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Aston Villa are now very interested in signing a “magnificent” striker, amid a major update on his future ahead of the January transfer window.

Villa eyeing striker as Emery drops Watkins update

Ollie Watkins got off to a slow start to the campaign, scoring just one goal in the Premier League prior to the brace against Brighton, and Unai Emery has now opened up about a potential reason for the dip in form, stating the striker has been struggling injury-wise.

Emery said: ‘He has a small pain in his knee from last year when we started the season in August,’

“Now he is feeling the same pain. He is not feeling 100 per cent and we are trying to manage it with him. We are trying to get to the stage where he is completely without pain – and through this, to feel better again and have the confidence to score.”

The England international may be under pressure to continue performing ahead of January, however, given that the Villans are now lining up a move for a new striker, with it recently being revealed that Emery is a huge fan of Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

There has now been a new update on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Thiago, with a report from Caught Offside revealing they are very interested in signing the centre-forward, who is highly likely to leave Brentford during the upcoming transfer window.

There could be competition for the Brazilian’s signature, however, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also particularly keen to snap him up, after scouting him closely.

A deal may not break the bank either, with the interested clubs looking in to getting a deal done for a fee of around €35m – €40m (£31m – £35m).

Aston Villa now make contact to sign "wonderful" midfielder who would cost £0

The Villans have made an approach to sign a highly sought-after central midfielder.

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 2, 2025

Thiago could be "magnificent" signing for Aston Villa

The 24-year-old continued his fine form as Brentford defeated Burnley 3-1 at the weekend, bagging a brace, and manager Keith Andrews was very impressed with his performance, saying: “[Igor] has been magnificent. He was quiet in the first half. It was down to us too, not giving him enough service, and the opposition was denying him the space and opportunity.”

“But I felt he could impose himself a little more in the game, and he did exactly that in the second half.”

The Brentford star now has 11 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, the second-highest number behind Erling Haaland.

As such, a fee of around £35m could be an absolute steal for Thiago, and Villa should definitely make a January move.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot conceded Ibrahima Konate has been “a bit too much at the crime scene” this season as the defender’s struggles continued in Saturday’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds United. The Reds twice threw away the lead as they dropped more Premier League points at Elland Road, with the France international at fault on two occasions.

• Liverpool were in fine fettle after Ekitike netted quickfire double

  Aiming to get back to winning ways after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with in-form Sunderland, Liverpool took a two-goal lead early in the second half against Leeds when striker Hugo Ekitike netted a quickfire double. 

  Having not scored in the league since bagging in September’s 2-1 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby, the former Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain forward – starting ahead of the benched Alexander Isak – scored two goals in as many minutes.

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  Konate struggles as Reds twice throw away lead against Leeds

  However, while Liverpool looked to be in complete control of proceedings, Konate handed Leeds a route back into the match from the penalty spot after he brought down winger Wilfried Gnonto inside the area. 

  Former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the resulting spot-kick, before Reds centre-back Konate then backed off Leeds midfielder Anton Stach as the German let fly, beating goalkeeper Alisson with a powerful drive from inside the box.

  With Elland Road rocking, Liverpool showed great character to wrestle the momentum back, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring what looked to be the all-important winner for his side following a lung-busting run from midfield.

  But Konate appeared to be at fault again in the dying embers of the game, ducking from the ball as a deep corner found its way to Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka, who scored for the second time this week in the sixth minute of injury time.

• Slot admits Konate has made a number of mistakes in 2025-26

  Speaking in his post-match press conference following a disappointing result, while Liverpool manager Slot defended Konate’s endeavour, he admitted the former RB Leipzig man has often been the key culprit in an incident-packed season for his side.

  “Unfortunately for him [Konate] he does a lot of things well but he has been a bit too much at the crime scene,” said Slot. “Today it was a tackle that came from effort, he tried everything to block the cross.”

