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Depleted Sri Lanka attack made to toil after circumstances conspire against them

Firdose Moonda27-Dec-2020This was a long time coming from South Africa’s openers. Three years, actually. That’s the last time a South African top two put on a 100-plus stand, 22 Test matches and 43 innings ago. Since then, South Africa’s starts have been more shaky than stable, with the result that inconsistency has riddled the entire line-up.Specifically, this was a long time coming for Aiden Markram. Almost two years. That’s the last time he crossed 50 in a Test match, against this same opposition eight innings and 22 months ago. Since then, he has struggled against spin in India and sat out with injury last summer, with the result that he saw this series as crucial to securing his long-term spot in the side.It’s early days, but the way that he batted today would have gone some way to doing that. Markram’s silky 68 should have become his fifth Test century and his trudge back to the change-room after he threw it away showed that he knew it. It’s not just that Markram has been in sparkling form or that his last four innings at this ground have brought three centuries and a 75, it’s that both conditions and circumstances were right for him to cash in.SuperSport Park is a quintessential Test wicket, in that it starts by offering something for the quicks, then flattens out for the batsmen and then breaks up to allow the spinners in on the final couple of days. Its best batting conditions are days two and three and South Africa will enjoy the bulk of that time at the crease, against a Sri Lankan side that are three men down from the attack they would have wanted to present. There can’t be many better situations in which to take advantage. Or many worse in which to rue your bad fortune, especially when the match, even first thing this morning, had been going Sri Lanka’s way.Related

• Elgar, Markram du Plessis put South Africa in control

• Is Markram ready to repay South Africa's faith?

• Chandimal credits Amla after banishing SA demons

• Sri Lanka's rush for runs gives South Africa another home headache

• De Silva suffers torn thigh, will play no further part in SA Tests

In the first hour, Sri Lanka completed their highest total in South Africa and might have expected to be fielding an attack to defend it, but Suranga Lakmal was ruled out of this match with a hamstring niggle, Dhananjaya de Silva will play no further part in the series after tearing a quadricep muscle on day one and Kasun Rajitha, who shared the new ball, left the field in the sixth over with what appeared to be a groin injury. That leaves Sri Lanka with two frontline quicks, a medium-pacer who would need to bowl more than originally planned in Shanaka, and one spinner, on debut. The expression on Mickey Arthur’s face when he walked out of the change-room and into an emptier area of the ground to stew in his team’s fortunes said it all.In the circumstances, it’s hard to be too critical of their bowling efforts. Even so, though they learnt from South Africa’s mistake of bowling too short, they made the opposite error and overpitched early on, and Markram didn’t need more of an invitation to unfurl the drive. With the confidence of his domestic form, his timing and placement were perfect. Markram also provides a foil for Elgar, who needs some time to settle in but, when he does, tends to stick around. That’s what Markram will want to do next time. His mistake today was going for one big shot too many, and it’s a mistake that can be rectified.As for Elgar, it’s still a long time coming. A year and a quarter. That’s the last time he scored a hundred, and the last match in which any South African did, in a losing cause in India.Elgar’s dismissal may sting more than Markram’s because he worked harder and longer and got closer to a hundred. He was also fed too many balls on the pads, especially for a player who is so strong off his legs. Almost three-quarters of his runs (71 of 95) came on the on side and a less frazzled Sri Lanka may have been able to plan better to prevent that.Aiden Markram continued his superb form from domestic cricket•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesLike South Africa, they are dealing with some inexperience. Lahiru Kumara is their senior seamer in this Test, with 20 caps, while Shanaka and Vishwa Fernando have played a combined 11 Tests. Their biggest concern is that Hasaranga is on debut and de Silva’s injury means there’s no back-up for him. And like Lutho Sipamla, Hasaranga gave away too many freebies. Sipamla came back from that with more control in his later spells on the first day and mopped up the tail towards the end of the first hour on the second. Hasaranga too, had moments of redemption.After what may have felt like a long time but was really just a few hours, he produced a beauty of a ball, a topspinner with extra bounce, that took Quinton de Kock’s edge and cemented what proved to be a significant mini-collapse. Sri Lanka claimed 3 for 20 midway through the final session to leave South Africa jittery, especially because it has been the longest time for Temba Bavuma. Almost five years. That’s the last, and only, time he scored a Test century. Since then, he has been dropped, recalled and at the centre of transformation wars and the captaincy conversation. There is a lot of pressure and expectation on him to put numbers on the board, and so far, he is doing his bit.Bavuma saw out the third day with Faf du Plessis and showed good energy in keeping the run-rate above four an over, an important point because Bavuma has previously been criticised for batting too slowly. His own strike rate hovers above 50, which may become less important if he improves his conversion rate, and even less important if he takes South Africa within touching distance of Sri Lanka’s score. Getting anywhere near 400 has also been a long time coming.South Africa had not topped 300 once, in any format, since Mark Boucher’s coaching tenure began in 2019. Before this match, the most they’d managed was 291 in an ODI against Australia, and in a Test match, 284, a year ago almost to the day in their most recent victory against England on this very ground. Perhaps we can say winning has been a long time coming for South Africa too, but there’s three more days and much more cricket to play before we can have that conversation.

