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The New York Yankees may have themselves a future star within their ranks.

During Saturday's MLB All-Star Futures Games, shortstop George Lombard Jr. stole the show and impressed scouts in attendance. In fact, Lombard was even called the game's "Best Player" by Baseball America, thanks to his impressive defensive performance.

Lombard smoked a double and showed solid plate discipline by drawing a walk in a 1-for-2 performance in the game. He handled everything that came his way at shortstop, too.

As of its latest update, MLB Pipeline ranks Lombard as the No. 35 prospect in baseball, and the No. 10 shortstop. He's the No. 1 ranked Yankees prospect, and is currently the only player in the organization rated inside the top 100.

At 20 years old, it could be another year or so until Lombard gets his shot at the big leagues. Across two minor league levels this season, he's slashing .239/.382/.356 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He's struggled a bit at the plate since arriving at Double-A Somerset, but he'll have plenty of time to turn things around as he continues to develop.

Lombard was a first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, selected at No. 26 pick by New York.

The Australia A tour of India will mark the start of Konstas’ season before a defining month of Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales

AAP09-Sep-20250:27

Konstas gone for duck as tough Caribbean tour ends

Sam Konstas doesn’t care for regrets or critics. And by putting himself on a self-imposed social media ban, the teenager hunting an opening spot in a home Ashes series has ensured he will hear as little of the latter as possible.The 19-year-old is set to play two four-day matches in India for Australia A before targeting four Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales with a goal of finding the red-ball form that eluded him on a tough tour of the West Indies.Whatever happens in the next two months, you can be sure the charismatic young gun won’t be giving two hoots over what outsiders say about his approach.Related

• Australia's Ashes questions: Open season, two allrounders, four quicks?

• Konstas trusting advice of his 'inner circle' ahead of Ashes push

• 'Unbelievable' Archer primed for Ashes impact, says McCullum

Konstas dazzled the cricket world on Boxing Day last year against India on Test debut with a flamboyant and audacious 60 off 65 balls. Critics said he would not be able to play that way on a regular basis and succeed.Runs have since proven elusive and Konstas did not pass 25 in his next nine Test innings.  He is competing with a plethora of candidates to partner Usman Khawaja for the opening Ashes Test in Perth but has no regrets about his approach on debut against Jasprit Bumrah and company.”I wouldn’t change it,” Konstas told AAP. “I don’t have any regrets in my life to be honest. I thought that was the right method at the time and it paid off. I don’t get too fixated about what others say. Whatever I feel is right I totally commit to.”My method is someone who is an aggressive batsman that likes to take on the game, while understanding the game situation when I do play well. It is about trying to score runs and win games.”The more experiences I have in different conditions the more I will adapt. I have to find my method and what works best in each situation.”What also works best for Konstas is not having social media. He went from a relative unknown to a global attraction overnight with 281,000 followers on Instagram. Watching the ball and not his phone screen is now the focus.”I never had social media until I was 18. I had it for a year and now I have taken a break from it to be more present and try and get back in the Ashes squad,” Konstas said. “It is just about focusing on myself and trying to give it a good crack.”Everyone uses social media differently but I feel now is the right time to get off it. I don’t read my comments on Instagram. I don’t care what other people say to be honest but everyone has their opinion.”Konstas heads to India with confidence and valuable lessons already under his belt.”I’ve had a few experiences in the subcontinent,” Konstas said prior to taking centre stage at Tuesday’s ASICS kit launch at the SCG. “I was lucky enough to be in the MRF Academy last year and to tour Sri Lanka as well with the Aussie boys. Hopefully I can score plenty of runs and adapt to those conditions.”It is about trying to be in the present moment with any game I play whether it be my club team, NSW or Australia A ahead of the Ashes.”I got so much out of my first time in the Caribbean and facing a quality fast attack. The wickets were tough to bat on.For me it was about trying to find methods for scoring runs in those conditions and understanding the bounce is variable and trying to find another method, if I do go again.”

