O atacante Hiago, de 18 anos, tenta recomeçar no Goiás. Ele era uma das promessas do Esmeraldino antes de romper o joelho direito nas categorias de base.
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Após meses de recuperação e até ter quadro de depressão, Hiago evoluiu na transição e está perto de retornar aos jogos oficiais.
– Eu era uma das promessas do Goiás no sub-15 e 17, mas sofri uma lesão no joelho, foi um rompimento, estou tratando até agora. Tive momentos depressivos, tinha tudo na minha mão, mas de repente sofri uma lesão que acabou com tudo – disse Hiago.
Mesmo sem atuar, Hiago já tem o planejamento certo para os próximos meses no clube goiano.
– Quero chegar no profissional depois da Copinha 2024. O planejamento é jogar a Copa Goiás e Aspirantes. Estou voltando aos poucos, com mais confiança – finalizou o atleta.
You would do incredibly well to find any Chelsea supporters, or supporters of any club, who do not think that the club hit the jackpot with Cole Palmer.
The Blues reportedly paid an initial fee of £40m to sign the attacking midfielder from Manchester City in the summer of 2023, and he has been a rip-roaring success at Stamford Bridge.
Since making the move to London two years ago, the England international has racked up 43 goals and 29 assists in 97 appearances in all competitions for the club.
The left-footed star, who won the Conference League with the Blues last season, has scored a staggering 37 goals in the Premier League in his two seasons with Chelsea to date.
Palmer is well on his way to being recognised as one of the best number ten, or attacking midfield, players the club have had in modern history, at least.
However, he still has a way to go to overtake some of the other established names in that role, such as Italian icon Gianfranco Zola, who the current Chelsea star knew through FIFA.
Why Gianfranco Zola is a Chelsea legend
Last year, Palmer admitted that he did not know too much about the former Blues midfielder, but knew that he was a good player because he had an icon card on FIFA.
Whilst Zola may be an icon in FIFA, or EAFC as it is now called, he is a legend at Stamford Bridge because of what he achieved during his time at the club.
The diminutive star joined the Blues from Parma in the summer of 1996 and spent seven years in London, racking up two FA Cups, a League Cup, a Community Shield, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
In 2003, Chelsea ran a poll to find out who their supporters felt was the best player in the club’s history, and Zola won it with a landslide 60% of the votes, which shows how highly fans rated him at the time.
Whilst the likes of John Terry, Didier Drogba, and Eden Hazard, among others, have passed through the club since then, this shows that the Italian maestro is still a Chelsea legend from that era.
2002/03
38
14
7
2001/02
35
3
4
2000/01
36
9
4
1999/00
33
4
2
1998/99
37
13
4
1997/98
27
8
3
1996/97
23
8
3
Zola ended his time at the club with a return of 80 goals and 44 assists in 312 appearances in all competitions, which shows that Palmer still has a way to go to catch up with his legacy.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are now reportedly eyeing up a move to sign another attacking midfielder who is even more similar to Zola than Palmer is.
Chelsea ready to bid for Bundesliga star
According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea are still “working” on a deal to sign RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons this summer.
The reporter claims that there is a “strong feeling” that a transfer will go through before the summer window slams shut at the start of September.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Plettenberg adds that the Blues are “ready to submit an official bid” for the Netherlands international, although there is no mention of how much the offer is going to be worth.
He reveals that a verbal agreement is almost in place, but the Conference League champions need to offload some more players before they go through with a deal.
Leipzig are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £61m in order to sanction an exit for the Dutch playmaker, who could be Zola 2.0 at Stamford Bridge next season.
Why Chelsea should sign Xavi Simons
The Blues should push to get this deal done because the Bundesliga star could come in as Enzo Maresca’s own version of Zola, as a diminutive number ten who offers goals, assists, and flair.
RB Leipzig'sXaviSimonsreacts after the match
Whilst Palmer is undoubtedly a phenomenal footballer, he is somewhat unorthodox at times due to his lanky frame. That is not a bad thing, as the numbers speak for themselves, but Simons may be more of an aesthetic like-for-like for Zola in a Chelsea shirt.
