Raheem Sterling's son Thiago has signed for Arsenal's academy but his dad faces an uncertain future after a disappointing loan spell with the Gunners.

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• Sterling's son joined Arsenal's Under-9s
• Set to start his journey with the Gunners
• His dad's career remains uncertain

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Thiago has officially been welcomed into Arsenal’s prestigious Hale End academy, joining the under-9 team and marking the beginning of what could be a promising football career. The news was shared on social media by Sterling’s partner, Paige Milian, who posted a heartfelt message celebrating their son's accomplishment.

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  WHAT MILIAN SAID

  In a touching Instagram post, Paige expressed overwhelming pride in her son's achievements, noting the hard work he has put in to reach this milestone.

  She wrote: "Beyond proud of my firstborn son Thiago for signing with @officialarsenalacademy U9’s. The growth, dedication, and hard work you’ve shown over the past year have been incredible to watch; you’ve earned this. This is just the beginning, so keep your feet on the ground, stay humble, and keep grinding, the journey doesn’t stop here. Let’s go TT❤️".

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While Thiago is taking his first steps with the Gunners, his father Raheem Sterling finds himself at a career crossroads. After being sidelined by Chelsea’s current manager Enzo Maresca at the start of last season, Sterling made a surprise switch to Arsenal on deadline day, joining on a season-long loan deal.

  Sterling’s time at the Emirates failed to live up to expectations. Despite early optimism, he managed only seven starts in the Premier League and struggled to make a significant impact. Over the course of the entire campaign, he found the back of the net just once across all competitions.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Although Thiago is only just officially joining Arsenal’s youth ranks, he’s already had a taste of the club’s first-team environment. Last October, he had the honour of walking out as a mascot for Bukayo Saka during a Champions League match at the Emirates Stadium, when Arsenal secured a win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has revealed that his side may be missing several players through injury when they face Sunderland on Friday night.

Sheffield Wednesday injury news

The Owls will be looking to right the wrongs of their 4-0 defeat to Burnley last weekend when they welcome the Black Cats to Hillsborough on Friday. A win, and it could keep the Owls’ faint hopes of a top six spot alive, but they will have to do it without one key attacker.

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Leading up to this game, Rohl revealed a fresh blow as winger Anthony Musaba suffered an injury setback, meaning he will miss the game against Sunderland and likely a few more.

“At first it looked good; he trained on Sunday (after the Coventry game), but he got a small reaction. Now he has had two rejections,” Rohl said.

“I hope it is this week, then next week, and then before Plymouth he is back. Sometimes at first an issue starts in one part of the body, and then maybe with some different movements it goes into another part. It is a shame, but he is positive, and I think he will be available for the end of the season, maybe the last eight or nine games. We are working on it; he is still positive. It is harder, of course, to have him out of the squad.”

However, in positive news, Rohl did reveal that defender Dominic Iorfa is close to a return, although he won’t be available for the game against Sunderland, but could be back in the matchday squad after the March international break.

Wednesday may have several undisclosed injuries vs Sunderland

But they are not the only players to possibly miss the match on Friday, as Rohl has revealed that Michael Smith is a doubt for the game and there may be many more who are missing through injury.

Smith, who has been dubbed a “game-changer” by former Owls boss Darren Moore, has featured in 31 Championship games this season, scoring eight goals in the process, but Wednesday may have to do without him and many more for the game against Sunderland, as Rohl has revealed it’s been a “tough week” with injuries and “you’ll see” for when it comes to who is available on the night.

As quoted by the Daily Star, Rohl said in his pre-match press conference: “In general, I won’t speak about names. But I can just say that it’s been a tough week for us – and you’ll see tomorrow why… There could be players missing. Michael Smith is one of the question marks.

