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Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya are not in the top five on the IPL 2025 Orange Cap leaderboard yet, but are closing in on the top run-scorers of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2025

Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya dazzled at the top once again•Associated Press

Orange Cap tablePriyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who have formed such a potent opening combination for PBKS, were the only batters in action on Thursday, putting together a 122-run stand before Arya fell. The game ended immediately after that. But Prabhsimran’s unbeaten 50 from 28 balls took him up to No. 6, while Arya’s 70 in 34 balls lifted him to No. 8.Not much changed around them, with Suryakumar Yadav (MI, 510 runs), B Sai Sudharsan (GT, 509 runs), Shubman Gill (GT, 508 runs), Virat Kohli (RCB, 505 runs) and Jos Buttler (GT, 500 runs) making up the top five. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR, 473 runs) is between the two PBKS openers at No. 7.Noor Ahmad now has two four-wicket hauls in IPL 2025•BCCI

Purple Cap tableT Natarajan, playing his second match of the season for DC – both abandoned; the first, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), for rain – picked up the only wicket to fall, that of Arya.Obviously no change on the Purple Cap list then.CSK’s left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, who picked up hos second four-wicket haul on Wednesday, is level with GT’s Prasidh Krishna at the top of the Purple Cap table. Both have 20 wickets, but Prasidh retains the Purple Cap thanks to his better economy rate – (7.65 vs 8.02) and average (16.45 vs 17.25).RCB’s Josh Hazlewood is third with 18 wickets, the same as MI’s Trent Boult. Again, Hazlewood has a better economy rate and average.KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy has jumped to fifth place after his 2 for 18 against CSK. He now has 17 wickets from 12 matches now.You can also take a look at what the ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.Here are some other IPL 2025 tables. Highest batting strike rates Best bowling economy rates Most sixes Best bowling figures in a match

Rallying after a frustrating 2023/24 campaign, Newcastle United and Eddie Howe marched toward the Carabao Cup title last season, and they qualified for the Champions League too.

The new term is well underway, but the Magpies are still finding their footing after a stormy transfer window.

There is no need to panic. Newcastle have carved out a new future over the past several years, and the shift in ownership and impetus runs deeper than merely the first team. Indeed, the club’s academy is working at a faster and more efficient pace than during the Mike Ashley era, and indeed the years preceding that interminable stretch.

It would be handy to have a homegrown forward burst onto the scene, helping Anthony Gordon and co adapt to this new Alexander Isak-less world.

But that can hardly be a given, and Gordon needs to step back up to the fore.

Anthony Gordon needs to step up

Now that Isak has left for pastures new, it is time for Gordon to set things straight and rekindle the verve that led him to being named Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24, having hit double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League.

Last season yielded less fruitful returns for the England international, who only scored six times in the Premier League and lacked his previous confidence and authority, but he remains an immensely talented Premier League star, coveted by Liverpool last year and priced at £100m.

While that early-season defeat against the Reds in August put a dampener on Gordon’s resurgence, he bounced back with a consolation strike against Barcelona last week, and the 24-year-old will now look to build himself back to his former level.

Anthony Gordon – Premier League Comparison

Stats (* per game)

23/24

24/25

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

26 (25)

Goals

11

6

Assists

10

5

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

2.1 (0.7)

Big chances missed

9

10

Pass completion

82%

80%

Big chances created

16

6

Key passes*

1.6

1.9

Dribble (success)*

1.5 (49%)

1.3 (45%)

Ball recoveries*

3.6

3.4

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.3

Total duels (won)*

5.3 (49%)

4.8 (51%)

Stats via Sofascore

Gordon is a high-class winger, and he’s bolstered by a range of talented Newcastle stars. However, Howe is sure to hope that one of the club’s most promising youngsters quickly breaks the surface, having already been compared with one Lamine Yamal.

Newcastle's own Lamine Yamal

Newcastle can expect academy stars to emulate the likes of Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley in wedging their way into the Toon first team, but they need the first-teamers to maintain a high level so as to ease them into the fray.