The 5 foot 10 magician, who was described as a “superstar” by analyst Ben Mattinson, is a joy to watch with the way that he can dribble and move with the ball at his feet, effortlessly drifting past opposition players, as shown in the clip below.
As well as being an enjoyable player to watch, Simons is also an effective operator at the top end of the pitch, as he has proven himself to be adept at scoring and creating goals.
In the last two seasons, the Dutch sensation has racked up 21 goals and 21 assists in all competitions for Leipzig, which shows that he can offer plenty of quality in the final third.
xG
5.11
Top 4%
xG on target
8.19
Top 2%
Goals
10
Top 1%
xA
5.98
Top 6%
Chances created
51
Top 7%
Assists
7
Top 5%
Successful dribbles
33
Top 4%
Touches in opposition’s box
88
Top 3%
As you can see in the table above, Simons ranked highly among his positional peers in the Bundesliga last season in a host of key attacking metrics, as a goalscorer, a creator, and as a dribbler.
These statistics suggest that the 22-year-old starlet has the potential to be an incredibly exciting and effective attacking midfielder, possibly playing alongside Palmer in the team, for Chelsea if they are able to get a deal over the line for him.
Palmer and Simons could be a joy to watch alongside each other as two attacking midfielders who have both proven that they can score and assist goals on a regular basis at the top level, which is why this could be a brilliant signing for Chelsea.
That is on top of the Dutchman potentially giving the older Blues supporters flashbacks of Zola with his similarities to the former Italian star, due to his diminutive style of play, height, and technical elegance.
Sancho 2.0: Chelsea now "pushing" to sign "electric" £40m star after Hato
Besiktas have reportedly approached Liverpool over a move for Federico Chiesa after the winger was left out of the Reds' Champions League squad.
Chiesa left out of Liverpool's UCL squad
European side interested in winger
Reds not entertaining departure
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Liverpool named their 22-man squad for the league phase of the Champions League last week – and Chiesa was not in it. Subsequently, the Turkish side have enquired about a loan deal for the Italian but Fabrizio Romano claims the ex-Juventus man is going nowhere.
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WHAT ROMANO SAID
He said on his YouTube channel, "Besiktas, in the last 24 to 48 hours, tried to call for Federico Chiesa to understand the situation at Liverpool. What I can tell you is that Liverpool are not letting Federico go on loan. At the moment, negotiations are not advanced. It's not something really concrete or advanced, but they made a call also for Federico Chiesa."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Despite scoring in Liverpool's win over Bournemouth and coming off the bench against Newcastle United in their opening Premier League games of the season, Chiesa did not make the cut for Arne Slot's Champions League squad. He was repeatedly linked with an Anfield exit this summer but stayed put ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Omissions like this may mean that was the wrong decision.
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WHAT NEXT?
The 27-year-old will hope he can get some more Liverpool game time, and eventually win over Slot, when they travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday. Incidentally, the Turkish transfer window shuts on September 12, so Besiktas still have time to sign a new winger.
The goalkeeper is leaving the Red Devils on loan for Trabzonspor after two error-strewn years, and he will not be remembered fondly
So it's farewell Andre Onana. Although the Cameroon international spent only two years at Manchester United before leaving on loan for Trabzonspor, fans actually got to know him pretty well. They spent much of that period cursing his propensity to let soft shots slip through his hands, his failure to find team-mates with his passing or him conceding goals directly from corners.
Onana signed for United from Inter in the summer of 2023 for £47 million ($63m) and was billed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world with the ball at his feet. His arrival was expected to unlock United's potential under Erik ten Hag – his former boss at Ajax – and bring more fluidity to the team's play. But all it brought was howler after howler while United never saw any benefits from his supposedly top-class distribution.
