Derby County are thought to be in talks to sign Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith, according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

What’s the latest Derby transfer news?

The Rams and Paul Warne have been busy in the transfer market ahead of the manager’s first full season in charge at Pride Park, which begins this afternoon at home to Wigan Athletic.

In total, seven new players have arrived at the club in Curtis Nelson, Callum Elder, Joe Ward, Sonny Bradley, Josh Vickers, Conor Washington and Kane Wilson.

More could be on the way, though, with the domestic deadline not set to close until September 1. Another new forward appears to be on the agenda for Derby and Warne, with Smith, who has scored two goals against the Rams during his career, a target.

Senior Sky Sports reporter Dorsett took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share news on Derby’s search for a striker. He said that the Rams are in talks over a move for Smith and are also interested in free agent and former forward Martyn Waghorn.

“#dcfc and #blackpoolfc both interested in a deal for free agent Martyn Waghorn, who left #ccfc in May. Derby also in talks with #swfc over Michael Smith, and unlikely to sign two strikers, so Blackpool hopeful they can steal a march with Waghorn.”

Dorsett then added a further update on the pair, with Smith appearing to be the key target.

“Slight tweak: #dcfc MAY sign two strikers, but #Blackpoolfc hoping to sneak a deal with Waghorn while the Rams focus is primarily on Smith.”

Who is Michael Smith?

Smith is an out-and-out centre-forward who has plied his trade from a number of Football League clubs over the years. The 31-year-old came through the ranks at Darlington and has gone on to play for Charlton Athletic, Accrington Stanley, Newport County, Colchester United, AFC Wimbledon, Swindon Town, Barnsley, Portsmouth, Northampton Town, Bury, Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday.

In total, the striker has made 70 appearances in League Two, 257 in League One and 89 in the Championship. Smith has scored 113 goals in the Football League and has registered 38 assists.

Smith was hailed as a “game-changer” by former Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore following his performance in an FA Cup win over Mansfield Town last season, who said:

“Michael Smith is a game-changer today. The quality showed at the end of it, and that’s what Michael is. He was in the right place at the right time and that’s what quality strikers do.”

He appears to be a proven third-tier forward who has netted 34 times in the division over the past two seasons, helping Rotherham and Wednesday to promotion.

Therefore, Smith seems to be a smart target for Warne, and who knows, he could look to make it three in a row with Derby, should a transfer go through.

Derby currently have Washington and James Collins as their centre-forward options, so Smith would provide a proven and experienced third option, making this a deal to watch over the coming days.

Jurgen Klopp joked that young full-back Conor Bradley would likely "fall asleep in the dressing room" after his team's 2-1 win against Fulham.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Bradley impressed in Liverpool win
• Full-back is only 20 years old
• Klopp delighted with his progress

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 20-year-old put in an impressive display as the Reds came from behind to win the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield. The German manager was delighted with the right-back's performance and praised his character.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT KLOPP SAID

  "He will probably fall asleep in the dressing room," Klopp told . "Wonderful, what a boy, what a character. Exceptional. What a boy. Wonderful character, a real talent, top potential. He is in the right team, everyone loves him and respects him and wants him to succeed."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bradley made his senior debut for the Merseyside club last season and was kept out of action for the beginning of the current campaign through injury. Since his return to the fold in November, though, he has featured five times, including in the recent FA Cup win against Arsenal.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CONOR BRADLEY?

  Despite making nine first-team appearances for Liverpool, Bradley is still waiting on the first Premier League game of his career. He will have to wait a while before he can get a run out in the top flight, though, with Liverpool next in action on January 21 when they take on Bournemouth.

