Tottenham Hotspur’s antics in the transfer window over recent days have been constant, pulling off numerous high-profile additions throughout the summer.

Xavi Simons made his £52m move to join the Lilywhites at the end of last week, finally ending the club’s long-standing pursuit of a new attacking midfielder this summer.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze were Thomas Frank’s main targets for the position, but the hierarchy decided to turn to the Dutchman to help bolster the club’s attack.

Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel have both already arrived in such an area this window, strengthening the options at the manager’s disposal ahead of his debut campaign in the role.

However, with just a few hours left in the window, the board could be set to back the manager once again, subsequently targeting a move for another top-level forward.

Spurs’ hunt to land a new attacker on deadline day

Despite having an offer rejected earlier this summer, Spurs haven’t given up hope on a move for Manchester City star Savinho before tonight’s 7pm deadline.

It’s been reported that the Brazilian youngster still remains as a priority target for Frank, with a £70m transfer being mooted for the 21-year-old’s signature.

However, he’s not alone on their list, with Atalanta star Ademola Lookman another option for the Lilywhites this evening, according to GIVEMESPORT’s latest update.

They claim that the player himself is pushing for a move to North London, after previously stating his desire to depart the Italian outfit before the end of the window.

It’s also been suggested that the Nigerian forward could be available for around £43m – a potential bargain for a talent who registered 20 goals throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

Why Spurs’ £43m target would be even better than Kolo Muani

In an attempt to bolster the front line, Spurs have turned their attention to PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani in recent hours – with a deal rapidly progressing throughout the day.

The Lilywhites have struck an agreement with Luis Enrique’s side to land the 26-year-old attacker, which will see the Frenchman join Frank’s side on a season-long loan.

It’s been reported that Spurs will pay a €5m (£4.3m) loan fee for his signature, with the deal not including any option or obligation to buy this time next year.

His tally of 10 goals in 22 appearances last season highlights the quality he possesses when in front of goal – hopefully handing the manager an option amid Dominic Solanke’s ankle injury.

However, a move for Kolo Muani may even be trumped in the remaining hours – especially if the hierarchy can strike up a late agreement for former Fulham star, Lookman.

The Nigerian has excelled in recent months – as seen by his goalscoring tally – which could make him a superb proposition for Frank and the rest of the frontline.

When comparing his underlying stats to those of Kolo Muani from 2024/25, he managed to outperform him in numerous key areas – highlighting why he’d be a better addition.

Games played

31

26

Goals & assists

20

12

Pass accuracy

73%

70%

Key passes made

2.4

1.3

Passes into final third

1.2

0.4

Take-ons completed

1.5

1.4

Progressive carries

5.7

1.7

Aerials won

57%

38%

Lookman, who’s been labelled “incredible” by Squawka Sport, outscored the PSG star, whilst also achieving a better goal per shot on target rate – subsequently highlighting his added threat in front of goal.

However, in terms of chance creation, the Atalanta star has further dominated, completing more key passes per 90 and more passes into the final third – offering more of an all-round threat in attacking areas.

His talent in possession is further showcased in his higher tallies of take-ons completed and progressive carries made – which could allow him to beat the opposition before finding the back of the net.

£43m for a player of Lookman’s quality in today’s market is an excellent price, subsequently handing Frank the added attacking quality he’s craved throughout the summer window.

If he does join, he could potentially form a deadly partnership with Kolo Muani in North London – which could allow the Lilywhites to build on their Europa League triumph.

Imagine him with Kolo Muani: £70m star Spurs' top target on deadline day

Tottenham Hotspur look set to make another move after agreeing a deal for Randal Kolo Muani.

1 ByEthan Lamb Sep 1, 2025

Manchester United’s plans for Ruben Amorim have been revealed as pressure ramps up on the manager after the League Cup defeat at Grimsby Town.

Manchester United boss Amorim seemed to declare his players had stopped listening to him in the aftermath of their midweek humilation, but has admitted his comments after Wednesday’s shock Carabao Cup defeat to League Two Grimsby were down to emotion.

