Now worth 4200% more: Everton struck gold on "colossal" Ancelotti signing

Carlo Ancelotti’s time at Everton will always live long in the memory of Toffees fans. The legendary Italian boss was only at Goodison Park for one and a half seasons, but he got his side purring, playing some exceptional football.

In total, Ancelotti took charge of 67 games as Everton boss. He had a positive win rate, too, and was victorious in 31 of those matches, losing 22. His record in Merseyside derbies was excellent, losing once in four clashes, and securing three points at Anfield in his final derby in charge of the club.

Ancelotti also made some important signings during his time as Everton boss.

Ancelotti’s most important Everton signings

There was one signing in particular that Ancelotti made, which turned out to be a very important addition for the Toffees, that of Abdoulaye Doucoure. The Mali international played 34 games under the Italian coach, chipping in with six goals and assists.

It was his contribution after Ancelotti had left the club that was particularly vital for the Toffees. In total, he played 166 games and bagged 21 goals, but the most important strike came on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.

His goal against Bournemouth ensured Everton avoided relegation. A crucial signing made by Ancelotti.

No doubt the biggest name Everton’s former boss signed during his stint at Goodison Park was James Rodriguez. The iconic Colombian attacking midfielder only spent a single season on Merseyside, but certainly left a huge impact.

He played 26 games under Ancelotti for the club, and started the Premier League season on fire. Rodriguez scored and assisted six goals in his first five games, ending the campaign with six goals and nine assists across all competitions. It was certainly a good deal, given he was signed on a free transfer.

Rodriguez was not the only bargain signing that Ancelotti made at Everton. Another player whom the Toffees signed for an excellent price is a key player at the club today.

The Ancelotti bargain in Everton’s first team

Years on from Ancelotti’s spell at Everton, almost all of the players he signed have now left the Toffees.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Rodriguez now plies his trade in Mexico for Leon, and Doucoure left in the summer to join Saudi side NEOM SC.

The only player that Ancelotti signed who still plies his trade at Everton is actually one of the most exciting young talents in England. Centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite joined the club in January 2020, signing from Carlisle United for just £1m.

The centre-back, who was born in Carlisle and represented them at first-team level, only played five times under Ancelotti, initially playing in the Toffees academy. Yet, they have the Italian to thank for bringing the defender to the club, given how good he’s become.

In total, the left-footed defender has played 86 games for the club now, impressing enough to make his England debut at the end of last season. He’s even chipped in with four goals, including a strike against Liverpool.

The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance this season due to injuries.

Yet, his numbers from last term show just how much of a talent he is. For example, he won an average of 4.3 duels and made 6.8 clearances per 90 minutes.

Branthwaite key stats in 24/25 PL season

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Long balls completed

3.1

85

Forward passes

18.6

518

Duels won

4.3

118

Clearances

6.8

188

Ball recoveries

3.4

93

Stats from Squawka

With all that in mind, it might not be a surprise to learn that the “colossal” defender, as Statman Dave called him, has shot up in value. According to Transfermarkt, he is now worth £43.5m, a testament to his quality and future potential.

He has seen an enormous rise in his value of 4200%, which represents excellent business from Everton under Ancelotti, all those years ago. It also means that, if the Toffees are ever to sell Branthwaite, they are surely in line for a huge windfall.

It certainly seems like, for a fee of just £1m, Branthwaite’s signing has been one of the best pieces of business done by Everton in recent years.

Moyes can ditch Barry & Beto to unleash "special" Everton star in new role

Everton may be able to solve their issues in front of goal with this player

By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 10, 2025

Not Keane: Moyes can fix Branthwaite blow by unleashing Everton "revelation"

Everton’s defeat at Manchester City last weekend was a setback many have to endure across a Premier League campaign, being put to the sword by Erling Haaland.

But David Moyes knows his side have made headway since the summer all the same, 12th after eight matches but within a stone’s throw of European contention.

Recruiting the likes of Jack Grealish and Tyler Dibling and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this summer was a concerted effort toward adding difference-makers to the ranks.

