 19 T20Is for his country, and was part of the squad for South Africa’s recent 2-1 Test series win over India.He has taken 330 wickets in his first-class career, at an average of 24.32, as well as another 104 in List A cricket, and will bolster a seam attack that last season relied heavily on the veteran Chris Wright for wickets.Leicestershire’s director of cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “To be able to add a bowler of Beuran’s quality to Leicestershire for 2022 is a real coup. He will provide great variety to the attack and we look forward to seeing him play for the Running Foxes.”

Gary Ballance, the Yorkshire batter and former team-mate of Azeem Rafiq, has admitted that he was the player whose use of the slur “P**i” was deemed to be “banter” in a report into allegations of institutional racism at the club.In a lengthy and emotional statement issued by Yorkshire on behalf of the player, Ballance said that he “deeply regretted” some of the language he had used in the past, but doubled down on the report’s findings, insisting that Rafiq had been his “closest friend and supporter in cricket”, and adding that he had once invited the player and his bowling coach to stay at his family home in Zimbabwe.The report, which was compiled by a five-person panel in the wake of an investigation into Rafiq’s allegations, was finally passed onto the ECB last week, and included the detail, subsequently reported by ESPNcricinfo, that “P**i” was an equivalent term to “Zimbo”, the nickname that Rafiq was understood to have used for Ballance.”It has been reported that I used a racial slur and, as I told the independent enquiry, I accept that I did so and I regret doing so,” Ballance said. “To be clear – I deeply regret some of the language I used in my younger years.”Ballance, who played 23 Tests for England between 2014 and 2017, claimed that he and Rafiq had “supported each other greatly” through the highs and lows of their respective careers, adding that “I was there for him” when Rafiq was released from his original contract with Yorkshire in 2014, shortly after the tragic death of his infant son – a chain of events that Rafiq said, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo last year, had caused him to “lose faith in humanity”.”On the pitch we supported each other greatly,” Ballance said. “We both captained Yorkshire at various times and we backed each other when we filled these roles.”When he was first released by Yorkshire I was there for him during that tough time and I was delighted when he earned a new contract and a second spell with the club. He was very pleased for me when I was selected for England and I was delighted to receive his supportive messages during my time with England.Related

• Azeem Rafiq: 'Before we move forward, the game needs to listen to a lot of people who have suffered'

• Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton resigns in racism probe fallout, bemoans ECB 'reluctance to act' earlier

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• Yorkshire suspended by ECB from hosting international cricket

• Headingley loses Emerald as title sponsor as Yorkshire racism crisis deepens

“Because we were such good friends and spent a lot of time together drinking and on nights out we both said things privately to each other which were not acceptable,” he added.”I do not wish to discredit Rafa by repeating the words and statements that he made about me and others but I have to be clear that this was a situation where best friends said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate.”I regret that these exchanges took place but at no time did I believe or understand that it had caused Rafa distress. If I had believed that then I would have stopped immediately. He was my best mate in cricket and I cared deeply for him. To my knowledge, it has never been alleged that I reduced Rafa to tears.”On Thursday, Rafiq posted on Twitter, saying that the issue was bigger than “the words of certain individuals”. In a separate interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mesba Ahmed – one of three British Asians on the panel – insisted that he stood by the report’s findings, adding that the issue would become “crystal clear” if Yorkshire could agree to its full publication.Wednesday’s developments came on a dramatic day for Yorkshire cricket, following the severing of ties of two of the club’s foremost sponsors, Emerald and Yorkshire Tea, and with the anticipation of further awkward revelations in the coming weeks, when Rafiq himself is expected to give evidence at a DCMS committee hearing, along with the club chairman Roger Hutton, and two senior executives in Mark Arthur and Martyn Moxon.

Rafael Benitez is reportedly set for a return to management with Botafogo as the ex-Liverpool boss gears up for a fresh challenge.

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• Benitez could replace Artur Jorge at Botafogo
• Negotiations have taken place between the two camps
• Vasco Matos was also in the running for the job

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Brazilian outlet the Spanish coach, who has been without a club since leaving Celta Vigo in March 2024, is among the leading candidates for the position following Artur Jorge's departure last month. However, while Benitez has impressed club officials and remains owner John Textor’s preferred choice for the job, the 64-year-old has reportedly expressed reluctance about managing in Brazil.

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  Benitez is the third coach Botafogo has approached as part of their search for a new manager. Before discussions with the Spaniard, the club pursued André Jardine, who currently manages América do México, and Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca, who was ultimately appointed by French club Lyon.

