The Yankees have once again ended a season without winning a World Series as they had their year come to an end Wednesday night with a 5-2 loss at home to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of their American League Division Series.
The Yankees now enter the offseason with questions about the future of their manager, Aaron Boone, and questions about what roster moves they can make in order to try to win their first title since way back in 2009.
Yankees great Derek Jeter was on Fox's postgame show and during his breakdown of yet another disappointing finish for the franchise he spoke about what the roughest thing was for Yankees fans to stomach after falling short of a championship again.
"What's tough is for the Yankee fans, this is the second year in a row they've watched another team celebrate on their home field and you can feel the frustration," the Hall of Famer said.
Jeter also had a very honest statement about this year's Yankees team.
"Aaron [Boone] said it. They got beat. They got beat," Jeter said. "Last year you could sit back and talk about the World Series and Game 5 and that the Yankees beat themselves in that particular game. In this series the Toronto Blue Jays proved they are a better team. From top to bottom they are a better team."
Here are Jeter's full comments:
It will be interesting to see what the Yankees do moving forward and how different the team will look next season.
As for right now, it has to be a rough day for the team's fans because so much is expected from this club every season, which means every playoff exit stings even more. Especially when they have to see another team celebrating on their home field.
The U.S. men's national team has learned their World Cup group as Mauricio Pochettino's side was paired with Paraguay, Australia and a yet-to-be-determined European foe to start next summer's tournament. The USMNT's fourth opponent will be either Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo, who will face off in March's playoff.
Getty ImagesGroup stage opponents: Austrailia, Paraguay and TBD
The U.S. were handed a fortunate draw with their Pot 2 team as they were matched up with a familiar opponent: Australia, who are ranked 26th in the world. That matchup comes on the heels of an October friendly that saw the U.S. defeat Australia, 2-1, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
From Pot 3, the U.S. were given another familiar opponent: Paraguay, the 39th-ranked team. Like Australia, the U.S. played Paraguay in the fall, defeating the South American side, 2-1, in Philadelphia.
And then finally, from Pot 4, after navigating some conditions, the USMNT were finally paired with one of the winners of the European Playoff C: Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
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The USMNT's battle with Australia will be a fun one, largely because will no doubt show up. With the game being played in Seattle, Australia's fans should have a presence, as the West Coast is easier to travel to.
There's also some added juice from the fall, when the U.S. saw star Christian Pulisic injured after a series of hard fouls from Australia in their friendly match in Colorado.
Getty Images SportDangerous matchup: Paraguay
The game against Paraguay will be dangerous – and, if last month’s clash is any indication, perhaps quite literally. The two teams squared up just before the final whistle after a tense match, and you wouldn’t expect anything less once the World Cup starts.
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Getty Images SportKey opposition player: Arda Guler or Miguel Almiron
This will surely depend on who gets in as that Pot 4 team. Should Turkey qualify, the U.S. would face off with their world-class young stars: Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz. Should Turkey not advance, the main man to stop would be Paraguay's Miguel Almiron, a familiar face for fans of Major League Soccer as he stars for Atlanta United.
