Newcastle United may be active in the January transfer market, with a number of areas in need of work.
After winning the Carabao Cup last season and securing Champions League qualification for the second time in three seasons, Eddie Howe has struggled to get a tune out of his Magpie squad, who languish in 14th place in the Premier League.
Struggles on the road have been well documented in recent weeks, but Newcastle have a wider crisis of creativity that must be fixed.
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Club
xG Total
1.
Chelsea
20.4
2.
Man City
19.3
3.
Crystal Palace
19.0
4.
Arsenal
18.8
5.
Man United
18.2
12.
Newcastle
12.8
Nick Woltemade has been the shining light at number nine, so exciting and promising in Alexander Isak’s former berth, but he can only do so much as United struggle to fashion chances with the regularity that is required to compete at the top of the table.
Latest on Newcastle's transfer search
While Newcastle have dynamic wingers and a robust and compact central midfield, there’s no question that more is needed, and with Joelinton under fire for his performances this season, there’s a vacancy emerging for a hungry new playmaker.
Newcastle did sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa for a fee in excess of £40m this summer, but the 24-year-old has yet to hit a rich vein of form on Tyneside. A new solution may be needed here.
Well, according to GIVEMESPORT, Newcastle could land the help that they need in the form of Kees Smit, having learned that they will have to make the 19-year-old AZ Alkmaar’s club-record sale if they wish to prise him away from the Netherlands in 2026.
The Eredivisie outfit would be looking for a £22m payment if they are to relinquish control of their prized prospect, and with Barcelona and Real Madrid lurking, Newcastle will need to act speedily.
Why Newcastle want Kees Smit
Smit might be a teenager, but he’s already welcomed a few onto the hype train, with analyst Ben Mattinson marvelling at the “duel monster” and his all-encompassing midfield qualities.
Effortlessly calm in tight spaces, Smit is fostering an exciting and creative skillset, with FBref recording that he ranks among the top 6% of similar midfielders over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for through balls, and the top 10% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.
He thrived against Crystal Palace in their recent Conference League clash, grabbing an assist, completing three dribbles and winning six duels.
There’s a maturity about this creator that suggests he could be tailor-made for a career in the Premier League, with Sofascore recording that he has averaged 3.5 duels, 1.2 tackles and six ball recoveries per Eredivisie match too. He’s the complete package.
19 years old. We might even be talking about a bigger talent here than Woltemade, a dominant athlete whose technical understanding has seen him become one of AZ’s most important cogs at this fledgling phase.
Woltemade has been one of Newcastle’s star players this season, and he will continue to improve, but Smit’s playmaking may elevate the German to another level entirely down the line.
Smit or Woltemade? Who’s the bigger talent? Perhaps we’re splitting hairs. United just need to get the deal over the line, thus combining two brilliant footballers and reenergising Howe’s attack.
He'd revive Gordon: Newcastle could hire Howe 2.0 in "the best coach in PL"
Recent form has made Newcastle consider the unthinkable possibility of Howe moving on at some stage.
Como boss Cesc Fabregas highlighted the extreme intensity of Antonio Conte’s training sessions, saying they often left him close to fainting. The former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder played under Conte at Chelsea during the Italian’s spell at Stamford Bridge between 2016 and 2018. Despite the demanding workload, Fabregas described Conte as a great coach.
When Conte managed Fabregas at Chelsea
Fabregas joined Chelsea in 2014 when Jose Mourinho brought him back to the Premier League. Two years later, Conte arrived as head coach and began with a 4-2-3-1 system. But after a run of poor results, including the 3-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation that completely changed Chelsea’s season. In this setup, Fabregas often found himself behind the preferred midfield pairing of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, regularly coming on as an impact substitute.
Even without being a consistent starter, he remained hugely influential, using his exceptional passing and creativity to break down defences at crucial moments. Under Conte, Fabregas made 86 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and delivering 23 assists. His contributions were key in Chelsea’s success, including the 2016–17 Premier League title and an FA Cup win, marking a strong and memorable phase in his Stamford Bridge career.