  Additionally, Argentine coach Tata Martino was on Botafogo’s radar, but he publicly stated in an interview that he is not looking to take on a new club role at the moment. Another name considered was Vasco Matos, currently with Santa Clara, who showed interest in moving to Brazil. However, while he impressed the club’s decision-makers, there are concerns that his appointment would be a gamble due to his limited experience at the top level.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Had Benitez taken the Botafogo job, it would have marked a significant shift in his managerial career, which has been primarily rooted in European football. The Spaniard is best known for his successful tenure at Liverpool, where he led the team to a dramatic Champions League victory in 2005. Beyond Anfield, he has managed several top clubs, including Chelsea, Valencia, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Everton, and Newcastle United.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Ultimately, the choice of Botafogo’s next manager will be made by Textor, who is carefully evaluating his options. He remains committed to maintaining the dynamic playing style that helped the club secure the 2024 Brasileirão and Copa Libertadores titles. He is particularly keen on hiring a European coach who can blend high-intensity tactical discipline with the technical brilliance of South American footballers. With Botafogo set to compete in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup later this year, securing an experienced and reputable coach is a top priority. Hence, the club wants to ensure they remain competitive on the global stage as they prepare to face elite teams from different continents.

Leroy Sane is now an outcast at Bayern Munich. A key player for Die Rekordmeister last term, the Germany international has played only cameo minutes for Vincent Kompany’s side this term. Kompany, Sane’s former Manchester City teammate who took charge of Bayern in the summer, prefers new boy Michael Olise on the right-hand side of his attack.

Though Sane has, according to Sky Germany, stated his intent to stay at the Allianz Arena and fight for his place, a number of clubs are keeping tabs in the hope that changes. Here’s who is currently interested in the 28-year-old winger.

28

Right-wing, Left-wing, Attacking midfield

30th June 2025

£320,000 (Capology)

£50m (Transfermarkt)

Man Utd, Arsenal, Newcastle

Manchester United

Manchester United have made a habit of buying out-of-favour Bayern Munich players in recent times, having signed Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from the German side this summer. Joshua Zirkzee, another of the Red Devils’ summer signings, is also a former Bayern player.

According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Sane is next on the ever-growing list of Bayern rejects United want to bring to Old Trafford. Plettenberg recently reported that United are ‘monitoring’ the former Manchester City winger.

Man Utd now consider eye-watering 2025 move for £612k-p/w title-winning duo

It would continue a theme at Old Trafford.

ByBen Browning Oct 15, 2024 Arsenal

Arsenal already boast a plethora of talent in wide areas, including Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling. Even Gabriel Jesus has been known to play out wide from time to time. But according to reports from Spain, manager Mikel Arteta wants to add more firepower on the flanks as his side navigate the complexities of mounting a Premier League title charge alongside playing in the Champions League.

The latest report claims Arsenal are “keeping a close eye” on Sane’s situation. Arteta’s Gunners came up against Sane and Bayern in the Champions League last season, with the Bavarians coming out on top after edging Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate.

Imagine him & Havertz: Arsenal chasing Henry-esque £50m-rated star

He would add further quality to the Gunners’ already potent frontline.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 12, 2024 Newcastle United

According to a recent update from GiveMeSport, Newcastle United are “keeping tabs” on Sane, with the Magpies well aware that they may be able to land him for free next summer. Other reports from Spain claim Newcastle are “determined” to sign the winger, with the wealthy hierarchy at St. James’ Park viewing Sane as a player who can finally help re-establish the club as one of the best in the country.

Given his previous record in England with Manchester City (Sane scored 39 goals and registered 43 assists in 135 games for the Cityzens between 2016 and 2020), it’s easy to see why that would be the case.

Newcastle United eye move for £325k-p/w "machine" available for £0 in 2025

He could fill a problem position for the Magpies and Eddie Howe.

