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Celtic made a huge decision in the recent January transfer window when they decided to cash in on Japanese centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

The Hoops sold the Japan international to Ligue 1 side Rennes for a reported fee of £10m after a three-and-a-half-year spell with the Scottish giants for the Hoops number eight.

Kyogo racked up 85 goals in 165 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish Premiership champions, with 34 of those coming in the 2022/23 campaign.

The 30-year-old marksman was not at his very best in front of goal in the first half of this season, before his move to Rennes, though, and that may have played a role in the club’s decision to let him leave.

Kyogo's goalscoring record this season

Kyogo scored 19 goals in all competitions during Brendan Rodgers’ first season back at the club last term, and started the current campaign as the first-choice centre-forward once again.

However, the Japanese attacker’s wasteful finishing was noticeable in the Premiership. He scored ten goals in 22 outings in the top-flight and missed a whopping 17 ‘big chances’ along the way.

The £10m-rated star also only scored one goal from 2.47 xG across seven appearances in the Champions League, which shows that the forward was incredibly wasteful in Europe as well as in the Scottish top division.

Kyogo scored 12 goals in 32 matches in all competitions, seven short of his tally from last term, and he has yet to score in three matches for Rennes in Ligue 1 to date.

Market Movers

Despite his drop-off in form, Celtic still lost a goalscorer when they sold the striker in January, but that did not matter because Rodgers has hit the jackpot with two other goalscorers in Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah.

Celtic have struck gold with Idah

The long-serving Maeda has exploded with 27 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions, but he is not the only Celtic star who has outscored Kyogo this season.

Idah was signed on a permanent deal from Norwich City for an initial £8.5m last summer and was valued at £2.9m by Transfermarkt at the time of the move.

He has enjoyed a very steady first full season at Parkhead, adjusting to permanent life in Glasgow, and has racked up a tally of 14 goals – two more than Kyogo – in all competitions. That includes three goals in ten matches in the Champions League, whilst Kyogo only scored three goals in 19 games in his Celtic career in that competition.

Idah, who scored twice in the 4-2 loss to Aston Villa, has shown that he can step up to perform on Europe’s biggest stage, which is something that the Japanese forward struggled with.

Appearances

19

10

Starts

17

3

xG

5.68

2.22

Goals

3

3

Big chances missed

8

2

Assists

1

0

This, along with the fact that he has outscored Kyogo – alongside Maeda – in all competitions this season, suggests that Rodgers hit the jackpot by recruiting him to be Celtic’s new number nine last summer.

His market value has also soared as a result of his form for the Scottish giants this term, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at £4.2m – more than £1m more than he was valued at last year.

Celtic will, now, be hoping that Idah can continue to shine and show that he has what it takes to be the long-term number nine for the club, replacing Kyogo, and increasing his market value to potentially be sold on for even more in the future.

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The former Celtic youngster is now worth even more than Kieran Tierney.

1 ByDan Emery Mar 10, 2025

The Hoops already have a centre-forward who has provided a bigger threat in front of goal than Kyogo did immediately before his exit, whilst also having a player with the potential to leave a bigger mark in Europe moving forward.

Ipswich Town’s woes on their own patch continue on as Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur ran out resounding 4-1 victors over the dejected Tractor Boys on Saturday.

Indeed, Kieran McKenna’s men have only won one Premier League clash all season long at Portman Road, with this defeat, in particular, pushing them deeper into the relegation mire off the back of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ big win on their travels to AFC Bournemouth.

Now, the Suffolk underdogs are five points off Wolves who occupy that golden 17th spot in the division, but there were some positives for McKenna to hold onto come full-time, despite the grim reality of another home loss.

Ipswich's biggest positives vs Spurs

Ipswich actually finished the contest with more shots on goal – with 17 to Spurs’ ten – alongside offering up more big chances at a slightly heftier three to the away side’s one, but all of that would ultimately amount to nothing.

Still, the likes of Omari Hutchinson would trudge off the pitch at the end pleased with their efforts, as the ex-Chelsea man got his side back into the contest with a beautifully executed strike deep into the hectic first 45 minutes.

