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Chelsea kicked off the year in the most Chelsea way imaginable: firing their manager.

Enzo Maresca’s departure was announced on New Year’s Day, and within a week, Liam Rosenior was announced as his permanent replacement.

The former Strasbourg manager might be a relative unknown to most Premier League fans, but he made quite an impression in France, winning 32 of his 63 games in the dugout, drawing 14 and losing just 17.

However, managing in the toughest league in the world is something else entirely, but Chelsea can help him get off to the best start possible by making some signings this month, and if reports are to be believed, the manager has already identified someone who could be the club’s next Reece James.

Rosenior wants Chelsea's next James

It’s been a campaign of mixed performances for Chelsea’s squad so far this season, with the likes of Jamie Gittens and Tosin Adarabioyo underwhelming, while Moises Caicedo and Estevao have impressed.

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However, when it comes to picking out the club’s best player so far, it can only be one man: James.

The right-back-turned-midfielder has been immense in all phases of play, and in games against Arsenal and Manchester City, was the best player on the pitch.

It’s therefore hardly a surprise that new boss Rosenior is keen for the club to bring in another international star not too dissimilar to his captain.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims the manager has already identified Trent Alexander-Arnold as one of his top targets for this month.

The report has revealed that the new boss sees the Englishman as the perfect signing for the right-back position and would like to sign him on a short-term loan with an option to buy.

Interestingly, Real are not opposed to shipping the former Liverpool player off, but wouldn’t want to loan him out; they would rather do so for a fee of at least €40m, which is about £35m.

It would be a hugely shocking transfer, but given Trent’s sensational ability, one that Chelsea should go all out for, especially as he could be another James-esque signing.

Why Trent could be Chelsea's new James

The first similarity between James and Trent, and one of the main reasons Chelsea should be looking to get this deal done, is that the Real Madrid star is an offensive monster.

Now, the Blues captain is also a defensive powerhouse, but at their best, the two full-backs are excellent attacking weapons.

For example, during his time on Merseyside, the former Premier League winner was a crucial cog in Liverpool’s attack, whether it was his crosses from deep or his ability to play utterly sublime long balls for the likes of Mo Salah to get on the end of.

Moreover, beyond passing the eye test, his underlying numbers showed he was one of the most creative players in the league.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 1% of full-backs for progressive passes, expected assisted goals, passes into the final third, through balls and more, all per 90.

Trent’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals

0.28

Top 1%

Progressive Passes

8.83

Top 1%

Progressive Passing Distance

432.42

Top 1%

Passes Completed (Long)

7.73

Top 1%

Passes into Final Third

7.88

Top 1%

Passes into Penalty Area

2.47

Top 1%

Through Balls

0.46

Top 1%

Switches

1.22

Top 1%

Shots Total

1.71

Top 2%

Crosses into Penalty Area

0.76

Top 3%

Crosses

5.82

Top 3%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.73

Top 3%

Key Passes

1.98

Top 5%

All Stats via FBref

In fact, the Englishman’s chance-creating abilities have only become more apparent this season as Arne Slot’s side look far less dangerous without him.

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Another similarity between the two Englishmen is that they’ve shown an ability to play in different roles.

The Blues captain might be more versatile, but the “generational” Madrid star, as dubbed by content creator Asim Mahmood, has also played in the middle of the park on occasion for club and country.

Therefore, there is no reason to think he couldn’t be a tempo controller from the base of midfield once again.

Finally, both players are full England internationals, and there is every chance that both end up going to the World Cup in the summer.

Ultimately, it would be a hugely surprising deal, but with how much of a game-changer Trent can be, Chelsea should do everything in their power to bring him to Stamford Bridge this month.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Tottenham Hotspur are now pushing to sign a “ridiculous” new forward, who could be brought in as an alternative to RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.

Spurs eyeing new forward as Frank sets out to be more attacking

Speaking after the recent 0-0 draw against Brentford, Thomas Frank made it clear that he plans to play a more expansive brand of football in the future, but the present injury situation makes it difficult.