That’s why the understated addition of Vakhtang Salia could prove such an excellent piece of business for the Toon, with the Georgia U21 international having completed his move from Dinamo Tbilisi to Newcastle at the end of August, a year after a deal was agreed to sign the teenager.

Said to be “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, Salia is powerful and agile and endowed with sharp pace when on the ball. His tactical dynamism lends itself to a range of different attacking berths.

Sadly, Howe and co will have to wait to see how the prospect settles into life in England since he has picked up a small hamstring injury before making his bow for the U21s.

It’s frustrating, but those in the know claim that it will be worth the wait, with Salia boasting a skillset that could see him rival the most talented youngsters in the Premier League.

There’s even a sense that Salia might have a bit of Yamal about him; only a few weeks ahead of his 18th birthday, the tricky forward is settling into his new life on Tyneside and brings a potent attacking threat, having scored eight goals and supplied four assists for Dinamo’s senior side.

Yamal will be dejected and perhaps even a touch aggrieved that his name was not etched onto the plaque, but Ousmane Dembele was a worthy winner after leading Paris Saint-Germain to a historic quadruple, winning their maiden Champions League title.

It is probably worth stressing that we are not advocating Salia’s talent to lie at the same level as Yamal’s, but there are undeniable similarities in the versatile forwards’ respective styles of play.

Salia, silky and dangerous when advancing, has quite naturally been likened to his world-class countryman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but one Barcelona analyst actually believes it is indeed Yamal who is more aptly comparable, remarking that the Georgian is “of a similar profile” to the prodigious Spaniard.

Ballon d’Or runner-up Yamal is one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents since Lionel Messi broke onto the scene way back when. He is that good.

A relentless, oft-unstoppable dribbler with an eye for flair and a natural clinical edge, Yamal has been described as “the best player in the world” by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer earlier in 2025.

To expect Salia to emulate him at St. James’ Park would be foolish indeed, but if Howe can manufacture a player of comparable athleticism and energy and approach play, it would be quite something.

This may feel like overblown praise, but United battled tooth and nail against some of Europe’s biggest hitters to sign this rising star, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich both registering interest of their own before Newcastle secured his signature.

Hailed as an “elite talent” by Hungarian journalist Bence Bocsak, Salia has so much potential, and he’s in the right place to realise those natural qualities. However, for now, we must wait.

Everything suggests it will be worth it for those of a Newcastle persuasion, though.

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RR’s head coach has also praised Parag’s calmness and decision-making as stand-in captain

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2025

The match against CSK is Riyan Parag’s final opportunity this season to play in front of his home crowd in Guwahati•Associated Press

After being assigned the finisher’s role in his first five seasons, Riyan Parag enjoyed a breakthrough tournament in IPL 2024, batting at No. 4 and topping the run chart for Rajasthan Royals (RR) during their run to the playoffs.This year, Parag has earned another promotion, up to No. 3, as RR look to maximise the ability of someone that head coach Rahul Dravid has called “one of our best batters”. Parag has scores of 4 and 25 in RR’s first two games of IPL 2025. On Sunday, against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he’ll have one last opportunity to get a big score on his home ground – it’s Guwahati’s final match of the season.”That’s the right word to use, that he’s promoted,” Dravid said. “Look, Riyan is one of our best batters, let’s be honest. And we want to give him as many balls as we possibly can. Twenty overs is a very short time and the more balls Riyan Parag bats for us, the better it is for us as a team.”Related

