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It is always nice to see an academy player make their breakthrough and impress at first-team level, at any club, and that is why Colby Donovan’s recent emergence at Celtic has been enjoyable.

Injuries to Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston left Brendan Rodgers in a difficult position, facing the possibility of playing a player out of position to cover in that position.

Instead of going with a makeshift right-back, the Hoops boss dipped into the academy to provide 19-year-old Donovan with a chance to impress in the first-team in recent weeks.

The Scottish youngster made his first three appearances for the first-team in games against Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, and Red Star Belgrade, starting all three matches, before being an unused substitute against Hibernian last weekend.

Donovan did not look out of place in those senior outings for the Scottish giants, winning five of his six ground duels without being dribbled past a single time against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League, per Sofascore.

The teenage full-back will now be hoping to kick on and establish himself in the senior side, as his fellow full-back Kieran Tierney once did when he first broke through.

Celtic's best Scottish talents since Kieran Tierney

The Scotland international first broke through into the first-team in the 2014/15 campaign, having come up through the academy ranks, and he went on to play 170 matches for the club in all competitions.

Tierney, as shown in the graphic above, enjoyed a terrific first spell with Celtic before his £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, winning five Scottish Premiership titles in the process.

Unfortunately, quality Scottish academy talents have been few and far between since the left-back’s initial emergence in the first-team for Celtic over a decade ago.

Kieran Tierney

£7.8m

Callum McGregor

£4.3m

Mikey Johnston

£2.6m

Jack Hendry

£2.1m

Liam Henderson

£1.7m

As you can see in the table above, Tierney is still the most valuable former academy star to have made at least one start for the club, whilst Callum McGregor, who came through before the defender, is the only other one who is worth more than £3m.

Ben Doak is valued at £14m, per Transfermarkt, but he only played 25 minutes as a substitute for the Hoops before his move to Liverpool, which meant that the Scottish giants did not get to experience much of his talent on the pitch.

To say that Mikey Johnston, a Glasgow-born player who has 17 caps for Ireland, is the most valuable academy graduate since Tierney at just £2.6m is slightly concerning.

Whilst Donovan will be hoping to kick on and be worth way more than Johnston, Celtic may have their biggest Scottish and academy talent since Tierney in a star who is out on loan.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Jude Bonnar is currently on loan in the Championship with Ayr United until the end of the season, gaining vital development and experience that he could bring to the first-team at Parkhead next term.

Why Bonnar may be the best Scottish talent at Celtic since Tierney

As aforementioned, Celtic have not had much success with Scottish talents coming through their academy system to emerge as regular starters in the first-team since Tierney, but Bonnar has the potential to change that.

The Hamilton-born starlet made his senior debut for Celtic in a 5-1 win over Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership in February of this year, completing 100% (4/4) of his passes in a ten-minute cameo, per Sofascore.

His impressive performances as an attack-minded central midfielder for the B team earned him a chance in the senior side, after a return of ten goals in 55 Lowland League matches in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined, per Transfermarkt.

The teenage whiz, who was described as a “dangerous” player by writer John McGinley, also came back from his loan spell with Ayr to score and grab an assist in a Challenge Cup game against Alloa Athletic for the B team last month.

That performance and his overall form at youth level for Celtic show that he has developed a reputation for being a technical and attack-minded midfielder throughout his development in Glasgow.

However, the 19-year-old star’s loan move to the Championship with Ayr United has provided him with an opportunity to show that there is more to his game in the middle of the park.

Rodgers wants well-rounded midfielders who can provide physicality off the ball as well as technical quality in possession, as shown by the types of midfielders who play regularly for him at the moment: Benjamin Nygren, Reo Hatate, and Callum McGregor.

Bonnar’s last two outings in the Scottish Championship for Ayr United show that the versatile star, who can play in midfield or out on the flank, has added bite to his performances in the middle of the park.

Minutes

28

72

Ground duels won

2/3

4/8

Aerial duels won

1/1

2/4

Clearances

2

1

Dribbled past

0x

0x

Possession

1x

10x

As you can see in the table above, the teenage prospect has won six of his 11 ground duels and three of his five aerial duels, without being dribbled past a single time, in the last two matches.