The Spurs boss said: “I think what will 100% happen is that we will score a lot of goals and be much more dominant in a lot of games, but in the current situation with a lot of players out, it makes it more tricky with a lot of games.

“We want us to be free-flowing. I think, a couple of things I want to reinforce positively is the last two away performances. To stand on the foundation we are building was very strong against Crystal Palace and Brentford.”

Ultimately, the Lilywhites haven’t been good enough during Frank’s tenure to date, having suffered disappointing defeats against the likes of Nottingham Forest and Fulham over the past month or so.

As such, the manager must take his fair share of criticism, but the players are also culpable, and it is clear the manager wants to improve his personnel, with an enquiry recently being lodged over a deal for RB Leipzig’s Diomande.

However, Tottenham are also looking at alternatives to the Ivory Coast international, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they are now pushing to sign AS Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche.

A deal for the forward would be on the expensive side, as the French club are expected to hold out for over £50m, but interest from Spurs persists, having made checks on Akliouche during his side’s 3-1 defeat against Lyon on Saturday.

The north Londoners are looking to make a game-changing attacking signing, and there is plenty of evidence the Monaco star could be a solid addition to Frank’s forward line.

"Ridiculous" Akliouche could tear it up at Spurs

Lauded as “ridiculous” by scout Ben Mattinson, the 23-year-old has been a key player for Monaco over the past three seasons, regularly contributing with goals and assists in Ligue 1.

Maghnes Akliouche’s performance by season

Ligue 1 appearances

Goal involvements

2023-24

28

11

2024-25

32

15

2025-26

16

5

Having impressed at club level, the winger has now been capped five times by France, and manager Didier Deschamps praised him back in November, saying: “Even if there are lots of attacking players and lots of absentees, he has moved up a notch to be more decisive.”

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Akliouche is a good age to be a long-term success at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and having established himself as a key player for Monaco, while also impressing for France, the right-winger could be capable of immediately pushing for Mohammed Kudus’ starting spot.

Liverpool started 2026 with a labouring draw against Leeds United at Anfield, and it was a match that illustrated the myriad of creative and build-up problems Arne Slot is still puzzling over.

It is quite a thing to have smashed the British transfer record last summer and signed a number of elite attacking players, only to regress so significantly.

Rueful gazes have been cast back at Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, but the South American duo faced their detractors throughout their stints on Merseyside, ebbing and flowing in front of goal. That’s worth bearing in mind.

Alexander Isak, currently out with a broken leg, has been well below the anticipated standard, and Florian Wirtz is flattering to deceive too – might Liverpool already be planning to upgrade on the German playmaker?

Liverpool lining up attacking midfielder

The crux of Liverpool’s problems are of a tactical nature, but Wirtz isn’t blameless. The 22-year-old lacks the creativity, sharpness and athleticism that have been expected after a £116m purchase, though he has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength in recent weeks.

But with Dominik Szoboszlai so strong in a number ten berth, it might be necessary for sporting director Richard Hughes to sign a touchline winger, even if that comes at Wirtz’s personal expense. Liverpool need better balance, smoother fluency, after all.

It appears FSG are on board, with Spanish sources revealing that Liverpool are preparing an offer worth €90m (converting to about £78m) for Real Madrid star Rodrygo, who is considering his options at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Arsenal and Manchester City are also among the interested parties, so the Anfield side will need to act quickly.

Why Rodrygo could be a Wirtz upgrade

Rodrygo, 24, is one of the finest forwards in the world, and if he were to leave Real Madrid this January, he would leave a two-time La Liga and Champions League winner, having posted 70 goals and 55 assists in all competitions.

Los Blancos are nothing if not stacked with talent, and Rodrygo has rightly taken a regular starting berth along with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in the frontline in recent years, but he’s suffered a less-than-impressive 2025, going 32 games without a goal before bagging against Manchester City in the Champions League in December.

He’s enjoyed something of an uptick in form in Xabi Alonso’s system recently, but it’s clear to see that Rodrygo needs a change of scenery if he is to establish himself as a talismanic force for a team competing at the apex of European football.