Michael Smith’s 24/25 Championship stats
Apps	31
Starts	11
Minutes per game	42
Goals	8
xG	5.75
Shots per game	1.3
Chance conversion	20%
Assists	4
Big chances created	5

“Ibi was ill during the week, so let’s see on him – today he trained. Ryo has trained for a full week. Some players are coming closer, Dom is coming closer, but we have three or four big question marks this week. We have to find solutions, but I’m convinced the team on the pitch will be on fire.”

The Afghanistan men’s side are going to the big show, but Sri Lanka are yet to qualify.There is nuance to this. In the ODI World Cup Super League, Afghanistan’s oppositions were Ireland, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. But then, they barely played ODIs, despite having won 11 out of those 15 games. Sri Lanka played 24 matches, and won only seven, which is why they finished tenth on the Super League table.It is a testament to Afghanistan’s rise – despite major challenges – and to Sri Lanka’s ODI collapse, that they meet in Hambantota as evenly-matched outfits. For Afghanistan, this is their first serious preparation for the World Cup in October-November. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, must get their one-day game in gear ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, starting later this month.Related

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Here are some things to look out for in this three-match series.

Will Afghanistan be rusty?

Such is the lot of this team that they have not played a single ODI since November last year, when they were last in Sri Lanka for a series that was drawn 1-1. They have had some T20Is this year, most recently winning 2-1 against Pakistan in Sharjah in March. They’ve also just recently concluded the Green Afghanistan One Day Cup – their premier List A tournament – during which several of the national squad surged into form.But they will have challenges in Hambantota – chiefly, Sri Lanka’s pace attack, which, unlike the side they played last year, will feature the returning Dushmantha Chameera, and the likes of Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha.Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will have extra responsibility in the absence of Rashid Khan•AFP via Getty Images

How will the spinners fare?

For a time, Wanindu Hasaranga could probably claim to be on Rashid Khan’s level, but lately, Hasaranga’s performances have fallen away. There was a chasm between them at the IPL. Rashid was second-equal on the wicket-takers’ list, claiming 27 dismissals, with an economy rate of 8.23. Hasaranga took nine wickets from eight matches, and went at 8.89 an over.However, both spinners are likely to miss the start of the series. Rashid is out with a back injury. Hasaranga is struggling with a foot complaint. This means extra responsibility will fall on the likes of Maheesh Theekshana – he is fresh from a decent IPL – as also Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. Afghanistan also have left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad in their squad, and he enters the series on the back of 16 wickets in the IPL.Spinners will, however, have to contend with the furious crosswind that tends to blow in Hambantota. Usually, this means they tempt the batters to play their big shots into the wind.Matheesha Pathirana was used as a death-over specialist in IPL. Can he deliver new-ball overs for Sri Lanka?•BCCI

Is Pathirana ready for internationals?

Though not particularly well-known in Sri Lanka in March, Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni made a weapon out of 20-year-old Matheesha Pathirana at the IPL, when they charged him frequently with closing out the innings. Though possessed of an action that is even lower – and arguably slingier – than Lasith Malinga’s, Pathirana did not bowl with the new ball, and appeared to have serious limitations.However, such is the hype around him at present that Sri Lanka may want to try him out. But is he ready for this format? And in matches where there is no Impact Player substitution – like it was in IPL – can he reliably deliver new-ball overs?

Can both teams finish their batting innings better?

Since 2021, Sri Lanka have scored at a run rate of only 6.97 in the last ten overs of an ODI innings. A whopping 39% of the deliveries they have faced in that portion have been dot balls. Clearly, there is a lack of firepower lower down in the middle order, with Dasun Shanaka only sporadically effective, and the likes of Chamika Karunaratne and Hasaranga possessing limited hitting ability.Perhaps the thinking with bringing Dimuth Karunaratne back is that Sri Lanka will conserve wickets through the innings better, and have the likes of Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva or even Charith Asalanka at the crease towards the close.Afghanistan, meanwhile, have been only slightly better in the last ten since 2021. They have scored at 7.18, with almost 39% of deliveries faced also being dots. Rashid has been their standout finisher in that time.

