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Scotsman journalist Barry Anderson has provided an update regarding Celtic and the pursuit of on-loan Benfica forward Jota. 

The lowdown: Smash hit

Signed on loan from the Primeira Liga giants for the duration of the 2021/22 campaign, the 23-year-old has been an outstanding capture for the Hoops, ranking as their best performer going by Whoscored match ratings..

The deal that brought the Portuguese youth starlet to Celtic Park is believed to contain a £6.3million option-to-buy clause at the end of the season.

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However, following doubts about whether Jota would make the permanent switch, it appears that a major hurdle has now been overcome…

The latest: Anderson provides an update

Taking to Twitter, Anderson, who writes for The Scotsman, has claimed that the Glasgow club are moving towards the deal’s completion.

“Celtic set to sign Jota permanently from Benfica for £6.3m (€7.5m). The winger is happy to stay in Scotland and Benfica expect the buyout clause in his loan deal to be activated by CFC.”

Previously, journalist Alex Goncalves has described the inclusion of an option-to-buy as an ‘absolute travesty and incredibly poor management’ from Benfica.

The verdict: Music to the ears

So far this season Jota – recently hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Ange Postecoglou – has scored 12 times and provided another 12 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions, including a crucial goal in Sunday’s Old Firm.

The versatile winger has also created 14 big chances, completed 1.4 successful dribbles per game and taken 2.7 shots per game, underlining the Portuguese ace’s importance to Postecoglou’s side as the Bhoys stand on the brink of title glory.

For the mooted fee, 18-cap Portugal Under 21 starlet Jota is a bargain capture and one that will undoubtedly delight the Parkhead faithful should he indeed commit his permanent future to the club.

In other news… a player’s agent has ripped into the Hoops following some new transfer rumours.

Leeds United left-back Laurens De Bock has reportedly signed a permanent deal with Zulte Waregem.

The Lowdown: De Bock back in Belgium

De Bock has been out on loan to four different clubs after Victor Orta brought him to Yorkshire back in 2018 from Club Brugge in a deal worth £1.53m.

The 29-year-old has made just seven appearances in Yorkshire and has spent the current campaign back in his native country with Zulte Waregem.

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The Belgian has been a regular for the Jupiler Pro League side, making 30 appearances in all competitions, and with his Leeds deal set to expire in the summer, Phil Hay reported earlier that the player will definitely leave the club on a Bosman deal.

Now, it looks as though his destination is already agreed.

The Latest: One-year deal

Inside Futbol relayed a story from Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws regarding De Bock’s future late on Tuesday evening.

They claim that the defender has actually already signed a one-year deal with Zulte Waregem, which includes an option to extend by a further 12 months.

The Verdict: First player to leave under Marsch

It’s crazy to think De Bock is still a Whites player, but a permanent exit appeared inevitable and best for all involved as he looks set to become the first player to leave the club during Jesse Marsch’s tenure as manager.

He hasn’t been in the picture at Elland Road over the last four seasons, with his last Leeds appearance coming back in the 2017/18 Championship season prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival.

He’s finally back to playing regular first-team football in Belgium and is clearly rated by Zulte Waregem, captaining the side for the majority of the current campaign, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn he has penned a permanent deal with the club.

In other news: Leeds working on cheap deal for ‘outstanding’ 24 y/o; may replace ‘horrible’ flop. 

Everton are in a vulnerable position in the Premier League with just two games left to go in their fight to avoid their first relegation from top-flight football in over 70 years.

Frank Lampard will be feeling the pressure after his team fumbled their opportunity to secure definite safety last weekend, but will have their penultimate opportunity to save themselves against Crystal Palace on Thursday in their final home game of the season at Goodison Park.

There is no doubt that if Everton can remain in the Premier League next season there needs to be drastic changes at the club to ensure they are not in this position again and getting rid of players who are ineffective or negatively impacting the team is an absolute necessity.

With that being said, following a disappointing season, Salomon Rondon should be on the list of players the Toffees boss must be willing to sell and replace this summer.

In the game against Brentford, the rarely-seen striker was given a golden opportunity to come on and positively affect the game with the side down a goal in the last ten minutes of the game. However, he lost the ball every 1.5 touches, instead of exercising some damage control and taking his chances. Rondon was also red-carded just four minutes after coming on the pitch.

The ineffectiveness displayed in the game on Sunday has been a reflection of the 32-year-old’s entire season at Goodison Park, making 20 appearances and scoring just once in a defeat against Crystal Palace.

