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Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea have held talks with a former Man City ace in what is seen as a “big opportunity” for Enzo Maresca this summer, and the west Londoners hold a “concrete” interest in signing the player.

Chelsea summer transfer plans hinder on Champions League finish

As reliably reported, Chelsea’s potential finish in the top five will play a key role when it comes to BlueCo’s summer recruitment drive.

Chelsea really looking at signing £25m "new name" who agreed to join Arsenal

He’s shook hands on personal terms with the Gunners last year.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 23, 2025

Chelsea are looking to sign a centre-back, winger and striker as their main priorities, but depending on Champions League qualification and player sales, they could also go for a left-back, second centre-back, versatile attacking player and goalkeeper (Simon Phillips).

A place in Europe’s most prestigious competition will also have a far greater pull in the market when it comes to attracting their most desired targets, so their looming final Premier League clash of the season against Nottingham Forest is quite simply imperative.

A win at the City Ground would guarantee Chelsea a place in the Champions League draw next campaign, but anything less than that could spell disaster for both Maresca and Chelsea’s summer plans.

Given their participation in the Club World Cup next month, Chelsea reportedly want to take full advantage of the mini-transfer window, which opens from June 1 to June 10.

Therefore, it is little surprise we’re hearing rumours of talks being opened with top targets, and one of them is Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.

The Englishman has scored 12 league goals for an otherwise dismal Ipswich Town side who will be playing in the Championship next season, with Delap standing out as a shining light for Kieran McKenna.

His contract also includes a £30 million release clause after Ipswich’s relegation, and previous reports suggest Chelsea have met with Delap’s representatives for talks this month, as they plan a formal move for the ex-City striker.

Fabrizio Romano shares what he's heard about Liam Delap to Chelsea

Speaking to CaughtOffside, the ever-reliable Romano has echoed these claims, stating that Chelsea and Delap have indeed held talks.

However, Man United have done the same thing, with both sides sensing a “big opportunity” to prise the 22-year-old away from Portman Road at a very astute price.

“A big opportunity on the market for a young striker like him,” said Romano.

“There is genuine interest from two very important clubs, Chelsea and Manchester United. Both clubs have several targets on their shortlist. Not only them, but for sure, the interest is concrete, the interest is genuine.

“Delap spoke to Chelsea, Delap spoke to Man United, now it is time for him to explore all the options possible.”

The homegrown centre-forward, barring his impressive goal record and performances in a team lacking overall quality, has been revered by his teammates this season.

“He’s phenomenal,” said Ipswich midfielder Jens Cajuste. “He’s a beast, totally and for a young player like him, it is very hard to say what he can be. I don’t think there’s a limit, really. It’s all upto him really, how far he wants to go, but he definitely has all the qualities.”

Liverpool have been in contact to sign a £40m star which has left Premier League rivals Arsenal worried.

Liverpool close in on Premier League title as Slot promises busy summer

The Reds took another big step to winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season in charge following a 2-1 victory over West Ham.

Arsenal’s draw against Brentford allowed Liverpool to move points clear at the top of the table, with Virgil van Dijk netting a late winner which means the Reds can now win the title this weekend.

The news before the game was all about Mohamed Salah’s new two-year Liverpool deal, and talking regarding the news, Slot appeared to hint at a busy transfer window to make the Reds “very strong next season”.

“We have all the confidence in him that he can produce two more years than he has produced in the past seven or eight years, because of the reasons I just gave you. But also because we will make this team very strong next season. Then it’s always nice to have someone that can make a goal.

“If you want to sign new players or players who want to extend here, it is always a positive to see one of our star players over the last seven or eight years has made the choice to extend his contract.

“It also shows maybe how ambitious this club is: not only Mo, but the owners. We are really ambitious to keep performing the way this club has performed for so many years.”

Al-Nassr ready £52m bid for new "insane" Liverpool ace now Salah is staying

They’ve turned their attention towards another option…

ByTom Cunningham Apr 15, 2025

Van Dijk is also expected to extend his Anfield stay with a new two-year deal of his own, and by the looks of it, Liverpool and FSG have moved for another Dutch defender.