Chelsea’s pursuit of the finest South American talent isn’t slowing down. The Blues have been linked with a move for Millonarios teenager Nesyer Villarreal, even sending scouts to monitor his display against Santa Fe in midweek.

Last summer, the club signed Brazilian teenager Estevao for a fee in the region of £29m, but he will remain with his club until July, joining the Blues after the FIFA Club World Cup.

“All the time, I’m very anxious to go.” The youngster said on the Denilson show when asked about his move to England. Will he live up to the lofty expectations?

Why Chelsea signed Estevao

The teenager doesn’t turn 18 until April, but he has already begun to showcase his incredible talents for Palmeiras since making his debut for the club in 2023.

Across 60 senior games for the Brazilian side, Estevao has scored 20 times while chipping in with ten assists, which works out as a goal contribution once every two matches.

The right-winger even made his debut for Brazil in September last year, going on to appear another three times for his country. A big future ahead indeed.

An extra year with Palmeiras should hopefully give him more confidence before making the move to Chelsea ahead of the 2025/26 season.

If Maresca gets things right next term, the Blues could have a formidable squad, packed with some of the finest young talents on the globe.

Could the manager even be brewing his own homegrown Estevao too? As youngster, Tyrique George has begun to make a solid impact for the club.

Chelsea could be brewing their own Estevao

During the 2023/24 season, George starred for the U18s, netting nine goals and grabbing six assists in the U18 Premier League for the Blues.

These displays meant the Englishman was given a chance by Maresca this term and has already featured in 17 matches for the Stamford Bridge outfit, mirroring Estevao in typically operating on the flanks.

Nine of those have come in the Conference League, a competition used as a chance to unleash young talent by the manager.

George has managed to create three big chances throughout the competition while averaging 1.4 key passes per game and succeeding with 1.5 dribbles each match – a success rate of 60%.

Highly impressive indeed. Teammate Jadon Sancho knows a thing or two about bursting onto the scene before becoming one of the finest young talents on the continent and he said that George “has the world at his feet” in a post on X last year.

If he continues developing and gaining first-team experience, the 19-year-old could be the next big thing to emerge from the Cobham academy, no doubt about that.

Goals

0

Assists

1

Big chances created

1

Key passes per game

1

Successful dribbles per game

0.6

Possession lost per game

1.8

Will Estevao’s arrival limit his game time, however? That much remains to be seen. Although while all the focus will be on the Blues’ incoming Brazilian sensation, the west London side do already have their own wing wizard brewing in the form of George.

There remains a continued push to scour the globe for the very best young talents, yet having witnessed the success of the likes of Reece James and Mason Mount in recent years, Maresca and co must not ignore the wealth of talent being developed in the academy ranks. George included…

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Rangers could now be without an “important” 17-goal player for a chunk of the rest of the season, according to a new update that will concern Barry Ferguson.

Rangers starring under Ferguson with wins over Fenerbahce and Celtic

The Gers are still basking in the glory of their 3-2 win away to rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, following Hamza Igamane’s late winner at Parkhead, having initially blown a 2-0 lead.

While the result may not necessarily make a huge difference to the grand scheme of things in the title race this season, it was further proof that Rangers are heading in the right direction under Ferguson, who remains in temporary charge for the time being.

The Scot has guided his side into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, following last Thursday’s penalty shootout win over Fenerbahce at Ibrox, and he will now be dreaming of getting the job on a permanent basis.

Should Rangers go all the way in Europe this season, there will only be increased calls for Ferguson to take charge in the long term, in what promises to be an exciting end to the campaign. A fresh blow has now emerged regarding a key player, however, which the boss won’t want to hear.

Rangers could lose Cerny for 8 matches

According to The Daily Record [via Ibrox News], Rangers attacker Vaclav Cerny could miss as many as eight matches for squirting water at Celtic fans after the winning goal on Sunday.

