After his public spat with Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to accelerate their move to sign Ademola Lookman in 2026.
It comes as no surprise that those in North London have identified an attacking target. Thomas Frank’s side have lacked conviction at times this season, with their striker problem recently made worse by Randal Kolo Muani’s injury. Despite initial news indicating that his injury is not serious, reports are now claiming that the Frenchman has suffered a fractured jaw.
The injury comes at a frustrating time for the forward, who is yet to score a goal for Tottenham in a difficult run of form. Even in the middle of that form, however, Frank could do with having Kolo Muani available.
With Dominic Solanke still sidelined, the Dane has just Richarlison and academy graduate Dane Scarlett to call on against Arsenal in his first official North London derby in charge of Tottenham.
It’s an attacking problem that Spurs know they must address and club chiefs have already reportedly set their sights on Rodrygo to do exactly that. The Real Madrid star has an uncertain future in Spain after falling out of favour under Xabi Alonso and Spurs are reportedly willing to spend as much as £70m to secure his signature as a result.
There’s no doubt that the Brazilian would be a statement signing as one of the best wingers in the world, but he may not be the only one that the Lilywhites pursue in 2026.
In an attacking overhaul, those in North London have also set their sights on Lookman and are reportedly ready to step things up in the race for his arrival.
Tottenham ready to accelerate Lookman move
As reported by TuttoJuve, Tottenham are now ready to accelerate their move to sign Lookman in 2026 with the talented forward desperate to move on from the Italian club.
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The former Fulham ace was denied a move away in the summer, despite handing in a transfer request, and has since fallen out with manager Juric and removed Atalanta from his Twitter bio. Ever since he was denied a summer switch, an exit has simply looked inevitable.
As the saga continues, it’s Spurs who are attempting to take full advantage to welcome the Nigerian back to the Premier League. Although the Lilywhites won’t be the only club in the race, the fact that Lookman is represented by the same agency as Mohammed Kudus could provide them with an unexpected advantage in any negotiations.
It’s certainly a transfer race that would be worth winning, too. Before their recent disagreement, Juric went as far as to describe Lookman as “spectacular” and there’s little doubt that he’s still Atalanta’s most important player.
Forget Spence: Frank has a future superstar who can end Porro's Spurs career
Fifties from Kaleem and Mirza could not overcome a stiff target despite India testing out their non-regular bowlers
Deivarayan Muthu19-Sep-20253:04
What are the challenges of India’s fluid batting order?
After their batters got only around 20 overs of crease-time across their first two games against UAE and Pakistan, India batted first for the first time in the Asia Cup and posted 188 for 8 against Oman. All their batters got a hit in the middle except their captain Suryakumar Yadav, who did not come out to bat despite India losing eight wickets. Though Oman made a creditable impression with both ball and bat, they could not overcome India’s might and depth.Abhishek Sharma did Abhishek Sharma things, clattering 38 off 15 balls. He was the only India batter with a strike rate of over 200 on an Abu Dhabi pitch that offered grip and turn. Sanju Samson, who slotted in at No.3, was less fluent, but moved to a 41-ball fifty. Cameos from Tilak Varma (29 off 18), Axar Patel (26 off 13), and Harshit Rana (13* off 8) then pushed India up towards 190.India had rested their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy, but Kuldeep Yadav befuddled Oman’s batters with his variations. Oman openers Aamir Kaleem and Jatinder Singh struck up a 56-run partnership but by the time Kuldeep broke it in the ninth over, the asking rate had shot up to 12. Though Kaleem and No.3 Hammad Mirza made battling half-centuries, they could not find the higher gears that could have hurt India. In pursuit of 189, Oman finished with 167 for 4.Having applied so much scoreboard pressure on Oman, India could afford to experiment with their bowling too. Tilak and Abhishek were among eight bowlers India used on Friday.2:20
Abhinav Mukund: This is how Abhishek should always bat
Abhishek’s opening salvoLeft-arm seamer Shah Faisal dealt India an early blow when he castled Shubman Gill for 5 with a sharp inswinger in the second over. However, that didn’t stop Abhishek from lining up Oman’s bowlers in the powerplay.Abhishek claimed 38 of the 60 runs India had scored in the first six overs. Left-arm fingerspinner Shakeel Ahmed got away with the first ball he bowled to Abhishek, but the batter took him for two fours and a six in the third over. Shakeel tried to drag the ball away from Abhishek’s reach with his sharp angle from left-arm around, but the left-handed opener still found a counter.Oman’s seamers then took pace off, but nobody can take Abhishek’s power away. When Mohammad Nadeem bowled a slower ball into the pitch, Abhishek forayed down the track and scythed it over point. Then, when Jiten Ramanandi dug a 104kph delivery into the pitch, Abhishek pumped it for a straight six.He got a reprieve on 21 when he tickled Nadeem down the leg side, but Vinayak Shukla, the Oman keeper, shelled the catch and umpire Raveendra Wilalasiri eventually deemed it as a wide ball. Abhishek added 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, Shukla making no mistake this time.2:07