Alastair Cook has urged England to keep faith with Ollie Pope at No. 3 for the Ashes, rather than taking a “gamble” on Jacob Bethell.England’s first-choice top seven has been unchanged for over a year, but Bethell’s emergence in New Zealand last November when Jamie Smith was on paternity leave put significant pressure on Pope’s position at No. 3. Pope responded with hundreds against Zimbabwe and India at the start of the 2025 summer, but only made one half-century in his next eight innings.Bethell made 6 and 5 in his only Test appearance of the summer, deputising for the injured Ben Stokes at The Oval, but scored half-centuries in each of his first three Tests last year. He will have the chance to push his case in six white-ball fixtures against New Zealand from Saturday, but Cook believes that sticking with Pope for the Ashes should be an “easy” decision.Related
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“I would bat Ollie Pope at No. 3,” Cook said on Tuesday, at the launch of TNT Sports’ Ashes coverage. “I think it’s quite an easy decision on this, actually. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this build-up for three or four years, he’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker.”If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of what they’ve built up over the last year, how settled they’ll feel for that top seven… If it doesn’t work out, do you then move back to somebody you just got rid of, confidence-wise? I think it’s easy to go the other way, and I think that would be the sensible thing.”Cook, who was player of the series when England last won the Ashes in Australia 15 years ago, described Bethell as an “incredibly talented player” but said that it would be a “big, big gamble” to pick him primarily on his performances against the white ball: “They’ve invested so much in people like Pope and Crawley that it’d be such a strange thing to change it now.”Brendon McCullum’s decision to replace Pope as vice-captain with Harry Brook has furthered the sense that England might move away from him. Rob Key, England’s managing director, denied last month that it formed part of an “elaborate scheme” to drop Pope, but said that a final decision would only be taken in the days leading up to the first Test in Perth on November 21.Jacob Bethell is waiting in the wings•Getty Images
Cook believes that the change in vice-captaincy will liberate Pope, rather than damaging his confidence or his standing in the England dressing-room. “I think that will just take the pressure off Ollie Pope,” he said. “I’m sure it will have hurt him, because any time you get taken off a leadership [position], it wouldn’t be ideal. But I don’t think it undermines him.”He also believes that Australia will be wary of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley’s opening partnership, and their ability to score at an unusually quick tempo. “Australia will be so respectful of Crawley and Duckett, and what they can do to impact the game,” Cook said.”Crawley is a different opening batter to what history says you need: a guy who is very inconsistent and averages 30 but, on his day, plays an innings which I don’t think anyone else in the world can play at the top of the order… Against bowling which suits him – he prefers the ball coming on at a good pace on good, true wickets – he is a real danger for Australia.”It has to line up well…. He’s not like this consistent machine who scores runs, but they’re definitely fearful of that, without a shadow of a doubt. Because an hour of Duckett and Crawley playing well, or an hour and a half on that first morning, England will build huge momentum and it starts the series well.”Watch live exclusive coverage of The Ashes on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Flamengo e Amazonas se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (1), pela ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. A bola vai rolar a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília), no Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro, com transmissão do SporTV e Premiere.
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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA FLAMENGO X AMAZONAS COPA DO BRASIL – TERCEIRA FASE – IDA
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 1 de maio de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília); 📍 Local: Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ); 📺 Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere; 🟨 Árbitro: Emerson Ricardo de Almeida Andrade 🚩 Assistentes: Nailton Junior de Sousa Oliveira e Elicarlos Franco de Oliveira 🖥️ VAR: Marcio Henrique de Gois
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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES
FLAMENGO (Técnico: Tite) Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira e Viña; Allan, Gerson e De la Cruz; Lorran, Bruno Henrique e Pedro.
AMAZONAS (Técnico: Adílson Baptista) Edson Mardden; Patric, Diogo Silva, Alvariño e Fabiano; Xavier, Judá e Matheusinho; Sassá, Matheus Serafim e William Barbio.
Former Al-Nassr forward Anderson Talisca has branded Cristiano Ronaldo "the best in history" while opening up on his experience of sharing a dressing room with the Portuguese legend. Talisca and Ronaldo played together at Al-Nassr for two years before the Brazilian attacker left for Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce in January.
Talisca and Ronaldo's partnership at Al-Nassr
Talisca started his career in his homeland at Bahia before moving to Portugal, where he spent four years with Benfica. In between, he had played in Turkey briefly on loan at Besiktas. In 2018, he joined Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande. After three years in China, Talisca moved to Saudi Arabia and signed for Al-Nassr.
He quickly became a talisman for Al-Nassr, but had to give up the spotlight when Ronaldo arrived on a free transfer in January 2023. Al-Nassr also brought in Sadio Mane in the subsequent summer transfer window. Talisca formed one third of a stellar attacking trio at Al-Nassr alongside Ronaldo and Mane and won the Arab Club Championship in 2023.
Talisca decided to head back to Turkey at the start of the year to work under Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, but looks back on his time playing with Ronaldo fondly.
AdvertisementAFPRonaldo branded 'best in history'
Speaking to , Talisca said of his relationship with Ronaldo: "It was an incredible two years. When he arrived, I had already been there for two years. I spent four years at the club, an incredible story. Playing with him was surreal, it was a dream for me. For me, he is the best in history.
