PHOTO COLLECTION: Best of Wimbledon Tennis Fourth Round
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Newcastle and Nottingham Forest reach £55m Elanga agreement
Newcastle United have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest for the signing of Anthony Elanga in a deal worth an initial £52 million. The 23-year-old Sweden international is expected to undergo a medical in the next two days, with a five-year contract already agreed between the player and the club. Advertisement The deal also includes performance-related bonuses, although these are reportedly difficult to trigger. Newcastle have been pursuing Elanga for several weeks and had a previous bid rejected in June before returning with an improved offer. The winger is set to become the club's first major signing of the summer and will join a squad preparing for another season of Champions League football under Eddie Howe. Elanga played all 38 Premier League matches for Forest last season, scoring six goals and registering 11 assists as the club finished seventh. His performances earned widespread praise and reignited interest from Newcastle, who had first inquired about his availability during negotiations for Elliot Anderson's move to Forest last summer. Advertisement Manchester United, Elanga's former club, are also set to benefit from the move due to a significant sell-on clause agreed during his £15 million transfer to Forest in 2023. Sources say Newcastle had identified right wing as their top priority heading into this window, and Elanga is viewed as the ideal long-term solution. It is a position that has lacked consistent output since Miguel Almiron's move to Atlanta United in January. Howe was reportedly determined to avoid settling for a less experienced option, with Elanga offering a blend of top-flight experience, youth, and tactical intelligence. He is expected to slot into a fast-paced front three alongside Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, creating what could be the Premier League's quickest attack. Advertisement Elanga's familiarity with Isak at international level is seen as an added bonus, especially as the club prepares to open talks with the striker over a new contract. The deal had briefly stalled over a dispute regarding Elanga's agency switch, but that issue was resolved after a weekend of tense negotiations. Newcastle's attention will now turn to strengthening other areas of the squad, with a right-sided centre-back, a new goalkeeper and a versatile forward all on the wishlist. Elanga's arrival marks the end of a long search for a dynamic, Premier League-ready right winger—and a major boost to Newcastle's ambitions for the season ahead.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Analysis: The Stats Behind Chelsea's Latest £48.5m Signing
Jamie Gittens Joins Chelsea: Speed, Skill and Long-Term Strategy Chelsea have completed the signing of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund for £48.5 million, with a further £3.5 million potentially due in add-ons. The 20-year-old winger arrives at Stamford Bridge with a reputation for beating defenders and injecting pace into games. Having signed a seven-year contract, Gittens represents a long-term project for Chelsea rather than a quick fix. Advertisement Gittens has endured a disrupted rise. Injuries hampered his early years at Dortmund, but last season he broke through, delivering high-impact performances down the left flank. His speed and skill caught the eye during Dortmund's strong first half of the 2023-24 campaign, although form tailed off after managerial changes. 'He made his debut under Marco Rose (in April 2022), but since then it's been great development,' said Dortmund's Lars Ricken. 'We said, 'OK, we can develop him into a great player.'' Photo IMAGO With Jadon Sancho departed, Mudryk suspended, and Geovany Quenda arriving next summer, Chelsea required reinforcements out wide. Gittens now becomes one of the few senior wingers available to Enzo Maresca, joining Noni Madueke and the injury-prone Pedro Neto in the rotation. Advertisement Fitting into Maresca's Philosophy Gittens' success at Chelsea will hinge on adapting to Maresca's structure. His game thrives on freedom, space and confidence. At Dortmund, he averaged 9.3 take-ons per 90 minutes, the highest in the Bundesliga among wide players, converting 45 per cent of them. These are elite dribbling numbers and indicative of someone comfortable going one-on-one. 'He is a counter-attacking threat, but also capable of disrupting a low-block,' noted The Athletic's analysis. His ability to use both feet and get shots off under pressure makes him a multi-faceted forward, though questions remain over his off-ball work and defensive contributions. 'He does not contribute a lot without the ball and that's an area that will have to improve,' said Seb Stafford-Bloor. 'It will come with more experience, though.' Advertisement Chelsea's measured possession style and pressing schemes could require a steep learning curve for Gittens, who often thrived on chaos rather than control. Financial Engineering and Long-Term Vision Gittens' deal is another example of Chelsea's aggressive amortisation model. Though he signed a seven-year contract, both Premier League and UEFA rules cap amortisation at five years. That means his £48.5 million fee will cost Chelsea £11.1 million per year in PSR terms, despite being spread at £7.9 million annually in the club's official accounts. Wages remain undisclosed, but the total investment over the course of the deal will exceed £55 million. Chelsea's continued use of long-term contracts underlines their commitment to long-term value protection, while potentially testing the patience of fans who expect immediate impact. Advertisement Dortmund's Smart Profit and English Youth Pipeline Dortmund, meanwhile, are set to bank a near-complete profit from the transfer. Signed from Manchester City's academy in 2020, Gittens cost them very little and leaves five years later for a huge fee. No sell-on clause was inserted due to his age when he left City. Reading and City will receive modest solidarity payments of around £0.4 million each. Dortmund will retain the bulk of the £2.4 million solidarity fee, rounding off a deal that demonstrates the