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Chelsea legend William Gallas believes Joao Pedro will force Nicolas Jackson to seek a summer transfer away from Stamford Bridge after impressing on his full debut in the Club World Cup. The Brazilian wasted no time in announcing his arrival when he struck twice — once in each half — to secure a 2-0 victory and propel Enzo Maresca’s side into the tournament’s final.

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Pedro proved his mettle against Fluminense Scored twice to propel Chelsea into the final Gallas believes Pedro's form puts Jackson in a fix Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Pedro’s skill set brings a different dynamic to Chelsea’s attack. Having previously impressed during his stint with Brighton, the 22-year-old is now making a name for himself with the Blues in the Club World Cup. This puts pressure on Jackson, who bagged 13 goals and racked up six assists in 37 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign.

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In an interview with Gallas said: "Pedro’s performance against Fluminense put pressure on Nicolas Jackson. And I think when the season starts, that could cause trouble for his place in the starting XI. When you’re the first choice of your manager for any position, it’s like the door is open and you have been allowed inside. You then want to lock the door behind you, so that nobody else can get in there. And what happened here, is I think Nicolas has left the door open."

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Gallas opined that Pedro’s quality is not limited to just operating in wide areas or creating chances; he’s equally dangerous inside the penalty box.

"I saw Joao play for Brighton. He has a real quality, not just outside of the other team’s penalty box but also inside the box. He has shown that already, for Chelsea. And he’s going to give the manager a real headache," he added.

Adding another layer of complexity to the situation is Liam Delap. Though still young and relatively untested at the highest level, he is another forward eager to prove himself. Gallas pointed out that the English striker may soon be pushing for first-team minutes if his progress continues in the same vein.

"They also have Liam Delap, who is young and learning, but will be hungry to prove himself as a striker at a higher level than Ipswich," he said. "We don’t know when, but if he develops like Chelsea want him to, he will also give the manager a headache. But Jackson has definitely left that door wide open now, and he only has himself to blame for that."

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Chelsea's clash with PSG on July 13 will not only be an opportunity to capture international glory but also a potential glimpse into the future of the club’s attack. If Pedro continues to shine, it may become increasingly difficult for Jackson to reclaim a consistent spot in the starting XI. In the world of elite football, momentum can shift quickly, and for Jackson, the clock is ticking.

AC Milan are eyeing a move for English defender Archie Brown, whom they consider a possible replacement for Al-Hilal-bound Theo Hernandez.

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Milan eye move for Gent full-back Archie BrownRossoneri in contact with club and player's representativesHas featured for the England U-20s in the pastFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report by , Milan, Gent, and Brown’s entourage are in contact over a possible move for the 23-year-old full-back, who is contracted at the Jupiler Pro League side until 2027. The Rossoneri sporting director, Igli Tare, has shortlisted three candidates to hand new manager Massimiliano Allegri a top left-back option to replace Frenchman Hernandez, and Brown is a potential candidate.

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The French left-back has decided to shift base to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, agreeing to a three-year deal worth €20 million ($23m/£17m) net per season, and will be undergoing his medicals this Thursday. Hence, in order to fill the void left by Hernandez, Milan are eyeing a move for 23-year-old defender Brown.

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Brown spent his youth at English club Derby, gradually climbing the ladder to feature for the Under 23 side. In 2021, he signed for Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland as a free agent, before making a switch to Jupiler Pro League side Gent in 2023. He has also represented England in the U20 age group, featuring in two fixtures and scoring a goal. Last season, he appeared 46 times across all competitions, and scored three goals and provided six assists for the Belgian outfit.

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Milan have started their pre-season camp under the mentorship of Allegri, and will play four friendlies against English clubs Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds United, and Chelsea, and one against Australian club Perth Glory, before meeting Bari in the Coppa Italia first round game on 17 August.

Fergus O’Neill was their hero with a career-best haul of 10 wickets in the match

AAP01-Dec-2023Alex Carey gave national selectors a timely reminder of his credentials but it wasn’t enough to stop Victoria defeating South Australia by 23 runs in the Sheffield Shield.Victoria came into day four on top but a late cameo from swashbuckling quick Wes Agar made them nervous with only one wicket left to take.Related