Away from that moment of ecstasy, Hutchinson also amassed three key passes in the game to try and gift his side more of a way into the clash before an unfortunate late collapse handed Spurs all three points.

Jack Clarke stood out down the left flank too, with his assist providing Hutchinson the chance to beat Guglielmo Vicario, whilst Liam Delap was his usual energetic self minus a finish rippling the back of the net.

But, away from those lively performers up top, the Tractor Boys defence did look porous throughout, especially down the left-hand side of the pitch when Heung-min Son was twisting and turning this shaky Ipswich body for fun.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Ipswich's biggest underperformer vs Spurs

Whilst Jacob Greaves didn’t cover himself in much glory throughout, the ex-Hull City man at least lasted the full 90 minutes which can’t be said for another notable underperformer at the back.

Ben Godfrey, again, looked out of his depth pulling on Ipswich blue, with both of Spurs’ goals in the first half originating from Son constantly bamboozling the former Everton defender, before teeing up Brennan Johnson for a somewhat easy finish.

Godfrey’s horror show first half resulted in McKenna hauling him off the pitch at the half-time interval, with the ropey 27-year-old failing to win a single tackle or duel, alongside also only registering six accurate passes when attempting to build attacks away from being routinely under the cosh.

This isn’t the only time this campaign that the ex-Toffees right-back has been hooked off by his new manager after an out-of-sorts defensive showing, with Godfrey surviving just an hour or so on the pitch when Manchester City came to town in late January, as Pep Guardiola’s rampant visitors ran out convincing 6-0 winners.

Minutes played

64

45

Goals conceded

5

2

Touches

50

14

Accurate passes

34/40 (85%)

6/8 (75%)

Clearances

1

0

Blocked shots

0

1

Interceptions

0

2

Total tackles

0

0

Total duels won

2/3

0/1

Looking at the table above, it does feel as if Godfrey can’t cut it against some of the Premier League’s elite attackers, with a worrying seven goals shipped from his 109 minutes of action versus City and Spurs, among other negative statistics.

McKenna will presumably bring Axel Tuanzebe back into the side when his suspension ceases to be, with his replacement not exactly banging the door down for most first-team chances moving forward.

If Ipswich are to stay up, they cannot afford more leaky showings, with the Atalanta loanee needing to be ditched now to give his team a fighting chance at survival.

Ipswich must now sell £35k-p/w flop who McKenna said had a 'high ceiling'

Kieran McKenna could be ruthless this coming summer in ditching this expensive Ipswich Town flop.

1 ByKelan Sarson Feb 20, 2025

Memories of 2019 axe resurface as left-arm seamer seeks confirmation of role in India

Matt Roller12-Sep-2023

David Willey speaks to the media ahead of the third ODI•Gareth Copley/ECB/Getty Images

It was a hospital pass. On the day that Jofra Archer linked up with England’s white-ball squad, training at the Kia Oval as he continues his rehabilitation from an elbow injury, David Willey found himself sitting in the indoor school, fielding questions from the media.Four years ago, Archer was fast-tracked into England’s ODI squad in the weeks before the World Cup and Willey was squeezed out as a result. As Archer bowled England to the trophy in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s, Willey “shed a tear” while watching on TV, and assumed his international career was over.It is to Willey’s credit that he finds himself in England’s provisional squad for the 2023 tournament. He has 36 ODI wickets at 22.19 in the last four years; in this World Cup cycle, only Adil Rashid has more. He has also contributed with the bat and in the field, and has impressed in the first half of the ongoing four-match series against New Zealand.Archer bowled off his full run on a practice strip on Tuesday morning, before rolling out some left-arm spin and having a short hit in the nets later in England’s training session. “He looks in a good place,” Willey said. “I don’t know where he’s at, fitness-wise, but he’s bowling good wheels out there today.”It remains unlikely that Archer will feature in England’s finalised World Cup squad but his involvement in training suggests that he is on course to fly to India as a travelling reserve, allowing England to monitor his progress in his recovery and draft him into their squad in the event of an injury to a frontline seamer.Speaking last month, selector Luke Wright said that England had “run out of time” in their bid to get Archer fit for the World Cup: “There is a duty of care with him. We have to make sure that, long term, we get it right… If something miraculous happens with him, we have time to change things but I just don’t see it happening.”If Archer does not make it back in time for the World Cup, he could feature on England’s white-ball tour to the Caribbean in December, where they are due to play three ODIs and five T20Is. They will also hope he is fit enough to play a role in their defence of the T20 World Cup next June.Jofra Archer bowls in the middle as he continues rehab from an elbow injury•PA Photos/Getty Images