"We trained together and did incredible things. Working with him, for me, as an athlete and as a human being, was about maximising the athlete's potential, being more professional, caring more about himself. It was incredible."
Ronaldo facing suspension
Ronaldo is currently taking a break from club duties at Al-Nassr, but did not enjoy a happy return to the Portugal national team. He was sent off during Portugal’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last Thursday for elbowing Irish defender Dara O’Shea. FIFA rules state a three-match suspension be used as punishment in the event of a straight red card. Ronaldo thusly sat out Portugal's final qualifying encounter against Armenia, which they won 9-0 to book a place at the World Cup. Ronaldo is also in danger of sitting out Portugal's first two games at the tournament, but the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is preparing a formal plea to FIFA, hoping to bring the suspension down to a single game – according to .
Their argument primarily hinges on three pillars. The first centres on the atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium, which the federation describes as "hostile". They argue that it was influenced by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s provocative comments on the eve of the match. Ahead of the game, he suggested Ronaldo had "controlled the referee" during Portugal’s 1-0 win in the reverse fixture last month.
Secondly, the FPF are planning to highlight the physical grappling between O’Shea and Ronaldo leading up to the red card, arguing the striker reacted instinctively after being physically provoked repeatedly inside the box. Finally, they will present Ronaldo’s impeccable disciplinary record at international level. The legendary forward had gone 225 matches without a single red card, which the FPF thinks is compelling evidence that Thursday’s incident was an isolated one and had no malicious intent.
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GettyRonaldo's purple patch for Al-Nassr
After failing to win a major trophy in the first two and a half years at the club, Ronaldo is determined to get his hands on some silverware this term. Accordingly, the club have signed star players like Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman to bolster the attack and provide Ronaldo with more service. The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star has himself got off to a flying start as he has scored 10 goals in 11 matches across all competitions.
He will be back in action for Al-Nassr this Sunday as they take on Al-Khaleej in an important Saudi Pro League clash.
The team want to get accustomed to conditions at a venue where they play two big games
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-20253:47
Chopra: India would want to go a step further in the home World Cup
India Women will launch their World Cup preparation with a skill-based week-long conditioning camp in Visakhapatnam starting August 25.The venue for the camp is strategic, given only Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Sneh Rana among the squad members have the experience of having played at the ACA-VDCA Stadium previously, in 2014.India are slated to play two big matches in Visakhapatnam: against South Africa (October 9) and Australia (October 12).India’s lack of experience at certain venues, like Visakhapatnam, Guwahati and Indore, has been a big talking point in the lead-up to their campaign.Navi Mumbai’s inclusion as Bengaluru’s replacement is seen as a welcome step, given the players’ familiarity with the venue, having played there regularly over the past three-four years in front of packed houses, both in international cricket as well in the Women’s Premier League.Originally scheduled to take place entirely in Bengaluru, the training sessions had to be relocated after the Karnataka State Cricket Association failed to secure police clearance for hosting matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.All members of the World Cup squad, along with the reserves and the India A team selected for warm-up fixtures, are expected to participate.The camp will culminate with two intra-squad day-night practice matches, before the team flies out to New Chandigarh for the ODI series against Australia starting September 16.After the Australia series, the Indian team will arrive in Bengaluru to play two World Cup warm-ups, against England (September 25) and New Zealand (September 27) before flying out to Guwahati for their opening fixture against Sri Lanka on September 30.
Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Napoli are monitoring Hellas Verona forward Giovane following his impressive start to life in Serie A. The 21-year-old Brazilian, who joined on a free transfer last summer, has quickly become one of the league’s most exciting young attackers and Verona could now demand up to €30 million for his signature.
Giovane’s breakthrough sparks European interest
Hellas Verona forward Giovane, formerly of Corinthians, has become one of Serie A’s breakout names this season and his progress has not gone unnoticed across Europe. According to , scouts from Dortmund and Milan were in attendance at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium last weekend to watch the 21-year-old, who scored a superb goal in Verona’s 2-1 defeat to Inter. His confident display has positioned him as a potential target for several elite clubs ahead of the January 2026 transfer window.