The gloom of the fog hanging over San Francisco could be felt in the Giants' clubhouse after a 2-1 loss to the Pirates in extra innings and the team trading reliever Tyler Rogers to the Mets.

The Giants sent Rogers to the Mets Wednesday in exchange for prospects Blade Tidwell, Drew Gilbert and reliever José Butto. Rogers, who is 4-3 with a 1.80 ERA across 50 innings pitched this season, leaves after spending all six and a half seasons of his MLB career with the Giants until this point.

Giants starter Logan Webb, who allowed 1 run and struck out 11 in the loss, simply said of the Rogers trade, "The Mets got a good one."

"Ty's one of my best friends in baseball," Webb also said. "We live right near each other in the offseason. Our entire big league careers, we've been together. … Sucks we're losing a guy like that, but at the end of the day it's what happens. … He's saved me a lot of times, he's saved the Giants a lot times. He's been one of the best relievers in baseball."

The trade not only signified Webb's close friend moving away, but that the Giants would be sellers—rather than buyers—at the deadline this year. After getting off to a hot start this season, they have lost 10 of their 12 games since coming back from the All-Star break. They are 54-55, and reality is setting in as they currently sit outside of the wild card conversation in the National League.

"It sucks," Giants All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman said. "We lost the last six in a row. We haven't given Buster [Posey] and the front office any reason to add. We did it to ourselves. Obviously you can tell that everybody's pretty upset, and it's not how we saw this thing going. … When you trade one of your best arms in the bullpen, I think it shows where we're headed."

Are Tottenham Hotspur finding their feet under Thomas Frank’s stewardship?

Certainly, we have seen green shoots in recent matches. After that dismal home defeat to Fulham at the end of November, Spurs battled to a 2-2 draw at St. James’ Park before beating Brentford in the Premier League and Slavia Prague in the Champions League.

Two clean sheets from two games, but Tottenham still could do with reinforcements in the rearguard. Namely, ENIC Group are planning to help Frank piece together a lasting project with a new left-back.

Destiny Udogie picked up a hamstring injury against Newcastle United and will be out until the New Year. But the Italian defender has been out of sorts this season anyway, and Tottenham are ready to take action.

Spurs' search for a left-back

Udogie quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous up-and-coming full-backs in Europe after joining Tottenham from Hellas Verona. Better known for his time on loan with Udinese across multiple years, the Italian was hailed as “the best left-back” in the country by Clinton Morrison on BBC Sport a few months into his arrival under Ange Postecoglou’s wing.

However, Udogie’s persistent injury issues have stunted his growth, and the 23-year-old has been told he “needs to wake up” by one coach this term, lacking awareness and dynamism. With Ben Davies getting on – and rarely getting off the bench – competition is needed, especially with the Lilywhites making headway in the Champions League.

