Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a record-breaking 2024 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers that wiped away any lingering doubt that he may not be worth the historic, record-breaking contract he signed in free agency last offseason. Recording the first 50 home run, 50 stolen base season in baseball history will do that.
But this time of year is the reason the Dodgers wanted Ohtani, and why Ohtani chose the Dodgers: Playoff baseball. The Japanese mega-star had never played in the postseason heading into 2024, and Los Angeles kept falling short after a 2020 World Series title.
On Saturday, Ohtani suited up for his postseason debut and the Dodgers were immediately in need of his services. The visiting San Diego Padres jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the opening frame. Then Ohtani came up in the bottom of the second inning with two men on base. He delivered, mashing a huge game-tying home run for his very first postseason trip around the bases.
And he celebrated in emphatic fashion, flinging his bat to the side as he let loose a joyous yell.
Shohei Ohtani playing October baseball. What a majestic sight. For anyone other than Padres fans, anyway.
A very cool moment for one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
Jediah Blades briefly threatened to be the hero with an outstanding spell of 3 for 29 but West Indies’ fielding once again let them down
Alex Malcolm26-Jul-2025
Cameron Green struck an unbeaten half-century•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images
Another composed unbeaten half-century from Cameron Green and some stunning hitting and catching from Glenn Maxwell helped Australia post a fourth straight win over a deflated West Indies in Basseterre.Green made an unbeaten 55 from 35 to steer Australia home to a target of 206 with three wickets and four balls to spare following a middle-order collapse. The chase had earlier been set up by 51 off 30 from Josh Inglis while Player-of-the-Match Maxwell smashed 47 off 18 at the top of the order. Second-gamer Jediah Blades briefly threatened to be the hero with an outstanding spell of 3 for 29 but West Indies’ fielding once again let them down.Related
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'He's playing beautifully' – Is Green Australia's new T20 middle-order fulcrum?
More than a finisher: David soars to new heights
Australia, by contrast, were flawless in the field with Maxwell taking two catches and combining with Green to complete a stunning catch on the rope to back up an excellent bowling performance. With Ben Dwarshuis and Tim David rested, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett grabbed their chance, taking 2 for 24 and 2 for 39 respectively, including three powerplay wickets to restrict West Indies. Nathan Ellis was sensational again bowling four overs for 21 runs while Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott also took five wickets between them.West Indies became the first team in T20I history to score 200 without anyone scoring more than 34, with Sherfane Rutherford top-scoring with 31.Bartlett and Hardie take powerplay wicketsAs well as Australia have bowled in this series, they had only taken one powerplay wicket in the first three games. The selection of Bartlett and Hardie changed that. Both men had success with hard lengths rather than swing up front. Bartlett cramped both Brandon King and Shai Hope on consecutive deliveries in different overs while Hardie benefitted from Maxwell’s superb catching at mid-on. Having caught Hope diving forward on the circle, he casually stretched up with the one hand to pluck a Roston Chase drive off Hardie.Jediah Blades struck crucial blows•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images
