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Plenty of Chelsea stars are featuring for their countries during the international break, with Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella both playing in the Nations League on Thursday night and the likes of Reece James and Levi Colwill are involved in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad for England.

Cole Palmer has pulled out of the Three Lions squad, meanwhile, staying back at Cobham to recover from his injury setback, with the hope of being available for Chelsea’s first game back against Tottenham on April 3rd.

But it isn’t just the senior stars who are featuring for their countries on international duty this week, as four academy graduates all featured for England U19 this week in their 2-0 win over Wales.

Chelsea's U19 England stars

Three of Chelsea’s academy stars started in the game against Wales, with Josh Acheampong captaining the side, playing as a left-sided centre-back, which isn’t his natural position.

Kiano Dyer started in midfield alongside Newcastle star, Lewis Miley and Tyrique George started on the left.

George and Acheampong have both played multiple times for the first team this season, with the 19-year-old winger making 17 appearances this season, providing four assists and totalling 713 minutes played.

Meanwhile, Acheampong has made eight appearances, totalling 421 minutes played.

But there was a fourth Cobham star who featured against Wales in England’s U19 European Championship Qualifiers, who many fans are already very excited about, due to the high praise the youngster is already earning at such a young age.

Chelsea's own Osimhen & Aguero hybrid

Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka came from the bench against Wales for England U19 on Wednesday night, coming on for Manchester United’s Ethan Wheatley – who scored the other goal in England’s 2-0 victory – and netting in the 84th minute.

Mheuka has been labelled “Cobham’s Finest” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, stating the 17-year-old forward is a “jewel”.

The young striker has brilliant strength to initiate contact, often being able to ride challenges and bully defenders, even if they are slightly bigger than him. But he also has deceptive agility, especially inside the box, often crafting himself an extra half-yard of space to get shots off, much like Sergio Agüero.

This unique ability to shift the ball in tight spaces is extremely valuable for strikers in the Premier League, as they are able to create their own shooting opportunities, rather than relying on others to create chances for them, again reminiscent of Aguero, who was the master of creating his own shooting angles.

Whilst Mheuka has the ball-manipulation quality of an Aguero-type striker inside the box, he also possesses those physical traits of a Victor Osimhen, using his body to shield the ball and bully defenders inside the box. Chelsea has been linked with a move for Osimhen in recent windows, but Mheuka’s development could well save them a big chunk of change.

The 17-year-old is still developing physically, as well as technically, and if he continues to grow, adding some extra height to his advantage, his already strong base layer of physicality could become even more useful, making Mheuka a huge box presence in the Premier League.

Stat

Mheuka

Minutes

45

Touches

9

Accurate Passes

4/5

Ground Duels Won

0/1

Aerial Duels Won

0/2

The 17-year-old striker made his first full debut, starting against Copenhagen in the UEFA Conference League, before being subbed off at halftime for Christopher Nkunku. Mheuka was unable to get himself involved, barely getting any service, leading to his three lost duels and just nine touches in 45 minutes.

Mheuka has made 42 appearances for Chelsea’s academy across the U18 and U21 sides, scoring 19 goals, providing five assists and totalling 2,593 minutes played. He has also netted ten times for various England age groups, making 20 appearances from U15-U19.

Whilst he is still young and developing, many have the right to be excited about Mheuka, who has all the attributes of an excellent forward, with the physical levels required to play in the Premier League already developing nicely.

After Yamal: Chelsea can soon unleash the world's second-best wonderkid

The Chelsea youngster could emerge as a first-team option for Enzo Maresca next season.

ByDan Emery Mar 21, 2025

da bwin： Potentially stealing the transfer headlines once again, a Premier League insider has now backed Aston Villa to lead the race in pursuit of one particular attacking reinforcement this summer.

Aston Villa transfer news

da 888： After grabbing the spotlight by signing Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi and Marcus Rashford on loan as well as welcoming Donyell Malen and Andre Garcia on a permanent basis in the January transfer window, Aston Villa look destined to return to the market this summer.

A recent 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace certainly suggests that there’s still plenty of work to be done in the Midlands and the Villans seem to be well aware of that with the transfer rumours coming thick and fast.

Among those who have reportedly emerged onto Villa’s radar is Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who could yet arrive to replace Jhon Duran following his January exit to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

The young forward has enjoyed an excellent debut season in Portugal, potentially sparking a Premier League battle for his signature when the summer arrives. He’s not the only attacking addition on Villa’s radar it seems, however.