Liverpool could give him that olive branch after many battles in recent years.

Given Rodrygo’s natural skill as a winger and his desire to cut inside and score, he could be just what Slot’s side need, providing more depth and balance than Cody Gakpo and more suitability than Wirtz, whose future surely sits in a more central position.

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Looking at the respective ‘superstars’ metrics over the past year emphasises this.

Rodrygo vs Florian Wirtz (past 12 months)

Stats (per 90)

Rodrygo

Wirtz

Goals scored

0.31

0.15

Assists

0.19

0.24

Shots taken

2.80

2.15

Shot-creating actions

4.94

4.64

Touches (att pen)

6.40

5.03

Pass completion (%)

85.4

79.3

Progressive passes

4.10

6.25

Progressive carries

5.79

3.20

Successful take-ons

2.34

2.12

Ball recoveries

4.02

4.28

Tackles + interceptions

2.07

1.47

Data via FBref

Rodrygo and Wirtz aren’t too dissimilar as players, but it’s clear that the Los Blancos man is more snappy with his pace, whereas Wirtz is a fleet-footed dribbler, but not someone to dominate up and down the wing.

It is for this reason that Rodrygo would be an ‘upgrade’ on the German international, ironing out the creases in Liverpool’s attacking system, settling the equilibrium that has been out of kilter for a while – Liverpool’s 52% win percentage across the 2025 annual year underscores the depth of Slot’s struggles in the dugout.

That, and the fact that Rodrygo is a “world-class superstar” unto himself, as has been said by Real legend Luka Modric. He has the potential to become a leading man in the Premier League, and he has the track record to confirm this.

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Bermuda’s Under-19 players could have a chance to put themselves in the frame for pro contracts when they compete at the youth World Cup in Malaysia next month.Bermuda cricket development director Arnold Manders said the youngsters, who travel to India at the end of this month for a pre-tournament tour, would be in the international spotlight at the showpiece tournament in February. And he said the game against England could be a chance for the likes of Rodney Trott, Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly to impress county coaches from the English professional leagues.He said the U-19s have been training like a professional team with five sessions each week in the gym and in the nets. They have also travelled to Trinidad for a training camp and taken part in a leadership and training day at Warwick Camp.The 15-man squad, officially announced yesterday, will travel to the Royal Cricket Academy in India on January 31 to take part in a further training camp and to play three warm-up matches against local opposition.They will play two more practice matches against fellow qualifiers Nepal and Namibia before the tournament begins with the opening match of the World Cup against Bangladesh on February 18.Manders said the target was to reach the Super Eight stage of the competition – meaning they will have to finish in the top two in a group that also includes Ireland and England. “If we don’t do that we at least want to reach the final of the plate competition and be the top Associate team.”He added that there was an extra incentive for players to excel with talent scouts likely to be watching the tournament, looking for the next generation of professionals. “It will be an opportunity for them, if they can do well – particularly against England. You could see some names going off to the county teams, I don’t know.”Manders said the commitment and desire from the squad had been first class with the players themselves requesting an extra weekly training session in the Olympic Gym. “They have been to Toronto and Trinidad. They are going to Malaysia and India. They have had opportunities to speak to some of the greats of Test cricket. This is a programme they want to be involved with.”They are prepared to put in the work because they see the light at the end of the tunnel. They have had more exposure than most teams and I think more than most of the senior team did when they were youngsters.”Manders said the Under-19 programme would continue to thrive beyond the World Cup with the Sir Garfield Sobers Tournament and possible involvement in the senior first division. He said the set-up would serve as a model for national programmes at other age groups.”We think we have a good model with the U-19s and we are going to try and roll that down to U-13s and U-15s. We are also trying to set up an U-10 development squad. We have the right template there with the director, the manager and the coaches. It’s just a matter of finding the right people.” He said the aim was to provide a steady supply line to the senior team and increase the pool of talented players available for selection.Of the 15 selected for Malaysia, Manders added: “The coaching staff is very pleased with the team selected for the U-19 World Cup. It has a very balanced bowling attack led by senior World Cup players Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly, three offspinners in captain Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker and Chris Douglas, one legspinner in Tre Govia and an abundance of medium pacers in Jordan DeSilva, Kyle Hodsoll, Gregory Maybury and Lamar Richardson.”In the batting department, the team will rely heavily on the senior experience of captain Rodney Trott and vice captain Malachi Jones along with Chris Douglas, Terryn Fray, Young player of the Year Deunte Darrell, Stefan Kelly, Dennico Hollis and Lamar Richardson.”This article first appeared in the Bermuda Sun