Jaffer: Wasn’t a fluent innings from Samson
Samson’s stop-start inningsAfter having chalked up two DNBs, Samson had a slow start – he was on 13 off 14 balls at one point – but a six and a four off Madhya-Pradesh-born wristspinner Samay Shrivatsava got him out of first gear. Samson proceeded to crash Zikria Islam for a straight six in the tenth over, but slowed down once again thereafter.Having got to 42 off 32 balls, he took a further nine balls to bring up his half-century. Then, when he looked to turn up the tempo, he holed out to deep midwicket for 56 off 45 balls in the 18th over.India cobbled together 21 off the last three overs and managed to find the boundary just once during this period – off the last ball of the innings when Harshit scythed Faisal for six over point.2:00
Jaffer: Inspired performances from Kaleem and Hammad
Oman’s spirited chaseAfter bagging the wickets of Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, Kaleem, who will turn 44 in November, stood up to India’s bowlers. He was cagey during the powerplay – he scored only 15 off 13 balls during the period – but then laid into Dube’s medium-pace, taking him for 18 off nine balls.Kaleem’s knock ended on 64 when Hardik held onto a screamer at the long-leg boundary off Harshit, putting a smile on fielding coach T Dilip’s face. Mirza also showed his batting chops with a half-century of his own, giving Oman hope for the T20 World Cup Asia & East-Asia-Pacific Regional Qualifier, a tournament they will host next month, even if they bowed out of their maiden Asia Cup with no wins in three matches.For India, Arshdeep Singh, who was playing his first game of the tournament, picked up his 100th T20I wicket when he had Shukla holing out in the final over. Arshdeep became the first India bowler to the landmark and closed out the game for them, with Bumrah and Varun applauding the effort from the sidelines.
Kelly Castle and Sophie Luff, the old guard of domestic women’s cricket, are now at the vanguard of a new era
Andrew Miller22-Apr-2025Unless you were deeply invested in the rise of English women’s cricket, you could be forgiven for not having previously heard of Kelly Castle and Sophie Luff. At the ages of 27 and 31 respectively, each has been a county cricketer for more than a decade already – providing solid, dependable presences in the previously amateur ranks of Essex and Somerset, including six years each as captain. However, throughout that time, neither player has come especially close to international recognition nor, in Castle’s case, attracted the attentions of the Women’s Hundred.Now, however, Castle, Luff and their ilk are at the vanguard of a brand-new era for their sport. Last April, Essex and Somerset were chosen as two of the eight initial Tier 1 women’s professional set-ups, and this week each player will be helping to launch her county’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign: Castle, up at Chester-le-Street, where Essex take on Durham, and Luff down at Beckenham for Somerset versus Surrey.How each player fares individually will be of less relevance than what they represent. At a time when the depth of English women’s cricket is under scrutiny like never before, amid the failings of the national team at the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, the rebooted county game is intended to create the sort of pyramid structure that has never previously existed within the sport.And what that may entail – more urgently even than the identification of a new golden generation to challenge the current stars of the international set-up – is the expansion of this middle tier of “solid pros”: the likes of which have shored up the men’s game for generations but which, due to the fast-tracked nature of the women’s elite game, have not yet had a chance to take proper root among their female counterparts.”I’ve been here for a long time, so it’s cool to see a full-circle moment,” Castle tells ESPNcricinfo ahead of a transformative season. “For a lot of us girls, no matter where we played, we didn’t know if we could play professional cricket, unless we got to international level. So now, it’s great to see that it can be a career and, for that to happen at the club that I’ve grown up playing at, is pretty cool.”The professional experience isn’t brand-new to either player: in 2020, both were among the initial tranche of 41 regional players to be handed groundbreaking full-time contracts. And yet, seeing as Castle had been one of just five initial pros within the now-disbanded Sunrisers squad, and Luff one of six at Western Storm, even that seminal step-up was limited compared to the opportunity that awaits the women’s game this summer.”I never envisaged I’d be a professional cricketer first and foremost, particularly not at domestic level,” Luff, who has been named as Somerset’s first professional captain, tells ESPNcricinfo. “It just wasn’t an option when I was growing up. I chased the England dream for a long time and that