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  Reds boss says dressing room in 'disbelief' following Leeds draw

  And speaking to following the final whistle, the Dutchman added: “There's a sense of disbelief. I think we played quite well or very well during large parts of the game and we went 2-0 up. I don't think we had any problems and I don't think we conceded a chance until the moment we made a foul, which is not even a chance.

  “It's then 2-1 and not many moments later they made it 2-2 with the first chance they had. Then we go up [again] and you think you've done enough to win the game, but then a set piece leads to the 3-3.

  “It's not about me. It's about us, it's about the fans. The players have worked so hard and to concede from a set-piece again – the 10th or 11th this season. If you concede so many like this, you cannot be higher up the table than we are.

  “To go away with a 3-3, I don't think that's what we deserved. We conceded without the other team even having a chance. It's so difficult to play a game of football if you don't even concede a chance and it goes in.

  “We can only look at ourselves because we are the ones that are doing it. That's the situation we are in.”

In today's baseball, throwing in the upper 90s is much more commonplace than it was even just a decade ago. Bullpens are stacked with fireballers and starters don't throw nearly as many innings as they used to, so there's no need to hold back on the mound.

Add in better training programs, breakthroughs in surgeries and recovery and new nutrition habits and it's no surprise that pitchers are throwing harder than ever.

That's not to say that there weren't incredibly powerful hurlers throughout the years. Nolan Ryan was clocked at 100 mph but was subject the old standard of radar tracking (at home plate). Many believe that if Ryan was clocked using today's standard (about 10 feet before home plate), his fastest pitches would come in somewhere around 108 mph.

And of course Randy Johnson exploded a bird while on the mound. We're not entirely sure how fast that ball was moving, but Johnson and his Diamondbacks catcher at the time (Rod Barajas) estimated it was around 100 mph.

Bob Feller participated in an early speed test where he threw a baseball against a racing motorcycle going 86 mph. Feller didn't release the ball until the motorcycle was already 10 feet or so ahead of him, but his pitch still crossed the finish line first. Early estimates suggested that ball was going over 100 mph. No wonder they called him 'Rapid Robert.'

Then there's Roger Clemens, who earned the nickname "The Rocket" for his 98 mph heater. Clemens maintained his high velocity well into his late 30s and won seven Cy Young awards.

However, these players were anomalies. Not the norm. Go back to just 2007 and you'll see a stark contrast on the mound. For example, in that 2007 season, the fastest average fastball speed was 97.6 mph (it belonged to Jonathan Broxton).

In 2025, Broxton and his 97.6 mph heater would be tied for 28th in MLB. Eight different pitchers currently average at least 99 mph on their fastballs. Three of them (Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran and Seth Halvorsen) average more than 100 mph.

So let's take a look back at the fastest pitches in MLB history, or perhaps more accurately, the fastest pitches of the statcast era.

The Fastest Pitches Ever Thrown in MLB History

Aroldis Chapman: Bringing the Heat Since 2010

Nicknamed the "Cuban Missile," Chapman made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 31, 2010. Just one month later, on Sept. 24, 2010, he threw the fastest recorded pitch in MLB history: a 105.8 mph fastball.

Since then, he's thrown nothing but gas for the Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox. Chapman is an eight-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner and a Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award winner.

And he doesn't appear to be slowing down (or losing any velocity) with age. Despite now being 37-years-old, Chapman still routinely throws 100+ mph and is currently the Red Sox's closer.

How Pitch Velocity Is Measured

In the 1940s, there were some efforts to clock pitch speed, mainly due to Feller's incredible fastball. His motorcycle-radar test was a pioneering effort at the time, but it doesn't really hold up today.

This is because the ball speed was measured by timing the ball as it hit a barrier 60 feet away, but this severely underreported velocity as the ball will lose anywhere between five and 10% of its speed from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand to when it crosses the plate.

By the 1970s, radar guns were pretty commonplace in baseball. They provided much more consistent readings of speed, but it all depended on where the ball was being tracked. More often than not, it was at home plate, where the pitch was at its slowest.

MLB implemented PITCHf/x in all ballparks by 2008, which used triangulation to track both pitch speed and break. At this point, all pitch speeds were normalized to the 50-foot release point as well, making all of them comparable.