Fleming: one eye on the opposition, and one his own team © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s captain, believes Michael Vaughan’s return to the helm will make England a stronger team as they prepare for the ODI tri-series in Australia.”It’s just how they start and what sort of confidence they get,” Fleming told reporters. “They get their skipper back who’ll make a pretty big difference and they’ve got players, the Pietersens and the Flintoffs, who can certainly turn a one-day game on their own.”Vaughan, 32, returns from an 18-month lay off due a knee injury. Although he has recovered from knee surgery, he is yet to prove his effectiveness in the field and with running between wickets. And despite a 5-0 beating in the Ashes, Fleming felt England could still be dangerous.New Zealand, the third team in the series, would benefit from the competition ahead of the World Cup, Fleming said – “beating Australia in its own backyard is very tough,” – but added that they were not invincible. The absence of Shane Watson, injured, and a quality spinner were two key factors, though Australia were “pretty well-rounded and it’s a side that’s performed under pressure, so there’s not too many chinks in their armour.”New Zealand have their own problems going into the series, particularly their poorly performing batting lineup, having suffered their worst-ever ODI defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka on Saturday.The tri-series opens with an Australia-England clash on 12 January at Melbourne.

Preparations for the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka are well underway, with most countries squads announced and pre-tournament itineraries in place. But with less than four weeks to go before the teams arrive in Colombo, the USA once again appears to be in a state of confusion.At present, all ICC funding to the USA Cricket Association is suspended after serious governance issues arose in 2005. Although the ICC agreed to make an exception for the $10,000 grant available to all countries to enable them to prepare for the U-19 event, this was conditional on the USACA producing audited accounts for the year ending December 31, 2004. These were due at the end of September but have not yet been sent to the ICC, not has the budget for how the $10,000 will be spent, which was the other stipulation of the funding.And while many stakeholders inside the USA remain unclear about who is running the USACA after the farcical EGM in Dallas last month, it seems that the ICC is also being left in the dark. Given that funding is suspended, it is surprising that the ICC has not received any correspondence from the USACA since October 5 when it was advised that there was an interim agreement which expired on November 7.It is understood that lawyers acting for the USACA and Council of League Presidents, who had been battling for control of the game, did notify the ICC in December that more information would be provided shortly, but nothing has been heard since.”It is not until we have this current information that the ICC Executive Board could re-consider its position in respect of recognistion of, dealings with, and funding and support to USACA,” a spokesman told Cricinfo.The USACA has not made any official statement as to its current position with regards to the CLP dispute, and its website makes no reference to the row nor to the Dallas meeting.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Taufeeq Umar made a confident start in the warm-up game at Dharamsala© Getty Images