Pick between the two as we begin to identify The Greatest Test of the 21st century

Sruthi Ravindranath04-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The SL-IND 2015 Galle Test moves to the round of 16.Herath chokes India – Galle, 2015
In the opening match of the series in Galle, India had not only taken a sizeable first-innings lead but also needed only 153 to win with nine wickets in hand at the start of the fourth day. A rearguard by Dinesh Chandimal, who followed up his 59 in the first innings with a 162 not out in the second, had given Sri Lanka a second-innings total of 367, and set India a target of 176.The in-transition Sri Lankan team turned to their veteran Rangana Herath, who was fighting sore knees and a dodgy back. The hosts made the target look much bigger than what it was as they choked the life out of India’s chase. Sri Lanka made India work hard for every run on a turning pitch, and India couldn’t get past the then 37-year old Herath and young offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, as they folded for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. The only form of resistance after Shikhar Dhawan fell for 28 came from Ajinkya Rahane, who made 36 and was the penultimate man to fall with India at 102 for 9. India could add only ten more as they folded for 112.Herath finished with figures of 7 for 48, as Sri Lanka won by 63 runs in a memorable start to Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell series.Shakib stuns Australia – Dhaka, 2017
Australia were in a strong position on the fourth day of the Test. But Shakib Al Hasan changed it all, bowling Bangladesh to a thrilling, historic win over Australia.Set 265 for victory, Australia began the day at 109 for 2. David Warner scored a century and compiled a 130-run partnership with Steven Smith as the visitors tightened their grip further. Enter Shakib, playing his 50th Test, who pinned Warner in front for 112, and had Smith caught behind for 37. Australia still needed another 94 runs, with six wickets in hand. But on a pitch offering turn and variable bounce, Bangladesh hit back quickly as Australia lost five wickets for 41 runs. The damage was mostly done by Shakib, but he was ably supported by Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the other spinners in his team.Pat Cummins, however, was threatening to spoil Bangladesh’s day as he struck 15 runs off a Mehidy over to slash the requirement from 36 to 21. But Taijul got Cummins’ last-wicket partner Josh Hazlewood out to hand Bangladesh a maiden win against Australia. Shakib finished with figures of 10 for 153 in addition to a crucial contribution of 84 runs with the bat in the first innings.

Celtic appear to be inching ever closer to finally appointing their long-term successor to Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last month after a loss to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge for the Hoops since Rodgers left the club, and oversaw three wins in four matches before the international break, including a 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock last time out.

The experienced boss may not manage another game for the Scottish giants, though, as Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy appears to be on his way to Parkhead.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reports that the French manager has been given permission to speak with the club this weekend to discuss a move to Glasgow.

If Nancy does take over at Parkhead, he will be looking to build on the success that Rodgers, as shown in the graphic above, achieved during his second stint at the club.

The Columbus Crew tactician should also look to build on some of the good work that O’Neill has done in his interim spell, as the experienced boss has got the best out of Johnny Kenny.

How Johnny Kenny could fit in Wilfried Nancy's set-up

The Ireland international has scored four goals in four matches under O’Neill in recent weeks, having only scored two goals in his first 17 appearances for the club in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that the former Shamrock Rovers star has stepped his game up since Kelechi Iheanacho suffered a hamstring injury last month, as he has shown that he can be relied on to score goals for the Hoops.

Kenny has been playing as the sole number nine in a 4-2-3-1 system for O’Neill, after playing a similar role in a 4-3-3 set-up for Rodgers, but Nancy’s preferred formation, per Transfermarkt, is a 3-4-2-1.

Diego Rossi, who is a similar profile of player to Kenny in terms of his build and attributes, has typically been deployed as one of two second strikers operating behind a focal point centre-forward in that 3-4-2-1 shape, although he has also played as part of a front two in a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2.

As you can see in the table above, Rossi has thrived in that role under Nancy in the last two seasons, racking up 40 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Kenny, therefore, could look to thrive as one of the two players behind a starting number nine, as he perhaps lacks the physicality to play as the focal point on his own in that system.

With this in mind, the Hoops could land an upgrade on him as an out-and-out centre-forward by signing a Premier League player who is a reported target.

Celtic eyeing move for Premier League striker

According to 67HailHail, Celtic are monitoring Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson ahead of a potential swoop for his services in the January transfer window.

