All posts by n8rngtd.top

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan looks set to leave the club at the end of the season as a free agent, with no new contract talks scheduled with the Serie A side. Juventus are closely monitoring the situation and are interested in bringing the Frenchman to Turin, while several Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, are also considering a move for the highly-rated keeper.

• Maignan to leave Milan at the end of the season

  With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Maignan can begin negotiating with other clubs as early as January, raising the possibility of leaving Milan on a free transfer. Milan had reportedly offered an extension until 2028, increasing his salary from €2.8 million to €5.5m per year, but he has not been convinced to sign on the dotted line with reporting that no further talks are scheduled between the goalkeeper and club. Juventus have emerged as serious contenders for his signature, hoping to capitalise on the uncertainty and secure one of Europe’s top goalkeepers without a transfer fee.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Juventus facing competition from Chelsea

  Premier League clubs have also shown strong interest in Maignan, who has been a key player at Milan since he joined from Lille in 2021, with Chelsea emerging as the most serious contender. The London club are actively searching for a long-term replacement for Robert Sanchez and view Maignan as an ideal fit. Chelsea attempted to sign him in June but failed to reach an agreement with Milan. In fact, they were close to finalising a deal this summer before Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri intervened to block the transfer, partly influenced by the club’s ongoing efforts to sign Strasbourg right-back Guela Doue.

  Chelsea’s chances may now improve, especially as Juventus’ renewed interest in the 30-year-old comes at a difficult moment for the Italian side. UEFA has opened fresh proceedings into alleged financial irregularities between 2022 and 2025, raising the risk of further sanctions. This could weaken Juventus’ ability to compete financially for a top signing.

  With Maignan able to begin talks in January and Milan hesitant over his renewal due to concerns about his long-term fitness, the transfer race is increasingly favouring Premier League bidders – particularly Chelsea, who remain determined to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

• Maignan's impact at Milan

  The France international made an immediate impact at San Siro after replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma, helping the Rossoneri to the Scudetto in the 2021-22 season while recording the most clean sheets in Serie A. His shot-stopping, leadership and calm presence quickly made him one of the league’s standout goalkeepers. However, the following two seasons were disrupted by injuries that affected his consistency and availability, leading to concerns within the club about his long-term reliability. Despite those setbacks, Maignan has returned strongly in the current campaign. He has kept four clean sheets in the league and delivered decisive moments in big matches, including saving penalties from Paulo Dybala and Hakan Calhanoglu in crucial wins over Roma and Inter, respectively. His resurgence has re-established him as a key figure for Milan while also attracting interest from major European clubs.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Can Milan extend Maignan's contract?

  Milan have reignited their Serie A title hopes under Allegri, highlighted by Sunday’s derby win over Inter thanks to a goal from Christian Pulisic. With no European commitments this season, Milan are serious title contenders, and the allure of silverware could be used to persuade Maignan to extend his contract. Juventus remain interested, viewing Maignan’s European experience as a valuable asset to rotate with Michele De Gregorio. Meanwhile, Chelsea are expected to reopen talks with his entourage, recalling their previous agreement with the goalkeeper. Enzo Maresca could push for the move, seeing Maignan as a potential final piece to strengthen Chelsea’s title ambitions. Maignan’s decision will be pivotal for Milan, with clubs across Europe keen to secure one of the continent’s top goalkeepers.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s may have been slightly distracted while trying to make a play Sunday night.

During the top of the third inning of the New York Yankees' matchup with the Boston Red Sox, Chisholm was being interviewed live on the field by ESPN's crew. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a grounder in Chisholm's direction at third base, which he snared, then spun and threw the ball to first. That's where things went awry.

Chisholm's throw was wide of first base by a mile and he yelled "Dammit!" as it flew past first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Video is below.

Rafaela was credited with an infield single and advanced to second on Chisholm's throwing error.

Some will immediately decry the fact that a live interview was going on during the game and say that kind of thing should stop. But, honestly, the in-game interviews are one of the best additions to baseball broadcasts in years. It was actually really cool seeing the guy talking to the broadcasters attempting to make a play, as well as his genuine reaction when he messed up.

Here's hoping we see more of this stuff.

Tottenham Hotspur’s efforts in the Champions League against PSG last night were a vast improvement from the North London Derby, but it still wasn’t enough to claim all three points.

Luis Enrique’s men secured a 5-3 triumph at the Parc des Princes, but the night could have been a lot better for Thomas Frank’s side at one stage.

