Tag Futebol

Burnley are preparing for life back in the Premier League and could now be in the lead to sign a proven international defender, according to a report.

Burnley ready to break cycle of newly-promoted clubs in Premier League

Many newly promoted sides of the past have found it difficult to transition to life in the Premier League after claiming promotion, which is something the Clarets are desperate to change at Turf Moor.

Speaking ahead of their return to top-flight action, Nedum Onuoha believes Burnley should use Brentford as an example of how to survive and grow among the elite of the English pyramid over the next few years.

He explained: “It sounds a bit dull if you are a Burnley fan, but stick with the process. Clubs that manage to maintain their identity, can end up doing well. Brentford, for example. They never really deviated away from the model that they have, and now they’re an established Premier League side.”

Nevertheless, signings are necessary for the EFL Championship runners-up to build a squad that can live up to that feat. CJ Egan-Riley could be set for the exit door, and Burnley are now plotting an ambitious swoop for Liverpool’s Joe Gomez that could total £25 million.

Rennes midfielder Jordan James is also on Scott Parker’s radar. This development may become an ideal trade-off between youth and experience if Josh Brownhill leaves Turf Moor, signalling that there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes in Lancashire.

Related Burnley now enter race to sign new winger for Parker as talks intensify

Talks are believed to be intensifying over the player in question.

Posts ByHenry Jackson May 26, 2025

The revolving door of transfer speculation never stops and Burnley are now reportedly in the lead to win the race to sign a talented defender with top-flight experience.

Burnley could win the race to sign Chris Mepham

According to Graeme Bailey in conversation with EFL Analysis, Burnley could trump Sheffield United and Sunderland to sign Chris Mepham, potentially on a free transfer with his contract at Bournemouth set to expire at the end of this month.

The Wales international earns £35,000 per week and spent the campaign on loan at the Black Cats, scoring once in 40 appearances as they also claimed promotion via the playoffs.

Chris Mepham’s campaign for Sunderland in numbers – EFL Championship (Fotmob)

Tackles won

31

Aerial duels won

109

Interceptions

34

Recoveries

138

Blocks

3

Dubbed “superb” by Dan Ballard, Bournemouth also have an option to extend his deal for a further 12 months despite his contract being set to run out, though Bailey anticipates that Burnley could skip to the front of the queue in any case.

He stated: “It could be one of those promoted teams. Do we see Burnley coming in for him? They may have to lose Maxime Esteve, and they’ve lost CJ Egan-Riley already. I wouldn’t rule Burnley out of the running on that one.”

Whether Bournemouth do activate his extension clause or not, the Clarets appear to be well in the race to bring Mepham to Turf Moor and he would be an ideal fit given he has made over 60 Premier League appearances across his career.

When it comes to world-class players, Tottenham Hotspur have had their fair share in the Premier League era.

For example, while they never managed to get over the final hurdle, the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Mousa Dembélé were unreal under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, go back just that little bit further, and you get to Gareth Bale, who for quite some time was arguably one of the best wingers in world football.

So, fans should be ecstatic about recent reports that have linked the club with another sensational wideman who could be their best winger since the Welshman.

Tottenham transfer news

With just how terribly this season has gone for Tottenham, it’s unsurprising to see the club linked with a host of talented players in recent weeks, such as Marcus Rashford.

The Englishman could be available for around £40m in the summer, which might prove to be a reasonable price for the Manchester United product, as across his time with the Red Devils and Aston Villa this term, he’s produced 20 goal involvements in 41 appearances.

A slightly cheaper and far younger option is Tyler Dibling.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Southampton gem has been one of the few bright sparks for the Saints this season, could be available for about £35m and would fit in with the club’s current crop of young talents.

However, as promising as the Exeter-born prospect is, he’s not going to come in and make an instant impact, unlike Jarrod Bowen.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs are keen to land the West Ham United star from their London rivals this summer.

Alongside the Lilywhites, Liverpool have also been credited with interest in the Englishman, and while the Hammers do not want to sell, the two parties could make an offer of up to €60m for the 28-year-old, which is about £51m.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Bowen’s immense ability, it’d be one worth fighting for.

Why Bowen would be Spurs' best winger

So, should Spurs get their way and leapfrog Liverpool to sign Bowen this summer, why would he instantly become their best winger in a long time?

Well, there are a couple of reasons, but perhaps the most important is that he’s a reliable source of goals and assists.

For example, in just 32 appearances this term, he’s scored ten goals and provided nine assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games.

In contrast, Son has scored 11 goals and produced 12 assists in 43 appearances, which comes out to one every 1.86 games.