Signing Onana meant United humiliated a club legend in David de Gea by withdrawing their contract offer to him, and it was hardly worth it because just two years on their goalkeeping situation remains a giant mess. The promising yet inexperienced Senne Lammens was brought in on transfer deadline day after two costly gaffes from Altay Bayindir and Onana's woeful performance in the shock Carabao Cup exit by Grimsby to start the season.
As Onana heads to Turkey with huge doubts over his long-term future at Old Trafford, GOAL has ranked his most embarrassing errors in his two seasons in the team…
Getty
16Lobbed against Lens (August 2023)
It might have only been a friendly, but this was a terrible way for Onana to introduce himself to Old Trafford, as he was lobbed from the centre-circle by Lens' Florian Sotoca before ending up tangled in the back of his own net.
Sotoca took advantage of Onana's high positioning and let fly after intercepting a loose pass from Diogo Dalot to put Lens in front, and though United turned the game around to win 3-1, it was a sign of what was to come from their new £47 million ($62m) signing.
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15Botching Ziyech's free-kick (November 2023)
United had got off to a dream start against Galatasaray in their Champions League group-stage clash thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes, but sloppy goalkeeping by Onana from a free-kick reduced the deficit in the first half.
The Cameroonian did not set his wall up well and then reacted too slowly when Hakim Ziyech's strike went through it and into his net. And yet, it would not be his lowest moment of that evening in Istanbul ()
Getty
14Mix-up with Dorgu (February 2025)
Patrick Dorgu was the main culprit for handing Jaden Philogene a shock fourth-minute goal for Ipswich Town at Old Trafford during their Premier League meeting in February 2025, but Onana played his part in the omnishambles, rushing out of his goal while not shouting for the new signing to leave it.
It was a further sign that Onana is often not on the same page as his team-mates and struggles to command his area – but it was not even his worst moment in that game either…
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13Sane's shot slips through (September 2023)
Onana's performances in the 2022-23 Champions League campaign with Inter were a big reason why United were convinced to sign him, but the Red Devils' return to Europe's top table got off to a nightmare start when the goalkeeper allowed Leroy Sane's tame attempt from outside the box to slip under his body.
United had made a good start to the game at Bayern Munich, but the 'keeper's clanger put the Germans in front against the run of play and they charged to a 4-3 win. It was the first mistake of many for Onana in what turned into a rotten Champions League campaign.
As he attempts to rebuild a struggling Rangers side, Russell Martin could be dealt a double exit blow by Hamza Igamane and another key player this summer following a recent offer.
Lille open talks to sign Igamane
For all of Rangers’ struggles last season, they still had a number of standouts and the biggest one of the lot was arguably Igamane. The talented 22-year-old ended the campaign with as many as 16 goals to his name in all competitions to accompany his three assists and would have undoubtedly been earmarked as an important player upon Martin’s arrival.
Such an impressive season was always going to attract interest from elsewhere, however, and Lille look destined to hand all involved at Ibrox the ultimate blow this summer.
Having paid out around £1m to sign Igamane just last summer, the Gers will at least make some impressive profit if Lille do go on to complete their move for the young forward this summer. But how they choose to spend that profit will be the big question.
Already this summer the Scottish giants have signed Lyall Cameron from Dundee United and welcomed Bournemouth’s Max Aarons on loan, but there’s still work to be done.
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Rumours have mentioned the likes of Conor Coady and Metinho, who has been dubbed the “Brazilian Paul Pogba”, in two deals that would hand Martin a further boost. Once again though, those deals may not come without a significant blow on the exit front amid rumours that another key man is the subject of interest from a European side this summer.
Besiktas submit opening Diomande offer
According to Fussball Europa, Besiktas have now submitted an opening offer to sign Mohamed Diomande worth around €12m (£10m). Given that the Gers paid just over £4m to sign the midfielder last summer, that £10m seems unlikely to be accepted by those at Ibrox and Besiktas could be forced to go again.
Fan account Let’s Talk Rangers said that they “can’t see Rangers entertaining a sale at that fee” and Diomande’s importance to the Gers should prove them right.