The Dane’s side twice took the lead against the reigning Champions League winners, with Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison putting the Lilywhites ahead before and after the break.

However, numerous moments of madness from numerous players subsequently cost the side all three points, with Frank’s side now winless in their last three outings.

During such fixtures, the first team have shipped a total of 11 goals, many of which have been down to failures of one player – as demonstrated in Paris once again yesterday.

Cristian Romero’s dismal display against PSG yesterday

After Frank’s arrival as manager over the summer, he made an immediate impact by naming numerous first-team members as part of his Spurs leadership group.

Centre-back Cristian Romero was named as part of the group, with the Argentine wearing the armband in every one of his starts for the Lilywhites this campaign.

That was no different on Wednesday night, but the 27-year-old did nothing short of lead the side to a positive result, with his various errors costing the side against PSG.

His questionable pass into the feet of Pape Sarr saw the Senegalese star robbed of possession, which led to Fabian Ruiz firing the hosts into the lead for the first time.

Romero also charged down Vitinha on the edge of his 18-yard box, but his sliding effort saw him block the Portuguese international’s strike – which resulted in a penalty and all but killed off the game.

His underlying stats also showcase his lack of positive impact at the Parc des Princes, with the defender losing 50% of the duels he entered – subsequently being dominated by the opposition’s frontline.

The Spurs star who was as bad as Romero against PSG

After the manner of the Derby Day defeat on Sunday, it was clear that manager Frank needed to make various changes to try and avenge such a disappointing result.

As a result, the Dane made five changes to his starting eleven, which also saw a switch from a five-back to a more familiar four-back system – one which Romero was at the heart of.

The likes of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were handed rare starts at the heart of the side, with the duo often linking up with intricate play in large spells of the first half.

With both players aged under 20, there’s no denying that they will have huge parts to play in the immediate and long-term future for the Lilywhites in their quest for success.

However, there will certainly be question marks over a few of the other starters, with Pape Sarr one player who was unable to take full advantage of his recall to the squad.

The 23-year-old was named as a substitute against Arsenal, but was given the chance to stake his claim for a starting role again last night – but he may look back on the game as a missed opportunity.

Sarr certainly wasn’t solely to blame for the host’s third goal, but his lack of awareness after Romero’s pass saw him lose possession in the build-up to Luiz’s emphatic finish.

He also could have done more to prevent Willian Pacho’s strike, with the Senegalese international unable to get ahead of the defender to clear the loose ball in the penalty area.

The youngster’s underlying stats were just as poor, with the midfielder only able to win 50% of the tackles he entered, whilst also being dribbled past twice.

Sarr’s lack of positive impact was highlighted in his tally of possession lost, as he gave the ball back to the opposition on seven separate occasions – often presenting a careless figure in possession.

There’s little denying he put in a shift when out of possession, but he did so to little avail, ultimately leading to journalist Alasdair Gold handing him a 5/10 match rating upon the final whistle.

After such a showing, it’s evident that Bergvall and Gray are both ahead of him in the pecking order, with Sarr needing a huge reaction in the upcoming matches to dislodge the pair.

As for Romero, it was yet another evening to forget, but given his role as captain, he must pick himself and the rest of the team up ahead of Saturday’s clash with Fulham.

New Kane & Son: Paratici plotting to sign two mega-money forwards for Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be making huge strides in completeing a deal for a new deadly partnership.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 26, 2025

Chelsea star Estevao Willian has put himself in esteemed company after bagging a sensational goal in the 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona on Tuesday night. The Brazilian wonderkid shared the stage with his Spanish counterpart, Lamine Yamal, and came out on top in a match that was completely dominated by the hosts in another Stamford Bridge classic.

• Estevao has his moment

  Chelsea barely had to break a sweat to dismantle the Spanish champions under the lights in west London. After an own goal from Jules Kounde gave the Blues the breakthrough they needed, up stepped the 18-year-old, and he did not disappoint. After receiving a beautiful pass from Reece James, Estevao twisted inside and out, breaking into the Barca box and firing an effort into the roof of the net from a tight angle, leaving Joan Garcia helpless in goal. The moment saw the forward make his own entry in the history books, becoming the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, behind Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. 

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Winger has 'no words' for Barca display

  Unsurprisingly, Estevao was the first man flagged down at full-time of Chelsea's win, and he described his goal, and the win, as one of the highlights of his career so far.