That’s why Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange are circling in on Eintracht Frankfurt star Nathaniel Brown, with TEAMtalk revealing that the 22-year-old German international is on Tottenham’s wishlist ahead of the winter window.

A versatile wideman with no qualms about playing further upfield, Brown would add depth and new dimensions to Frank’s team, though this is a sentiment shared with rivals, Arsenal and Manchester United also among the suitors named.

He would cost upwards of £50m, but Brown has the potential to become one of the best in the business, and he would slot right into Frank’s set-up.

What Brown would bring to Spurs

Brown, a German-born player with American heritage, boasts blistering pace and a desire to progress play whenever he can. However, he is also defensively sound, mixing between duties seamlessly.

As per FBref, Brown ranks among the top 9% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 3% for tackles per 90, underlining his dynamism and ability to mix defence with attack.

In this, he has something of a likeness to Udogie, the finest iteration of the Italy star, and while Spurs’ talented wide defender has fallen by the wayside of late, his profile remains tailor-made for a starring role in one of Europe’s top outfits.

Brown, moreover, is on an upward trajectory, with analyst Spencer Mossman claiming earlier in 2025 that he is “one-two years away from being the most coveted left back” in the world. Already, several of the Premier League’s biggest sides want to bring him over, suggesting that he is indeed ahead of that prediction already.

Frankfurt has a rather porous defence this season, and that is a concern, but Brown is one of the standouts, showcasing an impressive mix of qualities. Furthermore, he rode the crest of a wave into the current campaign, having played so well in the Bundesliga last year.

Matches (starts)

10 (6_

6 (6)

Goals

0

1

Assists

1

2

Touches*

47.5

47.8

Accurate passes*

26.8 (85%)

25.7 (84%)

Chances created*

0.7

1.0

Succ. dribbles*

0.3 (27%)

0.5 (38%)

Recoveries*

3.8

3.4

Tackles + interceptions*

1.5

3.1

Clearances*

1.1

1.2

Duels (won)*

2.9 (46%)

3.8 (51%)

As we can see from the respective left-backs’ Champions League campaigns, Brown is enjoying greater success, with his staggering duel success rate something to note.

Last season, talent scout Jacek Kulig said Brown is “moving to another level”, so perhaps it is the right time for him to take the leap of faith over the channel and down N17 to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What Tottenham decide to do remains to be seen, but Frank needs a few more instruments in his tactical toolbox, and Brown could mark his crowning signing as improvements start to reveal themselves.

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Liverpool have been so vulnerable this season, with Arne Slot having struggled to come up with solutions to opposition set-ups and his own squad’s staggering capitulation, having dominated and cantered toward the Premier League title last season.

To say Virgil van Dijk’s backline has been leaky would be an understatement, and that is the crux of the Reds’ troubles, their form the stuff of relegation, two wins from ten in the top flight.

However, the defenders aren’t solely to blame, with Liverpool lacking creativity and sparkle in the final third.

The form of Alexander Isak has been a particular concern, with the Sweden international having endured a slow and stodgy start to the season, months into a British-record £125m transfer that secured for the club “the best striker in the centre-forward” in England last season “by a country mile”, as had been said by pundit Ally McCoist.

The latest on Alexander Isak's fitness

It’s not been plain sailing for Isak since forcing a record-breaking move to Merseyside on transfer deadline day. In fact, the 26-year-old has only scored twice across all competitions, and once in the Premier League.

Injuries and missing out on pre-season have stunted his seasonal development, and Slot issued an unwelcome update on Friday morning: Isak picked up a knock at the San Siro, and he may be sidelined for the Anfield clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.

This is just the latest in a growing line of setbacks. Liverpool signed Isak for six years, but the fact remains that more would have been expected from such a world-class talent at this stage.

Indeed, few would have expected Isak to have flattered to deceive as he has so far this season. Regardless of Liverpool’s crisis, this is a proven and world-class striker; he tore defences apart last season, including Liverpool’s, and on multiple occasions at that.

