Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal (142) and Sanjay Ramaswamy (117*) put on the highest opening stand in the team’s history, powering the side to 285 for 1 at stumps against Bengal in Kalyani. Sent in to bat, Fazal and Ramaswamy put on 259 for the opening wicket before Ashok Dinda had Fazal lbw in the 73rd over. Before that, Fazal brought up his 14th first-class hundred, his third in as many games, in a 232-ball effort that included 22 fours. Ramaswamy, meanwhile, continued his impressive sequence of scores – he has thus far made 161, 7, 55 and 42 this season – and completed his third first-class century which included 14 fours. Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary employed six bowlers on what was a long day for his team.Chhattisgarh‘s bowlers restricted Himachal Pradesh to 175 after electing to bowl first in Dharamsala. In reply, Chhattisgarh were steady on 91 for 1, with opener Rishabh Tiwari (46*) and Ashutosh Singh (40*) raising an unbroken 79-run stand after the early loss of Siddharth Chandrakar. In the morning, Himachal lost early wickets slumping to 25 for 2, 60 for 3 and then 92 for 6. Seamers Pankaj Rao (3-52) and Shahnawaz Hussain (2-60) did the bulk of the damage. There were handy contributions from Nikhil Gangta (26), Rishi Dhawan (35) and Pankaj Jaiswal (25), but those were ultimately not enough to push Himachal past 200. Left-arm spinner Sumit Ruikar cleaned up the lower order with a three-wicket haul.Debutant seamer Heramb Parab’s three-wicket spell meant Goa kept Services down to 228 for 8 at the Palam ground in Delhi. After being put into bat, Services lost opener Vikash Mohan in the third ball off the match as Parab had him caught behind by Keenan Vaz. At the other end, Felix Alemao bowled Ravi Chauhan for a duck and Services were reeling on 1 for 2. Services slipped to 18 for 3 after offspinner Amogh Desai had Shamsher Yadav edging behind. Captain Nakul Verma (64) then restored calm with a 77-run stand in the company of Navneet Singh (27).However, the Parab-Vaz combine struck again to remove the latter. Parab was then on a hat-trick after he trapped G Rahul Singh in front with his next delivery. With Verma also being dismissed, Services turned to Vikas Yadav (61*) and Nitin Tanwar (43). Yadav first put on 67 runs with Tanwar for the seventh wicket before adding 38 runs with Diwesh Pathania. Alemao finished with two wickets.

Newcastle United are struggling for their best form in 2025/26. Eddie Howe’s side are a shadow of themselves from last season, with the Magpies winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Champions League in one of their best campaigns in years.

Yet, it has been a far cry from that sort of level in 2025/26. They are struggling in the Premier League, languishing in 14th place in the table. In front of goal, they have been poor, too.

The North East giants have only managed to bag 23 goals this season.

It has been a poor start to the campaign for their attackers, but Anthony Elanga is someone struggling the most.

A look at Elanga’s start to life at Newcastle

The Manchester United academy graduate was one of the marquee signings at St James’ Park this summer. He moved to Newcastle from Nottingham Forest, costing a fee of £55m after some impressive performances in Garibaldi Red.

The 23-year-old is still largely quite inexperienced, with only a few good years of first-team football under his belt. Yet, for a man who cost such a fee, Magpies fans would have expected more than the two assists he has managed in 17 games.

Yet, some of Elanga’s biggest traits have been on show at times in a Magpies shirt. His blistering pace and physicality helped him get into a position to assist Nick Woltemade against Everton last month, and it was a clever pass which teed the German up.

His manager has spoken out in full support of the Swedish international.

Howe said, “I think better things are to come in the future from him.” That being said, it has certainly been an underwhelming start to life in the North East for the ex-Man United star.

Indeed, Newcastle could already be lining up a move for an attacker who could replace Elanga.