West Indies kept hitting despite the regular loss of wickets. Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer clubbed six sixes and seven fours between them. But none of them passed 31 as they all holed out with miscues. Mitchell Owen continued Australia’s fine catching with a brilliant diving effort running in from deep backward point to remove Hetmyer. When Powell holed out to hand Hardie his second, West Indies were 119 for 6 after 11.1.Mind-blowing Maxwell changes the gameShepherd and Jason Holder were unperturbed by the scoreboard. Shepherd’s hitting showed he could well be used as a full-fledged allrounder in this West Indies line-up. He mixed power and touch to maul Abbott. He lifted West Indies beyond 150 before the end of the 15th over but his dismissal summed up the difference between the two sides.Maxwell not only robbed Shepherd of a certain six but he ended his innings with the same stunning act. Shepherd clubbed Zampa flat to long-on and it looked to have easily cleared Maxwell. But he defied gravity and logic to jump as high as he could at full stretch to catch it with two hands and land on his left leg, which is still full of hardware from his fracture in 2022, before flicking it back to the waiting Green while momentum carried him over the rope. Maxwell’s two catches on the scorecard will be an unjust historical record of his contribution to the match.Australia’s death bowling was superb again, conceding just 41 from the final five overs which took an additional 55 minutes to complete due to a long rain delay between Ellis’ second ball of the final over and his third.Inglis and Maxwell cause déjà vuThere was a brief moment when West Indies’ fortunes defending a total might have taken a different turn. Blades found swing first up and pinned Mitchell Marsh lbw second ball. Marsh’s decision not to review it despite ball-tracking showing it pitched outside leg might have been the luck West Indies needed.Early swing for Blades and Holder saw a circumspect Australia score just 12 off the first two overs. But as soon as the swing disappeared, déjà vu set in. Inglis smashed seven boundaries in the next 11 balls. He added a four and a six off Matthew Forde’s first over of the series to raise a 50-run stand with Maxwell who contributed one run. Inglis reached his 50 off 28 balls and ended up facing 29 balls in the powerplay before holing out to deep square off a full toss outside leg.The lack of strike did not concern Maxwell nor did the field spreading outside the powerplay. He launched six sixes in typical Maxwell style, including three in three balls, to put Australia miles ahead of the required rate and briefly threatened to match Tim David’s record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Australian less than 24 hours after it was set as Australia cruised to 129 for 2 after 10.It’s the hope that kills youA Maxwell miscue off Akeal Hosein sparked a collapse and gave West Indies a chance at victory. Blades loomed as the unlikely hero. He made Owen miscue to deep cover point and Cooper Connolly to mis-hit one to mid-off in the space of three balls. He then had Hardie dropped twice in two balls, with Shai Hope spilling a catch down the leg side before Blades failed to grasp a return offering himself.But Green held his nerve to post his third half-century of the series. Every time West Indies bowlers threatened to close out a boundary-free over, he cleared the rope to ease the pressure. He reached his 50 off 30 balls with the required rate well under a run-a-ball despite Australia being six down. He offered a chance late with 11 to win, but Rutherford dropped a catch at deep midwicket to continue West Indies’ nightmare series.
أعلن الموقع الرسمي لبطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، عن اسم اللاعب الأكثر حصولاً على أصوات كأفضل لاعب في الجولة العاشرة من المسابقة.
وعبر الموقع الرسمي للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، تصدر لاعب خط الوسط الدولي الإكوادوري، كايسيدو، استطلاع الرأي كأفضل لاعب في الجولة العاشرة.
وأصبح كايسيدو أول من يتم اختياره كأفضل لاعب في الجولة مرتين هذا الموسم، بعد فوزه بالجائزة في الجولة السابعة.
وقدم الدولي الإكوادوري كايسيدو نجم خط وسط تشيلسي، أداءً قويًا ومميزًا في فوز البلوز بهدف نظيف، على حساب توتنهام هوتسبير.
اقرأ أيضًا.. على رأسها ليفربول وبرشلونة.. ريال مدريد ينافس 10 أندية على موهبة جديدة
وحصل كايسيدو على 30% من أصوات الجماهير في الجولة العاشرة، بينما حصل إيرلينج هالاند أقرب منافسيه على 23% من الأصوات.
فيما حصل ديكلان رايس على 16% من الأصوات، وفريدي بوتس على 14% من الأصوات، ودومينيك سوبوسلاي على 12% من الأصوات، وحصل دييجو جوميز وريان سيسينيون على 2% وحصل جيفرسون ليرما على 1%.