Isak only had four goals for Newcastle at this stage last season. Food for thought. And he’s not the only one who’s struggled since making his summer move to Merseyside, with a fellow recruit having left everything to be desired so far.

Liverpool signed a bigger problem than Isak

Like Isak, Jeremie Frimpong has been plagued by injury problems since joining Liverpool this summer, but unlike Isak, he has been sidelined for a longer spell, and there is less optimism that he will pick himself up and become a major player for the Anfield side.

Sporting director Richard Hughes activated Frimpong’s £29.5m release clause at Bayer Leverkusen at the start of the summer, bringing to Merseyside one of the fastest right-siders in the game, hailed as “a monster” in the attacking third by The United Stand’s Beth Tucker.

However, the Netherlands man, 25, has only started once in the Premier League this season due to injury, and this is a concern given he had navigated through his years in Germany without any detrimental fitness setbacks.

Isak has been a worry for Slot’s side, but he has also proven himself in the harsh English climate, one of the best in the world. Frimpong, however, is more of an unknown, and the £100k-per-week star’s first few months at Liverpool have hardly been propitious.

Moreover, Frimpong’s preference to play in a wing-back role could see him struggle to find his feet in his best position.

Right wing-back

140

26 + 35

Right-back

133

7 + 20

Left-back

18

1 + 2

Right wing

5

3 + 0

Attacking midfield

4

0 + 0

The issue: Liverpool do not use a system which employs wing-backs, and Frimpong perhaps lacks the economy of strength and the awareness to nail down a starting berth as Liverpool’s right-back in the Premier League.

For example, he only won 44% of his duels in the Bundesliga last year. Liverpool correspondent Dominic King noted this week that the Dutchman “has not had a great start” to life back in England, and with Conor Bradley and even Dominik Szoboszlai as his positional rivals, Frimpong might have a tough time establishing himself at the club, even when back to full fitness.

Could it be that he is simply not a stylistic fit? Liverpool have a host of problems they need to fix, and with Mohamed Salah’s future uncertain, the signing of a new right-sided forward would deepen Frimpong’s struggles, leaving him struggling to show FSG that they have got bang for their buck.

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What a win for Newcastle United on Saturday evening. They beat Manchester City 2-1 at St James’ Park to pick up a huge three points, propelling them up the Premier League table.

Remarkably, it is the first time they have beaten the Citizens in the top flight since 2018/19, a game which they also won 2-1.

There were chances for both sides in the first half, with Harvey Barnes having a couple of opportunities which he squandered. The Citizens also came close through England international Phil Foden, but his shot fizzed wide.

It was Barnes who ended up giving the Magpies the lead in the second half. It was a smart finish from the winger, playing a one-two with Bruno Guimaraes before firing first time past Gianluigi Donnarumma to put his side a goal ahead.

City equalised moments after, thanks to a deflected strike by Ruben Dias. However, a 70th-minute goal from Barnes gave Newcastle the lead from close range. St James’ Park waited with bated breath as VAR checked an offside, but it was given and Eddie Howe’s men held on for all three points.

There were standout performances across the pitch for the Magpies, but Guimaraes and midfield partner Sandro Tonali were two standouts once again.

How Guimaraes and Tonali performed vs. Man City

It was another commanding performance from the Newcastle midfield pairing of Guimaraes and Tonali. The Brazilian grabbed an assist for the first goal, linking up with match-winner Barnes in a slick move, to help give his side the lead.

Indeed, the former Lyon midfielder stood out to Lee Ryder, the chief Newcastle writer for the Chronicle. He gave Guimaraes an 8/10 for his efforts in the middle of the park, describing his second-half display as “superb.”

However, it was not just the Magpies’ number 39 who shone in midfield. Tonali, described as “one of the best midfielders in world football right now” by Ryder, was completely dominant, especially out of possession.

It was a wonderful performance without the ball from Newcastle’s midfield general Tonali. The Italian worked hard all night long, winning 100% of his tackles, making seven recoveries and winning six duels, as per Sofascore. He also managed 47 touches of the ball and created one chance.