Related Aston Villa lining up summer swoop to sign "aggressive" want-away £20m ace

He’s a wanted man…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Feb 27, 2025

Former Premier League scout Mick Brown now believes that Aston Villa will be in pole position to sign Ferran Torres from Barcelona this summer in a move that would bring the winger back to English football.

Aston Villa backed to enter pole position for "incredible" Torres

Speaking to Football Insider about Villa’s potential move to sign Torres, Brown said: “He’s got that Premier League experience with Man City and Villa would give him the chance to play more regularly than he is at Barcelona. Their contacts in Spain will allow them to do their work behind the scenes and probably move to the front of the queue to sign him.

“They could do with a right-winger in the summer, that’s somewhere Emery wants to strengthen. Bailey and his other options come into the side, they do what they do, but they’re not a shoo-in to play every week and that’s what they need.

“Emery wants a stronger option who can nail down his place in the side. He wants more firepower on that side as well, because their left-hand side is very strong with the likes of Malen, Rashford and others.

“Adding quality and balance on the right will make them even more lethal. So it’s definitlely a deal which makes sense for Villa and I think it’s one they’re going to work on.”

Previously praised for his “incredible sense of goal” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Torres desperately needs a return to English football. The Spaniard has started just seven La Liga games all season and is unlikely to win his place back anytime soon amid competition from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

At Villa, meanwhile, if Rashford does not arrive on a permanent basis, then Torres could instantly receive the role he has been looking for since leaving Manchester City.

The 19-year-old was overlooked for the first Test in Galle after the dramatic start to his career against India

AAP29-Jan-2025

Sam Konstas looks on•Getty Images

Sam Konstas showned his character with a classy response to being dropped for the first Test against Sri Lanka, said Australia selector on duty Tony Dodemaide.Dodemaide stopped short of guaranteeing Konstas would reclaim his opening spot for the home Ashes next summer but insisted the star teenager remained part of succession plans for an ageing Australian squad.Australia cited Travis Head’s form as an opener on the last subcontinent tour in 2023 for the “difficult” decision to oust Konstas from the top of the order in Galle.Related

NSW coach sees Konstas reining in his audacious style

Travis Head expects Sam Konstas to open in WTC final

Khawaja scripts Galle redemption with effortless brilliance

Khawaja 147*, Smith 104* put Australia in a commanding position in Galle

Konstas turned heads with his aggressive approach in his first two Tests to help seal a rare series victory over India, but has not toured the subcontinent before.The 19-year-old was seen congratulating Josh Inglis’ family as the previously uncapped West Australian took his spot in the XI for the first of two Tests in Galle.After being told he would be dropped, Konstas offered to arrive at the ground early for day one on Wednesday to help with preparations.”There’s a lot to like and be impressed about Sam,” Dodemaide said. “One of the things is his ability to take things in his stride. It’s remarkable really, whether it’s playing in front of 90,000 and Jasprit Bumrah at the MCG or getting told that you’re left out of the Test.  He was like, ‘Oh yeah mate, no stress. I get it’.”Konstas memorably slapped the world’s best paceman Bumrah around the ground in Melbourne as he scored a half-century in his first Test dig on Boxing Day. He then partnered with Usman Khawaja to ignite the series-winning run chase at the SCG.But Dodemaide would not guarantee Konstas would be able to reprise his heroics during the next home series, with two Sri Lanka Tests, the World Test Championship final and a West Indies tour to play out before then.”We won’t pre-empt what’s happening there,” Dodemaide said. “But clearly he’s done a lot right hasn’t he?”We’re looking for those successor players to come in, there will be some turnover naturally in the next couple of years or so and he’s very much staked a claim.”Selectors will also not rule out Konstas returning to the XI in the second and final Sri Lanka Test, pending the result in the first.”He’s a hugely talented player, hasn’t played a lot in this part of the world but he’ll learn quickly obviously,” Dodemaide said.”The opportunity to have him here, not to say that Test two is out of the question obviously depending on what happens here, but the opportunity to give Nathan McSweeney, Cooper Connolly and even now Ollie Peake [on the tour as a development player] is an investment in the future.”The call to drop Konstas sparked criticism from Australia’s most prolific Test runscorer Ricky Ponting, who had previously called for him to retain his spot.”There is a real missed opportunity for the Australians here to get to learn a bit more about Sam Konstas,” the former Test captain said on Channel Seven.”If he is the player we all think he is, I would have loved to have seen him work out a way to play spin in tough conditions in Sri Lanka over the next couple of weeks.”Dodemaide said Australia needed to prioritise a first series win in Sri Lanka since 2011 even if the side had already qualified for the WTC final.”A lot of the narrative has been around this tour doesn’t matter. It really does, it’s Test cricket. That’s our priority,” he said.