Incoming coach wants “more accountability” from players ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup
Valkerie Baynes20-May-2025England’s women will need to meet minimum fitness standards ahead of their home T20 World Cup next year under changes introduced by new head coach Charlotte Edwards.Speaking on the eve of her first match since being appointed on April 1 – the first of three T20Is against West Indies in Canterbury – Edwards demonstrated how she had addressed key issues faced by the England squad after the 16-0 Ashes defeat which cost her predecessor, Jon Lewis, his job and Heather Knight the captaincy.They included criticism of fitness levels among some of the group and several aspects of England’s game, including fielding, which let them down terribly last time they played West Indies at October’s T20 World Cup.England went down by six wickets that night and were eliminated from the tournament at the group stage, with West Indies progressing instead. They lost Knight to injury while batting and dropped five catches, as Qiana Joseph and captain Hayley Matthews both scored fifties at the top of the order to break the back of a modest run chase.That defeat in Dubai laid bare the need to develop depth in England’s leadership, which was exposed when Nat Sciver-Brunt emerged as the only viable choice to replace Knight after her nine years as captain. There have also been personnel changes at the top of the batting order and in the bowling attack, both in the Powerplay and at the death.West Indies knocked England out of last year’s T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty ImagesEngland will appoint a leadership group under Sciver-Brunt on a series-by-series basis for the next three or four series, which also includes three ODIs against West Indies and two home white-ball series against India.For the T20Is against West Indies, Sciver-Brunt’s deputies will be Amy Jones, Charlie Dean and Sophia Dunkley. Jones stood in as captain last time India visited England, in 2022, when Knight was injured and Sciver-Brunt took a mental wellbeing break.”Clearly, we had to touch on the fitness issue,” Edwards said. “When I came in, I said it’s all about individual improvement for the first six months. So before this, the World Cup, it’s about individuals improving as much as they can in that time. I’m not going to set fitness standards because there hadn’t been any standards in place, so I felt like I was defeating the object.”But hopefully in 12 months’ time, the players are very aware that there will be minimum fitness standards come this time next year, which the players will have to adhere to. There has to be more accountability in the area. But what I will say is that I’ve been so impressed with their standards, the way they’ve gone about stuff. I couldn’t be more impressed in that area.”Edwards’ squad selections – made in conjunction with new national selector Lydia Greenway, plus Clare Connor and Jonathan Finch – and her direction that England contracted players must play the first seven rounds of domestic cricket reflect how she plans to address the on-field improvement targets.Related
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'One of the girls again': Knight on moving on from captaincy
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Ecclestone out, Wong in for England vs West Indies
Emma Lamb has earned a recall to the ODI squad as the leading run-scorer in the Metro Bank One Day Cup with 577 runs, averaging 82.42, at the expense of Maia Bouchier. Issy Wong is back in the bowling ranks for the T20Is and Emily Arlott stands to make her international debut after being named in both squads.Wong battled rhythm and run-up issues after a successful time at the WPL in 2023, where she played for Edwards’ Mumbai Indians, but she impressed on the recent England A tour of Australia. Arlott has twice been called into England Test squads without making her debut – in 2022, she was forced to withdraw after contracting Covid-19 – but has won another chance after taking 14 wickets at 20.85 in domestic 50-over cricket this season, as well as hitting a maiden hundred against Essex.Both are expected to offer options alongside Lauren Bell in the powerplay and at the death. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone is playing for Lancashire after picking up a knee injury at the WPL which ruled her out of selection for the West Indies series.”We’ve obviously got a really good core group of spinners, but the death bowling is an area that we know we need to improve in and the stats don’t lie in that area,” Edwards said. “It is just great to see Issy Wong with a smile back on her face. We’ve all seen over the last couple of years she’s had a tough time.”Emily Arlott has put her hand up for a number of seasons but hasn’t been able to get herself into this group and I’m just so pleased for her because I’ve watched her train over the last two days and she’s an outstanding talent in terms of what she offers with the ball, but more importantly, her lower-order hitting.”She intrigued me. She always used to get wickets against the Vipers, so I didn’t like that particularly. Speaking to her in the last couple of days, she thought her England dream was over pretty much when she got Covid a couple of years ago. She’s ready, she’s really ready to go on and play international cricket.”Charlotte Edwards chats to Tammy Beaumont•PA Images/GettyWest Indies’ failed qualifying campaign last month means they won’t feature at the 50-over World Cup in India later this year. But while they are without big hitters Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry, Edwards said England wouldn’t take their opponents lightly.”When we get the opportunity in games, we’ve got to be really, really ruthless,” Edwards said. “We’ll be judging the team on whether we win and how we win and keep pushing ourselves in that respect, but we will in no way be underestimating West Indies. The last time we played against them, they beat them in the big game so we’ve got to be really respectful.”Clearly, we want to field really well. That’s an area we’ve worked really hard on over the last few weeks, and hopefully bring energy in that area. We’ve got a 50-over World Cup ahead of us in six months and a T20 World Cup a year ahead so this T20 series is about looking at players in different roles and seeing how they perform.”When she took the head coach role, Edwards said she was keen to employ consultant coaches and on Wednesday, the Australian Luke Williams was announced as the first of those appointments, for the duration of West Indies’ visit.Williams is head coach of WBBL side Adelaide Strikers and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL. He has also worked as Edwards’s assistant at Southern Brave in the Hundred, with Australia Women A and with the Strikers’ men’s side.