As for Willey, his recent fitness record is the best of the six seamers England named in their provisional squad, and he repeatedly referred to himself as “a donkey” while speaking to the press. “Me staying fit, touch wood, is probably an asset to the group, with guys who sometimes struggle with niggles and things,” he said.”Call me a donkey if you want, but to take a donkey out to what could be a tough trip, you just might need a donkey. They keep going, donkeys, don’t they?” When discussing England’s squad, he joked: “We’ve got pretty well everything covered – and you’ve got the donkey as well.”Despite his performances in the build-up, Willey will not believe his place at the World Cup is secure until he leaves for India. “Until you’re on that flight out there you can’t rest on your laurels,” he said. Asked specifically about the possibility of being cut from the squad at the last minute, he said: “Hopefully not.”Goodness me, that would be a tough one to take… [but] it is professional sport, and things do change. I made a promise to myself that I’d play every game for England as if it was my last and I try and do that now. Things change and, if it changes for me, then it’s nothing I haven’t been through before.”

Ben Stokes says England must shift up a gear to beat both Australia and the weather to keep their Ashes hopes alive with significant rain forecast throughout the fourth Test.After Australia won the first two matches, victory in the third Test at Headingley got England back into the series, with the squad arriving into Manchester buoyant they could square the series here to set up a decider at the Kia Oval next week.However, the persistent rain that greeted their arrival on Sunday will continue into the weekend. Showers of varying degrees are expected throughout all five days of the Test, which begins on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford.Related

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As captain, Stokes has been reticent to pay too much attention to forecasts, though England do keep an eye on the radar in the changing room in case they need to shift their approach during play. With Australia able to retain the urn with a draw here, the onus is on Stokes to try and squeeze a result out of however much play is possible if England are to prolong their hopes of a first Ashes win since 2015.”You never want to look too much into the weather but in the position we find ourselves in we might have to,” Stokes admitted. “We know we have to win this game to take it to the last game for us to have a chance of getting the urn back.”Going into the last game we were 2-0 down and knew we had to win that, so think that helped us a bit and maybe again with the weather that’s predicted that it might bring more out of us again knowing we might have to push the game on even more than we normally do. But we’ll just have to wait and see. If the weather is what it’s predicted to be then we might have to.”While he stopped short of declaring England will be more attacking than normal, the speed of play throughout this series has been conducive to quick results. The third Test, for example, which the hosts won by three wickets, lasted 230.2 overs – essentially, under eight sessions of play, with the match concluding on day four through a combination of wet weather and slow over rates.Last summer, England were able to beat South Africa twice within three days. The first came in Manchester by an innings and 85 runs, before a nine-wicket win in the decider at the Kia Oval. No play took place on the first two days following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, with the match officially getting underway on day three.This is also not the first time Stokes has considered getting funky to combat unhelpful conditions. During the Pakistan series last December, he posited the idea of forfeiting an innings when it looked like early morning smog in Multan would reduce each day’s play of the second Test. Though it did not come to pass, it is something England could employ here provided they bat first for a sizeable score.Though Australia can play this match and the weather straight, Pat Cummins has stated they will begin this Test focussed on victory as they seek a first overseas Ashes series win since 2001.”The first preference is always to try to win,” Cummins said. “We drew the 2019 series and we’ve all come back pretty clear we want to win this one. I think it’s one of things, as the game progresses you maybe start working out how risky you want to be, but looking at the forecast it looks like it’s okay so sure we’ll get a match in.And while Australia do not need to engage with anything England try and concoct, Cummins is excited to see what Stokes has in store.”It would be fun. Prepared for anything, really. We’ll see how it plays out. We have already seen a lot of different things from both teams this series. I’m sure this one will be another cracker with some random stuff thrown up.”