RR seek first win in Guwahati's last game against struggling CSK

Dravid, however, didn’t rule out the prospect of RR being flexible if they need to be. “But of course, these things we’ll keep looking at, we’ll keep assessing, we’ll keep seeing how it goes. And yeah, we know that Riyan has done really well at No. 4, so it gives us an option.”But honestly, the move to No. 3 was a positive move to try and give him more time to bat. And we know how destructive a player he is and if he gets more time, then he can score more runs and that can benefit the team. So that was the thinking, but we can always assess that, and we can always see how it’s going. And I think he’s quite comfortable, he’s more than capable of batting at any position.”Apart from being a key batter, Parag is also standing in for regular captain Sanju Samson, who is yet to fully recover from a finger injury. That has meant Samson’s participation has been limited to batting as an impact sub, with Parag taking over the captaincy. The start has been challenging, with RR losing their first two games, but Dravid only has words of encouragement for 23-year-old Parag, whom he had coached at the India Under-19s when Parag was just 16, in 2017.”I think he’s adapted really well,” Dravid said. “It’s not easy to captain when the team [Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)] is scoring 280 runs on a flat wicket. The first game is probably a tough game to be a captain. But I think the calmness that he showed and the fact that it didn’t seem like our team was panicking was really good.”Even in the game against KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders], his brave decision to bring himself on [with the ball], realising that the wicket was turning, with two left-handers batting, to bowl the fifth over in the powerplay, was a brave decision and a correct decision. So I think he’s been very impressive. As a captain, it’s nice for him to get this opportunity till Sanju is able to field again. And he’s sharing his thoughts and his ideas. Very clear. He’s very solid in that sense.”So, yeah, very impressive early days. And it’s very nice for us as, again, a team that’s looking to develop people and players. Of course, it’s unfortunate that Sanju was not able to captain and play for us. But I think in a way it’s nice that we were able to give Riyan, our vice-captain, a chance to captain in a few games and give him that exposure and experience as well.”Rahul Dravid isn’t worried about RR’s batting depth, with Jofra Archer batting at No. 9•BCCI

RR have looked slightly undercooked with the bat so far. They have adopted the unique approach – which brought them moderate success last year too – of picking only six genuine batters even while batting first, unlike most teams who tend to play an extra batter. One of the reasons for this could be that RR don’t have an out-and-out frontline allrounder. But Dravid doesn’t believe that is a concern.”A lot of it in these situations now, with the Impact Player, you actually do get your bowling and batting options with the 12 players,” he said. “To be honest, if you look at our last game, we were able to play seven bowling options. We actually had seven bowling options in the playing XI, so we covered in that department.”With the batting as well, I think we were able to extend our batting using [Wanindu] Hasaranga right up to No. 8, Shimron [Hetmyer] came at eight and then we had Jofra [Archer] bat at No. 9. So, I think there’s enough depth. The role with the Impact Players, I think the role of the allrounder now is really diminished.”Of course, if you have one, it’s great, but I don’t think it’s as much a necessity as it probably used to be in the past. And that is reflected in the way a lot of teams set up their combinations as well.”

كشف ستيف باريش، رئيس نادي كريستال بالاس، سبب تمسكه بمدافع الفريق مارك جويهي هذا الصيف، بعد فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول في اللحظات الأخيرة.

وكان المدافع الإنجليزي الدولي على وشك التوقيع مع ليفربول في اليوم الأخير من سوق الانتقالات، قبل أن يتم إلغاء العرض.

ويتبقى لجويهي مدافع كريستال بالاس، عام واحد في عقده في ملعب سيلهرست بارك، ومن المتوقع أن يغادر صفوف النادي عند النهائي.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ليفربول يقتحم سباق التعاقد مع صفقة مميزة من يوفنتوس

وذكر باريش رئيس كريستال بالاس لشبكة “talkSPORT” سبب الإبقاء على جويهي في موسمه الأخير، ورفض الحصول على مبلغ مالي قبل عام من انتهاء عقده.

وقال باريش: “إنه قرار صعب، الأمور ليست واضحة المعالم، لقد تلقيت نصائح وما اعتقدته في النهاية أننا سنقدم موسمًا أفضل إذا احتفظنا بجويهي”.

وأضاف: “لا نعتمد على التخمين في هذه الأمور، إذا نظرنا للأمر بعقلانية، وإذا نظرنا لقيمة المركز الذي نحتله في الدوري الإنجليزي، وحقيقة مشاركتنا في دوري المؤتمرات لأول مرة في تاريخنا، فهذه ظروف غير عادية للاحتفاظ باللاعب”.