Mohamed Diomande
The midfielder scored six goals and assisted another nine in all competitions to hand Rangers an unexpected boost going forward and one that they should be desperate to keep hold of if Igamane leaves for Lille.
Described as a “complete midfielder” by analyst John Walker, Diomande is only just getting started in a Rangers shirt. At just 23 years old, the Ivory Coast international is someone that Martin should build his midfield around and one who is certainly more than the £10m that Besiktas have reportedly offered.
As Igamane edges closer to the exit door, keeping hold of Diomande should sit among Rangers’ top priorities this summer.
It’s nearly a month now until West Bromwich Albion gets their brand-new Championship campaign underway.
At this stage, Ryan Mason might well be a little nervous about his squad heading into the hustle and bustle of the second tier, with Nathaniel Phillips the only signing he’s managed to add to his camp since taking on the managerial reins.
Coventry City’s Tatsuhiro Sakamoto in action with Derby County’s Ebou Adams andNathanielPhillips
Between now and Blackburn Rovers coming to the Hawthorns on the 9th of August, expect the Baggies to be very busy refining their squad, as an intriguing signing edges ever closer to relocating to the Hawthorns to join Phillips.
West Brom's transfer latest
Indeed, after uncovering a gem from Scandinavia in the form of Torbjørn Heggem last summer, the Baggies are now closing in on the signing of another potential Nordic diamond in Aune Heggebø.
Netting a bumper 51 goals from 146 clashes for Brann, this is a pick-up that will pique the curiosity of West Brom supporters far and wide, with Heggebø capable of offering Josh Maja plenty of competition down the line in the attacking positions if he can show off his goalscoring prowess in England.
Midfield competition could also come, too, by landing the signature of Preston North End star Ali McCann, with journalist Alan Nixon revealing recently that West Brom are interested in securing the Lilywhites midfielder’s services.
There is a hurdle for the Baggies to overcome here – with McCann reportedly closer to penning a new deal at Deepdale over leaving the club – but he could well be West Brom’s next version of Chris Brunt if a move does suddenly accelerate into motion, with McCann a versatile, tough, yet goal-and-assist heavy option centrally much like the adored Brunt once was.
How McCann could be West Brom's next Brunt
Of course, the most obvious similarity hasn’t been shared yet, with both the 25-year-old and the retired Baggies legend sharing the same national allegiance to Northern Ireland.
But, there is far more than just their geography that glues them together, with McCann able to boast an impressive 11 goals and eight assists from 242 career games, 119 of which have come about in the demanding division of the Championship.
His now 40-year-old counterpart is equally well-versed in what it takes to be a consistent performer at such a gruelling level, with the ex-Baggies number 11 going on to amass 214 career Championship games, a total which McCann will surely hit either for Preston or when moving on.
Brunt does have far heftier numbers in the goal and assists department when comparing side-by-side with the ex-St Johnstone midfielder, with a stunning 73 of his overall 132 goal contributions at Hawthorns coming in the second tier, but McCann will hope he can elevate his game further in his new surroundings as an option Mason can rely upon in several different positions in the middle of the park.
CM
120
9
4
DM
60
1
2
AM
22
1
1
RM
5
0
0
LM
2
0
0
SS
1
0
0
Whilst still in his prime in the West Midlands, Brunt would gain a notorious reputation for being an adaptable presence for his beloved Baggies, with the Belfast-born icon even lining up as a makeshift centre-forward on one occasion, away from slotting into the team in a hefty eight different positions.
As can be seen looking at the table above, the new Baggies target also possesses that same adjustable nature for his side’s cause, with McCann further unafraid to slot into an XI in the striker spot if needed, much like Brunt before him.
McCann was once hailed as “phenomenal” by his former St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson, with Mason more than welcoming this as his next buy after Heggebø, safe in the knowledge that McCann knows the EFL’s elite league inside and out.
