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Chelsea sought to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch when they splashed out £30m to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town in the summer transfer window.

The England U21 international scored 12 goals in the Premier League for the Tractor Boys in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, and seemed to be an exciting addition to Enzo Maresca’s squad.

Unfortunately, as shown in the graphic above, Delap has flopped for the Blues since his big-money move to Stamford Bridge, with no goal contributions so far.

The 22-year-old centre-forward is yet to prove that he has what it takes to lead the line as the main number nine for a team that is competing at the top end of the Premier League.

Chelsea eyeing move for new number nine

It is interesting, therefore, that a fresh report has emerged suggesting that the club are interested in adding another striker to their squad next month.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football365, Chelsea have sent scouts to watch Bologna centre-forward Santiago Castro ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that the Blues are one of a number of Premier League sides keeping tabs on the 21-year-old striker, with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa also keen on the attacker.

It adds that Chelsea have already made contact with the Bologna star’s representatives to discuss a possible deal, in hope of laying the groundwork for a move to be officially completed in January.

Gazzetta dello Sport also reveals that the Serie A side want a fee of up to £44m to let go of their centre-forward, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues are prepared to pay that price.

Why Chelsea should sign Santiago Castro

The Club World Cup champions should push to get a deal over the line for Castro when the January transfer window officially opens for business because he could come in as a perfect replacement for Delap.

As aforementioned, it is not working out for the Englishman at Stamford Bridge and bringing in a new striker could allow the club to send the 22-year-old out on loan for the second half of the campaign, in the hope that he can regain his confidence in front of goal.

Whilst Delap has struggled in the 2025/26 campaign, Castro has caught the eye with his performances for Bologna in Italy, scoring a late winner in the Coppa Italia just a few weeks ago, as shown in the clip below.

The 21-year-old marksman, who is a year younger than Delap, has outperformed the Chelsea number nine at league level with his performances in the Serie A for Bologna so far this term.

25/26 season

Delap (Premier League)

Castro (Serie A)

Appearances

9

14

xG

0.82

2.78

Goals

0

4

Goals per game

0.0

0.3

Big chances created

0

2

Assists

0

1

Duels won per game

2.3

3.0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Argentine starlet has been directly involved in five goals in the Serie A, whilst outperforming his xG by 1.22 in 14 appearances.

Castro was described as a “complete no.9” and a “constant threat” by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson at the time of his move to Bologna, which is backed up by his statistics in the Italian top-flight since the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Last season, per Sofascore, the £44m-rated talent scored eight goals from 7.63 xG and provided four assists, whilst he won 3.5 duels per game for his side.

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These statistics show that he has the quality to finish chances at an efficient rate, outperforming his xG this season and last term, on top of being a creator for his teammates and a strong duel winner in the centre-forward position.

Whether or not he can translate those performances over to the Premier League remains to be seen, but his output in a Bologna shirt at the age of 21 suggests that he is an exciting and promising young number nine who could be an excellent addition to the squad.

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And, based on their respesctive statistics at league level in the 2025/26 campaign, Castro could come in as a perfect replacement for Delap, who could be sent out on loan as a result of a new striker coming through the door next month.

Manchester United have been stepping up their search for the next manager to take charge at Old Trafford, and now information has emerged on the potential appointment of the leading favourite Erik Ten Hag.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist Angelo Mangiante has given a fresh update on Manchester United’s progression with Ajax boss ten Hag, Tweeting to his followers:

“Erik ten Hag is now very close and he still leading the race to become the new Manchester United manager. For sure, he wants a final answer from Manchester United as soon as possible. In any case, compensation for Erik ten Hag is not an issue for Manchester United.”

Supporters will love it

Ten Hag has been a clear favourite amongst Manchester United fans ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked back in November, so the news that the club may finally be close to sealing the deal with the 52-year-old manager will be a huge relief for the long-suffering Man United fans and they will surely love it.