وواصل: “لو كنا ننافس على المركز العاشر والرابع عشر ولو كان هذا هو الفارق بين الاحتفاظ بجويهي والتخلي عنه، لربما قلنا يجب أن نأخذ المال”.

Leeds United are ready to permanently sell a member of Daniel Farke’s first-team squad in the final days of the summer transfer window.

Leeds make James Justin 10th summer signing

The Whites have been busy following their return to the Premier League and have now spent more than £100m on new signings.

Noah Okafor

AC Milan

£18m

Anton Stach

Hoffenheim

£17.4m

Jaka Bijol

Udinese

£15m

Lucas Perri

Lyon

£13.9m

Sean Longstaff

Newcastle

£12m

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Lille

£10m

James Justin

Leicester City

£10m

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Wolfsburg

£5m

Lukas Nmecha

Wolfsburg

Free

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton

Free

The latest player to arrive was versatile full-back James Justin, who signed a four-year deal in Yorkshire after suffering relegation with Leicester City last season.

Despite having less than 12 months left on his deal, Leeds forked out £10m for Justin, who said after signing for the Whites:

“Obviously to join a club of this size and to have the history it has had, and being back in the Premier League was a massive thing for me, so I’m over the moon to have joined.

“It’s been a while since I’ve known of the interest, but obviously I was still a Leicester player, so I had to give my all for Leicester whilst I was there. That’s something obviously that you can expect from me when I put on a Leeds shirt, is to give my all when I’m on the pitch. But for it to finally have happened, it’s taken a weight off my shoulders for sure.

“Everyone that I’ve spoken to about the club and the area has had great things to say about it. So I’m excited to join the lads and get to work.”

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Further incomings and outgoings are expected at Thorp Arch before the September 1 deadline, with winner Largie Ramazani on course to head to Valencia on a season-long loan.

The 49ers Enterprises are searching for more attacking additions, but after signing Justin, a current Leeds defender could be about to wave goodbye to Elland Road for good.

Leeds ready to sell £3m Isaac Schmidt after signing Justin

According to reliable reporter Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Leeds are now in talks to sell Isaac Schmidt to German side Werder Bremen on a permanent basis.

Signed for £2.5m from Swiss side FC St Gallen last season, Schmidt could now depart for a profit, with the 49ers in line to receive £3m.

Farke, who used Schmidt in pre-season while Jayden Bogle was out injured, praised the full-back last season, admitting he was “impressed” with the Switzerland international.

“I’m not surprised — he’s played in several different positions. What I like about Isaac is lots of competition, Firpo is playing outstanding, Bogle the same. It’s a joke that Byram who has good points per game doesn’t play. It’s tough for Isaac. He came after not playing in English football. He needed to adapt but longer with us longer he impressed. I like his attitude.”

However, with regular football not on offer for Schmidt in England ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a permanent move away seems to be best for all involved, especially following Justin’s arrival.

Son Heung-Min shared his experience participating in LAFC's player-run fantasy football league despite his complete unfamiliarity with American football. The South Korean superstar admitted virtually no understanding of the sport or its fantasy counterpart.

Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

The South Korean forward, who joined the club in early August, explained how his American teammates insisted he join their league. Despite his confusion, Son's teammates have embraced his participation, with several players reportedly offering contradictory advice to further complicate his fantasy decision-making process.

“That’s a great question,” Son told . “I’m in the fantasy league, so we’re competing, but still, I have no idea what’s going on. But I’m still fond of it, I think it’s great to have a social life with the teammates, it’s a great idea to and they invite me, and obviously I’ve enjoyed every single moment talking with the players.

“And obviously, Aaron [Long] and Ryan [Hollingshead] are sending us some bad trades, they tried something bad on me, but I was strong, I stuck with my team.”

