اجتمع محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي، مع لجنة التخطيط، لمناقشة آخر مستجدات ملف اختيار المدير الفني الأجنبي لفريق كرة القدم.
ويسعى الأهلي لاختيار مدير فني جديد للفريق خلفًا للإسباني خوسيه ريبيرو، الذي رحل عن الفريق بعد الهزيمة من بيراميدز في الدوري المصري.
طالع | مرشح جديد ينسحب من انتخابات الأهلي
وطالع محمود الخطيب في اجتماعه مع لجنة التخطيط، برئاسة مختار مختار وعضوية زكريا ناصف وبحضور محمد يوسف المدير الرياضي، ما انتهت إليه اللجنة بشأن ملف المدير الفني الأجنبي الذي سيتولى مسئولية فريق الكرة خلال المرحلة القادمة.
واستمع محمود الخطيب إلى كافة التفاصيل الخاصة بالمدربين اللذين وقع عليهما الاختيار للترشح لتولي المهمة.
كما ناقش تقييم اللجنة لهما من كافة الجوانب وكذلك رؤية المدير الرياضي، بجانب وجهة نظر الكابتن وليد صلاح الدين مدير الكرة، وبما يتفق مع المواصفات المطلوبة في المدير الفني الجديد.
ويعكف الكابتن محمود الخطيب حاليا على التحقق من بعض الأمور تمهيدًا لاتخاذ القرار المناسب خلال الساعات القادمة.
Mohsin Naqvi has announced that the redevelopment is “in its final stages and the last touches are being applied”
Danyal Rasool31-Jan-2025
Preparations in full swing at the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the Champions Trophy•Danyal Rasool
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has announced that the redevelopment of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is “in its final stages”. At a press conference held within the ground itself, Naqvi praised everyone involved in the construction of the stadium, saying it had been completed in record time.”The Gaddafi Stadium will be inaugurated on 7 February by the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif],” Naqvi said. “It’s in its final stages and the last touches are being applied to it. It will definitely be completed by 7 February. We had begun demolishing this stadium in September, with the construction beginning in October. We promised it would be ready by the end of January, and you can all see how close it is to completion.”Related
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Naqvi said the National Stadium in Karachi, also undergoing significant renovation ahead of the Champions Trophy, was also on track. It is scheduled to be inaugurated in a ceremony on February 11 by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, on the eve of the first game it is scheduled to host – a tri-series match on February 12.Pakistan are also hosting an opening ceremony on February 16 February in Lahore, though it will not include a captains’ call and photoshoot, which the PCB put down to logistical issues. Naqvi said the PCB had invited ICC chairman Jay Shah to the event, as well as the heads of all cricket boards involved in the event.”We are also holding a ceremony on the 16th of February in Lahore. We’ve invited the heads of all cricket boards of teams who are coming, as well as all ICC officials, including the ICC chairman Jay Shah. We are eager to welcome the board officials and anyone else who is attending.”The PCB has faced extreme scrutiny over the last few months concerning the fitness of its stadiums to host the tournament. With renovation and reconstruction work on the venues left to the last few months, there were concerns about whether the PCB would manage to bring its stadiums to a state of readiness in time for the tournament. The PCB had initially set a January 25 deadline for all development of the Gaddafi Stadium to be completed, before pushing it forward to February 2.Naqvi took aim at those who had raised doubts. “Across the border [a reference to India], there are many people who are trying to find the tiniest flaw in our stadiums and arrangements, and they will get no such opportunity. We will welcome all the arriving teams and their security and welcome arrangements. The whole of the PCB is working day and night to provide a seamless tournament.”Naqvi, who has been unapologetic about the rate of spend at the PCB since he assumed the post, also offered a first glimpse of the potential financial toll the work on the stadiums had taken, announcing the PCB had sold the tickets allocated to it by the ICC back to the governing council to go some way towards making up the costs of developing its grounds.The Champions Trophy, which is set to begin on February 19, is the first ICC tournament Pakistan will host since 1996.
Leeds United are in the market for reinforcements at the top end of the field and now know how much they will need to pay for a talented forward who can operate across the front three, according to reports.