ship’s probably sailed. But the fact that I can be a domestic professional cricketer, playing in front of a lot of people and getting paid pretty well, it’s come an awful long way, and I think it’s only going to grow.”When I first started at Western Storm there were three professional players on a retainer, then it went to six in the first winter. Now we’ve got a full squad of players, some of whom are rookies obviously. But the fact that we’ve got a full squad of girls in training week in, week out, makes a huge difference. I’m really excited to see what difference that makes moving into the season.”Those rookie contracts, worth £20,000 for this first year, will have a crucial part to play in the expansion of that pyramid. Notwithstanding the growth of the women’s game in recent years, there’s still a significant element of chance that dictates the ability of young players to rise through the sport’s existing ranks, as Castle’s own story relates.Sophie Luff will be Somerset’s first professional women’s captain•Getty ImagesHad it not been for the fact that her primary-school teacher in Southend was Australian, Castle says she would never have got a taste for the sport in the first place. And thereafter, having followed the familiar path of being a token girl in the local boys’ cricket team, she made her first appearance for Essex as a 13-year-old in 2011, and so was in position to ride the wave as the first stirrings of professionalism began.”I remember thinking, if I’m not playing for England by the time I’m 15, then I’ll need to give up, which is crazy,” Castle recalls. “And then, there was always something else that just kept me going, until I’m 17 … until I’m 19 … I was in my third year of university when there were murmurs around professional cricket happening, and because I’d always worked in cricket, I managed to transition in when I’d finished. I still do a lot of coaching on the side, just to keep myself busy. It feels as though the sport is getting there, but there’s still a lot of stuff to do.”To judge by the new narrative that surrounds the county game, however, the changes this season have already been stark. The ethos of one club, two teams has been a feature of the formative years of the Hundred, but already that seems to have been adopted across the board.Wherever you look, there’s a new recognition of the importance of the women’s set-up, whether it’s Surrey factoring a bespoke women’s changing room into their plans for a multi-million pound redevelopment of the Kia Oval pavilion, or Essex talking excitedly about their plans for expansion at Chelmsford, a project that simply could not have been possible when the club only catered for its men’s team.”We get to come to the same place every day for work,” Luff says of the experience down at Taunton. “The girls have a familiarity around where they’re coming to train and the infrastructure here has been brilliant, the way that we’ve been welcomed into the club.”The one thing that I really took away from our first week here was we met every department,” she adds. “It felt like Western Storm in the previous era was just a cricket team that existed as cricket players and cricket staff – whereas coming here, there’s a lot more that goes into a county cricket club than just the cricket on the pitch.Related
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“We’ve had great access to the facilities. Our changing rooms have been upgraded. We’ve got lockers in, the gym’s been extended to accommodate more people basically. And I think the men have probably seen some benefits from us coming in as well, which is nice.”However, it’s not simply the Tier 1 teams that have got the memo. As Beth Barrett-Wild, the ECB’s Director of Women’s Professional Game, noted earlier this month, some of the most interesting dynamics are set to occur within the new Tier 2 set-up, where a lot of ambitious amateur players will be seeking to make a name – and maybe ultimately a career – for themselves this summer.At Middlesex, for instance, where there was initial “shock” and “frustration”, according to their head of women’s cricket, Marc Broom, at the club’s failure to secure Tier 1 status, there has been a determination to prove the ECB’s decision-making wrong.”We’re going to treat you like professional cricketers, and we want you to act, train and play and think like professional cricketers,” says Broom, whose players stormed out of the blocks in their opening fixture earlier this week, bowling Kent out for 66 at Radlett en route to an eight-wicket victory.”Everything we’re going to be able to provide you is what we would try and provide a professional cricketer. The difference is your contact time with coaches is going to be less than a pro. The money you receive back is going to be less than a pro, and the time you’ve got available to commit to this is going to be less than a pro.”That would sound like an unpalatable prospect to most amateur players, were it not for the new incentives that the tiered structure has put in place.”My job is to create the best environment for these players and set them on the right journeys,” Broom says. “If, at the end of this year, every single player in this squad got signed by a Tier 1 county, I would be holding my hands up saying, ‘I’ve done my job’.”Additional reporting by Valkerie Baynes