A ban appears to be coming the 27-year-old’s way, and while it may only be as short as two games, there is no guarantee that it won’t be more. He would only miss domestic fixtures, however, not Europa League outings.

Cerny has been such a key player for Rangers throughout this season, so Ferguson will be sweating over not having him available for a string of league matches.

The Czech has scored 17 goals in total – 11 in the league and six in the Europa League – also registering four assists, and Philippe Clement was complimentary of him during the time working together at Ibrox, saying:

“Vaclav showed a lot of composure in his moments, and it’s those moments that I want to see more and more from the team. He’s been working hard for the team and the club. He’s a player who is just in the building and people forget that; some players need six months to adapt to a new environment. In that way, he has already done some really good things and he will only grow in the future to become more important for the club.”

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Mar 18, 2025

Hopefully, the authorities don’t feel that Cerny’s behaviour at Parkhead is worthy of a long ban – it could be argued that what he did wasn’t overly malicious – but if not, other attackers will need to step up in his absence.

England captain looks to be leaner despite limited playing time in India this winter

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-May-2023It’s not often you get to the eve of the Test summer and an England captain likens himself to a Chelsea footballer. But such are the demands on a modern cricketer like Ben Stokes, the comparison made sense.”I played a little bit of a John Terry role winning the IPL,” the allrounder joked during press commitments at Lord’s a couple of days after Chennai Super Kings won a thrilling final in Ahmedabad. Terry famously lifted the Champions League trophy in 2012 dressed in his full Chelsea kit despite missing the final against Bayern Munich through suspension. While Stokes did not go fully yellow, a winner’s medal is on its way to a player who made just two appearances despite joining the franchise for INR 16.25 crore (£1.6 million approx). The last of those was on April 3.Stokes has been back in the UK for two weeks and watched the Ravi Jadeja-inspired victory over Gujarat Titans on his phone in the bar of the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, where England are staying for the Ireland Test. He will likely bag a win bonus, too, and any other extras the owners wish to bestow upon the playing group after a fifth IPL title.Perhaps Ledley King would be a more accurate England centre-back to draw parallels with, considering where Stokes is at right now. A Tottenham Hotspur legend, King was blighted by issues to his left knee throughout his career, not too dissimilar to what the Test skipper has been dealing with since 2017. King managed his issue by limiting training between games. Stokes is following suit.Taking cues from the 40-year-old James Anderson, Stokes has opted to limit his bowling between Tests. He has not bowled at all this week, believing there are a finite number of overs left in a body with much more than its 31 years on the clock.”Before I didn’t have to worry about that,” he said on Wednesday. “I could just bowl and bowl and bowl and turn up pretty fresh. Now I’m probably not able to do that, so in between games is probably the most important bit of managing anything correctly.”The thing about me is that I don’t need much bowling for the rest of my body to tick over. I can have quite a lot of time off and then build up quite quickly. It’s not doom and gloom if I do or don’t bowl in this game.”Ben Stokes did not bowl during England’s practice sessions at Lord’s but is ready for action when required•Getty ImagesNevertheless, he declares himself fit enough to bowl at Lord’s if required and to send down however many overs required of him throughout the Ashes, too. Even at face value, it is a huge improvement in attitude above all else. He was deflated by his knee at the end of February after the New Zealand series, and that in turn was affecting his batting. To go by his net sessions this week, that is no longer the case.There had been fears before his IPL stint that Stokes would return from India more broken than before, but those did not eventuate. Instead, the lack of playing time meant he ended up using the world’s premiere T20 competition as a glorified training camp.”I think I would much rather have been playing,” Stokes said. “I’ve then seen that as an opportunity to train as opposed to playing and then topping yourself up as the tournament goes along. Once you get into the tournament it’s like play, travel, all that kind of stuff. So, I was actually able to turn a disappointing situation into a positive one because I was able to concentrate on properly being able to train, whether that be technical stuff with the bat or fitness stuff, stuff in the gym and being able to concentrate on something else.”And that was a really good way to get through that long period of having something else to focus on, as opposed to being disappointed I wasn’t playing. So looking back on it, you might say it’s disappointing to only play two games but I was able to then do something else. Sitting here today, I’m actually thinking it could have been a blessing in disguise – every cloud has a silver lining.”Related