There was concern that the Dutch coach could be snapped up by another club with speculation of interest from two other European sides who want to also hire him this summer, but if Mangiante’s statement is true then surely it will now be only a matter of time before he is announced by the club as the new manager to take the reins at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has been successfully managing his current side, Ajax, after leading them to a Champions League semi-final in 2019 and then going on to win two Dutch league titles and three Dutch domestic cups with his squad, and fans will be hoping he can inject this winning mentality back into their team over in Manchester so that they can return to consistent trophy winning.

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As Ralf Rangnick discussed following the draw with Leicester City, there is still a huge amount of work to be done at Manchester United over the next few seasons and the interim boss revealed it could take “two to three transfer windows” to catch up with Liverpool, but with ten Hag, that timeframe could well be lessened.

In other news: Man Utd now dealt huge new manager setback, supporters will be furious

Scorecard

Chris Gayle scored 49 as Jamaica eased to a six-wicket victory over Barbados © AFP

Former Queensland allrounder Brendan Nash turned in a fine performance with both bat and ball to help Jamaica coast to a six-wicket victory over Barbados in their final Zone A league match of the KFC Cup. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals but Jamaica topped the table as a result of this victory.Nash bowled a miserly spell of 10-2-11-1 and Jerome Taylor took three wickets as Barbados were restricted to 170. Even that modest total was reached because of a 34-run stand for the tenth wicket. After a brisk start, the scoring-rate fell as the batsmen struggled on a pitch which was not conducive to strokeplay with Kirk Edwards facing 70 balls to make 17.In reply, Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment early but the rest of the batsmen played handy knocks to help overhaul the target with seven overs to spare. Chris Gayle, the captain, top scored with 49. Shawn Findlay chipped in with 39 while Nash remained not out on 36 as Jamaica maintained it’s unbeaten streak in this year’s tournament.Barbados coach Henry Springer blamed the batting for the loss. “It was a lack of situation awareness. Our batsmen need to understand what situation they find themselves in and to be able to deal with it,” he told the
ScorecardIn a match between two teams who had no chance of progressing further in the tournament, Leewards Islands rode on a solid all-round performance from Omari Banks to beat West Indies Under-19s by five wickets.Despite some wayward bowling from Leewards Islands, who gave away 28 extras including 19 wides, the Under-19s could only manage 159. Banks bowled a tight spell of 2 for 18 in his ten overs while offspinner Chaka Hodge took three lower-order wickets to keep the Under-19s in check. Opener Chesney Hughes top scored with 31 while no other batsman passed the 25-run mark.In reply, Leewards Islands started shakily as fast bowler Jason Dawes took three wickets to reduce them to 40 for 3. Spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs bowled economically giving away just 35 runs in their 20 overs to make the Leewards Islands’ batsmen work hard for their victory. Banks, who batted with a runner because of a hamstring injury, remained unbeaten on 55 while Steve Liburd and Tonito Willett played useful knocks to ensure the target was reached with two overs to spare.The result was a consolatory win for the Leewards Islands and means that the Under-19s are the only team to have not picked up a point during the tournament.

Glenn McGrath stood tall at Brisbane, but he was also upset by a minor heel injury © Getty Images