Amorim said afterwards “something has to change” at Old Trafford and that the players’ performance “spoke really loud”.

Speculation swirled around Amorim’s comments and rumours have even begun to circulate that Jose Mourinho could return to Old Trafford after he left Fenerbahce this week.

But the current United boss – speaking ahead of Saturday’s home match with Burnley – insisted his responses boiled down to emotion.

Ornstein shares new Man Utd manager update

Speaking live on TNT Sport before Chelsea get gameweek three started at home to Fulham, The Athletic’s David Ornstein was asked to explain the concerns around the United boss.

“The bare facts are that Manchester United do not want to sack Ruben Amorim,” Ornstein said on Saturday’s show. “They aren’t having those conversations yet. They want him to succeed, it’s early in the season, they’ve made new signings, they’ll want to give him time.

“I don’t see any world in which, at the moment anyway, he walks away from that job and that contract.”

Ornstein did however suggest defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday could change things: “However, if they lose, they will be in a world of pain. It’s Manchester United and ultimately this is a results industry and we know how it works. If this continues they’re in a bad spot.

“But I think it’s got to a point where they’ve made so many managerial changes that they’ll be looking for real reasons for this. The amount they’ve invested in this squad, they’ll want to continue with him for the time being.”

The visitors eased to their target on the final morning after a dominant display over the game

AAP09-Mar-2025Queensland revived their Sheffield Shield hopes with a thumping nine-wicket win against Tasmania.Set just 81 runs to win, they cruised to 82 for 1 on the final day at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Test stalwart Usman Khawaja (33 not out) and Jack Clayton (34no) were untroubled in peeling off the last 56 runs to win on Sunday.The result ended Tasmania’s hopes of reaching the Shield final, leaving them last on the table with just one match to come – against New South Wales.Queensland are still alive and kicking, and will finish the round as high as second or as low as fourth. Even if they drop to fourth, they still have a chance to reach the final if they can beat ladder leaders South Australia in the final round.Khawaja helped set up Queensland’s big win over Tasmania by scoring 127 Tasmania were rolled for 161 in reply, with man-of-the-match Michael Neser snaring 6 for 37.Tasmania were forced to follow-on, and although their second-innings total of 345 was much better, the 82-run victory target wasn’t nearly enough to pose Queensland any problems.”Maximising that new ball [was the key], that new ball nipped around a bit,” Neser said. “And then it went dead and it was a lovely batting wicket.”It was a no-brainer to [enforce the] follow on. That wicket was getting flatter. The way Uzzie batted was superb. He set the game up for us.”Queensland’s win over Tasmania was a perfect response from their recent flop at the WACA, where they were thumped by an innings and 12 runs by Western Australia.”We have a massive game in Adelaide now. It’s going to be tough there,” Neser said. “We know it can be flat at times, so spin will be a huge factor for us. Going in with a win is massive for us, so hopefully we can carry that momentum through.”Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald rued his team’s poor batting display.”If we had got [a lead of] 200, 230, we would have been a good chance,” Weatherald said. “We’re just not batting or bowling well enough. Michael Neser was just too classy. He bowled very well throughout this game in good batting conditions.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Em entrevista ao portal ‘Globo Esporte’, o meia-atacante Lucas Moura fez um belo de um afago nos corações do torcedor do São Paulo e disse que, nesta saída do Tottenham, da Inglaterra, estaria disposto a ouvir uma proposta do Tricolor. Durante o sorteio das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil, na sede da CBF, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ), o diretor de futebol são-paulino Carlos Belmonte comentou sobre a possibilidade de uma das maiores crias de Cotia retornar ao Morumbi. Confira:

Discussions have been held between SA’s premier and the Australian Football League to have the game played at Adelaide Oval in the week between football fixtures

Alex Malcolm09-Mar-2025

Adelaide Oval could host the Sheffield Shield final despite the football season having started•Getty Images