But Jarrad Branthwaite might be the most influential of them all, and the hitch in his recovery from injury could be a significant blow for Moyes’ side.

The latest on Branthwaite's fitness

For the second season running, Everton have been without Branthwaite’s powerful service for the opening months. Now, as we near November, the England defender requires surgery on his persistent muscular problems.

The complication from the hamstring issue he has been recovering from is expected to rule him out for a lengthy period, and though an exact timeframe has not been provided, it’s likely we will not see the “absolute monster”, as he has been described in the past by talent scout Jacek Kulig, until 2026.

While the Merseysiders have impressed from a defensive vantage, nine goals conceded, Branthwaite’s inclusion would only elevate Moyes’ project.

Michael Keane, 32, has proved a solid deputy in his countryman’s stead this season, starting each of Everton’s eight Premier League matches.

However, there’s another member of the Toffees squad who Moyes might want to consider dropping into the middle. When this has occurred thus far this term, it could be argued that Everton look a more balanced and smoother outfit.

Everton "revelation" could replace Branthwaite

Everton have improved since Moyes replaced Sean Dyche in the dugout, but the issues picked out at the start of the campaign – the concerns over the quality of the strikers and the lack of depth on the defensive flanks – remain key points of discussion as we inch toward the winter transfer market.

Despite the problems on the flanks, Moyes might want to consider drawing Jake O’Brien into his natural centre-half berth, having utilised the Irishman almost exclusively as a makeshift right-back since arriving at Goodison Park in January.

Jake O'Brien celebrates for Everton

O’Brien, 24, joined Everton from Lyon for £15m in August 2024, but he was left on the periphery for the bulk of Dyche’s half-term in charge last year.

Moyes saw a left-field solution in the towering defender, though, and placed him on the wing of his backline. There he remained for the duration of the campaign.

Now several months into the new campaign, the “revelation”, as he was hailed by journalist Zach Lowy for his performances in France, remains Moyes’ most trusted lieutenant.

#

1.

Jake O’Brien

29

1=

Beto

29

3.

James Garner

28

4.

Jordan Pickford

28

5.

Idrissa Gueye

28

But the time has come for him to return home. Everton might have a paucity of potential at right-back, but a natural option in the role may well prove to iron out tactical wrinkles which are proving to the detriment of Everton’s fluency.

O’Brien, after all, stands at 6 foot 5 and struggles to progress the ball effectively. On top of this, Sofascore record that he has lost 60% of his ground duels in the Premier League this year, which runs counter to his combative and crunching qualities when operating in his natural habitat.

James Garner isn’t a natural right-back, but he is good on the ball and could fill in if need be.

Keane is an industrious defender, but he’s slow and limited on the ball. Everton are all about evolution right now, but if Branthwaite is booked in for an extended stay in the infirmary, shifting O’Brien into his natural position is surely a no-brainer.

Moyes could have a bigger English talent than Grealish in Everton's "beast"

Jack Grealish isn’t the only Everton player vying for a World Cup spot this season…

ByWill Miller Oct 17, 2025

Yankees' Aaron Judge Uncertain Whether Elbow Injury Will Require Offseason Surgery

Yankees star Aaron Judge said he's unsure whether he'll require surgery on his right elbow this offseason while speaking to reporters following New York's season-ending loss to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night.

"We'll do some work on it [the elbow]," Judge said. "We'll do some work on it and get it right."

When asked whether he'll have surgery, Judge replied, "I'm not a doctor, I don't know."

When did Judge suffer the elbow injury?

During the seventh inning of a July 22 win over the Blue Jays, Judge grimaced in pain after throwing the ball into the infield following a running catch. He was in the Yankees lineup as the designated hitter the following day, then experienced discomfort while playing the outfield in a July 25 loss to the Phillies. He underwent tests on the elbow, which revealed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, but Judge on July 26 was placed on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

He returned to the lineup on Aug. 5 as the designated hitter, but didn't resume throwing to bases until Aug. 24. In the midst of Judge's six-week throwing rehab, Yankees manager Aaron Boone raised eyebrows when he said he doubted Judge would get back to "throwing like he normally does at any point this year." Judge himself pushed back against the comments and Boone later walked them back.