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Inside the first month of Stokes' captaincy

The work put in is noticeable. Though you’d never say he was overweight – certainly not to his face – Stokes’ more pronounced cheekbones suggest he’s back to the sort of lean figure that marked his stellar year in 2019. Considering a bowler of his pace will put around eight times his body weight through that troublesome left knee at the moment of delivery, it will help him deliver as a functional allrounder this summer.Given the game’s direction of travel, you might regard Stokes’ use of the IPL as a training camp as a crass victory for the diehard traditionalists, though only a player of his stature has the privilege to do such a thing. His lack of playing time will not have affected his stock with CSK, who have an eye on him leading them in the future when MS Dhoni decides to call time. But they may think twice about extending it on the same terms in 2023.To have arrived back primed for the red ball, even in lieu of a run-out in the County Championship for Durham, means Stokes is something of an outlier, albeit a very specific one given his situation. Ahead of a home season in which the longest format is considering its very existence, as franchise competitions multiply and encroach on previously sacred turf, Stokes – a self-proclaimed “huge advocate of the Test format” -acknowledges both codes are up against each other. Though not necessarily in a bad way.”The whole landscape and the whole game of cricket is literally just changing in front of everyone’s eyes so quickly. I see T20 and Test cricket being able to keep being successful and progress side by side.”Look at what T20 has done for the game in general, the amount of attraction it’s brought, new fans, new players it’s brought into playing cricket regardless of the format. And also what T20 has been able to bring in terms of Test cricket. The transition between the two games is so different but at certain periods in Test matches you do see that T20 side come out, which is only because the players have been playing it. So, I don’t see a world where T20 and Tests aren’t being played in the future.”He cedes that commitment to a brand of cricket reliant on ignoring risk and blue-ticking fear may be a little trickier given the excitement around the five-Test series against Australia just around the corner.”It’s hard to ignore and not see,” he said of the anticipation. “I don’t know what this build-up period before the Ashes is like compared to 2005, no idea, it’s very hard to ignore and not be able to see the excitement.”It is Ireland first, however. A one-off four-day fixture even the visitors regard as a distraction given their own bigger carrot of June’s World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. A reminder that whatever trepidation there may be of the new world, the old one was far from equal.

Derbyshire Falcons skipper Leus du Plooy led from the front with a crucial unbeaten 40 from 23 balls to keep his side’s Vitality Blast quarter-final hopes alive with victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks.Du Plooy guided the Falcons over the line at Wantage Road with four deliveries to spare after they appeared to be wobbling at 112 for 4, despite a third-wicket partnership of 68 from 47 between Harry Came and Wayne Madsen.Falcons’ Pakistan international seamer Zaman Khan had earlier claimed 3 for 26 – including eye-catching yorkers to dismiss Emilio Gay and AJ Tye – as Northamptonshire were restricted to 156 for 8. The result enabled Derbyshire to leapfrog their hosts to go sixth in the North Group table, just a point off the quarter-final places.Having won the toss and opted to bat, the Steelbacks lost Ricardo Vasconcelos in the opening over, pinned leg before by offspinner Alex Thomson. That wicket ushered Chris Lynn to the crease and the big-hitting Queenslander pulled a short ball from Zak Chappell over midwicket for six, combining brute power with shrewd placement as he reached 33 from 23.However, attempting to smash Thomson’s first ball after the powerplay over the top, Lynn picked out the long-on fielder and Derbyshire cemented control as George Scrimshaw sent Justin Broad’s middle stump cartwheeling. Scrimshaw also picked up the prize wicket of David Willey, caught behind off a miscued pull and that meant the Steelbacks needed Gay, who had seen little of the strike early on, to hold their innings together.The left-hander seemed on the verge of his second T20 half-century, having steered Zaman to the cover boundary to reach 47 – but the Pakistan international had the last word with his next delivery, a fast swinging yorker that took out Gay’s leg stump.It was a similar tale for Saif Zaib, whose leg-side maximum off Zaman took him to 25 from 13, only to punch his next ball straight to long-off and it needed Ben Sanderson’s audacious ramp for four in the final over to haul Northamptonshire above 150.However, the Falcons found it hard to get the ball away at the start of their reply, stuttering to 37 in the powerplay for the loss of Luis Reece and Haider Ali – the latter giving Tom Taylor the charge and skying into the gloves of Lewis McManus.Taylor was unfortunate not to add the scalp of Madsen, who survived a compelling lbw appeal before he had scored and capitalised on that close call by drilling the bowler back down the ground for four. There was also frustration in the field for Taylor, who did well to prevent Came’s drive off Freddie Heldreich from crossing the long-off fence, but could not hold on after palming the ball back into play.Madsen continued to milk the bowling cleverly until Willey brought himself back on to bowl the veteran for 35 from 24 and, with pressure building, Came holed out to deep midwicket soon afterwards. But du Plooy kept the scoreboard moving along, finding the boundary regularly enough to keep Derbyshire in touch and drove Sanderson for six in the penultimate over before Taylor conceded four wides to end the contest.