It was a typically dominant midfield showing by the pair, but they were arguably not the best Newcastle duo on the pitch against City.

Newcastle's best duo vs. Man City

As well as Guimaraes and Tonali performed, Newcastle fans might have been left more impressed with Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.

The Magpies’ first-choice full-back pairing were back in the starting lineup together, and were “the best players on the pitch” according to journalist Andy Sixsmith.

It was certainly not an easy day for either of them. Livramento was up against the tricky Jeremy Doku, but kept him quiet, winning two tackles and making eight recoveries.

As for his compatriot Hall, he ensured Rayan Cherki had his work cut out, winning six from seven duels and making three recoveries.

Touches

45

40

Pass accuracy

85%

79%

Ball recoveries

3

8

Duels won

6/7

3/4

Clearances

3

3

Their performances stood out to Ryder. He gave the pair of them 9/10s for their efforts, explaining the right-back gave the Magpies “a different dimension” and the left-back “made a monumental difference” to the side.

It is easy to see how this pair could be the new version of Guimaraes and Tonali for the Magpies. The England internationals, who are both likely to stake a claim as part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad in the summer, are already fan favourites at St James’ Park.

Their quality speaks for itself, as they showed against City. The manner in which they coped with the Citizens’ tricky wide men was impressive, and their on-ball quality was obvious against Pep Guardiola’s side, too.

Livramento is just 23 years of age, and Hall is 21. They’ve already demonstrated high levels of ability, and could certainly become even more important than Guimaraes and Tonali, the longer they build up this full-back partnership.

When pitcher Roki Sasaki announced he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, baseball fans were predictably peeved. Three months after winning the World Series, the Dodgers appear poised to dominate for the foreseeable future.

However, there's a difference between a mere vulgar display of power and a signing that actually breaks MLB rules—and according to a baseball official, the Sasaki signing was not the latter.

"According to a league official, MLB conducted an investigation prior to authorizing Sasaki’s posting to 'ensure the protocol agreement had been followed,'" Jack Harris of wrote Saturday.

That would mean making sure that Sasaki had not agreed to a handshake deal with Los Angeles or any other team.

"Another person with knowledge of the situation, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said the league interviewed 'numerous parties' in its probe, but found no evidence to substantiate" rumors of an informal deal, Harris wrote.

The Dodgers may be innocent of any wrongdoing, but that will do little to assuage 29 fanbases envious of one of world sport's few true modern juggernauts.

It’s been two months now since the Chicago White Sox stopped trying to outrun history. Players and coaches struggle to point to a date—the losses long ago started to run together—but it came around the lowest point in a season without highs. 

Interim manager Grady Sizemore, elevated in early August to replace the fired Pedro Grifol, surveyed the room and made a decision. The team was barreling toward the single-season loss record of 120 games, set by the impossibly inept 1962 New York Mets. That group was an expansion team in its first season. This one was three years removed from winning the division. Sizemore could manage each game like the postseason, stealing outs from his starters and overusing his top relievers, fighting to lose only 119 games in 2024, or he could start thinking about 2025. 

“Whether you lose 100 or 110, it doesn’t matter,” he says. (Evidently 121 does not even merit mention.) “You’re not going to the playoffs. At this point, we can’t focus on the record. It’s: How do we get better for next year? Who are the core guys that are coming back? How do we make them better? How do they fit into a winning team? How do we develop that team that we have in there right now into a productive, winning team next year, a competitive team that can play .500 baseball?”

In the meantime, history did come for them. On Friday, they lost their 121st game. All week they had insisted it would be just another loss, and indeed it was: The starter—this time lefty Garrett Crochet—pitched well, as they often have. The bullpen—this time lefties Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard—gave up a couple of runs, as they often have. And the offense managed virtually nothing, as they often have. They lost 4–1 to the Detroit Tigers, their league-leading 46th time scoring fewer than two runs. 