Brennan Johnson has scored 16 goals and produced seven assists in 46 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every other game.

Appearances

32

43

46

17

Goals

10

11

16

3

Assists

9

12

7

0

Goal Involvements*

0.59

0.53

0.50

0.17

And finally, Wilson Odobert has scored just three goals in 17 appearances this season, which comes out at one every 5.66 games.

On top of the number of goals and assists he produces, the Irons’ “game-changer,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, has also proven that he can handle the most significant occasions, as he scored the winning goal in the 2023 Conference League Final.

Last but not least, while he thrives out on the right, the Englishman is incredibly versatile and can play up top and as a second striker as well as off the left at times, which would allow whoever’s in the Lilywhites’ dugout far more tactical flexibility.

Ultimately, while he might not reach the same levels as peak Bale did, Bowen has the ability and application to be Spurs’ best winger since the Welshman left.

Uh oh: Ange hints £190k-a-week Spurs star could miss Bodo/Glimt with injury

Postecoglou has dropped a worrying injury update ahead of Tottenham’s crucial Europa League tie.

ByDominic Lund Apr 28, 2025

A player dubbed one of the fastest men in his league is keen on a move to Arsenal this summer, with work already done by the Gunners ahead of what would be an excellent deal for sporting director Andrea Berta.

Andrea Berta wants new forward at Arsenal

Berta has reportedly shortlisted numerous attacking targets, both out wide and further up the field in the striker position.

Arsenal set for talks to sign "underrated" star after Berta decision this week

The Italian is stamping his mark as Edu’s replacement.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 4, 2025

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Berta is targeting Mohamed Kudus (West Ham), Matheus Cunha (Wolves), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal) and Arda Güler (Real Madrid), but one name is currently in pole position to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s wide options.

Berta held a widely reported meeting with Nico Williams’ camp this week, as the Italian looks to win the highly competitive race for his signature.

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (away)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (home)

April 23rd

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

As per The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, Williams is also being chased by Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, so Arsenal face a battle to sign one of Europe’s most exciting direct wingers.

In terms of centre-forward targets, three names stand out – Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Newcastle United star Alexander Isak.

The latter is set to be priced out of the market as Eddie Howe appears determined to keep the Swede, with a starting valuation of around £150 million mooted by various sections of the press.

Isak is Arteta’s dream signing, but it is believed that Gyokeres and Sesko are viewed as far more realistic striking options at this point.

Arsenal are apparently set to hold talks over Gyokeres, who could be allowed to leave for £70 million, lower than his £83m release clause, while Sesko will cost even less.

The Slovenia international, who’s already bettered his 2023/24 tally for goals and assists combined in all competitions this season, rejected a proposal to join Arsenal last year, in favour of remaining at Leipzig to further his development.

However, Arsenal could have a better chance of striking a deal this year.

Benjamin Sesko keen to join Arsenal with groundwork laid

According to GiveMeSport, Sesko is keen on joining Arsenal this summer, and groundwork on a deal has already been laid for Berta if he wishes to move forward with a potential transfer for the 21-year-old.

He’ll apparently command a price tag of around £60 million, which is the value of his release clause, and this could be an absolute steal considering both Sesko’s form and physical prowess.

The ex-RB Salzburg sensation, standing at around 6 foot 5, has been recorded as one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga with a top speed of 35.47 kilometres per hour (Sky Sports).

These attributes highlight him as tailor-made for the Premier League, and given Berta can bypass any negotiations with Leipzig via the release clause, this move could be seen as a no-brainer.

The ace spinner needs to respond to the rule change where third umpires are catching the marginal no-balls he used to get away with

Sidharth Monga04-Mar-2024Ravindra Jadeja has bowled 52 front-foot no-balls in Test cricket since December 2020. Of the 18 overall no-balls he had bowled before that, four had bounced more than once, and seven were detected by the third umpire because they had either resulted in dismissals or were reviewed under DRS. We don’t have records that confirm all of the remaining seven were indeed front-foot no-balls. Be that as it may, you get the gist: Jadeja has been bowling an extraordinarily high number of no-balls since late 2020.In a way, this increase in no-balls has nothing to do with Jadeja. In mid-2020, the ICC handed over calling of all foot-fault no-balls to the third umpire. Before that turning point in cricket, the third umpires used to check for no-balls only if the ball had resulted in a dismissal or if a non-dismissal had been reviewed by the fielding side.Now Jadeja is the perfect illustration for why you need a third umpire, for why it is so difficult to call no-balls on the field. He pushes the line anyway, but to add to that, he doesn’t land flat. His front foot goes well over the line in the air, then he drags it back while still in the air, and the toe makes the landing first. The umpire has to quickly draw an imaginary straight line from his heel to the ground and calculate in their head if it falls on the popping crease or just behind.Related

