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While they are still some way from being the finished article, Chelsea have built a squad full of incredible players over the last few years.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, and probably even Enzo Fernández would be able to get into most Premier League teams.

However, at the same time, West Londoners also have more than a few players who are arguably holding them back, with Tosin Adarabioyo perhaps the most obvious example over the last few weeks.

The former Fulham star has been at the centre of more than a few dire defensive performances for Chelsea, so it’s not all that surprising to see reports linking them to someone who’d be a dream upgrade.

Chelsea target Tosin upgrade

While talk of a title race might be a tad premature for Chelsea this season, they are most certainly in a race for the Champions League place.

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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With that in mind, it’s unsurprising to see them linked with a plethora of talented players ahead of the transfer window reopening next month.

For example, the Blues are among several Premier League sides who have shown real interest in RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and have also been linked with Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız.

However, while hugely talented, neither of those exciting wingers would help solve the West Londoners’ defensive problems, nor send Tosin packing, unlike Castello Lukeba.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Chelsea have maintained their intense interest in the French centre-back.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the Blues are now ready to submit a bid of up to £52m for the player in the coming weeks.

Interestingly, while the 22-year-old has a release clause worth around €80million in his contract, which is £70m, the report claims that Leipzig may be willing to cash in on the player for that £52m fee in January.

However, it might not be all that straightforward, as the story also states that Bayern Munich are keen to make a mid-season move for the highly rated defender.

In all, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Lukeba’s ability and potential, one Chelsea should be pursuing, especially as he could send Tosin packing.

How Lukeba compares to Tosin

Now, when it comes to midfielders, forwards and wingers, it can be relatively straightforward to compare players, as more often than not, their goals and assists are going to be what matters most.

However, when it comes to defenders, and centre-backs in particular, it can be a little trickier, and as a result, you have to go into more detail, you have to take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

Unfortunately for Tosin, doing so demonstrates just how far ahead of him Lukeba is.

Lukeba vs Tosin

Statistics per 90

Lukeba

Tosin

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.10

0.02

Progressive Passes

4.17

2.90

Progressive Carries

0.83

0.48

Key Passes

0.33

0.00

Shot-Creating Actions

1.25

0.48

Goal-Creating Actions

0.17

0.00

Blocks

1.92

0.65

Interceptions

1.58

0.97

Clearances

5.67

6.77

Successful Take-Ons

1.00

0.00

Ball Recoveries

5.67

2.58

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League Season

For example, according to FBref, the Frenchman comes out on top in the vast majority of relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, blocks, interceptions, and ball recoveries, all per 90.

In other words, as analyst-turned-scout Ben Mattinson puts it, the Frenchman is a “defensively exceptional” centre-back.

However, his advantages over Tosin extend to more than just his ability off the ball.

For example, the “outstanding” titan, per Mattinson, also comes out on top in metrics like progressive passes and carries, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Essentially, the Leipzig star is someone who can snuff out an opposition attack and then, either through his carrying ability or range of passing, kickstart one for his own side.

Ultimately, from every conceivable angle, it’s clear that Lukeba would be a massive upgrade on Tosin and, therefore, Chelsea should do all they can to sign him in January.

Related Gittens upgrade: BlueCo convinced they must sign £87m star for Chelsea

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes 4 days ago

Celtic have now been approached with the chance to sign a Premier League striker who could become Wilfried Nancy’s first arrival, according to reports.

Nancy delivers "honest" response to Celtic criticism

It’s been a tough start for Nancy at Celtic, who lost their first game under the Frenchman against title rivals Hearts last time out. One image, one tactics board and one defeat have already raised concerns around Glasgow, but the new manager has been quick to point out that he won’t pay attention to such criticism.

The Celtic manager told reporters: “People deserve the right to talk. I’m going to dress one way, maybe they are going to say that they don’t like the way I dress, so I don’t waste time on that.

“If I use it [the tactics board], it’s because it’s good for me. Simple as that and I’m not saying that I’m going to use it all the time.

“I’m going to be really honest with you. When I decided to become a coach – sorry, when I had the opportunity to become a coach – I was an assistant coach for seven years, so I worked with many coaches. I always told myself that when you become a coach, cut everything. So this is what I did.”

Celtic star was "set to" leave, now he could be the new Tierney under Nancy

This Celtic star who was set to leave the club in the summer could emerge as Wilfried Nancy’s own Kieran Tierney.