Liverpool and FSG in contact to sign £40m Arsenal target Hato

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have been in contact over a move to sign Ajax defender Jorrel Hato. Thought to be valued at £40m amid links to the Reds, Liverpool have now acted on their interest, something which has caused concern at the Emirates.

The report adds that Arsenal have wanted Hato for a number of years and the news of Liverpool’s approach has ‘caused panic’ in north London.

Hato, who is 19 years of age, has been called “insane” in the media and can play as a left-back or centre-back. Already a senior Netherlands international, Hato is a product of the Ajax academy and has been a regular at first team level in recent seasons.

Games

106

Goals

4

Assists

9

Yellow cards

19

Minutes played

8,706

He’s featured mainly as a left-back in 2024/25 and has chipped in with a number of goal contributions with six assists and three goals. Now, a move to England could be on the cards for the teenager, and by the looks of it, Liverpool and Arsenal will do battle in the transfer market following their title race.

Nottingham Forest have now made contact over a deal for a midfielder who is expected to cost around £40m this summer, according to a report.

Forest set to strengthen in multiple areas

Despite losing their last two Premier League games, Forest are well-positioned to qualify for next season’s Champions League, given that they remain three points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with just six games left to play.

The race is likely to go right down to the wire, but it is looking very likely the Tricky Trees will be playing European football of some description next season, which means Nuno may need to strengthen his squad in the summer transfer window.

Targets have been identified in multiple areas, having recently joined the race for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, but a new striker appears to be of particular interest, with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and AFC Bournemouth’s Evanilson among the options.

Related Nottingham Forest plot hijack for "elusive" £30m forward who West Ham want

The Tricky Trees have set their sights on a winger, who looks set to leave his club in the summer transfer window.

Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 15, 2025

There have also been suggestions Forest could look to bring in a new central midfielder, and they are believed to be very keen on AC Milan’s Yunus Musah, but the American is not their only target.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Nottingham Forest have now made contact over Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, submitting an enquiry to discuss a potential summer deal, but there could be fierce competition for his signature.

Eight Premier League clubs have expressed an interest in Santos, who is valued at around £40m by the Blues, while there is also set to be competition from several unnamed European sides, which could make it very difficult to get a deal over the line.

Not only that, but the 20-year-old isn’t particularly keen on a move to the City Ground, given that his game time was very limited during his loan spell with the Tricky Trees last season.

Santos impressing on loan at Strasbourg

The Brazilian may have found game time hard to come by at Forest last season, but he has been seriously impressive on loan at Strasbourg, picking up nine goals and four assists in 27 Ligue 1 appearances this term.

Not only has the maestro impressed going forward, but he ranks highly on some key defensive metrics over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, indicating he is a well-rounded midfielder.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.32 (98th percentile)

Tackles

3.33 (96th percentile)

Clearances

2.06 (81st percentile)

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has also been left seriously impressed by the Rio de Janeiro-born starlet in the past, lauding him as a “one-man war machine in midfield” after starring for Brazil U20 against Peru.

Santos has proven he deserves another chance in the Premier League, but it seems pretty unlikely the youngster would be willing to move back to the City Ground, given that his previous spell didn’t go to plan.

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Amazonas e Flamengo se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (22), pelo segundo jogo da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. A bola vai rolar a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília), na Arena da Amazônia, em Manaus, com transmissão do Sportv e Premiere (clique aqui para assinar o Premiere por 30 dias grátis!).

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Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre Amazonas e Flamengo (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
AMAZONAS X FLAMENGO
SEGUNDO JOGO DA TERCEIRA FASE – COPA DO BRASIL
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 22 de maio de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Arena da Amazônia, em Manaus (AM);
📺 Onde assistir: Sportv e Premiere;
🟨 Árbitro: Ramon Abatti Abel (FIFA-SC);
🚩 Assistentes: Daniel Paulo Ziolli (SP) e Gizeli Casaril (SC);
🖥️ VAR: Gilberto Rodrigues Castro Junior (PE).

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➡️ Aposte R$100 no Lance! Betting e garanta R$288 se o Flamengo vencer o Amazonas nos dois tempos pela Copa do Brasil

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

AMAZONAS (Técnico: Adílson Baptista)
Marcão; Patric, Miranda, Diogo Silva e Fabiano; Xavier, Wendell e Rafael Tavares; Matheus Serafim, Jô e Ênio.