O Palmeiras enfrentou o São Paulo, nessa quarta-feira (5), sem um de seus principais titulares: o atacante Rony. Depois de um mistério sobre sua participação ou não na ida das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil, o “Rústico” ficou mesmo fora do clássico e agora é dúvida por tempo indeterminado. Acontece que o Verdão tem avaliado o jogador diariamente e sua volta pode acontecer diariamente.
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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui
Rony sofreu um entorse no tornozelo esquerdo no segundo tempo do empate em 2 a 2 com o Athletico-PR, fora de casa. O atacante estava no banco de reservas e foi preservado por Abel Ferreira para escalá-lo 100% diante do São Paulo, na Copa do Brasil.
O plano não deu certo, Rony se machucou e ficou fazendo “número” no gramado até o apito final. A boa notícia é que a lesão é menos grave do que se pensava, descartando problema ligamentar, que deixaria o jogador por muitos meses parado. A ruim é que o tornozelo segue inchado e precisa ser avaliado diariamente para entender a condição de treino do jogador. Por isso não houve chance de enfrentar o São Paulo.
continua após a publicidade
Segundo apurou o Lance!, a condição do tornozelo tem evoluído gradativamente e Rony deve ser liberado em breve pelo departamento médico para treinar com o restante do elenco. Sua presença contra o Flamengo, neste sábado (8), segue sendo uma incógnita. Com apenas mais dois dias de treinamento antes do clássico nacional, o retorno do Rústico é considerado improvável, mas haverá teste para saber se ele joga ou não.
+ VÍDEO: Jogadores do Palmeiras deixam o Morumbi em silêncio após derrota no clássico
Autor de dez gols e seis assistências nesta temporada, Rony é um dos principais nomes do Palmeiras em 2023. Além dele, Zé Rafael deve ser ausência contra o Flamengo, neste sábado (8), às 21h, no Allianz Parque, pelo Brasileirão. Em compensação, Artur deve retornar após não poder jogar na Copa do Brasil. Ao todo, três titulares que fizeram uma grande falta ao Verdão diante do São Paulo.