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But just as Agar was well and truly hitting his stride, Mitch Perry’s yorker dispatched him and sealed victory at Adelaide Oval.Earlier, Test wicketkeeper Carey rejuvenated the Redbacks in his first match since being dropped from the ODI side for Australia’s second World Cup game.SA lost two wickets inside an hour on day four, slumping to 93 for 5 in pursuit of 258 runs, before Carey forged the first steady partnership of the innings with Liam Scott.Carey brought up his half-century with a single to deep point from the bowling of player-of-the-match Fergus O’Neill, who was again the pick of Victoria’s attack with 5 for 83 to complete a career-best match haul of 10-111.Carey was dropped on the boundary rope shortly after passing 50, the tough chance instead going for six and proving a sign of things to come as he put his foot on the accelerator.By the time he was caught trying to hit O’Neill down the ground just before lunch, Carey had struck 10 boundaries on his way to 81 runs from 116 deliveries.The solid knock came at the perfect time for Carey, who was playing his only game between being axed for Josh Inglis at the World Cup and the beginning of the Test summer.The breakthrough wicket of Carey energised Victoria and O’Neill turned the game on its head when he claimed allrounder Ben Manenti in the same over, caught behind by Sam Harper.SA went to lunch needing 93 runs with three wickets in hand and only allrounder Scott left of the recognised batters, with the task proving too much despite Agar’s late efforts.The Shield and Marsh Cup seasons are on break after this weekend until the end of Australia’s Test series with Pakistan and West Indies.

Luna didn't deny transfer speculation, but the USMNT breakout star stressed he's focused on his current club, Real Salt Lake

Luna addressed talk about his futureMidfielder wants to do well "wherever I'm playing"Reflected on impact of Gold Cup with USMNTGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

AUSTIN, Texas – U.S. international and Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna is set to make his second All-Star appearance when MLS' top players take on the Liga MX All-Stars Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. With transfer speculation emerging over a potential move to La Liga with Celta Vigo, it could also potentially be his last.

Luna played coy about the speculation, but did acknowledge a move could be on the horizon.

"Yeah, I think it could be anyone's last All-Star game," Luna said with a smile when asked if this could be his final appearance in the midsummer MLS event. "I think whatever happens happens. I think my job is to continue to do well wherever I'm playing, and from that comes opportunities, comes from decisions. But right now I'm playing for RSL and here at the All-Star Game, and really going to enjoy this week."

Luna, 21, is in the midst of a breakout campaign for both club and country. He has eight goals and four assists in 19 league appearances and was arguably the USMNT's best player at the recent Gold Cup – with three goals and two assists in six matches.

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Luna, whose journey from USL to MLS has been well-documented, acknowledged he's enjoying every step.

"This is a chance for me to enjoy these moments, because this is through all the hard times and all the sacrifices, the moving as a young kid to get to where I'm at today," he said. "So I think these moments and these weeks are something to take advantage of and enjoy. But it's been difficult, and like I said, there's a lot of sacrifices that go into it. But I'm grateful to be here and I'm excited."

After some criticism over his unconventional style of play earlier in his career, Luna admitted it is fueling his current success – along with his son.

"I think the motivation for me is family," he said. "You know, it's my son, he's about to turn two years old. I think that's the motivation. That's all you all I really need. But for me, you know, continuing to do well, continuing to prove them wrong, and continuing to work my way up the ranks. I think there's a big ceiling for me and just trying to reach as much as I can."

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Luna said his favorite player to watch growing up was Marco Reus, while he was at Dortmund. The legendary German now also plays in MLS as a member of the LA Galaxy.

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WHAT NEXT FOR LUNA

Luna is at the forefront of the MLS All-Star break, as the midfielder will feature both in the Skills Competition Tuesday and the main event Wednesday night.

Batter Kevin Kasuza was also suspended and will soon appear for disciplinary hearing

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2024Allrounders Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta have been banned from all cricket for four months by Zimbabwe Cricket for recreational drug use. They have also been fined 50% of their salaries for three months with effect from January 2024.Batter Kevin Kasuza, who played last of his seven Tests in 2021, has also been suspended from all cricket activities with immediate effect after he tested positive for a banned recreational drug during an in-house doping test last week.During an in-house dope test last month, Madhevere and Mavuta tested positive for a banned recreational drug in an out-of-competition case and were suspended immediately. They received the sanction following a hearing on last Wednesday when they admitted to charges of “breaching the ZC Employment Code of Conduct”,” a board release stated.Their rehabilitation will be overseen by ZC’s medical personnel and the duo has been ordered to train at the high performance programme. “In taking the decision, the Committee also considered some mitigating factors, with both players showing remorse and having already started working on withdrawing from the habit and getting their systems clean,” ZC said in a statement.Both Madhevere and Mavuta were part of the Zimbabwe side that faced Ireland in a home series in early December. Madhevere played all three T20Is while Mavuta played just the third T20I and the three ODIs after that. While Mavuta hasn’t played any competitive cricket since then, Madhevere featured for Mashonaland Eagles in the ongoing Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s first-class competition.