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Tite)
Matheus Cunha, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Ortiz e Ayrton Lucas; Allan, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta e Gerson; Everton Cebolinha e Pedro.

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Chinelle Henry will lead the team in the injured allrounder’s absence

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025Barbados Royals have suffered a significant blow on the eve of their WCPL title defence, with a shoulder injury ruling out their captain Hayley Matthews for the entire season.Allrounder Chinelle Henry will lead Royals in Matthews’ absence.Related

• Shreyanka Patil among three Indians picked in WCPL draft

• How Salonee Dangore went from track and field to the CPL

• Guyana Amazon Warriors sign Dane van Niekerk

Matthews is the WCPL’s leading run-getter (424 at a strike rate of 113.06) and wicket-taker (23 with an economy rate of 5.79), and a key player in Royals’ title-winning campaigns of 2023 and 2024. She was Player of the Match in the 2023 final against Guyana Amazon Warriors, scoring a 59-ball 82 and taking two wickets, and Player of the Series in the 2024 season.Royals announced the news of Matthews’ injury via X, formerly Twitter. They have not announced a replacement yet. Royals are set to play their first game of WCPL 2025 against Amazon Warriors on Sunday night.Matthews had picked up a shoulder injury on the England tour and opted for surgery during the WBBL. She was the Melbourne Renegades’ pre-draft pick but pulled out before the WBBL draft. She played the home series against South Africa and then the Hundred and was slated to undergo surgery after the WCPL.NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Trishan Holder and Steffie Soogrim were among a select group of emerging West Indian players who tuned up for WCPL 2025 with a stint at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in Chennai last month.

Barbados Royals squad

Chinelle Henry (capt), Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Kycia Knight, Steffie Soogrim, Shamilia Connell, Sheneta Grimmond, Qiana Joseph, Trishan Holder, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Chamari Athapaththu, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Webb, Shreyanka Patil

Pep Guardiola has been backed to see out the remainder of his Manchester City contract despite talk of him leaving the club next summer. The former Barcelona boss signed a new deal until 2027 at the end of last year but new reports claim he may leave the Etihad early. Now, an ex-City star has poured cold water on such speculation, while outlining why Guardiola is a better tactician than Arsenal's Mikel Arteta.

• Guardiola plans to stop after Man City

  In late July, Guardiola was quizzed about his City future, despite him having two years left on his deal. 

  He told GQ Hype: "I know that after this stage with City I'm going to stop, that's for sure, it's decided, more than decided. I'm going to leave after this stage with City, because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body."

  In October, he quipped that he will "think" about a break in 2035, but jokes aside, the former midfielder is focusing on tasting success this season.

  "At the moment, I think I have the energy with my players to simply make a better season than last season. This is my target. I am never sitting here at the start of November and December and going to say we are going to win this or that," he said. "I see things that we are doing much better than last season and in every game, we are a little bit better. There is the margin that we can do better in many aspects and that gives me the energy that it's not job done. It's completely unfinished business. That's why I am here."

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• Getty Images
  

  Guardiola 'enjoying this rebuild'

  Earlier this week, The Times reported that Guardiola was considering stepping away from the Citizens at the end of the campaign. But ex-player Paul Dickov cannot see that happening, especially as his side have their tails up once more after overseeing big changes in his squad. Moreover, the ex-Bayern Munich coach said he feels "the energy is back" at City following his 1000th game as a manager, which ended in a 3-0 win over Liverpool.

  He told Best Betting Bonuses, "He signed on for this season and next, and few people expected that. So I think he’ll do that, at least. Looking at Pep, even in the Club World Cup in the summer and the beginning of the season, he looks as enthusiastic and as driven as he was when he first came to the club. I think he's really enjoying this rebuild, getting these new players in, and getting them to play how he wants them to. They’re improving all the time. I'm not saying it looks like he's got his mojo back. I don't think that ever left, but he looks as fresh and as driven as he was from the first day he walked in the club, which is fantastic for everyone associated with Man City Football Club. Because it's not just the team. The atmosphere around the training ground, the staff, it's just a fantastic place to go into. Pep creates that environment for them all to do the best they can all the time." 