  He said: "I don't really have any words to sum up how I'm feeling right now. It really was the perfect night. I'm just grateful to God for everything that has happened for me. Onwards and upwards from here. It all happened very quickly for me, it sort of happened before I knew it. I just found some space, wiggled my way through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more."

• Maresca justified for Burnley snub

  To the delight of Chelsea fans, Estevao was named in the starting line-up against Barcelona, but just a few days earlier, the Blues' head coach was facing questions from the media over why the wonderkid did not feature in the Premier League win over Burnley. At the time, Maresca admitted that if the player was disappointed, he would not be playing in Tuesday night's game, but Estevao clearly proved himself in training and then went one step further on the pitch. 

  While Maresca was keen to praise the winger, he took the opportunity to congratulate his entire team. He said:"It was a huge night for him [Estevao], but I think it is also a huge night for the whole club and all the fans. It is a very nice for everyone. It is a good win. To be honest, it was no more than that. We knew how important this game was, but they are all important games. When you beat Barcelona, it is always nice so we are happy today.

  "Barcelona are a team that feel comfortable when they have the ball. If they don't have the ball, they don't feel comfortable so we tried to keep the ball. Even 11v11, my feeling was very good because the team was playing well. The defensive part is always important because you need balance. Fortunately, in the last month, we have started finishing games with clean sheets in the Premier League. It's something you need to do if you want to achieve important things."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Arsenal test just got bigger

  Estevao will be riding the highs of his moment against a European giant, but Maresca will insist he gets his head down ahead of a crucial clash with Arsenal on Sunday. A win will take Chelsea to within three points of the Premier League leaders, whereas defeat will leave the Blues nine points off the summit. The Chelsea faithful will be hoping for another moment of magic at Stamford Bridge from their Brazilian magician after what feels like a coming-of-age moment against Barcelona.

  Wayne Rooney – who was on punditry duties for the game – believes the Blues are capable of pushing their London rivals. He said: "Maresca has managed the team really well. They are probably missing their best player (Cole Palmer) and we forgot about him tonight because the performance was that good. They are doing something right, they are looking a threat and the more confidence they get, the more they will win. They can push Arsenal."

Aaron Judge is so good at baseball that sometimes outfielders don't even have to move after he makes contact.

That's what happened in the top of the eighth inning of the New York Yankees' game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, when Judge stepped up to the plate as the leadoff hitter in a tie game.

Mariners pitcher Carlos Vargas left a hanging slider in the zone and Judge demolished the ball to left center field for a towering, 444-foot home run. The 117.7 MPH blast was the hardest hit ball at T-Mobile Park in the Statcast era.

There was so little doubt that the ball was a home run that Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena didn't even move a muscle in the outfield.

Arozarena simply watched the ball fly.

Judge's dinger not only gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead, but it also broke a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll and the Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead in home runs (15).

Eddie Howe didn’t name a weakened Newcastle United side against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in the Champions League, despite the Tyne-Wear Derby looming large.

Indeed, the 48-year-old went full strength, as he picked the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon, even as his team’s tense showdown with Sunderland comes onto the overloaded fixture list on Sunday.

Going all out with his team selection didn’t mean a convincing win was forthcoming, though, as Newcastle’s frailties away from St James’ Park reared their ugly head once more in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.

Unfortunately, many of Howe’s top performers throughout the season struggled in Leverkusen, as an 88th-minute equaliser from Alejandro Grimaldo proved to be a sickening end to a night that was meant to boost the Toon’s confidence, before travelling to the Black Cats.

Newcastle's worst performers vs Leverkusen

It was a well-worked move that saw the Spanish defender slot home past Aaron Ramsdale, but the lax marking of the full-back will have angered Howe at the full-time whistle, as Tonali looked nowhere near his energetic best once more.

The Italian just casually jogged about the pitch when the move was being orchestrated, with the ex-AC Milan man also falling victim to a sluggish display on the ball when giving up possession eight times.

As journalist Luke Edwards put it at the close of the 2-2 draw, he’s meant to “bring control” to contests late on, but looked haphazard on the flip side.

Moreover, Howe could now be second-guessing whether Malick Thiaw should start what will surely be a heated contest at the Stadium of Light, with the clumsy German fortunate not to receive a red card when bringing down Patrick Schick early into the first half, just before he could fire a shot at Ramsdale’s net.

Thankfully, the 24-year-old evaded the referee’s wrath, with the hope that he can get back to his rock-solid best on Wearside, having further come up short uncharacteristically on three of his eight duels away from St James’ Park.