On top of that, if all goes to plan, the 25-year-old might well be West Brom’s next dependable hero, much like Brunt, especially if a promotion is triumphantly won during his debut campaign.
West Brom could sign "phenomenal" attacker who'd be better than Kelman
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Birmingham City showed this time last summer that they are content with punching above their weight when a dramatic transfer window is open.
Indeed, it was somewhat of a shock to see Chris Davies’ men win the services of Jay Stansfield, considering the Blues had just been relegated all the way down to League One. Still, at a price tag of £15m, Birmingham sent shockwaves through the third tier with this statement purchase.
Birmingham will likely try to operate in a similarly flashy fashion moving up a division, with that approach clear for all to see again as Demarai Gray is now tipped to make a dramatic return to St. Andrew’s.
Gray's potential return to Birmingham
Gray isn’t the only former Birmingham player on the club’s radar this summer with Che Adams’ name having also been thrown out as another high-profile face who could soon return to their boyhood employers as Birmingham aim to take their new league by storm.
Gray is the latest rumour in this regard, with journalist Ben Jacobs taking to social media earlier this month to confirm the Blues’ interest and even reveal an enquiry had been made.
It would take around a fee of £8m for Birmingham to win back their former homegrown product, which is a steep amount to fork out, irrespective of his previous blistering eight-goal stint in the West Midlands.
Indeed, the 28-year-old has only tallied up a meagre nine goal contributions from 50 games for current employers Al-Ettifaq.
Off the back of this, Davies and Co might set their sights elsewhere.
The "special" target who is more exciting than Gray
The concern would be that the 28-year-old flounders back on the St. Andrew’s stage and tarnishes his reputation in the process.
On the other hand, an alternate target in attack in the form of NEC Nijimegen ace Sontje Hansen would have nothing to lose on his arrival in Birmingham.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph recently revealed that the newly promoted outfit has expressed an interest in landing the entertaining Dutchman.
Much like Gray, Hansen has been under an intense spotlight most of his senior career, having initially exploded onto the scene as a promising young starlet at Eredivisie behemoth Ajax.
He would only go on to make two first-team appearances in Amsterdam, but he has more than made a name for himself at Nijimegen in the here and now, as seen in the breathtaking solo goal above and when further assessing his standout numbers in the table below.
Hansen’s Eredivisie numbers (23/24) + (24/25)
Stat
Hansen (23/24)
Hansen (24/25)
Games played
33
32
Goals scored
6
6
Assists
4
4
Big chances missed
4
2
Big chances created
7
7
Stats by Sofascore
Hansen has been very consistent for his Dutch top division employers over the last two seasons, with a hefty 20 goal contributions picked up across his last two league campaigns.
To add context, despite Gray being able to boast Premier League experience with Everton, he has only been able to collect a flat seven goal contributions over the same period, even whilst plying his trade out in the weaker Saudi Pro League.
Hansen has even been branded as a “special” talent in the past by his former U17 coach in Peter van der Veen, with plenty more to come from the 23-year-old potentially if he uproots to the Blues shortly.
Whereas Gray has arguably had his moment in the sun at St. Andrew’s, with more exciting, up-and-coming stars now needing to be prioritised.
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Derby County and Blackburn Rovers have been embroiled in an intriguing backstory this campaign, centred around John Eustace, who could now have a say in a transfer saga involving both clubs.
Derby County look to build on surviving relegation
Despite fighting for large parts of the campaign in the relegation zone, Derby secured their Championship status by the skin of their teeth after playing out an anticlimactic 0-0 draw with Stoke City on the final day. Working a minor miracle at Pride Park, John Eustace managed to guide the Rams to safety after they were previously seven points adrift of survival, losing only one of their final six league matches.
Derby County managerJohnEustaceand Jerry Yates
Controversially, the 45-year-old arrived at Derby from Blackburn Rovers, which was a surprise turn of events at the time due to the vast distance between both clubs in the English second-tier standings. Nevertheless, his decision proved to be worthwhile even in the face of doubters, something Eustace was quick to point out once the Rams confirmed they would be staying in the Championship.