It wasn’t the best of starts but the Pakistanis will be content that they managed to get started at all. The opening day of the their Indian odyssey had a number of elements: bad light, 2.4 overs of play, steady rain, pleasant sunshine, a sneak preview of left-handed flourish, a steady procession of soft dismissals before Asim Kamal led the revival with a typically doughty 43. The BP XI fought back whenever the scales appeared to be tilting and kept the Pakistanis down to 165 for 5 when stumps were drawn.Its hard to imagine that any of the six previous Pakistan teams to have visited India for a full tour can have begun in such a picturesque setting. Overlooked by the snowcapped Dauladhari range, the HPCA Stadium at Dharamsala provided a perfect backdrop for the Pakistani batsmen to gain maximum momentum against a bowling attack that lost its only specialist spinner, Ramesh Powar, after he delivered four overs. Yet, four of their top five batsmen gave it away after groping their way into the groove and Younis Khan, the fifth, fell to a casual poke off the second ball he faced.Half the day was swallowed up by bad light and incessant showers. Inzamam, on his 35th birthday, chose to bat and his openers – Taufeeq Umar and Salman Butt – were hardly troubled in the initial exchanges. Rudra Pratap Singh, the left-arm seamer, occasionally swung it away a shade and beat the bat while the other Singh – Gagandeep – was more intent on pegging away at the stumps. Both Taufeeq and Salman cashed in on the loose offerings as full balls down the pads were flicked away with Saeed Anwar-like flourish.Powar was introduced in the 10th over and his generous flight, with the ball almost labouring to get to the other end, induced the batsmen into taking chances. Butt unleashed a ferocious straight loft to the second ball he faced with the ball rapping Powar flush on the fingers. Powar managed to finish the over but couldn’t bowl for the rest of the day.Butt, though, wasn’t as lucky four balls later when Taufeeq was caught ball-watching and made no attempt to respond to his call for a second run. Butt was stranded in mid-pitch and soon started his walk back after Gangandeep’s throw found the stumps. Younis might have expressed a desire to play his cricket like Imran Khan, a man who has backed him for the captaincy, but his second-ball duck wasn’t the ideal beginning to a crucial tour. Younis wafted at one wide of off stump and the edge was taken brilliantly by an acrobatic Niraj Patel at second slip (55 for 2).

Gagandeep Singh kept pegging away and was rewarded with the wicket of Younis Khan© Getty Images

Yousuf Youhana’s 18-ball stay had sparks of magic, moments of laziness and finally ended in a stroke that bordered on the reckless. Attempting an extravagant drive through extra cover, he misread the line from Shib Shankar Paul and inside-edged an easy catch to the wicketkeeper. Inzamam and Kamal didn’t venture into any extravagant shotmaking and efficiently scored off the long-hops and wide balls. Powar’s absence meant that the medium pacers were further burdened and more loose deliveries appeared as the day wore on.Inzamam fell right at the end of the day, lbw trying to sweep the part-time spinner Venugopal Rao, as another position of strength was frittered away with an air of over-confidence. Kamal too was extremely lucky to be there at the end after surviving an extremely close appeal to a reverse-swinging Gagandeep yorker. However, Kamal, who has found himself regularly overlooked despite playing a few crucial knocks, ensured that he gritted it out till the end and will hope that the skies stay clear for him to compile a big knock tomorrow.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has signed a two-year three-million rupee contract with Trendy Connections (Pvt) Ltd to be the official clothing sponsor for the national team. Trendy takes over from AJ Sports.Trendy have developed a new range of ultra-lite, sweat-free clothing for the team, which will be used for the first time during the England tour of Sri Lanka.Apart from the traditional one-day clothing, Trendy have developed a full range of official practice and casual wear for the team.The new range of replica kit will be available for purchase by Sri Lanka fans shortly and will be exclusively marketed online through Wisden CricInfo and the new SLC official website.Trendy will supply clothing free of charge to the junior and senior national teams. The contract also includes a sum of Rs. 500,000 or 30 percent of the sales (whichever is higher) to SLC each year on replica sales.