A lot is happening in Bangladesh cricket at the moment, but new head coach Phil Simmons wants the focus to be firmly on the upcoming Test series against South Africa.Things are messy. Simmons took over as Bangladesh’s head coach on Tuesday, replacing Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was sacked earlier this week and has since hit back at the BCB. Shakib Al Hasan, who hasn’t returned to Dhaka because of protests against him (for political reasons), has withdrawn from the Test side.When Simmons attended Bangladesh’s training session at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, protests for and against Shakib were on. All this, two days out from the first Test.Related

• Bangladesh look to begin post-Shakib era on winning note

• Hyderabad hammering sums up Bangladesh's need for change

• Shakib 'unavailable' for first South Africa Test

• Hathurusinghe sacked for 'assault' on player

“[Keeping distractions away from the players] is a big part of our job over the next few days, to make sure the focus is on the cricket, and not on the outside of cricket,” Simmons said. “We can control how we prepare for Monday, that’s how we are trying to get the team to focus.”The good thing is we have a very important Test match to prepare for. We win the next few Tests, and we are in contention for the [WTC] final. My first port of call is cricket and about getting the squad ready for Monday. The last two days [of training] have been brilliant. We have tried to leave out the confusion that’s around the cricket, and concentrate on preparing for Monday.”Simmons comes in with vast coaching experience, having worked with Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies, Afghanistan and PNG as well as several T20 franchises in the last 20 years. He was one of the candidates interviewed for the Bangladesh job in 2017 – to fill the role left vacant by Hathurusinghe – but was not selected.”All these experiences [with other teams] will help me in the next few days to get me ready for Monday,” Simmons said. “Afghanistan helped me with the language barrier sometimes. Ireland helped me with developing young players. It all comes in [handy] at the end of the day. I have to use all those experiences in this assignment.”Conversation with the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] has been about his thoughts on players and direction he wants to take the team. It was also about what we do before Monday. It is generally about how we go into the first Test match. As we get to know each other, there will be more discussions about ODIs etc. Now it is about Test cricket, and what we are going to do in these two matches.”Shakib Al Hasan’s fans show their support for the cricketer outside the Shere Bangla Stadium•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Simmons said he took more interest in the role after Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan and was particularly impressed by the youngsters in the side.”The interest comes from seeing the quality of the young players. They handled themselves well against Pakistan,” he said. “They didn’t do well in the T20Is against India but they played against the best T20 team in the world, so you have things to take out of there. It all added up to an assignment, which I enjoyed. One, [there are] young players to develop. Two, there’s Tests and ODIs involved. It wasn’t a hard decision [to take the job].”He believes Bangladesh have a good chance to beat South Africa, who haven’t won a Test series in the subcontinent in the last ten years, but was wary of taking them lightly.”It is definitely a good opportunity. Bangladesh are usually very strong at home. So it is a very good opportunity for us to win the Test series,” Simmons said. “South Africa has that [record in the subcontinent] hanging over their head but they are a resilient team. They will work hard to change that.”

Manchester United aren’t acting like a team who languished their way toward a 15th-placed Premier League finish last season, moving purposefully in the transfer market as they are.

Defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League proved the final nail in the coffin, severing the last hopes of salvaging something from a rotten year, closing the door on a campaign on the continent in 2025/26.

But Ruben Amorim has a plan, and INEOS are showcasing the club’s unbreakable transfer pull, having signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth £62.5m.

Amorim has his work cut out, all right, but this new policy of identifying Premier League-proven product might just pay dividends in the long run.

Let’s have a look at how they sealed the Brazilian star’s signature.

Why Matheus Cunha joined Man Utd

It’s remarkable to see that top players are still drawn to the Theatre of Dreams even when Man United are in the deepest throes of their decline, and Cunha is the perfect representation of that fact.

Sure, United activated his release clause, but the 26-year-old was also coveted by Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, all of whom will play in the Champions League next season. Aston Villa had also expressed an interest.