The report claims that he was linked with a move to Parkhead in the summer transfer window before the Ireland international, understandably, opted to sign for Serie A side Roma on loan.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It adds that his loan spell with the Italian giants could be cut short, though, in January because of his struggle for form, with no goals in ten matches so far.

Celtic are keeping tabs on his situation with a view to chasing a deal to sign him on loan for the second half of the 2025/26 campaign to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

Despite his struggles with Roma this season, which is why he may become available in January, Ferguson could arrive as a dream first signing for Nancy at Parkhead.

Why Evan Ferguson would be a dream first signing for Wilfried Nancy

The Ireland international would come in as a dream first signing because he could be the focal point that the French head coach needs to play his 3-4-2-1 formation with the Hoops.

Celtic, since they sold Adam Idah in the summer, do not have a physical and imposing centre-forward who can act as a focal point, as Kelechi Iheanacho and Johnny Kenny are both more suited to playing with another striker or as a second striker behind a number nine.

Ferguson, standing at 6 foot 2, can provide that natural number nine presence to lead the line as the centre-forward in a 3-4-2-1, acting as an upgrade on Kenny as the main number nine.

In fact, former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker once likened him to Manchester City’s monstrous forward Erling Haaland. He said: “I do see a hint of Haaland about him, his stature, his movement, his youth and stuff like that.”

He has a physically imposing presence that could make him a handful for Premiership defenders to deal with, whilst his career so far also suggests that he could offer more quality than Kenny as an out-and-out number nine.

As you can see in the table above, Ferguson has 26 more caps and eight more goals than Kenny, who is older than him, for Ireland, whilst he has also scored eight more top-level goals.

The Brighton loanee has struggled in the Serie A this season, undoubtedly, but he managed six Premier League goals each season as a teenager in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, per Sofascore, which is no mean feat.

The 21-year-old marksman, whose finishing was hailed as “phenomenal” by James Milner, has shown incredible promise in the Premier League and at international level for Ireland, whilst Kenny has never played at a level above the Premiership and is yet to be capped by Ireland, although he is in the current squad.

This suggests that Ferguson would be an upgrade on his international teammate as an out-and-out centre-forward, potentially taking his place or forcing Nancy to unleash him in the Diego Rossi role behind Ferguson.

"I will step aside" – O'Neill says no talks with Celtic board over permanent role

He’s had his say.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 14, 2025

Overall, the Brighton striker would be a dream first signing for the French boss, should he take over at Parkhead, because of the role that he could play in the team, and the quality that he could bring to the pitch.

FIFA has released its final rankings of 2025, with the U.S. Men’s National Team rising to No. 14 after wins over Paraguay and Uruguay. Mexico dropped to No. 15 following a draw and a defeat, leaving the U.S. as CONCACAF’s highest-ranked side to close the year. Spain remain No. 1, while Brazil returned to the top five.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  USMNT, the new CONCACAF giant

  Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT closed out the year in impressive form. Back-to-back victories – a 2-1 win over Paraguay and a dominant 5-1 performance against Uruguay – lifted the Americans to 1,681.88 points and into 14th place in the FIFA World Ranking. The climb of two spots also pushed them ahead of their 2026 World Cup co-hosts: Mexico dropped to 15th after a draw and a loss, while Canada settled in at 27th.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Contrasting fortunes with Mexico

  For Pochettino, the November window capped a strong semester marked by a five-match unbeaten run, including four wins and just one draw. Mexico, meanwhile, endured the opposite trajectory. Javier Aguirre’s side ended a turbulent stretch with six straight matches without a victory – their last win came in the Gold Cup final against the United States – and the decline cost them the regional lead. The USMNT will finish 2025 as Concacaf’s highest-ranked team.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Spain stay on top

  At the top of the global ranking, Spain remain No. 1, with world champions Argentina and France right behind. Brazil climbed back into the top five, overtaking Portugal and the Netherlands, while Italy slid out of the top 10 after a costly 4-1 home loss to Norway.