Jake Ball is giving himself “a great chance to play” in the first Ashes Test, according to England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace.Ball looked as if he had slipped out of contention after he sustained a sprained ankle while bowling in the first innings of England’s warm-up match in Adelaide last week. He subsequently left the ground on crutches and was seen wearing a ‘moon boot’ in the last couple of days.Now Farbrace has revealed that the “aggressive” manner in which England’s medical team treated Ball’s injury – which was diagnosed as strained ligaments in his right ankle – might have made it appear worse than it actually is and that he retains realistic hopes of playing in the first Test at the Gabba that starts next Thursday.To that end, he appeared as a substitute fielder in Townsville on Friday and, between further stints as a substitute, will bowl 15 overs in the nets on Saturday in an attempt to prove his fitness.”We wanted Ball to get some time in the field,” Farbrace said. “If he’s going to be available to play next week, he has to spend some time on the field. So we told the umpires Alastair Cook has an upset stomach – and he does have a slightly upset stomach – so Ball can get on the field.”He bowled in the nets today and he will bowl 15 overs in the nets tomorrow. He therefore gives himself a great chance to play next week. He is absolutely, definitely in the mix for the first Test.”England were clearly impressed by Ball in the opening days of the tour. He was, James Anderson apart, the most impressive of the bowlers in Perth where he generated decent pace – Jonny Bairstow, the keeper, said he was the quickest of the England bowlers – and hit a perfect length. It does appear that, if he can prove his fitness, he may be England’s first choice option for the fourth seamer spot.James Anderson also bowled in the nets on Friday and is expected to bowl 15 overs in the nets on Saturday. “We’ve no doubts about him,” Farbrace said.Ball’s re-emergence as an option would appear to spell bad news for Craig Overton. Overton has bowled increasingly well on the tour so far, mixing decent control with a sharp bouncer. England experimented with him bowling round the wicket with a leg gully, short leg and two men out for the hook towards the close on Friday evening and, although it proved an expensive spell, he generated sharp pace from a docile surface.He has had something of a nightmare with the bat, though, thereby losing one of his potential advantages over Ball. Overton was dismissed first ball on Friday, meaning he has been out for a duck in each of his three innings on this tour.”It was a pretty awful dismissal,” Farbrace said. “It was a short ball he should have hit over the trees. But he’s turned it into short leg’s box. Not ideal. You can’t say he’s out of form as he’s only faced 13 balls in three innings.”But he’s here for his bowling – which has been outstanding – and any runs he contributes is a bonus.”Farbrace was not especially impressed by England’s cricket on Friday. While Dawid Malan completed his first century in an England shirt and the side passed 500, Farbrace was disappointed by a series of “soft” dismissals that saw them lost five wickets for 38 runs at one stage.”It was a bit of a mixed day,” he said. “We’ve had two really good days but today we’ve slipped a fraction from the standards we would have expected. We got ourselves in a good position in the game but in terms of going into next week we have not quite been as good as we could have been.”There were one or two soft dismissals. The lads have worked hard – they’re not machines; they make mistakes – so perhaps it’s a good timely reminder that we have to be on our game all the time. It’s quite a good reminder with the Test starting next week that we’ve got to be fully focused every day and every session.”

Despite Australia having claimed the Ashes, both the hosts and England will have something to play for, especially in light of the World T20 in the Caribbean next year

Adam Collins in Canberra18-Nov-2017One benefit of the multi-format Women’s Ashes system is that it takes quite a lot for a rubber to be truly dead. So now, despite the series, at large, having been determined on Friday with the trophy in Australia’s safe-keeping for another two years, both sides still have something to play for. The remainder of the series assumes greater currency for them when casting their gaze forward to the World T20 – their next major global assignment, this time next year, in the Caribbean.Elated as Australia captain Rachael Haynes was after the home side retained the trophy, there was no suggestion of tinkering with her XI for the final two contests between the teams, in Canberra on Sunday and Tuesday. “We want to win the series,” she said of the T20I leg. “So we will pick the best team as we have done throughout.”That sentiment was shared by seamer Megan Schutt, who popped her head up to speak the day after the night before, where a few drinks and an enthusiastic singalong were enjoyed after the home side easily accounted for England in the opening T20. “We want to win the series 12-4,” she said. “We haven’t won a T20 series in a little while and that is something we are quite aware of.”Both acknowledged the strip that they will be presented with at the Manuka Oval will be hard work for bowlers. Comparisons to the barren Federal Highway that leads into town are supported by the volume of runs scored at the ground in recent summers.The Australians arrive in the nation’s capital satisfied with what they have achieved after a tough year. “It really hit us then that we have regained the Ashes on home soil,” Schutt said. “For me, it has been a little bit emotional. Just the way this team sticks together is something really brilliant. We really do have a special group.”For Haynes’ part, she said it was made all the better after the “bitter disappointment” of having been bundled out of the World Cup in July in the semi-final. “That was obviously a hard loss,” Schutt added. “We did some clear planning coming into this and it has paid off. We have plans and are accountable for what we said we are going to do.”The South Australian has bowled exceptionally across the four white-ball fixtures to date, capturing 14 wickets at an outstanding average of 9.71. Her returns of 4 for 22 on Friday earned Schutt her third four-wicket haul in the limited-overs contests. By contrast, in the World Cup, she took 10 wickets at close to 31 and conceded 4.79 runs an over, the most profligate non-spinner on the list of those with double-digit victim counts.”It is swinging again,” Schutt, the right-arm opening bowler said simply of her return to top form. “I don’t really know why that is, so I am just really happy it is going that way at the moment.”England were shattered that they had not been able to bounce from their World Cup win to also capture a rare Ashes triumph away from home. It was visible that they were exhausted, a risk that coach Mark Robinson spoke of before boarding the plane following on from their most taxing home summer since turning full professional in 2014.”It was quite a hard ask,” he said after the North Sydney Oval loss. “We came here at the request of Cricket Australia because they wanted to do this one-off, standalone series. It didn’t really suit us.” This raises a secondary question about scheduling, but that is a debate for another day as the England camp doesn’t want to take any gloss over the hosts’ victory.England captain Heather Knight said her team had learned the hard way what a difficult place Australia can be as a touring side under pressure. “We came out here to try and get [the Women’s Ashes] back and we haven’t done that and it hurts,” she said.But she was also quick to offer praise to her team for fighting back after a top-order collapse in Sydney. She was particularly praiseful of Danielle Wyatt, who made her maiden international half-century on Friday in what was her first innings of the tour and saved the tourists from embarrassment. “I couldn’t be more proud of how the girls have fought and stood up to that toughness and tried to throw a few punches back.”