Hardik Pandya has hailed Rashid Khan’s athletic outfield catch to dismiss Kyle Mayers that broke Lucknow Super Giants’ strong opening stand as a “match-changing” effort, after Gujarat Titans prevailed by 56 runs in Ahmedabad.Chasing 228, Mayers had powered to 48 off 31 balls in a partnership of 88 with Quinton de Kock in just 8.1 overs. Then, he top-edged a pull over square leg off a Mohit Sharma slower ball. Rashid came sprinting in, running diagonally from fine leg, then slid and dived to take the catch to his right after making a last-minute adjustment.Super Giants lost momentum after losing Mayers and scored only 33 runs between overs 9 and 14, leaving them with too much to do in the last six.Related

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Hardik said that Rashid’s catch was the game-changer at a time when his team was under pressure. “The way the game changed after that… at one point of time at the eighth or ninth over we were even-stevens but that catch just changed the momentum and we were able to squeeze in a couple of tight overs,” he said after the match. “And after that I think they were chasing the game more than us.”We started controlling the game. Before that they were taking [us] on and we had to chase the game and make sure that we don’t concede as many runs and let them get into the game. So I think that catch was match-changing.””I think we both were driving at 100 kilometers per hour as a team but I think that bump in their innings cost them the game and got us back in the game.”Hardik also praised his team-mates for producing a match-winning performance after only one day’s rest. Titans’ last game was on Friday night and their match against Super Giants was the afternoon game on Sunday.”I don’t think I can ask anything better from the boys, Hardik said. “Especially, playing after one day’s gap and playing an afternoon game, the boys showed up and how.”Mohit, who gave Titans that vital first wicket, finished with 4 for 29, his best figures in the IPL since 2014. He has 12 wickets in eight matches in IPL 2023 with an economy rate of 6.96 despite bowling many of his overs at the death.”We keep discussing how to go about it, especially once the ball gets a little old how we can mix it up,” Mohit told broadcasters after the game. “And if I get the chance with a new ball, then what can I do with it. Today it was a day game so I knew that the wicket could get a little drier and be on the slower side so how we can mix it up in those conditions, that’s the kind of stuff I discuss with Shami.”I have practiced the knuckle ball, but I have a slight injury on my fingers so it’s not holding, so I am not able to bowl the knuckle ball. But I am using back-of-the-hand deliveries. When it’s the second innings and there’s a bit of dew, I can’t pitch it up too much, I have to bowl it away from the batter. So I am trying to stay as far from the batter’s range as possible.”I keep talking with Ashu Pa [Nehra] off the field. We talk a lot about bowling, what kind of balls I can bowl to different batters. Especially how we can mix up the length ball,” Mohit said. “He keeps saying that it shouldn’t be too short. It should be around top of off.”The win against Super Giants was Titans’ eighth victory in 11 games, giving them a three-point lead over Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table.

It wasn’t quite the comprehensive mismatch Friday’s game was, but that didn’t mean the outcome was ever in any doubt. A sumptuous Babar Azam century, his ninth in T20s – he’s now behind only Chris Gayle – powered Pakistan to 192. Babar was supported by a half-century from Mohammad Rizwan and a useful unbeaten 19-ball 33 from Iftikhar Ahmed as Pakistan posted another total well above par.Babar and Rizwan more than made up for their failures yesterday with an outstanding opening partnership. After taking three overs to get set, they caught up with the rate superbly across the first half of the innings, powering at about ten an over across their 99-run stand. And while a cluster of wickets immediately after threatened to derail Pakistan’s progress, an unbroken 87-run stand between Babar and Iftikhar in 43 balls ensured Pakistan were firmly on top once more.In response New Zealand offered a more representative account of their abilities than they had in the first game, with a classy half-century from Mark Chapman headlining the chase. Showcasing both his technical ability and long-range hitting, he clubbed an unbeaten 40-ball 65 in what was largely lone resistance, keeping his side’s flame flickering until the final three overs.But the damage Haris Rauf was doing at the other end proved too much to counter. He followed up his career-best performance last night with another scintillating display, ripping through the New Zealand middle order and killing off any hopes of a nascent chase with figures of 4 for 27. Shaheen Afridi and Zaman Khan snuffed out the chase at the death, and even as Chapman finished off the game with a magnificent six over cover, Pakistan coasted to a 38-run victory.The stutterAs was the case yesterday, there was a wobble midway through the Pakistan innings, and just like yesterday, it was Matt Henry-inspired. After Pakistan’s crisp start, Henry sent down a priceless 11th over that saw one run scored and two wickets fall. Rizwan was the first to go, miscuing a slog soon after he brought up his half-century. Then, for the second successive game, Henry found himself on a hat-trick, forcing Fakhar Zaman to chop one back onto his stumps. Saim Ayub kept his first ball out to deny the fast bowler consecutive hat-tricks, but New Zealand were suddenly on top.Matt Henry struck twice in two balls to pull Pakistan back•Pakistan Cricket Board