ByDan Emery 6 days ago

It doesn’t get any easier for Nancy, either. Up next, Celtic square off against AS Roma in the Europa League tonight and could get the chance to see Evan Ferguson in action for themselves ahead of a potential January move.

Celtic offered chance to sign Evan Ferguson

As reported by TeamTalk, Celtic have now been contacted with the chance to sign Ferguson, with Roma increasingly likely to cut his loan spell short in Italy.

The Brighton & Hove Albion forward was once valued at as much as £100m, but is now in the most difficult moment of his career after scoring just once in 14 games at Roma.

The Republic of Ireland forward now needs the Hoops just as much as they need the best version of him in January, as they aim to come from behind and retain their Scottish Premiership crown.

At his very best at Brighton, Ferguson was never short on praise with the Premier League’s record goalscorer, Alan Shearer, among those who had plenty of positives to say in 2023.

Two years on, the 21-year-old may be out of form, but the potential is still there and Celtic should look to take full advantage in the winter window next month.

£5m Celtic star is one of their biggest wastes of money since Albian Ajeti

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit his first home run of the season during the club's 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

But Yastrzemski's home run, a three-run blast in the bottom of the fourth inning that gave the Giants their first lead of the game, was also a special long ball for another reason.

Yastrzemski's home run was also a father delivering on a promise to his daughter, in what may be one of the cutest called shots in baseball history.

"Today I gotta give a shoutout to my daughter Quinley, honestly," Yastrzemski said in a postgame interview with NBC Sports Bay Area and California. "Because she asked for a home run—so I promised her I'd get a home run so Quinny, I love you, miss you…"

But in an amusing turn of events, Yastrzemski revealed to reporters after the game that his daughter actually asked for more than just a home run.

"Quinley asked me for a home run—Well, she asked me specifically for a triple, a home run and a splash hit," Yastrzemski said with a laugh. "So, she was trying to cover all the bases—But yeah, I told her that I'd hit a home run for her. I can't say no to her so I had to do what I could."

Did Quinley get to see her dad deliver the home run?

"They're home—hopefully she was watching. I think Paige [his wife] said she was. It's just nice to feel connected to them even when we're kind of far away from each other."

The Giants host the Cincinnati Reds for three home games beginning on Monday night, so Yastrzemski will have a few chances to grab the triple and splash hit off of his daughter's checklist.

Also returning for the three-match series in Harare were Brad Evans and Tadiwanashe Marumani

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2025

Brendan Taylor’s last T20I came in 2021, while Sean Williams previously played in 2024•AFP via Getty Images

Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s veteran wicketkeeper-batter, is back in their T20I squad, more than three years after he last played in the format. Taylor, who returned from a three-and-a-half-year ICC ban in August, was named in Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. The other notable inclusion in the squad was Sean Williams, who is back in the T20I fold after more than a year.Taylor had been banned from all cricket in January 2022, for failing to report an approach from alleged corruptors without delay. With the ban ending earlier this year, Taylor subsequently returned to the international fold in the Bulawayo Test against New Zealand, before playing the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month. Taylor’s last T20I, though, was in April 2021, against Pakistan in Harare.Williams, meanwhile, had previously played a T20I in May 2024, and he’s set for a comeback into the format ahead of the Africa regional qualifiers later this month for the T20 World Cup in 2026. Zimbabwe will be competing in the tournament alongside Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, with two World Cup spots on the line.Zimbabwe had missed out on qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2024 despite 20 teams participating in the tournament, as they couldn’t finish in the top two of the Africa Region Qualifier after suffering losses against Namibia and Uganda.Among other changes for the T20Is against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe left out Newman Nyamhuri, Wessly Madhevere, Vincent Masekesa and Tafadzwa Tsiga from the squad that played the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in July. Apart from Taylor and Williams, those back in the squad were fast bowler Brad Evans and top-order batter Tadiwanashe Marumani.Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have so far faced each other in only six T20Is, the last of which was in January 2024. Sri Lanka had won the three-match series after Zimbabwe levelled it with victory in the second match.Zimbabwe’s T20I squad vs Sri LankaSikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams

Despite the occasion being Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge of West Ham United at the London Stadium, the Monday night affair between the Hammers and Brentford had a subdued feeling from the get-go.

Planned protests against Hammers chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Karen Brady meant sections of West Ham’s ground were sparsely filled throughout, with the feeling around their home stadium only worsening by the full-time whistle, as a 2-0 defeat kept the East Londoners deep in the Premier League relegation mix.