Lionel Messi didn't show "respect" for Paris Saint-Germain after his departure, according to club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Messi left PSG last summerCritical of club since departureAl-Khelaifi suggests disrespect from Miami starWHAT HAPPENED?

The World Cup-winning Argentine parted ways with the Ligue 1 club last summer, calling time on a spell which saw him record an impressive 67 goal contributions in 75 matches. Despite a stellar individual effort, PSG again flattered to deceive on the continental stage, and Messi has since come out with some less-than-positive words about his life in the French capital.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT AL-KHELAIFI SAID

Club president Al-Khelaifi has now responded to such criticism, telling on Tuesday: "We talk when we are there, not when we are gone. I have great respect for him [Messi] but if someone wants to talk badly about Paris Saint-Germain after [his departure], it’s not good. That's not respect […] He's not a bad guy, but I don't like that. It's not just for him, but for everyone."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi secured a blockbuster move to MLS side Inter Miami after his time in Paris came to a close, and made an immediate impact stateside. The 36-year-old helped the Herons win the 2023 Leagues Cup – the first trophy in their history. Fast forward six months and Messi's former strike partner Kylian Mbappe could also be leaving the Parc des Princes, although Al-Khelaifi revealed the pair had an unspecified "gentlemen's agreement".

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

The Argentina captain is enjoying some well-earned rest as MLS breaks for the offseason. He faces a meeting with eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in a friendly in Riyadh on February 1.

West Ham are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing in the transfer window.

David Moyes, fresh from a Conference League triumph and preparing for a third consecutive year of European football, needs to act swiftly and add some much-needed quality to the squad.

A phenomenal way to kickstart this would be the acquisition of Hakan Calhanoglu.

Is Hakan Calhanoglu signing for West Ham?

According to Spazio Inter, West Ham are seriously targeting the Inter Milan technician this summer.

The Nerazzurri have endured a damaging summer – the club has already lost Andre Onana, Samir Handanovic, and Marcelo Brozovic, while Romelu Lukaku could be on his way to Juventus.

Therefore, Calhanoglu is thought to be at the centre of Simone Inzaghi’s project, and it would take an outlandish offer for consideration of his sale.

Nevertheless, the Hammers are looking to strengthen their midfield options after the talismanic Declan Rice departed for Arsenal.

The report details that an offer of around €50 (£43m) would force Inter into a decision.

How good is Hakan Calhanoglu?

Last season, the Turk, described as “exceptional” by Stefan Pioli, made 49 appearances across all competitions, including nine starts on Inter’s journey to the Champions League final.

During this period, he has been an integral cog within Inter’s efficient set up, averaging the second-highest rating (7.07) in Serie A.

The former AC Milan orchestrator is a player that excels in defensive and offensive areas. He averaged the third-most tackles last campaign (1.5) in the squad but was the midfielder with the best total.

Most impressively, the 78-cap international recorded the joint-most domestic assists (6) alongside Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, and Lukaku, but what separates him from the rest is his supreme creativity that wasn’t rewarded.

Calhanoglu registered 64 chance creations last year at a rate of 1.94 per 90, as Barella in second managed just 49, to emphasize how the 5 foot 10 sensation is the chief inventor within the side, whilst also protecting the backline.