Leeds United look for further additions after Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Adding some Premier League pedigree to their forward line, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is now a Leeds player after completing a free transfer to Elland Road upon the expiration of his contract at Everton.
Speaking after his arrival, Daniel Farke has claimed bringing in the England international is a risk worth taking as he stocks up on forwards capable of handling the pressure of top-flight football.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin
He said in his most recent press conference: “Let’s be open about it. It’s always a bit risky to sign players who’ve had difficult years with a few injuries. There are always question marks and doubts.
“But the second part of the truth is that if he had his prime season last season he wouldn’t be on the market for us. He wouldn’t be a free agent and affordable for a newly promoted side, so you have to think about the balance of risk and reward.”
Seeking creativity as well as goalscoring prowess, Leeds have been linked with both Gustavo Hamer and Bilal El Khannouss, though it remains to be seen if either player pitches up at Elland Road.
Bad news for Byram: Leeds closing in on deal to sign "adventurous" star
Leeds United are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign a star, and it is bad news for Sam Byram.
ByDan Emery Aug 16, 2025
Everton striker Beto is also on the Whites’ radar and a bid is expected to be submitted for the Guinea-Bissau international. However, that may now be on the backburner if recent reports are anything to go by.
Leeds United close in on Noah Okafor deal
Reports have claimed Leeds will need to pay between £13 million and £17 million for AC Milan star Noah Okafor, and Fabrizio Romano reports on Monday that a deal is now close after the Whites submitted a formal offer around that figure.
Capable of featuring through the middle of on the left-hand side of attack, the Switzerland international has netted 50 career goals in total for club and country. He has featured once this term off the bench for the Rossoneri against Bari in the Coppa Italia.
Labelled “incredibly prolific” by Jacek Kulig back in 2023, Okafor has been on Leeds’ radar across the window and may be someone Farke also feels is worth the gamble in his quest for offensive prowess.
Admittedly, he is at a career crossroads, but the chance of being able to play Premier League football at Leeds may be too good to turn down after a difficult period on Italian soil that also included a loan spell at Napoli.
O Corinthians publicou, na última sexta-feira (19), o balanço das demonstrações financeiras referente ao ano de 2022. Além do recorde de receita e ligeira redução da dívida, o clube divulgou os valores gastos em cada contratação feita no ano passado.
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+ Jogador ex-Timão na seleção da Itália? Lembre brasileiros que defenderam ou podem defender outros países
Fausto Vera foi o reforço mais caro da equipe. A diretoria alvinegra investiu R$35,1 milhões para adquirir 70% dos direitos econômicos do meia que pertencia ao Argentinos Juniors. O camisa 5 disputou 48 jogos e soma três assistências.
O goleiro Ivan foi a segunda contratação mais cara do Timão em 2022. O Alvinegro investiu R$7,2 milhões e adquiriu 50% dos direitos do atleta de 26 anos. Ivan não se firmou na equipe, foi emprestado ao Zenit na negociação com Yuri Alberto, mas acabou retornando antes do prazo e foi cedido ao Vasco.
continua após a publicidade
+ Não perca nenhum lance do Timão na Liberta. Assine o Star+ por apenas R$40,90 por mês e torça onde quiser!
Segundo apuração do LANCE!, se o goleiro atuar pelo menos 45 minutos de um número específico de confrontos, os cariocas passarão a ter uma opção de compra com valor fixado. Caso o atleta atinja uma segunda meta, o Cruz-Maltino terá o compromisso de comprá-lo.
Rafael Ramos, lateral com futuro incerto no Parque São Jorge, teve 100% de seus direitos adquiridos por R$ 2,4 milhões. O português tem contrato com o clube até junho de 2024.
continua após a publicidade
+ Timão vivo na Libertadores? Veja os resultados e como ficou o grupo do Corinthians após a rodada
Há jogadores contratados pelo Corinthians que estavam livres no mercado, como Júnior Moraes, e no balanço consta o valor pago pelo clube em luvas para o atleta. O centroavante, hoje afastado, custou R$ 1,3 milhões aos cofres corintianos.