CSK couldn’t handle the seam and swing of Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood after RCB batters dominated CSK’s attack
Sidharth Monga28-Mar-20251:29
Knight: Patidar’s form is a perfect start for his captaincy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their Chennai jinx in style, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) there got the first time since the first IPL – by a whopping 50 runs, CSK’s biggest defeat at home. The contest was so dead that more than half of CSK’s chase was all about finding out if and when MS Dhoni would bat. He eventually did so at No. 9, only for the second time in his career.The build-up was all about how RCB would tackle 12 overs of spin, but the conditions rolled out inverted the spotlight: how would CSK handle eight overs of traditional seam and swing from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood? Not very well, as their combined figures of 7-0-41-4 demonstrated.And that after RCB’s batters dominated the CSK attack on what was not a straightforward pitch. Like Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, Khaleel Ahmed drew seam movement and extra bounce, but CSK didn’t have any more such bowlers. Rajat Patidar led RCB’s innings, full of intent, capitalising on a dropped catch when he was on 17, and finishing with 51 off 32 balls. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were allowed to bowl only five overs, which were taken for 59 runs.Salt, Padikkal knock CSK aroundKhaleel drew some seam movement and uneven bounce in the first over, but CSK hadn’t planned for such conditions. They don’t have quick bowlers who can hit the good length and just short. They were going to open with Ashwin, and they did. Only for the first ball to not come out right and for Phil Salt to pull him for a six. The over went for 16, forcing the early introduction of Noor.On his way to the Purple Cap, Noor and Dhoni recreated a lightning stumping to get rid of Salt for 32 off 16 balls, but Devdutt Padikkal denied them any relief. The left-hand batter took down Jadeja in ways Jadeja is not accustomed to: a sweep and a charge down the wicket to consign him to a 15-run first over.1:34
Pujara: Kohli was trying too hard
Patidar ruins CSK’s plansWhen Ashwin got Padikkal out for 27 off 14 deliveries, CSK would have hoped to re-establish control. But the presence of Patidar meant they were not able to bowl spin at Virat Kohli, who struggled to achieve even a run a ball. Patidar took a six off Noor the moment he overpitched. Kohli, playing Matheesha Pathirana for the first time, took 16 runs off his second over, and RCB were 109 for 2 in 11 overs.Like Ashwin earlier, Jadeja nearly had his own back when he drew a mis-hit from the enterprising Patidar, but Deepak Hooda dropped a sitter at long-off. In the next two overs, Patidar offered three half-chances, but none of them was taken. Kohli’s offering was taken, though, and the pressure on Liam Livingstone, and eventually his wicket, reduced RCB to 145 for 4 in the 16th over.RCB end stronglyRCB kept the intent up, though, and Jitesh Sharma hit the second ball he played for the shot of the match, an inside-out drive off a Noor wrong’un over extra cover for six. Patidar played a delectable pick-up shot off a Pathirana slower ball in the next over. This 27-run stand in 13 balls gave RCB the impetus they needed before the death overs.In the death overs, though, both fell, even resulting in just one run off the 19th over, bowled by Pathirana. However, Tim David took them 20 past what CSK believed to be par with three sixes in the last over, bowled by Sam Curran, who has now bowled four overs for 47 runs in two matches.MS Dhoni got some hits in, but couldn’t avoid a record home defeat•BCCI
Fast-bowling clinicIt was a brief window, but Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar displayed what a threat they can be if there is anything available in the pitch. Not one ball in the powerplay was pitched outside the 6-10m zone. Bhuvneshwar kept testing the 6-8m length, and Hazlewood kept at bashing 8-10m. Bhuvneshwar looked for swing, and Hazlewood for uneven bounce and seam.Hazlewood got Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad in his first over with steep bounce, and Bhvuneshwar took his 73rd powerplay wicket when he nicked off Hooda.A long meanderOnce three wickets were gone in the powerplay, the rest of the chase was just a meander towards an inevitable end. The spinners didn’t give much to Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube to hit. The asking rate got high, and they were obliged to hit, realising the pitch was not as easy as RCB made it look.Dhoni kept teasing his fans by batting after Jadeja and Ashwin. Yet there were 4.4 overs left when he walked out to bat at No. 9. Only in the last two overs did he get some hits in, but couldn’t avoid a record home defeat.