• Guardiola backed over Arteta

  Despite Arsenal sitting four points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table, Dickov thinks that Guardiola is still the best in the business in terms of coaching.

  He added, "Obviously, with my blue-tinted glasses on, I still think he's the best. I think he showed that in the game against Liverpool. City with and without the ball tactically were so much better than Liverpool. I think Pep looked at the midfield with the three that they have in it and they tweaked it a little bit. Rayan Cherki coming in from the right, Nunes pushing right on the wingers, with Nico O’Reilly and Jeremy Doku on the left, the players were coming off the line and the Liverpool players could not work out how they were getting outnumbered in the middle of the pitch. I just thought it was a tactical master class from Pep yesterday. A lot of people are saying that Pep's plan A is playing out from the back. He's showing this season that at times we need to go longer to [Erling] Haaland and go from there, that’s what we’ll do. But I thought yesterday the players – the players have got to go out there and execute the plan as well as they can – deserve credit. I thought from a tactical point of view, I thought it was top, top class and it shows that Pep still got it.

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  Guardiola to switch up tactics?

  This season in particular, Premier League sides have utilised the long throw with good effect. It appears the English top-flight is, once again, valuing the importance of set pieces but Dickov doesn't think Guardiola's side will follow suit. 

  "I don't think they've got anybody that can throw it that far, actually. Otherwise I'm pretty sure that they would have looked at it, because the one thing Pep does is make sure there's no stone unturned in what he does and the detail that he does. I think City is the only club that's not used long throws at all this season. I'm pretty sure if he thought it was going to benefit the team, he’d do it," he said. "But Pep does like to control the ball. The long throw-ins are great, but you've got to make sure that if you don't get the first contact, you've got to pick up the second balls. He might see that as a way of losing possession, and losing control of the game. So maybe that's another reason why he's not done it, because he loves his teams to have the ball. He loves to be in control of the game and sometimes with long throws, it can disrupt that a little bit."

شارك النجم المصري عمر مرموش في فوز مانشستر سيتي على ريال مدريد بهدفين لهدف، في إطار منافسات مرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وعلى الرغم من تقدم ريال مدريد بهدف عن طريق رودريجو بتسديدة رائعة من داخل منطقة الجزاء في شباك دوناروما، إلا أن مانشستر سيتي تعادل عن طريق نيكو أوريلي في الدقيقة 35.

وفي الدقيقة 43 أحرز إيرلينج هالاند الهدف الثاني من ركلة جزاء حصل عليها نتيجة خطأ من أنطونيو روديجر.

اقرأ أيضاً.. مباريات مانشستر سيتي المتبقية في دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الفوز على ريال مدريد

وكان الشوط الثاني قد شهد مشاركة النجم المصري عمر مرموش بديلاً للنرويجي إيرلينج هالاند صاحب هدف الفوز لفريقه من علامة الجزاء في الدقيقة 70. تقييم عمر مرموش في مباراة ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي

وفقاً لـ”سوفا سوكر” فقد حصل عمر مرموش على تقيم 6.5 من 10 على الرغم من أنه لم يسجل أو يصنع ولم يسدد أي كرة على المرمى.

وقام مرموش بتمريرة مفتاحية واحدة وتمريرتين ناجحتين آخرتين، ولمس الكرة 6 مرات وفاز بصراع هوائي واحد وخسر صراعين ثنائيين أرضيين.

Unlike last month, the current international break is an unwelcome escape from Premier League football for West Ham United fans.

Nuno Espírito Santo has seemingly worked his magic, and a team that looked incapable of a win just a few weeks ago have just beaten Newcastle United and Burnley.

One of the reasons the Hammers look so much better is that Freddie Potts has finally been given his chance to start in the first team.

The Barking-born star has been immense in the middle of the park, and the good news is that the academy is producing a few players who could be the next Potts, although they also lost a youngster who’s an even bigger talent than the 22-year-old.

West Ham's next Freddie Potts

The good news for West Ham fans is that their academy system continues to produce exciting prospects, some of whom could go on to become the next Potts in a few years.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

One of those youngsters is Preston Fearon, who joined the Hammers in 2022, signed his first professional contract last year, and then signed another just last month.

