La Masia is widely regarded as one of the greatest football academies in history. It has produced legends, Ballon d'Or winners and players who shaped an era at FC Barcelona. Yet, for every talent that makes it at Camp Nou, many others are forced to look elsewhere for opportunity. Leaving Barcelona is often painted as a failure, but history tells a very different story. In many cases, stepping away from La Masia becomes the defining moment that unlocks a player's true potential.
For most of the first half of the season, the squad depth was the main topic among Milan fans. Between injuries, suspensions and deputies not cutting it, the Rossoneri definitely didn't perform as well as they could have done on the pitch. Yet, they managed to ride out the worst storms and now have 46 points after 21 games, only losing one game as well (the opening round).
At one point, Mathys Tel looked like he was destined to be a part of Bayern Munich's future. A dynamic attacker back in the 2023/24, Tel was thought to have the ability to shift out to wing and bring a goalscoring threat to that position. After all, he did register 10 goals and six assists during that initial campaign in Bavaria.
Retired right-hander Ryan Pressly has been hired by the Twins, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. According to Declan Goff of SKOR North, Pressly will be working in player development with both major and minor leaguers. Pressly, 37, just announced his retirement as a player a couple of days ago. It seems he doesn't plan to sit by the fire smoking a pipe and reading the paper. He has quickly launched the next stage of his life with this gig with the Twins.
The theory behind drafting Walter with the 19th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was that they would be grooming their shooting guard of the future. The top prospect had an up-and-down freshman season at Baylor but showed signs of both on-ball shot creation and off-ball shot making that would make him an ideal fit for the Raptors. It is obviously still early in Walter's career, so it's hard to make any definitive statements about his ultimate trajectory as a player.
He needs to get back to where he was 7, 8 weeks ago when everyone felt he was stacking good days. He's stacking days in the wrong direction now," he said. "I get it with some young players. You sometimes subconsciously play poorly to say, 'Hey, I'll play poorly until you play me the minutes I think I deserve, and then I'll play well.' That's not how it works.
Playing in the Premier League has always been a dream of mine, and I'm incredibly excited for what's ahead. I know there's still plenty of work to do, and pushing myself every day and improving is something I'm fully committed to. We have some special things ahead of us at Sunderland, and I'm looking forward to taking this journey together.
The Athletic lists Cowan's attributes as average skating, above-average puck skills, an average hockey sense, and high-end compete. The latter is patently evident every night when watching Cowan hit the ice. All of the attributes listed seem fair. Cowan has yet to fully develop into the star we know he could become. That's why listing him in the ranking's tier 7 group is unjustified.
In Wednesday night's 115-101 win over the Indiana Pacers, Gradey Dick recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Dick, who has struggled in the first half of the season, turned a new leaf in game 42 and had his best game of the year against the Pacers. His performance tied a season high in points and set a career high in rebounds.
Image source, Getty Images Raphinha has been described as a "hero" and a "game-changer" by Spanish press after his two goals helped Barcelona beat Real Madrid on Sunday to earn a fourth consecutive Super Cup win. It marks a shift in perception for a player whose first years at the club were defined by uncertainty. When the Brazilian arrived from Leeds United in July 2022, he delivered flashes of quality but his play was inconsistent.
However, he was said to have rejected it in order to continue his development as U18s lead coach, a role he took on last summer having previously served as U16s coach, first-team coach and technical director at United since ending a playing career that saw him make more than 340 appearances for the club across a 13-year spell that followed his graduation from the academy, winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League alongside Carrick under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Like the rest of his teammates, the winger has found his stride since the holiday break, and it's come just in time for his return to Utah. Prior to joining the Maple Leafs, Maccelli spent the first four seasons of his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes now turned Utah Mammoth organization. Suffice it is to say, he should have plenty in the tank for his first game back at Delta Center.
The Browns made an out-of-left-field hire in 2023 when they brought Banda over from Utah State to coach safeties. Before joining Cleveland, Banda had no NFL experience, so there were questions about whether he would be a good fit. Banda has quickly become one of the better position coaches the Browns have. Grant Delpit has leveled up his game into an all-around safety under Banda's leadership - and really one of the more underrated safeties in the game.
The Twins have hired recently retired outfielder Michael A. Taylor as an outfield instructor, per Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He won't be a member of the big league coaching staff but will be in camp for several weeks this spring and will visit the Twins' minor league affiliates to work with their up-and-coming outfielders throughout the 2026 season. Taylor, 34, retired following the 2025 season.
The Rangers have recalled forward Brennan Othmann again. To make space, Anton Blidh was returned to the AHL. Othmann was reassigned on New Year's Day after the first wave of 2026 injuries that included Noah Laba and Conor Sheary. His reassignment then was due to bonuses in his contract making it impossible to keep him on the roster and still be cap compliant.
I think, for me, it's his skating and the speed in the middle of the ice more than anything. I really believe that he's attacking in the middle of the ice, he's demanding the puck in the middle of the ice, and he's doing a great job using his size and speed going through people.