Soon after New Zealand had wrapped up a convincing victory that secured safe passage into the final of the Champions Trophy, Kane Williamson and David Miller bumped into each other. They were blocking each other’s path in the doorway of the press-conference room; Williamson had just finished media duties, and Miller was about to start. There was a convivial smile, and a warm hug. Williamson left, while Miller, the disappointment on his face writ large, stayed back.That congeniality between the two turned out to be more than just a passing sentiment as Miller expressed his preference for the final that his side will yet again miss out on. “I’ll be honest with you. I think I’ll be supporting New Zealand,” he said.New Zealand and South Africa have often got along with each other, but at this tournament, Miller’s well-wishes may have stemmed from the empathy of shared experiences. Over the last week, New Zealand and South Africa have each made trips to Dubai and back from Pakistan. New Zealand played India in their final group game there on Saturday, before returning in the small hours of Monday morning to play this semi-final.South Africa, meanwhile, flew out to Dubai from Karachi on Sunday after playing against England the previous day, to guarantee they would have enough time to prepare for an earlier semi-final in Dubai. As the results came clear, it turned out that they would not need to play there after all, and took the next flight back to Lahore, barely 12 hours after landing in Dubai.”It’s only an hour-and-40-minute flight, but the fact that we had to do that [was not ideal],” Miller said. “It’s early morning, it’s after a game, and we had to fly. Then we got to Dubai at 4pm. And at 7.30 in the morning we had to come back. It doesn’t make it nice. It’s not like we flew five hours, and we had enough time to recover and recuperate. But it was not an ideal situation still.”Related
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In this semi-final, however, he acknowledged New Zealand were the better side and deserved winners. The game ended on a bittersweet note for Miller, who got to an unbeaten 67-ball hundred off the final ball of the contest. It gave him the opportunity to rock his arms back and forth to celebrate the recent birth of his son but Miller said he would “rather have played badly” and South Africa had won.”There were really good contributions, a couple of fifties up front. We had a really good foundation. Unfortunately, in the middle, we lost a couple of wickets too many. At the end of the day, it’s a team effort. Everyone’s trying out there to do their best. It would have been nice to have a rematch against India. But life is not fair sometimes. Anyone has to work really hard to achieve trophies.”Ultimately, perhaps, the tie was snatched out of South Africa’s hands in the first innings, despite Miller’s destructive ability. New Zealand won the toss and batted first, having what Miller thought were the better of the conditions, particularly with the lack of assistance for spin under the sun.”It’s not easy chasing 360 [363] even if it’s a good wicket. There was no dew, so I think the wicket just deteriorated as the game went on. They spun the ball a lot more than us. It’s just they got a little bit more purchase out of the wicket.”Though he made his preference for the final clear, it did not amount to a prediction. “They’re both incredibly good teams,” Miller said. “India have shown the world how really good they are. They’ve been playing some good cricket for a number of years now and they’ve got some seriously good players. It’s going to be a great game.”
Manchester City will start the new Premier League season without the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed last week that the Spaniard will be absent due to an injury suffered in the Club World Cup against Al-Hilal.
Of course, that is a huge blow for City, but they have made recent signings to help cope with the loss. Nico Gonzalez joined last January, and Tijjani Reijnders was a summer acquisition from Italian giants AC Milan. He made the move to the Etihad Stadium for a fee of £46.5m.
However, it does seem like the Citizens will be chasing a new midfielder before the summer window slams shut in two and a half weeks.
Man City’s latest transfer targets
One of the areas of the pitch in which City are looking to strengthen is on the wing. It was reported earlier this week that they are plotting a move for Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo, in a deal that could be worth £85m.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The big spending might not stop there. According to a recent report from Caught Offside, it is believed that Guardiola’s side are ‘stepping up their interest’ in Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Their Spanish boss is ‘known to be a long-time admirer’ of the Cameroon international.
Brighton & Hove Albion's CarlosBaleba
However, they face a fight to acquire his signature. Cross-city rivals Manchester United are said to be ‘leading the race’ to sign the Seagulls star this summer. A fee of £100m is reportedly what Brighton will demand if he is to leave the Amex Stadium this month.
Why Baleba would be a good signing
Few players in the Premier League are spoken of as highly as Baleba at the moment. The 21-year-old was described as a “powerhouse” midfielder by Ryan Adsett of Talk Seagulls.
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba
Last term for the Seagulls, the former Lille star was a key player. He made 40 appearances in all competitions, with 34 of those coming in the Premier League. More often than not, he played as a number six, although he operated further forward as an eight, and even as a centre-back at times.