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That most of Jadeja’s no-balls are only caught on replay means he hasn’t started overstepping in 2020. Just that, he has started getting called for overstepping in 2020. Just imagine how many no-balls were missed before the third umpires started to check every ball for a foot fault. Not just from Jadeja, but especially Jadeja, because his landing is so difficult to work out.In another way, the increase in no-balls has everything to do with Jadeja. Since the third umpires took over calling all foot-fault no-balls, starting with the Test series between England and West Indies in July 2020, Kagiso Rabada and Ben Stokes have sent down the most foot-fault no-balls: 77. They are fast bowlers, and their increase from before third-umpires is not huge – 50s to 77. No spinner, however, comes even close to Jadeja’s 52 no-balls, and he has gone from seven foot-fault no-balls to 52. At No. 5, he is the only spinner among the top 14 bowlers of no-balls since the third umpire started checking every ball.Jadeja is one of the all-time great spinners and allrounders. He is such a gifted athlete that everything on the cricket field seems to come naturally to him. He is like a well-oiled machine on the road: smooth and seemingly effortless. This is not to say he doesn’t work hard, but he does give the impression that he does things the way he knows, and most of the times it just turns out to be too good for most other cricketers.With these no-balls, though, Jadeja needs to put in the extra effort. And it is not a big effort. Most of these are extremely marginal no-balls, and avoiding them requires only a small adjustment. A Test cricketer shouldn’t take so long to respond to a rule change.Known for his glib, funny one-liners on the field, India’s Test captain Rohit Sharma shouted during the ongoing Test series: “This Jadeja doesn’t bowl no-balls in the IPL, man. Jaddu, just imagine it’s T20.”In T20s, with the threat of the free hit around, Jadeja has overstepped just twice since 2020. In ODIs, he has done so only six times. The same should be easy to apply in Tests. In this series alone, Jadeja has bowled 11 no-balls, nearly twice what anybody else has. Luckily none of those has impacted his 17 wicket-taking balls, but it shouldn’t take a no-ball to cost him a wicket to make that adjustment.

The new regime and not being captain anymore has brought him liberation and, perhaps, self-discovery

Osman Samiuddin06-Jul-2022Joe Root got England underway on the fifth morning at Edgbaston with a little nudge off his thighs to square leg for a single. It was almost exactly the shot with which he began England’s final day in the chase at Lord’s against New Zealand earlier this summer. It is a trademark Joe Root shot.He has an entire family of back-cuts, from the angled-bat dab down fine to the more vertical open-faced glides square and everything in between: these are all trademark Joe Root shots.The Joe Root off-drives are a trademarked range, housing the bog-standard drive through extra cover, leaning lithely into the shot, the square-driving on one knee or going straighter, body and bat moving into the ball with the practised ease of a dancer.Related

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The clips he works through midwicket – also a Joe Root trademark. The pull shot: trademarked; the back-foot punch, on his toes, as elegant as a yoga pose; the little drop to the off for a quick single; these are all shots that are identifiably Joe Root’s but if so many shots are identifiably Joe Root’s, then can any one shot be truly his? And if not, where does that leave us?With the best batter in the world at this moment.One sense that is common with great batters in their very best periods, as with Root now, is that every great innings acquires this inevitability. Of course, they scored a hundred and of course, they did it the way they did it, the way they always do it. It’s them, that’s what they do. After a time, pitches, bowlers, situations, and even results can become irrelevant.Or rather than an inevitability, is this what it must be like to see (rather than hear) an echo? Every subsequent great innings is the echo of an original great innings the batter has played, except unlike with sound, there’s no loss of vividness.With Root, most innings drive home the universal observation about his batting, that the first time you look up at the scoreboard after he has come in, he is already on 20-something and nobody is quite sure how he got there (hint: those trademarked shots).But the reality for most batters has always been that the first part of any innings is the most difficult time. They are lining up actions, making sense of the surface, getting their body aligned, making sure the feet are light, the arms loose and a central equilibrium holding it together. They are trying to tune themselves out from the outside noise but also tuning themselves to the task at hand.There’s no standout metric that illustrates the point of Root’s starts – the best one is that his dismissal rate in the first 20 balls (among batters who’ve played at least 100 innings since Root’s debut) is the sixth lowest. Even the caveat that he has played a lot in England, where top-order batting is basically about negotiating the early dismissal, doesn’t save this from being underwhelming. But that only speaks to a broader point about Root, because by the time you’ve read the last two paragraphs, he’s already on 23.