How did the injury affect Judge's arm strength?

But upon Judge's return to the outfield on Sept. 5, the Blue Jays tested his throwing arm, and the hulking slugger lacked the velocity on his throws from the outfield that he had prior to sustaining the elbow injury. Judge, who routinely hit 90-plus mph on the radar gun on throws from the outfield, had just two throws exceed 80 mph during his return to the outfield in the regular season, which saw him split time between right field and designated hitter. During the wild-card series, the Red Sox tested Judge's throwing arm in a key situation, leading to a slower throw from the Yankees outfielder, who downplayed the lower velocity number after the game.

And while his throwing arm remained somewhat compromised, he did hit 90.2 mph on the radar gun on one throw during Game 1 of the ALDS.

Fortunately for the Yankees, Judge's bat was not compromised. On the heels of winning his first batting title and compiling his second straight season with 50-plus home runs, Judge authored his best playoff performance to date, slashing .500/.581/.692 with one home run, a pair of doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored in seven games played.

Judge is the odds-on favorite to win his second straight AL MVP award.

Saiba quando Grêmio e Internacional devem voltar a campo

MatériaMais Notícias

A tragédia climática que atinge o Rio Grande do Sul não poupou o futebol. Tanto Grêmio quanto Internacional foram afetados pelas chuvas que tomaram o estado. As equipes viram os seus Centros de Treinamento, assim como seus estádios, ficarem alagados por conta da cheia do rio Guaíba, que afetou boa parte da capital, Porto Alegre. Desde o mês de abril, Grêmio e Inter não entraram mais em campo.

continua após a publicidade

No entanto, a dupla GreNal, já tem data marcada para retornar a campo. Neste domingo (12), a Conmebol divulgou um comunicado confirmando o remanejamento das partidas de Grêmio e Inter válidos pela Copa Libertadores e a Copa Sul-Americana, respectivamente. Confira as informações abaixo:

Libertadores:

Partida n°84:Huachipato (CHI) vs. Grêmio (BRA)
Data:Terça, 04 de junho de 2024
Hora local:20:00h – (00:00h GMT)
Sede:Estadio Huachipato – Talcahuano, CHI

continua após a publicidade

Partida n°99:Grêmio (BRA) vs. Estudiantes La Plata (ARG)
Data:Sábado, 08 de junho de 2024
Hora local:19:00h – (22:00h GMT)
*Sede:A definir

Sul-Americana:

Partida n°70:Real Tomayapo (BOL) vs. Internacional (BRA)
Data:Terça, 04 de junho de 2024
Hora local:20:30h – (00:30h GMT)
Sede:Estadio IV Centenario – Tarija, Bolivia

continua após a publicidade

Partida n°85:Internacional (BRA) vs. Delfin (ECU)
Fecha:Sábado, 08 de junho de 2024
Hora local:21:30h – (00:30h GMT)
*Sede:A definir

Tudo sobre

Copa LibertadoresEnchentesFutebolGrêmiointerInternacionalRecopa Sul-Americana

تقارير توضح موقف ليفربول من مغادرة محمد صلاح مبكرًا بسبب كأس أمم إفريقيا

كشفت تقارير صحفية موقف نادي ليفربول من الموافقة على إطلاق سراح النجم المصري محمد صلاح في وقت مبكر من أجل الانضمام إلى معسكر منتخب مصر، استعدادًا للمشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.

وتستضيف المغرب نهائيات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا في الفترة بين 21 ديسمبر 2025 و18 يناير 2026.

وأعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، قبل أيام، أنه يتعين على الأندية إطلاق سراح لاعبيها المشاركين في كأس أمم إفريقيا، بحلول يوم 15 ديسمبر الحالي.

وذكرت شبكة “teamtalk” الإنجليزية أن مصادر أكدت استعداد ليفربول للسماح لـ محمد صلاح بمغادرة “الأنفيلد” مبكرًا للمشاركة في كأس أمم إفريقيا، حيث كان من المقرر مبدئيًا مغادرته يوم الثلاثاء 15 ديسمبر.