First win at Sophia Gardens since 1981 can’t make up for disappointment of missing out on promotion
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025Lancashire 374 (Wells 78, Jones 62, Balderson 51, van der Gugten 5-85) and 134 for 3 (Jennings 47) beat Glamorgan 265 (van der Gugten 53, Bailey 5-51) and 241 (Cooke 52, Balderson 4-75) by seven wicketsLancashire wrapped up their 2025 Rothesay County Championship campaign with a three-day win over Glamorgan thanks to a one-day style evening session.Stand-in captain Josh Bohannon oversaw his side’s first County Championship win at Sophia Gardens since 1981 against Glamorgan, whose promotion was confirmed last week. It was also Glamorgan’s first red-ball defeat since April, in departing captain Sam Northeast’s last appearance.After controlling the game from day one, Lancashire took eight wickets, including 4 for 75 for George Balderson before Keaton Jennings’ top-order blaze of 47 from 33 balls set the visitors on their way to chasing 133 inside 26 overs remaining in the day.The north-west county provisionally rise to third in an unsuccessful attempt to gain promotion from their first season back in Division Two while Glamorgan will play in Division One for the first time since 2005 next year.Resuming with the intention and requirement to bat all day, Northeast and Zain-ul-Hassan kept Lancashire’s bowlers at bay for a 58-run partnership before the former’s dubious lbw for 21 in his last Glamorgan innings, and Zain’s reckless reverse sweep on 45 chalked the hard work off.Balderson’s impressive stint of 25 overs all told gave a feel of him nagging at Glamorgan batters for the whole innings. On a varying pitch, his skiddy medium-pace with Matty Hurst stood up to the stumps for the majority saw Billy Root and later Mason Crane pinned, the latter putting up a good fight with half-centurion Chris Cooke before being undone by the new ball straight after tea.Despite single-figure scores prominent, every other wicket seemingly kept day four in contention for Glamorgan – Colin Ingram and Cooke held things together before the wicketkeeper’s hard-fought 50 came up with a counter-attacking six while in the company of No. 11 Ned Leonard.Lancashire made no changes to batting order, seemingly happy to see through day three on a pitch that provided plenty of turn for Tom Hartley – promising signs for Crane – as well as bounce variety for seamers. The assumption was wrong. Luke Wells together with Jennings in white-ball mode belted the new-ball around to take all the pressure off.Twenty from James Harris’ fourth over left wickets of no concern before Bohannon, George Bell and Hurst continued the momentum despite two consolation wickets for Crane.With five to win, Northeast stepped up to bowl as the final act of his four-year captaincy stint.
New South Wales batter Kurtis Patterson started his Ashes audition with a sterling century, but the Blues slipped to a two-wicket one-day loss to Tasmania after a record ninth-wicket stand between Bradley Hope and Matt Kuhnemann.Patterson, watched by Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey, struck 110 from 125 balls in the NSW’s 224 all out. Tasmania, with another Ashes hopeful Jake Weatherald making 28, were reeling at 124 for 8 in the opening game of the Dean Jones Trophy at Cricket Central in Sydney.Related
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But Kuhnemann (56 not out from 71 balls) and Hope (49 not out from 91) produced a stunning unbroken 101-run stand for the ninth wicket to win with four balls to spare.Patterson played two Tests for Australia in 2019 and boasts an average of 144 – he made 30 and 114 not out in his two knocks against Sri Lanka. The left hander was discarded when Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had served their ball-tampering suspensions.But Patterson returned to Test discussions with prolific run-scoring in the Sheffield Shield last season, compiling 743 runs at 57.15, although is still an outside chance at this stage. On Tuesday, the 32-year-old dominated NSW’s innings – after his century the next-best was former captain Moises Henriques whose 41 from 51 balls featured two sixes. Patterson reached his second career one-day century from 113 deliveries. Tanveer Sangha was the only other NSW batter to reach double-figures.Kurtis Patterson started his season with a century•Getty Images
Test allrounder Beau Webster took 3 for 41 and white-ball specialist Nathan Ellis 3 for 37.Tasmania’s run chase faltered early with Mitch Owen out for 9 and Webster chopping on for a golden duck – both dismissed by debutant paceman Ryan Hadley in the second over.Sean Abbott, who was captaining NSW, then snared two quick wickets, including a wonderful delivery to take Mac Wright’s off stump, to leave the Tasmanians 42 for 4 after seven overs.Weatherald, who was recently put on the Test radar by selection chair Bailey, put on 54 with veteran Matthew Wade. But Weatherald’s 51-ball innings ended when he smacked a short ball from spinner Ollie Davies straight to Hadley on the deep midwicket boundary.Tasmania’s hopes appeared over when Wade was caught and bowled by Sangha, with Ellis was soon dismissed to leave the visitors 124 for 8 in the 26th over.But Kuhnemann and Hope produced their defining partnership, with the former edging through a vacant slips area for the winning boundary.