Em casos de empréstimo, como Balbuena e Yuri Alberto, consta o valor pago pela taxa de empréstimo. Para contar com o paraguaio, o Timão desembolsou R$ 1 milhão. O zagueiro também foi afastado e retornará ao Dínamo Moscou em julho. Já o custo do empréstimo de Yuri foi de R$ 4,2 milhões, e os valores pela aquisição em definitivo serão divulgados no balanço financeiro de 2023.
Apesar de ter sido adquirido para a atual temporada, o balanço mostra que o Timão desembolsou R$1,6 milhões para obter 20% dos direitos de Bidu. Os números estão disponíveis pois a transferência foi fechada no final do ano passado.
Tom Moffat says ICC and national governing bodies can “exercise leverage” without boycotts
Firdose Moonda29-Jan-2025Global cricket needs to move away from “random and inconsistent,” outbursts of support for Afghanistan’s exiled women’s cricketers and towards a “systematic global approach.” That’s the view of the global player body, the World Cricketers Association (WCA) whose CEO Tom Moffat has called the exclusion of women’s players in any country “unacceptable.”In the same week that an Afghan Women’s XI will come together for the first time to play against a Cricket Without Borders team at the Junction Oval in Australia, Moffat spoke to ESPNcricinfo about possible collective action which he says “doesn’t necessarily mean boycotts,” but should include both the ICC and individual boards.”The ICC and national governing bodies run and regulate the game and their tournaments, and have a responsibility to exercise leverage to ensure that the rights of players in our sport, including Afghanistan women’s players, are protected and respected,” Moffat said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean boycotts, there are a number of ways to exercise leverage, but to date the random and inconsistent manner of dealing with it, and of even having the conversation around the world, highlights the need for cricket’s governing bodies to implement a more systematic global approach to protecting basic player rights, along with just about every other aspect of the sport.”Related
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Afghanistan, who have been a Full Member since 2017, does not have a women’s team but was developing one before the Taliban takeover in 2021. In 2020, the ACB contracted 25 women’s players but they never played an international. Under the Taliban regime, women have been banned from participating in sport and there have been increasing restrictions on them in all aspects of public life including education and access to healthcare.The crackdown on women’s rights has drawn criticism from several international organisations including Amnesty International and the United Nations, and though there are asset freezes on some Taliban officials, there are no sporting bans in place. Afghanistan remain members of FIFA and the ICC, to name two global bodies and sent a team of three men and three women, who were living in exile and were not recognised by the Taliban government, to last year’s Paris Olympics.Currently, Australia are the only country who have cancelled bilateral engagements against Afghanistan while England have said they will do the same. Both countries continue to play Afghanistan in ICC events, even as calls to boycott those games grow.In England, a cross-party parliamentary group >wrote to the ECB strongly urging the men’s team and officials to, “speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan,” and to consider not playing Afghanistan in their Champions Trophy fixture on February 26. In response, the ECB CEO Richard Gould called for “a coordinated, ICC-wide approach,” which is similar to Moffat’s stance.Similarly, South Africa, who are also grouped with Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, have received backlash from their sports minister Gayton McKenzie, who compared the Taliban’s treatment of women to Apartheid.Cricket South Africa have actively sought out fixtures against Afghanistan and played them in an ODI series in Sharjah last September and maintain that shunning the men’s team will not have a material impact on the situation facing women in Afghanistan. South Africa’s stance is important because they have first-hand experience of being banned from the 1970s to 1990s and sporting isolation (along with economic sanctions) was a significant contributor to the fall of Apartheid. However, CSA is of the opinion that it will take more than a cricket boycott to force the Taliban to recognise women’s rights.