وأوضحت أنه مع ذلك، تُجرى المناقشات حاليًا داخل أروقة ليفربول حول إمكانية استمرار استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة برايتون يوم السبت المقبل، مما يسمح له بالسفر إلى البطولة المُقامة في المغرب.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يستعد لخطوة جريئة بشأن مستقبله مع ليفربول

وقرر المدرب آرني سلوت عدم إدراج محمد صلاح في قائمة ليفربول الخاصة بمباراة إنتر ميلان، اليوم، في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعد تصريحاته النارية التي أدلى بها يوم السبت الماضي بسبب تهميشه في 3 مباريات.

وأشارت إلى أنه على الرغم من ذلك، فإن محمد صلاح أصر على رغبته في التواجد في ملعب “الأنفيلد” يوم السبت المقبل خلال مباراة برايتون، سواء لعب أم لا، كونها المباراة الأخيرة على ملعب ليفربول قبل توجهه إلى المغرب.

وأفادت بأنه يبقى الآن أن نرى ما إذا كان سيظل محمد صلاح في ميرسيسايد أم سيغادر في غضون اليومين المقبلين للحاق بمنتخب مصر.

Red Sox Trade Top Outfield Prospect to Pirates for Pitcher Johan Oviedo

The Red Sox bolstered their starting pitching rotation on Thursday, having agreed to acquire right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo in a trade with the Pirates.

The deal reportedly includes five players in total, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The highlight of the package Boston is sending to Pittsburgh is the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect and top outfield prospect, Jhostynxon Garcia.

Oviedo, 27, made nine starts for the Pirates in 2025. He registered an ERA of 3.57 and had 42 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings. Oviedo missed the entire ‘24 campaign and part of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. His last full season of work came in 2023, when he made 32 starts and had a 4.31 ERA.

In addition to Oviedo, the Red Sox will also receive left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catching prospect, 2025 fifth-round pick Adonys Guzman. The Pirates will also acquire another player alongside Garcia.

Garcia, 22, saw his first taste of MLB action in 2025, when he appeared in five games for the Red Sox. He struck out five times in a total of seven at-bats. Across 114 games in the minor leagues last season, he had a .810 OPS with 21 home runs and 75 RBIs.

Oviedo is now the second starting pitcher the Red Sox acquired this offseason. The team traded for Sonny Gray in late November, and now will add Oviedo to the mix, too.

Statcast Picks Up Mariners Outfielder Getting Drilled By 98 MPH Sinker

If Mariners right fielder Luke Fraley has earned one calling card in his five-year Major League Baseball career, it's his ability to get hit by pitches.

In 2023, 2024 and 2025, Fraley was hit by 18, 20 and 10 pitches. His career total of 55 already ranks 45th among active players, and he's finished top 10 in the category in the American League each of the last three seasons.

On Thursday, however, he took his art form to a new level. With one out in the second inning of Seattle's game against the Angels, Los Angeles pitcher José Soriano struck Raley's kneecap so hard with a 98 mph fastball that Statcast picked up the blow.

Take a look at the data, pointed out here by Josh Kirshenbaum of MLB.com. The ball came off Raley's knee with a 34 mph exit velocity and traveled 57 feet; it even was assigned a 7% hit probability.

Amazingly, Raley not only stayed in the game but came around to score as the Mariners jumped out to a 4–0 lead through two innings.

MLB Umpire Made Embarrassing Mistake After Screwing Up the Count

Being a home plate umpire at the major league level isn't the easiest job in the world and mistakes are often made thanks partly to pitchers throwing really nasty stuff these days and, well, the element of human error.

The latter of that was on display during Wednesday's Diamondacks-Rangers game in Arlington when Derek Thomas messed up something that should be easy for home plate umpires to keep track of—the count.

Arizona's Adrian Del Castillo was up in the fifth inning with two runners on. Thomas then rang him up on a called strike, only to quickly realize that was just the second strike of Del Castillo's at-bat. Thomas quickly corrected himself and let everyone know that it wasn't a strikeout.