The midfielder is known for his spectacular goals, too, and is a good contributor going forward. Last season, he chipped in with four goals and two assists across all competitions, including this stunning hit in the 93rd minute to secure all three points against West Ham United.
There is certainly a case to be made that the 21-year-old is a bigger talent than Reijnders. City’s new number four has only played three times for the club, but is already someone who you can see will be a “special footballer” for City.
At least, that is according to City social media presence Steven McInerney.
Indeed, in those three games for his new side in the Club World Cup, the Dutchman has left a big impression. He dazzled with his quick feet, sharp touches in tight spaces and ball-carrying ability, on show in this video.
Factor in the cost difference, however, with Brighton’s asking price for Baleba double what City paid for Reijnders, and it is easy to see how the 21-year-old is a bigger talent.
The stats from domestic football last season back that up, too. For example, in the Premier League, Baleba averaged more completed open play passes with 37.9 and won more duels with 6.8 each game. Compared to Reijnders, he completed an average of 36.3 open play passes and won just 2.7 duels per 90 minutes.
Open play passes completed
37.9
36.3
Long balls completed
2.2
1.8
Take-ons completed
1.2
1.1
Aerial duels won
1.4
0.2
Ground duels won
5.4
2.5
Ball recoveries
6.7
3.6
There is a strong case to be made that Baleba is a far bigger talent than Reijnders. Not only do the stats reinforce that idea, but he is valued at double the price, and well spoken about by one of the leading analysts in the game.
A fee of £100m is hefty, but there is little doubt that Baleba would improve this City team leaps and bounds. As analyst Ben Mattinson has noted, he is already “one of the best midfielders in the league”.
He's Cherki 2.0: Man City now targeting "technically beautiful" £60m star
Man City have still got business to do this summer
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is famed for identifying a host of transfer targets and working on potential deals for several of them before deciding which one is best to pursue.
Striker open to joining Premier League rival after "complicated" Arsenal talks
He was thought to be Mikel Arteta’s preferred option.
3 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 19, 2025
We’ve seen this throughout the summer window thus far, with Berta simultaneously holding talks over both RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres at one point (BBC).
The ex-Atletico Madrid chief ultimately decided on Gyokeres, who is believed to be on the verge of a move to Arsenal after an agreement in principle was struck with Sporting earlier this week (The Athletic).
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
25/26 – summer
£140m
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg also reported earlier this summer that Berta was holding “numerous” talks over signing a winger, before the Gunners eventually settled on Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, who was officially announced as a new Arsenal player on Friday.
This is simply the way Berta operates, as explained by journalist Ben Jacobs.
“The best way of describing it is that Andrea Berta’s approach is different to Edu. If he was going to a party, he would lay out three or four outfits, try them all on and finally decide what to wear,” said Jacobs on talkSPORT.
“Andrea Berta is out in the market, effectively lining up both deals, whereas Edu tended to pick one and be very meticulous, and then discreetly try and get it over the line, often with a series of bids.
“It was either a very smart tactic because Arsenal had confidence that they would get that man, or it dragged on, and we got more summer sagas. We won’t see that with Andrea Berta.”
Berta’s methods appear to be shining through again in Arsenal’s pursuit of a central attacking midfielder, which is their next priority after Gyokeres and Madueke (Ben Jacobs).
Much has been made of their interest in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze in particular.
Crystal Palace's EberechiEzecelebrates with the trophy after winning the FA Cup
Arsenal have held positive talks with Eze’s representatives, and there’s an expectation that they’re set to formally approach Palace over signing the star playmaker, who bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
Arsenal praised as Berta targets Xavi Simons as Eberechi Eze alternative
However, Berta is starting to spin more plates in the attacking midfield department, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Arsenal hold an interest in RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons.
The Dutchman only completed an initial £43 million permanent move to Leipzig from PSG in January, but Romano states he’s prepared to leave the Bundesliga side already and top Premier League sides are aware of this.
Simons can play on both the left and more centrally, having starred for Leipzig in both positions for the last two years. In 2023/2024, he racked up 10 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, adding to that tally with 11 goals and eight assists in 24/25.