If Amorim can get the Red Devils back to a position of strength, just imagine the kind of success the outfit could have in the transfer market with a strategy far away from the scattergun approach of the past decade.

Signing players who have showcased their quality consistently in the Premier League seems to be a track that United are heading down, for Cunha’s not the only one driving a deal toward Old Trafford from another part of the country this summer.

Man Utd's next transfer expected 'soon'

According to reports in Italy, Manchester United have already agreed personal terms with Bryan Mbeumo, although negotiations continue with Brentford as to the structure of the financial package.

Transfer Focus

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

Saying that, United are willing to pay £63m plus add-ons to sign the goalscoring winger, who has been expected to leave the Gtech Community Stadium for several months now. The final details with Brentford still need to be defined but it’s reported that an agreement is ‘expected soon’.

Tottenham Hotspur’s appointment of Thomas Frank has renewed Spurs’ hope that they could hijack the deal, but the player’s preference is to sign for the Red Devils in spite of their lack of European football.

How Bryan Mbeumo will improve Man Utd

Last season, Mbeumo bagged 20 goals across 38 Premier League matches, with Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland the only players to outscore him.

A tenacious forward with a fixed winning mentality, he’s exactly what Amorim needs to turn the ship around. Indeed, the Cameroon international has been hailed for his “technique and work ethic” by journalist Henry Winter.

This is further represented through his underlying data; not just a goalscorer, the 25-year-old ranked among the top 9% of positional peers in the Premier League last term for crosses, the top 10% for clearances and the top 20% for touches in the defensive third per 90, as per FBref.

That latter metric, in particular, highlights Mbeumo’s willingness to drop deep and help the Bees in transition.

This vibrant range of qualities actually led the data-driven site to draw Cunha up as one of his most comparable players.

Cunha is a maverick, stylish on the ball and happy to step up and make things happen when no one else seems willing to. Man United need some of that.

When looking at the forwards’ respective top-flight campaigns, you begin to see exactly why United have been so desperate to secure these deals, with the players partnered on the flanks sure to add a whole lot to a frontline that has been lacking.

Matches (starts)

33 (29)

38 (38)

Goals

15

20

Assists

6

7

Shots (on target)*

3.3 (1.3)

2.2 (1.1)

Big chances missed

2

9

Pass completion

79%

74%

Big chances created

13

17

Key passes*

1.8

1.8

Dribbles*

1.8

1.4

Ball recoveries*

3.8

4.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.7

1.7

Duels won*

5.5

4.7

As you can see from the table above, they are not all that dissimilar, Cunha and Mbeumo. In fact, with the forwards, favouring the left and right flanks respectively, both proven in the Premier League to be high-level goalscorers with creative flair and defensive application, it looks the perfect way to dynamise Amorim’s frontline.

The centre-forward picked to settle in the middle of the exciting stars will be a lucky man indeed. Though the Red Devils have faced countless disappointments after first finding such excitement in a big-money acquisition, INEOS have focused on two players capable of lifting the club’s attacking quality to a top level.

They will add goals, they will create, and they will improve the overarching fluency of a fallen giant. It’s unlikely to be a surprise that Mbuemo and Cunha are two Premier League forwards with similarly dynamic skill sets, tailor-made for a place in Amorim’s vision, a vision which has not yet been sighted properly on English shores.

While many supporters will understandably reserve judgment until the 2025/26 campaign is well and truly up and running, Mbuemo is a superstar, “unplayable” on his day, as was noted by Frank last season after scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle.

With a like-minded player in Cunha mirroring him on the other side, Amorim’s team are well poised for a much-needed resurgence.

Their best signing since Bruno: £40m target now wants to join Man Utd

Manchester United could be about to make another superb signing in this summer window.

1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 22, 2025

Scottish boss Russell Martin has plenty of things to deal with early on in his tenure as Glasgow Rangers’ new head coach ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The former Southampton manager has to build a squad that can challenge for the Scottish Premiership title, and has already had Lyall Cameron added to his midfield options.

However, Martin will also have to deal with the prospect of some of his best players moving on from Ibrox if teams come in with big-money offers for them during the summer transfer window.

Fiorentina and Marseille are reportedly keen on Nicolas Raskin, who is valued at £20m by the 49ers, and up to six English teams are said to be eyeing up Mohamed Diomande ahead of a possible swoop for his services.