Y Venugopal Rao hit a patient century to take Andhra Pradesh to a position of strength at the end of the first day’s play in their Ranji Trophy league match against Hyderabad at Secunderabad.Winning the toss, Andhra Pradesh skipper MSK Prasad had no hesitation in opting to bat first. He and his opening partner, however, were dismissed, along with number three batsman GN Srinivas, with only 21 runs on the board. Further down the line, at 50/4, Andhra Pradesh looked in serious danger of being bowled out in a hurry.Venugopal Rao and IG Srinivas then put on an unbeaten 182 runs for the fifth wicket. Batting with caution and eschewing unnecessary risk, the pair constructed a steady partnership. At stumps, Venugopal Rao was on 106 off 269 balls, with 15 fours, while IG Srinivas hit 12 fours in his 203-ball knock of 91. Andhra Pradesh, then, found themselves at 232/4, a good position considering their disastrous start.Truncated first day for Tamil Nadu-Kerala Ranji tieBad outfield and pitch conditions delayed the start of play until 3:45 p.m. in the Ranji Trophy league match between Tamil Nadu and Kerala at Chennai.With a total of 255 minutes of play lost in the day, Tamil Nadu finally got a crack at the visitors after four inspections at 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Winning the toss, Tamil Nadu had opted to bowl first, hoping that their seamers would be able to take advantage of the cloudy conditions and dicey pitch.Kerala made it through to the close of play for the loss of only one wicket. Opener MP Sorab was dismissed after having made a brisk 21, but V Girilal and C Sanju took Kerala to 44/1 before play ended.Goa devastated on Day OneKarnataka rocked Goa to bring a hurried end to their first innings on the first day of their Ranji Trophy league match at Bangalore on Tuesday.Winning the toss, Karnataka skipper J Arunkumar opted to field first, hoping that his seamers could take advantage of helpful conditions to bundle out a weak Goan batting line-up early. The bowlers did not disappoint. Venkatesh Prasad, Dodda Ganesh, and NSC Aiyappa took three wickets each, between them bowling Goa out for a miserable 80.Karnataka then rubbed salt into the wound, racking up 146/1 by the close of play on Day One. Skipper Arunkumar was unbeaten on 77 off 116 balls, striking 15 fours in his innings. Barrington Rowland gave him good support, making 36 off 73.

The New Fighting Spirit in the West Indies senior team rubbed off on the reserves yesterday as the ‘A’ team defeated Pakistan by 65 runs at Kensington Oval.On a day of high drama and entertainment, Mervyn Dillon gave the West Indies six reasons to set the selectors thinking they might have been wrong in excluding him from the 16-man team for the summer tour to England.It was a superb fightback by the ‘A’ team after conceding a first innings lead of 186. Set 211 for victory after the ‘A’ team accumulated 396 in their second innings, Pakistan reached 145 all out 20 minutes after tea on the final day.The 25-year-old Dillon, charging in purposefully from the southern end, extracted good pace and bounce and rocked Pakistan with career-best figures of six for 40 to earn match figures of nine for 92.Pakistan started the final session of a match, which at one stage seemed to be heading to a conclusion inside three days, requiring 80 runs with three wickets standing.Dillon, who went to tea with four wickets to his credit, ensured there would be no recovery when he squared up acting captain Waqar Younis for Ramnaresh Sarwan to take the catch at point off the leading edge.Eight runs later Arshad Khan was bowled by Dillon, and leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo had the honour of taking the final wicket: Mohammed Akram caught and bowled for five.Wajahat Wasti, hoping for a big score to secure his place for the second Test, played on to Dillon as Pakistan set about what appeared at the time to be a somewhat easy task of scoring the required 211.Were it not for a brilliant piece of fielding by Corey Collymore and poor judgement by Yousuf Youhana the Pakistanis may have easily consolidated their position by lunch. Instead, Youhana challenged the arm of Collymore in attempting a second run to fine-leg and the direct hit found him short.Dillon then won an lbw appeal against Younis Khan to send the Pakistanis to lunch at 63 for three.On resumption Imran Nazir, who had stroked his way to 39 with eight fours at lunch, failed to add as he nicked a pacy delivery from Collymore to Courtney Browne who took a smart catch low to his right.It was just reward for Collymore who bowled with life and aggression, showing no ill effects from the back injury which interrupted his career last year.Dillon soon struck again, bowling Shahid Afridi as the innings declined to 66 for five.Mohammed Wasim and Saqlain Mushtaq threatened to put Pakistan back on course with a partnership of 65 in 84 minutes before Nagamootoo claimed Saqlain.