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• AFP
  

  How rankings translate into success…

  National teams that have finished the year ranked No. 1 in the FIFA standings in the 21st century:

  7× Spain (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2025)

  6× Brazil (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2022)

  5× Belgium (2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

  4× Argentina (2007, 2016, 2023, 2024)

  2× Germany (2014, 2017)

  1× France (2001)

His mis-step at the boundary may haunt him, but India’s biggest drop was at the selection table

Sidharth Monga03-Aug-2025

Mohammed Siraj has not opened the bowling four times in ten innings in the series against England•Getty Images

Mohammed Siraj just can’t catch the edge of Ben Duckett’s bat.Siraj is the leader of the attack who has not opened the bowling four times in ten innings in the series against England. There is a reason for this. There have been occasions when he has missed his lines – never the length – with the new ball. Also, outside Jasprit Bumrah – his beloved “Jassi “, in the absence of whom he tends to lift his performance – Siraj is the only swing bowler in India’s side. And the Duke’s ball swings more for first-change bowlers because by then the embossment on the ball comes off, giving it the perfect roundness while being shiny for swing.It is, however, Siraj’s wobble-seam ball that is the bigger threat. And his metronomic control of lengths. Even though he sometimes loses line, he hardly ever loses length. In the 19th over of England’s second innings at The Oval, Siraj beats Duckett five times on the outside edge. Stuart Broad on air starts speculating when he will bowl the outswinger, which swings into the left-hand batter. Siraj stays away, and stays honest to the process, bowling five balls on a good length and one only half a metre shorter. Three of them seam big. Siraj walks back with a wry smile on his face.Related

• Support role no more, Mohammed Siraj you're a hero

• The agony, the ecstasy: 56 minutes of Test cricket at its most glorious

• How Woakes defied injury to front up in England's hour of need

• Siraj: 'When I woke up this morning, I told myself I would change the game'

• India claw back after Brook, Root tons to set up thrilling finish

All through the match, like a true disciple of Bumrah, Siraj has bowled only two balls fuller than 5m when two specialist batters have been in the middle. Both of them yorkers, both of them wickets: Jacob Bethell in the first innings, and Zak Crawley to what proved to be the last ball of the third day. Crawley’s wicket levelled him for the most wickets in the series.When Siraj comes back for the 21st over, he tries that full inswinger to the left-hand batter, and gets driven for four. Broad says he has gone to the well too early. It is uncharacteristically early for Siraj, yes, but this is also his 163rd over of the series. Only Chris Woakes has bowled more. The whole first hour goes without a wicket for Siraj. Prasidh Krishna gets his man Duckett at the other end.In 6.1 overs in the first hour, Siraj has created 13 false shots, gone for 26 runs, 13 of them off edges, but first drinks is when he should be done for a while. Try taking the ball away from him. Especially when you have only three bowlers for the conditions. On day two, he bowled eight unbroken overs in a session to help India come back into the match. Asked earlier how come he never needed workload management, he said the , the man upstairs, has kept him healthy, and he just wants to honour that gift by playing as much as he can.

****

Siraj goes on for two more overs, gets Ollie Pope out with the wobble-seam ball, and finally goes out of the attack and straight to the change room for running repairs. All the way up three floors’ worth of stairs at The Oval.Just the time to think about how it has taken Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain to make it mainstream what a skilled bowler Siraj is, and not just a workhorse that he is usually given credit for. He bowls outswing and wobble seam, the occasional inswinger, his pace always remains up, he hardly ever bowls a half volley, hardly ever bowls short without meaning to bowl a bouncer, and keeps on going and going. He still averages 31.75, which doesn’t quite put him in elite company. Is it possible he doesn’t have the mythical X-factor?Mohammed Siraj stepped on the fine-leg boundary to hand Harry Brook a reprieve•Getty ImagesSiraj has been fielding at mid-on in the absence of Bumrah to keep helping out Prasidh and Akash Deep. Bowling coach Morne Morkel says Siraj doesn’t lead by words, but by example and actions. He comes down the steps after the breather, but now fields at long leg. The short-ball plan is on, and Harry Brook hits the first ball straight to him. Siraj takes the catch, but has overestimated how far he came in to take it. The backward momentum carries his back foot on to the boundary triangles.If it is just a rope, Siraj’s foot just hovers above the rope and lands safely inside. Reminiscent of Dion Nash stepping on the rope where it overlapped in a thrilling finish to an ODI in Australia. It is not an excuse because they all know there are triangles, and not just the rope. It is the cruelty of it all. That it comes to him even before he has found his bearings and has become comfortable with his whereabouts vis-à-vis the triangles.Siraj turns around with his face in his hand. Not sure what he sees when he opens his eyes again, but there is an England fan just to his left clapping in his face. Minutes later, Siraj is back to his customary mid-on when they show the slow-motion replay on the big screen. The crowd goes ooooooo-ah at the replay. Can it get more cruel? Siraj knows what is going on, but doesn’t react.