Interestingly, as per OPTA’s player comparison tool, Calhanoglu’s style of play has been likened to Joshua Kimmich, with a similarity score of 76.5%.

This model reveals that these players rank within the highest 14% among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who have played at least 1350 minutes for possession won, the best 18% for touches, and the top 4% for chances created.

The duality of both players to be able to operate in a deep-lying playmaker role, whilst also regularly retrieving possession has moulded them into formidable assets.

Throughout his career, Kimmich has always been known to be a defensive midfielder, renowned for his tough-tackling and technical ability. Meanwhile, Calhanoglu’s positional history has taken a far more unconventional pathway.

Between 2014-2017, the £183k-per-week man was at Bayer Leverkusen, playing 59 of his 115 games for the Germans as either an attacking midfielder or second striker. Since signing for Inter, he has appeared almost exclusively in the 'Kimmich role' as a central or defensive midfield, fielded in a more offensive role just twice.

But to his, and his manager’s credit, it has worked wonders. Calhanoglu’s seamless transition to a deeper role demonstrates his intelligence and adaptability. Moreover, his similar ranking to Kimmich indicates that he is one of Europe’s most accomplished within this framework.

Calhanoglu’s profile speaks for itself and a signing of this calibre would dramatically help arrest West Ham from their summer slumber.

Chelsea are attempting to complete a major midfield overhaul before their opening game of the season against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Blues have been relentlessly chasing Moises Caicedo all summer, and it is understood that talks have progressed well this week.

Last night, the 2021 Champions League winners submitted a £48m bid for Romeo Lavia and will await to see how Southampton proceed.

However, a storyline that has massively swooped under the radar is their interest is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

What’s the latest on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea?

According to the Guardian, Chelsea have been linked with the 24-year-old gem, but Leicester City do not want to sell the midfielder.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

Reputable journalist Simon Phillips provided an update on the situation, stating that contact with his agent has occurred. The player is reportedly ‘happy’ to stay at the King Power Stadium and help them get back to the Premier League, but if the west Londoners accelerate their attempts to sign the midfielder, he’s ‘likely to want the move.’

Phillips also revealed that ‘at least’ eight top-flight sides are keenly tracking Dewsbury-Hall, including Liverpool, who similarly Chelsea, are prioritising midfield reinforcements.

Would Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall be a good signing for Chelsea?

Since making his Premier League debut in August 2021, the £20k-per-week livewire has established himself as one of Leicester’s most consistent and effervescent assets.

During this time, he has become renowned for his intoxicating energy, industrious work-rate and intricate dribbling. Over the past 365 days, compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the tenacious engine ranks within the top 12% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, as well as the best 1% for blocks per 90.

Ahead of Leicester’s unenviable task of targeting promotion, Dewsbury-Hall has already emphatically demonstrated that he is a key performer for Enzo Maresca. In the first game against Coventry, the 5 foot 10 dynamo netted twice in a 2-1 comeback victory with a towering header and a ferocious strike that nestled in the top corner.

He also completed three key passes, five accurate long balls, two tackles, and won 80% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

This performance generated huge praise from opposition manager Mark Robins, who said Dewsbury-Hall could be “one of the best players at this level” this season.

When assessing his style of play, Brendan Rodgers summarised it by saying:

“He is very honest to the game. He has great industry. He runs, works and presses, and he has quality. As a No 8, his job is to create goals and score goals. He’s made a real impact with his honesty and quality.”

As a hybrid between a box-to-box midfielder and an advanced eight, Mauricio Pochettino could develop Dewsbury-Hall in the same manner that Christian Eriksen gloriously flourished under the Argentine coach.

In 255 appearances under Pochettino in North London, the Dane was scintillating, recording 134 goal involvements.

Eriksen’s role was particularly important, acting as the link between the ruthless attacking triumvirate of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Son Heung-min, and the formidable defensive pivot of Moussa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.

In the Argentine's current Chelsea set-up, Dewsbury-Hall, who has been described as “top-class” by Rodgers, could be afforded a similar role, whilst providing more defensive stability.

The next step of Dewsbury-Hall’s career is to pinpoint some elusive output, which could be unlocked in an exciting new era for the Blues.