It’s a new week, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank will be gearing up for a return to Premier League action at the weekend, when his side travel to Arsenal.
Tottenham have been a mixed bag this season, certainly more secure and steely than last year under Ange Postecoglou’s leadership, but lacking the snap and verve that the fanbase associates with the core of the club. To dare is to do, after all.
Someone embodying that mantra right now is Troy Parrott, whose stunning hat-trick at the weekend saw Ireland defeat Hungary and seal a World Cup play-off spot, having only days before bagged a brace to sink Portugal.
The AZ Alkmaar centre-forward, 23, is shaping into quite the goalscorer, becoming the player Spurs knew he could be after he graduated from the academy.
Parrott's record at Spurs
In July 2024, Tottenham sold Parrott to AZ Alkmaar for around £7m. The Republic of Ireland international had made his Premier League debut aged 17, but only ended up featuring three further times across all competitions before leaving for good, having completed no less than five stints out on loan.
Troy Parrott – Goal Record by Club
Club
Apps
Goals
AZ Alkmaar
61
33
MK Dons
47
10
Preston
34
4
Excelsior
32
17
Ipswich
18
2
Millwall
14
0
Tottenham
4
0
Data via Transfermarkt
In fact, each of the goalscorer’s four senior outings for the Lilywhites came during the 2019/20 campaign, and while Spurs knew when they sold him last year that he had untapped potential, it was clear he was going to struggle for minutes given the club’s attacking pecking order.
There was plenty of chatter regarding Parrott and his potential, even at that nascent stage. Of course, comparisons against Harry Kane were drawn, and talent scout Jacek Kulig has since praised him for his “incredible” performances over in the Netherlands, making good on that potential that was stunted by injuries.
There was always the promise of success. While he didn’t enjoy a prolific spell with Preston North End in the Championship, the player’s tenacity could not be questioned. His former manager Ryan Lowe said: “His work rate is phenomenal. For the size of him, he is a bit of a unit inside. He’s not massive, but very strong, uses his body very well & he got down the sides plenty of times.”
If this tells us anything, it’s that development in football is not linear, and it can take talented prospects a time to find their footing after showing initial promise at the foot of their professional career.
Tottenham must learn from their past mistake – if selling Parrott for a small fee could be called an error – and devote plenty of time to their new version of the Irish hero, who arrives in London at the start of 2026.
Spurs have a bigger talent than Parrott
Parrott is growing into his skin, so sharp and dynamic in the final third. There is an expectation that he should kick on and enjoy further success over the coming years, and Spurs may have to watch ruefully on as he makes headway.
However, that poignancy will be tempered and then some by the emergence of Mason Melia, who has completed a transfer rising to £3m last season, slated to join in January after the completion of the Irish league campaign.
Having idolised Kane and made his professional debut as a 15-year-old, the rangy striker is establishing himself as quite the hot prospect, with his former youth coach Hughie Nolan remarking that “nothing has fazed him” as he has raised his level again and again over his formative years.
The Athletic’s Connor O’Neill said after the announcement that he’s “easily the best young talent I have seen in the League of Ireland”. Parrott left his homeland and signed for Spurs before he could make his senior bow, but Melia arguably has more hype around him, and still only 18, there is so much scope for growth.
Having already featured 98 times for St. Patrick’s Athletic, notching 25 goals and eight assists, Melia will provide an interesting dimension to a Tottenham side crying out for attacking inspiration. Richarlison and Dominic Solanke have not provided the answer, for differing but equally concerning reasons.