For Ayub lasted just one more ball before Rachin Ravindra struck to send him packing, drawing him into holing out at deep midwicket. Pakistan couldn’t find a way to stanch the bleeding at this point as Imad Wasim feathered Jimmy Neesham through to the keeper in the following over. Pakistan had lost four wickets for six runs over two overs, and New Zealand had stormed back into the game.Final-overs frenzyHaving slowed down somewhat after the powerplay, as Babar is wont to do, not even his most ardent backers entertained notions of a ninth T20 hundred for the Pakistan captain. With three overs to go, Babar was still 35 runs away, but two sixes and a four of Henry’s final over saw him climb into the 80s. A canny penultimate over from Ben Lister though, with Babar deprived of the strike, looked to have dashed those hopes once more. He was still 15 away with the innings’ final four balls to go, and Gaddafi began to dream once more.By the time Neesham was powered back over mid-off for six and Babar crept into the 90s, the crowd had been whipped up into a fervour. Seven runs away with two balls to go, he thumped another over mid-off for four to take it down to the wire. And, almost as if it were scripted, he would save his best shot for last, a glorious drive over cover that sailed to the boundary and brought up the most unlikely of his nine hundreds. He rocked back and let out a roar, and Lahore roared with him.Babar Azam roars after getting to his ton•Pakistan Cricket Board

Rauf razes through middle orderIf Chapman had someone to keep him company at the other end, New Zealand would have found themselves in with a real shot, but Rauf guaranteed that wouldn’t be possible. After a fledgling third wicket stand with Will Young where a 95-metre Chapman six off Shadab Khan was the highlight, Babar turned to Rauf for the wicket he wanted.Pakistan’s fastest bowler answered his captain’s call, and then some. With his fourth ball back, he beat Young for pace, forcing him to hole out to Shadab Khan to set New Zealand back, but he was only getting started. He topped and tailed his third over with two more wickets. First, Daryl Mitchell found the speed too hot to handle, before he sent in a bouncer to new man Neesham who could only fend it to Shaheen Afridi at mid-off. And there was no escape for Rachin Ravindra from Rauf’s wiles either, as the young allrounder lobbed an offcutter straight to deep midwicket to effectively end New Zealand’s resistance.

كسر فينيسيوس جونيور، نجم نادي ريال مدريد، صمته بعد الأحداث التي شهدتها مواجهة الكلاسيكو بين فريقه وبرشلونة، ووجه رسالة كذلك إلى جماهير الفريق الملكي.

ريال مدريد حسم قمة الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى وحقق الانتصار على حساب نظيره برشلونة بهدفين مقابل هدف واحد يوم أمس الأحد.

وجعل هذا الانتصار ريال مدريد يعزز صدارته في ترتيب الدوري الإسباني وبفارق خمس نقاط عن برشلونة صاحب المركز الثاني.

لكن فينيسيوس أثار الجدل عقب اعتراضه على استبداله في شوط المباراة الثاني، حيث حل محله رودريجو جوس.

اقرأ أيضًا .. ريال مدريد يدرس قرارًا هامًا بشأن لاعبه بعد أحداث الكلاسيكو

ولم يقم فينيسيوس بمصافحة مدرب ريال مدريد، تشابي ألونسو، وذهب على الفور إلى خارج الملعب قبل أن يعود بعدها ببضع دقائق إلى مقاعد البدلاء.