strength of their talent development pipeline. As Chelsea look to the future, Dortmund once again profit from nurturing a young English talent abroad and selling at peak value. Advertisement Our View – EPL Index Analysis This transfer is exactly what Chelsea fans have been crying out for. Gittens brings pace, directness and unpredictability, and those traits have been missing since Eden Hazard's departure. Sure, he is young and raw, but so were Reece James and Levi Colwill at one point. What matters is the willingness to take on responsibility and make things happen, which Gittens clearly has. The fact that he's already producing numbers like 9.3 take-ons per 90 in a major league at 20 is a huge statement. We've been far too reliant on stop-start players like Mudryk and underwhelming options like Madueke. With Sancho gone and Estevao still a project, Gittens gives us immediate thrust on the wing. Enzo Maresca's system might demand more structure, but with time and coaching, Gittens could explode. Fans understand this won't be perfect from day one, but watching someone take defenders on with confidence is going to lift Stamford Bridge. This deal feels like a smart mix of data-led recruitment and football sense. It is another step towards reshaping Chelsea's identity.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Djokovic Finds The Wind In His Sails To Defeat De Minaur At Wimbledon
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Alex de Minaur of Australia ... More following the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match on day eight of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2025 in London, England. (Photo) After beating Jannik Sinner in the 2023 Wimbledon semifinals, Novak Djokovic joked that 36 was the new 26 and that he was feeling just great about competing against the next generation. On the second Monday of Wimbledon 2025, the Serb didn't find the feel or look as sprightly on Centre Court. Djokovic still got the job done by beating Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 18 minutes to go through to the quarterfinals. The number two seed lacked his usual swagger from he start against the Australian on a much cooler second Monday at SW19. The 24-time major champion was unusually jerky in his movements. There was something slow-motion about the match overall with what Djokovic called a 'cat and mouse' trade of sliced exchanges. It suited de Minaur down to the ground in the first set as he absorbed his opponent's groundstrokes and broke the Serb three times. Djokovic's viewfinder on serve was unfocused as he committed four double faults to go with 16 unforced errors. In the press conference, the third favorite for the title attributed his travails to the swirling, windy conditions. De Minaur is a player who always competes, is one of the best athletes around, and consistently reaches the last eight of the majors. The question mark is how he can be more than just a minor nuisance to the big shots of the game. While Djokovic began to find some rhythm on his service games, the Aussie hardly won any free points on his serve. His blue-collar shift work on every point of every game compensates for this to some extent, but backing up breaks of serve against the big beasts is always a challenge. De Minaur is 0-14 against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz combined and was hammered by Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open and by Sinner in the 2025 edition at Melbourne. The 38-year-old is looking for his eighth Wimbledon title and admitted that he was nervous before the match. He had never played de Minaur on grass and despite levelling the match, Djokovic's frustration grew in the third set as the 26-year-old from Sydney held firm until there was real scoreboard jeopardy. Djokovic rejected the idea that he was physically struggling, but at times he applied ice to his stomach. His stretchy nan presence on the court was subdued and there was just no snap to the movement. 'Djokovic looks like his age now for a change,' said 1987 champion Pat Cash on BBC radio. 'He has been running around huffing and puffing and not been able to force the play. We usually see Novak pounding some big shots on his opponents, but he has been running everywhere.' There was always that sense of inevitability that de Minaur would struggle to fully push through. He lost serve at 4-4 twice in a row in the second and third sets. That can only be the Djokovic effect although it wasn't as if last year's runner-up was playing out of this world. De Minaur even went 4-1 up in the fourth and had a break point to make it 5-1 . He never won another game. Suddenly, there was no motor on any of his shots, no sense of security or belief to bedevil the best on Centre Court. Truth be told, the last five games were a procession as the Serb 'locked in' to his target with that impenetrable steel-plated resolve The timeline to Djokovic's competitiveness is infinity and beyond. He has no need to waste precious time fighting for Masters events when the true mission is all about the showpiece events, including an ambitious shot at defending his Olympic gold in Los Angeles. The oldest man in the men's singles can still reach the business end of the majors, as proven by the Australian Open endeavors where he fought injury to beat Alcaraz before pulling up lame against Alexander Zverev. Serbia's Novak Djokovic touches his stomach during a break as he plays against Australia's Alex De ... More Minaur during their men's singles fourth round tennis match on the eighth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) Djokovic's competitive instincts are so strong that muscle memory and major-winning mentality rise above temporary physical issues. When asked on court if there was anything brewing, the shutdown to the BBC's Rishi Persad was polite and to the point. Novak Djokovic had a kind word for one man in the crowd when he wished he could 'serve and volley' like Roger Federer, who was watching on from the Royal Box. It's the running between points that is the killer for those legs now. The drop shots come a little earlier. The marathon rallies are not so much fun. As for 36 being the new 26, that last number would do very nicely in the major column. It's still on.