Mathys Tel is a young and talented striker, beginning to show signs of the talent that Tottenham saw when bringing him over from Bayern Munich, but the jury is very much out and there are questions relating to whether the 20-year-old has what it takes to lead the line in the Premier League.
Moreover, he has recently emerged as a transfer target for Roma in Serie A, the Italians viewing him as an alternative option to Manchester United as the winter transfer window draws near.
With Parrott doing so well at the moment, it’s inevitable that wistful gazes will be cast toward the Irishman as he establishes himself as one of Europe’s most underrated strikers.
But while there’s a romanticism about a potential deal in 2026, bringing him back home, there’s little need when Tottenham have already signed a more talented Irish striker in Melia, who is now just over a month away from heading down N17.
Frank’s ability to nurture young prospects is well known in England, and Tottenham’s wider embracing of their youth suggests that Melia has made the right choice in moving to the capital and choosing white. He might be a “hidden gem” at the moment, as said by analyst Ben Mattinson, but Melia will soon establish himself as a major player in the Premier League, notably described as “the Irish Alexander Isak” for his effortless strike of the ball.
Will he need a bit of time? It’s more than likely. But the teenager is an aggressive and mobile striker, willing to make runs and connect play while simultaneously keeping one eye on goal at all times.
His wealth of experience, despite his young age, suggests that Tottenham may well hit the jackpot with his addition to the ranks. Parrott might be the talk of the town in Ireland right now, but in Melia, the Londoners have signed a young forward with the capacity to outstrip his older countryman and seal his place among Spurs’ finest forwards of the modern age, something Parrott was unable to do before leaving for a small fee.
Keown called Spurs star "embarrassing" in 2024, now they must "double" his wages
This Tottenham Hotspur star has turned his fortunes around after being called “embarrassing” last year.
Barcelona's famed La Masia academy has long been the envy of every other top club in Europe, and for good reason. It has forged dozens of legends over the last 46 years, from Pep Guardiola and Albert Ferrer, to Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and a certain Lionel Messi. Every generation produces multiple superstars, with Lamine Yamal leading the current crop after bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old.
Pedro Fernandez Sarmiento could be about to follow the same path. Or 'Dro', as he has been known by friends and family for his entire life. “People think there’s some special meaning behind it, but it’s actually simple,” he said earlier this season. “When I was a baby, my older brother couldn’t pronounce ‘Pedro,’ so he called me ‘Dro’. The name just stuck.”
As a footballer, though, Dro certainly special. At the tender age of 17, he is already earning minutes in the Barcelona first team, and has been capped three times by Spain's Under-18s. ”He’s a great player and still has room for improvement,” Hansi Flick said after drafting Dro into his squad over the summer. ”Congratulations to La Masia for the work they’re doing.”
The Barcelona manager has developed a sterling reputation for his handling of the club's prized youngsters since taking over in 2024, with the likes of Fermin Lopez, Alejandro Balde and Marc Casado also making major strides forward alongside Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. If Dro listens to Flick and continues to maximise his time on the pitch, it won't be long before he is also considered a household name.
Where it all began
On January 12, 2008, Dro was born in the coastal town of Nigran to a Spanish father and Filipino mother. At the age of four, he started playing for Val Minor, a renowned local club that was also once home to the Alcantara brothers, Thiago and Rafinha, and former Valencia and Leeds United striker Rodrigo Moreno.
Dro's first steps into football were not easy, but his talent shone through almost instantly, as his first coach, Javier Lago, recently recalled to : “When he arrived at the camp, he was very small and did not even want to train. That day ended in tears, he left with his mother, but returned later. It was all thanks to the persistence of his mother, Ella. And as soon as he entered the field again, two touches of the ball were enough to understand that there was something special in him.”
It is customary for promising footballers based in the Galicia province of Spain to hone their skills on the futsal pitch, and Dro progressed quickly under the watchful eye of Lago and Jose Antonio Covelo, a Barca scout who played for the club in the 1980s. Thanks to Covelo's presence on the Val Minor coaching staff, Barca were able to track Dro's progress up until he turned 14, at which point they won the race for his signature ahead of Real Madrid and Real Betis.