Bonnar is currently being managed by Celtic legend Scott Brown, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a number eight for the Hoops, and he appears to be already developing the physical side of his game under the former Scotland international.

It looks as though sending him out on loan to the Championship to be managed by the ex-Celtic captain was a brilliant decision by the club, because the Scotland U21 international is adding physicality to go with his technical quality.

This is why Bonnar, who has delivered one goal and one assist for Ayr United so far this season, could go on to be the club’s biggest and most valuable Scottish talent since Tierney.

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The teenage talent already has the technical skills, as shown by his goal record for the B team, but his loan spell shows that he is becoming a complete central midfielder, which could make him an option for Rodgers to integrate into the senior team next season.

It will then be down to Bonnar to produce consistent performances in midfield to show that he is the biggest talent to come through the academy since Tierney.

Tottenham co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange have been told a key signing that Thomas Frank wants to make at N17, with Spurs also having made contact over a France international star.

Paratici and Lange set for Tottenham transfer partnership

On Wednesday, Spurs announced Paratici’s long-awaited return to North London, following the Italian’s spell as managing director between 2021 and 2023.

FabioParatici formerly of Spurs and Juventus.

Paratici, after being forced into resigning due to a worldwide FIFA ban from football, worked as a consultant/advisor for ex-chair Daniel Levy thereafter, and took up that unofficial role during the summer window to assist Lange, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and Frank.

Once his FIFA ban expired, Paratici was repeatedly tipped to return to Tottenham as a director, but Levy’s departure after 25 years did briefly throw the move into doubt (talkSPORT).

Fabio Paratici’s top five best Tottenham signings

Cost

1. Cristian Romero

£42.5m

2. Dejan Kulusevski

£25.5m

3. Rodrigo Bentancur

£21.5m

4. Pedro Porro

£40m

5. Djed Spence

£20m

Venkatesham eventually decided to appoint Paratici regardless of Levy’s exit, with the 53-year-old now partnering Lange as one of Tottenham’s two sporting directors.

As explained by Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, Lange and Paratici will have two very different roles, with the former overseeing scouting, the academy and data-driven recruitment analysis, while the latter operates as Tottenham’s proven ‘dealmaker’.

With Paratici and Lange set to back Frank in separate capacities, it is believed the Spurs boss has made one transfer wish crystal clear.

Frank wants new midfielder at Tottenham after approach for Khephren Thuram

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, via The Boot Room, Frank wants Tottenham to sign a new midfielder.

Despite already boasting Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr in the engine room, midfield misfit Yves Bissouma is out of contract at the end of this season and very likely to leave.

The Mali international, partly due to injury, is yet to make a single competitive appearance under Frank and was left out of both their UEFA Super Cup squad and 22-man Champions League list.

Bissouma clearly doesn’t have a long-term future under Frank, with the Dane eager to bring in another player who can potentially replace the African in 2026.

Bailey adds that Tottenham made an approach to sign Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram in the summer, but he’s going to be very hard to obtain now, with the Old Lady deeming him “untouchable” alongside Kenan Yildiz after an excellent start to 2025/2026.

With Spurs told to move on from the Frenchman, who’s worked his way into Didier Deschamps plans ahead of the World Cup next year, other reports suggest that Rangers star Nicolas Raskin has emerged as a Lilywhites target.

The Belgian is by far their standout player, and Premier League sides are taking note of his exploits, with Raskin’s contract also due to expire in under two years.

The 24-year-old would cost around £20-25 million to prise away from Ibrox — a surely doable price for Paratici and Lange — with a bid in and around that mark poised to make Raskin the Gers’ biggest ever sale.

Whether they go for Raskin or reach out for Thuram again, Frank personally wants to add another midfield technician to his ranks next year.

Tottenham could sign a highly-rated player in the winter window, knowing that he was once keen on a move to N17.

The recent board restructure, which resulted in ex-chair Daniel Levy resigning and CEO Vinai Vinkatesham taking a more prominent role alongside members of the Lewis family, has prompted some optimism over their future recruitment plans.

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol recently mooted the possibility of further squad investment from ENIC, who may now be willing to spend more on both wages and transfers overall to hand Thomas Frank the best chance of on-pitch success.

The Lilywhites are already one of world football’s highest revenue-generating clubs, according to the Deloitte Money League, and Levy’s success in turning the club into a financial powerhouse cannot be understated.