The players and coaches say they still expect to win every night. A player who was with the White Sox earlier this season disputes this: “They’re going in hoping to win,” he says, “But expecting to lose.”

They have had plenty of practice. They lost 22 of their first 25 games, tied for the worst start to a season in the wild-card era. Then it got worse. They lost 14 straight, then 21 straight, then 12 straight. They have staged one single successful comeback after the sixth inning all year. They are 0–102 when trailing after eight. They have held a lead in 95 games this season; they have lost 56 of those. According to FanGraphs, they have held a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs since April 7. They are 43 1/2 games back in the division … of fourth place. 

All in all, it’s been the most stomach-turning summer in Chicago since Dave Matthews’s bus drove over the Kinzie Street Bridge. 

“When you lose 21 in a row, it’s kind of like, ‘What the f—?” says Crochet. “You kind of get to the turning point of, like: All right, now it’s like, do you win? You do the [little] things. You get guys over. And I feel like we’ve done a better job than that as of late.” He grins and adds, “The record might [suggest] otherwise.”

It’s the worst year in history. They might as well get something out of it. 

The rain-hit affair was the last league match of GSL 2025 with Riders already in the final and Stags knocked out

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2025

Blair Tickner led the middle-order demolition•GSL T20/Getty Images

Match abandoned The last league match of the Global Super League (GSL) 2025 was replete with rain interruptions, and eventually inclement weather had the final say.A downpour in Guyana in the morning delayed toss by 45 minutes. Nurul Hasan called right and Rangpur Riders opted to bat – despite the weather around – but had to wait more because rain returned. The game began 90 minutes later than scheduled time as a 17-over contest.Central Stags opened their bowling with spinners from both ends and pegged back Riders twice inside the powerplay: Soumya Sarkar holing out off offspinner Angus Schaw second ball and Ibrahim Zadran falling to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox. The heavens opened up again and this latest stoppage meant the game was further reduced to 14-overs-a-side affair.Upon resumption, fast bowler Blair Tickner broke the back of the Riders middle order. He accounted for Mahidul Islam Ankon, Iftikhar Ahmed and Nurul Hasan to leave Riders reeling at 66 for 6. Schaw and Lennox returned to mop up the tail as the Bangladesh Premier League side folded for a mere 79. Which was when another spell of heavy rain forced abandonment.Riders are already in the final with Stags finishing third in the season.

Leeds United youngster Harry Gray has attracted attention from supporters this season with his fantastic performances for the U21 side in recent weeks.

The 16-year-old fired in an impressive hat-trick against Scunthorpe earlier this month, which sparked some fans to call for him to get more game time in the first-team.

It is not as simple as that, according to Daniel Farke, though, as the Whites head coach explained why patience is needed with Archie Gray’s brother.

Why Harry Gray is not being fast tracked into the Leeds XI

Prior to the 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, the German boss backed his own record with young players and claimed that the youngster needs to keep playing matches at U21 level.

Farke said: “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I gave Harry his debut in the crunch time. If I were to back a manager to be brave enough to play a young player, to know what a young player needs, I’d pick me. Harry needs to train with the first team, experience physicality of the Premier League.

“He needs game time with the U21s to stay in his rhythm and not to lose his striker instinct. He needs time and peace to develop. You will see him once he is prepared for Premier League games.”

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Gray is not the only player who is knocking on the door of the first-team, though, as Connor Douglas is also a U21 star who should be unleashed by the former Norwich City head coach when the time is right.

Why Connor Douglas should get a chance in the first-team

Whilst Gray has caught the eye with his goals, including the hat-trick against Scunthorpe, Douglas provided a reminder of his quality with an assist against Crystal Palace’s U21s on Monday night in a 3-2 defeat for the young Whites.

The 19-year-old star is a right-sided attacker and that position in the first-team is still up for grabs, as Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Daniel James have combined for zero goals and zero assists in the Premier League this season.