Now, MLB uses Statcast. Statcast uses Doppler radar and Hawk-Eye to track pitches' speed, exit velocity, spin rate and more.

Every pitch is now measured at release, making Chapman's 105.8 mph pitch truly the fastest verified throw in MLB history.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Wrigley Field as the location for the 2027 MLB All-Star Game on Friday. Afterwards, he took a moment to speak with media and addressed reports of a confrontation he had with Bryce Harper in the Philadelphia Phillies locker room last weekend.

On Monday, ESPN reported Harper had cursed out Manfred when the commissioner visited the team's clubhouse and discussed the economics of MLB, with Harper snapping that Manfred should "get the f— out" if he wanted to discuss that in relation to a possible salary cap in the next CBA. The two reportedly shook hands afterwards but Harper refused to take Manfred's calls the following day.

On Friday Manfred was asked about the situation and downplayed it to the best of his ability, stating he doesn't discuss the locker room visits in detail.

"You know, I don't talk about those player meetings," Manfred said, per . "Let me say this: I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views, at the end of the meeting we shook hands, and went our separate ways. Not all that significant."

A busy week for Manfred between this and an extremely active MLB trade deadline.

Mikel Arteta has hailed “magical” Leandro Trossard as a “massive weapon” for Arsenal after he fired his side to the top of the Premier League.

Trossard, on £90,000-a-week, bundled home Bukayo Saka’s 58th minute corner at Fulham in a 1-0 win for the Gunners which ensures they will end the latest round of fixtures at the league summit.

Trossard scored just eight times in the league last term and, following Arsenal’s summer spending spree with eight new players arriving at the Emirates, the Belgium international might have feared for his place in Arteta’s side.

However, the 30-year-old, who found game time hard to come by earlier in the season, has now started all of Arsenal’s last five matches, both in the league, and in Europe.

Arteta hails Trossard as Arsenal's "weapon"

Arsenal’s win at Fulham marked the first of seven fixtures in 21 days for Arteta’s men with a Champions League home clash against Atletico Madrid to come on Tuesday.

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The north London team will be looking to build on a strong opening to their European campaign with successive 2-0 victories against Athletic Bilbao and Olympiacos.

The run of matches is set to test the depth of Arsenal’s new-look squad with captain Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz already absent through injury.

But Arteta continued: “We know the schedule and the load is what it is, and the games now and the context demands a bigger squad.

“All the top teams are in the same boat, and we’re going to have to manage that really well, to look after them, and especially to get the best out of them.”

The Dodgers are World Series champions once again after pulling out a dramatic comeback against the Blue Jays in Game 7 at the Rogers Centre.

Trailing 4–3 heading into the ninth, the script was set for the Dodgers’ entire postseason hopes to come down to Shohei Ohtani, who was set to bat third in the inning. But before Shohei got to the plate, second baseman Miguel Rojas, batting out of the nine-hole, decided he’d rather handle things himself, and smacked a game-tying home run to left.

If you were surprised by this display of power from Rojas, you were not alone. Rojas had just seven dingers through the entire 2025 regular season, and has gone yard just 57 times through 12 seasons in the majors. But in the ninth inning with his team in need of a hero, he stepped up.

Mookie Betts, like Ohtani, is one of the stars on the Dodgers you might have thought would be more likely to turn up as the hero in the ninth. Talking after the game, Betts admitted that even he was stunned by Rojas’s big play.

“No shade to Miggy Rojas, but nobody is really expecting a homer with two outs from Miggy Rojas,” Betts told the Fox postgame desk. “And he did. It was one of those things. We believe in him, but we didn’t know about a homer, right? It’s just fitting. If you’re around a group of guys, you know who the mic guy is. The guy that’s on the mic to get everybody going. He’s our mic guy. For him to come up big, he’s like our glue.”

Baseball is a team sport, and every batter from the top to the bottom of the lineup has a role to play. It turns out that Rojas’s role in the nine-hole was even bigger than expected.