Guimaraes was also left red-faced during the clash when he unfortunately put an own-goal past an unsuspecting Ramsdale, but he did more than enough at BayArena to keep his first-team spot, as seen in him notching up a hefty five key passes, as per Sofascore.

The same, however, can’t be said for one of his declining teammates…

The Newcastle star who must now be axed

Hailed as an “unbelievably frustrating” night from a Toon persuasion by Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith, it will be intriguing to see what changes Howe makes to his starting XI now for the demanding Tyne-Wear face-off to come.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Joelinton dropping out feels like an obvious alteration, as the underperforming number seven limped off with a clear injury issue on the hour mark.

To make matters worse for the waning Brazilian, his replacement, Lewis Miley, scored within 14 minutes of his introduction into the lively game, leading one content creator to state that the young Englishman has now “claimed his starting space.”

Even if the lethargic South American didn’t have his injury issue to contend with, he would likely be fearful of the axe when looking at his poor numbers from the Leverkusen score draw in more detail, as the 29-year-old, who used to be known for his verve and determination centrally, ended up only winning two of his nine duels on the night.

On top of that, he also very much fell victim to fading in and out of the match, having come off at the hour mark with only 33 touches accumulated, unlike his midfield partners in Guimaraes and Tonali, who amassed a weighty 121 touches between them.

Even Ramsdale in between the sticks would tally up more touches, ending the 2-2 affair with a slightly higher 39.

Having lost his spark in the Premier League this season, too, with zero goals or assists next to his name from 13 league outings, it does feel like a straightforward swap to bring in Miley for some freshness against Sunderland, as the homegrown prodigy licks his lips at the prospect of facing the Toon’s fiercest rivals.

Dropping Joelinton is unlikely to be the only tweak at the Stadium of Light, as Howe does everything in his power to pick the strongest XI that hands his team the bragging rights on Sunday.

As bad as Tonali: £75k-p/w star had his worst game in a Newcastle shirt

This Newcastle star struggled in their 2-2 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen

By
Joe Nuttall

4 days ago

If you're in the process of building a dynasty in EA Sports FC 26, you will need to invest in young talent – GOAL has you covered.

If you're kicking off a new save in EA Sports FC 26 Career Mode, you simply need to have an eye on the future and that means signing the best young players available. Whether you are a major club looking to secure the talent of the next Lionel Messi or a smaller team looking to make a profit by serving as a stepping-stone, buying high-potential young players is a key aspect of the game.

Here, GOAL brings you the best young players to sign in every position – from strikers and midfielders to defenders and goalkeepers – to help you get off to a flying start in Career Mode.

KEY:

Essential FC 26 reading

• Guide to EA Sports FC 26 web app & companion app
• The best 50 men's players in EA Sports FC 26
• The best 26 women's players in EA Sports FC 26
• EA Sports FC 26 soundtrack: Full list of songs & artists
• Every team & competition in EA Sports FC 26

Get EA Sports FC 26 at AmazonBuy now!

• Getty Images
  

  Best young strikers & forwards in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CFs & STs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Endrick	Real Madrid	19	ST	77	91
  Francesco Camarda	Lecce	17	ST	65	87
  Mathys Tel	Tottenham	20	ST	77	86
  Eli Junior Kroupi	Bournemouth	19	ST	74	85
  Conrad Harder	RB Leipzig	20	ST	74	85
  Charalampos Kostoulas	Brighton	18	ST	72	85
  Chido Obi	Man Utd	17	ST	65	84
  Christian Kofane	Bayer Leverkusen	19	ST	68	84
  Marc Guiu	Chelsea	19	ST	71	84
  Francesco Pio Esposito	Lombardia	20	ST	72	84
  Jeronimo Domina	Union Santa Fe	19	ST	70	84
  Nelson Weiper	Mainz	20	ST	70	84
  Santiago Castro	Bologna	20	ST	76	84
  Kaye Furo	Club Brugge	18	ST	63	83
  Kaua Elias	Shakhtar Donetsk	19	ST	71	83

  Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Endrick remains the best young striker in EA Sports FC 26, having also been deemed the forward with the most potential in FC 25. His rating at the beginning of the game is 77, but he has an exceptionally high ceiling of 91 – a rating which, if reached, would place him at a similar stature to players such as Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