World Football’s highest revenue-generating clubs — 2025

Value

Real Madrid

£1.2 billion

Man City

£727 million

PSG

£700 million

Man United

£668 million

Bayern Munich

£664 million

FC Barcelona

£659.5 million

Arsenal

£621.5 million

Liverpool

£620 million

Tottenham Hotspur

£533 million

Chelsea

£474 million

However, Levy’s reputation for underspending compared to rivals was a key complaint of his tenure, and arguably contributed towards Tottenham’s lack of silverware during the 24 years he was chairman.

Now, Spurs insist a “new era” has begun with the swathe of recent boardroom changes, and it will be very intriguing to see how the north Londoners tackle their first transfer market post-Levy.

Frank has overseen an excellent start to 2025/2026, and worked wonders to tempt Xavi Simons with a move to Tottenham, according to super agent Ali Barat.

Reports over the summer claimed that Frank was also really pushing to sign Man City forward Savinho, and the Dane apparently believed that he could do ‘big things’ in north London, as per the reliable Fabrizio Romano.

Pep Guardiola was publicly clear that he wanted to keep the Brazil international and a potential Spurs move ultimately fell through, with City rejecting two bids, including an offer just under £61 million (Fabrizio Romano).

Savinho transfer to Tottenham alive for January after previous Levy plan

As per journalist Dean Jones, speaking to TEAMtalk, Levy was prepared to pay up to £65m for Savinho in the summer, and Tottenham know the winger wanted to join them before deadline day on September 1.

Spurs are still keeping an eye on Savinho, and it is believed they could move in January if Frank’s side get enough encouragement.

Savinho has played just 37 minutes in all competitions so far.

This is partly down to injury, but if the ex-Girona star continues to be on the fringes of Guardiola’s plans, a January move could well tempt him.

Savinho faces a battle to get into the starting eleven on a regular basis amid Jeremy Doku’s sensational start to the season, and with the 2026 World Cup looming, the 21-year-old may fancy a move elsewhere as Frank’s side maintain a serious interest.

His best-ever campaign yielded 11 goals and 10 assists in 41 appearances for title-chasing Girona in 23/24, and Guardiola has called Savinho an “exceptional” player.

Antonio Conte has warned Kevin De Bruyne that he will not escape punishment if he has another angry reaction to being substituted after the Napoli playmaker was taken off in the weekend's 2-1 loss to AC Milan. The Italian coach insists the issue has been resolved as he insisted his sentiments were aimed at the entire squad.

• The Substitution and loss to Milan

  De Bruyne scored Napoli’s only goal in their 2-1 defeat to Milan on Sunday. With Milan reduced to 10 men following Pervis Estupinan’s red card, Napoli were expected to push for an equaliser, with De Bruyne’s experience potentially proving crucial. However, in a surprising decision, Conte substituted De Bruyne for Eljero Elmas in the 72nd minute, leaving the Belgian visibly frustrated as he appeared to express his dissatisfaction toward Conte from the dugout. The player's reaction earned a warning from the Italian coach

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• AFP
  

  Conte's clarification to Sky Sport

  In an interview with , Conte said that corrective measures were taken and mistakes once made will not be repeated: “It's not a question of a specific player's situation. Those who know me know very well what my views are on management, on certain behaviours that should be adopted. Sometimes those who don't know me make mistakes. It's up to me to correct the situation, to reiterate certain concepts to the entire group, so that once you give it a try, the second time you don't.”

• Conte's message to the group

  According to , Conte did not address De Bruyne privately but spoke to him as part of the group of players present at training on Monday. He reiterated that the team is always bigger than any individual and that certain behaviours will not be tolerated twice. Conte emphasised that a player of De Bruyne’s experience should serve as a model for others in the dressing room, and that incidents like this, which happen in the heat of the moment, should remain isolated.

  Conte faced a similar situation during his time at Inter when Lautaro Martinez showed displeasure after being substituted. In that case, the squad acted as peacemakers, even organising a mock boxing match between Conte and Lautaro to humorously resolve their differences.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Napoli's next challenge

  Conte and De Bruyne will look to return to winning ways when Napoli will host Sporting CP on Wednesday in the Champions League.