Verona are said to value the Brazilian at around €30m (£25m/$33m), a remarkable rise given that he arrived from Corinthians on a free transfer just four months ago. Napoli and Inter have also joined the race, with all four clubs keen to secure a deal before his price climbs further.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportA modern wide forward with pace and flair
Giovane has adapted seamlessly to the demands of Italian football, combining technical flair with tireless off-ball movement. He is naturally a wide attacker, capable of playing on either flank or partnering a traditional striker in a two-man system, an attribute that appeals to managers seeking tactical flexibility.
Across 12 appearances this season, he has registered three assists and one goal, while ranking first among Serie A forwards in successful take-ons (14). Though not yet a prolific finisher, his ability to create chances, stretch defences and beat markers one-on-one makes him a coveted modern attacking option.
Observers in Italy suggest his standout trait is consistency, a rarity for young imports in Serie A’s tactically demanding environment. His work rate and resilience have impressed Verona’s coaching staff, who believe he has the temperament to thrive at a bigger club.
From free transfer to €30m asset
The Brazilian's rapid rise is as remarkable as his journey. Released by Corinthians at the end of his contract, he joined Verona on a free in July, quickly earning a place in the starting XI. Within months, he’s gone from relative obscurity in Brazil’s youth ranks to a sought-after Serie A prospect commanding a €30m valuation.
Verona, who currently sit in the bottom-half of the table, view the player as a vital financial asset and are open to negotiations only if their price is met. The club’s directors are reportedly in no rush to sell but are aware that an offer from one of Europe’s top clubs could prove difficult to resist.
His agent is said to be awaiting formal contact as clubs begin outlining their winter transfer plans. Scouts from Milan and Dortmund have already submitted detailed reports, while Napoli are weighing up whether to act immediately or wait until summer.
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Getty ImagesWhat next for Serie A’s newest star?
Giovane’s first Serie A goal against the Nerazzurri may well serve as the launchpad for his European breakthrough. The strike reflected not only his technical quality but also his growing confidence against elite opposition.
If his current form continues, Verona could soon face a battle to retain him beyond this season. His versatility and dynamism make him an ideal complement for an established No.9 – exactly the profile Milan and Dortmund are seeking.
For now, Verona intend to keep him focused on domestic duties, but with January fast approaching, Giovane’s name will likely dominate transfer headlines once more. Whether he stays to finish the season or becomes Serie A’s next big export, one thing is certain – Europe’s elite are watching closely.
Glasgow Rangers have just under two weeks to find a new manager to lead the Ibrox giants out in their next Scottish Premiership match after the international break.
The powers that be at Ibrox made the decision to part ways with Russell Martin on Sunday night, after a fifth draw in seven league games, and it was a decision that is hard to argue against.
Five wins in 17 matches in charge of the club in all competitions was not a record that the board could stand behind and justify to provide the head coach with more time, which is why they are now in a position where they need to replace Martin.
Rangers identify Championship manager as a target
It will be interesting to see who the likes of Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell settle on, as they are reportedly keen on bringing in an English manager.
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According to the Scottish Daily Express, Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has emerged as a contender for the job, as Rangers are considering a move for the English coach.
The former Luton and Watford tactician only joined Boro in the summer, but the Light Blues are looking at him as a potential option to replace Martin.
Scottish Daily Express does not reveal how serious their interest is in the Championship gaffer, though, and other managers have been linked with the job.
Sean Dyche, who has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January, is reportedly interested in joining Rangers, but Edwards would be an even better appointment.
Why Rob Edwards would be better than Sean Dyche for Rangers
One potential reason not to appoint Dyche is that he has not managed a team that has been expected to compete at the top end of a league table since the 2015/16 campaign with Burnley in the Championship.
He has finished 10th or lower in eight of his last nine seasons as a manager, with seventh being the highest finish in those nine years, per Transfermarkt, which means that it may be difficult to adjust to the expectations at Ibrox.
Edwards, however, won the League Two title with Forest Green Rovers in the 2021/22 campaign, won the play-offs in the Championship with Luton Town in the 2022/23 season, and is currently second in the Championship with Middlesbrough.
The English tactician, who has played a 3-4-3 system with Boro (Transfermarkt), has won five and lost one of his first nine league matches in charge of his current club, which is in stark contrast to Martin’s dismal form for Rangers in the Premiership.