Vidarbha wrapped up Delhi’s innings earlier than expected on the morning, and fifties from seniors Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer kept them in the hunt for a lead

The Report by Vishal Dikshit in Indore30-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rajneesh Gurbani is mobbed by his team-mates•Rajneesh GurbaniWhen it looked like Delhi would ease past 300 early on the second day, Rajneesh Gurbani stalled them with a hat-trick. When it looked like the Vidarbha openers would stretch their partnership past 100, both fell within the space of four overs. And when it looked like Vidarbha would place themselves in a strong position for a lead after crossing 200 and only three down, they lost one more in the final moments of the second day to expose a weak middle order, making the match restore some parity yet again.Vidarbha had dominated much of the day, finishing off Delhi’s last four wickets for only five runs to wrap them up for 295. Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer struck solid half-centuries to help them finish the day on 206 for 4. Jaffer was on 61 at stumps and would be their biggest hope to take a lead and avoid a collapse.Resuming on their overnight 271 for 6, Dhruv Shorey was looking set with a patient Vikas Mishra, amid edges that weren’t turning into wickets. Gurbani then targeted the stumps. On the last two deliveries of his seventh straight over of the day, he produced two incutters against Mishra and Navdeep Saini. Both deliveries nipped in so sharply from outside off that neither could get the bat down in time and were bowled. Gurbani completed the hat-trick in his next over with the most important wicket of the innings, bringing another one to knock over Shorey’s off stump.Hat-trick hero Gurbani on…

Taking a hat-trick in the Ranji final: “It is a fast bowler’s dream to take a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in the finals, so obviously it is a special feeling. To be frank, I was not aware I was on a hat-trick. I was not thinking about taking it, but I was bowling every delivery with the intent of taking a wicket.”

How he realised he was on a hat-trick: “I had got two wickets off the fifth and sixth deliveries of my over. When I came on to bowl my next over, someone in the crowd shouted “hat-trick ball”. That is when I realised to be frank. So I planned to bowl on the stumps as much as possible.”

Bowling after cramps on the first day: “I had prepared myself that I should remain on the field and bowl the first over today. I was not fit yesterday. I knew that if I would bowl well, the team would win so since the time I could not bowl yesterday [because of cramps] I was waiting to bowl today.”

If he prefers the new or old ball: “I prefer the new ball. But the SG Test starts swinging more after it gets a bit old so I become more [dangerous]. Otherwise I get wickets with the new ball too.”

Four deliveries after he became only the second bowler to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji final – after Tamil Nadu’s Kalyanasundram against Bombay in 1972-73 – he wrapped up Delhi when Kulwant Khejroliya charged and lost two of his stumps. Four bowled in seven deliveries and Gurbani finished with 6 for 59, his fifth five-for in four straight matches.Vidarbha’s openers put on a solid 96 runs after blunting the new ball in the first session. Saini was Delhi’s best bowler of the day by consistently putting his 140kph deliveries in the right areas, posing threats in all three sessions. He did it against Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy but he hardly got support from the other end in the absence of Ishant Sharma and Vikas Tokas, who was replaced by Akash Sudan.Barring the occasional edge or appeal, Fazal and Sanjay looked untroubled for the 30 overs they batted together. Fazal was more productive, middling three drives down the ground and steering plenty of short deliveries square. That he scored 29 off 33 against Saini helped Vidarbha in taming the fired-up bowler. Left-arm spinner Mishra’s flat deliveries could not penetrate his defences and Fazal tucked him to long leg for four to complete his first half-century that was not converted into one of his five hundreds this season.Sudan somehow returned in a different avatar in his second spell when the ball was over 25 overs old. He first brought one into Sanjay for an lbw appeal in the 28th over – that the batsman survived – before seaming one in marginally to have Sanjay chop on for 31. Four overs later, he swung one away from Fazal and the left-hander edged behind for 67.Still 188 adrift, Vidarbha had the man in the middle they needed – Jaffer. He steered two partnerships – with Ganesh Satish and Apoorv Wankhade – during which he was as unruffled as ever in his ninth Ranji final. Those two partnerships were not blemish-free on the bowler-friendly pitch. Saini was brought back soon after Fazal’s dismissal and he created two chances against Satish before tea – first an edge fell short of the slips and then the umpire turned down a a loud lbw appeal because it was probably going down leg.Jaffer meanwhile dropped reminders of his calmness. He drove the second ball after tea serenely through the covers. But Saini tasted success in the next over by pinning Satish above the knee roll, which made the batsman unhappy with the decision. Jaffer continued to late cut – his most productive shot – and punch balls off the backfoot to register his 86th first-class half-century. Wankhade also exhibited two elegant cover drives against the pacers, with Vidarbha appearing like they wouldn’t lose further wickets on the day.However, left-arm pacer Khejroliya titled the balance a bit towards Delhi in the third over before stumps when he angled one away and Wankhade poked for an edge on 28. Saini scared Vidarbha before stumps too by making Jaffer edge one that fell short of slip and appealing for a catch down the leg side four balls later, when the ball had gone off the pad.Delhi are 13 overs away from the new ball and Vidarbha 89 runs short with the key in Jaffer’s hands.