Australia have thrown out the possibility of using two spinners and asked for fast-bowling reinforcements as they search for a 2-0 Ashes lead in Adelaide from Friday. The national selectors met over two days to consider their options following Shane Watson’s second consecutive withdrawal with a hamstring injury and Shaun Tait joined Mitchell Johnson in the 13-man squad.Tait was part of the outfit before leaving Brisbane ahead of the first Test, which Australia won by 277 runs at the Gabba, and Johnson was released for Pura Cup duty when a seam attack of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark was preferred. McGrath and Clark excelled with seven wickets each, but the expanded squad indicates the selectors are concerned with McGrath’s bruised heel.McGrath had a pain-killing injection in his left foot on Sunday and returned 1 for 53 to follow his 6 for 50 that rocked England’s first innings. Lee was the most disappointing of the trio, but he is unlikely to be overlooked after one below-par performance and the option of a five-man frontline attack disappeared with Watson’s slow recovery.Shane Warne is currently irreplaceable, especially on a surface in which he has 25 wickets from his past four Tests, and only an injury or doubts over fitness can realistically provide an opening for Tait or Johnson. Stuart MacGill tipped yesterday that he would miss the squad and his hunch was correct.”The possibility of using two specialist spinners continues to be discussed,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “That decision is made more difficult while Watson is unfit, but it will be reviewed depending on the particular conditions we will face at each venue.” There is a chance Watson and MacGill could be required in Perth for the third game following the WACA’s transformation from a fast-bowling haven to a batsman-dominated arena.Michael Clarke retained his spot at No. 6 following his 56 in the first innings at Brisbane and his left-arm spin will be a handy asset during the second Test. “I’ve been ultra-impressed with the way Clarke’s gone about his cricket over the last 12 to 18 months,” Ricky Ponting said after the victory. “He’s extremely hungry and he’s trained hard and he’s worked on his technique for the longer form of the game. It’s great to see him play well.”Australia squad Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

With 101 wickets, Glenn McGrath is now the highest Australian wicket-taker against the West Indies © Getty Images

The incomparable Glenn McGrath homed in at regular intervals, and despite a chancy innings of great character from Devon Smith, West Indies were staring at a considerable first-innings deficit by stumps on the second day at the Gabba. When play ended 45 minutes past the scheduled close, they were 6 for 182, still 253 in arrears, with McGrath having scalped 4 for 54.Having defied the Australians for four hours and 175 balls, Smith was finally undone by McGrath going round the wicket, and he stared in bemusement at his tormentor as he walked back to the pavilion. There had been some handsome drives through cover and point early in his innings, especially against a lightning quick but erratic Brett Lee, but Smith was frequently clueless against Shane Warne getting the ball to spin like a top out of the rough.Having just about survived a stumping chance off a slider, and then seen Ricky Ponting put down a tough chance at silly point, Smith was still alert enough to take full toll of the chances that came his way. After being clunked on the helmet by a ferociously fast (151.3 kmph) bouncer from Lee, he added 60 with Brian Lara – the victim of a very ordinary umpiring decision – and then went on to see Warne and McGrath squeeze the life out of the West Indian innings.Earlier, both Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan had looked in ominously good touch, but McGrath eventually wore both down with his patented line of attack outside off stump. Sarwan’s dismissal was especially important given that he and Smith had been motoring along at close to six an over after giving Lee a real pasting. But once Nathan Bracken helped stemmed the run flow, and Warne came on to display his inimitable wares, it was backs-to-the-wall time.Lara was circumspect rather than dashing until a full-length delivery from Lee trapped him on the crease, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul attempted to hit his way out of stroke-less quicksand. Most unfortunate was Marlon Samuels, who had scored 257 against Queensland in the warm-up game. Having started with a peachy drive through the covers off McGrath, he perished to a ball that could only be described as perfect.In truth, it had always seemed a question of when, rather than if, the West Indies would crumble, especially once Australia’s tail wrested the momentum by refusing to subside in the morning session. After rain had caused a half-hour delay, both Warne and Lee were jittery against the second new ball, but a combination of luck and stout defence kept Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore at bay.When the bowlers strayed, they were usually made to pay, and a Lee straight-drive off a Collymore full-toss set the tone for what was to follow. Warne, who had edged, driven and glanced his way to 47, finally succumbed to Daren Powell’s first ball of the day, but by then the partnership was worth 75. And if West Indies assumed that Warne’s exit meant the end was nigh, they were swiftly set right by Bracken, who started by pulling Powell for four, and then dismissively thumped Collymore over extra-cover.The odd delivery continued to zip past the outside edge or swaying helmet, but as both men grew in confidence, the scoreboard started to tick over. Lee unveiled a sumptuous on-drive off a Powell half-volley and after a vociferous leg-before appeal was turned down, he slashed one over the slips for four more.Bracken wasn’t idle either, getting some beefy blows in, but the definitive shot of the morning was left to Lee, a monster hit over midwicket that resulted in the ball being lost. Powell, who had earlier had Bracken snick a no-ball behind the stumps, had his revenge with the replacement ball, but as Lee walked off to a standing ovation, West Indies were left to ponder a morning session where the best-laid plans had gone awry. And in would get no better, with McGrath – who now has 101 wickets against West Indies alone – intent on proving just why he’s been in a fast-bowling league of his own for so very long.