South Australia’s dream of hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval is one step closer to reality after they confirmed hosting rights thanks to a win over Victoria. Coach Ryan Harris said his side wants to play at the venue with it becoming a strong possibility as discussions have reached the state premier’s office amid a juggling act with the Australian Football League (AFL), which could see the dates of the decider shifted.South Australia will host their first Shield final since 2016 after locking up top spot on the table with an outstanding four-wicket win at the Junction Oval, after chasing down 300 in the fourth innings thanks to a superb unbeaten century from Jake Lehmann.Whispers that the final could be held at Adelaide Oval began to circulate after the win over Western Australia in Perth last month but nothing could happen officially until South Australia confirmed they would host the final.Related

South Australia prevented from hosting Shield final at Adelaide Oval

Queensland revive final hopes with thumping victory

Lehmann and Scott lead South Australia to home Shield final

The final is currently scheduled to run from March 26 to March 30. One major issue is that Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitches have already been removed from the venue ahead of AFL club Adelaide Crows first home game on March 16. South Australia’s other AFL club, Port Adelaide, play their first home game at the venue on Saturday March 22.If the Shield final were to be staged at Adelaide Oval, it would need to be moved forward two days to be played between Monday March 24 and Friday March 28, sandwiched between weekend football fixtures with Crows playing at home again on March 30.It is understood that a single drop-in surface could be put in place after the AFL game on March 22 is completed. The pitch would have already been prepared elsewhere and would be ready for play on March 24 with the outfield cut to an acceptable level.”We’re in now. I think that was part of the step,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo after the win over Victoria on Sunday. “I’ve left that up to the people above me, but it’s gaining momentum, I believe.”I think there are a few small bridges to cross coming into this week. But I think now that the fact that it’s been confirmed that we’re in Adelaide I guess we’ll hear over the next couple of days, what goes on there.”But I mean we want to play there. We love it there. It might be a little bit different. The outfield might be a little bit slower, but when we play early games in September, October, it’s generally quite slow anyway, so I don’t think it’s going to be a lot different.South Australia have been the dominant team of the season•Getty Images

“But ultimately if we can get out there, it’d be great. But obviously, we understand as well the agreement football have. But as far as I know, the conversations have been really positive so we’ll wait and see over the next couple of days.”A Shield final has not been hosted at Adelaide Oval since 1996 with South Australia’s last home final played at Glenelg Oval. The encroachment of the AFL season into March over the last 15 years has meant venues that host both first-class cricket and Australian Rules Football such as the Adelaide Oval, the MCG, the SCG, the Gabba and Perth Stadium have been unavailable to host Shield finals due to football being prioritised once the winter code begins it’s season.A Shield final has not been played at any of those venues since 2012 when Queensland hosted the final at the Gabba. Since then Victoria has hosted finals at Alice Springs and Hobart while New South Wales hosted a final in Canberra before Junction Oval and Cricket Central became viable grounds. Queensland host two finals at Allan Border Field in recent years.South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas has even got involved and has already spoken to the local AFL clubs about the issue.”This issue has been drawn to my attention, I did spend a bit of time on the weekend making a few calls,” Malinauskas told ABC radio last week. “I’m pretty optimistic that with some hard-headed reason, there’s a compromise to be had here that would allow it to be played at Adelaide Oval.”But everyone is going to have to give a little bit. There’s a whole bunch of moving parts to this, but after the calls I’ve made, I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get the right outcome if wiser heads prevail. I think the Crows have an appetite for pragmatism here, and that is to their great credit. The AFL’s got a role to play.”South Australia’s final Shield game of the home and away season starts on Saturday March 15 but it was already scheduled to be played at Karen Rolton Oval.The AFL are receptive to allowing the final to be played in between weekend football games with AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon saying that the league was open to co-operating.”Like we do with other sports where we have a scheduling clash, we’re fortunate to play in the best stadiums in Australia across all of our capital cities and we know those stadiums get built and operate because they are multi-sport,” Dillon said at a press conference on last week. “So if it can be accommodated within our schedule, we absolutely would look at that.”Playing the final at Adelaide Oval would shorten the turnaround from the last regular-season round from seven days to five for whichever travelling team qualifies. Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria all still a chance depending on the results of the final round.Lehmann, Alex Carey and Travis Head are the only current South Australian players who played in their last Shield final. Lehmann, whose father Darren played in the state’s triumph at Adelaide Oval in 1996, said he would love to play the decider at the ground.”If that arises, that’d be awesome, because I think the last time we played in the Shield final at home was at Glenelg,” Lehmann said. “We actually got a pretty good crowd there, and it was good. But also, I love Adelaide Oval. I think it’s the best stadium in the world. You know, it just produces good wicket good cricket wicket, great stadium. so I’d love to be able to do that.”Meanwhile, Harris confirmed that Carey will be available for both South Australia’s final Shield game of the season against Queensland and the final.”As far as I know, he’s back next week, and for the final now,” Harris said. “That’s huge. Getting a player who’s playing pretty well at the moment. I watched his innings the other night in the Champions Trophy, I don’t think I’ve seen him bat as good as that.”But Head is not going to be around. Having captained South Australia in their last two Shield finals, Head is committed to playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and their first game is on March 23. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson, who both played Shield games this season for South Australia, are also IPL bound.”All fine with that,” Harris said. “That’s what they want to do. I think they’re probably having a bit of FOMO now and would want to be here. But that’s alright.”