****

Reprieved on 19, Brook has run riot. At lunch, he is on 38 off 30 balls. Siraj, who is at mid-on towards the pavilion at lunch, walks in the opposite direction. All the way to Prasidh, who is walking towards the pavilion from fine leg at the opposite end of the ground. The two share a low-five, a hug and a smile. Nothing needs to be said. They walk off together. Siraj keeps patting Prasidh on his head. The rest of the team is waiting for them at the gates, and clap them off. These are the two with a big job to do. Akash Deep has been fighting a niggle from day two. He has had what seems like a pain-killing injection.The three bowlers practically bowled a whole session between them on the second afternoon to keep India alive in the series. All bar two overs. India have selected poorly again. Since the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India have chosen not to play four strike bowlers for the given conditions in favour of batting depth. They have lost five of the matches, and won two. The absence of the fourth fast bowler in the XIs in Australia has perhaps played a role in Bumrah breaking down, which has now left him a three-out-of-five-Tests bowler.Once again, Siraj, Prasidh and Akash Deep are asked to bowl through a session because bowling any spin to the Bazballing Englishmen on this pitch can quicken India’s exit from the series. Siraj’s pace stays up but he is human; his spells get shortened. To just six overs now. Then three at the end of the session. This is the lowest average seam he has drawn all match. In the middle of his first spell, he throws away the tubigrip on his calf: execution over protection.4:24

Morkel: ‘Siraj is a natural leader’

Prasidh’s average pace drops by 4kph, as does his swing and seam. He bowls only six overs in the session. Akash Deep’s average pace goes down by 3kph. He bowls only five overs. The ball is getting older, and Brook and Joe Root put India to the sword. A whopping 153 runs come in the session for the wicket of Brook, caught at mid-on by Siraj, but after having added a further 89.Siraj ends the session lying prone on the pitch, trying to field a hit back down the ground. He dusts himself up, wipes his face on his shirt, exposing his black undershirt as he walks off. This time, Prasidh consoles him and pats him on the back, but the belief seems to have evaporated. Siraj has been leading what seems the proverbial “one final push” for long enough for it to be Groundhog Day. At tea, another push seems beyond even him.

****

A drizzle during tea, probably not hard enough to stop play but hard enough to not start already stopped play in, gives India slightly longer to recharge: 15 minutes to be precise. The shower has perhaps spiced the pitch a little bit. The break has perhaps given them a bit of succour. Prasidh picks his pace up again. Siraj doesn’t dip. A nervous Bethell leaves them an opening. Prasidh hits the top of middle.Now, with 42 runs still needed, Siraj takes up the role of conducting the crowd. It is a lovely split in the crowd. When England are playing well, it seems the crowd is predominantly English. When India get on a roll, it seems the opposite.Siraj and Prasidh start hunting the front pad of Root and Jamie Smith like men possessed. The seam has gone up even with the older ball. Only 12.3% balls seamed more than 0.75 degrees in the middle session. Now the number is up to 17.4%. When he is not geeing up the crowd, Siraj is bowling a clever mix of wobble-seam balls and the odd outswinger.This atmosphere and tension is as good as it has got all series. Siraj and Prasidh are now running on hope and adrenaline. Incredibly, Siraj has allowed batters only 69% control, but has only two wickets after 26 overs. At 181.2 overs, he has now overtaken Woakes as the most worked bowler in the series. At 20 wickets, he is the most prolific as well.2:11