AustraliaShane Warne c Ramdin b Powell 47 (8 for 369)
Beaten by away movement, edged behindBrett Lee c Collymore b Powell 47 (9 for 417)
Mistimed pull caught over his head at mid-onNathan Bracken c Sarwan b Edwards 37 (435 all out)
Hint of away movement, edged drive well caught at second slipWest IndiesChris Gayle c Gilchrist b McGrath 10 (1 for 21)
Big flail results only in a thin edge behind the stumps Ramnaresh Sarwan c Gilchrist b McGrath 21 (2 for 74)
Drawn into a tentative prod, and a thin edge behindBrian Lara lbw Lee 30 (3 for 134)
Struck on the back pad by Lee bowling round the wicket. The angle would most likely have taken the ball past leg stumpShivnarine Chanderpaul c Bracken b Warne 2 (4 for 149)
Mistimed a pull to a short ball, brilliant caught on the dive inches from the ground at wide mid-on Marlon Samuels c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 (5 for 161)
Edged a perfectly pitched leg-cutterDevon Smith b McGrath 88 (6 for 174)
Shouldered arms to a round-the-wicket delivery that shaped back a touch

Sourav Ganguly batting during Saturday’s one-dayer© Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly has appealed to the International Cricket Council against the two-Test ban handed down to him on Sunday. Ganguly was suspended because of India’s slow over-rates during Saturday’s one-day international against Pakistan. It was his second such transgression within the year, which meant that he was automatically liable for suspension. If the punishment is upheld, he will miss both Tests against South Africa.The ICC said that it would name the members of the commission which will hear the case within the next 24 hours, and that they would then have seven days to hear and determine the appeal. The statement added: “Should this appeal not be finalised before the start of the India’s first Test against South Africa on November 20 2004, Ganguly would be able to compete in the match.”While Ganguly was within his rights to appeal within 24 hours of the judgement, the move meant that the uncertainty over captaincy would continue. Rahul Dravid was made captain after Sourav Ganguly pulled out due to an injury 40 minutes before the start of the third Test against Australia. It was a move that was questioned, for it came as a blow to India in a crucial match with the series still alive. John Buchanan later stated his belief that the aftershock of losing a captain so suddenly could be hard to withstand, and that the pressure showed on Dravid’s batting. While Buchanan’s comments could be attributed to an attempt at psychological hurt, Ganguly’s withdrawal gave Dravid little time to prepare.The decision on the appeal could take up to seven days, in which case Ganguly would be eligible for the first Test. But theoretically, a decision to uphold the suspension could be taken a day before the Test, which would give Dravid little time to prepare his own game-plan.

Scorecard

Tempers flare: the umpires move in as Hall and Youhana exchange unpleasantries © Wisden Cricinfo Ltd