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Conte's intense training sessions
Conte’s training sessions were famously brutal, to the point that Chelsea’s then captain John Terry once approached him to reduce their intensity. Although the Italian coach eventually agreed, he later revealed that his former teammates Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane had trained much harder than the Chelsea side that won the 2016–17 Premier League title.
In an interview to , Fabregas praised Conte as a great coach but recalled just how demanding his methods were, saying: “He's great. I really like him. But his training sessions at Chelsea are exhausting.”
The intensity of those sessions even left Fabregas close to fainting, as he explained: “At the end of the session, I had to lean on a teammate because I was fainting from exhaustion.”
Fabregas and Conte's career trajectory
After departing Chelsea, Fabregas continued his playing career with spells at Monaco and later Como, where he eventually transitioned into management in 2023. Despite being a young coach, he quickly impressed with his clarity of ideas and strong tactical organisation. In his first full season in charge, Fabregas guided Como to a solid 10th-place finish in the 2024-25 Serie A campaign, laying the foundations for a more ambitious project. This season, Como have taken a significant step forward, earning eye-catching results such as a 2-0 victory over Juventus and a hard-fought 0-0 draw against defending champions Napoli. These performances have pushed them to seventh in the table, only four points behind fourth-placed Napoli, keeping their hopes of European qualification very much alive.
Conte, on the other hand, has carved out a distinct managerial journey since leaving Chelsea. He took charge of Inter in 2019, guiding them to a Europa League final in his first season and winning the Scudetto in 2020-21, ending Juventus’ long domestic dominance. In 2024, Conte accepted the challenge at Napoli and immediately delivered their fourth Serie A title, the club’s second in three years. However, this season has been far more complicated. Napoli have struggled for attacking fluency, suffering two defeats in their last five league games and failing to score in three straight matches across all competitions. These issues have placed scrutiny on Conte, who has acknowledged the need for serious discussions with club officials to address the team’s trajectory and avoid repeating the dramatic collapse of the 2023-24 season, when Napoli finished 10th just a year after winning the Scudetto.
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Can Conte turn around napoli's fortunes ?
With Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis publicly backing Conte and dismissing rumours about his resignation, Conte’s future at the club appears secure. During the international break, Conte would have taken time to assess the situation at Napoli, especially as he faces the difficult task of turning their season around without Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.
Meanwhile, Como and Fabregas will use the international break to work on new strategies to maximise the output of key players like Nico Paz, whose praises Fabregas sang this week. With the right adjustments, Como will hope to push for a top four finish.
The third-highest all-out score (381) in the domestic competition’s history proved too much for the visitors in Brisbane
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025Matthew Wade’s powerful best and more Mitchell Owen fireworks have propelled Tasmania past Victoria in a One-Day Cup triumph that threatened the history books.Tasmania were all out for 381 at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field after No. 6 Wade (105) brought up a century off 65 balls and opener Owen made 53 off 21 and Beau Webster 81 off 95.The third-highest all-out score in the domestic competition’s history – only 17 short of South Australia’s benchmark 398 two years ago – proved too much for Victoria despite the late efforts of Sam Harper (88 off 51).Form batter Owen hit four sixes and five fours to post his half century in the fifth over before collecting 4 for 57 with his handy seamers. That included three wickets in one over, with Glenn Maxwell (0) the final scalp as he blazed away unsuccessfully two days after smashing a hundred of his own in a loss to Queensland.Wicketkeeper Harper was the last man out in the 41st over in a chase that never looked likely after Owen’s triple-strike.Earlier, Wade leaned back on anything short of a length to pepper the square boundaries and post a 10th List A hundred. The 37-year-old is retired from international cricket, doesn’t have a state contract and has been working with Australia as a consultant assistant coach over the past 12 months.Wade struck six sixes while Nikhil Chaudhary (67 off 49) provided the late fireworks as Mitch Perry (4-101) avoided conceding the most runs in a one-day cup innings by one run.NSW host South Australia in Sydney on Saturday before the Bulls host Western Australia on Sunday.
Bangladesh failed to capitalise on a strong start provided by Tanzid
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-20252:27
Jaffer: Bangladesh should have stuck to their previous XI
A wicketless powerplay at a shade under 10 an over allied with a Tanzid Hasan fifty gave Bangladesh the ideal platform, but Afghanistan’s death overs mastery restricted Bangladesh to 154 for 5 in Abu Dhabi.The spin twins of Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan were exemplary once again, the pair sharing four wickets between them, while going for just 49 runs in their combined eight overs.Related
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Their impact meant Bangladesh struggled to effectively utilise the platform afforded them by a strong opening stand worth 63. Saif Hassan, drafted in for this game struck 30 off 28 balls, but it was Tanzid who really propelled the early stages.Of his first 12 deliveries, half went to the boundary or cleared it. He brought up his seventh T20I fifty off just 28 deliveries. At the halfway stage of the innings, Bangladesh were well set on 87 for 1. But the middle overs proved to be their downfall as the Afghanistan spinners took control of proceedings.Four wickets were lost for 65 runs through the middle overs period, while just 30 runs were mustered at the death.
Nottinghamshire kept their Rothesay County Championship title challenge on track as they bowled Worcestershire out for 182 on the opening day at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Former Worcestershire seamers Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue reduced their former team-mates to 53 for 6 before Gareth Roderick and Tom Taylor offered some resistance.Nottinghamshire closed the first day on 46 for 1 to lay a strong platform for a victory which would keep their surprise title-bid right on track – and pretty much relegate Worcestershire to Division Two.Nottinghamshire chose to bowl in anticipation of early life in the pitch. They found plenty to reduce the home side to 37 for 5 in the 15th over. Pennington struck the first two blows, unfurling a lifter to take Rehaan Edavalath’s edge through to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and jagging one back in to trap Kashif Ali lbw.Three wickets then fell on 37. Tongue removed Jake Libby, caught behind, and Brett D’Oliviera, off stump flattened, with the last two balls of an over. When Pennington pinned Daniel Lategan (making his debut, the 556th player to play first class cricket for Worcestershire) lbw, three wickets had fallen in five balls.Tongue was mightily close to a hat-trick at the start of the next over when Roderick survived a huge lbw shout, but the next wicket wasn’t long coming as Worcestershire stirred some self-destruction into their difficult morning. Ethan Brookes played Pennington to mid-off, saw a single that wasn’t there and was well-beaten by Haseeb Hameed’s direct hit.When Matthew Waite clipped Lyndon James to midwicket just after lunch, it was were 86 for 7 but Roderick and Taylor rebuilt sensibly against strangely defensive fields. They added 71 in 17 overs and Taylor was deeply frustrated to sky a pull at Tongue and perish minutes before rain arrived to trigger an early tea.After a gloriously atmospheric hour, with forked lightning flickering amid the fusion of dark greys and greens of grass, trees, sky and cathedral at this dazzling venue, Nottinghamshire polished off the innings. Pennington pinned Ben Allison lbw and Roderick, having dug out a fighting 102-ball half-century, was lbw, sweeping, to Liam Patterson-White.Nottinghamshire lost skipper Hameed, bowled by Taylor, to the second ball of their innings. The pitch continued to offer some movement and good carry but Ben Slater and Freddie McCann, not without some playing and missing, added an unbroken 46 in 16 overs to the close to leave the east Midlands county still scenting a big first innings lead, a victory and, later this month, their seventh County Championship title.
India scored just 56 in the last eight overs as Bangladesh fought back valiantly
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2025Abhishek Sharma continued his magnificent tournament, following up his 39-ball 74 against Pakistan with a 37-ball 75, but Bangladesh still held India to a total of 168 for 6 after sending them in.India’s innings followed a pattern not unlike Pakistan’s against their bowlers on Sunday: a strong start followed by a dramatic slowdown when the ball became older and harder to time. India scored 95 runs in overs 4-11, when Abhishek ran rampant, and just 73 runs in the 12 overs either side of that stretch.Bangladesh made things difficult for Abhishek and Shubman Gill with new-ball swing in the first three overs, and then by varying their pace and using the grip on offer when the ball got old. In between, Abhishek played an incandescent innings, hitting five sixes to jump up to joint No. 7 on India’s all-time T20I six-hitting charts. He has now hit 58 sixes in just 21 innings; Suresh Raina, with whom he drew level, hit 58 in 66 innings.It’s a different sport now, and Abhishek lives on its cutting edge, and Bangladesh seemed to have no answers when he was cutting their bowling to ribbons. They could, however, have dismissed him for 7 off 8 in the third over, had the wicketkeeper held on to an edge off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who came into an XI with as many as four changes and bowled brilliantly with the new ball, swinging it prodigiously while also hitting the deck hard.The wicketkeeper who shelled that chance – and Bangladesh’s captain on the night – was Jaker Ali, standing in for Litton Das who was ruled out with a side strain.That miss seemed to be costing Bangladesh dearly when India were 112 for 2 at the start of the 12th over. But a brilliant bit of fielding from Rishad Hossain – diving to his left to stop a dab from Suryakumar Yadav and springing up, ready to throw, in one motion – sent Abhishek back, run out, and changed the complexion of the game. India only scored 56 runs across their last nine overs. Hardik Pandya – who was out off the last ball of the innings for 38 off 29, did the bulk of the scoring.Their slide looked worse for coming against the backdrop of batting-order changes that didn’t come off on the day. India promoted Shivam Dube to No. 3, and sent in Hardik, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel above Sanju Samson, who did not get to bat at all.With batting usually a little easier in the second innings in Dubai, Bangladesh have a genuine chance of tripping India up and firming up their hopes of getting into Sunday’s final.
Fluminense e São Paulo se enfrentam nesta segunda-feira (13), pela sexta rodada do Brasileirão, em partida que será marcada por ações em favor das vítimas das enchentes que afetaram o estado do Rio Grande do Sul.
continua após a publicidade
As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!
Em parceria com a Superbet, patrocinadora máster de ambas os clubes, os times entrarão em campo com a frase “Super Ajuda” no lugar da marca da casa de apostas. Após o confronto, a equipe carioca promoverá um leilão com os fardamentos utilizadas no duelo e destinará a renda para instituições de caridade.
Durante a partida, a patrocinadora vai doar as placas de publicidade à beira do gramado para divulgar ONG’s que arrecadam doações ao estado. Além disso, serão doadas mil cestas básicas e R$ 100 mil para a ONG “Ação da Cidadania”.
continua após a publicidade
Em momentos distintos na temporada, Fluminense e São Paulo se enfrentam pelo Brasileirão. Com apenas cinco pontos conquistados, a equipe comandada por Fernando Diniz se encontra na zona de rebaixamento da competição.
O clube paulista, por sua vez, segue invicto sob comando de Zubeldía e busca sua quarta vitória seguida na temporada. A bola rola a partir das 20h (de Brasília), no Morumbis.
علق أحمد اليوسف رئيس الاتحاد الكويتي، على تعادل الكويت مع منتخب مصر 1-1، في لقاء أقيم اليوم ضمن منافسات كأس العرب.
وتواجه منتخب مصر مع الكويت، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الأولى من عمر مباريات المجموعة الثالثة لبطولة كأس العرب المقامة في قطر.
طالع|رجل مباراة مصر والكويت في كأس العرب 2025
وقال أحمد اليوسف في لقاء مع قناة الكأس: “المباراة كانت ستتنهي لصالحنا بالمكسب ولكن احتسبت ضربة جزاء مستحقة 100% لمنتخب مصر وأحرزوا التعادل”.
وتابع: “منتخب مصر الذي تأهل لكأس العالم وبطل كأس إفريقيا، ينقصه أكثر من لاعب ولكن يظل منتخب كبيرا ويكفي اسمه، وجماهيره كانت متواجدة بشكل كبير”.