كشفت تقارير صحفية موقف لاعب فريق برشلونة، داني أولمو، من خوض مباراة الكلاسيكو ضد خصمه ريال مدريد، في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم في وقت لاحق من شهر أكتوبر الحالي.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة الكلاسيكو بين فريقي ريال مدريد وبرشلونة، يوم 26 أكتوبر، في الجولة العاشرة.

وأعلن منتخب إسبانيا، في بيان رسمي اليوم، مغادرة داني أولمو المعسكر الدولي نتيجة تعرضه لإصابة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وذكرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية أن داني أولمو سيسافر إلى العاصمة الكتالونية، برشلونة، اليوم حيث من المقرر أن يخضع لمزيد من الفحوص الطبية يوم الإثنين قبل إصدار بيان رسمي من النادي بشأن الشخيص ومدة الغياب.

وأوضحت أنه حسب مصادر في برشلونة، فإن مشاركة أولمو في الكلاسيكو ضد ريال مدريد موضع شك، رغم أن النادي لم يستبعد مشاركته بشكل قاطع بعد.

وسيخوض برشلونة مباراتين قبل الكلاسيكو، حيث سيلتقي مع جيرونا في الدوري الإسباني، ثم أولمبياكوس في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وأشارت إلى إنه باستثناء مفأجاة كبيرة، من المستبعد مشاركة أولمو في المباراتين المذكورتين، وفي حال إذا تأكد معاناته من تمزق عضلي، فإنه سيغيب عن الملاعب نحو 3 أسابيع على الأقل، مهما كانت درجة التمزق بسيطة، مما يعني غيابه عن صدام ريال مدريد.

Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the best managers football has ever seen, enjoying a successful spell with Aberdeen before his 27-year spell as Manchester United manager.

He dominated English football with the Red Devils, winning 13 Premier League titles as well as lifting the Champions League on two occasions.

Trophy

Years won

Premier League

1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

Champions League

1999, 2008

FA Cup

1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup

1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

FIFA Club World Cup

2008

UEFA Super Cup

1991

European Cup Winners’ Cup

1991

Intercontinental Cup

1999

Community Shield

1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

The Scot actually grew up a Gers fan and regularly visited Ibrox as a youngster, eventually playing for the club between 1967-1969. Ferguson has never shied away from Rangers ties, sharing stories of his early footballing memories at Ibrox.

“I used to always go to the Broomloan Road end when I was younger. It wasn’t until I got into my teens when I was with my mates that we would go into the Rangers End. I started going to Ibrox when I was around eight-years-old so in 1949. When I was young, it was a case of ‘you’re not going up there on your own’, but you would go to Ibrox irrespective of what your dad said.