While there is a need to acknowledge that the freedom to play sport is one of many that have been taken away from Afghan women and girls, there is also a desire from organisations like the WCA to underline how crucial that right is.”Every athlete has the right to equality of opportunity which is protected in the Universal Declaration of Player Rights, underpinned by international law,” Moffat said. “That means each player has the right to equality of opportunity in the pursuit of sport, free of discrimination, harassment and violence, and a player’s right to pursue sport cannot be limited because of his or her gender.”As these rights are not being extended to women and girls in Afghanistan, the WCA reiterated that it is “absolutely supportive of any player who wants to speak up on this issue.” Several Afghan men’s players including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, have spoken out about the need for education to be available to everyone but have not said anything in support of female cricketers, despite their pleas for support.It is understood that many of the Afghan men’s players have family in the country and fear retribution for speaking out, especially as they have little protection. As things stand, Afghanistan does not have a player association but some of the men’s players are part of the WCA’s global commercial program.
New Zealand 186 for 5 (Chapman 42, Hay 41, Robinson 41) beat Sri Lanka 141 (Perera 48, Duffy 4-15) by 45 runsAfter a first T20I which had been more akin to a smash and grab, New Zealand produced a much more team-centred effort to come away comfortable winners in the second T20I, and with it secure the series 2-0. It means Sri Lanka’s long wait for a series win in New Zealand continues.Having been set an imposing target of 187, Sri Lanka’s batting once more threatened for large parts before falling away at the death. Only Pathum Nissanka (37), Kusal Perera (48) and Charith Asalanka (20) provided any innings of substance, but with a long tail in tow, the hosts needed much more than that if they were to overhaul a spirited New Zealand outfit.Jacob Duffy once more was at the forefront of proceedings, as he ensured strong efforts from Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman and Mitch Hay would not be in vain. Duffy’s 4 for 15 was far and away the best bowling effort, as he provided crucial breakthroughs across Sri Lanka’s innings.It was Hay, however, that took home the player-of-the-match award for his 19-ball 41. It was a knock that took New Zealand’s total from a middling one to above par, and put his side ahead of the game – a position which they scarcely looked like letting go of from that point on.Duffy does it againIn the first T20I it was Duffy’s single-over triple-strike that signposted Sri Lanka’s monument collapse. In the second game, while not as explosive – this time he spread his scalps over all four of his overs – his impact was just as telling.Mitchell Santner too was clever in his use of Duffy, bringing him on initially in spells of just one over each, before a critical two-over burst at the death. The tactic worked a charm, as after a wicketless first over, he picked up a wicket off the first delivery of each of his subsequent three overs.Pathum Nissanka was the first to go, bringing an end to the opener’s threatening 38 off 27. Duffy was then brought back in the midst of another threatening stand when Kusal Perera and Charith Asalanka had put on 31 off 20, only for Perera to fall for a 35-ball 48.A third first-ball strike to remove Wanindu Hasaranga, followed by the dismissal of Maheesh Theekshana two balls later, ended another fine day out for Duffy.Mitchell Hay added late impetus for New Zealand•Getty Images
Sri Lankan strike rates a concern?Sri Lanka once more flattered to deceive with the bat, and while this defeat was not anywhere near as egregious as the loss in the first game, there will be question marks surrounding their inability to to finish an innings strongly.Once more a solid platform was laid – 72 for 2 at the halfway mark – but they ended up bowled out for 141 by the start of the 20th over. And among their primary concerns might be an inability to score runs quickly enough.Even the batters that got runs were unable to strike at more than 140 – a stark contrast from New Zealand, who had three batters hit at a rate above 140, including Hay who struck at 215 – while another area to improve might be the running between the wickets; New Zealand ran 14 twos as opposed to Sri Lanka running just five.New Zealand’s controlled aggression Having been asked to bat first once more, only three of the opening 10 overs didn’t include a boundary, and five of those overs went for at least 10 runs. This meant that even Sri Lanka’s better bowlers on the day weren’t ever able to build any sort of concerted pressure, while other were barely allowed to even settle. Much of this was down to the measured intent