AdvertisementOn his first pitch at a Dodgers game

The former Tottenham superstar was also asked whether he was more nervous for his MLS debut with LAFC or throwing out the first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I think it’s an easy answer, the Dodgers," Son explained. "The first pitch was, oh my god. I was so nervous that I think it’s one of the most I’ve been. I was so nervous, but yeah, I mean here now to play soccer, I mean football, so now I can concentrate.”

The race for the playoffs

currently sit in fifth place on the Western Conference table after 27 league games following their 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. They sit 12 points behind conference leaders San Diego FC but are only five points behind third-place Vancouver Whitecaps.

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Getty Images SportA tough road ahead

Following their win over the San Jose Earthquakes, LAFC face back-to-back games against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 21 and Sept. 27, which is followed by a home game against Atlanta United on Oct. 5.

Turning their attention towards a future star, West Ham United are now reportedly racing Manchester United to sign an 18-year-old forward this summer.

West Ham launch Callum Wilson offer

Whether it’s young talent like Daniel Cummings or those more experienced, the Hammers are seemingly looking to reinforce their frontline this summer. The latest target would certainly be an ideal addition too. According to recent reports, West Ham have submitted an opening offer to Callum Wilson, who is currently a free agent after leaving Newcastle United.

Whether the experienced forward accepts the offer, which includes a minimal salary with a goal and appearance bonus, remains the big question. Wilson reportedly rejected a similar offer from Newcastle, so it does seem unlikely that he would change his demands for West Ham this summer.

Of course, the free agent market is one that West Ham have already dipped into this summer to welcome Kyle Walker-Peters. The right-back recently arrived to become their third signing following Cummings and El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The former Southampton man instantly expressed his delight after putting pen to paper, saying: “I’m really excited. It feels like it has been a long-time coming – I’ve been linked with a move to the Club in the past – and I’m just happy to be here now.

“I spoke to Graham Potter and he was a big, big part of me making the decision. I’ve always liked his style as a coach, and I think it will suit me well. He spoke about the family feel at the Club, and that’s what I’m all about. I’d like to think I’m going to be a good fit for West Ham United.

Now, however, it seems as though those at the London Stadium are ready to spend again in pursuit of adding another attacking addition to Graham Potter’s side.

West Ham racing to sign Idrissa Gueye

According to L’Equipe, West Ham are now racing to sign Idrissa Gueye ahead of Manchester United this summer. Not to be confused with his Everton namesake, the 18-year-old striker is attracting plenty of attention, with a battle forming between West Ham, Man United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Italian side Parma for his signature.

It won’t come cheap, however. Ligue 1 side Metz reportedly value their young striker at as much as €20m (£17m) ahead of their return to France’s top flight and it remains to be seen whether West Ham and others will be willing to match that price.

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Mentioned in an “exciting crop of talent” at Senegal by analyst Ben Mattinson, Gueye is unlikely to make an instant impact given his tender age, but he is one for the future.

Having shown glimpses of his quality at Metz last season – scoring five Ligue 2 goals – the teenager could now be on his way to the Premier League.

Sunderland have made an initial £13m bid to sign a “goal machine”, with those at the Stadium of Light wanting a transfer done as soon as possible.

Le Bris makes Sunderland transfer comments after Hearts defeat

Regis Le Bris and his new-look Sunderland side suffered a 3-0 pre-season defeat in Scotland against Hearts on Saturday. New big-money signings Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and Habib Diarra all featured at Tynecastle, with the new Premier League season just around the corner.

He'd be amazing with Xhaka: Sunderland pursuing "incredible" Isak-esque gem

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Talking after the loss to Hearts, Le Bris spoke to the media and was asked for the latest on potential signings following rumours of a move to sign Granit Xhaka. The manager admitted the club “have to reinforce this squad to be stronger” and described the window as “unpredictable”.

A new centre-forward to rival Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor appears to be on the to-do list, with Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia of interest. Now, a new update has emerged regarding a deal with those at the Bernabeu.

Sunderland make £13m bid to sign Gonzalo Garcia

According to reports in Spain, Sunderland have now submitted an offer to sign Garcia from Real Madrid worth an initial €15m (£13m).

