celtic If they want to sign Issa Doumbia from Venezia, they may need to move quickly, with Portuguese competition close behind.

calciomercato.it Doumbia is set to leave the Italian club this summer, the report says. At present, his future seems likely to be in Portugal only.

Portuguese efforts

They explain that after a remarkable season that saw him play a key role in Venezia’s promotion from Serie B, several major European clubs are now eyeing the 23-year-old.

In particular, two of Portugal’s top three clubs, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Benfica, want him. According to CM.it, Sporting has stepped up its efforts to secure a deal in recent days.

However, the deal is not yet complete, as Rui Costa and his colleagues at Benfica have also made ‘important progress’. There is a real Lisbon derby going on for the midfielder’s signature. New and important developments are expected at some points throughout this week.

This should probably be a warning sign for Celtic. The Scottish giants have been credited with interest over the months.

celtic need to move

Sport Witness also covered a report detailing how their interest is justified. Doumbia is undoubtedly a star on the rise and the growing interest in him is testament to that.

The fact that the Portuguese pair are both also Champions League clubs is further testament to this fact. Both are now pushing for a deal, also indicating they want to get in on it before competition gets too fierce.

Celtic may be busy focusing on their title challenge, which is certain to go all the way, but this may also be something they need to focus on. Failure to move quickly now could see them miss out on potential summer signings.

Sporting Clube de Portugal and Benfica are certainly working to make sure they win the race behind the scenes.

nottingham forest It appears that Nobel Mendy is in a better position to act quickly, with the latest report from Portugal suggesting that the rivals are still in no position to make a move.

Interest in the 21-year-old centre-back first emerged in Spain, Where we covered Forest, Benfica and Atalanta reports Everyone was eager and ready to submit strong proposals. It outlined a competitive race on paper.

However, coverage from the Portuguese newspaper record Important context has now been added – specifically around Benfica’s situation. And that’s good news for Nottingham Forest.

Benfica is not ready to act yet

According to records, Benfica has been monitoring Nobel Mendy for some time. Despite this, no proposal has come yet. And the reason is structural rather than financial.

Benfica’s next move in the centre-back market depends on the future of Nicolas Otamendi and Antonio Silva. Both could leave this summer, and only once the situation is resolved will the club decide whether to pursue Mendy.

This effectively stops their interest.

This is an important detail that was not clear in the initial reporting from Spain. While Benfica are firmly in the race, they are in no position to accelerate it at the moment.

Are the forests ready to be moved first?

Of course, this creates an obvious contrast with Nottingham Forest. The Premier League side were already reported to be ready to submit a high offer to Spain, and unlike Benfica, there is no internal situation slowing them down at present.

It doesn’t appear that Forrest is waiting for an exit or a contract resolution before stepping into this position. Practically, this could allow him to first link up with Rayo Vallecano, who are expected to make Mendy’s deal permanent with Real Betis for €2.4m (£2.1m).

If Forest want to act quickly, they could enter into talks before other interested clubs are fully ready to enter the race.

what happens next

Spanish reports suggested a three-way conflict. The Portuguese press now presents a more nuanced picture.

Forest’s willingness to move forward with a concrete offer could give them an early advantage. Meanwhile, Benfica is waiting for internal decisions, which is likely to cause a delay.

Meanwhile, Nobel Mendy has done a lot to continue attracting attention. He has featured regularly for Rayo Vallecano this season and recently earned his first senior cap for Senegal in March.

Nevertheless, their role is not completely fixed. He was recently left on the bench in the 1–0 win against Strasbourg in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals. After all he is still developing.

So if timing proves decisive, Nottingham Forest may have a clearer path forward than when interest initially surfaced.

It is absolutely true that Sunny Mehta’s first choice was always the New Jersey Devils. However, there was no guarantee in his mind that he was the Devils’ first choice before firing Tom Fitzgerald.

In the link, how HBSE ambushed MLSE for Mehta. Also, details of Mehta’s introductory conference.

Elsewhere, a standout rookie is looking for more in Buffalo, Detroit, and Captain Macklin?

Devil’s Trade Rumors and News

New Jersey Hockey Now: Devils ownership made several mistakes in hiring Sunny Mehta. Certainly, Mehta wanted the devils and the devils wanted Mehta. But there is more to it. Here’s how HBSE ambushed Toronto to capture Mehta.