Nuno is clearly still getting used to all the new players at his disposal, as some surprising alterations were on show for the clash with the Bees. Most notably, Malick Diouf sat on the bench alongside the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Guido Rodriguez.

Unfortunately, none of those changes worked, with Mathias Jensen’s late strike condemning Nuno’s side to a miserable sixth league defeat of the season already, which also leaves the ex-Nottingham Forest boss still searching for a first win in the Hammers dug-out.

West Ham's biggest underperformers vs Brentford

Truthfully, although it took until the 94th minute for Jensen to seal the win for Keith Andrew’s visitors, Brentford should have had the game tied up long before this last-gasp stunner.

Indeed, the Bees would tally up a mammoth 15 shots just in the first half, as the ropey centre-back duo of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo were continually caught out by the physical approach of Igor Thiago, with a long ball over the top late into the first half catching Kilman out, before Thiago eventually bundled home the opener.

19-year-old Oliver Scales also noticeably struggled on a surprise start, with just one of his aerial duels being won before being hauled off on the 46th minute mark.

Another intriguing selection decision by Nuno in handing Andy Irving a first Premier League start of the season also fell flat, as the Scotsman gave up possession ten times as an unassured body in central midfield.

Even Jarrod Bowen was quiet to further add to the misery on display, with the usually dependable Hammers captain only managing to tally up a lacklustre xG of 0.08 come the full-time whistle, firing a few chances off target.

He wasn’t the only first team regular who decided to put in a no-show against Brentford, however.

West Ham star has regressed under Nuno

While Graham Potter was deservedly sacked after collecting a dire four defeats from five Premier League games at the start of the season, at least Lucas Paqueta stood out as a bright spark during those tough times.

The Brazilian certainly lived up to his previous “explosive” billing – as he was once labelled by Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp – when collecting two goals across this choppy patch of matches, with a kiss of the badge after confidently tucking a penalty away at Forest cementing his reputation as a fan favourite.

However, he hasn’t looked quite so razor-sharp in front of goal since Nuno entered the building, with only a meagre four efforts attempted by the enigmatic Brazilian across his new manager’s first three league games at the helm. That must be particularly worrying considering that he operated as a false 9 in the absence of the injured Niclas Fullkrug on Monday.

In particular, Paqueta’s ongoing regression under his new manager was clear for all to see against Andrew’s away side, as the hot-and-cold number ten failed to be a feared forward presence in the same manner the hard-to-contain Thiago managed to be for the Bees.

Paqueta’s numbers vs Brentford

Stat

Paqueta

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

61

Shots

1

Accurate passes

26/42 (63%)

Key passes

0

Accurate crosses

0/2

Possession lost

23x

Successful dribbles

0/1

Total duels won

7/20

Stats by Sofascore

Instead, Paqueta was often seen giving up the ball time after time, with possession squandered a costly 23 times. Having amassed three key passes against Arsenal in their last away outing, this was a notable drop-off.

Only winning 35% of his duels, too, on top of only testing the Bees goalkeeper with one shot, Nuno might well be prepared to boldly drop the 28-year-old in games to come, as the already under pressure Hammers boss tries to get a tune out of his demoralised side no matter what.

Branded as a “shocking” mess of a situation post-match by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, Nuno will have his work cut out for him to get the sinking ship back on course, with the 51-year-old desperately needing Paqueta to get back to his best, and sharp.

Related Nuno suggests West Ham could be about to rely on "very aggressive" young star

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Posts BySean Markus Clifford Oct 19, 2025

أدلى آندي روبرتسون لاعب فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، بتصريحات حول مستقبله وما إذا كان النادي سيُقدّم له عقدًا جديدًا أم أنه في موسمه الأخير مع الريدز.

روبرتسون يقضي عامه الأخير في عقده الحالي مع ليفربول، وكان الدولي الاسكتلندي قد جذب اهتمام أتلتيكو مدريد الإسباني الذي سعى للتعاقد معه في الصيف الماضي، قبل أن يقرر البقاء في الفريق الإنجليزي.

ويمر ليفربول بموسم متذبذب، حيث يتراجع حامل اللقب إلى المركز الثامن في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بعد هزيمته في الجولة الماضية أمام مانشستر سيتي بثلاثية دون مقابل، على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

وفي تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “إندبندنت” البريطانية، قال روبرتسون: “مهما حدث، فسيحدث خلف الأبواب المغلقة، وأنا مرتاح حيال الوضع برمته”.