1 ByBen Browning Sep 13, 2024

The allrounder does not expect similar pitches for the T20 World Cup despite the volume of cricket in the UAE

Andrew McGlashan08-Aug-2021

Dan Christian has seen most things that T20 cricket can throw up, so when he says conditions in Dhaka have been unlike anything else he has played in it stands up to scrutiny.With one match remaining, the Bangladesh-Australia series has a run rate of 5.86 – the slowest in a series of three matches or more. In the fourth match, 104 was nearly defendable and looked like it would be when Australia were 65 for 6 despite Christian having monstered 39 off 15 balls, including five sixes in an over against Shakib Al Hasan, in one of the shrewder moves Australia have made on tour when promoting him to No. 3.”They don’t compare to anything I’ve faced in my career,” Christian said. “These are as difficult conditions as I’ve seen for T20 cricket – 120 is like 190, it’s an extremely difficult place to try and bat. We’ve seen all the spinners and even the seamers, as soon as they start bowling slower balls it’s really, really hard work. It’s holding in the surface, gripping and turning and it’s a big ground as well. It’s certainly been different cricket but in terms of getting into rhythm or any kind of flow it’s been pretty hard.”There’s certainly been things we can take out of these games from a batting perspective. You have to be so precise in your plans in these conditions. It probably doesn’t get more difficult than that at any level around the world than facing that kind of bowling here.”Related

Wade: 'Not good enough from an Australian cricket team'

A final chance to push for Australia's T20 WC squad

Christian, bowlers help Australia pull one back

Batters search for answers in more trial by spin and cutters

He did not believe that conditions at the T20 World Cup in the UAE will come close to this despite the volume of cricket that will be played across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah with the IPL taking place in the month before the tournament.”I don’t think they’ll be anything like it, ” he said. “Say, somewhere like Sharjah where you get a bit of dew at night time and it’s a small ground, so 220 can be a winning score. Maybe at Dubai or Abu Dhabi they’ll be a bit slower but they are still 170-180 wickets normally…there’s an IPL before the World Cup, so there might be some worn tracks but think they are pretty used to getting them back up.”Australia bowled 12 overs of spin during the fourth match with Ashton Turner completing his full allotment alongside Ashton Agar and the recalled Mitchell Swepson. There is an argument to say it could be even more, although Josh Hazlewood and Andrew Tye were also effective with a lot of cutters and changes of pace.While admitting he has a vested interest, Swepson, who took 3 for 12 in his first outing of the tour, certainly sees scope for Australia having three frontline spinners at their disposal.”I definitely think it’s something that should be considered, especially somewhere like here,” he said. “We’ve seen them play three spinners. I might be a little bit biased here, but certainly something that I think could work for us as well. Fingers crossed that might eventual but we’ll have to wait and see.”Both Christian and Swepson are pushing to make the final World Cup squad, so their performances last night were timely. Christian, recalled for this tour after a gap of four years due to the various opt-outs from the squad, has played six of the nine T20Is so far across the West Indies and Bangladesh. Though he was unable to get Australia home in chases in the first match against West Indies and the third game against Bangladesh, on two occasions he has played his part in victory: an unbeaten 22 in St Lucia and then the firecracker 39 on Saturday.”It has been a little stop-start for me but that’s the nature of the format and role that I play, generally coming in towards the end and bowling some overs in the middle,” he said. “I’ve loved being back in the team, representing my country again, it’s been awesome, and from a cricket perspective I’ve just got to keep training well and preparing as well as I can. When that opportunity arrives hopefully I can grab it.”Swepson has had even less opportunity to shine and, after an expensive outing in West Indies, he took advantage of tailor-made conditions to cause Bangladesh’s middle order plenty of problems.”It can be difficult to gauge sometimes where you are at when you are just bowling in the nets, so last night was a good confirmation of where my bowling is at,” he said. “I got that one game in St Lucia and it didn’t quite pan out how I wanted it to so last night was that reassurance that the ball is still coming out well.”

Napoli are gearing up to make a bid to sign Cesare Casadei from Chelsea in January, a report says.

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Casadei barely playing for ChelseaSaw a move to Torino fall throughNapoli to table an official offerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Casadei, who joined Chelsea from Inter in 2022, has been linked with a return to Italy in recent weeks as Torino tried and failed to reach an agreement with the Blues. Napoli have become the new favourites to sign him, reports they are all set to table an opening bid.

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Casadei has hardly featured for Chelsea this season as coach Enzo Maresca has only given him playing time in the Conference League and Carabao Cup. Last season, the midfielder managed 11 Premier League appearances before he was loaned to Maresca's Leicester side, featuring 22 times as they won the Championship.

DID YOU KNOW?

Napoli coach Antonio Conte was in charge at Inter while Casadei was part of the youth academy and the 21-year-old fits the profile the ex-Chelsea manager is looking for, according to . Napoli have a slender lead at the top of Serie A and hope to strengthen their midfield options to boost their hopes of winning the title.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR CASADEI?

With no return to Maresca's squad in sight for Casadei, the Italy Under-21 international will hope Napoli can strike a deal with the Stamford Bridge side soon.