📺 devil’s rink report: Mehta met the media for the first time for his introductory press conference and expressed his support to the organization, media and fans alike. He didn’t reveal too much, but there was a lot to chew on. In the latest episode of Devil’s Rink Report, we gave the full details.

Full episode here 👇🏼

Please like and subscribe our Youtube channel And turn on those notifications when we go live every Friday!

For podcast listeners, we have officially launched on multiple platforms. Listen to Devil’s Rink Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

Too! Devil’s Rink Report is now on TikTok – follow us here.

sign up for new jersey hockey now Newsletter for daily Devils intel straight to your inbox.

NHL Trade Talk, News and National Hockey Now

Buffalo hockey now: The Buffalo Sabers took Game 3 from the Boston Bruins on their own field. Here’s how Noah Ostlund’s NHL playoff debut stole the show with a 3-1 win.

Forever Blueshirts: Here’s how Alexis Lafreniere is making one of the guys covering the New York Rangers a believer.

Athletic ($): The Habs have been a fun story to watch this season, but the Tampa Bay Lightning may not be able to catch up to them in the series. That’s why the bolts are behind.

Pittsburgh hockey now: If the Pittsburgh Penguins have a chance to overcome a 3-0 deficit in their first-round series, here are three things they need to do.

Boston hockey now: Just like the Sabers got Ostlund, Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm is looking for more continuity from his kid line.

San Jose Hockey Now: Ryan Reaves wants to see Macklin Celebrini wear the ‘C’ for the San Jose Sharks.

Colorado hockey now: Despite leading the series 3-0 over the Los Angeles Kings, is the Colorado Avalanche power play an issue?

Philly hockey now: That’s why Will James says there should be some confidence in Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuelsson.

Detroit hockey now: The Detroit Red Wings ultimately did not make the playoffs and are now the longest-serving team to miss the league. They need more from their top players. That’s why they want Lucas Raymond to shoot more.

Montreal hockey now: On their way to taking the lead over the Lightning, here’s how Len Hutson called the game for the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 on Friday night.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

chelsea And wolves Both are moving into the youth market with similar intentions, even if their short-term realities look very different.

Chelsea have continued to build aggressively for the future under the Bleuco structure. The club has made a habit of identifying players early and placing them in their multi-club system.

Wolves, on the other hand, are preparing for life in the Championship after confirming relegation. That change is expected to trigger a comprehensive squad reset. Young, high-growth players could become a key part of that rebuild, especially if they come with low initial costs and long development timelines.

As part of the shared focus on youth, a new name has started circulating.

Teenage striker is now on the radar

Zebedee Kennedy has emerged as a player both clubs are keeping an eye on. The 16-year-old currently belongs to Mjällby AIF, where he signed a contract running until 2028 earlier this year.

The forward has not yet made his senior debut. However, his impact at the international youth level has drawn attention. He has scored four goals in 12 appearances for the Sweden U16 team, which has helped raise his profile.

In recent times, reports linking them to a move started emerging. Those claims have now been strengthened further by the Portuguese newspaper to ballWhich confirms that both Chelsea and Wolves are among the clubs following the situation.

Juventus and Benfica have also been mentioned in the running.

Different plans, same opportunity

Zebedee Kennedy would represent a long-term project for any club.

In Chelsea’s case, the path seems relatively clear. The expectation will be that the player will be signed and then developed within the BluCo network.

A loan to Strasbourg, or another partner club, would fit the pattern seen with a number of recent arrivals.

For wolves, the situation is more linked to their immediate reset. Demotion changes the profile of the team, and the club is expected to bring in players who can develop with a new cycle.

A signing like Kennedy could be part of that process, even if the young Swede has even less of an impact.

what happens next

Zebedee Kennedy is still in the early stages of his career. He does not have any senior players yet, and his current club has him under contract until 2028.

This means any moves will likely depend on how quickly interest turns into concrete moves. For now, both Chelsea and Wolves appear to be in the monitoring phase, but the fact that several European clubs are circling suggests this could develop further in the coming months.

For two clubs going in different directions, this is one area where their strategies still overlap.

Sunny Mehta is living his dream as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils.

He himself had said this in his opening statement.

“First and foremost, I really want to thank David Blitzer, all of Devils ownership, Josh Harris and Bob Myers, Tad Brown for hiring me not only today, but 12 years ago,” Mehta began. “I can definitely tell you that my career wouldn’t be the same without these people. And it’s a thrill. To be honest, it’s a dream to be back here.”