مضيفًا: “إذا كان هذا آخر عام لي، فسيكون آخر عام لي، وإن لم يكن كذلك، فليكن، لكنني أعتقد أنني مررت بصيفٍ مُرهقٍ بعض الشيء فيما يتعلق باتخاذ القرارات وما شابه ذلك”.

وواصل: “وقلتُ لنفسي حاول الاستمتاع بالأشهر القليلة القادمة، ومن الواضح أنها ستبدأ بالسيطرة على حياتي، لا أشك في ذلك، هذا ما يحدث عندما تدخل الأشهر الستة الأخيرة في عقدك، أحاول التركيز على كرة القدم الآن”.

وأكد روبرتسون: “سعيد بالعودة إلى الملعب، وسعيد بالعودة للعب المباريات القليلة الأخيرة، هذا مهم، ولنرى ما سيحدث، لكنني مرتاح حيال الأمر برمته، والنادي كان رائعًا معي”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ألدريدج: ليفربول قادر على الفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا.. وغياب محمد صلاح فرصة لـ سلوت

وعلّق روبرتسون عما حدث في الموسم الماضي مع الثلاثي محمد صلاح، فيرجيل فان دايك، وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، حيث كان الحديث عن مستقبلهم محور اهتمام الإعلام، وقد دخل كل منهم الأشهر القليلة الماضية دون حسم مستقبله.

ونجح ليفربول في تجديد عقد محمد صلاح وفان دايك، فيما رحل ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد إلى ريال مدريد الإسباني، ويحرص روبرتسون على تجنب الجدل بشأن مستقبله كما حدث مع زملائه الثلاثة.

وأتم: “أعتقد أن الجميع سئموا من الحديث عن هؤلاء الثلاثة في الموسم الماضي، لكن بالنسبة لي، كانت علاقتي بالنادي رائعة، لقد فعلوا كل شيء من أجلي أنا وعائلتي، أعتقد أنني لم أكن سيئًا للغاية معهم فيما يتعلق بالتوقيع من هال سيتي مقابل 8 ملايين جنيه إسترليني وما فعلته”.

Newly promoted Leeds United continued their excellent form, avoiding defeat for the second time in as many games in the Premier League. They backed up last week’s 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers with a 2-2 draw against high-flying Bournemouth.

It was a disappointing start for the Whites, who went a goal down in the 26th minute thanks to Antoine Semenyo. The Ghanian winger scored a fantastic low free kick to give the away side the lead at Elland Road.

Leeds, however, responded perfectly. Firstly, Joe Rodon found the back of the net, heading home a cross from Sean Longstaff 11 minutes after conceding. The Newcastle United academy star got himself on the scoresheet the other side of half-time. He met a loose ball on the half-volley and fired it home just inside the penalty area, to put Leeds ahead.

Just when it seemed like Daniel Farke’s side would hold on for all three points, 19-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi equalised for the Cherries in stoppage time. He also scored a sweetly-struck volley, getting on the end of a flick on in the penalty box after his side won a deep free kick.

Being so close to victory and ending up with just one point no doubt stung Leeds, but it was still a strong performance with some good showings. Longstaff was a real standout.

Why Sean Longstaff was the star man against Bournemouth

There was, in many ways, a lot of pressure on Longtsaff’s shoulders. He moved to Elland Road from St James’ Park with plenty of Premier League experience, and Saturday afternoon’s performance in front of the Leeds faithful feels like a real statement showing.

It was a fantastic performance from the midfielder. Partnered with Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach, he had the chance to get forwards and look to affect the game in advanced areas. With his goal and assist, it is fair to say he did just that. His strike, a fantastic volley, was one of great skill and technique.

What really stood out about the 27-year-old’s performance at Elland Road was the sheer number of chances he created. Longstaff played seven key passes and created one big chance. Off the ball, he was superb, winning 10 from 13 duels.

The Yorkshire Post journalist Leon Wobschall was full of praise for the new Leeds man. He gave Longstaff a 9/10 for his efforts, describing his afternoon’s work as a “stellar all-round midfield performance.”

However, Longstaff was not the only standout player, with another of Daniel Farke’s players performing particularly well.

The Leeds star who is completely undroppable

It was so close to being the perfect day for Leeds. The Whites were ruthless in attack, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin a good focal point, and also defended resiliently. One of those defensive players made a huge impression.