Newcastle could secure swift Elanga replacement

It was reported at the end of last week by Chronicle Live that Manchester City attacker Oscar Bobb has ‘popped up on Newcastle’s radar’ ahead of the January transfer window.

Valued at £20m, he could be an option to strengthen their attack this winter.

The 22-year-old has experienced something of a stop-start career so far. He’s only made 47 career appearances for the Citizens, suffering from a broken leg, which kept him sidelined for several months last season.

However, in the opportunities he has had so far, Bobb has made a solid impression. He is dangerous in the final third, with three goals and four assists so far. Newcastle know all too well the quality he has, after he scored a stoppage-time winner against them in 2023/24.

Bobb is a vastly different type of winger from Elanga. Where the Magpies’ number 20 has raw pace and loves to operate on the touchline, the Norwegian star is more effective in those half-spaces, where his technical brilliance on the ball can flourish.

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That was another feature of the strike against his potential new club.

That technical ability is prevalent in his underlying stats from this season in the Premier League. The City academy graduate is averaging 1.92 key passes and 3.08 completed take-ons per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 7% and 1% of top-flight midfielders this term.

Bobb key stats in 25/26 PL

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Key passes

1.92

93rd

Expected assists

0.23xA

97th

Goal-creating actions

0.58

93rd

Take-ons completed

3.08

99th

Progressive carries

3.27

97th

Stats from FBref

One person who has been full of praise for the 22-year-old is BBC Sport analyst Umir Irfan. He lauded Bobb’s brilliance out wide, describing him as “one of the best wingers in football” as recently as August.

If the Magies were to bring Bobb in, he would add a vastly different profile to Elanga. Yet, that might be what Howe’s side needs. They already have a direct winger on the left in Anthony Gordon, so adding a bit of variety could benefit Newcastle.

For a fee of £20m, this could be one of the biggest bargains all winter, with Bobb adding a new profile and lots of quality to this Magpies side.

Related Bad news for Ramsey: Newcastle have enquired over "world-class" prospect

Newcastle are missing some vim and vigour in the middle of the park.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair

Rangers return to Premiership action today as they will be looking to head back to winning ways domestically after their success in Europe.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United in their last league outing and now come up against Motherwell at Ibrox.

The Dutchman’s side progressed through to the next round of the Europa League on Thursday night as they beat Borussia Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate. They held the Bundesliga outfit to a 2-2 draw at home, with James Tavernier scoring both of the goals on the night.

How many changes will the manager make to the team that faced Dortmund? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Leon Balogun, Glen Kamara and Amad Diallo coming in.

Starting off at the back, Balogun could come in for Borna Barisic. Taking the Croatian out of the team will allow Calvin Bassey to move to left-back, where he produced a stunning piece of skill and cross to create James Tavernier’s second goal against Dortmund on Thursday.

Barisic was hauled off at half-time against the Germans after winning just one duel and completing 64% of his passes. This could lead to him being axed from the side in favour of Balogun, who will then be able to partner Connor Goldson at centre-back.

In midfield, van Bronckhorst may axe Ryan Jack from the XI in order to hand him a rest. The £12k-per-week gem only recently returned from injury and there is no need to risk overworking him when the Dutch head coach has so many options at his disposal.

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Kamara can slot in at the base of the midfield with John Lundstram and Joe Aribo ahead of him, or the latter could play in the number 10 role ahead of the other two in holding positions. The Finland international is a proven performer at Premiership level, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.03 this season in the division.

Finally, we are predicting that Amad Diallo will be handed an opportunity to impress on the right in favour of Scott Arfield. The on-loan Manchester United man has struggled since his arrival in January, starting just twice in the league, but this could be a chance for him to prove the doubters wrong and kickstart his career at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Forget Morelos: “Unstoppable” 52-tackle “powerhouse” has been GvB’s true Rangers hero…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard may need to offer Jacob Ramsey a ‘small rest period’ for the youngster’s benefit.