وأضاف: “أعد الجماهير الكويتية أننا سنحاول بقدر المستطاع أن نضاعف عدد الطائرات، مباراة مصر صفحة وانتهينا منها وكنا الأقرب من تحقيق الثلاث نقاط، واجتمعنا مع اللاعبين والجهاز الفني ويجب أن ننظر إلى مواجهة الأردن والفوز بها”.
NEW YORK — Carlos Correa is not the first person in history to suggest shortening up with two strikes, but a week after he discussed his approach in a hitters’ meeting, his new—and old—teammates are still marveling at his turn of phrase.
In those counts, he told them, “I’ve lost the right to slug.”
So they were utterly unsurprised that in his seventh game back with the first-place Houston Astros, his first against the rival New York Yankees, as fans booed and the game hung in the balance, Correa lined a 10th-inning, 1–2 single to center to drive in the go-ahead run.
“He walks his talk,” says center fielder Taylor Trammell. “He’s a winner.”
The Astros did indeed win that game, as Correa knew they would, even as a 2–0 lead evaporated and he strode to the plate to lead off the 10th against Devin Williams, who was the best closer in the game before struggling mightily this year. Extra innings, two strikes, a man in scoring position as 46,027 people jeer their hearts out for you?
“I love it,” Correa says. “I live for it.”
He doesn’t quite prefer hitting with two strikes—”I’d rather get a hit on the first pitch,” he says with a grin—but he knows he thrives in those moments, mostly because they don’t frighten him. “Once you have two strikes, I’m never thinking I’m gonna get out,” he says. “I’m always thinking of positive outcomes. So I think that’s half the battle. And then, you know, you gotta be mechanically clean, and you gotta feel good at the plate and have a good approach, but the mental is the most important thing.”
Nearly four years after they let Correa sign with the Minnesota Twins in free agency for what eventually became seven years and $235 million, it was that attitude the Astros wanted back.
“One of the big things with Carlos is his leadership,” says general manager Dana Brown, who nabbed Correa, 30, at the July 31 trade deadline for a pitching prospect and the promise to pay $70 million of the $103 million Correa is due over the next two and a half seasons. “That’s probably the biggest thing with him for us. We knew in acquiring him that we were getting more than just a really good player. [He’s] a leader in the clubhouse, and a guy who's won before. He’s a winner.”
Correa is batting .405 with two homers through nine games back with the Astros. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Most of the core that made seven straight American League Championship Series, advanced to four World Series and won two of them had gone: third baseman Alex Bregman to Boston, Correa to Minnesota, center fielder George Springer to Toronto, right fielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago. Until a week ago, second baseman José Altuve was the only player from the 2017 title team still on the active roster. (Lance McCullers Jr., who has missed much of that stretch battling a litany of injuries, is currently dealing with a blister.) Brown acknowledges that those players took some of their fire with them.
“That’s one thing that this team could use, with losing Bregman,” he says. “That was big. And now filling a big leadership void with a familiar face in Carlos—that’s a beautiful thing.”
Correa understands what it takes to be an Astro—the relentlessness at the plate and precision on defense but also the mental fortitude required to play your entire career as a villain. Even this weekend, nearly six years after details of the banned sign-stealing enterprise Houston used in 2017 came to light, Yankees fans still hollered about cheaters. (Amusingly, Yankees fans boo Altuve more than any other player in the sport, even though everyone involved agrees Altuve did not approve of or take part in the scheme. Regardless, it might be time to try another approach: Altuve has an .870 OPS here since the crowd started jeering him regularly in 2021, compared to a .780 OPS before that. “If I’m a fan, I would try to make it feel like spring training here,” Correa suggests.) Correa sounds almost disappointed when he muses that some of the hatred seems to have died down. The energy fuels him.
Brown was still the Atlanta scouting director the last time Correa wore orange, but when manager Joe Espada and bench coach Omar López heard Correa might be available, they lobbied Brown hard. Everyone knew Correa was a good player—in his first stint with Houston, he seemed to be on a Hall of Fame track before injuries derailed some of his time in Minneapolis—and a vocal leader, but it was his attitude Espada and López kept highlighting. For all his talent, Correa also possesses a grinder’s mentality that keeps his teammates engaged.