Keeping Semenyo and his fellow attacker quiet from open play was never going to be easy. However, Leeds right-back Jayden Bogle dealt with the Cherries’ creative players in impressive fashion and should now be considered completely undroppable.

The defender was up and down the right flank, creating one chance. But it was defensively that he really stood out. Bogle won five out of six tackles and seven out of nine ground duels, locking down that right-hand side.

Bogle stats vs. Bournemouth
Stat	Number
Touches	46
Pass accuracy	79%
Ground duels won	7/9
Tackles won	5/6
Clearances	3
Interceptions	2
Key passes	1
Stats from Sofascore

Wobschall was certainly left impressed with the 25-year-old’s day at the office. He gave him a 7/10 for the work he put in, and said Bogle “should have been happy with his afternoon”, given how well he defended.

After a performance like that, it is hard to see how Farke drops Bogle from the starting lineup. He certainly made a significant impact in their point against a strong Bournemouth side, and has surely made himself undroppable.

It was an encouraging performance from Bogle. To keep an attacker as deadly as Semenyo quite like he did is no mean feat. He has surely made that right-back spot his own after a showing as strong as that.

Leeds struck gold on "indispensable" star who's now worth more than Stach

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By
Joe Nuttall

Sep 25, 2025

Daniel Levy may be gone, but that’s not set to stop Tottenham Hotspur from planning their January business and they’re now reportedly expected to make a fresh move to sign an attacking star.

What next for Tottenham after Daniel Levy

For better or worse, it’s the end of an era at Tottenham. Levy has departed his role as chairman after almost 25 years to steal the headlines and leave the North London club heading into a new era. Whether he left of his own accord or was asked to step down is a debate for another day, but there’s no denying that Spurs now have the chance to start afresh.

But what next for Spurs? For almost 25 years, Levy was their man. Now, they must welcome a new face of ambition that many accused the former chairman of lacking.

In his place is Peter Charrington. The director of ENIC and former CEO of Private Bank will be joined by chief executive Vinai Vinkatesham, who will take on the day-to-day running of the club.

It is a change aimed at long-term success and one which could even feature a major transfer as soon as January if reports are anything to go by.

Tottenham expected to make Fofana move

According to Caught Offside, Tottenham are expected to make a January move to sign Malick Fofana after failing to reach an agreement with Lyon for his signature late on in the summer transfer window. The winger will reportedly be available for around €50m (£43m) this winter, with the likes of Inter Milan also keen to secure his signature.

Dubbed “magnificent” by scout Jacek Kulig, it should come as no surprise that there’s been so much interest in Fofana in the last six months. He has been one of the stars of the show in an often struggling Lyon side, who are only just finding their feet again in the current campaign.

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5 ByEmilio Galantini Sep 5, 2025

With one goal and one assist in three games in the current campaign too, it doesn’t look as though the 20-year-old is going to slow down anytime soon.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras acertou nesta quinta-feira (6) a venda do goleiro Vinicius Silvestre para o Portimonense-POR. Terceiro na hierarquia da posição no elenco, o jogador assina contrato com o clube português por três temporadas e deve se apresentar na Europa nos próximos dias. A informação é do jornalista Pedro Sepúlveda e foi confirmada pelo Lance!.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Formado pela base do Verdão, onde chegou em 2006, Vinicius é um dos mais antigos do grupo atual e viveu toda essa fase de reconstrução nos últimos anos. Atrás de Weverton, titular, e Marcelo Lomba, reserva imediato, ele vai trilhar novos caminhos em sua experiência no futebol europeu.

O desejo de saída foi comunicado ao clube pelo goleiro, que teve sua solicitação atendida diante dos serviços prestados e o profissionalismo entregue durante toda a sua trajetória com a camisa alviverde. Os valores da venda não foram informados, mas o Palmeiras seguirá com um percentual dos direitos do jogador.

continua após a publicidade

Aos 29 anos, Vinicius atuou apenas 14 vezes pelo profissional, mas esteve no grupo que conquistou duas Libertadores (2020 e 2021), dois Brasileiros (2016 e 2022), três Paulistas (2020, 2022 e 2023), duas Copas do Brasil (2015 e 2020), uma Recopa Sul-Americana (2022) e uma Supercopa do Brasil (2023).