From day one, Dro stood out from his La Masia peers. “I put him on the field against players two years older, but he surprised everyone,” Barca youth coach Anton Davila said of Dro's introduction to training. “He always had a strong defender on his back, but he passed him as he wanted: with his heel, with a turn to the side, with his right foot or his left. He was an inexhaustible source of frustration for opponents.”
Dro only needed two years to break into Barca's Juvenil squad, and he would go on to help the U19s make history in the 2024-25 season.
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The big break
Under the stewardship of Juliano Belletti, who famously scored Barcelona's winning goal against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final, the Juvenil A team won the league, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Youth League to complete a remarkable treble. Dro played a small but significant role in their success, most notably scoring twice in the Youth League group stages, and came on for the last 11 minutes of their 4-1 final victory over Trabzonspor.
He was also handed his first Spain U17 call-up in March, and started in European Championship qualifying games against Germany and Austria. By the summer, Flick was ready to get a closer look at Dro, despite the fact he was still waiting on his debut for Barca's Athletic reserve team, and asked him to report for pre-season training before the squad headed off on a tour of Japan and South Korea.
Preparations began on July 13, and over the next 12 days, Dro did enough to earn a spot on the plane. According to , Flick was "hugely impressed" by the teenager, who then made his senior bow for the Blaugrana as a 78th-minute substitute against Vissel Kobe in the first game of the tour.
Dro marked the occasion in style, wrapping up a 3-1 victory with a superb first-time volley from just outside the box. Understandably, he was overcome by emotion after the final whistle as he revealed what Flick had asked of him before he was sent on for Marcus Rashford.
“I didn’t even know how to celebrate, to be honest. It was unbelievable,” he said. “I came in a bit nervous, the first time with the best club in the world, but then the ball came to my feet on the edge of the box and I gave it a go. Hansi and my team-mates calmed me down before the game and I felt so comfortable. Flick told me to do what I know to do with the ball, and then off the ball to push and press as hard as I can.”
Flick rested Dro for the subsequent win over FC Seoul, but started him in Barca's final outing against Daegu. Dro didn't score in the 5-0 win, but was one of the standout performers in the first half as he showed plenty of courage on the ball and linked up well with Yamal.
AFP
How it's going
As a reward for his performances in Asia, Dro was named on the bench in each of Barca's first three La Liga games at the start of the 2025-26 season, but a thigh injury delayed his highly-anticipated competitive debut. It finally came, though, when Barca welcomed Real Sociedad to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 28, as Dro lined up on the right side of a three-man midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
There were moments when Dro appeared to struggle physically, which is probably why Flick took him off for Dani Olmo at the interval, but the youngster still posted a 92 percent pass completion rate, and his technical quality shone through in the 2-1 victory.
"He's a very talented player. He's a Barca player," Flick said after the match. "It's great to have these kinds of players to be able to manage minutes. I really like that everyone tries to give their best. This is what we need because we have a lot of games."
The following month, Dro started again, this time in a home game against Olympiacos in the Champions League. Barca ran out 6-1 winners, with Fermin bagging a hat-trick in a dominant display from Flick's side. Dro played 59 minutes and provided the incisive pass for Fermin's second goal, which made him the second-youngest player to ever record an assist in the competition, after former Borussia Dortmund star Giovanni Reyna.
"It’s a special day for me, one that I’ll never forget," Dro said when facing up to the media. "I’ve always dreamed of playing in matches like this. I [also] have a strong desire to play in El Clasico." He ended up being an unused substitute as Barca fell to a 2-1 defeat againstReal Madrid four days later, but by the time the two arch-rivals meet again in La Liga in May, it's entirely possible that Dro will be a nailed-on starter.
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Biggest strengths
Dro primarily operates as a No.8, but is versatile enough to play in an attacking midfield role or on the left wing when required. He excels at breaking through the lines, possessing the close control and dazzling footwork to evade defenders effortlessly at speed.
Barca can look to Dro to manufacture space and exploit it. His passing range and positional awareness are remarkable for such a young player, while he also exudes natural composure in everything he does.
"I think of myself as a technical player," Dro said during Barca's pre-season tour. "I like to dribble past players and have fun on the pitch." You can sense that enjoyment whenever Dro picks the ball up; he's an elegant footballer who doesn't seem to feel pressure.
We haven't seen it at first-team level yet, but Dro is also something of a set-piece specialist. He scored several free-kicks from distance for Barca's U19s, and can potentially be another strong option for Flick in dead-ball situations as the season progresses.