There's already been chatter about Dave Roberts possibly using Shohei Ohtani in the outfield for the Dodgers during the team's playoff run, and now there's a chance the three-time MVP could be used in another role during the postseason, too.

Ohtani is already expected to be in the starting pitcher rotation for Los Angeles in the postseason, but he could also be used as a relief pitcher, Roberts said on Wednesday. The manager noted that adding Ohtani to the bullpen is "something we're all talking about."

"I know that we are going to be talking about it," Roberts said, via ESPN. "I think the one thing you can say, though, is that we use him once every seven days, eight days, nine days … so to think that now it's feasible for a guy that's just coming off what he's done last year, or didn't do last year, to then now put him in a role that's very, very unique, because he's a very methodical, disciplined, routine-driven person. The pen is the complete opposite, right? You potentially could be taking on risk, and we've come this far, certainly with the kid gloves and managing."

It sounds like Ohtani being put in the outfield goes hand-in-hand with him being in the bullpen. Ohtani himself spoke about the possibility on Wednesday.

"I've had conversations with various people, and the idea of me pitching in relief has come up," Ohtani said. "As a player, I want to be prepared to handle whatever role is needed. If I do end up pitching out of the bullpen, I think that could also mean I'd need to play in the outfield afterward, depending on the situation. So I want to be ready for anything, no matter what comes my way."

This wouldn't be a new situation for Ohtani in his career, though. Back in 2021 while on the Angels, Ohtani pitched in relief and then went to the outfield to remain in the game on seven occasions. When Ohtani enters the game as a designated hitter, he loses that role once he's done relief pitching for the game. The Dodgers could then put him in the outfield to remain in the game.

The Dodgers still err on the side of caution of putting Ohtani on the mound, though, since he returned from the second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament back on June 16. In 13 games this season pitching, Ohtani's posted a 3.29 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 15 earned runs. On the other hand, Ohtani hasn't competed in the outfield all season. We'll see what the Dodgers decide to do once October rolls around.

LOS ANGELES — The Blue Jays lost a heartbreaker on Monday, an 18-inning slog that tied for the longest in postseason history in which they used every position player and reliever on their roster. Their heart and soul and one of the best October players of all time, DH George Springer, is out with an oblique injury for an unknown period of time. They arrived at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday to face the greatest player who ever lived, a man so dangerous that they intentionally walked him a postseason record four times the night before—and he was also starting the game on the mound. 

So naturally, they won Game 4, 6–2, to even the World Series at two games apiece. 

“There’s no choice,” said righty Shane Bieber, who warmed up on Monday to pitch the 19th inning and instead held the Dodgers to one run in 5 ⅓ on Tuesday. “What, are you going to feel sorry for yourself? It’s the World Series. We’re down one game. So now we find ourselves even, with a chance to take the lead, and take the lead back to Toronto after tomorrow.”

If indeed this is the David vs. Goliath matchup some have cast it as, it might be worth remembering that David won the battle.

In today’s game, there is no greater giant than Shohei Ohtani, and at first, it seemed that Game 4 would only burnish the legacy he is writing. In Game 3, he reached base a record-smashing nine times—three more than anyone else ever had in a postseason game. When most starting pitchers would be resting and studying the next day’s hitters, Ohtani was collecting two doubles and two home runs, then racking up five walks—four officially intentional, one unofficially intentional. 

In the moments after Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off homer to bring the game to a merciful end, the Dodgers gathered in the clubhouse, almost punch-drunk. Manager Dave Roberts told them he had never been more proud of them and reminded them that it would take the entire roster to win a World Series. He referenced the way Ohtani had insisted that his masterpiece in Game 4 of the NLCS—six scoreless innings, three home runs—had been a team effort. “Enjoy the s— out of it,” Roberts encouraged. As they cheered, he pointed at his wrist. “Hey!” he added. “We got a game later today!” Behind him, the most important person on that roster giggled as he raised his arms skyward and pantomimed his pitching motion. 