According to SofaScore, the centre-forward has created no big chances, is unsuccessful in the majority of his dribbles (60%) and has averaged at a shocking 15.2 touches per game, proving that he has been completely anonymous and ineffective in his attacking role for the Toffees since he joined last summer.

After the £28k-per-week flop’s short appearance against Thomas Frank’s side, Sky Sports pundit Don Hutchinson made a bold statement about Rondon’s future at the club, saying:

“This will be Rondon’s last game in an Everton shirt.”

If Everton do manage to complete the great escape by the end of this week, Lampard must get to work to improve the team and take them in a new direction ahead of next season.

Getting rid of Rondon in particular should be a priority so he can focus on improving the goal-scoring opportunities the side needs to be completing to win games.

AND in other news: Talks ongoing: Major Everton transfer development will leave supporters fuming 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran added 87 for the third wicket before Rashid Khan bagged 4 for 9

Hemant Brar25-Oct-20213:03

Peter Borren: The bowling proved ‘far too much for Scotland’

Chasing down 191 was never going to be easy for Scotland but no one would have expected them to collapse in the manner they did. Mujeeb Ur Rahman rocked their chase with a three-wicket over, and went on to complete his maiden five-for in T20Is, finishing with figures of 4-0-20-5.The lower order then stood no chance against Rashid Khan, who picked up 4 for 9 in 2.2 overs as Scotland were bundled out for 60 in 10.2 overs. The margin of victory, 130 runs, was the biggest for Afghanistan in this format.

Watch the Men’s T20 World Cup on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of Afghanistan vs Scotland is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Earlier, after Mohammad Nabi had opted to bat, Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad provided Afghanistan with a blazing start, with the fifty coming up in just 5.1 overs. Najibullah Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz then added 87 in 8.4 overs for the third wicket to lift the side to a total that proved well out of Scotland’s reach.A power-packed powerplay
Coming into this match, Shahzad had scored 309 runs in six T20Is against Scotland at an average of 51.50 and a strike rate of 148.55. In four of those games, he was the Player of the Match.Shahzad was playing his first game for Afghanistan since June 2019, but it didn’t seem to matter as he started in his typical aggressive manner: smashing the first ball he faced, from offspinner Michael Leask, over long-off for a six.Two balls later, Zazai targeted the deep-midwicket region for his first six. That was the shorter side of the ground as well. But soon the dimensions stopped mattering. In the fifth over, Zazai took on the longer boundary and smashed Brad Wheal for a 101-metre six.Shahzad fell to Safyaan Sharif for a 15-ball 22 on the penultimate ball of the next over, but the onslaught from the openers meant Afghanistan ended the powerplay on 55 for 1, the joint-most by a team in this World Cup.Watt applies brakes before Zadran, Gurbaz re-accelerate
After the powerplay, Zazai hit only one boundary – a six off Chris Greaves – before Mark Watt bowled him with a 107kph yorker.Gurbaz, meanwhile, took seven balls to open his account. At one point, he was on 15 off 20 balls and it started looking like Scotland could pull things back.Mujeeb Ur Rahman registered his best figures in T20Is•ICC via Getty

That wasn’t to be the case though as Zadran kept founding boundaries at regular intervals. The hundred came up for Afghanistan in the 13th over. Soon Gurbaz too found his touch. After moving to 23 off 27, he helicoptered Josh Davey over deep-midwicket before launching Wheal for two more sixes in the 17th over.Watt, who had conceded only ten from his first three overs, bore the brunt too, with Zadran hitting him for a four and a six in a 13-run over. Gurbaz fell for 46 but Zadran didn’t miss out on the half-century, bringing up the milestone off 30 balls and helping his side to a daunting total.Mujeeb rocks Scotland’s chase
George Munsey started Scotland’s chase with a reverse-swept four followed by a reverse-swept six off Nabi in the first over. He tried the same shot against Mujeeb in the next over, but the bowler’s pace didn’t allow him to connect his attempts.Kyle Coetzer hit two fours off Naveen-ul-Haq to take the side to 27 for no loss after three overs. That was the last time anything went Scotland’s way as Mujeeb picked up three wickets – all off googlies – in one over.Coetzer was the first to go, bowled through the gate. Calum MacLeod lasted just one ball and was lbw. Richie Berrington survived the hat-trick ball but lasted only two more deliveries as Mujeeb snared him lbw on the last ball of the over.Mujeeb completes five-for, Rashid cleans up the tail
From the other end, Naveen had Matthew Cross caught behind, Shahzad diving full-stretch to his right to take the catch.Mujeeb then rattled Munsey’s stumps from around the wicket to leave Scotland 36 for 5, with Rashid still to come into the attack.Rashid struck with his third ball, this time Leask failing to read the googly and being lbw. In the next over, Mujeeb completed his five-for by bowling Watt with a carrom ball before Rashid polished off the tail.

England second-string squad returns to scene of 16-0 points whitewash earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2025Paige Scholfield, the first name out of the hat in Wednesday’s Women’s Hundred draft, has been selected across formats for England A’s upcoming tour of Australia, as the women’s set-up looks to bounce back from a humiliating Ashes whitewash earlier this year.Scholfield, 29, was retained by her Hundred team, Oval Invincibles, on a £65,000 deal on Wednesday evening, after Birmingham Phoenix attempted to recruit her to Edgbaston for the 2025 competition. Now she is headed to Australia as part of a development squad featuring just four players who featured in the 16-0 points defeat in the senior tour in January.Scholfield herself would have been a fifth member of that party, but she suffered an ankle injury on England’s preceding tour of South Africa in November, which caused her to fly home before she could add to her current tally of three ODI and two T20I caps.Now she is joining Alice Capsey, Danielle Gibson, Bess Heath and Freya Kemp as the senior members of the England A party, which is due to play three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off four-day game against Australia A from April 12-15, exactly mirroring the itinerary in which England were beaten in the Ashes. Capsey and Gibson are currently on duty at the WPL in India, and so will miss the T20I leg which begins at Sydney’s Hurstville Oval on March 26.Scholfield will be joined by players from the England Women Pace Programme, including her Surrey teammates Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Emma Jones (T20 and 50-over) and Alexa Stonehouse, who is selected across all formats. No captains have yet been named for the three formats.The majority of the group have been undergoing warm-weather training at a training camp in Abu Dhabi, and will depart for Sydney on March 17.Jon Lewis, England Women A head coach, said: “We are looking forward to testing ourselves against a national side with great depth. We are aware of the challenge ahead.”There has been some good work done by the players based in England and those who have been playing cricket over the winter around the world and this tour provides an opportunity for players to push for selection into the senior squad through strong performances against the Australians.”Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket, added: “We have a good mix of experience across the three squads with all players striving to perform and push for selection into the senior team. The experience they will gain through highly competitive matches within a multi-format schedule will be really exciting, and hopefully invaluable for them in accelerating their development. A tour to Australia is what so many young cricketers dream of, and we wish them well.”England Women A T20 squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Mahika Gaur (Lancashire), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Emma Jones (Surrey), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Bryony Smith (Surrey), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)England Women A 50-over squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Mahika Gaur (Lancashire), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Kirstie Gordon (The Blaze), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Emma Jones (Surrey), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Bryony Smith (Surrey), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)England Women A four-day squad: Hollie Armitage (Durham), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Georgia Davis (Warwickshire), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Kirstie Gordon (The Blaze), Jodi Grewcock (Essex), Bess Heath (Durham), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Charis Pavely (Warwickshire), Grace Potts (Lancashire), Paige Scholfield (Surrey), Grace Scrivens (Essex), Seren Smale (Lancashire), Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey), Mady Villiers (Durham), Issy Wong (Warwickshire)

Tourists prevail in low-scoring contest at Hurstville Oval to get off to a winning start in multi-format tour