The local boy has come home – where he previously worked as Director of Analytics – but now in a very different role.

However, he has returned before. When the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup — in both 2024 and 2025 — Mehta brought Lord Stanley back to his days in New Jersey with the trophy.

For Mehta, it’s always been New Jersey.

It was here that he fell in love with hockey. It was here that he fell in love with devils. And that is why he is in this position today.

There was not a single revelation in Mehta’s initial press conference. This is the 48-year-old officers’ second day on the job. He revealed that he has had at least one conversation with everyone in the organization, including the coaching staff and every player on the roster.

What it revealed was that their optimism stemmed from some of the parts the Devils already had.

“I’m extremely optimistic about this team,” Mehta said. “We have a lot of talented players, and I really believe that these talented players are going to reach a turning point and get over that hurdle. It’s my job to make sure this roster continues to be filled with the amount of talent needed to be a championship team, and I intend to do that.”

And while that’s all well and good, it’s the results that will speak the loudest.

So, what was the biggest takeaway from his introductory press conference?

Everything is under evaluation

Mehta decapitated the snake at the beginning of his introductory press conference. He explained to everyone and everything working under him is for evaluation.

It starts with Sheldon Keefe – who was present at Mehta’s introductory press conference – and extends to Nico Hischier, Simon Nemec and Arseny Gritsyuk.

This also extends to his personal cabinet, assistant coaching staff and scouting department.

“As far as the short term is concerned, moving forward, there is going to be a period of evaluation for all the players, coaches and staff,” Mehta said. “No decisions are made on anything related to him. As for David.” [Blitzer] As indicated, this is literally day two for me.”

So, there is no answer today as to who will be the head coach when the puck drops in September. And no, we don’t know the level of urgency to lock down some key pending free agents.

However, we will soon find out.

Worth noting is that when he was asked who he wanted to be like as GM, Mehta said, “I want to be like Sunny Mehta.”

In a copycat league, that’s definitely the right mindset to have going into this position.

expense for cap

The story is that the Devils owners are cheap and don’t spend where necessary.

Uh, have you seen the net worth of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Enterprises?

With Devils co-owner David Blitzer in attendance, he answered the question everyone, including Mehta, wanted to hear.

In fact, Mehta sat on his chair as soon as he heard the answer. There is no bond on the new Devils GM. He is free to spend as he sees fit.

“It’s fair to say that we intend to spend up to the limit,” Blitzer explained.

We’ll see how it looks in the offseason. However, this is not the strongest crop of free agents. This does not mean that Mehta cannot work for top talents in the trade market. It is interesting to note that there is no restriction on this.

However, Mehta’s gutted reaction to Blitzer’s answer was obvious. It’s clear he’s excited to scout the Devils roster and put his fingerprints on it.

familiar territory

Yes, Mehta grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey, after moving to the Garden State at the age of four. Sure, he played high school hockey in Ramapo, New Jersey.

However, that’s not why Mehta is in familiar territory as the Devils’ new GM.

Mehta arrived in the Florida Panthers organization in 2020 as vice president of hockey strategy and an analyst. The Panthers were still in turmoil. They finished the season with a 35–26–8 record, and lost in the qualifying round of the playoffs during the second half of the COVID cutoff season.

However, since that time Mehta has helped the Panthers become two-time Stanley Cup champions. Still, not without some changes. Mehta is looking to do the same thing for the Devils.

“I see a lot of similarities [in New Jersey’s roster] Because when I got to Florida, they were going through some tough times recently,” Mehta said. “But they had some very talented players. There are some things we need to keep and some things we need to change.”

After consecutive first and second round exits, Mehta played a hand in sending key players Jonathan Huberdeau and McKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk in a blockbuster deal.

That’s when the culture of Florida changed.

The Panthers then made their second appearance in the Finals, but ultimately lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. And then, they became consecutive Stanley Cup champions in 2024 and 2025.