Bangar: Mohammed Siraj will fancy the new ball

There is a lot of acknowledgement that Siraj has bowled better than 20 wickets at 36.85 suggests. In cold blood, at least in the third session, he has strayed down leg 30%, which, despite all the excitement created, fails to get him an lbw. Then again, it is a miracle he is running in and bowling just as quickly as he did in the morning.Also, in cold blood, India have made inefficient use of their bowling resources all series. An inhumane 92% of their overs in this Test have been bowled by just the three fast bowlers. In no Test have England strained their main bowlers as much. Even in the absence of Ben Stokes, who does give you a cheat card in English conditions, and the injury to Woakes, England have, despite picking no spinner, bowled as much spin as India.In the corresponding fixture of the similarly epic Ashes series 20 years ago in this country, the leading wicket-taker of the series dropped a catch to lose the series nobody felt he deserved to be on the losing side of. Siraj is no Shane Warne, but his predicament put Atherton on air in the mind of Warne in the 2005 Ashes.If India go on to lose on the fifth morning, especially if Siraj gets them any closer, that catch will become a memory difficult to live down. In cold blood, though, it should never come down to just one catch. The India team management need to do their fast bowlers a favour and start selecting better.

Can Rob Edwards save Wolverhampton Wanderers from relegation?

During the international break, the 42-year-old controversially left Middlesbrough, currently second in the EFL Championship, to take over the reins at Molineux, returning to the club for whom he made 111 appearances as a player, but he has a massive task on his hands.

Wolves currently have just two points on the board after 11 matches, no side in Premier League history has ever survived from this position, losing four on the spin ahead of Crystal Palace’s visit to the Black Country on Saturday afternoon.

The Old Gold’s eight-year stay in the top-flight is under serious threat, so if Edwards harbours any realistic hopes of leading Wolves to a great escape, he must surely unleash a new-look forward line in attack.

Jørgen Strand Larsen's downturn in form

Last season, his first after arriving from Celta Vigo, only nine players scored more Premier League goals than Jørgen Strand Larsen’s tally of 14, an impressive figure considering Wolves finished 16th.

This saw Newcastle make multiple bids to sign the 25-year-old, the highest of which was £55m, despite the fact he had cost the Old Gold only €30m (around £26m).

Wolves rejected all of these bids, with Strand Larsen instead signing a new five-year contract, but now they desperately need him to rediscover his best form.

So far this season, the striker has just three goals to his name, bagging a Carabao Cup double against West Ham in August, while his only goal in the Premier League thus far was a penalty during the infamous 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Burnley that ultimately cost Vítor Pereira his job.

Strand Larsen did find the target last Sunday as Norway crushed Italy 4-1 at San Siro, officially confirming his country’s place at next summer’s World Cup, so will be hoping to take confidence from that back into his club form.

Nevertheless, Wolves could be doing more to get the best out of their number nine, underlined by the fact that Strand Larsen’s shots and shot on target per 90 statistics have significantly decreased this season, so could partnering him alongside a “huge talent” be the solution?

Rob Edwards must unleash Wolves' next Jimenez

Wolves only made five senior summer signings, all of whom have had varying degrees of little impact, namely Fer López, Jhon Arias, David Møller Wolfe and Jackson Tchatchoua.

The last of the additions, arriving on deadline day, was striker Tolu Arokodare, joining from Genk for £24m, and he is possibly the most exciting of the quintet, even if the Wolves faithful have seen very little from him thus far.

The 24-year-old has taken an unusual route to the Premier League, beginning his senior career at Latvian club Valmiera, scoring 22 goals in just 34 appearances, hence why Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout described him as “simply too good” for the Virslīga, currently ranked the 36th best league in Europe.

​​​​​​​

After a brief and unsuccessful stint at Köln, scoring no goals for die Geißböcke, Arokodare​​​​​​​ rediscovered his mojo at Amiens, netting 21 times across two seasons for the Ligue 2 side, earning a move to Genk, scoring on 41 occasions for the Smurfs.

Of these goals, 21 came in last season’s Jupiler Pro League, which Global Football Rankings believes to be the sixth-strongest league in the world, and the Nigerian international’s statistics make for impressive reading.

The table makes for interesting reading, emphasising the fact that Arokodare is a penalty box presence, considering all 21 of his goals came inside the area, while also ranking first for shots, shots per 90 and touches in the opposition area.

Meantime, he is also excellent in the air, scoring three headers while also ending up third for aerial duels won, behind only Daan Heymans​​​​​​​ and Aurélien Scheidler​​​​​​​; the former joined Genk to replace Arokodare, while the latter moved to Royal Charleroi to replace the former.