The 22-year-old can be devastating on his day, and journalist Buchi Laba believes that Simons would be a better signing for Arsenal than Eze.
“For me, I will take Xavi Simons ahead of Eberechi Eze,” said Laba on X.
“He’s a better player, More flexible and for his age, more experience and fits the Arsenal system more.”
Arsenal and other English suitors are apparently hopeful they can sign Simons for £56m (talkSPORT), which would also make him a cheaper option than Eze, with Palace refusing to budge on his £68 million release clause thus far.
The last couple of weeks have been highly unusual from an Arsenal perspective.
While fans have grown accustomed to the club dragging their feet in the transfer window, they’ve seen the Gunners sign Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi, while also getting closer to the statement signing of Viktor Gyokeres.
Furthermore, the Premier League runners-up have also been heavily linked with more attackers, such as the incredibly exciting Eberechi Eze, who has a £68m release clause in his contract.
Crystal Palace's EberechiEzeposes with the player of the match trophy
The England international would undoubtedly be an excellent addition to the Gunners’ squad, but one that might require an exit.
Why Arsenal want to sign Eze
Eze has been one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League for some time now, and was even linked with Arsenal last summer.
However, if he was impressive in years past, he reached an entirely new level and was utterly sensational for Palace last season.
For example, despite playing for a mid-table side, the Englishman managed to rack up a tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games.
Moreover, he didn’t just score the third goal in a comfortable win, or a consolation goal in a hefty defeat; he bagged important, game-changing goals, such as the only goal in the club’s FA Cup triumph.
In addition to being an output machine, the former QPR gem would also provide Mikel Arteta with more tactical flexibility, as while he thrives in attacking midfield, he’s more than capable of doing a job out on the left.
Finally, as he grows in importance for the national side, he’d be able to form a closer partnership with Bukayo Saka at club and international level were he to join Arsenal, which can only be a good thing.
With all that said, bringing in another top-class attacker like Eze would be expensive and could lead to changes being made in the squad.
What Eze's arrival would mean for Arsenal
If Gyokeres is also signed this summer, which looks increasingly likely, then it seems unlikely that Arsenal would also add Eze without then making a sale.
Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace.
After all, the Gunners have never been a side that hoards talent or likes to maintain massive payrolls.
So that leaves the question? Who would be the one to make way for the Englishman?
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Well, it obviously wouldn’t be Saka, Gabriel Jesus is out injured, Kai Havertz is a clear favourite of Arteta, and Ethan Nwaneri is currently in talks for a new deal.
That leaves Gabriel Martinelli and £27m signing Leandro Trossard, and with reports now clarifying that Al Nassr are not looking to sign the former, it might be time for the latter to leave the Emirates.
That seems to be an opinion shared by the Belgian himself, as, according to recent reports from Turkey, Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe are now willing to meet his financial demands for a possible transfer.
The report claims that now the Turkish giants have agreed to the winger’s demands, they have offered Arsenal a fee of €15m, which is about £13m.
It seems likely that the Gunners will reject such an offer, but as it is just the first, there is every chance that a final, agreeable price will be reached.
Moreover, it may be what is best for all parties, as the former Brighton & Hove Albion star’s exit could allow the club to sign Eze, and based on their respective form last season, that would be a big upgrade for Arteta and Co.
Appearances
43
56
Minutes
3303′
3455′
Goals
14
10
Assists
11
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
0.35
Minutes per Goal Involvement
132.12′
172.75′
For example, the “sensational” Belgian ace, as dubbed by journalist Charles Watts, produced 20 goal involvements in 56 appearances, totalling 3455 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 2.8 games, or every 172.75 minutes.
In contrast, the Eagles’ ace averaged a goal involvement every 132.12 minutes.
Ultimately, Trossard has been a great player for Arsenal, but if his departure helps the club sign Eze, then the club should do what they can to facilitate it.
Madueke will love him: £65m star pushing to sign for Arsenal "every hour"
Noni Madueke could be joined in the Arsenal attack by a £65m game-changer.