Jarrod Bowen has described the 18-year-old as a “special player”, and it’s not hard to see why, as, in addition to making 43 appearances across the club’s youth sides, he was also taken on the pre-season tour of America.

Like the Hammers’ new star, the youngster can play in several positions, but thrives as a tough-tackling, yet technically accomplished, central midfielder.

Another youngster who could be fighting for first-team minutes a few years from now is Isaac Thomas.

The 16-year-old Welshman just scored four goals during his second appearance for the U18S, and what’s even more incredible is that he did so from centre-back.

However, just like Fearon and Potts, his primary position is in the middle of the park, but he’s capable of filling in where he is needed.

Finally, while a little older, Mohamadou Kanté looks every bit as exciting.

Described as having “good anticipation” and being “very calm and composed on the ball” by one analyst, the 20-year-old Frenchman is also no stranger to scoring goals and could provide a similar presence to the middle of the park as Potts.

In all, West Ham have plenty of exciting youngsters coming through the ranks, but even so, they surely rue losing someone who is an even bigger talent than Potts.

The academy gem who is a bigger talent than Potts

West Ham have done relatively well at retaining their most promising academy talents over the years, but they were unable to do so with Divine Mukasa.

The incredible prospect joined the Hammers as a five-year-old, but in September 2023, he moved to Manchester City for free.

The 18-year-old phenom made his senior debut for City in September, in a League Cup game against Huddersfield Town, and as if that wasn’t impressive enough, he also provided an assist.

He also started the following game in the competition against Swansea City and has been on the bench for three Premier League games so far this season.

However, while a player his age starting two games for a club like City is certainly impressive enough, it’s his record for their youth sides which suggests he could be a future superstar.

Appearances

41

Minutes

2807′

Goals

17

Assists

25

Goal Involvements per Match

1.02

Minutes per Goal Involvement

66.83′

For example, in 41 appearances across various youth sides last season, totalling 2807 minutes, the former Hammer chalked up an outrageous tally of 17 goals and 25 assists.

That means the incredible superstar in the making averaged 1.02 goal involvements per game, or one every 66.83 minutes all season, which goes some way in justifying journalist Nassali Sandrah’s claim that he is “the best academy player in Europe.”

To top it off, the Newham-born gem has also won five caps for England’s u19s, and scored his first goal for them against Wales last time out.

Ultimately, there are some seriously exciting prospects emerging from West Ham’s academy at the moment, but it certainly appears that they have lost the biggest talent of all in Mukasa.

Alongside Fullkrug: West Ham must sell £30m flop who was a "big voice"

The former international should have been a big success at West Ham United.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2025

In years past, Arsenal fans would have to watch an England team full of players from Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

It was a damming indictment of where the club was at that time, but over the last four or five years, things have changed.

It’s not unusual to see three or four of Mikel Arteta’s players in the Three Lions squad these days, and few from the white side of North London, which might explain the team’s uptick in quality and performances.

Thursday was another example of how important Arsenal have become for the national team, with Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze scoring the goals and Declan Rice marshalling the midfield.

There is no sign of this relationship between club and country slowing down either, especially as Hale End could be brewing England’s next superstar, who could follow in the footsteps of Rice and Saka.

Rice and Saka's England careers

So, while Arsenal fans would love to take the credit for moulding Rice into one of England’s most important players, West Ham United should get more of the credit.

Chalkboard

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

After all, he made his debut for the Three Lions in 2019, while playing for the East Londoners, and was still a Hammer for the Euros in 2021 and the World Cup the following year.

However, he has arguably become more instrumental to the national side since his move to the Emirates, and wore the captain’s armband for the first time in March 2024.

So far, the all-action midfielder has won 71 senior caps for England, in which he’s scored six goals and provided six assists and nine of those goal involvements have come since his £105m in the summer of 2023.

Now, an England star Arsenal can take full credit for is, of course, Saka, who is Hale End’s greatest product in a generation.

The 24-year-old made his debut for the national team against Wales in October 2020 and has since gone on to amass an impressive tally of 47 caps, in which he has scored 14 goals, provided nine assists and been named England’s Player of the Year twice in succession.

Moreover, he has played a significant role for the country in every major tournament since, despite receiving horrific abuse after the 2021 Euros final.

