Chelsea ace Cole Palmer was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last month even though a transfer never really came close to happening in January

One of Cole Palmer’s close friends has insisted the Chelsea midfielder will one day become a Manchester United player.

Shortly after Liam Rosenior was confirmed as the Blues’ head coach, speculation emerged suggesting Palmer, 23, is interested in a move to Old Trafford. Reports at the time suggested the England international was experiencing homesickness and yearned to return to Wythenshawe, his Manchester hometown.

The speculation surrounding United, the club he followed during his childhood, became so persistent Rosenior felt compelled to address it during a press conference. His Stamford Bridge deal runs until 2033, which would make any move for Palmer an expensive and difficult proposition.

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Yet this hasn’t deterred his pal, rap star Tunde Olayinka from launching a United-themed campaign to win Palmer over. He shared a photograph of himself alongside the Chelsea star during a holiday in Dubai.

His caption read: “One day, I will get CP (Cole Palmer) to Utd, back home where he belongs. Go ask him who his favourite team is,” accompanied by a Red Devil and football emoji.

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football.london report that Chelsea regard Palmer as an “untouchable” player, who is not for sale at any price. Given that Palmer’s contract doesn’t expire for another seven years, the Blues are in a position to dictate any transfer fee to potential buyers.

Rosenior has also asserted Palmer’s sole focus is on his career at Chelsea. In January, the Blues’ head coach stated: “Is he untouchable, is he happy? Yes and yes.

“It’s simple, Cole Palmer is an incredible player like many players in the group. Cole is here, he’s very happy and I can’t wait to see him back on the pitch.

“Our thoughts are on how we can make this team better, how he can improve and how I can help him. He loves being here and he wants to be a Chelsea player.”

Following his hat-trick in the 3-1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, the former Manchester City star also dismissed rumours linking him with a move away. He said: “Everyone loves to chat rubbish, don’t they?

“I don’t pay too much attention to it. You see things. But I feel like I’ve come from a strong place anyway so I don’t pay attention to it.”

When asked about Rosenior, he added: “Life under Liam is amazing, he gives us all confidence. Lets us be ourselves, play free. I’m sure when I’m back proper fit you’ll see the best of me.

“Him and all the staff give us all confidence on the training pitch, with his strategies, the way we play. I really like it.”

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Most golfers never think about where their swing actually begins.

They might focus on a single aspect of their takeaway like their hands, the club or their wrists — but Erika Larkin, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, says the real motion starts much higher up. And understanding the start of your swing is key to improving your low-point control and becoming a better ball-striker.

“The golf swing is a lot like a pendulum swinging motion,” Larkin says. “If you take a smaller motion, the pendulum is swinging with our arms and the club together really from a point higher in our body than a lot of people visualize.” 

When you start your swing with your chest, Larkin says, everything moves together like one smooth, controlled pendulum. But if you start your swing further down, like with the handle, this can result in a wristy swing that makes it difficult to dial in your swing’s low point.

Create your pendulum

To create this pendulum, you first need to rethink how you approach the swing. Most amateurs picture the club or hands as the center of motion, which often leads to inconsistency. Instead, Larkin says to visualize the club as an extension of your sternum. This simple shift allows your arms, body and club to move together in unison.

Start small, Larkin says. Rather than try to incorporate this new feel into your full swing, begin with a shorter, controlled motion. Remember, the motion should originate from your sternum.

“Think about the extension of the club pointing up toward the mid-section, sternum area of your chest and body, and try to move the pendulum as if it’s swinging from that upper moment,” she says.

Once you feel the pendulum in smaller swings, gradually extend it into longer, full swings.

“As you grow it, it doesn’t really change. It’s still moving from that taller, top point in your body,” Larkin says. “It’s connecting your arms and the club movement, swinging around you from a very stable point.” 

With your pendulum anchored at the sternum, your swing should become smoother, more connected and easier to repeat, which Larkin says will translate to better low-point control. 

Think of it as one long, graceful pendulum: arms and club moving together from the chest, wrists hinging freely, hands relaxed. It’s a subtle shift in how you think about your swing, but one that can immediately improve timing, consistency and power.

Sometimes, swinging smarter really is that simple.

The understated and often underappreciated Shivam Dube produced another heroic effort with the bat in India’s final T20 World Cup 2026 group stage clash against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18. The 32-year-old scored a brilliant 31-ball 66 when India were in trouble at 69/3 in nine overs.

Dube is enjoying an excellent start with the bat this year, averaging 38.83 at a strike rate of 208.03 in nine T20Is. The tall left-hander has been a regular in the Indian T20I side since 2024, when the side triumphed in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

He has been impressive in the ongoing edition, averaging 29 at an average of over 178 in four matches.

While consistency and versatility haven’t always been Shivam Dube’s calling cards, his unique skillset against spin in the middle-order has made him an irreplaceable force. More recently, since becoming a regular in the playing XI, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-hander has also evolved as India’s savior when the team is in trouble.

His most recent heroics against the Netherlands aside, Dube has bailed India out of dire straits frequently in the past.

Here, we look at three such instances when Shivam Dube saved Team India from the blushes in a tricky situation in T20Is.

#1 Asia Cup 2025 final

The first thing that comes up when Team India fans discuss Shivam Dube is his pivotal knock in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai. The Men in Blue were red-hot favorites entering the game, having won all six of their previous matches in the tournament.

Yet, come the big occasion against their arch-rivals, India found themselves in trouble, chasing 147 on a tacky wicket. Dube walked into bat with the score reading 77/4 in the 13th over and the contest hanging in the balance.

Unfazed by the situation, the 32-year-old remained calm and exploded at the end, finishing with a crucial 22-ball 33 to help India pull off a thrilling five-wicket victory in the last over.

Before his batting heroics, Dube also bowled an invaluable spell of 0/23 in three overs in the first innings, with veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya injured.

#2 IND vs ENG, 2025

Shivam Dube may have endured a mixed bag with the bat in T20Is last year, but the start of the season was anything but. The tall left-hander produced a series-winning knock against England with the side in trouble in January 2025.

With the five-match series hanging by a thread at 2-1 to India, the hosts suffered an early collapse in the fourth T20I in Pune to be reduced to 57/4 in the eighth over.

However, Dube changed the course of the game with a sensational 53 off 34 deliveries at No.6, including seven boundaries and two maximums. The southpaw curbed his natural six-hitting instincts for most of the innings, helping India post a respectable 181/9 in 20 overs.

Dube’s knock proved to be the difference between the sides as India completed a 15-run win and took an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

#3 IND vs USA, T20 World Cup 2024

Several questions were raised over Shivam Dube’s inclusion in the Indian squad at the start of their victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. Yet, the big-hitting batter answered his skeptics early in the tournament with a crucial knock against the USA in the group stage in New York.

On a bowler-friendly pitch, the Men in Blue restricted the co-hosts to a below-par 110/8 in 20 overs. Yet, in response, the Indian batters found the going difficult, slipping to 39/3 in the eighth over.

With an improbable defeat facing them, India were saved by Shivam Dube, who produced an uncharacteristic knock at No.5. The veteran batter scored an unbeaten 31 off 35 balls with only a boundary and a maximum, propelling India to a seven-wicket victory.