  AC Milan youngster Francesco Camarda, who is on loan at Lecce in the game, follows Endrick in the potential stakes, with a possible rating of 87, putting him slightly ahead of Tottenham's Mathys Tel, whose potential is 86. Manchester United fans will be excited to see how Chido Obi develops, with the teen boasting a potential rating of 84 in the game.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Best young midfielders in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CAMs, RWs, LWs, CMs & CDMs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	18	RM	89	95
  Desire Doue	PSG	20	RW	85	91
  Joao Neves	PSG	20	CM	85	90
  Estevao	Chelsea	18	RM	78	89
  Jorthy Mokio	Ajax	17	CDM	70	89
  Kenan Yildiz	Juventus	20	CAM	79	89
  Arda Guler	Real Madrid	20	RM	81	89
  Rodrigo Mora	Porto	18	CAM	76	89
  Rio Ngumoha	Liverpool	17	LM	68	88
  Franco Mastantuono	Real Madrid	18	CAM	77	88
  Geovany Quenda	Sporting	18	RM	76	88
  Antonio Nusa	RB Leipzig	20	LM	76	88
  Pablo Garcia	Real Betis	19	RM	68	87
  Assane Diao Diaoune	Como	20	LM	76	87
  Lucas Bergvall	Tottenham	19	CM	77	87
  Ethan Nwaneri	Arsenal	18	RW	76	87
  Warren Zaire-Emery	PSG	19	CM	80	87
  Arthur Vermeeren	Marseille	20	CM	77	87
  Julien Duranville	Borussia Dortmund	19	RM	72	87
  Kees Smit	AZ	19	CAM	72	87
  Lennart Karl	Bayern Munich	17	CAM	63	86
  Ayyoub Bouaddi	LOSC Lille	17	CM	75	86
  Konstantinos Karetsas	Genk	17	CAM	70	86
  Maher Carizzo	Velez	19	RM	72	86
  Joao Costa	Al Ettifaq	20	RM	71	86

  It will come as little surprise to learn that Lamine Yamal is the best young midfielder in EA Sports FC 26 and, given that he is just 18, he will likely be so for the next few years. The Barcelona wonderkid is already one of the best players in the game and boasts a potential rating of 95, which means he is capable of emulating talents such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

  Paris Saint-Germain duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves follow Yamal, with potential ratings of 91 and 90 respectively, while the likes of Chelsea's Estevao (PR: 89) and Ajax defensive midfielder Jorthy Mokio (PR: 89) will be sought-after talents, especially if you are in control of a bigger club. Liverpool's exciting winger Rio Ngumoha leads an array of 17-year-old talents in our list, with the Anfield sensation possessing a potential rating of 88.

  Other intriguing talents within that 17-year-old cohort, include Bayern Munich youth Lennart Karl (PRL 86), Lille central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (PR: 86) and Genk's Greek CAM Konstantinos Karetsas (PR: 86).

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Best young defenders in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CBs, LBs & RBs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Dean Huijsen	Real Madrid	20	CB	82	89
  Jorrel Hato	Chelsea	19	LB	78	89
  Pau Cubarsi	Barcelona	18	CB	82	88
  Givairo Read	Feyenoord	19	RB	75	88
  Finn Jeltsch	Stuttgart	19	CB	72	87
  Myles Lewis-Skelly	Arsenal	18	LB	78	87
  Luka Vuskovic	Hamburg	18	CB	72	87
  El Chadaille Bitshiabu	RB Leipzig	20	CB	75	87
  Pietro Comuzzo	Fiorentina	20	CB	74	86
  Leny Yoro	Man Utd	19	CB	78	86
  Joaquin Seys	Club Brugge	20	RB	73	86
  Joane Gadou	RB Salzburg	18	CB	66	85
  Yarek	PSV	20	CB	73	85
  Pau Navarro	Villarreal	20	CB	70	85
  Jan-Carlo Simic	Al-Ittihad	20	CB	70	85
  Diego Leon	Man Utd	18	LB	64	85
  Martim Fernandes	Porto	19	RB	75	85
  Josh Acheampong	Chelsea	19	RB	70	85
  Tobias Palacio	Argentinos Juniors	18	CB	69	85
  Ayden Heaven	Man Utd	18	CB	69	84

  The two best young centre-backs in EA Sports FC 26 both play for Spain, but on either side of the Clásico divide. Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen (PR: 89) and Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi (PR: 88), look set to form the defensive foundation for La Roja for years to come. German youth Finn Jeltsch and Croatian centre-half Jusko Vuskovic aren't far behind, with each boasting a potential rating of 87.