In all, so long as they remain fit, Rice and Saka should, and will, be two of the first names on Thomas Tuchel’s teamsheet at the World Cup, and in a few years, they could be joined by another Arsenal star, someone who could even surpass them in importance.

Arsenal's next England star

While the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are surely going to become regular starters for England, the Hale End gem who could well become a superstar for Tuchel and Co is Max Dowman.

Despite still being just 15 years old, the teenager has been one of the most talked-about players at Arsenal this season, although for those in the know, he has been a subject of interest for longer than that.

For example, in September of last year, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig boldly proclaimed him as the “most exciting prospect” he had seen “since Lamine Yamal.”

As if that wasn’t praise enough, just a couple of months later, Hale End expert Will Balsam called him “the biggest talent in England” and described him as “one of the greatest footballing brains that’s ever come through Hale End.”

Now, while that all sounds somewhat hyperbolic, and perhaps to an extent it is, it’s not hard to see where they were coming from, considering he was just 14 at the time and destroying defenders in the U18S and even the U21S that season.

For example, he ended last season with a tally of 19 goals and five assists in 23 appearances, totalling 1945 minutes, which comes out to an average of 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, this saw him included in the club’s pre-season tour, where he made his first appearance in front of the fans against a physical Newcastle United side, but instead of shying away, he, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson, started “humiliating Premier League players.”

Since then, he has made his Premier League debut, become the youngest ever starter for Arsenal, and broke the record as the youngest player in Champions League history.

In other words, the Hale Ender is looking like a generational talent, and he’s already making his impact felt on the international scene as well.

Even though he’s not turning 16 until New Year’s Eve, the Chelmsford-born gem is already a regular feature for England’s U19S, making six appearances for them, in which he’s scored one goal and provided two assists.

With his incredible performances, it feels like a matter of when, not if, he is handed his first senior England cap.

Ultimately, Saka and Rice are currently two of England’s most important players, but in a few years from now, Dowman could be up there with them, if not more important.

Carragher gave Arsenal star a grilling last season, now he's undroppable

The international star has rediscovered his form for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal this season.

By
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Nov 14, 2025

Middlesbrough are already working on Kim Hellberg’s first signing and are now reportedly in pole position to sign a Ligue 1 winger for their new manager.

Hellberg: Championship promotion is the "clear aim"

After hijacking Swansea City’s move, Middlesbrough unveiled Hellberg earlier this week and watched on as their new manager instantly set his sights on promotion to the Premier League. The 37-year-old will be desperate to simply pick up where Rob Edwards left off and secure a win on his debut against Derby County this weekend.

Speaking to reporters for the first time, Hellberg outlined his Premier League ambition, saying: “To get to the Premier League, that’s the clear aim,” said Hellberg in his first press conference. “If it’s this year or next year, it is of course difficult to say.

“It’s an opportunity when you’re in this position, to aim for it and to work as hard as possible to get into that spot that gets you to the Premier League. That’s nothing to hide from.”

It is, of course, easier said than done to achieve promotion from the Championship, but Boro have certainly put themselves in a strong position to do exactly that.

Despite defeat against Coventry City late on in midweek, those in Riverside only sit third on goal difference and could move into the automatic promotion place if results go their way this weekend.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the playoffs, Boro have given themselves a four-point gap inside the top six. Everything is set up for Hellberg to make a promotion charge, before potentially welcoming his first arrival at the club in 2026.

Middlesbrough in pole position to sign Cheikh Sabaly

According to Africa Foot and relayed by Sport Witness, Middlesbrough are now in pole position to sign Cheikh Sabaly from FC Metz in 2026. The winger is set to become a free agent next summer and has also attracted the interest of Southampton, but it is Boro who are currently most likely to seal a bargain deal.

The Senegal international is certainly talented and England fans saw that talent for themselves back in June, when he scored in a stunning 3-1 victory for his country against Thomas Tuchel’s men.

Now, Sabaly could get the chance to become the star of the show every week in England, courtesy of Boro. Whether the promotion contenders wait until the winger is a free agent to make their move is the big question.

In Ligue 2 last season, Sabaly scored 15 goals and provided four assists. Whilst he has struggled to make the same mark in Ligue 1, there’s every chance he would rediscover his best form in the Championship.

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