Derby County’s great escape under John Eustace
19. Derby County
50
20. Preston North End
50
21. Hull City
49
22. Luton Town (R)
49
23. Plymouth Argyle (R)
46
24. Cardiff City (R)
44
Leaving some frosty relations at his former club, Blackburn missed out on a playoff berth by two points, creating more intrigue between both sides as they go head-to-head again next season. Crossing paths once again, Eustace’s Derby are now fighting his old side for the signature of a talented midfielder from League One, per reports.
Derby County and Blackburn Rovers fight to sign Ethan Erhahon
According to EFL Analysis, Derby and Blackburn both want to sign Lincoln City midfielder Ethan Erhahon, who is attracting interest from a clutch of other clubs in the second and third tier of English football.
Plymouth Argyle, Millwall, Preston North End and Oxford United are also in the hunt for the Scotland Under-21 cap, who could fetch the Imps a seven-figure fee if he were to be sold.
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Labelled “brilliant” by Michael Skubala for his dominant nature in the middle of the park, Erhahon has won no fewer than 139 duels in League One this season as Lincoln secured a comfortable mid-table finish. Formerly of St Mirren, the 24-year-old is known for his abilities in both boxes, making him an ideal fit for a move up to the Championship if the correct opportunity presents itself.
Now, it remains to be seen who will win the battle for his signature. Derby and Blackburn have become foes on the pitch. Could they also continue that relationship away from the field of play?
The big debate at Leeds United currently concerns the number one position at Elland Road amid questions over Illan Meslier’s suitability for the team this season.
Daniel Farke has already confirmed that Karl Darlow will be between the sticks when the Whites face off against Luton Town in the Championship this weekend, which will be a huge chance for the former Newcastle United man to nail down a place in the side.
The West Yorkshire outfit are currently competing for promotion to the Premier League – sat in second place as it stands – and the Wales international now has an opportunity to play a key role in an ascension to the top-flight.
Darlow has yet to make a Championship appearance for Leeds this season, but has kept two clean sheets in three Nations League matches for Wales, and it remains to be seen if he can be an upgrade on the French stopper.
Meslier’s form for the Whites throughout the 2024/25 campaign has been a concern, though, and it seems like the right call for Farke to take him out of the firing line this weekend.
Why Leeds are right to drop Illan Meslier
The former Lorient goalkeeper was in the spotlight once again when Leeds were held to a 2-2 draw by Swansea last weekend after he fumbled a cross to allow Harry Darling to score and let a shot from Zan Vipotnik squirm under him at the near post – undoing the good work he did to save a penalty.
He has started all 39 of the club’s matches in the Championship so far this term and that clash with the Swans was far from the first time that he has let the side down.
The left-footed dud has conceded 2.73 more goals than expected, based on the xG of the shots against his goal, which suggests that the Frenchman has been well below average as a shot-stopper.
Meslier has also made three errors that have directly led to goals for the opposition this season, the most famous of which may well be the one against Sunderland in the last minute at the Stadium of Light.
All of this suggests that Farke is right to finally take the 25-year-old liability out of the starting line-up because he has underperformed as a shot-stopper and made too many errors to gift goals to the opposition.
Meslier’s poor form this season has also caused some supporters to look back at former goalkeepers who have been let go during the French flop’s time at Elland Road, including Italian stopper Elia Caprile.
Leeds United's error with Elia Caprile
The young goalkeeper spent two-and-a-half years with the club’s academy, keeping five clean sheets in 19 U21 matches, and was sent out on loan to the third tier of Italian football in the 2021/22 campaign.
Caprile kept 12 clean sheets in 36 Serie C matches in that season, whilst Meslier had started all 38 of the club’s Premier League games under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch combined.
At that point, it did not seem realistic that the Italian would overtake the Frenchman because he had just played third tier football, whilst the Leeds number one was playing week-in-week-out in the top-flight.