“There were great teams around that time. The famous Iron Curtain team; Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn, Cox, which felt like it was there forever. You always had Willie Waddell and Willie Thornton playing as well. I grew up in a period where we had strong domination of the country.”

The greatest football players of all time named and ranked by Sir Alex Ferguson

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He would come up against Rangers and Glasgow rivals Celtic on a regular basis during his time as Aberdeen boss and also visited Scotland in the Champions League with a star-studded Man Utd side.

Ferguson and the Red Devils didn’t have much luck on their two visits to Celtic Park, losing 1-0 in 2006 and drawing 1-1 in 2008. However, he fared better back at Ibrox with Man Utd, winning 1-0 on two occasions in 2003 and 2010.

Ferguson chooses between Celtic and Rangers for best stadium

Talking in the past in comments shared by Celtic’s official website, Ferguson chose Celtic Park as “the best” atmosphere he has experienced as a manager over Ibrox and other iconic stadiums across Europe.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was also left stunned by the Parkhead atmosphere, saying during his time at Man Utd:

“The Celtic fans are incredible. It is always great to play there.”

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has invited recently retired club legend Jerome Boateng to return as an intern as he begins his journey toward a coaching career. Kompany believes Boateng’s vast experience can provide valuable insight and guidance to the current squad. However, the former defender’s options extend beyond Bayern, as he has also contacted other coaches about potential opportunities.

• Boateng's retirement and his post retirement plans

  Former German defender Jerome Boateng announced his retirement from football last week. A 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, Boateng also lifted two Champions League titles, nine Bundesliga titles, and two UEFA Super Cups before hanging up his boots. Already holding a UEFA B coaching license, he aspires to become a head coach but knows he must first gain experience by interning with established managers. One of his options is to return to his former club Bayern Munich and work under Kompany.

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• Getty
  

  Kompany's invitation to Boateng

  When asked if he would be open to working with Boateng, Kompany replied: “Of course, I would warmly invite him to come and stay with us for a few weeks and share his experience as a top defender with us. That's so valuable. I would invite any well-intentioned Bayern legend to spend a week with us and share their experiences. Our boys still want to learn – we mustn't forget that."

  Kompany also expressed confidence in Boateng’s coaching potential: “Of course he can become a top coach if he wants to. You just have to work very hard. And if you make an effort and surround yourself with good people, which is also important, then you can always set the best example.”

  Finally, Kompany congratulated Boateng on his career, saying: “First of all, it was great to see how successful he became after our time together in Hamburg: He won two Champions League titles, a World Cup, and so many Bundesliga titles. I don't think any of us would have imagined that 20 years later we would be looking back on a career like this. I'm delighted he achieved all of this. That's why I'm very proud of him!"

• Boateng's alternate options

  Kompany's comments come after, Boateng revealed in an interview with he is yet to formally ask Kompany about working with him at Bayern, while praising his and Sandro Wagner’s transition from player to coach: “I haven't asked Vincent yet, but I will. He's a great example of how a former player became a great coach. Sandro Wagner, too. Both are authentic. I want to be that, too.”

  Boateng also made it clear that his options extend beyond Bayern and Kompany, highlighting interest in working with other coaches: “I've already spoken with Hansi. I can shadow him at FC Barcelona whenever I want. I'm really looking forward to it. I'd also like to shadow my former teammate Patrick Vieira, coach of CFC Genoa."

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  Boateng's challenges and Kompany's hope

  Boateng will assess his options carefully before making the best decision for his career. For Kompany, bringing Boateng into his backroom staff could add valuable experience, with the former defender’s wealth of knowledge serving as guidance for the squad’s backline.

Wolves’ Premier League campaign got off to a rough start after they were defeated 4-0 by Manchester City on Saturday evening.

Despite the scoreline, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira had admiration for the way his side played, saying: “We played with bravery, tried to score goals, and we had our chances to score. In the end, each time we committed a mistake they punished us with a goal.”