The total package includes another €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons and a 30% sell-on clause, with the Black Cats wanting ‘to close the deal quickly’. Alongside the bid, Sunderland are also giving Real Madrid the chance to re-sign Garcia for €30m between now and 2027, should the Spanish giants give the green light to the proposal.

Garcia recently starred at the Club World Cup, scoring four goals and providing one assist in six games for Real in the USA, being dubbed a “goal machine” in “monstrous” form in the media.

The 21-year-old is capable of playing anywhere across the front three and has broken through into Madrid’s first team after starring for Real Castilla.

A move looks like it could be one to keep an eye on following Sunderland’s bid, especially with the buy-back clause, sell-on clause and add-ons.

In what would be quite the move, Everton are now reportedly plotting a late hijack to sign an Argentina international ahead of Crystal Palace, having already held talks.

Moyes "will relish" transfer control

Following Kevin Thelwell’s move to become Rangers’ new sporting director, Everton are yet to appoint a replacement and that could yet leave David Moyes pulling the strings on the transfer front. That’s at least according to Keith Wyness, who worked closely with the manager during his first stint at the club as CEO.

Wynnes told Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast: “I’m still concerned about the recruitment team. We still haven’t got the whole team in place, and Thelwell and Purdy have moved on.

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“But in a funny way, this will play right into Moyes’s hands. Having worked with him for so many years, I know he will relish the ability to have control over most of the signings and he does know what he’s doing.

“There’s no doubt about it, he understands players. But the thing is, with the demands of a modern-day manager, does he have the time he used to, to be able to go out and see those players? He loves to do it.”

Whether Moyes’ role is a help or hindrance for the Toffees remains to be seen, but it certainly hasn’t stopped recent rumours from arriving. Everton have been linked with moves for the likes of Jack Grealish and Vladimir Coufal in recent weeks in two deals that would hand those in Merseyside an ideal start to their summer business.

Coufal would particularly make sense given that he worked so well under Moyes during their time together at West Ham United. Now a free agent, Everton could make their move and add vital depth to their side.

It’s in Merseyside that Coufal could also be joined by an Argentina international, as Everton look to launch a last-gasp move to sign an experienced shot-stopper ahead of Crystal Palace.

Everton plotting late Benitez hijack

Whilst the last Benitez didn’t enjoy the best spell in the blue half of Merseyside, it could be second time lucky for the Toffees. According to Eindhovens Dagblad, as relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have now held talks in an attempt to sign Walter Benitez ahead of Crystal Palace, who have held a meeting in London with the goalkeeper.

A free agent after leaving PSV Eindhoven at the end of the season, Benitez has quite the decision to make this summer. Although he is unlikely to have a starting role at his next club now that he is 32 years old, there’s no doubt that the Argentine still has a wealth of experience to offer.

Everton could certainly do with a backup for Jordan Pickford too. As things stand, both Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia are set to depart at the end of their current deals this month, opening the door for another shot-stopper to arrive.

As backups go, signing a player who is still part of Argentina’s plans wouldn’t exactly be a bad piece of business by all involved at Everton, having earned his first cap last year.

Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed another successful season in charge of Celtic, and it could get even better if his side wins the SFA Cup final later this month.

The Hoops travel to Hampden Park to take on Aberdeen at the national stadium with the chance to secure a domestic treble, having already won the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup.

Rodgers led the team to the SFA Cup trophy and the Premiership title in his first season back at Parkhead in the 2023/24 campaign, as he came in to replace Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2023.

It has been an incredibly successful return to the club for the Northern Irish head coach, whose team won the title with a 5-0 win over Dundee United at the end of last month, and he has had to make some ruthless decisions along the way.

Rodgers is not afraid to make bold or unpopular decisions if he thinks it is the best for the team, and one example of that has been his use of central defender Maik Nawrocki this season.

Why Maik Nawrocki has not been playing for Celtic

The Polish centre-back did not make a single appearance in the Champions League campaign and has only played two matches in the Premiership to date.