That’s according to the former Leeds United man Noel Whelan, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Ramsey was a substitute for the final four matches of Dean Smith’s tenure but returned to the starting line-up for Gerrard’s first game in charge against Brighton in November and has featured in the XI for all but one Premier League fixture since.

The 20-year-old has scored five goals, one of which ignited Villa’s comeback in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United in January.

Only Ollie Watkins (six) has found the net more times for the Midlands outfit so far this season.

Ramsey has well and truly ‘burst onto the scene’, in the words of Whelan, with The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claiming he could now be on Gareth Southgate’s radar for the World Cup at the end of the year.

The latest

Whelan, a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, is under no illusions as to the qualities Ramsey provides – end-product, drive and energy – but warned that they may be feeling ‘the pinch of the Premier League’.

Gerrard, he says, will be wary of the physical and mental toll for a young player who’s just broken through, and may briefly take him out of the firing line as a result in a ‘massive call’.

“He’s really burst onto the scene and claimed that spot,” Whelan said.

“He has brought goals, assists into that midfield – and he’s quite a powerful player. That’s what you’ve got to look at. He drives with the ball and gives you loads of energy.

“I think sometimes as a younger player coming through after being in that youth setup – you can feel the pinch of the Premier League.

“He’s played a lot of games in the past couple of months, and that requires a lot of intensity. Sometimes it can catch up with you – physically and mentally.

“I think Steven Gerrard will be massively aware of those dangers having come through at a very young age himself.

“A small rest period would be a massive call, but may well be good for the young man, and with the likes of Buendia on the bench – they’ve got a really good amount of depth to replace him.”

The verdict

Gerrard may be hesitant to rotate Ramsey given that he produced a solid performance as Villa returned to winning ways against Brighton last week.

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The £13.5million-rated Englishman won seven of his 13 ground duels, making five tackles, and also completed 19 of his 23 passes (via SofaScore).

What’s more, Buendia – predominantly an attacking midfielder and sometimes a winger – probably shouldn’t be seen as a like-for-like replacement for a central midfielder in Ramsey.

He may encounter a rough patch at some stage, testing Gerrard’s man management skills, but that doesn’t seem to have arrived just yet.

In other news, a source has shared an update on the future of Ollie Watkins.

Celtic defender Adam Montgomery is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring issue, BBC Scotland’s Ben Philip reports.

The Lowdown: Montgomery’s move

Montgomery recently penned new terms at Parkhead through to 2025 and sealed a loan move to Aberdeen for the second half of the season late in the January window.

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Since then, the left-back has made five appearances for The Dons, registering his first assist in a 1-1 draw with Motherwell last month.

He recently completed 90 minutes against Dundee United but was missing in the defeat to Hearts on Wednesday, with Philip providing an update prior to the loss at Tynecastle.

The Latest: ‘Lengthy period’ out

The BBC Scotland journalist took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to share an update on Montgomery.

The youngster is set for a “lengthy period” due to a hamstring problem, with Jim Goodwin confirming he will be without the Hoops man for the next few weeks.

“Aberdeen defender Adam Montgomery (on loan from Celtic) will be sidelined for a “lengthy period” after picking up a hamstring injury. Dons manager Jim Goodwin couldn’t provide a specific timeframe, but confirmed he won’t be available for selection for the next few weeks.”

The Verdict: Will hamstring issues ever end?

Celtic have been hit with numerous hamstring issues this season, with David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi not featuring in 2022 due to their respective issues.

Albian Ajeti has also been out with the same problem but returned to the bench against St Mirren on Wednesday.

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Montgomery is now the latest Celtic player with a hamstring injury, and Ange Postecoglou could be thinking if they’ll ever be a time when his squad don’t have a hamstring problem for the medical team to deal with.

In other news: Ange can finally fix big Lennon blunder as Celtic now hold talks for ‘dangerous’ star – opinion. 