“I think the biggest thing is that I was already involved in that decision-making process, I was fortunate that I got a chance to work under my last boss, Bill Zito. Our backgrounds were a little different, in the sense that he went into law, I went into finance. But, he’s also a guy who grew up in hockey like me, and he’s also a guy who never played professionally. But I think that’s Bill’s biggest strength, and the fact that he’s a group of guys in Florida. Our biggest strength was the idea of having a diverse group of different people with hockey backgrounds and different perspectives. Bill did a phenomenal job of gathering those different perspectives and coming to a decision, and that’s what I intend to do here.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

liverpoolThe 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening didn’t just affect the scoreboard. In France, the post-match verdict was predictably brutal.

Several Liverpool players were given very low ratings by L’EquipeEven got a star slammed with 2/10.

Here’s how the French press analyzed a night not to forget for Arne Slott’s side.

Low ratings for many Liverpool stars

In first place is goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is given a score of 5/10. Even though much of what he did was not unconventional or beautiful, it has been described as ‘effective’.

The newspaper argues that this was certainly an improvement on his sometimes erratic, and sometimes dangerous, delivery with his legs.

Jeremy Frimpong has a worse ranking. He got a score of 3/10 after a ‘complete off day’ in which he made ‘many technical errors’. Defensively, he was not much better, lapses in coverage were frequent but not fatal.

Milos Kerkez also gets a 3/10 score from the newspaper. They describe him as the ‘weak link’ in Liverpool’s defense who was clearly targeted by the Parisians.

Virgil van Dijk is next with a 5/10 rating. When it comes to the defender, L’Equipe say he is ‘far away’ from the world-class defender he once was.

However, they insist their performance was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Four for Szoboszlai

Dominic Szoboszlai is next with 4/10. L’Equipe say he ‘failed to live up to his potential’ as Liverpool’s best player this season.

Although he covered a lot of ground, saw a lot of the ball and performed well in some moments, his offensive impact was ‘non-existent’. They speculate that this is why Arne Slott later moved him to right-back.

Ryan Gravenburch gets a 5/10. He showed ‘a lot of carelessness’ in the first half and repeatedly let the ball go. He ‘transformed’ after the break and instigated several Liverpool attacks, but that revival came too late.

Florian Wirtz and Alexis McAllister are each given 4/10. Despite making a defensive contribution the German was described as ‘grossly inadequate’. Meanwhile, Mac Allister ‘made little impact’ on the game and was ‘found unwanted’ in the build-up to Ousmane Dembele’s opener.

Salah is the best, Isaac is the worst

Meanwhile, Mo Salah gets a 6/10 rating. He didn’t get everything right, but he received ‘undeniable credit’ for his persistent efforts to bring about change.

One such was a wicked cross with his first touch, while there was another through ball for Kerkes which the full-back could not take advantage of.

For Alexander Isaacs it is more painful to read. L’Equipe say he ‘completely disappeared’ from the game after the early start, missing good chances and managing only five touches. It gets 2/10. His replacement, Kodi Gakpo gets a 5/10 despite being ‘ultimately ineffective’.

More pain for Arne Slott

Arne Slott is no exception. He is given a score of 3/10, mainly for his ‘losing gamble’ of starting Isaac in the game.

The failure to use Mo Salah from the start also ‘raises questions’ as his impact on the game was almost immediate as a substitute.

They used Joe Gomez, who came on at half-time and was removed in the 67^th The minutes, too, were ‘not particularly convincing’.

As far as L’Equipe is concerned, the Dutchman did not give the impression that he has put his team in the best possible position to succeed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers got revenge on the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Tuesday as Jaylon Tyson and James Harden combined to lead the way at Rocket Arena.

The Cavaliers improved to 39-24. They lost to the Pistons 122-119 in overtime on Friday.

Tyson scored 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting, including five three-pointers, in another solid performance. He also added three rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Meanwhile, Harden recorded 18 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Tyson was invited to the post-game conference, and he made sure to have one of his biggest supporters with him. jordan tyson sat on the sidelines That’s when he watched his older brother answer questions from the media, as shown in a video posted by Leah Doherty of Cleveland 19 News.

#cavs Jaylon Tyson is a special guest at the post-game press conference, his brother Jordan is here tonight. pic.twitter.com/a1KpoVnQrN

– Leah Doherty (@LeahDohertyTV) 4 March 2026

The younger Tyson, who starred for Arizona State, is hoping to have his name called in next month’s NFL draft. He is one of the top prospects at wide receiver, with many critics tagging him as a mid-first round pick.

However, there are concerns over his injury history, as he has struggled to remain on the field due to problems with his knee, collarbone and hamstring.