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2025England Women A 119 for 7 (Scholfield 36, Scrivens 35) beat Australia Women A 117 for 6 (Gaur 2-10) by three wicketsEngland Women A succeeded at the first attempt where the senior squad had failed in seven matches out of seven, as they opened their multi-format tour of Australia with a three-wicket victory over Australia A in the first T20I at Hurstville Oval in Sydney.After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, England restricted their counterparts to 117 for 6 in their 20 overs, with Mahika Gaur, the tall left-arm seamer, proving especially unplayable as she returned figures of 2 for 10 in four overs. Gaur’s opening delivery of the match trapped Tahlia Wilson lbw for 0, as Australia slipped to 43 for 4 in the first ten overs.Georgia Davis chipped in with 2 for 16 in three overs of offspin, while Mady Villiers and Emma Jones were also in the wickets as Australia A struggled to build any significant partnerships. The best was a stand of 49 in eight overs for the fifth wicket between Maddy Penna, who top-scored with 27, and Rhys McKenna (25), before Davis dismissed both in the space of five balls.In reply, England’s chase was controlled by a second-wicket stand of 63 between Grace Scrivens, who was captaining the side at the age of 21 and made 35 from 38 balls, and Paige Scholfield, who top-scored with 36 from 29.Between them, they carried England into the ascendency at 80 for 1 in the 12th over, before Australia hit back to set up a tense finish. Lauren Cheatle dismissed both in consecutive overs, before Freya Kemp, Villiers and Jones all departed cheaply. But Bess Heath held her nerve with 18 not out, to seal victory with five balls to spare.The tour has taken on heightened importance for the England Women’s set-up, in the wake of the twin sackings of head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight last weekend. The new-look A-team squad contained just four players who were part of the Ashes squad that suffered a 16-0 points whitewash in January and February.Scrivens, who led Sunrisers to victory in last year’s final staging of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and will be captaining Essex this season, was last week named as captain for the T20I leg of this tour, with Durham’s Hollie Armitage set to lead the forthcoming 50-over series.Following last week’s confirmation of a stress fracture for Dani Gibson, the squad has suffered another setback with Bryony Smith ruled out of the tour due to illness.The Surrey captain, who was originally selected in the white-ball squads, did not travel with the core group and following medical investigations in the UK, a decision between ECB and Surrey medical teams was made for Smith to withdraw from the tour to continue her recovery ahead of the new domestic season.No replacement will be named.

Four wickets for fast bowler prevent hosts from taking outright command of four-day game in Sydney

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2025Australia A 315 for 7 (Trenaman 77, Knott 52, Faltum 52, Wong 4-57) vs England ARachel Trenaman top-scored with 77 from 131 balls, while Charli Knott and Nicole Faltum contributed a pair of half-centuries, as Australia A battled back from a difficult start to reach a competitive 315 for 7 on the opening day of their four-day unofficial Test against England A in Sydney.After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Australia A slipped to 50 for 3 in the morning session, thanks in particular to the incisiveness of Issy Wong, who bowled Maddy Darke for 5 before having Anika Learoyd caught on the cut by Alice Capsey at second slip for 16. Earlier, Tahlia Wilson had been the first to fall, edging a drive to slip off Eva Grey for 11.By lunch, Australia were still awkwardly placed at 63 for 3, but Trenaman and Knott settled into their work after the break, capitalising on some loose deliveries to add 87 for the fourth wicket.However Wong, whose form and fortunes have been under scrutiny in recent seasons, returned to break the stand as Knott mistimed a pull to Paige Scholfield at midwicket for 52.Capsey then claimed the key scalp of Trenaman as she sliced a drive to Jodi Grewcock at backward point, and though Faltum kept Australia’s momentum going into the evening session, Georgia Davis picked her off, also for 52, via a drive to Grace Scrivens at mid-off.Wong then finished her day as she had started it, removing Tess Flintoff for 33 to cement her status as the pick of England’s attack with 4 for 57 in 21 overs.The four-day fixture is the final match of England A’s seven-game tour. England claimed the T20I leg 1-0 after two washouts, before Australia A hit back to win the 50-over leg 2-1.

Fifties from Fernandes, du Plooy and Geddes underline home side’s dominance

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay19-Apr-2025Max Holden’s seventh first-class hundred and his second of the burgeoning season at Lord’s allowed Middlesex to remain on top on day two of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with visitors Glamorgan.The 27-year-old left-hander, who made 184 in the season opener here against Lancashire, emerged from his cocoon of stoic defence in the morning to unfurl an array of attacking shots in the middle session in making 107.Holden got the better of a joust with England spinner Shoaib Bashir in sharing a stand of 135 for the third wicket with Leus du Plooy. Ben Geddes reached an unbeaten 50 in the day’s final over, while Nathan Fernandes earlier also passed the half-century mark to leave Middlesex 353 for 4 at the close.That the hosts were kept to a modest scoring rate overall, was largely down to Aussie-born Dutch international Timm van der Gugten (3 for 55) who bowled beautifully and Glamorgan’s fielding, typified by two superb catches, was excellent all day.Van der Gugten produced the early wicket Glamorgan needed when he had Stephen Eskinazi reaching for one and edging backward of point where Ben Kellaway took a fine catch diving forwards.It was the start of a probing spell from the veteran seamer and Holden took it upon himself to face the bulk of it to prevent further breakthroughs. Such was his level of circumspection, the former England U19 accrued only 15 runs in the first session, facing in excess of 70 balls in the process. Nevertheless the objective was achieved and van der Gugten retreated into the outfield, his spell ending without further reward.Fernandes grafted his way to his half-century, reached with his sixth four, a source of relief after four single-figure scores so far in the campaign. However, van der Gugten returned to snare him caught at slip from the penultimate ball before lunch.Whatever was on the menu, Holden appeared with a radically different approach on the resumption. Bashir was given an extended bowl from the Nursery End and Holden resolved to take him down, slog-sweeping into the Mound Stand before clubbing the offspinner over mid-off for another boundary.To his credit, Bashir got one to bounce and take the glove or top of the bat, the ball flying beyond slip’s right hand, before Holden resumed his assault, forcing him out of the attack.Holden’s fifty came in 125 balls but he showed no signs of stopping. Asitha Fernando was twice cut to the fence at point and when the Sri Lanka paceman adjusted his length he was savagely pulled in front of square. Holden’s second fifty came in only 62 balls.Du Plooy, short of runs in the first two games was becalmed in comparison though one dream-like off drive underlined his class as he and Holden raised a century stand.The new ball, ineffective so far in the game, brought reward once more for van der Gugten when Holden drove uppishly and was superbly caught by Zain-ul-Hassan on the cover fence before Ryan Higgins gloved an attempted hook to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke on the stroke of tea.The evening’s fare initially resembled that of the morning, du Plooy eventually making it to fifty after seemingly enduring a bout of the nervous 40s. Nevertheless, he and Geddes reasserted control to come within three runs of a century stand by stumps.