Wolves only had one shot on target, fewer than City, but a poor day in the office for goalkeeper Jose Sa saw him underperform his xG faced by -1.73 meaning he conceded chances that he should have saved. Sa’s performance was compounded by a defensive error from Emmanuel Agbadou that saw his misplaced pass reach City’s Oscar Bobb, who proceeded to assist Tijani Reijnders.

Agbadou’s place in the starting 11 may now be under threat as Wolves close in on a deal for a new centre-back.

Wolves' interest in Arsenal's Kiwior

Caught Offside have revealed that Wolves are one of the sides “showing interest” in signing Arsenal’s Polish defender, Jakub Kiwior.

The centre-back received a long run in the team in the back half of last season when Gabriel was injured, and during this time, his performances were labeled as “impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, possibly where his increased interest started.

The player isn’t one that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants to sell, but after already being behind William Saliba and Gabriel in the first-team pecking order and with new arrival Cristhian Mosquera also likely to start ahead of him, Kiwior is open to a move somewhere he can receive more game time.

If Wolves want to sign Kiwior, then they will face significant Premier League opposition, as both Crystal Palace and Everton are rumored to be interested. They’ll face additional competition on the continent with Serie A sides Juventus and AC Milan, as well as Portugal’s Porto.

Kiwior won’t come cheap and is valued at more than £30 million, which would make him the most expensive defender in the club’s history, ahead of Nathan Collins and Nélson Semedo.

Wolves' formation suits Kiwior's play style

While Kiwior impressed in the back half of last season, there is a reason he’s not a regular starter for Arsenal, and that is his defensive success rate.

24/25 Premier League Stats
	Success Rate	Percentile of CBs
Tackles Won	36.4%	9.3%
Duels Won	56.3%	39.2%
Aerial Duels Won	45.8%	11.3%

These stats are pretty damning for a defender. 90% of Premier League centre-backs won a higher percentage of their attempted tackles last season, and even his best defensive attribute, which is his duels, puts 60% of centre-backs ahead of him.

However, what Kiwior lacks in defensive attributes, he makes up for in his passing ability. Last season, the Polish international registered a 91.9% pass success rate, which put him in the top 15% of players. Additionally, his long ball success rate was equally impressive, with his long balls reaching their target more than half the time, which once again put him in the top 15% of players.

Reliable passing is where Wolves went wrong for the second goal they conceded against City, and having someone with Kiwior’s distribution in that back line will make mistakes like that less frequent.

Pereira’s defensive set-up will also cover for some of Kiwior’s shortcomings as the Wolves boss likes to play three centre-backs compared to Arteta, who plays two. This means that Kiwior will always have two players with him (as well as the wing-backs tucking in and midfielders dropping back) to help pick up his defensive load, allowing him to be the main distributor forward in the back three.

Based on this, when Kiwior ways up his transfer options, he may prioritise Wolves as it’s not only somewhere where he can play but where the system suits him.

Celtic hero Chris Sutton put it best when summarising the situation surrounding Adam Idah at Parkhead – “a total mess”.

A surprise late approach from Swansea City looked to have spelt the end for the Irishman’s time in Glasgow, only for the Hoops to hold fire amid the wait to acquire a replacement for manager Brendan Rodgers.

Heading into deadline day, the former Norwich City man ultimately sealed his bumper £7m switch to South Wales, bringing an end to a mixed 18-month stint in Scottish football.

Having been stung by the failure to replace Kyogo Furuhashi in January, the Celtic hierarchy had thankfully learned their lesson, with a successor to Idah already lined up months in advance.

Oh no, wait, that’s not what happened, is it? Instead, in the dying embers of the window, the Scottish champions were left scouring the free transfer market, even considering an approach for an injury-prone Patrick Bamford amid his recent Leeds exit.

As it proved, Rodgers got out the phonebook to reunite with Kelechi Iheanacho, having enjoyed a fruitful partnership with the Nigerian at Leicester City.