Real Madrid typically get what they want, and they want Liverpool poster boy Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Barring an unforeseen turn of events, Los Blancos will line up for 2025/26 with Alexander-Arnold nestled into the right-back spot, with FSG failing to convince the 26-year-old to pen a new contract, his current deal three months away from expiry.

It’s the first bit of clarity in a campaign that has been decidedly lacking on long-term assurances. More news will follow in the coming weeks – and hopefully more positive news at that.

While emotions are aflame right now, we cannot detract from the incredible work Alexander-Arnold has plied at Anfield. He is a legend, but his legacy freezes abruptly, halted before reaching near inimitable heights.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool legacy

Curiously, official announcements have yet to materialise and may not for weeks yet, but the dust has somewhat settled on Alexander-Arnold’s future.

Liverpool are on course to lift the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season in the dugout. It’s the beginning of a new era, one which promises prosperity, but Alexander-Arnold is only available for the overtures. Any future triumphs will not feature him in the celebrations.

How did it get to this stage? Is the right-back’s decision understandable? Acceptable? Fingers can be pointed every which way and reasoning can be found from each angle, but the plain truth is that this one hurts for the Reds, whose rise and rise under Jurgen Klopp coincided largely with the birth of a new homegrown superhero.

In a way, Steven Gerrard was reincarnate through this wonderful, incredible player, genre-bending in his capacity for creativity and art, dazzling on the ball and innovative with his thinking.

But since contract-related noise ramped up, it’s always felt like Trent’s future might lie at the Santiago Bernabeu. Conversely, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah seem more likely to spend next year (at the least) within Slot’s brood, looking to defend their league title and challenge for the other lofty honours once again.

Alexander-Arnold, made vice-captain in 2023, will not wear the armband, not properly, not as was preordained when he escaped footballing boyhood and clearly became one of the great game’s distinguished technicians.

He currently has 349 Liverpool appearances to his name with 22 goals and 87 assists. Trent is the highest-assisting defender in Premier League history.

Premier League – Most Assists from Defenders

#

Player

Apps

Assists

1.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

254

64

2.

Andy Robertson

302

59

3.

Leighton Baines

420

53

4.

Graeme le Saux

327

44

5.

Antonio Valencia

325

39

Data via Premier League

For those who are aggrieved, dismayed, Alexander-Arnold’s legacy will stand strong through the ages, withstand the test of time. But it could have been more.

In fact, there’s a homegrown member of Slot’s Liverpool squad who may even eclipse Alexander-Arnold.

Here’s why.