Then he got out of there. Immediately after the game, he had told SI’s Tom Verducci, “I need to go to bed.” It was perhaps the only relatable thing Ohtani has ever said. 

He left the ballpark at 12:10 a.m., sipping a sports drink, and he was guzzling another 16 ½ hours later as he warmed up in left field. He worked around a walk and a single in the first. 

Four and a half minutes later, he was standing on first base. Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged after Game 3 that he did not see much point in pitching to Ohtani going forward, and indeed, even to lead off the game, Bieber walked him.

Finally, in the third, Bieber pitched to him—and by staying low and tight to the zone, he got Ohtani to strike out on a foul tip. 

It marked Ohtani’s first out at Dodger Stadium since Oct. 16. In the meantime, he hit three home runs and walked in NLCS Game 4; hit those two homers and two doubles and took those five walks in World Series Game 3; and walked in the first inning of Game 4. He struck out again, this time looking, in the fifth, and grounded out in the seventh. 

Also, why did Kane Williamson open for the Sunrisers Hyderabad?

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Oct-2020Why has it taken Knight Riders so long to play Ferguson?The ability to bowl 90mph yorkers as well as slower, into-the-pitch legcutters, without a discernible change in action. Three wickets in regular time, two in the Super Over. An economy rate of 3.75 in the regular time.Why did the Knight Riders wait so long before unleashing Lockie Ferguson?The reason is fairly simple. You can only play four overseas players in your XI, and when everyone’s fit and available and their actions aren’t under suspicion, it’s hard for the Knight Riders to leave out either Eoin Morgan – who’s now their captain – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine or Pat Cummins.Cummins hasn’t lit up the tournament with the ball, yes, but he provides lower-order hitting ability that the Knight Riders – who often pack their team with bowling options – definitely need. Cummins has even batted at No. 7 on occasion this season, including in the Knight Riders’ previous game against the Mumbai Indians, in which he came in at 61 for 5 and top-scored with an unbeaten 53 off 36.Ferguson doesn’t have a single fifty in either first-class, List A or T20 cricket, so he wouldn’t be a like-for-like replacement in this Knight Riders line-up. And he didn’t have a particularly good IPL in 2019, playing five games, picking up just two wickets and conceding 10.76 runs per over.The issues around Narine’s action have given the Knight Riders an opportunity to pick their other overseas players, and after trying Tom Banton and Chris Green for a game each, they finally gave Ferguson his chance on Sunday.Why didn’t Narine play?With the IPL’s Suspect Bowling Action Committee clearing his action, the Knight Riders did have an option to play Narine, but they chose not to. This was probably because the committee’s decision was only communicated to the team hours before the match. By then, the Knight Riders would probably have already decided on their combination and drawn up plans for the game.Why did Williamson open for the Sunrisers?When the Sunrisers chase began, they threw what seemed a curveball by sending in Kane Williamson, rather than David Warner, to open alongside Jonny Bairstow. It soon emerged that Williamson was carrying an injury that he sustained while fielding, and wasn’t able to run quickly between wickets.With field restrictions in place for the first six overs, the Sunrisers had an opportunity to bat Williamson in a phase that allowed him to look for boundaries constantly without having to worry too much about running between wickets. He did exactly what he was sent out to do, smacking 29 off 19 balls and getting the Sunrisers off to a flier.Why did Russell bat at No. 4?The Knight Riders have played a fairly settled top three through the tournament, but have rotated their three big-name middle-order batsmen – Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell – according to the match situation and match-ups with the opposition’s bowlers.On Sunday, the Knight Riders sent in Russell when they lost their second over, with their score 87 for 2 in the 12th over.With Shubman Gill having struggled to force the pace while scoring 36 off 37, the Knight Riders possibly felt the need to send in their biggest hitter at that point. Russell hadn’t had a great tournament with the bat before this game, only managing one 20-plus score in seven innings, and perhaps his team felt it would help him to have a bit more time than usual to play himself in.And as for match-ups, the Sunrisers didn’t have any outright quick bowlers who could have potentially discomfited Russell with the short ball, and they had already used up three overs from Rashid Khan, their most dangerous wicket-taker.On all these counts, it was a punt worth taking, but it didn’t quite come off, with Russell dismissed early, hitting a powerful shot straight to deep midwicket.Why did Russell bowl the last over despite being injured?Russell has been a key death bowler for the Knight Riders, and they suffered a major blow when he injured his hamstring while swooping to field a ball during the 12th over of the Sunrisers’ chase. He hobbled off the field, and returned at the start of the 17th over but didn’t look particularly comfortable moving around.When the final over began, the Sunrisers needed 18 runs, and the Knight Riders’ other fast bowlers had all finished their quotas. The only options left were Russell and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav. Most teams don’t bowl spinners in this situation, and the pitch in Abu Dhabi, though slow, wasn’t offering much turn, so there was a distinct threat of either Warner or Rashid Khan – both capable six-hitters – taking Yadav apart.The Knight Riders, therefore, went with Russell even though he was clearly not fit to bowl at full pace. He hobbled in and bowled at just about medium pace, and the move seemed to backfire when Warner hit him for three successive fours, but two decent deliveries at the end ensured the match went into a Super Over.