With Root, most innings drive home the universal observation about his batting, that the first time you look up at the scoreboard after he has come in, he is already on 20-something

For all that England’s batting has been this summer – and aside from being astonishingly successful, it’s still not clear precisely what it is – it has been underpinned by the presence of Root. He is the one who was there when none of this was there, and he’ll be the one still there when all this isn’t. That he has bookended the wild last few weeks with fourth-innings hundreds in a big chase is perfect.And the Edgbaston hundred was every bit as significant as Lord’s hundred. England had lost three wickets in two runs in a matter of minutes, Virat Kohli was all over them and India were threatening to recreate The Oval. Lose Lord’s and who knows whether this happens. Lose this and face the questions, or at least the smirking reminders that against the best attacks, this isn’t going to work.Root’s response was to lead England as he was always meant to: with bat. In the first 15 overs of the stand with Jonny Bairstow, a period in which the game was at its tightest, Root took 60% of the strike. That might not appear a very lopsided proportion but imagine the strong temptation to let Bairstow take over and really barrel his way into that target?Instead, Root gamed it out. Enough singles to not let the score stagnate (but not so many that anyone noticed he was already on 20-something), keep out what you can, put away what you can. Jasprit Bumrah got too straight, away to the midwicket fence; Mohammad Shami gave him a fraction on length, dabbed through backward point. Root survived a tight lbw shout, next ball he shuffled out – another trademark – and clipped Shami through midwicket.From the other end, Ravindra Jadeja was gaining control. Post tea, he had figures of 6-2-9-0 into his spell, drying up England’s runs from over the wicket. Root had reverse-swept twice to try to break the stranglehold, without success. In the seventh over of Jadeja’s spell, he finally paddle-swept him twice, each for four; in his next, he swept him conventionally for another. Boom, Bumrah and Shami seen off, now Jadeja; by the next over, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur were bowling.He can be a rock star too•PA Photos/Getty ImagesThis wasn’t what England had done previously; this was Root doing what he does. He referred to conversations in the dressing room about recognising moments when the pressure had to be absorbed, before ruthlessly turning it around – a bit of nuance not often talked about over these Tests.Once that period broke open, the inevitability crept back in: of a Root ton and more improbably of another big England chase. On the final morning, Root got through the 90s with, in order, a glide off the face through third man, a clip off his pads and a late, late dab so fine it bounced in front of and then over second slip – all for four. If Root were to sleepwalk his way through the 90s, this is the route he would take as he knows it so well.Eventually, England chased down the total in a much more calculated and less bludgeoning way than at Trent Bridge and Headingley. They were more inevitable about it and at the centre was Root.All that said, it has been a fascinating summer in the career of Joe Root. He feels like a kid again and because he has never knowingly not looked like a kid, the youthfulness is assumed to be in his batting. The new regime yes, no captaincy also yes. Together it has brought liberation. His strike rate has always been healthy but this summer, he has been striking at 19 runs more per 100 balls.Also, perhaps, self-discovery. At Trent Bridge, he played shots that are unusual for him in Tests and urged a rewriting of the coaching manual. After Edgbaston, he half-joked he was caught between the grounding of the old Yorkshire way of orthodox batting and the entreaties of his captain to be a rock star. But he has clearly been re-thinking, or rather re-assessing, more seriously the contours of Test batting.”It’s scripted out how you need to play in Test cricket,” he said when asked about dealing with the stifling orthodoxy around the format. “Sometimes being unpredictable is very difficult to bowl at. Sometimes the gaps are bigger, and you know where the ball is going to be because of generally how sides bowl for long periods of time. There have been occasions this summer I might have played some unusual shots. But they’ve felt like pretty low-risk options in the moment.”It’s not as if no one has ever come upon this truth before. Virender Sehwag, as just one, understood this from the moment he started playing. In Root’s case, it could even be argued he has returned to it, given his once burgeoning white-ball game. Remember that, unlike his great contemporaries, he rarely gets to exhibit his (still considerable) white-ball skills anymore.He has played seven ODI innings since becoming a world champion three years ago; he hasn’t played a T20 outside the Blast in over three years. The absence has steadily dimmed the cachet and robbed him of a global, all-format sheen (while, by contrast, Steven Smith and Kane Williamson faced off in the last T20 World Cup final). If nothing else, this summer has been a righting of that.

And what’s the most wickets in a Test by someone who also bagged a pair?