shown by Robinson and Chapman, with both batters comfortable in using their feet to shift Sri Lanka’s bowlers off their lengths.Theekshana, usually among Sri Lanka’s more economical bowlers, was targeted in particular, going for 20 off his first two before being taken out of the attack. The express Matheesha Pathirana wasn’t safe either, with Chapman twice coming down the track to dispatch him – first over the covers and then a wallop over deep midwicket.More importantly New Zealand were diligent in their running between the wickets, constantly searching for possibilities to turn singles into twos. This meant that while Binura Fernando, Hasaranga and Nuwan Thushara had never really looked under any sort of pressure, New Zealand somehow managed to rack up 86 by the halfway point.Hay finally shinesDespite New Zealand’s strong start, Sri Lanka might have been happy with how the game had panned out by the 18th over. Sixty-six runs and three wickets in the eight overs since the 10th had brought about the distinct possibility that New Zealand might not even make the 172 they had in the first game.And it might have been the case too, if not for Hay. His first three T20Is – all against Sri Lanka – had brought two ducks and a grand total of three runs. But here, against two of Sri Lanka’s wiliest bowlers, Hay belatedly announced himself on the international stage.In a 19-ball cameo – more than doubling the number of deliveries he had faced in his previous three T20Is combined – Hay bludgeoned 41 runs, including four fours and two sixes. Having bided his time initially, taking 12 off 9, he clattered 29 off his next 10.Theekshana was the first to get the treatment, with two monster hits down the ground the highlight of an 18-run penultimate over. Hay then turned his attention to Sri Lanka’s most economical bowler up to that point – Binura – smartly dispatching him for two boundaries, including an audacious scoop, to ensure 34 runs off the final two overs – and 100 off the final 10.
Glasgow Rangers and Russell Martin made a move to sign an “immaculate” £2m player for nothing, as per Sky Sports.
Martin delighted with Rangers after 3-0 win vs Viktoria Plzen
The Gers took another step in the right direction towards Champions League qualification on Tuesday evening, beating Viktoria Plzen 3-0 at Ibrox in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie.
Martin, who was left fuming with his Rangers side after a 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Motherwell, rung the changes and left out captain James Tavernier and star midfielder Nicolas Raskin.
However, two goals from summer signing Djeidi Gassama and one from Cyriel Dessers puts the Gers in a strong position to progress to the next round. Talking after the Ibrox victory, Martin said via PA:
“I really enjoyed it. I’m proud of the guys. We had a really difficult evening on Saturday, just because there was not enough running in behind, aggression, intensity with the ball. We were not just ranting and raving, we showed a lot of clips and we tried to do a lot of learning in the meeting room and on the pitch in the last couple of days and they took it on brilliantly.
“The guys that came in the team were fantastic. We’re going to need everyone. You don’t get dropped from this team, people come in and out quite a lot because we need to be fresh.”
Oliver Antman
Go Ahead Eagles
£4m
Oscar Cortes
Lens
£4m
Thelo Aasgaard
Luton
£3.5m
Emmanuel Fernandez
Peterborough
£3.5m
Djeidi Gassama
Sheffield Wednesday
£2.2m
Joe Rothwell
Bournemouth
Undisclosed
Lyall Cameron
Dundee
Undisclosed
Mikey Moore
Tottenham
Loan
Nasser Djiga
Wolves
Loan
Max Aarins
Bournemouth
Loan
So far, 10 new additions have been made by Martin and the 49ers Enterprises, with more still potentially on the way before the September 1 deadline.
However, one player Rangers missed out on was Conor Coady, who swapped Leicester City for Wrexham in a £2m transfer.
Rangers moved to sign Coady for £0 – Sky Sports
As per Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, Rangers tried to sign Coady on a free transfer from Leicester, with the defender believing that he would be able to walk away from the King Power for nothing.
Instead, Leicester managed to secure a fee for the “immaculate” England international, who signed a two-year deal in Wales.
Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga have been the centre-back additions so far, rivalling John Souttar, Clinton Nsiala, Leon King and Ben Davies, but with the latter linked with Birmingham City, another defensive arrival shouldn’t be ruled out.
Jose Mourinho may have reunited with Benfica, 25 years after resigning from his first senior managerial gig, but the two-year contract the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter and Manchester United boss has signed at the Estadio da Luz is not necessarily all that it may seem. Both he and his new club aren't ready to fully commit to each other just yet.