Appearances

36

5

xG

3.86

0.19

Goals

1

0

xA

2.59

0.78

Assists

3

0

Dribbles completed per game

0.9

0.8

As you can see in the table above, Aaronson, who has started the last two games on the right flank, has struggled to make a consistent impact in the final third throughout his top-flight career at Elland Road.

These statistics suggest that the USA international is not the long-term answer to the club’s problem in the right wing position, because he has failed to prove himself to be a reliable option at that level. This opens the door for another player to step up.

Douglas, who was hailed as a “joy to watch” by PureFootball writer Trent Gaffney, has delivered two assists in four Premier League 2 matches so far this season, per Transfermarkt, and may be putting his case forward to make an emergence in the first-team.

The 19-year-old talent has scored five goals and provided six assists in 34 games for the U21s, after a return of six goals and three assists in 27 matches for the U18s, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has consistently chipped in with goal contributions throughout his academy career.

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The next step for the teenage sensation is to make his first-team bow. His form at the start of this season should put him in contention to make the step up, alongside Gray, which is why Farke should look to unleash him on the right flank if his other options continue to underperform in front of goal.

Chelsea are working to back Enzo Maresca with the signing of a centre-back in the January transfer window, and they’ve reportedly reached out to the representatives of a Premier League star this week.

Chelsea's defensive shortage laid bare after summer failure

Maresca went public with his desire to bring in a top defender during the summer, coming after Chelsea failed with a move for Dean Huijsen and Levi Colwill was sidelined for the majority of 2025/2026.

Despite looking at their options, Chelsea couldn’t find the right profile to come in and bolster Maresca’s backline (Simon Phillips), and BlueCo are now paying the price.

Chelsea were the summer’s second-biggest spenders behind Liverpool, according to the BBC, but despite their large investment in recruitment, they failed to address key areas defensively with Maresca left extremely short.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Colwill all missed Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League through injury, and with Trevoh Chalobah suspended for their crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool this weekend, Maresca has just three options to choose from.

Fofana and Tosin won’t return until after the October international break, with the former undergoing concussion protocol and the latter nursing a calf problem.

This leaves Maresca with Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Benoit Badiashile as his only central defensive choices, so it is likely the Italian will go for a pairing of Hato and Badiashile for Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge.

Hato is regarded by Chelsea as more of a left-back to support Marc Cucurella (Ben Jacobs), while Badiashile is himself only just coming back from a long-term injury — having made a first start in three months against Benfica on Tuesday night.

It is a dire situation, and one which will undoubtedly frustrate Maresca behind-the-scenes after he was clear that the club need more central defensive options.

According to reports, Chelsea and Maresca are in agreement that the signing of a centre-back should be prioritised for January, with the west Londoners now at work on finding the right profile (Pete O’Rourke).

Chelsea hold talks with Marc Guehi ahead of potential January deal

Now, as per journalist Simon Phillips, Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi is being discussed as an option for January.

The England international, who was on the verge of joining Liverpool in a summer deadline day move, could leave for a very cheap fee mid-season or for free next summer, and Chelsea are thinking about luring Guehi away from Selhurst as soon as the next window.

Phillips reports that Chelsea have reached out to Guehi’s camp for discussions this week as they make centre-back enquiries, and Palace would rather sell in January than lose him for nothing later in 2026.

The “sensational” defender, who left Cobham for Palace in 2021, would be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s defensive crisis.

January could be too soon for Marc Guehi's Palace exit

Guehi has established himself as an England regular and Premier League stalwart during his time at Palace, and he could be one of the snips of 2026 as his contract ticks down towards expiry at the end of this season.

However, it is very debatable whether Oliver Glasner would be happy with chairman Steve Parish selling his star defender midway through the campaign, and this would certainly threaten to cause a stir considering just how crucial Guehi is to Palace.

The Eagles are currently on an 18-game unbeaten run and Glasner really won’t be keen on losing a player who’s so vital to his set-up, unless Palace manage to source a quality replacement.

Reports in the summer even suggested that Glasner threatened to leave Palace if Guehi was sold to Liverpool, with the transfer later called off, but this has since been denied by the tactician.