The academy star who may leave a bigger legacy

Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool, but Liverpool has more than enough to forge plenty of success over the coming years. With such rich options across the park and coffers deep enough to replenish with high-level options, there’s much to look forward to with Slot at the helm.

But the academy connection runs deep, and Curtis Jones is now tasked with stepping up to the plate and raising his own bar. He will, after all, be the eldest child in the Kirkby family, and one of the more experienced first-team players besides.

Indeed, having featured 170 times for the Reds, Jones, 24, has scored 19 goals and provided 20 assists, excelling in parts this season, seemingly enamoured with Slot’s brand of fluent football.

He’s been in and out of the starting line-up, but Jones is unquestionably a first-team mainstay, with the technical quality and midfield dynamism to become one of the city’s standout stars with just a few more developments to his sprawling skill set.

As per FBref, Jones ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across the whole of Europe over the past year for assists, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 14% for successful take-ons, the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 13% for tackles in the middle third.

Those last few metrics border on obscurity, but they do highlight his combativeness in the middle of the park, willingness to jump forward and impact in the final third as well as maintain possession when in the depths of Slot’s ball-playing game. A paragon of composure and metronomic presence, Jones bears the blueprint of a superstar.

After all, FBref’s data-driven collections reveal that Jude Bellingham is his most comparable player. Now there’s a player, albeit not one whose achieved much popularity with the Liverpool fanbase.

So what’s the point of all this? Why is it pertinent? Well, as previously alluded to, Jones has made steady progress at Liverpool since making his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2019, since curling home that oh-so-sweet strike against Everton in the FA Cup, announcing himself.

Development is not linear, and Jones has had to battle through adversity to cement a place in Liverpool’s squad, dealt bad hands on the injury front as well as some contentious hindrances in regard to disciplinary dealings.

But Jones has emerged from the fiery gates of uncertainty as an avid youth, now regarded as one of Liverpool’s most talented and valuable players. CIES Football Observatory, in fact, have recorded Jones to have a market value of £67m, above the likes of Conor Gallagher and Dejan Kulusevski.

Maybe he’ll never quite inspire awe as Alexander-Arnold’s almost celestial range of passing has done, but Jones is industrious as they come; his heart beats Liverpool red.

You wouldn’t bet against the silky centre-midfielder from emulating Gerrard and retiring a one-club man. Hailed for his “special” performance for England against Greece in November by Fabrizio Romano, scoring on his debut, Jones is clearly going from strength to strength.

Should that be the case, given the trajectory Liverpool are following and the high regard he is held in by Slot, Jones may well be remembered more fondly than his soon-to-be-former teammate Trent when all’s said and done.

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Posts ByBrett Worthington Mar 27, 2025

نعى الأسطورة الأرجنتينية ليونيل ميسي نجم إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، اللاعب البرتغالي الراحل ديوجو جوتا الذى توفى صباح اليوم إثر حادث سير في أحد شوارع إسبانيا.

وهز خبر رحيل ديوجو جوتا الوسط الرياضي وأرسلت مختلف الأندية واللاعبين الرسائل ليعبروا عن حزنهم وآسفهم الشديد لوفاة نجم ليفربول.

أقرأ أيضًا.. نونيز ينعى ديوجو جوتا: لا أجد الكلمات.. وسأتذكر ابتسامتك دائمًا

ونشر ميسي عبر حسابه الرسمي على “إنستجرام” موجهًا رسالة للاعب ليفربول المتوفي، وقال: “ارقد في سلام”.

وكان جوتا قد تعرض لحادث سير وقع عند الكيلو 65 من الطريق السريع A-52، بالقرب من منطقة سانابريا في زامورا.

وتوفى ديوجو جوتا عندما انحرفت السيارة عن الطريق والتي كان يستقلها مع شقيقه أندريه لاعب بينافيل صاحب الـ26 عامًا ما أدى لاندلاع حريق هائل.