Newcastle star Anthony Gordon has sparked rumours over his future on Tyneside after naming a Premier League as one of his 'favourite players ever' and role model.

Gordon in South Korea for tourNamed PL rival as role modelCould make move to replace him Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Gordon has been linked with a move away from Newcastle for over a year now, with Liverpool previously tipped to poach the England international. But another club has now entered the conversation after the winger named Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son as one of his favourite ever players.

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Tottenham were interested in Gordon during his Everton days and may be looking for a Son successor with the South Korean in talks to join LAFC this summer. However, with Newcastle missing out on so many transfer targets and likely to lose Alexander Isak, they may not be willing to sanction the sale of another attacking star.

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Gordon and Son will come face-to-face with each other on Sunday when Spurs play Newcastle in South Korea. Gordon was giving his interview having already arrived in Son's homeland, which may explain the added praise for the 33-year-old.

Australia Test quick ruled out of Durham stint with plantar fasciitis as Siddle jets in to fill his shoes

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2024Durham have signed Peter Siddle for their next six County Championship matches after fellow Australian seamer Scott Boland was ruled out of his stint at the club with plantar fasciitis.Boland had originally signed until the end of July, on a multi-format deal that would have seen him feature in Durham’s T20 Blast campaign. However the foot injury caused him to arrive too late for their opening Division One fixture against Hampshire, where all four days were rained off, and it was exacerbated after 13 wicketless overs against Warwickshire.Boland subsequently missed the latest round against Worcestershire, which Durham won within three days. Scans showed the 35-year-old will now require what the county describes as “significant recovery and rehabilitation”.Having not played a Test match since the last of his 10 caps during last summer’s Ashes, Cricket Australia had encouraged Boland to play as much cricket as possible in this English season to build up his fitness ahead of their next Test series against India, which begins on November 22. Given Boland is not in their T20 World Cup plans, there is plenty of time for him to overcome this latest setback. As a centrally contracted player, CA will now oversee his recovery.Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, has acted quickly in securing Siddle as a replacement. The 39-year-old is no stranger to county cricket, following stints with Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Essex and, most recently, Somerset. Across all four clubs he boasts 189 wickets at an average of 22.98 – including 16 at 24.12 at Taunton last season.”It was important we acted quickly to replace Scott Boland and we have done that with the addition of Peter Siddle for the County Championship,” North said in a statement released on Monday.”It is very disappointing to lose Scott after just one game and we wish him all the best in his recovery. We look forward to welcoming Pete to Durham and watching him play a key part in our success on the field in the coming weeks.”

Arsenal have ignited interest in Ademola Lookman as they seek to open up more opportunities in attack amid his feud with Atalanta.

Lookman has put in transfer request Atalanta CEO laments attacker's exit tacticsArsenal are interested in the forwardFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Inter are yet to match Atalanta's €50 million (£43m/$58m) asking price and this makes way for a clear and open opportunity for other clubs to sign the forward. Arsenal have switched up their interest and are planning to register a bid for the Nigerian to bolster their frontline, according to . The club are also planning to offload Leandro Trossard in a bid to register and bring young talents to Emirates this summer.

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Arsenal reportedly want to add reinforcements to their frontline to complement Viktor Gyokeres and provide the team with a different skill set. The 27-year-old has excelled in Serie A and scored 20 goals and registered seven assists in 40 games for the club last season. Moreover, Atalanta's CEO, Luca Percassi, is also in London, which can help the clubs engage in concrete talks. However, Lookman's preference has been to continue in Italy with Inter. 

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Inter's offer currently stands at €42m (£36m/$48m) plus €3m in add-ons. The club have also agreed on personal terms with Lookman on a five-year deal with a €4.5m salary. Atalanta have set an asking price of €50m for the forward and are unwilling to compromise for a domestic rival. Percassi, in his public statement, had claimed that the club didn't want to offload Lookman to an Italian club after the Nigeria international's public statement criticising their refusal to accept Inter's offer.

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Arsenal are interested in bringing in more players this season before the end of the transfer window. Meanwhile, Atalanta have not yet taken disciplinary action against Lookman but will do so in due course, with the forward skipping training this week.