وقال فينيسيوس في تصريحات نقلها ”bolavip” : “رسالة إلى جميع المدريديستا، وخاصةً من حضروا إلى البرنابيو وساندونا بحماس، هكذا هو الكلاسيكو، هناك الكثير من الأحداث داخل الملعب وخارجه”.

وأضاف فينيسيوس في حديثه: ”نحاول الحفاظ على التوازن لكن هذا ليس ممكنًا دائمًا. لا نريد أن نسيء إلى أحد، لا اللاعبين الشباب ولا الجماهير، نعلم أنه عندما ندخل الملعب علينا أن نؤدي دورنا، وهذا ما كان عليه الحال اليوم. هلا مدريد”.

وعن الفوز على برشلونة اختتم فينيسيوس: ”قدمنا مباراة رائعة حقًا، الفوز بالكلاسيكو دائمًا ما يكون مميزًا وكنا نتطلع للعب هذه المباراة ، المشجعون كذلك قدموا كل شئ من أجل أن نحقق الفوز اليوم”.

 

It denied Healy a chance to test her readiness with the gloves after she had played the NZ series late last year only as a batter

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2025
Match abandonedAlyssa Healy was prevented from testing herself in the middle with the wicketkeeping gloves as the Governor-General match against England was abandoned after less than 29 overs due to rain in Sydney, while quick bowler Lauren Filer endured a difficult start to her Ashes tour with the ball as she repeatedly lost her footing in delivery.Australia captain Healy was using this match to test her readiness to return with the gloves after playing as a batter only against New Zealand late last year, but was only able to have a hit as she made a crisp 38 in a rapid opening stand of 91 with Georgia Voll who again impressed with a 38-ball half-century.After the game had been called off due to frequent stoppages, Healy had a 20-minute keeping session on the outfield with Australia’s coaching staff ahead of Sunday’s first ODI.Related

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Rain delayed the start after the toss had taken place and when play did begin, Filer struggled to keep her footing from the Scoreboard End and slipped four times before rain took the players off again.On resumption, Filer did not complete her opening over with Nat Sciver-Brunt bowling the final delivery. Filer later returned from the Fig Tree End but again kept slipping over in her delivery stride and finished with figures of 2.5-0-33-0.However, England coach Jon Lewis was not overly concerned by Filer’s difficulties saying it was something she often did at training as she powered through the crease and that the damp conditions made it additionally challenging.”It’s a very similar thing to what Mark Wood does,” Lewis said. “When your front foot lands, you are trying to get your front leg and to do that you pull your leg back…so if there’s nothing for you to grip against when you pull your leg then you tumble. It was little bit greasy out there so wasn’t ideal for her, but we hope the wicket on Sunday will be a little less grassy and a bit drier.”Lauren Filer lost her footing a number of times in her delivery stride•Getty Images

While groundstaff were working on the take-off area during Filer’s opening over there was a lengthy chat between the England players at the umpires and Lewis conceded conditions had not been ideal.”There’s always a risk when it’s a little bit wet,” he said. “Was I uncomfortable, probably not, was I comfortable probably somewhere in the middle between the two things. Again, it was important to try and get some overs into our bowlers in this game.”Lewis was confident Filer wouldn’t be affected by the struggles of her first bowl in the middle on a tour where her pace had been viewed as providing a cutting edge to England’s attack”She’s pretty confident with where she’s at,” Lewis said. “She bowled well down pace there for what she would normally bowl because it was quite hard to stand up. When you are a bowler and it’s hard to stand up it’s not easy to put the ball where you want it because you are running in at 20kph an hour and trying to land a ball in a really small space.”Whether Filer plays the opening ODI may come down to the fitness of Kate Cross, who didn’t featured in the warm-up game and instead bowled out at Cricket Central, following the back spasms that curtailed her tour of South Africa. Lewis said they would have a clearer picture of her availability in the next couple of days and also played down the significance of the warm-up match being truncated.”We’d have liked to have played more cricket, [but] we can’t control the weather,” he said. “We’ll front up on Sunday, the players are ready, we’ve played a lot of cricket over the last four or five months since the World Cup, through South Africa…so they’ve come here and it feels like they’ve hit the ground running so we feel like we’re in a pretty good space.”The forecast for the next couple of days in Sydney is for further showers which may impact the preparations of both sides.