“With two strikes, he’s not afraid to shorten it up,” says Brown. “He's not afraid to foul a few balls off, run up the pitch count. We needed that, because guys were swinging early in the count. And I think he’s kind of revived us in that way where he shows that type of leadership even in the batter’s box.”
His new teammates noticed that intensity immediately. In part because of his familiarity with the organization and in part because of his personality, Correa strode into the clubhouse on his first day back ready to be the guy. (Well, he made one call first. “I needed to get the green light from the boss first,” he says, referring to Altuve, one of his longtime best friends. “He said, ‘Whatever you want to do here, do it.’”) That same day, utilityman Cooper Hummel tried to introduce himself and shake his new teammate’s hand. Correa pulled him in for a hug instead.
He speaks up in hitters’ meetings and to the coaching staff. On his first flight back with the team, from Boston to Miami, Correa sat next to Espada and offered a few ideas. “Just having everybody on the same page, like we did from 2015 to 2021,” Correa says vaguely. He grins sheepishly and apologizes. “I know that’s not much.”
Whatever he said, he put it into practice himself. “He knows how to get the most out of himself,” says first baseman Christian Walker, who signed in Houston this year. “He leaves no stone unturned. I mean, his warm-up routine is two hours long, it feels like.” Trammell and Hummel study the way Correa pores over scouting reports and fine-tunes his approach.
He played shortstop for every one of his defensive innings until this month, but because the Astros already employ Jeremy Peña there, Correa happily volunteered to move to third, officials say. Brown smiles every time the pitching coach or catcher heads out for a mound visit and Correa trots out to join them and add a tip or just some encouragement. He pulls teammates aside to praise them for small moments—a walk in a tight game, a single after a defender repositioned himself—that he knows win ballgames even if they do not make the highlight reel. “He’s tuned into everybody and how they can help the team,” says Trammell.
By all accounts, Correa loved his time in Minnesota. He has told friends he plans to keep his home there. He told Twins leadership he would not waive his no-trade clause to play anywhere but back home in Houston. Teammates raved about his leadership and dedication there, just as they do with the Astros. But his tenure there was disappointing, perhaps in part because he missed the bright lights. His Twins made the postseason only once in three full seasons. Correa hit .409 with three doubles in those six games, but Minnesota fell in four games in the ALDS—to the Astros. He had a .704 OPS and was worth 0.1 WAR in 93 games for the for the moribund Twins this year. In seven games with Houston so far, his OPS is 1.006 and he’s been worth 0.4 WAR.
“He got, like, a shot in the arm coming back,” says outfielder Chas McCormick, who overlapped with Correa in 2021. “He looks fresh. He looks excited. It’s really nice to watch him, you know, play like he can. He loves playing in the spotlight.”
Correa is back on a winning team, and so far, he is back to winning.
The Cubs signed veteran first baseman Carlos Santana on Sunday, 's Jon Heyman was the first to report. This comes days after the Guardians released Santana in a "joint decision" between the two sides, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Santana wanted the ability to compete for a playoff contender once he was released from Cleveland. And, well, Chicago is definitely that.
With a 78-58 record, the Cubs hold the top wild-card spot in the National League as of Sunday morning. They have the MLB's best Brewers (85-52) leading the NL Central to deal with. But, unless something catastrophically goes wrong in September for Chicago, the Cubs will be in the postseason for the first time since 2020.
The 39-year-old was in his third stint with the Guardians after signing a one-year deal back in December. Through 116 games this season, Santana is averaging .225/.316/.333 with 89 hits, 49 runs, 52 RBIs and 11 home runs. While it's not his best year by any means, he's put up impressive numbers for his age and for this point of his MLB career.
It's unknown what kind of role the Cubs will put Santana in when he arrives in Chicago. The Cubs have Michael Busch competing at first base right now, who's having his career-best season.