As for Idah, while the manner of his exit – and the search to replace him – represented a ‘total mess’, were Rodgers and co actually right to sell him?

Why Celtic had to sell Adam Idah

The caveat to this, of course, is as explained above. The Premiership giants should only have sanctioned a sale if a suitable replacement had already been lined up.

That being said, a £7m fee for a player of his ilk was undoubtedly too good to turn down, with Celtic only taking a slight hit on their initial £9m investment.

In truth, that was a fee that should never have been dished out in the first place, with the Hoops gambling on a player who had scored just 17 goals – yes 17 – in 116 games in all competitions during his time at Norwich City.

Of course, the 24-year-old’s return of nine goals in 19 games during his initial loan spell in 2024 – which included that Scottish Cup final clincher – was reason for encouragement, although the subsequent burden of a £9m fee, and the No.9 shirt, appeared to weigh too heavy.

Yes, there were high points, including his brace at Villa Park and the 20 goals in all competitions last term, yet his overall record of 29 goals in 76 games makes for disappointing reading – as too does his 19 big chances missed in the Premiership in 2024/25, as per Sofascore.

Failure to score in the early knockings of the new campaign, alongside his shoot-out miss away at Kairat, appeared to pave the way for his departure, with Celtic left to reflect on an expensive gamble that simply didn’t pay off.

At Ibrox, meanwhile, Rangers could well have secured their own Idah figure with the eye-watering £10m capture of Everton’s Youssef Chermiti, while Celtic may have to rely on a familiar face to deliver the goods this season.

How Daizen Maeda's value compares to Idah and Chermiti

If the £9m dished out on Idah raised eyebrows, then the £10m that the Gers have forked out for Chermiti appears even more headscratching, not least considering that the Portuguese striker has failed to score a single senior goal during his time with the Toffees.

As Celtic have seen in the case of the ex-Norwich man, splashing the cash on a player doesn’t always lead to success on the field, with the club’s best work having come when plucking a bargain from the market.

Matt O’Riley’s £1.5m acquisition is a perfect case in point, as too is the £1.6m fee that was forked out to make Daizen Maeda’s initial loan move a permanent deal, with few deals having proven quite so fruitful.

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It hasn’t always been plain sailing for the Japanese speedster – having been guilty of his own spot-kick miss last month – but boy has he been effective during his three-and-a-half-year stay in Glasgow.

There are few better sights in football than the 27-year-old breathing down the neck of a defender with his relentless pace, having proven himself to be a physical “machine” in recent years, in the words of his former coach at Yokohama F Marinos, John Hutchinson.

A unique talent in European football, let alone Scotland, Maeda has more than warranted his growing cult hero status at Parkhead, having taken his game to even greater heights last season.

While an at-times profligate figure in his early Celtic days, having notably missed three big chances across just six Champions League group games in 2022/23, the ex-Yokohama man is now Rodgers’ go-to man.

Maeda’s favourite Celtic opponents

Club

Games

Goals

Hibs

14

7

Hearts

12

6

Livingston

7

6

Rangers

21

5

Killie

11

5

Aberdeen

11

5

St Johnstone

10

5

Motherwell

11

4

Stats via Transfermarkt

Indeed, 2024/25 yielded a ridiculous tally of 33 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, including four goals during the club’s encouraging European run.

While only a solitary goal has followed this time around, the value of Maeda to Rodgers and to Celtic is immense. Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, he is now worth as much as €15m (£13m).

That not only eclipses the recent fees dished out for his fellow forwards Idah and Chermiti, but also the pair’s actual market values, deemed to be in the region of €6.5m (£5.5m) and €8m (£7m), respectively.

There will be much debate at Parkhead over who will take on Idah’s mantle as the starting striker, be it Iheanacho, Johnny Kenny or Shin Yamada, but in reality, if this season is to be a success, then it will be Maeda who is central to it.

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Posts 1 ByHenry Jackson Sep 3, 2025