Federico Gatti has been in limbo throughout the summer, and his future continues to be uncertain, even though Juventus repelled a late attempt to lure him by Porto. The market is still open in such a country, but the deadline to submit the UEFA Champions League lists is the same and has lapsed.

According to Alfredo Pedullà, the Bianconeri had more issues with the formula and the figures rather than with the notion of parting ways with the defender altogether. The center-back is open to moving, as he has further tumbled down the pecking order following the acquisition of Jhon Lucumi.

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Gatti could still leave Juventus to head to places where there’s still time to do business. He could even accept a transfer to the UAE to resume playing consistently.

One destination has likely fallen through, as Al-Sadd have finally been able to strike a deal with Lazio and Alessio Romagnoli. The Italian center-back has flown in with the medicals. They had been trying to sign him for a year. The Biancocelesti had already replaced him and Mario Gila with Danilho Doekhi and Josip Sutalo.

Our Take on Juventus and Gatti

While he’s not at the same level as their other contributors, perhaps he deserves a little more consideration, and they should manage Gleison Bremer more carefully, given his injury history. They have a better fullback, Zeki Celik, than in the past, so they could use Pierre Kalulu as a center-back more frequently if they wished to, but the offer would have to be really worthwhile to lose a piece without being able to substitute for it.

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable holds high hopes for Zambardo, acknowledging that the galloper must ascend to a new level.

With entries for both the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup, Zambardo is scheduled to make his return in the So You Think Stakes (1500m) at Sandown on Saturday.

Zambardo is a lightly raced New Zealand-bred gelding with four wins from his 12 starts.

The five-year-old arrived from New Zealand as a maiden, breaking through at his second start for Price and Kent Jnr on the Pakenham synthetic track over 1600m before recording successive victories at Sale, Sandown, and Caulfield.

His last win was in a 2000m benchmark 78 race on the middle day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival.

In a leap of faith, Price and Kent Jnr entered Zambardo into the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on the final day of Melbourne Cup week, where the gelding finished behind the champion mare Via Sistina.

The handicapper significantly raised Zambardo’s rating following that placing, which earned connections $540,000, from a 78-rater to 103.

This meant Zambardo was weighted out of easier contests and was forced to race at a higher grade, which he did during the autumn, starting in Sydney before concluding his campaign in Brisbane.

Price and Kent Jnr still intend to target ‘some nice races’ with the gelding this spring.

“We’re keen to be ambitious with him, until proven otherwise,” Kent Jnr stated.

“The Cox Plate will certainly be considered, but he has to prove he is at that level.

“His form went a bit sideways last preparation, for a variety of reasons. He was getting a long way back, he had bad barriers, that Q22 was a funny race, they went no gallop and it wasn’t a test of anyone’s ability.

“I think we judge the horse on his first couple of runs back here in Melbourne, but what I can say, he is flying, going particularly well.”

With the Cox Plate this year being run at Flemington as Moonee Valley undergoes a rebuild, Kent Jnr is looking forward to seeing Zambardo kick off his campaign at Sandown.

“I think that is one of the keys to him as he’s raced there before and I think he will enjoy being back Sandown,” Kent Jnr commented.

Explore online bookmakers for the latest racing betting markets on the upcoming Sandown meeting.

The Washington Commanders added plenty of new faces to their roster during the offseason. Many of their additions were to the defensive side of the ball, but there were notable offensive additions to the team, too. Tight end Chig Okonkwo and wide receiver Stefon Diggs lead that charge, but rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams can’t be left out either.

The Commanders are excited about their offensive additions, and Pro Football Focus recently named Okonkwo as one of five fantasy football breakout stars in 2026.

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After discussing Okonkwo’s time with the Tennessee Titans, reviewing some of his stats, and mentioning that the Commanders invested more in Okonkwo than any skill player outside of Terry McLaurin, the article says:

Expectations for Okonkwo will be higher than they were for (Zach) Ertz at ages 34 and 35. He played 12 of the first 14 snaps in the second preseason game, suggesting he will have a larger role than he did in Tennessee and that Ertz had in Washingotn. Given the uncertainty at wide receiver outside of McLaurin and recent free-agent addition Stefon Diggs, Okonkwo is third on the team in targets. That gives him a solid floor as a low-end TE2.

His ability to turn into a TE1 will largely depend on the quality of the Commanders’ offense in general. It’s unlikely Okonkwo becomes a frequent target near the goal line, given his lighter size for a tight end, but a few more touchdowns than usual are a possibility.

Okonkwo is one of the ideal targets at tight end for someone who wants to focus entirely on running backs and wide receivers earlier in the draft and punt on the position.