25/26 Championship
Middlesbrough
League rank
xGA
7.2
1st
Goals against
6
1st
Goals against per 90
0.67
1st
Non-penalty xGA
7.2
3rd
Shots on target against
17
1st
Clean sheets
4
2nd
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, his Middlesbrough side have been one of the standout teams, if not the standout team, from a defensive perspective in the Championship this season.
Edwards, who journalist Mark Ogden described as an “ultra-positive” manager, has shown that he can coach a solid defensive unit as part of a team that is competing at the top of the table, whilst his coaching history shows that he can win titles and improve teams, like Forest Green Rovers and Luton.
This suggests that he would be the perfect fit for what Rangers currently need after the 24 goals conceded in 17 matches under Martin, because of his ability to coach an impressive defence.
He would be an even better appointment than Dyche, as well, because he has a recent track record of competing for titles or promotion, including the current season, whilst the former Burnley boss has been a perennial survival specialist for the past decade.
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Therefore, the Light Blues should realise their interest in Edwards by approaching Middlesbrough to discuss a potential deal for the manager, rather than moving for Dyche.
West Ham United manager Graham Potter could be sacked by the Hammers very shortly, on one condition, with a potential timeline shared by one media source.
Graham Potter under growing pressure in east London
This time last year, David Moyes’ replacement, Julen Lopetegui, was in a very similar situation to Potter as critics and supporters alike called for the Spaniard to be axed following a poor start to 2024/2025.
Now, his successor, Potter, is facing the same pressure. Under the former Chelsea boss, West Ham have recorded their second-worst win percentage since the Premier League’s inception, with Avram Grant’s relegated side from 2010/2011 coming as the only Hammers team to fare worse.
Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League
Win percentage
9. Sam Allardyce
30.7%
10. Julen Lopetegui
30%
11. Gianfranco Zola
27.8%
12, Graham Potter
27.3%
13. Avram Grant
18.9%
via StatMuse
The east Londoners have also leaked goals left, right and centre — conceding more than any other top-flight outfit thus far — with Potter’s West Ham also looking extremely vulnerable when it comes to set pieces.
Potter did give himself some breathing room with an impressive 3-0 win away to Nottingham Forest, which turned out to be Nuno Espírito Santo’s final game in charge, and the Portuguese is now being linked to the West Ham job after leaving the City Ground.
As well as Nuno, ex-West Ham player Frank Lampard has been mentioned as a candidate to replace Potter, with other reports suggesting Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna was in attendance at the London Stadium during their 3-0 derby defeat to Spurs.
However, any hope of a blockbuster move for big-name serial winner José Mourinho is being quashed by the special one’s imminent move to Benfica, so if West Ham are to sack Potter, they’ll need to decide quickly and avoid the other best-possible free agents being snapped up by other clubs.
Taking that into account, West Ham chair David Sullivan is apparently keen to avoid another Lopetegui-style saga, amid a major concern he has behind-the-scenes.
When West Ham could sack Graham Potter and it may be imminent
That is according to Hammers News, who shared an update on Potter’s future via one of their sources.
West Ham United managerGrahamPotterbefore the match
The informant, as quoted by HN, reveals that West Ham could sack Potter if they lose to Crystal Palace this weekend.
The 50-year-old’s unceremonious departure would bring his stock down even further after he was sacked by Chelsea, with Potter’s stellar days growing Brighton into an established Premier League side far behind the tactician.
It would be hard to envisage Potter getting another immediate big job if he’s given a P45 after Saturday, but as we’ve seen with ex-West Ham hero Moyes, you can always bounce back in the long-term.
On the pitch, the Hoops were ignominiously dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Kairat, ousted on penalties in Almaty after over three and a half hours of drab, goalless football, before the most dull Old Firm derby in history at Ibrox last Sunday.
Supporters would argue that this is the metaphorical chickens coming home to roost, concerned all summer long about the Celts’ lack of attacking quality, given that Kyōgo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kühn and Matt O’Riley have not been sufficiently replaced.