The announcers had a good laugh over this:

Del Castillo lined the next pitch to right field for a hit and then Thomas redeemed himself by making an easy call at home plate as Ketel Martel was thrown out trying to score.

Still, you have to think Thomas might hear a thing or two from his umpiring buddies over that glaring mistake on what was strike two.

Allan Border's twin 150s, and other uniques

To celebrate Border’s rare feat, we look at other events that have happened only once in men’s cricket

S Rajesh23-Mar-2020Exactly 40 years ago on this day, Allan Border (yes, that man again), scored 153 in the second innings on the last day of the Lahore Test against Pakistan. It was a fine effort, but nothing extraordinary in itself, given that the match was a fairly high-scoring draw: only three innings were played, and 24 wickets went down in 398 overs, which is roughly a wicket every 100 balls.However, what made this extraordinary was the prequel to his 153: in the first innings, Border had scored an unbeaten 150, making this the first and only instance of a batsman touching 150 in each innings of a Test.ESPNcricinfo LtdIncidentally, Border batted at No. 6 in each innings, and his match aggregate of 303 is the second-highest by a No. 6 batsman in a Test. As it turns out, the player who holds that record also came closest to equalling Border’s feat. Against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2009, Tillakaratne Dilshan, also batting at No. 6 in each innings, scored 162 and 143, falling only seven short of the milestone. Andy Flower scored 142 and 199 not out against South Africa in 2001, while Steven Smith topped 140 in each innings but fell short of 150 both times against England in the 2019 Ashes.

To celebrate Border’s rare achievement, here’s a look at some other events that have happened only once in men’s cricket.Four down for nothingIndia is the only team to have lost their first four wickets without a run on the board, in the second innings against England at Headingley in 1952. Pankaj Roy, Datta Gaekwad, Madhav Mantri and Vijay Manjrekar were the batsmen dismissed as Fred Trueman (three wickets) and Alec Bedser (one) destroyed India’s top order. There is only one other instance of a team losing their top four wickets for fewer than four runs: England against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1999, when they were 2 for 4.600 for 1That’s the other end of the spectrum; only once in Tests has a team reached 600 losing fewer than two wickets – Sri Lanka achieved it in Colombo in 1997. India were at the receiving end again, this time at the hands of Sanath Jayasuriya (340) and Roshan Mahanama (225), who had a partnership of 576 for the second wicket. Sri Lanka lost their second wicket at 615, and eventually declared on 952 for 6, the highest-ever total in Test cricket. The next highest score at the fall of the second wicket in 538, also by Sri Lanka, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2004.Opener unbeaten twice in a TestWest Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite is the only opener in Test history to achieve this feat: against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2015, he carried his bat in the first innings, scoring an unbeaten 142 out of a team total of 337. In the second innings, with West Indies chasing 153 for victory, Brathwaite took them home with an unbeaten 60 after they had slumped to 67 for 5. Not surprisingly, he was named Man of the Match.Centuries on Test and ODI debutWhen Pakistan’s Abid Ali scored an unbeaten 109 against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi last year – the first Test hosted in Pakistan in ten years – he became the first player to score centuries on both Test and ODI debut: earlier in the year he had made 112 against Australia in his first ODI. Apart from the historical significance of the Test, the game itself was almost a washout, with Sri Lanka’s first innings completed only on the fifth day, but it helped Ali achieve a feat never seen before in cricket.One Test, but nothing to show for itThe Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack described him as a ‘neat and elegant’ batsman, and he scored over 10,000 first-class runs, but England’s Jack MacBryan is in the record books for being the only player to have played a Test without coming out to bat, bowl a ball, or take a catch or effect a stumping. MacBryan played only one Test – against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1924 – and that game was affected by bad weather, with less than 70 overs bowled. He never played another Test.Six to start a Test matchTrust Chris Gayle to do the unexpected. Against Bangladesh in Mirpur, he deposited the first of the match – from debutant offspinner Sohag Gazi – over long-on for six. That is the only recorded instance of a six being hit from the first ball of a Test match. For good measure, Gayle hit the fourth ball of that over for six as well, but fell soon after, for a brisk 17-ball 24.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus