Aston Villa are keen on signing a “spectacular” Champions League striker, who is now considering working under Unai Emery.

Villa want to sign new striker amid Watkins' struggles

Ollie Watkins has fallen below his usual lofty standards so far this season, with the striker finding the back of the net just once in eight Premier League matches, and he could find it difficult to reclaim his spot in the starting XI.

Emery may choose to persist with Donyell Malen at centre-forward, given that the Dutchman has impressed in recent weeks, scoring a brace in the 2-1 victory against Burnley at the beginning of the month.

Watkins was benched for the 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur due to fitness concerns, but the Englishman did manage to impress on international duty, scoring in the Three Lions’ 3-0 victory against Wales.

Emery will be hoping that goal will be a real confidence-booster for the 29-year-old, but it has now emerged that the Villans are looking to sign a new striker, who could push for Watkins’ starting spot.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are now keen on signing Real Madrid striker Endrick, and there are signs the Brazilian could be tempted by the move, with it being revealed that he is considering working under Emery.

There is widespread interest in the Real Madrid centre-forward from within the Premier League, however, meaning there could be fierce competition for his signature, with Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and West Ham United also in the race.

Not only that, but it could take a huge bid to get a deal over the line, given that the 19-year-old joined the Spanish side for around £53m, in a deal that eventually went through in 2024.

"Spectacular" Endrick could flourish at Villa Park

The 14-time Brazil international has found it very difficult to break into the Real Madrid team this season, failing to play a single minute of football in all competitions, despite emerging as a first-team player last season.

Aston Villa now overtake Liverpool in race for "outstanding" £43m defender

There has been a new development in the Villans’ pursuit of a defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 21, 2025

During the 2024-25 campaign, the youngster was used sporadically by Carlo Ancelotti, but he achieved some important milestones, scoring his first goals in both La Liga and the Champions League.

Ancelotti is a keen admirer of the former Palmeiras man, having once lauded him as “spectacular”, but the starlet clearly needs first-team football if he is going to fulfill his potential, so a move, at least on a loan deal, would make sense.

With Watkins reportedly frustrated with Emery, the manager may also need to start thinking about long-term replacements, and Endrick has the ability to flourish at Villa Park.

Newcastle United are masters at adapting and overcoming adversity. Hurdles have sprung up and sent Eddie Howe’s side tumbling in recent years, but each time the Magpies get themselves airborne once again.

They must prove this mentality remains intact, having struggled to make things click in the Premier League this season.

One ray of light through this up-and-down period has been Nick Woltemade, who has swerved a number of those hurdles to establish himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe.

Could he be the Toon’s most talented player?

Why Nick Woltemade is thriving at Newcastle

Newcastle signed Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee in August before Alexander Isak had completed his record-breaking move to Liverpool, signalling in all but confirmation the Swede’s looming departure.

With Yoane Wissa also brought in but sidelined before he could make his bow with a knee injury, Woltemade, 23, has assumed quite the heavy load.

But this hasn’t thwarted him.

The striker has scored six goals from his first 13 matches in black and white. Rangy and seemingly a throwback type of frontman, the German is endowed with much technical grace, with reporter Andy Sixsmith hailing him for “mesmerising” link-up ability.

Woltemade is surpassing expectations at number nine for Newcastle, and he is indeed playing like a man in a contest with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for the crown as the club’s best player.

But there’s an up-and-coming prospect who might be the cream of the crop, albeit one who requires work over the next few years.

Newcastle's bigger talent than Woltemade

Newcastle have transformed their first team in the four years under Howe’s wing, but PIF have quietly been assembling a youth force to be reckoned with down the line.

And, right at the top of this pack is Vakhtang Salia, who joined St. James’ Park from Dinamo Tbilisi this summer despite rival interest from European heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Injury has kept the 18-year-old from featuring for the Toon yet, but he played 57 senior matches for his former Georgian side, scoring eight goals and supplying four assists.

Salia hasn’t quite worked out his best position at this nascent stage of his career, but that’s okay. He is fast and has the mark of a clinical player down the line, and in this, he could one day surpass Woltemade.

This is a bold claim to make, but the respective forwards are at wholly different points in their careers, and his “very high work-rate”, as has been said by Genk scout Mikha Gabechava, suggests he has the drive to match his talent with a tenacious approach.

Left winger

27

5

1

Centre-forward

12

2

1

Right winger

1

1

0

Attacking midfield

1

0

0

Because, after all, the Georgia U21 star has been described as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, and this without yet proving himself in a top division. The hype is very much real.

The sales of prospects like Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson mark a cautionary tale for the Tynesiders as they look to go from strength to strength once again. Salia’s signature must be held onto, and he must be allowed to develop into a polished Premier League star.

With the right work over the coming years, he could even prove to be a bigger talent than Woltemade.

Newcastle star was set to be sold, now he's one of their "standout" players

This Newcastle star is still performing for Eddie Howe’s side.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo venceu o Cruzeiro por 1 a 0, nesta quinta-feira (7), pela 3ª rodada da fase de grupos da Brasil Ladies Cup, no estádio Bruno José Daniel, em Santo André (SP). O gol foi marcado por Dani.

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Mesmo com a vitória, o São Paulo já estava desclassificado, após o Internacional vencer o Atlético Nacional e assumir a liderança do Grupo A. Já o Cruzeiro, que havia uma pequena possibilidade de classificação, mas para isso precisava vencer o Tricolor Paulista por mais de sete gols de diferença.

⚽COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O jogo com poucas emoções no primeiro tempo, o gol ficou reservado para a segunda etapa. Após falta marcada próxima ao centro do campo, Dani cruza para a área, a atacante tenta o desvio, mas acaba errando, enganando a goleira e marcando o único gol do jogo.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

✅ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

Com a vitória do Internacional na partida de mais cedo, o São Paulo já estava eliminado. Já o Cruzeiro, precisava tirar uma diferença de sete gols para passar o Colorado na tabela.

Unbeaten 70 from Australian opener proves decisive as Welsh Fire fall short of famous comeback

ECB Media09-Aug-2025David Warner made his first half-century in the Hundred to see London Spirit take the spoils against Welsh Fire in Cardiff, despite a thrilling, unbeaten 86 from Jonny Bairstow in response.Like a boxer on the ropes, Bairstow sat back and absorbed the blows as his Fire team fell to 55 for 6 at the halfway point of their reply, before launching a high-octane counterattack that took them close to a famous victory.Bairstow’s 50-ball innings contained six sixes, and saw 74 runs plundered from balls 66 to 95, leaving 17 required off the last five of the innings. As the Sophia Gardens crowd belted out “Wales, Wales, Wales!” it appeared that Bairstow – ably supported by Chris Green – would pull off the comeback but Luke Wood got Spirit over the line.Warner’s innings was a different affair, but was equally effective in driving the visitors – the Australian legend using his experience and nous to work out a defendable total on a track that had something for the bowlers.David Warner made his first fifty of the Hundred•Getty ImagesWith the ball, before the Bairstow show, Liam Dawson and Richard Gleeson were both parsimonious and though they may briefly have feared that their hard work would be undone it was runs on the board that emerged victorious in the end, Kane Williamson and Justin Langer getting off and running and consigning Fire to a second defeat in two.Warner, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “That got very close at the end, and credit to the way Jonny and Greeny batted. They were absolutely superb. The partnership they built was fantastic, and what it did do was what we’re trying to do here – entertain the crowd and hopefully everyone was excited by that game.”I think what the guys were saying there was that across the last 25-30 balls it wasn’t that stoppy. It skidded, but it was still slow in the wicket. We tried to execute as well as we could but Jonny was on fire there, he was hitting the ball cleanly and obviously we got over the line but it was a good effort by them.”When you’re out there batting, the five balls and then 10 balls from one end – you think you have to change ends as a batter. I’m getting used to it, but what I am loving is the crowds. It’s fantastic. It’s all about the kids, and us trying to put entertainment on the TV – credit to everyone who came out today, thank you.”This is a really important win for us. We lost our first game at home but we’ve got an away game in Manchester coming up, and hopefully we can tick that off.”

Oval Invincibles 173 for 4 (Cox 58*, Curran 54) beat Trent Rockets 171 for 7 (Root 76) by six wicketsA remarkable 10-ball hitting barrage from Sam Curran and Jordan Cox turned the game on its head and drove Oval Invincibles towards a crucial win against table-topping rivals Trent Rockets in The Hundred.Chasing 171 to win, the Invincibles were just beginning to feel the pressure at 70 for 2 with 102 needed for victory from just 40 balls – ten legal balls, one strategic timeout and six sixes later they’d sailed to 121 for 1, with just 51 more required from the last 30.It was a scarcely believable spell of sustained hitting, from Curran in the main, that thrilled the Kia Oval crowd and more or less broke the back of a chase that leaves the home side sitting pretty at the top of the table with two games to go.Cox would end unbeaten on 58, to maintain his fantastic form, and for Curran it was 54 and the acclaim of his home crowd.Before the Curran and Cox show it was another England man who looked set to define the day, Joe Root showing all his usual brilliance to compile a 41-ball 76 in Rockets’ imposing total.Only Root made timing look easy, up to the point the game swung back to the hosts, although South African George Linde did give the fans some crowd-catching practice to preview the later entertainment with an eight-ball 25.It was a vital win for Invincibles in their pursuit of the crucial first place, a finish that would secure passage straight through to the final as they look to win their third title on the bounce.Meerkat Match Hero Sam Curran said: “When the strategic timeout happened, I was on seven off 12 or something like that, so the panic was in! I think the break came at the right time just to have a little sip of water and kind of restart again.”But it was a huge game and a huge win. We looked at the table before this game, and with two sides on 16 points we’re really pleased to get the points tonight.”I think it was 107 off 40 balls, and we knew in T20 or 100-ball cricket, you’re looking at hitting three or four sixes, and then before you know it we got six, seven, eight, and you’re like, ‘Wow, we’re nearly at 70 off 35 balls’.”It’s such a lovely place to bat and the crowd felt electric. It was almost like a game in India where every ball is cheered, it was like – how cool is this?”The schedule’s been pretty intense and that does help when you’re winning. You keep that momentum and you keep coming to the game, turning up to the stadium, full crowd, really high in confidence – but it can go the other way as well. We know we want to come top, but we’ve got two more games left, one away, one at home – and I think it is a big advantage, if you do come top.”

Napoli manager Antonio Conte is set for urgent, decisive talks with the club hierarchy in the coming hours to determine his future, following his scathing public criticism of the struggling Serie A champions. The meeting comes after Conte openly questioned his team's "chemistry" and "desire to fight" following their latest defeat, hinting at a potential departure.

Conte's future to be decided in decisive Napoli talks

Conte is scheduled for an urgent face-to-face meeting with the club's management in the coming hours to address his future and the team's dire start to the season. This crucial summit follows Conte's exceptionally candid and critical comments after Napoli's 2-0 Serie A defeat to Bologna on Sunday.

According to football journalist , a meeting between Napoli management and  Conte is scheduled for Monday afternoon as both parties aim to clarify how and whether to continue together. The meeting is a direct response to Conte's public questioning of his team's commitment and his own effectiveness as coach.

AdvertisementAFPScathing criticism from Conte after Bologna defeat

Conte did not hold back in his post-match comments after Napoli suffered their fifth defeat of the season against Bologna. Goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jhon Lucumi secured the win for Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, a result that further highlighted Napoli's struggles to replicate last season's Scudetto-winning form. Napoli registered only one shot on target compared to Bologna's four, despite having 51% possession.

Speaking after the game, Conte expressed profound disappointment. "We needed more energy in everything. What's disappointing is that they showed more positivity and desire than us," Conte stated, contrasting his team's performance with Bologna's. "It should make us reflect. It's the fifth defeat we've suffered this start of the year. It means we need to reflect, which we've already done. They played on Thursday and looked poisoned, we did our homework until the game was even."

Concerns over team chemistry and fighting spirit

The former Chelsea and Inter manager went further, questioning the very fabric of his squad. He highlighted a pervasive lack of unity and resolve, which he believes has plagued the team for months. "Three or four months have passed and there's no chemistry, no desire to fight together. I don't know if we'll be able to change the situation," Conte admitted.

His frustration mounted as he placed responsibility squarely on everyone involved. "Everyone has to take responsibility. I'm the first to be held accountable. Heart transplants aren't an option. Each of us needs to rediscover our spirit and our grit," he declared.

"I'm disappointed because I'm not finding the energy in the guys again; it means I'm not doing a good job."

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Napoli's Serie A standing and urgent need for change

The defeat leaves Napoli in fourth place in Serie A with 22 points from 11 matches, a significant drop for the reigning champions. Their recent form is alarming, with two losses in their last five league matches. Bologna, with 21 points, are now just one point behind them in fifth place, further highlighting Napoli's struggles. The team's inability to create clear-cut chances against Bologna, as evidenced by their single shot on target, is a major concern.

Conte also drew a parallel to past club history, stating: "We must never forget that in Naples, after a Scudetto, we finished 10th. I'm sorry to have to dig up the bones of the past. I'll talk to the club, who already knew what I thought." 

Manchester United supporters have become accustomed to incredible late drama over the years – with numerous moments producing incredible memories for the fanbase.

In recent history, Amad Diallo has produced his own late magic, doing so in one of the biggest games for the club – the Manchester Derby against Manchester City.

The Ivorian scored a 90th-minute winner against Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad last campaign, securing a 2-1 victory after trailing with just a handful of minutes remaining.

However, one of the most iconic late goals was scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjær against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final back in 1999.

Such a goal helped the Red Devils claim another major trophy, but most importantly secured the club a treble after previously winning the Premier League and FA Cup.

In the present day, Ruben Amorim has his very own clutch player who has continued to produce the goods within the latter stages of numerous crucial outings.

Ranking Harry Maguire’s most clutch moments for Man Utd

After forking out £80m for Harry Maguire’s signature in the summer of 2019, very few United fans would have predicted the impact that the centre-back would have in attacking areas.

In his six years at Old Trafford, the 32-year-old has racked up 17 goals for the Red Devils, finding the back of the net in every 14 matches he’s appeared in.

Numerous of his strikes have been late goals to secure the first-team vital results, with his third-most important effort coming against Norwich City in the FA Cup quarter-final back in 2020.

His 118th-minute winner secured the club a place in the semi-final, with such an effort the first time Maguire popped up and demonstrated his clutch ability in front of goal.

The centre-back also demonstrated his last-gasp antics in the Europa League last season – subsequently producing one of the most memorable games for the fans in recent history.

Maguire leapt highest at the back post in the 121st minute to secure a phenomenal late comeback against Lyon, resulting in a 7-6 aggregate win in the quarter-final.

However, despite his antics at Old Trafford back in April, the defender’s latest strike for the Red Devils is one that could help kickstart Amorim’s tenure in charge at the Theatre of Dreams.

The former Leicester City man scored an 84th-minute winner against bitter rivals Liverpool, subsequently securing the club’s first win at Anfield in 12 years.

Such a victory will certainly live long in the memories of all the supporters, with Maguire once again writing himself into the club’s history books forever.

The United star who’s becoming one of Amorim’s most clutch players

Maguire has managed to constantly produce the goods within attacking areas for United – but Amorim has desperately needed to address the options within the final third.

It’s all well and good having a defensive player popping up with key contributions, but the side have lacked the out-and-out presence to impress in front of goal.

His side could only muster a tally of 44 goals in their 38 league outings last season – with their measly average of 1.1 per 90 the fifth-lowest in the division.

As a result, the hierarchy handed the 40-year-old boss funds in excess of £200m to make the changes he desired to his first-team squad in Manchester.

One of the additions made by the board was that of forward Bryan Mbeumo, as he joined the Red Devils in a deal totalling £71m, including any future add-ons.

The Cameroonian arrived with huge expectations at Old Trafford and understandably so after he netted 20 league goals for Brentford last season – ending the year as one of only five players to hit such a milestone.

Since such a transfer, the 26-year-old has immediately captured the hearts of the fanbase with his impressive showings in recent weeks under Amorim’s guidance.

He’s already found the net on three occasions, with his latest strike coming in the first couple of minutes in the iconic triumph over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

The strike has added to his league tally, with Mbeumo also scoring against Burnley at Old Trafford back in August – subsequently helping secure their first victory of the campaign.

Games played

9

Goals scored

3

Pass accuracy

78%

Successful crosses

2.1

Chances created

1.8

Dribble success

52%

Fouls drawn

1.5

Shots on target

1.2

As a result of his recent antics in the Red Devils first-team, one analyst has since labelled him as “one of the most clutch players” – often popping up in key moments when the side needs him most.

He currently sits joint-top of the club’s top goalscorer charts in the league, with his recent form showcasing that the board made the right call in forking out a pretty penny for his signature.

Mbeumo also ranks second for chances created in the top-flight in 2025/26, already providing an assist in the triumph over Sunderland – highlighting his complete nature in the final third.

Maguire’s antics as of late have certainly seen the Englishman receive a whole heap of praise, but some of which desperately needs to be directed to the Cameroonian.

The board took a huge risk with his addition this summer, but they have so far been proved right – with his ability potentially allowing the manager to create new history at Old Trafford.

Amorim has unlocked the new Bruno Fernandes in "world-class" Man Utd star

Manchester United already have a player on the books who can emulate Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford.

1 ByEthan Lamb Oct 22, 2025

تحدث سيد مرعي، وكيل اللاعبين، عن بعض الأمور الخاصة بالتعاقدات، وعما إذا كان أحد اللاعبين قد فضل اللعب لأحد الأندية مضحيا بالأموال.

وقال سيد مرعي، في تصريحات لقناة أون سبورت، بسؤاله عن: هل صادفت لاعبًا ضحّى بنفسه وبمصلحته وبالمال الذي يمكن أن يحصل عليه من أجل اللعب للنادي الذي يحبّه أو يشجّعه؟: “جيل مواليد 2001 في نادي الزمالك يعد من أقوى الأجيال التي مرت على النادي، يمكن القول إن الزمالك فرط في هذا الجيل، الذي يضم أحمد عيد، وأسامة فيصل، وحسام أشرف، وحسين فيصل، وياسين مرعي، هذا الجيل من أفضل الأجيال التي ظهرت، وجميع هؤلاء اللاعبين وقعوا عقودهم على بياض”.

طالع|السيسي: لماذا لا تمتلك مصر 6 آلاف لاعب مثل محمد صلاح؟

وتابع: “أما عن لاعب قدم تضحيات كبيرة رغم أنه نجم، فيمكن القول إن محمد أبو جبل فعل ذلك إلى حد ما في الفترة الثانية التي عاد فيها من سموحة إلى الزمالك”.

وعن ما يشاع بشأن عدم التزام الزمالك في تعاقداته، مقابل التزام أكبر من النادي الأهلي، وهل يستغل الأهلي ذلك في مفاوضاته مع اللاعبين، رد: “طبعا، وهذا الأمر يؤثر على اللاعبين بنسبة 100%، النادي المستقر يتحدث باسمه وبنظامه، وبالطبع كلاعب سأختار النادي الذي يوفر لي الراحة والاستقرار، لاعب كرة القدم قد يتعرض لإصابة في خمس دقائق، وهذا مستقبله كله”.

وكشف: “أريد أن أوضح للناس أن لاعب الكرة قد يكون مسؤولا عن الإنفاق على والده ووالدته وأسرته، وليس كما يعتقد البعض أن كل اللاعبين مثل نماذج قليلة هي التي تظهر في الإعلام، هناك لاعبين محترمين وملتزمين، وكرة القدم ليست رزق اللاعب وحده، بل هي رزق لأسرته وقريته أيضا”.

واختتم: “النادي الأهلي أكثر استقرارا من الناحية المالية والمادية والإدارية، ويستغل ذلك في التعاقدات، وهذا يحسب لهم لأنهم نجحوا في الوصول إلى هذا المستوى من التنظيم”.

Talismanic allrounders share four wickets after anchoring home side’s effort with the bat

ECB Media16-Aug-2025

Oval Invincibles 150 for 5 (Capsey 55, Kapp 47*) beat Welsh Fire 111 (Dunkley 56, Smale 3-13) by 39 runsFine all-round performances from Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey helped Oval Invincibles to a convincing win over Welsh Fire at the Kia Oval, despite a great knock from Sophia Dunkley.Winning the toss and choosing to bat on her 35th birthday, Invincibles skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill chopped on first ball of the innings off Shabnim Ismail, not the birthday present she would have wanted.Capsey countered, hitting Ismail for three consecutive fours. Meg Lanning soon joined the party, timing the ball sweetly against Freya Davies as Invincibles reached 41 for 1 after the 25-ball powerplay.Lanning fell soon after, sweeping across the line to Katie Levick. However, replays suggested the ball hit her glove before her pad and she’d have been saved if she reviewed.Capsey was joined by Kapp as Invincibles continued to accelerate. Capsey launched Jess Jonassen for a straight six followed by a slog-swept four, the England right-hander bringing up her 50 from 32 balls. She fell soon after, caught and bowled by the returning Ismail for 55 before Paige Scholfield top-edged Hayley Matthews into the hands of Sarah Bryce.Amanda-Jade Wellington came out full of innovation, but it was Kapp who held the latter part of the innings together, helping Invincibles reach 150 – a target that felt above par on a surface that wasn’t all in the batters’ favour.Dunkley hit the first ball of Fire’s chase for four before Matthews twice found the boundary in the first 10 balls of the innings bowled by Kapp.Dunkley then hit Rachel Slater for four boundaries before Matthews found the rope off Sophia Smale. But the West Indies star fell to Wellington for 12, perfectly picking out Phoebe Franklin in the deep.Kapp (2-24) returned and struck twice in two balls, getting Tammy Beaumont lbw for 5 before clean-bowling Georgia Elwiss. Jonassen was then caught at mid-off off Capsey (2-16), Fire in trouble at 67 for 4 with 84 still required from 48.Dunkley brought up her half-century from 36 balls, Fire’s first of this year’s competition, but Bryce fell from the next delivery to further worsen their position. With 30 balls remaining, Fire still needed 61 and when Dunkley finally fell for 56 from 41, with her went the Fire’s chances.Kapp, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “We didn’t start off this tournament like we wanted to, but it feels like we’ve got a bit of momentum now.”We started the same way last year, in the first two games we probably weren’t too far off our best and luckily it looks like things are improving.”It was a different pitch to what we’re used to playing on here at The Oval. Capsey’s innings was brilliant and she allowed me to knock it around and get myself in. It’s good signs if we can adapt on different wickets.”

The New York Yankees reportedly have made the latest big move of the MLB offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, New York traded for Chicago Cubs outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger on Tuesday. MLB insider Jon Heyman also reported the Cubs sent Bellinger plus $5 million cash to New York in exchange for pitcher Cody Poteet.

The 29-year-old outfielder and first baseman is a two-time All-Star, a World Series champion (Dodgers, 2020), a former NL MVP (2019), and also the winner of the NL Comeback Player of the Year after a bounce-back 2023 season with Chicago.

In 130 games last year with Chicago, Bellinger batted .266/.325/.426 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs while playing right field, center field and first base. He is under contract for $27.5 million next season and also has a $25 million player option on his deal for the 2026 campaign.

Poteet, 30, pitched five games for the Yankees last year, starting four times and recording a 2.22 ERA despite striking out just 16 batters in 24 1/3 innings.

The Yankees missed out in the Juan Soto sweepstakes earlier this offseason, coming up just short—one year and $5 million shy to be exact—of the 16-year, $760 million contract he signed with the Mets. They remained aggressive, and landed Bellinger as consolation.

According to Bob Nightengale, Bellinger will play center field for the Yankees, sliding slugger Aaron Judge over to right. As for his replacement in Chicago, former first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong is a likely candidate to start the season in his place in center field.