جدير بالذكر أن جوتا بدأ مسيرته مع نادي باكوس فيريرا قبل أن ينضم لأتلتيكو مدريد ولعب عامين ثم لعب مع أندية بورتو وولفرهامبتون على سبيل الإعارة ولعب في ليفربول خمس سنوات منذ 2020 حتى 2025.

وحقق جوتا مع ليفربول الدوري الإنجليزي 2024-2025 وكأس الاتحاد 2021-2022 وبطولة الدرع الخيرية موسمي 2021-2022 و2023-2024.

Yorkshire claim 13 points, Gloucestershire take 12 as rain intervenes

ECB Reporters Network28-Jun-2023

Ollie Price reached his century early on a rain-hit final day•Getty Images

Gloucestershire all-rounder Ollie Price completed an excellent maiden first-team century during an otherwise low-key final day at Headingley as their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Yorkshire finished in a draw.Price moved from 97 not out overnight to reach three figures in the day’s first over as the visitors were bowled out for 464 in reply to a first-innings 550 for 9 declared during the first half of the morning.Price was last man out for 113 off 162 balls to on-loan left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty, who finished with 5 for 139 on Yorkshire debut.Yorkshire started their second innings with a lead of 86 and reached 200 for 6 in the 48th over when rain stopped play at 4.30pm, a lead of 286. No more play was possible.During a weather-affected third day, 22-year-old all-rounder Ollie Price shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 162 with his older brother Tom. This season, the brothers have both posted their maiden first-team centuries in this competition after new-ball seamer Tom did it in a draw at New Road in April.There was always the chance of a potential final day contrived finish, but that didn’t eventuate and both sides – relegated from Division One last year – remain closer to the bottom of the Division Two table than they are to the top.Yorkshire claimed 13 points and have won once from seven outings, while Gloucestershire took 12 and remain winless after eight.Price reached his milestone century with a leg-glanced boundary off the fifth ball of the day from George Hill’s seam. Two balls later, Matt Taylor edged seamer Dom Leech to first slip as Gloucestershire slipped to 425 for 9.Unfortunately for the smattering of spectators present on an overcast day at Headingley, this wasn’t a day’s play jam-packed with edge-of-your-seat action.But even though the game was drifting, Gloucestershire bowled well after lunch and took some scalps with them back to the South West. Adam Lyth also posted a pleasing 55 either side of lunch for Yorkshire.Given the position of both sides in the Division Two table and no threat of relegation, it was somewhat of a surprise that no adventure was shown.Wrapping up Gloucestershire’s innings, debutant Moriarty bowled a sweeping Price to secure his fifth wicket having joined Yorkshire from Surrey for the next month of Championship action.Lyth and Fin Bean shared a 73-run opening partnership at the start of Yorkshire’s second innings, with Bean caught behind pushing forwards at Zafar Gohar’s left-arm spin three balls into the afternoon for 38 including a pulled six off Ollie Price’s off-spin.Lyth pulled, reverse swept and drove before edging Zaman Akhter’s seam to first slip, ending a 56-run second-wicket stand with captain Shan Masood, who was bowled reverse sweeping at Gohar shortly afterwards, leaving Yorkshire at 135 for 3 in the 31st over.By this stage, the floodlights had been turned on at Headingley. For the game, it was very much lights out.A break for bad light and rain from just before 3pm accounted for the loss of seven overs before played resumed, allowing impressive Gohar to claim his third wicket when Dawid Malan was caught behind cutting for 20. That was the first of two wickets in five balls as Ben Charlesworth’s first ball accounted for Jonny Tattersall, caught at slip as Yorkshire fell to 161 for 5 in the 40th over.Gohar was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 63 from 18 overs, while Chris Dent struck with his third ball, getting Hill caught at slip with his left-arm medium pace. Dent celebrated in disbelief and patted Hill on the back as he departed, maybe owing to the fact he usually bowls part-time left-arm spin. It proved to be the fixture’s final ball.