After the spinners restricted MI to a below-par total, DC’s openers flew off the blocks to set up a comprehensive win

Hemant Brar28-Feb-2025

Meg Lanning showed glimpses of her best•BCCI

Delhi Capitals 124 for 1 (Lanning 60*, Shafali 43, Amanjot 1-12) beat Mumbai Indians 123 for 9 (Harmanpreet 22, Matthews 22, Mani 3-17, Jonassen 3-25) by nine wicketsDelhi Capitals (DC) made it 12-1 for chasing teams in WPL 2025 as they beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by nine wickets in Bengaluru. The win, coming with 5.3 overs to spare, also helped DC replace MI at the top of the points table. They now have eight points from six games and MI six from five.After being sent in, MI looked positive at the start but once their openers fell, Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani ran through the middle order, picking up three wickets each. Each of MI’s top five batters reached double digits but none of them crossed 22. Towards the end, Amanjot Kaur struck an unbeaten 17 off ten balls to push the side to 123 for 9.With DC chasing a well-below-par total, Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning added 85 for the first wicket in 9.5 overs. Shafali fell for 43 off 28 but Lanning carried on. She brought up her second half-century of the season, off 40 balls, and stayed unbeaten on 60 off 49 balls.Jess Jonassen’s three strikes included the key wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur•BCCI

DC apply the brakes on MI’s brisk startMI were off to a quick start. Both Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews opened their accounts with first-ball fours off Marizanne Kapp. When Jonassen came to bowl the fourth over, Matthews greeted her with two fours off her first two balls.But DC applied the brakes on the scoring rate after that. In the sixth over, bowling around the wicket, Shikha Pandey had Bhatia caught behind for 11. Bhatia’s tally for WPL 2025 now stands at 38 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 84.44.Soon after, Matthews miscued Annabel Sutherland to Shafali Verma at mid-off. DC could have had Harmanpreet Kaur as well, for 1. In the eighth over, she edged Titas Sadhu but the ball flew between the wicketkeeper and slip. At the end of nine overs, MI were 49 for 2.Jonassen, Mani land decisive punchesIn DC’s previous game, Jonassen was named the Player of the Match for her batting. Tonight, she showed why bowling remains her stronger suit. Harmanpreet, having got her eye in, was looking to up the ante. In the tenth over, she muscled Sadhu over wide long-on for a 79m six. Three balls later, she showed her touch game. She moved towards the off side and tapped the length ball to the left of short fine leg for four.But Jonassen cut her innings short on 22, trapping her lbw with an arm ball. MI still had Nat Sciver-Brunt, the leading run-getter this season, in the middle. Before this match, she had three fifties in four innings. For her, Jonassen slowed down the pace and beat her in flight. Sciver-Brunt was early into the shot, ending up chipping it back to the bowler. With another flighted delivery, Jonassen bowled G Kamalini to finish with figures of 3 for 25.Shafali Verma scored 43 off just 28 balls•BCCI

In between, Mani dismissed S Sajana and Amelia Kerr in the space of three balls. Kerr’s wicket was as much Sutherland’s as it was Mani’s. Mani had got Kerr to top-edge a pull. Sutherland, who was at long-on, ran in diagonally to her right and dived full-length to complete the catch inches off the ground. Sanskriti Gupta also fell to Mani, her slog finding Jemimah Rodrigues at deep midwicket.Lanning, Shafali race awayMI knew they needed early wickets and, therefore, set attacking fields. Lanning, who has not been at her best this season, took advantage and picked up two fours off Shabnim Ismail in the first over of the chase.MI’s plan to bowl short to Shafali also backfired. Sciver-Brunt ended up conceding five wides, and when she got it right, Shafali dispatched her to the boundary. In the fourth over, she hit Sciver-Brunt for two fours and a six in four balls.At the other end, Lanning hit back-to-back fours off Ismail before meting out the same punishment to Matthews in the next over. By the end of the powerplay, DC had raced to 57 for no loss and had brought down the required rate to 4.78.Even after the field restrictions were relaxed, DC did not slow down. In the ninth over, Shafali hit Kerr down the ground for two sixes. Amanjot eventually broke the stand when she had Shafali caught at deep midwicket.By then, though, the contest was over. Lanning and Rodrigues took just 28 balls to knock off the remaining 39 runs.