Chasing under lights yet again in the second game of their one-day series against Pakistan, South Africa could not resist the pressure for long enough to make a realistic assault their target of 268, falling short by 42 runs. Pakistan’s second win in three days at Lahore gave them a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.The script followed that of the first match quite closely. After Yousuf Youhana missed another chance of a century, a late flurry brought Pakistan vital runs. Boeta Dippenaar then shepherded South Africa’s chase until it crumbled against some tight bowling and fielding.Tonight it was Mohammad Hafeez’s part-time offspin that derailed the chase. Hafeez had Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph all sweeping at deliveries too full for the stroke, bowling Dippenaar and trapping the other two lbw. Mohammad Sami, who had Graeme Smith caught at slip in the fifth over, returned to reverse-swing the old ball, knocking back the stumps of Robin Peterson and Andrew Hall with immaculate yorkers.The South African chase looked healthiest when, after Smith’s dismissal, Kallis and Dippenaar added 89 for the second wicket. Dippenaar played the sheet-anchor and rotated the strike well, while Kallis took advantage of Umar Gul’s discomfiture at the clouds of hovering insects. Despite the insecticide sprayed during the interval, Gul pulled up short more than once, turning to his team-mates to de-bug his eyes. His line and length became progressively more erratic, and Kallis capitalised. Off consecutive balls from Gul he flicked a four to square leg, cut him for four more, and then clipped one behind square to the fence.But Kallis’s eventual dismissal to Hafeez was the beginning of the end. Neil McKenzie survived a stumping chance but then pushed the ball to Sami at mid-off and went for a non-existent single. Sami got in another direct hit when Dippenaar called Mark Boucher for a run after dabbing it to backward point. Younis Khan ran out the final semblance of batting resistance in Shaun Pollock, and Pakistan had sealed the result long before Ntini smashed the final ball of the day over long-on for a huge six.Yousuf Youhana, captaining on the field after Inzamam-ul-Haq strained a leg muscle while batting (he’s in some doubt for the next game, at Faisalabad on Tuesday), led his side cannily. He could have used some of that judgment when he was batting earlier on: for the second match running, he squandered a splendid opportunity to get a century.Ntini and Pollock had got rid of Yasir Hameed and Hafeez, the openers, by keeping a strict rein on line and length. But things changed with Youhana’s arrival. Suddenly the bowling seemed to hold fewer demons, and the runs started to flow. That, apparently, was not to South Africa’s liking: after Youhana hit him for four, Hall elbowed him during a single. When Youhana objected, Hall eyeballed him and launched a verbal tirade. Only the intervention of the umpires and a stern warning to Smith, South Africa’s captain, prevented the incident from snowballing.Inzamam hobbled off in the 17th over, and Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, signalled to Youhana to stay put. But almost immediately Youhana tried to tickle Kallis to third man and was caught behind – an almost identical dismissal to his one in the first game.Shoaib Malik, after his whirlwind assault on Friday, looked set for an encore, and indeed did thump fours off Kallis and Alan Dawson. But Ntini’s return for his second spell proved decisive. Bowling full and straight, he had Younis caught behind before inducing Shoaib and Abdul Razzaq to inside-edge into their stumps. Rashid Latif was adjudged run out by the third umpire – there was some doubt about the decision – and suddenly Pakistan were struggling to reach 250.They did eventually get there, courtesy of some big hitting from Inzamam, back with a runner and disdainfully punishing Hall in the final over of the innings. The over cost 16, most of them to Inzamam, but in the final analysis, they hardly mattered. Pakistan won the match easily enough, with 42 runs to spare, and they now need to win only one of the remaining three matches to take the one-day series.

Former captain Wasim Akram Tuesday said he was confidentthat this year would help him lead-up to next year’s WorldCup.”I am determined to perform well for myself as well as forthe team so that I am on top of my game for next year’sWorld Cup. This year is definitely important and I am takingthis as a challenge,” Wasim, 36, said at the NationalStadium.Wasim had a poor last year by his standards. In the threeTests, he picked up five wickets while in 12 one-dayersmanaged just 14.Wasim survived the axe by the skin of the teeth for the tourto England before he was overlooked for the training campfor the Asian Test Championship.He found a place in the Asian Test match against Bangladeshbut went wicketless while Waqar Younis returned with sixwickets.”I think I bowled my heart out in that match. But luckdidn’t go my way. At this stage of my career, I need someluck as well to keep myself geared up,” Wasim said.The left-hander admitted that it was difficult to keep onemotivated against team like Bangladesh who have lost sevenof the eight Tests since getting into the ICC fold in 2000.”Frankly speaking it is very hard to motivate yourself forseries against Bangladesh. But the coach and the captainhave done well to motivate the players.”Wasim hoped that his negotiations with Glamorgan were likelyto be finalized later this month. But he said he would signon his terms and conditions.”I will play on my conditions for Glamorgan because theycame to me for a contract. At 36 my body doesn’t allow me toplay in the gruelling cricket season in England. I want theoption of being selective,” he said.Wasim said Pakistan was the only team that can give thetoughest fight to Australia. “This year we have a series ofmatches against them which will prove where we stand andwhat is the difference between the two teams.”