  Chelsea's Jorrel Hato is the best young left-back in the game, while the best young right-back is Givairo Read, who plays for Feyenoord. Manchester United should be well set for the future, with Leny Yoro, Diego Leon and Ayden Heaven all among the brightest young defensive talents in the game.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Best young goalkeepers in EA Sports FC 25: Wonderkid GKs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Guillaume Restes	Toulouse	20	GK	78	86
  Matthieu Epolo	Standard Liege	20	GK	73	85
  Dennis Seimen	Paderborn	19	GK	66	84
  Mike Penders	Strasbourg	20	GK	73	84
  Lucca Brughmans	Genk	17	GK	59	82
  Tiago Pereira Cardoso	Borussia Monchengladbach	19	GK	67	82
  Robin Risser	Lens	20	GK	72	82
  Ewen Jaouen	Reims	19	GK	68	82
  Mathys Niflore	Dunkerque	18	GK	63	81
  Joeri Heerkens	Ajax	19	GK	64	80

  While he is getting to the older end of the wonderkid grouping, Guillaume Restes continues to be the best young goalkeeper in the game. However, the Toulouse shot-stoppers's potential has dropped from 88 to 86 in EA Sports FC 26. Matthieu Epolo has a similar ceiling (PR: 85), while German goalkeeper Dennis Seimen is still among the best young net-minders around.

  France appears to be a fertile ground for goalkeeper talent, with the likes of Robin Risser, Ewen Jaouen and Mathys Niflore all plying their trade in the country.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are parting ways with longtime third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, having reportedly agreed to trade him to the Cincinnati Reds, per a report from ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan.

Hayes, 28, is in his sixth MLB season, having played his entire career with the Pirates. He's emerged as one of the best defensive players in all of baseball and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2023. His hitting leaves plenty to be desired, however. In 2025, Hayes is logging a career-low .569 OPS with two home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Per Passan, heading to the Pirates as part of the trade will be shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, as well as veteran left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers. Stafura, 20, is ranked as the No. 9 prospect in Cincinnati's farm system by MLB Pipeline and is currently playing at Single A.

Rogers, who could potentially be dealt again by tomorrow afternoon, owns a 2.45 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 33 innings in relief this season.

The Yankees suffered another tough loss Wednesday night, falling to the Minnesota Twins, 4–1, in what was their eighth lost in their last 12 games.

Arguably the most questionable move made by manager Aaron Boone in the loss was turning the ball over to Yerry De Los Santos in the sixth inning of a tie game. De Los Santos isn't one of the better relievers in New York's bullpen, yet Boone elected to bring him out in an important spot, and he paid the price.

De Los Santos didn't record an out, surrendering three runs before exiting the game, and the Yankees went on to lose.

On Thursday, Yankees announcer Michael Kay delivered a fiery rant about Boone's decision to go with De Los Santos, ripping into the manager for failing to adapt to the game situation and sticking too closely to a pre-determined plan.

"I don't know why they went to De Los Santos. Aaron explained it after the game, 'Well we felt it was a proper lane for him'–Stop! Who's your best pitcher? Who's the better pitcher that you can bring in? Every single pitcher in the bullpen was available last night? Who's your best? Who's your best to pitch the sixth inning?" ranted Kay on his ESPN radio show.

"People have to wake up. The season is slipping away. It's slipping away. You're tied in the loss column with the Cleveland Guardians. You're tied. And the Texas Rangers… they're breathing down you're neck," he said, before delivering a comical impression of Boone.

It's a fair assessment of the Yankees' recent woes. The team has effectively been in a prolonged slump since May, and Boone has failed to get the team out of it.

Shohei Ohtani recored his 1,000th career MLB hit on Wednesday. No. 1,000 came on a 1-1 count in the bottom of the 3rd inning when he hit a massive two-run home run to give his team a 2-1 lead. Ohtani did his usual celebrations as he rounded the bases for the 39th time this season, but when he got to the dugout something changed.

As you can see in the image featured above, Ohtani clearly snapped. Or sneezed. Or stepped on a LEGO. Or maybe he could see into the future and knew that he'd be pulled after four innings with the lead and the defense would give up the game-tying run on a very bad defensive play with two outs in the 8th.

In addition to that home run, Ohtani also struck out a season-high eight St. Louis Cardinals on the mound. He's now struck out 33 batters and given up just six earned runs in 23 innings this season. Not bad for the guy who has the third most home runs in baseball.