He was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw with Rangers at Ibrox last time out, which is the 28th time that has happened to the defender in the current term. This shows that he has rarely been used by Rodgers despite being available for the entire season.

Nawrocki could not do much more to earn more minutes in the first-team, though, because he took his chances when they came his way against Rangers and Hearts last month.

Due to injuries to Liam Scales, Dane Murray, and Auston Trusty, the former Legia Warsaw star was named in the starting XI for the first time in the campaign against the Gers, and did enough to keep his place against Hearts in the following Premiership match.

Maik Nawrocki	Vs Rangers	Vs Hearts
Minutes	90	90
Clearances	7	9
Blocks	0	3
Tackles + interceptions	5	1
Duels won	7/10	8/9
Dribbled past	0x	0x
Pass accuracy	93%	98%
Error led to shot/goal	0	0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Nawrocki put in two outstanding performances at centre-back, as he was incredibly reliable on the ball and dominant defensively, with plenty of defensive actions and impressive duel success rates.

However, the 24-year-old colossus has not played a minute of football in any competition since the full-time whilst went in the 3-0 win over Hearts, and Rodgers has explained why that has been the case.

The Celtic boss explained: “I do always prefer where I can a left-footed centre-half on that side, in all honesty because that allows you to get through the pitch quicker and have more speed playing forward.”

Nawrocki is, of course, right-footed and this has led to Scales and Trusty starting every game since that win over Hearts, as one or both of them have been fit and available since then.

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It now remains to be seen what will happen to the Polish defender in the upcoming summer transfer window, because it seems unlikely that he will be happy with just two league appearances all season.

Whilst Nawrocki is one player who could push to move on from Parkhead of his own volition, there is a player who has played even fewer minutes than the defender who should be moved on by the club – Scott Bain.

Why Celtic should move on from Scott Bain

The 33-year-old goalkeeper has been on the bench in recent weeks, with Viljami Sinisalo deputising for Kasper Schmeichel, but has not played a single minute in any competition this season.

Bain reportedly earns £7.6k-per-week at Parkhead, which is more than Hyun-jun Yang (£6k), Liam Scales (£5k), and Sinisalo (£2.5k), yet has played fewer minutes than Nawrocki in all competitions, as he has not played any at all, domestically or in Europe.

Herald Scotland recently reported that Aberdeen shot-stopper Ross Doohan, who is out of contract this summer, is being considered as a target for the Hoops, as Bain is entering the final 12 months of his deal and could look to move elsewhere.

The 27-year-old ace is reportedly on a weekly wage of £2.7k, which is less than the current Celtic third-choice currently earns, and that means that this switch in goalkeepers could save the Hoops thousands per week, potentially freeing up wages to be used in other areas of the squad.

Doohan could arrive as a cheaper third-choice option for the Scottish giants than Bain, who is earning more than several first-team stars who play regulars, as aforementioned, whilst he has not made an appearance for the club since last season.

The 33-year-old flop played three times in the 2023/24 campaign and pundit Frank McAvennie criticised the goalkeeper, telling Football Insider that having him as an option is “not good enough” for the Hoops.

Scott Bain’s Celtic career
Premiership season	Games played	Goals conceded
24/25	0	0
23/24	3	1
22/23	1	4
21/22	2	2
20/21	18	18
19/20	2	2
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Bain has only played five league games since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, conceding seven goals in those five matches, and has not played at all this term.

This does not suggest that he has done enough for the club to justify keeping him at Parkhead on more wages than the likes of Yang, Sinisalo, and Scales, who contribute to the team on the pitch, which is why they should ruthlessly ditch him from the squad this summer.

Selling Bain, if there is enough interest in his services from elsewhere, and replacing him with Doohan, who has played 15 league games this season and earns less money per week, could be a shrewd move by the club.

It is now down to Rodgers to be ruthless once again by brutally ditching the veteran goalkeeper from the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window, whilst landing the Aberdeen stopper on a free transfer.

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By
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May 8, 2025