+ Palmeiras fica por detalhes para concretizar saída de Rafael Navarro

O favorito para assumir a posição de terceiro goleiro no grupo é o jovem Kaique, que está no sub-20 disputando a Libertadores da categoria. Com passagens por Seleção de base, ele é considerado o primeiro da lista para ser promovido ao profissional.

continua após a publicidade

DC’s assistant coach says Axar “leverages off a lot of senior players and coaches”

Ashish Pant09-Apr-2025

Delhi Capitals have started IPL 2025 with three successive wins under Axar Patel’s captaincy•BCCI

Axar Patel is not the “only voice” in the Delhi Capitals (DC) changeroom and he makes sure to “leverage off a lot of the other senior players in the group and the coaches” – that’s the observation of assistant coach Matthew Mott.Axar has had a sensational start to his DC captaincy career, winning all three games for his team, the only side unbeaten going into Thursday. This, despite not having a lot of experience in the role. Coming into IPL 2025, he had led his state side Gujarat in only 23 matches across formats and led DC in one game last year.Mott, who himself joined the DC team only ahead of this season, said what made Axar the leader stand out was his ability to ensure that all the players felt a part of the team.Related

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KL Rahul: 'Back to enjoying my cricket, not thinking about taking it deep'

RCB return to Chinnaswamy to take on unbeaten DC with renewed optimism

“He’s been amazing,” Mott said ahead of DC’s outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru. “Obviously, I didn’t have a lot to do with him before this tournament, but he’s just got a great balance on cricket and life.”A lot of the times, he’ll just summarise the group and make sure the players are included, they’re having fun, they’ve got a smile on their face. He talks a lot about that. I think he’s played enough cricket now to know that it can be a pretty fickle game at times. You’re well aware that when you’re winning, it’s all rosy and it’s all good.”I like to think that he’s got that character where if we do have a bad day, he’ll be just as positive. The message will be very similar. I think he also leverages off a lot of the other senior players in the group and the coaches.”He’s not taking it all on himself. I think he’s got some fantastic people around him. He’s got a lot of experience to draw on, particularly at this venue. He doesn’t come across as being the only voice. He wants to leverage off others and make sure he’s getting the best out of the people around him.”Mott was also confident about Jake Fraser-McGurk coming good in IPL 2025 despite a lukewarm start to the tournament. Fraser-McGurk was one of the breakout stars of IPL 2024 where he came in some way into the tournament as a replacement player for Lungi Ngidi and lit up the stage.Jake Fraser-McGurk has “full autonomy” from DC’s leadership•Delhi Capitals

The 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk had smashed 330 runs in nine innings at an average of 36.66 and a barely believable strike rate of 234.04. He is, however, yet to replicate those numbers this season, having managed just 39 runs in three innings with a strike rate of just 100.”I think the role that Jake plays in every side he’s in, it’s high risk, but when he has his day out, it’s what is the goal,” Mott said. “There’s a lot of games to go and he’s got full autonomy from all of our leadership. Axar, in particular, has doubled down on him just playing the way he plays and really take the game on from ball one.”A lot similar to what you see from the likes of Phil Salt and people like that. When you play that high-tempo game, it’s obviously high-risk as well, but he does some things that not many players in the world can do.”We look forward to him playing on a great surface out here that’s known for being a great batting surface as well. I’m sure he’s really looking forward to his next opportunity.”‘Du Plessis moving around a lot better’Faf du Plessis looks set to feature in DC’s next game against his former franchise after sitting out the previous match owing to a groin niggle. He had an extended net session on the eve of the game, hammering a number of solid blows, one of which almost hit the press box windowpane. He later strolled to the main playing surface and shadow practiced for a bit before heading off.Du Plessis, who was RCB captain for three years, has a tremendous record in Bengaluru in the IPL:651 runs in 17 innings at an average of 46.50 and a strike rate of 161.94. He has also shown decent form in the two innings so far this season, with scores of 29 and 50.”I think he’ll get assessed today by the physios,” Mott said of du Plessis. “With a view to playing, he certainly looks like he’s moving around a lot better from the naked eye. The beauty of the schedule so far is we’ve had some really good breaks, and he’s now had a good break.”He’s a key player for us, but what it did show is the depth that we’ve got and the players’ ability to adapt and come in there. I thought KL [Rahul] in the last game was amazing to come in at short notice and play an innings like that to really set us up for the win. If he’s [du Plessis] available or not, I think we can adapt.”