One thing you need to remember is that Tennessee did not use Okonkwo as effectively or as efficiently as they could have. David Blough may be a first-time coordinator, but he will have people in his ear about the best way to use the receiver-turned-tight end. There may be a bit of a learning curve, but once they figure it out, Okonkwo will become quite valuable.

Think about it. Jayden Daniels is going to be under serious pressure in 2026, especially with the questions around his offensive line. Having a target like Okonkwo on the field as a safety net, especially with his ability to get yards after the catch, is going to give Daniels a much-needed outlet when the pocket is collapsing around him.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders’ Chig Okonkwo is a top breakout fantasy football candidate

Just three hours into Week 1, college football provided one of the most shocking results of the weekend — and maybe the entire season. After going 0-12 last season, UMass went on the road and hammered Rutgers in a 37-21 win on Thursday.

With that victory, the Minutemen snapped a 16-game losing streak against FBS teams, which was the longest in the country. The last time UMass defeated an FBS program was Oct. 28, 2023, when it beat Army 21-14.

The most satisfying part of this win for UMass was that it certainly wasn’t a fluke. The Minutemen were just as good as the scoreboard indicated and dominated the Scarlet Knights right from the opening kickoff. UMass scored on each of its first four drives, and it didn’t punt until there were 100 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Even though Rutgers isn’t a top 25 powerhouse, this was still a highly improbable outcome. The Scarlet Knights entered the game as 29.5-point favorites, and history suggested that they should have been a lock to win this game. Here are some of the most mind-blowing stats from this miraculous Minutemen win.

• Entering the game, FBS teams favored by 29-plus points were 213-0 since 2024.
• Rutgers’ 16-point loss was the fifth-largest by a favorite of 25-plus points since 2000.
• This was UMass’ first win over a Power Four team since moving to the FBS in 2012.
• This was the first time UMass defeated a power conference opponent since 1978.
• The Minutemen came into the game 0-9 all-time against Big Ten opponents.
• UMass failed to score more than 26 points last season and averaged 11.1 points per game.

UMass earned this victory with a strong effort in every phase of the game, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Minutemen will be able to pile up even more wins as the season progresses.

Watson shreds the Scarlet Knights

UMass quarterback Pop Watson spent the last three seasons at Virginia Tech, but he was never able to break through as the starter. That prompted his transfer to UMass in the offseason, and he’s already making the most of his opportunity with the Minutemen.

A three-star recruit and the No. 44 quarterback in the 2023 signing class, Watson showed exactly why a number of Power Four programs offered him coming out of Springfield Central High School (Mass.). Watson made plays with his arm and legs as Rutgers struggled to contain him, particularly in the first half.

Watson began the game on fire, and he was a major reason why UMass found the end zone on each of its first three drives. Watson’s elusiveness gave the Scarlet Knights fits, but he also threw a couple of perfectly placed balls, and the best of which might have been this touchdown strike to Joseph Griffin Jr.

With UMass up multiple scores throughout the second half, Watson didn’t need to do much, but his final numbers were still exceptional. He connected on 18 of his 21 pass attempts for 189 yards and three touchdowns while adding 40 yards on the ground.

If this is the type of performance UMass gets from Watson every week in MAC play, they are going to be a tough out, and a number of Power Four schools might regret not pursuing him in the transfer portal.

Major defensive improvement

Last year, UMass allowed 38.6 points per game, which ranked 136th in the country. For those curious, there were only 136 FBS teams in 2025. In total yards allowed, the Minutemen were notably better — all the way up at 129th nationally (433.8).

In Thursday night’s season-opener against Rutgers, the defense showed a lot more backbone that it did at any point last year. The Minutemen actually created a fair bit of chaos on defense, generating seven tackles for loss and five sacks against a Big Ten offensive line.

UMass also won the turnover battle 4-0 with three of those being interceptions of Scarlet Knights quarterback Dylan Lonergan.

Perhaps the biggest play the UMass defense made all night came with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Rutgers chose to go for a 4th-and-1 from the UMass 11-yard line, and the Minutemen didn’t give an inch. They forced a turnover on downs, and in that moment, they effectively buried the Scarlet Knights.

The UMass secondary was victimized by KJ Duff on numerous occasions, but there’s no shame in that, and there aren’t many receivers like him in the MAC. The rush defense, on the other hand, was extremely effective. Rutgers got zero push up front and averaged just 1.2 yards per attempt.

It’s only one game, but this is a very encouraging sign for the Minutemen. This defense certainly didn’t look like the worst unit in the country against Rutgers.