The statistic though that leaps off the page most is the fact that Arokodare missed 34 Opta-defined big chances.

For comparison, the leaders in this metric across other European leagues last season were Ollie Watkins in the Premier League (27), Kylian Mbappé in La Liga (29), Serhou Guirassy in the Bundesliga (21) and Roberto Piccoli in Serie A (26), so no one came close to the Nigerian’s 34, which shows he is often in the right position, albeit is regularly an erratic finisher.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Despite this, Arokodare is still highly rated, with journalist Graeme Bailey​​​​​​​ labelling him a “huge talent”, while the aforementioned Kulig notes that “physicality, heading and link-up play” are his primary assets.

This all sounds rather reminiscent of Wolves’ best striker of their current stint in the Premier League, Raúl Jiménez, who is the club’s all-time leading scorer in the competition with 40.

After bouncing around Club América, Atlético Madrid and Benfica, the Mexican really flourished at Molineux, very much considered to be one of the best centre-forwards in the division prior to suffering a horrific fractured skull in November 2020.

Arokodare certainly possesses all the raw attributes to be as good as Jiménez, so now is the time for him to prove this.

Well, Wolves supporters have been treated to a mere amuse-bouche of what their new striker could offer so far, scoring in EFL Cup ties against Everton and Chelsea, starting only once in the Premier League thus far, not doing so in any of Wolves’ last six.

So, pairing him with Strand Larsen would certainly give opposition defences something to think about, with the duo possessing similar but also complementary skillsets.

With Palace captain Marc Guéhi a doubt due to a foot injury, surely Wolves’ best hope of claiming a first win of the season is to deploy the two strikers together.

£55m spent & Hackney signs: Dream Wolves XI Edwards can build in January

This is the dream Wolves starting line-up that Rob Edwards could build in the January window.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 11, 2025

Thomas Frank says Tottenham's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal was the "complete opposite" of what he had intended for this north London derby. Eberechi Eze grabbed a hat-trick in a very one-sided encounter at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as Spurs barely laid a glove on their bitter rivals. Now, manager Frank has apologised for this "painful" defeat.

• Frank apologises to Tottenham fans

  Tottenham put in one of their worst performances of the season in arguably their biggest game of the campaign. They mustered an Expected Goals tally of just 0.07 and a paltry three shots on goal to Arsenal's 17. Other than Richarlison's wonder goal, there was very little to be positive about. Spurs approached the game with a 'try not to lose' attitude but ended up being ripped apart by the Gunners. And after the contest, the former Brentford boss struck a contrite tone. 

  He told Sky Sports: "I think it is extremely painful. I won't talk away from that. It was a bad performance. It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here. We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn't get out. When the team went long, we didn't win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost. I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn't win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn't win enough."

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  Tottenham's creativity issues continue

  In Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Chelsea earlier this season, Spurs were widely criticised for producing next to nothing in attack. That happened again against Arsenal, but the scoreline was much less flattering. And Frank stressed they need to address this problem right away.

  He said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course it looks bad today and it was not good enough."

• Tottenham's plan failed to deliver

  Frank also took full responsibility for getting his approach to the game wrong. However, he felt the way his players performed would have meant that any strategy would have come unstuck against Arsenal.

  The Dane added: "I tried to play a 5-4-1. I will always take responsibility as my choice in the end to take the system then and we changed it at half-time. My view is that no matter what formation we play today, we don't have enough duels or intensity in the decisive moments, and it is very difficult to win a football match. The goals I want to see more in detail. The whole game I need to watch tonight an it will be a difficult watch. We were not aggressive and stepped forward when we could and they played it round us."

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  Daunting PSG test looms

  For the Arsenal game, Frank admitted that he tried to replicate the tactics Tottenham deployed so well in their narrow UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August. But as they fell well short of that against the Gunners, this trip to PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday may be quite daunting. 

  He said: "That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me."

For the first time in 24 years, baseball fans in Seattle have experienced the taste of a postseason victory at home.

The Mariners defeated the Tigers 3–2 in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday night, evening up the series 1-1. The victory marked the first time in almost a quarter of a century that the Mariners won a playoff game at their home stadium.