LSG head coach Langer felt dropped catches “really killed us in the end”

Abhimanyu Bose18-May-20244:26

Langer: IPL has same pressure as World Cup

Lucknow Super Giants’ win over Mumbai Indians in their last game of the season was not enough to take them to the playoffs, but it was the kind of performance their captain KL Rahul wanted more of throughout the season.LSG finished on 14 points and occupied sixth spot on table – level with fourth-placed Chennai Super Kings, who still have a game to play on Saturday – but their net run rate of -0.667 was not enough to push them into the top four.”At the beginning of the season, I really felt that we had a strong team and had most bases covered,” Rahul said after the game. “[We had] a couple of injuries obviously, which happens every season to every team, but those injuries and the guys that went away really dented us a little bit, and we didn’t play well enough collectively.Related

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“When the bowlers had a good game, the batters wouldn’t have a good game. We just didn’t come together as much as we would have wanted to.”Rahul’s comments were echoed by LSG head coach Justin Langer, who said they wanted to try a few new tricks in their last game, and that included opening with Devdutt Padikkal in place of Quinton de Kock. But the Padikkal move did not pay off – he was trapped lbw for a golden duck by Nuwan Thushara – and LSG soon found themselves in a familiar position of losing early wickets.They were 69 for 3 in the tenth over but Nicholas Pooran’s whirlwind 29-ball 75 revivied them. It also helped Rahul accelerate from 29 off 28 to finish on 55 off 41 and took the side to 214.LSG had come into the season with a reputation for defending totals, and they lived up to it the first three times they batted first. However, their bowling took a hit in the second half of the competition, with injuries to key bowlers like Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav, and they struggled to defend totals.But in Mumbai, even after the hosts enjoyed an 88-run opening stand in 8.4 overs, their bowling unit came together to effectively blunt the opposition by the 15th over. Naman Dhir, batting at No. 7, gave them a scare with a 28-ball 62 not out, but LSG got through.Langer acknowledged that they missed the services of Mayank and Mohsin, but felt that their sloppy fielding “really killed us in the end”.”I think dropped catches cost us,” Langer said at the post-game press conference. “If you go back to the Delhi game at home, we dropped [Jake] Fraser-McGurk on 17 [24] off Marcus Stoinis. And I think he hit 26 [21] runs off the next over and it really kickstarted his whole season. I saw a stat today that we’ve dropped a lot of catches. We’ve probably got the best fielding coach in the world [Jonty Rhodes] and we dropped some catches. And often it’s [something] as simple as that to [decide] the outcome of the season.”We missed Mayank, he was huge. Mohsin [Khan] had quite a sore back for some of the tournament. But I think dropped catches is the thing that really killed us in the end.”But against MI, LSG held on to all their chances – five catches taken on the field. Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi took a brilliant catch each to send Dewald Brevis and Suryakumar Yadav, respectively, packing.”Today was a really good performance,” Rahul said. “This is the kind of game we wanted to play more where batters are scoring, and bowlers are doing their job. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that, so we find ourselves here.”

Thomas Muller received a raucous welcome in Canada as the Bayern Munich veteran arrived to cheers from Vancouver Whitecaps fans.

Bayern icon greeted by roaring crowdVancouver fans turn out in numberMuller key to Whitecaps' journeyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Bayern legend touched down at Vancouver International Airport to join the Whitecaps this week. The 35-year-old World Cup winner was met by Indigenous leaders from the Musqueam Indian Band, who honoured him with a traditional drum march and speech from Chief Wayne Sparrow.

Fans lined the arrivals hall waving flags, wearing Germany, Bayern and Vancouver shirts, with Muller stopping to sign autographs and pose for photos. The veteran forward has signed with Vancouver for the rest of the 2025 season, with a Designated Player option for 2026, and is expected to make his MLS debut at home against Houston Dynamo on Sunday.

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Muller’s arrival marks one of the most high-profile signings in Whitecaps' history, placing him alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney in MLS’s growing list of superstar imports. His departure from Bayern this summer closed a 17-year chapter in which he scored 250 goals in all competitions, won 13 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League crowns. He also lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014. 

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Muller was a Bavarian through and through, having joined the club’s youth system as a teenager before breaking into the first team in 2008. Known for his intelligence, off-the-ball movement, and unorthodox style, he became one of football’s most decorated players, amassing 33 trophies and cementing himself as a club legend. His World Cup resume is equally impressive, Golden Boot winner in 2010 with five goals and three assists, followed by another five goals in Germany’s 2014 triumph in Brazil. Now, he enters MLS at a time when Vancouver are pushing to make an impact both in the league and in domestic cup competitions.

The Whitecaps’ Canadian Championship semi-final against Forge FC remains finely balanced ahead of the second leg, while their MLS campaign sees them chasing a playoff spot. Muller’s signing is not only a footballing boost but also a commercial coup, with the club already capitalising on merchandise sales and global media attention.