That led to Victor Orta and Marsch sanctioning a deal to send Caprile to Serie B side Bari on a permanent deal, which turned out to be an error on the club’s part as he went on to join Napoli one year later.
Appearances
23
15
Goals conceded per game
1.2
0.9
Save success rate
75%
77%
Goals prevented
+0.96
+5.84
Saves made
80
43
Error led to goal
1
0
As you can see in the table above, he has spent the last two seasons on loan at Empoli and Cagliari in the Serie A and caught the eye with his impressive shot-stopping skills.
This suggests that Leeds messed up with Caprile, because he is currently outperforming Meslier whilst playing in a major league, but it was difficult for the club to predict that rise after he had played in the third tier in Italy.
A bigger blunder by Leeds was their decision to allow Joel Robles to leave on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, as he could have been a dream replacement for the French dud.
Why Joel Robles was the perfect Illan Meslier replacement
The experienced Spaniard played four times in the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign under Sam Allardyce, who dropped Meslier, before the club released him that summer.
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Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
That has turned out to be an even bigger mistake than the decision to move Caprile on because the former Wigan Athletic man was a veteran presence between the sticks with top-flight experience, whilst the Italian was an inexperienced and young prospect who had yet to prove himself when the Whites let him leave.
Leeds United goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Meslier had just conceded a staggering 12.4 more goals than expected based on the post-shot xG against him in the Premier League, which meant that he was heading into the Championship in poor form.
The 25-year-old dud has now gone on to concede 7.22 more goals than expected and made four errors that have directly led to goals in the second tier since the start of last term, which shows that he has continued to be a liability between the sticks.
Robles, who was hailed as an “incredible” teacher by Marc Roca, should have been kept as an experienced pair of hands to step in for Meslier once it was clear that his poor form had followed him to the Championship, as he has gone on to prove his quality in Portugal with Estoril.
Appearances
39
24
Saves made
65
77
Saves from inside the box
35
57
Save success rate
71%
68%
Goals prevented
-2.73
+6.84
Error led to goal
3
1
As you can see in the table above, the Spanish titan currently plays for Estoril and has significantly outperformed Meslier whilst playing in a top division.
Robles has consistently bailed his team out, almost preventing seven goals, and these statistics suggest that Leeds would have conceded far fewer goals if they had a goalkeeper of his shot-stopping ability between the sticks instead of their current number one.
Leeds United goalkeeper Joel Robles
Therefore, Leeds already let a perfect upgrade on Meslier leave for £0 when they released the former Wigan and Everton man on a free transfer back in the summer of 2023.
The 34-year-old colossus is proving that age is just a number as he continues to shine in a top European league for Estoril, whilst his former teammate continues to struggle in the Championship.
Not just Bamford: 49ers must sell Leeds dud who's rinsed them of £20m
Leeds United need to brutally offload Patrick Bamford and one other star this summer.
ByEthan Lamb Mar 26, 2025
Leeds could have more points on the board right now if they had a reliable shot-stopper who could consistently prevent goals, like Robles, as they may not have dropped points against Sunderland or Swansea away – for example – without Meslier’s errors.
The Cubs franchise and fanbase was shaken on Monday when legendary player Ryne Sandberg died at the age of 65 from cancer.
The Cubs and MLB world alike have honored Sandberg in various ways this week. The Cubs are even introducing a No. 23 patch to their jerseys for the remainder of the 2025 season to memorialize "Ryno."
This isn't the only way the Cubs are honoring the late legend. On Saturday in their home game vs. the Orioles at Wrigley Field, all Cubs players will wear a Sandberg No. 23 jersey without their names on the back. The team will wear the iconic pullover blue jerseys that Sandberg used to wear during his time with the team in the 1980s.
Cubs executive Crane Kenney shared the news on 670 The Score on Thursday, also noting that the jerseys will be auctioned after the game and all the proceeds will be donated to cancer research. The organization plans to celebrate Sandberg's legacy and life all day on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
It will be an emotional day in Chicago on Saturday.