Mourinho contract includes premature break clause
A report from suggests that while Mourinho has agreed a contract with Benfica that will run until the end of the 2026-27 season, both sides will have the option to end things earlier than that stated date in two years' time. Described as "strategic leeway", it is claimed that either Mourinho or Benfica can choose to break the deal from the end of this campaign instead, within 10 days of the last game the Lisbon giants are scheduled to play.
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Not a long-term commitment
The hybrid contract effectively has the security of two years, but with the flexibility of just one. Either side can see how it goes, before deciding if it is worth committing to the second year, and then potentially longer beyond then. It suggests that both coach and club haven't ruled out things going wrong sooner rather than later, or not quite being the right fit for each other.
Mourinho's diminishing stature
From winning Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Champions League titles in the first 15 years of the 21st century, Mourinho's stature has fallen over the last decade. High level success, albeit still winning a few less prestigious trophies along the way, feels as though it has been increasingly tough to come by through spells with Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma and Fenerbahce, with many of those associations ending on a sour note. At Fenerbahce, he was openly critical of the Turkish football landscape from early on and often appeared unhappy. It might also be a consideration that Mourinho resigned at Benfica once before, after only a few months in charge, when he got into a dispute with the then president.
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Benfica's busy schedule: Mourinho looking to build on positive start
After kicking things off with a 3-0 win over AVS at the weekend, Mourinho will take his team quickly back into battle against Rio Ave on Tuesday night, the club where he started his own short-lived playing career in 1980 but never made a first-team appearance. After facing Gil Vicente on Friday, the big reunions keep coming, with a trip to Chelsea in the Champions League on September 30, and then a huge domestic clash with early Liga Portugal pacesetters Porto on October 5.
After a record-breaking campaign last season, Chris Wood could hardly have dreamt of a better start to the new campaign.
Last year, the New Zealander scored 20 Premier League goals; his previous best single-season tally in the top-flight was 14.
Ola Aina with Chris Wood for Nottingham Forest.
Well, the 33-year-old showed little sign of slowing day in Nottingham Forest’s opener on Sunday, scoring twice during a 3-1 victory over Brentford at the City Ground.
Nevertheless, as the Garibaldi Reds prepare for a first European campaign in three decades, Nuno Espírito Santo will need to add squad depth, something he has done this week, following the arrivals of Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Now though, do Forest have a prolific striker in their sights, one who scored even more goals than Wood last season?
Nottingham Forest's need for squad depth
Last season, as Nottingham Forest upset the odds to qualify for Europe, they largely benefited from playing just one game a week throughout the entire campaign, playing only eight mid-week fixtures.
This enabled Nuno to deploy very familiar starting lineups, with 12 players racking up more than 2,200 minutes across all competitions, while seven accumulated in excess of 3,000 minutes.
However, this time round, Forest will have eight Europa League games to content with from mid-September to late-January, with Roma, Real Betis, Stuttgart, Olympique Lyonnais, Porto and Feyenoord among the tougher of their potential opponents.
Thus, as they search for greater attacking options, a report by TEAMtalk claims that Forest are considering a move to sign Celtic striker Daizen Maeda, adding that Fulham and Brentford are also interested.
They claim that the Japanese international, who notably scored for the Samurai Blue against Croatia during the most recent World Cup, would be “very open” to a move to the Premier League, valued at £25m by the Scottish champions, which would equal their record sale.
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So, could he become the very first Japanese player to call the City Ground home, following in the footsteps of Neil Lennon and Pierre van Hooijdonk, who’ve previously swapped Parkhead for the River Trent?
What Daizen Maeda would bring to Nottingham Forest
Since joining Celtic from Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022, brought to Scotland by Ange Postecoglou, Maeda has had an enormous impact at Parkhead.
In total, he has scored 63 goals in 161 appearances in hoops, but his form improved astronomically last season.
Maeda scored 33 goals across all competitions, four of which came in the Champions League, the first Celtic player to score four or more in a single European Cup campaign since Joe Craig in 1977/78.
In fact, across Europe’s top-nine ranked leagues, using last season’s UEFA association coefficient ranking, very few players across the continent bagged more goals.