Despite a lead of 613 at the end of the fourth day, Bengal don’t necessarily have to declare in a bid for an outright win – they are set to advance to semi-finals by virtue of their first innings-innings lead

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2017
ScorecardPTI

Writtick Chatterjee’s unbeaten double-century and Abhimanyu Easwaran’s second century of the match meant Bengal amassed 483 for 4 by stumps and have all but sealed the game against defending champions Gujarat. By virtue of a strong first-innings advantage, Bengal’s overall lead is now 613. They don’t necessarily have to declare in the bid for an outright win, as they would advance to semi-finals by virtue of their lead in the first innings anyway.Resuming on 177 for 1, Bengal’s overnight batsmen Chatterjee and Easwaran went about collecting personal milestones one after the other. Easwaran brought up his seventh first-class hundred even as Chatterjee completed his second a little while after, off 183 balls. Gujarat, though, broke through in the eleventh over of the morning when seamer Ishwar Chaudhary accepted a return chance offered by Easwaran.That, however, didn’t put an end to Gujarat’s misery as Chatterjee continued pinching runs, only this time in the company of captain Manoj Tiwary (59). Together they added 166 runs for the third wicket following which Chaudhary struck again to send back Tiwary. Chatterjee then added 88 runs for the fourth wicket with Shreevats Goswami (32) before the latter was bowled by Samit Gohel with less than five overs remaining in the day. Chatterjee, playing only his sixth first-class game, had collected his maiden double-hundred about an hour after tea and remained unbeaten on 213 off 357 deliveries, including 23 fours and a six.

Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the rest of the Celtic board have backed Brendan Rodgers throughout the summer transfer window so far.

Who have Celtic signed?

The Hoops have made five new additions to the first-team squad; including Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, Hyun-jun Yang, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, and Maik Nawrocki.

These moves may have been funded by the sale of Portuguese dynamo Jota. He moved to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad in a reported £25m deal last month.

There could be more signings on the way for the Scottish giants, though, after it was confirmed that Carl Starfelt has left the club to join Spanish outfit Celta Vigo on a permanent basis.

It was recently reported that the Bhoys have made an offer within the region of £2.9m for Elfsborg central defender Gustaf Lagerbielke, who could be a replacement for his compatriot.

How good is Gustaf Lagerbielke?

The 23-year-old titan's form in his home country over the last 18 months suggests that he has the potential to be an excellent defender for Rodgers and could be a dream partner for Nawrocki at the back.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is at least two years older than both of them and has been linked with Premier League interest this year, which could make Lagerbielke and Nawrocki the long-term central defensive pairing for the Hoops moving forward.

The £2.9m-rated centre-back, whose passing was hailed as "impressive" by journalist Ryan McGinlay, is a strong enforcer who is able to dominate opposition forwards and produce consistently brilliant performances at the back.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 across 15 Allsvenskan appearances in 2023 and caught the eye with 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 62%.

In 2022, the 6 foot 3 titan averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 over 20 league outings and he made 3.2 tackles and interceptions per match, whilst the talented gem also came out on top in 64% of his individual battles.

Meanwhile, no current Celtic defender managed a score higher than 7.20 or produced more than 2.1 tackles and interceptions per clash in the Scottish Premiership last term.

These statistics suggest that Lagerbielke has the potential to be an outstanding performer at the back for Rodgers if he is able to translate his form from Sweden over to Scotland this season due to his ability to deliver a high standard of performance week-in-week-out.

He could, therefore, be a dream partner for Nawrocki as the Polish battler would have an excellent centre-back to play alongside, after his own impressive debut for the Hoops.

The 22-year-old ace recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.20 in the 4-2 win over Ross County on the opening day of the season last weekend. As per Sofascore, the former Legia Warsaw star won 100% (2/2) of his ground duels and made three tackles and interceptions combined, whilst the towering colossus also completed 93% of his attempted passes – including ten of his 11 long passes.

Nawrocki, who won 61% of his aerial duels in the Polish top-flight last term, was able to hit the ground running with an excellent performance at the back, on and off the ball, and he could form an exceptional partnership with Lagerbielke if they are able to bring the Swedish brute to Parkhead.