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has confirmed in the last 48 hours that full-back Ryan Sessegnon is facing another prolonged spell on the sidelines.Â

The lowdown: Yet more issues

Spurs are already set to be without Olivier Skipp for the foreseeable future after the midfielder missed an eighth consecutive match due to an ongoing groin injury.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United [via Football.London], Conte admitted to being ‘worried’ by the 21-year-old’s lengthy spell out of action.

Now it would appear that the Italian boss has even more cause for concern as Sessegnon was ruled out further having been taking off at half-time during the 5-0 mauling of Everton.

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The latest: An April comeback?

Having previously hoped the muscle injury suffered by the 21-year-old was ‘nothing serious’, Conte confirmed when speaking to the press, including journalist Dan Kilpatrick, that another three weeks out seems the most likely possibility.

This would mean that the 18-cap England Under-21 starlet would miss the matches with Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham, with a possible return to face Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The verdict: Another cruel blow

Unfortunately, injuries have rather blighted the former Fulham ace’s time in north London so far.

Sessegnon arrived with a hamstring problem and has since missed 20 games through fitness issues prior to this latest setback, which was labelled as ‘bad news’ by the manager.

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An apparent favourite of Conte’s, the ex-Juventus boss had recently admitted to being able to ‘trust’ in the youngster to perform – evidenced by handing him six starts in the Premier League since December.

With the race for the top-four still on, Spurs will hope to have Sessegnon available as soon as possible.

In other news: Spanish source shares update on Tottenham defender’s uncertain future, find out more here.

Crystal Palace and Arsenal are both keen on signing RB Leipzig forward Andre Silva, according to Calciomercato.com.

The Lowdown: Silva’s first season at Leipzig

Silva has scored 152 goals during his career for club and country, 15 of which have come for Leipzig this season after joining in a deal worth £20.7m last summer.

The 26-year-old, labelled as ‘phenomenal’ by international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, is under contract with Leipzig until 2026.

The Portugal star has also registered eight assists this season, and it seems as if his impressive form have caught the eye of Eagles officials.

The Latest: Palace links

Calciomercato.com shared a short story on Tuesday evening regarding Silva.

They claimed that both Palace and Arsenal, along with Atletico Madrid, are ‘interested’ in a move for the striker following his impressive campaign.

The Verdict: Ambitious

Palace backer John Textor is reportedly ready to splash the cash this summer to build on a good campaign under boss Patrick Vieira, and a potential move for Silva is indeed an ambitious one.

He is valued at a whopping £34.2m and has regularly played European football throughout his career, something Palace cannot currently offer, while the fact he has only just moved to Leipzig last year means they’d be unlikely to sell on the cheap.

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So, with the likes of Arsenal and Atletico, who look set to secure European football for next season, also keen, it would be a big ask for Palace to get a deal over the line in the summer.

In other news: ‘Just been told’ – Journo drops ‘very odd’ Palace claim after what he’s heard from Selhurst Park. 

According to The Mirror, Everton are reportedly willing to sell star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Calvert-Lewin’s recent form

The 25-year-old has suffered an inconsistent season due to a number of injuries, thereby contributing to Everton’s woes in front of goal. The forward suffered a fractured toe which kept him out for no fewer than 125 days, missing a grand total of 16 games.

As a result, Calvert-Lewin has failed to score a single Premier League goal since August, when he netted three on the bounce in the Toffees’ opening three games.

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The Latest: Everton willing to sell

According to a report by The Mirror, Everton are now willing to sell Calvert-Lewin in the summer, whose £72,000-per-week contract runs until the summer of 2025.

Both Arsenal and West Ham have been named as potential suitors, although no approaches have yet been made.

The Verdict: Most important player?

Everton would be silly to sell their star striker if they are to remain in the Premier League, with the division’s all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer claiming that the 25-year-old will “keep scoring goals”.

In 184 games for the Merseyside club, Calvert-Lewin has scored 56 goals. Furthermore, his importance to the Toffees’ creativity in the final third is unparalleled with any other Everton player.

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This is illustrated by his statistics, where he ranks in the 97th percentile for total shots, the 96th percentile for pass completion and the 89th percentile for progressive carries (via FB Ref), demonstrating the attacking output that he adds to the team.

Therefore, this seems like a premature call to make. Even though Calvert-Lewin’s form has dipped in recent months, the above figures illustrate that he remains one of Everton’s most important players. Let’s not forget that he whacked in 21 goals last season, after all…

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes this Frank Lampard claim

Leeds United are leading Newcastle United in the race to sign Birmingham City midfielder George Hall.

The Lowdown: Hall profiled

Hall is just 17 years of age but has already made his senior debut for Birmingham in the Championship.

The attacking midfielder signed his first professional deal with the Blues back in November, where Under-18s coach Martyn Olorenshaw described him as a ‘really exciting’ player who can ‘influence games’.

Hall can also play on the wing or as a centre-forward and was attracting interest from both Leeds and Newcastle earlier in the campaign.

The Latest: Whites leading race

The Boot Room relayed reports from The Sun on Sunday (3/4; page 61), who revealed that the Whites are leading the race for Hall’s services.

Leeds watched Hall in action for England’s Under-18s during the recent international break, where he was the only non-Premier League player on show.

Brenden Aaronson is expected to arrive at Elland Road as the first major addition under Jesse Marsch, and it looks as though an understudy may come through the door at the same time.

The Verdict: Another Orta gem?

Victor Orta has worked hard on signing the best young talents during his time at Elland Road, with the likes of Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk and Joe Gelhardt all now first-team players.

Lewis Bate, Leo Hjelde, Crysencio Summerville and Sam Greenwood are also breaking through, and it seems as if Hall is identified as the club’s next Under-23s signing.

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He appears to have a bright future ahead of him, and should a summer switch to Yorkshire materialise, he could be the next Leeds starlet, with the Whites set to go back in for Aaronson as a senior attacking midfield addition over the coming months.

In other news: £251m release clause: Leeds and Orta may sign ‘exceptional’ striker for Marsch; talks now held.  

Manchester United have had their hopes of signing the next Paul Pogba boosted after reportedly sealing an agreement with Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara.

The 22-year-old has had a similar rise to another of Manchester United’s targets in Declan Rice. Both caught their break on the big stage as a centre-back and have since been ushered further up the pitch due to their technical excellence.

What’s the news?

According to Il Romanista, it was said that the Marseille starlet “had already found an agreement with Manchester United.”

As per Sport Witness, Marseille expect Kamara to depart on a free transfer at the end of the season, and although United have constantly been tipped as the frontrunners for his signature, that lack of certainty around the managerial position has seen those rumours diminish slightly.

United’s next Pogba

When a player’s rise to prominence is as meteoric as Kamara’s, the comparisons to Pogba are natural and are enhanced by the positional similarity and shared nationality. However, it’s also his technical ability and versatility across the defence and midfield which has seen the 22-year-old shine this season.

His passing completion figures are world-class this season, with the young Frenchman achieving an average passing completion rate of 91% as he accurately makes around 71 passes per game.

His technical ability has enabled Marseille to play intricate football in tight areas this season, as can be seen throughout Kamara’s passes under pressure metric. With around 11 passes per game being made in high-pressure scenarios, it’s another metric which sees him ranked as one of Europe’s best in that regard.

It is no wonder that the £22.5m-rated star has been hailed as a “phenomenon” by former team-mate Rolando, who when asked about Kamara by RMC Sport, said: “This kid is a phenomenon. When he started training with us, he was 15 years-old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player.”

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Pogba continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford, but even if he does move on, United appear well-placed to land another dynamic French midfielder in the hugely talented Kamara.

In other news – Man Utd facing disaster over “phenomenal” £31.5m-rated star, supporters will be fuming