Stats highlights from MI’s first win of IPL 2025, against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium
Sampath Bandarupalli31-Mar-202510-2 – Mumbai Indians’ (MI) win-loss record against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in the IPL. They are the first team to win ten IPL matches against an opponent at a single venue.The eight-wicket win on Monday was their 24th overall against KKR in the IPL, three more than any other team against a single opponent.5256 – Balls taken by Suryakumar Yadav to complete 8000 T20 runs – the second quickest to the milestone behind Andre Russell, who took 4749 balls to score 8000 runs. Suryakumar passed the milestone during his unbeaten 27 off 9 balls against KKR.4 for 24 – Ashwani Kumar became the first Indian bowler to take a four-wicket haul on IPL debut. Amit Singh’s 3 for 9 against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2009 was the previous best by an Indian on IPL debut.6 – Bowlers with four or more wickets on IPL debut, including Ashwani. He has the fourth-best figures (4 for 24) for an IPL debutant, behind Alzarri Joseph (6 for 12 vs SRH) in 2019, Andrew Tye (5 for 17 vs RPGS) in 2017 and Shoaib Akhtar (4 for 11 vs DD) in 2008.14 – Number of players to take a wicket with their first ball in the IPL, before Ashwani got Ajinkya Rahane on Monday. Matheesha Pathirana, in 2022, was the previous, while Hanuma Vihari, in 2013, was the last Indian to strike with his first ball in the IPL.30 – Wickets taken by Trent Boult in the first over of an IPL innings – the most for any bowler. His dismissal of Sunil Narine was his 11th for MI in the first over; the other 19 were for his previous franchise – Rajasthan Royals (RR).5/5 – Narine has fallen to Boult in all five T20s in which he has faced the left-arm quick. He has scored only 23 runs off 19 balls from Boult.
Fulham are now considering a move for Brendan Rodgers as a replacement for Marco Silva, with their current manager being heavily tipped to join a rival Premier League club.
Silva is under pressure at Craven Cottage, as a result of his side’s poor start to the Premier League season, now sitting in 15th place and just one point above the relegation zone after the 2-0 defeat against Everton at the weekend.
The 48-year-old is the third longest-serving manager in the top flight, behind only Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola, having been in charge since July 2021, but his future is now in doubt, having been unwilling to commit to a contract extension.
Consequently, the club hierarchy may need to start thinking about replacements, and they are weighing up a move for a former Premier League manager…
Fulham considering Brendan Rodgers as Marco Silva replacement
According to 67 Hail Hail’s transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey, Fulham are now considering Rodgers as a replacement for Silva, with the Northern Irishman available after resigning from his role as Celtic manager last month.
Not only is the Portuguese manager at risk of being sacked, but he has also been heavily tipped to take over at Nottingham Forest in the future, given his relationship with controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis.
It is unclear whether the 52-year-old would be willing to make the move to Craven Cottage, but there are plenty of indications that he would be a solid long-term replacement for Silva.
In his most recent Premier League job, the Carnlough-born manager impressed considerably, with Gabriel Agbonlahor describing him as “world-class” courtesy of the work he did at Leicester City.
The ex-Leicester boss led the Foxes to FA Cup glory in the 2020-21 campaign, which he followed up with a victory in the Community Shield ahead of the following season.
Games
204
Wins
96
Draws
37
Losses
71
Points per game
1.59
The former Celtic manager also knows what it takes to win, having led the Hoops to 11 trophies during his two stints at Parkhead, winning two trebles on the spin across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.
Silva has arguably taken Fulham as far as he can, given their performances this season, and Rodgers has proven he could be an excellent replacement.
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Mariners star Cal Raleigh may have all but locked up the American League MVP award on Wednesday night when he blasted his 60th home run of the season, becoming the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs or more in one campaign.
With four games to play, Raleigh sits just two home runs away from tying the American League record set by Aaron Judge in 2022, and three away from breaking it. Ironically, Judge and Raleigh are neck-and-neck in the AL MVP race.
Only Roger Maris, Judge, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds have hit more home runs in a single season than Raleigh. Raleigh's 60th home run tied Babe Ruth's mark set in 1927.
The Mariners went on to beat the Rockies on Wednesday night to move to 89-69 on the season. There's no doubt there's more to come from Raleigh in what remains of the regular season, and into what should be a raucous postseason atmosphere at T-Mobile Park.