Still, that could mirror the journey of the elder Tyson, whom the Cavaliers drafted as the 20th overall pick in 2024. Although he was an unlikely prospect out of California and barely played in his rookie year, he has played a major role this season.

He is averaging 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 27.6 minutes per game. He ranks third in the league in three-point accuracy with 46%, behind only Luke Kennard and his teammate Sam Merrill of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama has a chance to become the NBA’s youngest-ever MVP during his third season. While he feels the success of the San Antonio Spurs is his strongest argument, he knows he must step up his individual performance to differentiate himself.

“I know I’m in the MVP conversation. Of course, that’s one of my goals,” Wembanyama said after Thursday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. “I think the main argument for this is the team’s success. That’s always the first thing. But I also know that I need to push a little harder during the last part of the season to win awards.”

Wembanyama’s two-way play has led San Antonio to the NBA’s third-best record (43–16), just 1.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot. The Spurs are on an NBA-best 11-game winning streak in February.

Victor Wembanyama is making an MVP case as he leads the Spurs’ rise in the NBA standings

Wembyanyama is averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists on .501/.347/.815 shooting splits in 45 appearances. He and Nikola Jokic are the only NBA players to average marks on such efficiency.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama has solidified himself as the NBA’s top point guard while anchoring a San Antonio unit that ranks third in the NBA. The 22-year-old leads the league with 3.8 steals (steals + blocks) per game, which is 0.8 ahead of the next highest player (Scotty Barnes: 3.0). According to CleaningTheGlass, he has posted a -10.6 defensive rating swing (team points allowed per 100 possessions with a player on versus off), the league’s second-highest mark, trailing only Rudy Gobert (-12.7).

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said there was no doubt that Wambanyama had an MVP-level impact.

“He is a great facilitator to help his team win [as anybody],” Johnson said. ”The individual stuff that is identified as the best or most valuable is offense, defense, boards and everything that falls in between. He is at the forefront for [each of] They. And there are other guys in the league who do that, too. I haven’t delved into it, but I definitely think it’s in the conversation. It would be difficult for anyone to make a logical argument as to why he is not in that conversation.”

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Wembanyama currently has the fourth-best MVP odds at +2500, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-250), Nikola Jokic (+400) and Cade Cunningham (+850). The French superstar can only miss three more games to maintain his eligibility for the award.

John Solis’ season at Birmingham City has started so strongly that it is now attracting major attention at home too. In Colombia, the tone has changed from curiosity to full admiration.

AS Colombia ran a feature projecting the 21-year-old as a central figure in Chris Davis’s side. The report said “It took less than 40 days for the 21-year-old Colombian to become the standard-bearer of Birmingham’s midfield”.

This line clearly shows how his influence is being interpreted in his home country.

key to the chris davis system

Inside the piece, there are claims that “Solis has turned downtown Birmingham into a powerhouse”. The Colombian outlet insists that he is “Already considered essential to the balance of the team”.

This highlights that he has played seven matches in less than 40 days, starting in five of them, and was rated above average in four of them.

The statistical case underpins the appreciation. since arriving in EnglandSolís leads Birmingham City’s midfielders in recoveries with 36. He also tops the tackle count with 16. Furthermore, he has the second best duel success rate in his position with 55%.

AS Colombia also noted that he is the club’s third best rated midfielder. Joining in a deal worth €4-5 million. Among the entire team, he is ranked eighth overall. Notably, he sits above Tomoki Iwata in the same role.

Analysis adds another layer: “The Colombian has found the consistency he was lacking at Verona, and Chris Davies’ style of play suits him well, making him a regular in a defensive midfield role.”

In other words, it is being framed not as a brief burst of form, but as having structural significance within the system.

Promotional talks and international time

With ten matches remaining, Birmingham City are two points off the play-off places. Wrexham are currently in sixth place with 51 points. According to the report, “With him, Birmingham are excited about the prospect of promotion”.

That phrase is telling. His presence is being directly linked to confidence around the club’s trajectory.

Additionally, a strong performance in England will naturally draw attention from observers of the Colombia national team. With the World Cup around the corner, Solis’ form at the Championship is coming at the right time.

If he maintains this level, the conversation could soon move beyond Birmingham City play-off hopes. However, for now, the Colombian press is already clear that Solís has already become a point of reference of the midfield and a symbol of renewed ambition.