Saqlain Mushtaq Photo © CricInfo

Surrey, the defending title-holders, crushed Leicestershire by an innings and178 runs in their championship match at Oakham School and moved to the head of Division One.Off-spinner Saqlain Mustaq completed the rout with 5-35 in 15 overs. The lastthree wickets fell in 11 deliveries as Surrey applied the coup de grace just before the skies opened. Leicestershire began the morning at 134-9 and added only 9 more runs before they were following on 362 runs behind. The home county’s hopes until the weather intervened were frustrated as they lost four batsmen for 42 by lunch.Darren Maddy, caught at the wicket to the first ball, started the trend which Vince Wells, Iain Sutcliffe and Aftab Habib followed. Although Alex Tudor could not bowl because of a side strain, Surrey did not require his services. There still seemed to be runs in the pitch, but Leicestershire batted like a side fore-doomed to failure. Darren Stevens (68) with 11 fours in 80 balls was the one exception.Chris Lewis seemed to help him extend his former county – then after putting on62 runs for the sixth-wicket he, too, was caught at the wicket by Batty.Saqlain spun out the lower-order without much further ado.

Arsenal should make a summer move for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has claimed.

The Lowdown: Ward-Prowse’s importance at Saints

Having linked up with the first team in 2012, the midfielder has been a lifelong Saints player, having joined the academy in 2003.

Since then, the 27-year-old has made 350 appearances for the south coast club, 293 of which have come in the Premier League.

Ward-Prowse has played a central part in Southampton’s success at maintaining a top-flight position over the previous decade. SofaScore have highlighted his contributions this season, having ranked him Ralph Hasenhuttl’s best player for the current campaign, awarding him an impressive 7.33 rating.

The Latest: Phillips tips Arsenal to move for JWP

On 22 February, football.london’s Chris Wheatley reported that Granit Xhaka could leave Arsenal in the summer window, with a move to Serie A outfit AS Roma “certainly possible”.

When questioned over who could replace the 29-year-old in north London, Phillips named the Saints skipper as the obvious choice. Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed:

“Ward-Prowse is the sort of player Arsenal need.

“Technically he is a very, very good player and he’s a dead-ball specialist. He’s the sort of player Arteta would love in his squad I imagine.

“Could they get him out of Southampton? That’s the question. He just signed a new deal and I think he’s happy there. It would be a big test if Arsenal could knocking though. He could be persuaded to join.

“Ward-Prowse is the sort of player Arsenal need to be looking at in the summer. He’d compliment Partey well and let’s be honest, there’s not many better set-piece takers than him in the world.”

The Verdict: Huge loss for Saints

As Phillips mentioned, Ward-Prowse is renowned for his free-kick ability. Pep Guardiola even hailed the Southampton captain as “the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life”. When combined with the midfielder ranking in the 85th percentile for assists and the 92nd percentile for expected assists (via FB Ref), it is easy to see why the ex-Sunderland striker has touted the 27-year-old as a possible successor to Xhaka at Arsenal.

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The Saints skipper has even been praised by Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos, who said he likes him “very much” as a player.  With similar comments made by his team-mates – Oriol Romeu has called him “unbelievable” – and the aforementioned SofaScore ranking, this shows just how big a blow it would be for Hasenhuttl and his side if Ward-Prowse is tempted into leaving his boyhood club.

In other news: These were the Saints’ three best players in the win over Norwich