Also, why didn’t the Capitals try to knock the Royal Challengers out?

Alagappan Muthu02-Nov-2020What is the secret to Devdutt Padikkal’s success this IPL?The basics. A tall left-hand batsman with quick feet and outstanding timing, he has made 472 runs in 14 matches so far. No uncapped Indian in his debut season has made more.Padikkal’s success is built on his off-side play. And in case anyone’s forgotten, bowlers still target the top of off stump with the new ball, even in T20 cricket.Anrich Nortje tried to do that and was lofted for a one-bounce four over cover point. The shot brought Virat Kohli up to his feet, his eyes bulging out of his head. It was hit that cleanly.No left-hander has made more runs (236 at a strike rate of 136) through the off side than Padikkal. His weight transfer into the ball, his balance at the crease and his timing are all great assets for him going forward.Why didn’t Capitals try to knock Royal Challengers out?If you make the playoffs, wouldn’t you rather play a team that didn’t have Kohli and AB de Villiers in it?And when all you need to do for that is score 153 in 17.3 overs – that’s a run-rate of 8.7 – it seems a worthwhile pursuit.But remember, the Capitals were coming off four back-to-back losses. A theme of those losses was their batting malfunctioning badly.They couldn’t afford that in this must-win game. They had to ensure their own qualification first. And to do that, they simply had to win the game.That’s why they never really went after the target with the intention of knocking their opposition out of the IPL.Is the outswinger a weakness for Prithvi Shaw?His game is about hitting the ball on the up. When he is in form, he simply times the ball. When he is not, he looks like he’s trying to hit it too hard. And that’s where the problems begin.Since Shaw likes room to hit through the off side, he usually stays leg side of the ball. Since he’s more of a back-foot player, he can also at times be stuck on the crease. And with his bat starting around second or third slip as it comes down, he also has a tendency to get squared up.The outswinger can exploit all of these tendencies, whether it is by getting a nick through to the keeper or by beating the edge and knocking back the off stump as Mohammed Siraj did in the second over of the chase.According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, he has made 21 runs off 20 outswingers this season and lost his wicket to them three times. That translates to an average of 7 and a strike rate of 105.ESPNcricinfo LtdAre there better end-overs options than the wide yorker?On a slow pitch? Possibly.There was an offcutter that Daniel Sams bowled to Padikkal in the 15th over that didn’t just grip in the pitch. It almost refused to go to the other end.Eventually it did, but only so it could give the batsman three different headaches. Extra bounce. Lack of pace. And turn like a Muralitharan offbreak.Padikkal tried to scoop it, but the ball popped out to where short square leg would have been.Given that evidence, Sams should have been concentrating on hitting just back of a length with his slower balls. So long as he didn’t give any room, he would be golden. Instead he went for those wide yorkers in the 18th over and got whacked around by de Villiers and Shivam Dube for 18 runs.