So, following protests at a charity match against Manchester United legends on Saturday, the club issued an official statement that did nothing to quell dissenting voices, with the names of no individuals attached to the rambling statement, taking no accountability or responsibility for a transfer window many believe to be the club’s worst in modern times.
Thus, Brendan Rodgers has been left massively short ahead of a Europa League campaign that begins against Crvena zvezda in Belgrade later this month, so how he must wish the Hoops hadn’t sold Celtic’s “god of goals” for just £4m.
Celtic's catastrophic striker situation
On deadline day, having failed to replace Kyōgo, who departed in January, Celtic sold their only remaining centre-forward Adam Idah to Swansea City for around £7m, representing a £2.5m loss on the Irishman in just 12 months, but they actually did well to recoup such a large amount, following an underwhelming campaign.
As reports of this sale emerged, supporters thought that the Celtic hierarchy must have a replacement lined up, or at least that’s what one would assume.
The Hoops number one target was Kasper Dolberg but, after haggling over the price, Anderlecht instead sold him to Ajax for a reported fee of €10m (around £8.7m), with the Denmark international re-joining the Amsterdam-based giants.
The window then duly slammed shut, and Celtic did not have a striker, meaning they had 24 hours to secure a free agent, if they were to be included in their UEFA squad.
Emmanuel Dennis and Patrick Bamford were among the underwhelming names mentioned, but they instead secured Kelechi Iheanacho, albeit only after Sevilla had terminated his contract to facilitate the move, emphasising how wanted he was in Southern Spain.
The Nigerian actually scored against Celtic for Manchester City back in December 2016, as the pair drew 1-1 in the Champions League.
Once highly rated, Iheanacho’s career has essentially fallen off a cliff in recent years, scoring just 26 goals across the last four seasons, having netted 19 times during the 2020/21 campaign prior to this decline.
So, how Celtic supporters must wish they still had the forgotten goal machine from the Postecoglou era.
Kelechi Iheanacho at Leicester.
Celtic's "god of goals"
Giorgos Giakoumakis was not at Celtic for a long time, but he certainly made his mark in Glasgow.
In just 57 appearances in hoops, the Greece international scored 26 goals, averaging a goal every 97 minutes, winning the Premiership golden boot during his only full season at Parkhead.
Former Celtic forward Giorgos Giakoumakis.
However, unable to secure a regular starting spot due to Kyōgo’s presence, imagine having depth like that now, he was sold to Atlanta United for around £4m in March 2023.
Since then, Giakoumakis has become something of a globe-trotter, leaving Atlanta after less than 18 months in MLS, sold to Cruz Azul for $10m (around £7.4m), albeit he did not live up to expectations in Mexico City, returning to his homeland this summer by signing for PAOK on loan.
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Well, he has made an immediate impact in Thessaloniki, on target off the bench during a 5-0 victory over HNK Rijeka last month, a victory at Toumba Stadium that secured PAOK’s place in the Europa League.
Following Giakoumakis’ arrival in Major League Soccer, Jaime Uribarri labelled him the “Greek God of goals”, while Tom Bogert simply noted that, wherever he goes, the striker “just scores goals”, a useful skillset for a centre-forward to possess.
So, let’s assess how his recent seasons compare to Celtic’s latest centre-forward Iheanacho.
2025/26
0
1
2024/25
4
9
2023/24
6
5
2022/23
8
28
2021/22
8
17
2020/21
19
29
Total
45
89
As the table documents, across the last five seasons, and the start of this one, Giakoumakis has scored almost twice as many goals as Iheanacho, who hasn’t reached double figures in a single campaign since lockdown when he was at Leicester.
More recently, the Nigerian international endured a miserable loan spell at Middlesbrough this time last year, before scoring just three goals for Sevilla, all of which came in the Copa del Rey, bagging a brace against fifth-tier Las Rozas, before also scoring against UE Olot of the fourth division, but bagging no goals in La Liga.
Having worked with him before, Rodgers will believe he can resurrect Iheanacho’s form and confidence, but this is certainly a gamble, while Giakoumakis guarantees goals, so what a difference the Greek striker would make to this current Celtic side.
Celtic can unearth their own Dolberg in 18-year-old who's "some talent"
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers may unearth his own version of Kasper Dolberg with this academy talent.