The Light Blues are no stranger to cashing in on their top talents over the years, though, as players have moved on from Glasgow to pursue other options in Europe many times in recent seasons.

One deal that the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with, though, was the sale of Joe Aribo to then-Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2022.

Why Rangers hit the jackpot with Joe Aribo

The Nigeria international was a terrific player for Rangers during his time at Ibrox, having spent three years at the club after joining from Charlton in the summer of 2019.

Aribo racked up 26 goals and 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in those three seasons, and his final goal contribution was a goal in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The left-footed star’s form for Rangers attracted attention from down south and he sealed a move to then-Premier League outfit Southampton in the summer of 2022.

A reported fee of £10m was agreed between the two clubs for the attacking midfielder, who was reportedly being eyed up by other teams in the English top-flight, and that has turned out to be a brilliant deal for the Gers.

Date	Market valuation
July 2022	Reported £10m deal
November 2022	£12.8m
June 2023	£9.4m
October 2023	£6.8m
December 2023	£5.1m
May 2024	£4.2m
December 2024 – present	£5.1m
Valuations via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Aribo’s value has plummeted down to just £5.1m, as per Transfermarkt, in the three years since the midfield star decided to move on from Ibrox.

The 28-year-old, who has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 109 games for Southampton, has not kicked on during his spell in England, which suggests that the Gers hit gold with the deal they got for him in 2022.

Rangers could repeat that masterclass this summer amid speculation that another one of their forwards could leave the club in the coming weeks.

Rangers striker set to move on from Ibrox

According to Soccernet.ng, Cyriel Dessers is poised to complete a permanent exit from Rangers before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Nigeria international is ‘set’ to sign for Greek giants AEK Athens, after he ‘set sights’ on a move away from Ibrox ahead of next season.

Transfer Focus

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

Soccernet.ng adds that the striker has already verbally agreed to sign for the Greek team and has mapped out a £30k-per-week contract to sign if the transfer goes through this summer.

The outlet reveals that the two teams still need to come to an agreement on a transfer fee for the player before a deal can be finalised, and it does not mention how much money it would take to get it done.

However, The Scottish Sun recently reported that the Gers are holding out for a fee of around £5m for the striker, who they paid £4.5m to Cremonese for in 2023.

If the Light Blues can agree a £5m deal to sell Dessers to AEK Athens, who Soccernet.ng claims is set to join them, then it could be an Aribo repeat.

Why Dessers could be an Aribo repeat

The 30-year-old number nine could follow in Aribo’s footsteps as another star performer who could decrease in value after leaving the Scottish giants.

His value has already dropped from £4.2m at the time of his Ibrox arrival to £3.4m at the time of writing (19/06/2025), as per Transfermarkt, which immediately suggests that a fee of £5m would be a great deal for Rangers.

That is in spite of a very respectable goalscoring return of 51 strikes in 109 matches for the Light Blues in all competitions over the past two seasons.

His value at AEK Athens, should a transfer go through this summer, could fall even further on Transfermarkt, despite a potential fee of £5m, because he may not have the chance to score as many goals.

The Greek side finished fourth in the Super League and only scored 48 goals, whilst Rangers finished second in the Premiership and scored 80 goals.

Cyriel Dessers (European comps + Premiership)	23/24	24/25
Appearances	47	46
Goals	21	18
Shots	110	103
Shots on target	52	51
Big chances missed	29	31
Assists	6	4
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Nigerian striker missed a staggering 60 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, Europa League, and Champions League combined in his first two seasons at Ibrox.

Dessers, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed is “awkward” to play against due to his physicality, scored a decent number of goals for Rangers because he was in a team that was constantly creating chances for him, as evidenced by how many huge opportunities he spurned.

Therefore, he may struggle to have the same impact in an AEK Athens team that did not create or score anywhere near as much as Rangers did in the 2024/25 campaign, which could expose his wasteful finishing in a side that does not create loads of ‘big chances’.

This means that Dessers’ output in front of goal could diminish as a result of signing for the Greek side, which is why his value could also plummet as a result of the move, particularly now that the striker is also in his 30s and heading into his latter years.

He's Vaclav Cerny 2.0: Rangers are now set to sign "unplayable" star

Rangers are reportedly set to complete a deal for a star who could be Vaclav Cerny 2.0.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 16, 2025

Selling the experienced forward to Athens for £5m, if a deal can be agreed at that price, could be an Aribo repeat for Rangers as another player whose value could plummet after leaving.