As a result, it was an emotional scene at T-Mobile Park, as fans in Seattle soaked in the feeling of an October win. The Fox broadcast captured the scenes in the Pacific Northwest to perfection, showcasing some excited fans as they finally experienced the long-awaited moment.

One fan was captured on the broadcast tearing up and exchanging a wholesome embrace with a loved one.

The last time the Mariners won a home playoff game was October 15, 2001, when they defeated Cleveland 3–1. That season, they advanced to the ALCS but were ultimately defeated by the Yankees in a five-game series.

Fans are hoping this year will be different. Seattle is one of five MLB teams to never win a World Series, and it's clear that the team's supporters are ready for the drought to snap.

Game 3 is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 7 from Comerica Park in Detroit. The series could potentially return to Seattle for a Game 5, if necessary.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has travelled to Tel Aviv on a "spiritual journey" to aid his physical and mental recovery following a difficult period at the club, a decision that has been fiercely defended by club legend Gerard Pique who has called for a radical change in how fans treat players after admitting the Uruguayan "raised his hand and said enough" regarding the abuse he receives.

• Araujo takes special break from Barcelona

  The Uruguayan centre-back has been absent from the first-team picture recently, missing the last three La Liga matches due to personal reasons. However, it has emerged that Araujo has been granted special permission by the club to travel to Israel, seeking solace and mental clarity as he attempts to reset ahead of the second half of the campaign.

  According to reports from , the trip is not merely for leisure but serves as a crucial component of his rehabilitation. A deeply religious man, Araujo felt the need to disconnect from the toxic noise surrounding Barcelona and reconnect with his faith. The pressure of wearing the captain's armband, combined with persistent injury setbacks and fierce criticism from sections of the fanbase, has reportedly left the defender "emotionally shaken," prompting the need for a total psychological reset.

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  Pique praises Araujo's decision

  The decision to step away from the spotlight has been applauded by former Barcelona captain Pique. In a candid interview with , the retired defender praised Araujo for having the courage to prioritise his mental health over the demands of the fixture calendar.

  "Mental health must be taken care of. It is evident, not only in the world of football or sport," Pique stated. "In this case, Ronald has raised his hand and said 'enough' and I think the club does very well to listen to him, give him the necessary time, and I think that all football fans in Spain should reflect a little."

  Pique’s comments highlight a shifting culture within the club. Previously, players were expected to play through the pain, whether it was physical or mental. However, Hansi Flick and the Barcelona hierarchy appear to be taking a more modern, holistic approach with Araujo, recognising that a player cannot perform at the elite level if their mind is not at peace.

• No more free-for-all on abuse, says Pique

  Pique went further than just defending Araujo; he launched a scathing attack on the culture of abuse that permeates Spanish football. The World Cup winner believes that football lags woefully behind the rest of society when it comes to basic respect and human decency.

  "Sport has always been slower in all this," Pique argued, referencing the slow progress on other social issues. "I remember the era of racism, that of violence in stadiums… At the fan level, it is like in football we are always the last to adapt to the moments.

  "It is time for there to be respect towards the professional, it is time that we stop being a world of 'open bar' [free-for-all] where everyone can do and insult whatever they want."

  Pique spoke from a place of deep personal experience. During the height of the Catalan independence referendum and Spain's golden era, Pique was often the target of vicious abuse from his own countrymen while playing for the national team. He revealed the unhealthy coping mechanisms he was forced to develop to survive, mechanisms he implies Araujo should not have to rely on.

  "I remember that I, in my time, especially for a few years with the issue of the independence process, going to the national team I lived that," Pique recalled. "You have to build an armour and it reaches a point, which is not even healthy, that you don't care what they say or what people think.

  "But that is the only way to preserve your mental health and be well emotionally. Others may find it harder or do not want to adopt these measures that I took."

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  What comes next?

  For Araujo, the immediate priority is finding peace in Tel Aviv. The club has set no specific date for his return to competitive action, prioritising his full recovery over rushing him back for La Liga duty.

  The hope within the Barcelona camp is that the defender returns revitalised, free from the "emotional shaking" that has plagued his season.