Overseas signings announced for tournament which gets underway at end of May

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2025T20 Blast champions Gloucestershire have signed D’Arcy Short for their title defence, where he will play alongside his Western Australia team-mate Cameron Bancroft.Short is a two-time Big Bash League player of the tournament, and won 23 T20I caps for Australia between 2018 and 2020. He has previously played in the Blast for Durham (2019) and Hampshire (2021) and is due to be available throughout the group stages, which start next week.”I can’t wait to join the reigning Blast winners, Gloucestershire, for the 2025 T20 Vitality Blast,” Short said. “They are a well-run club and I can’t wait to meet the players, the rest of the club, and be a part of their success in 2025.”Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s coach, said: “We are so pleased to get D’Arcy over the line… He brings a batting versatility with him, being brilliantly effective from No. 1-6, and offering spin options in the Powerplay and middle. D’Arcy complements everything we are about and [we] can’t wait to get him on board.”Durham, one of Short’s former clubs, have also announced an overseas signing for the Blast, with New Zealand’s James Neesham agreeing a deal which will see him play alongside compatriot Zak Foulkes. Durham will become Neesham’s sixth county, after stints with Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.”I am really looking forward to playing for Durham this summer,” he said. “The Vitality Blast is one of my favourite competitions and I have heard good things about the Durham squad. I look forward to getting stuck in with the lads in a few weeks.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “Jimmy is an experienced international T20 allrounder with a proven track record of delivering performances for New Zealand and in franchise competitions around the world. His ability to influence games either with the bat or ball provides us with a proven matchwinner.”The rearranged IPL dates will affect availability for some players at the start of the Blast. Mitchell Santner, who is playing for Mumbai Indians, is likely to arrive late at Surrey, while Yorkshire and Warwickshire have lost Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson respectively to late replacement deals with the same franchise.Elsewhere, Warwickshire have announced that Australia’s Laura Harris will represent the Bears in the inaugural women’s Blast this year. “I’ve heard fantastic things about the team environment and the passion of the supporters,” Harris said. “I’m eager to get started, contribute on the field, and hopefully play a big role in a successful campaign.”

The shortlist for this year's award brings together the best footballers in the world – but can any player break Ronaldo and Messi's monopoly?

• Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

  The 2016-17 season was in many ways a breakout campaign for Coutinho. His excellent performances in Anfield established him as a star playmaker and also attracted the attention of none other than Barcelona, who moved mountains in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to take him from the Reds.

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund)

  The Gabon international has been a mainstay of Dortmund's team both in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and it is no surprise to see him included on the shortlist. With rumours that he is unhappy at BVB, however, will this be his last year at the club?

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  Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

  The Belgian midfielder is the heart of Pep Guardiola's City team, the metronome that ensures the rest of the unit never misses a beat. De Bruyne has been nothing short of spectacular so far this season, creating a formidable partnership with David Silva that has proved almost unplayable.

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  David de Gea (Manchester United)

  Few players in the current United squad are as crucial to their success as the extraordinary goalkeeper. De Gea gave another glimpse of his importance in early December with an incredible 14 saves to frustrate Arsenal and, along with Buffon and Neuer, is up there with the best shot-stoppers in the world.