Viktor Gyökeres
Sporting CP
54
Kylian Mbappé
Real Madrid
44
Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona
42
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
41
Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund
38
Ousmane Dembélé
Paris Saint-Germain
35
Raphinha
Barcelona
34
Erling Braut Håland
Manchester City
34
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
34
Daizen Maeda
Celtic
33
Sem Steijn
FC Twente
31
Vangelis Pavlidis
Benfica
30
As the table documents, Maeda ranked among Europe’s very best in terms of goals across all competitions last season, just one behind both Erling Braut Håland and Mohamed Salah, while players higher up the list, namely Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy and Ousmane Dembélé, benefited from their team’s Club World Cup participation.
Maeda’s 33-goal haul also placed him ahead of the aforementioned Wood, who ended 2024/25 with 20 goals across all fronts, with that prolific quality made even more impressive considering that the former Yokohama man typically lined up off the left flank.
Wood has started the campaign in the same way he finished the last – scoring goals – but Forest’s latest transfer target would, believe it or not, offer an upgrade.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers described Maeda’s pressing as “incredible” and “unbelievable”, elsewhere labelling him a “machine” and a “physical beast”.
Like Wood, Maeda’s work rate has always been eye-catching, ever since he first arrived in Glasgow, with former teammate Joe Hart asserting that he is the “best in the world” when it comes to out-of-possession work among forwards.
Now though, the Japanese striker has the end product to go with this, ready to take the next step in his development, possibly to the Premier League, which would surely boost his chances of playing a major role for Japan at the World Cup.
Maeda’s pace, energy and work-rate would slot perfectly into Nuno’s Nottingham Forest team, and he could be an invaluable addition ahead of a long, gruelling season that they hope will culminate in a Europa League Final in İstanbul.
More exciting than McAtee: Nottingham Forest in talks to sign £30m star
Nottingham Forest could secure a signing that’s even more exciting than James McAtee.
Marcus Rashford marked his first big Champions League night in Barcelona colours with a stunning brace against Newcastle at St. James’ Park. The forward became only the second Englishman to score for Barca in Europe, earning glowing praise from Hansi Flick, Ronald Araujo and Joan Garcia after firing the Catalan giants to a vital 2-1 win.
Rashford shines on Champions League debut with stunning brace
Flick had challenged Rashford to make his mark back on English soil, and the striker responded in style with two second-half goals that sealed a 2-1 victory for the Catalan giants. His header in the 58th minute broke the deadlock, before a thunderous long-range strike nine minutes later doubled the lead. Despite Anthony Gordon’s late reply, the night belonged to the Manchester United Loanee.
AdvertisementGetty Images‘Marcus is spectacular’ – Flick, Araujo and Joan Garcia heap praise
The dazzling display didn’t just seal three points, it earned Rashford glowing praise from both his coach and team-mates, who hailed his match-winning quality and growing influence at Barcelona.
"The important thing is that he gains confidence, and scoring two goals in this stadium, in his home country, will help him. We're helping him. But I'm not surprised. He's an outstanding player, with great talent, as I said yesterday. His finishing is fantastic. We need a player like him," Flick stated.
"Marcus is spectacular. He does the same thing in training. We're very happy to have him with us, because he has a lot of quality and will help us a lot," Araujo told reporters after the match.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia added: "It was incredible. He's already got us used to it in training. He has a very good shot, and I'm very happy for him because he's working hard and well."
A landmark night for the Englishman
The 27-year-old became only the second Englishman ever to score for Barcelona in European competition, following in the footsteps of Gary Lineker. It was also his sixth and seventh goals in 16 career appearances against Newcastle, underlining his status as a long-time nemesis for the Magpies. For Barca, his arrival is already paying dividends at the highest level.
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Getty Images SportBlaugrana star targets first La Liga goal after European heroics
With Lamine Yamal sidelined, Rashford is set to lead the line again this weekend when Barcelona face Getafe in La Liga. Still searching for his first domestic goal in Spain, the forward will hope to carry his European momentum into the league as Flick’s side aim to build consistency across competitions.