Steven Lynch17-Mar-2020Who was Yabba, apparently the only spectator at the recent ODI between Australia and New Zealand? asked Maurice Evans from New Zealand
“Yabba” was the nickname given to Stephen Harold Gascoigne, a Sydney rabbit-seller who became famous for his raucous pronouncements from the Hill during matches at the SCG. Arguably the best-recalled example of his output was his advice to the England captain Douglas Jardine during the Bodyline tour: “Leave our flies alone Jardine! They’re the only friends you’ve got out here.”A statue of Yabba was unveiled on the Hill in 2008, which is why he was, poetically speaking, the only onlooker at the recent ODI in Sydney, after spectators were excluded for health reasons. The official attendance of zero would appear to be an unbeatable record low: according to the Melbourne statistician Charles Davis, the previous-smallest daily attendance for an international match in Australia was 17, for the final day of the 1967-68 Adelaide Test – India were nine down overnight, and 161 behind; Australia needed six overs on the final morning to pick up the last wicket.Ian Chappell, in a recent ESPNcricinfo article, entertainingly recalled a Sheffield Shield match that started with just one spectator in attendance. I seem to remember a report of a match in Zimbabwe that started with no one watching at all, but I’m not sure when that was!I noticed that Mitchell Starc has bowled 70 of his 178 victims in ODIs, which is almost 40%. Is this a record? asked Rick McDonough from Australia
Mitchell Starc’s percentage of bowled dismissals in one-day internationals – 39.33% – is indeed a record for anyone with more than 100 wickets. Next come Waqar Younis, with 151 out of 416 (36.3%), the West Indian Jerome Taylor, with 45 out of 128 (35.16%) and Wasim Akram, with 176 out of 502 (35.06%). If we drop the qualification to 50 wickets, Starc comes in third, behind another Pakistani – offspinner Tauseef Ahmed, with 23 bowled out of 55 wickets (41.82%) – and another rapid Aussie, Shaun Tait, with 25 out of 62 (40.32%).How many men have scored a Test triple-century in a team’s second innings? asked Ahmed Raza from Pakistan
Only two batsmen have managed a triple-century in their team’s second innings in a Test. For a long time the only one to achieve it was Hanif Mohammad, with his monumental match-saving 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58. With Pakistan trailing by 473 runs after the first innings, Hanif batted for 970 minutes (or 999, by some accounts), and Pakistan escaped with a draw. Nearly 56 years later, in February 2014, Hanif was joined by Brendon McCullum, who made 302 (in 775 minutes) for New Zealand against India in Wellington.The highest score in the fourth innings of a Test is 223, by George Headley for West Indies against England in a timeless Test in Kingston in 1929-30. For the full list of second-innings double-centuries, click here.Sachin Tendulkar has been dismissed in the nineties in ODIs 18 times, and has been out for 99 thrice•Getty ImagesI noticed that Kane Williamson had made seven nineties in ODIs, and Virat Kohli six. Who’s top of this list? asked Anuram Bhatti from India
Kane Williamson’s current tally of seven scores of between 90 and 99 in one-day internationals puts him joint-sixth (with India’s Mohammad Azharuddin) on this particular list. Jacques Kallis made eight, and Nathan Astle, Aravinda de Silva and Grant Flower nine – but way ahead, with twice as many, is Sachin Tendulkar, whose 18 included three 99s.What’s the most wickets in a Test by someone who also bagged a pair? asked Ron Houghton from England
The Surrey and England bowler George Lohmann holds this particular record. He took 15 wickets – 7 for 38 and 8 for 7 – against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 1895-96, but was also dismissed for ducks in both innings.More recently, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar took 12 for 104 (two 6 for 52s) for India against Australia in Melbourne in 1977-78, and Waqar Younis 12 for 130 (7 for 76 and 5 for 54) for Pakistan against New Zealand in Faisalabad in 1990-91. In all, there have been 11 instances of a bowler combining ten or more wickets in a Test with a pair with the bat.Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

يرى جيمي ريدناب محلل الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أن محمد صلاح قد يغادر ليفربول في يناير، وتوقع ألا تنتهي مسيرة اللاعب المصري بشكل جيد.

وجلس النجم المصري محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء أمام سندرلاند، وهي المباراة الثانية على التوالي التي يجلس فيها اللاعب ويتم استبعاده من التشكيل الأساسي.

وتوقع جيمي ريدناب أن صلاح لا يشعر بالسعادة حالياً، بسبب جلوسه على دكة البدلاء وادعى أن رحيله عن ليفربول قد يكون وشيكاً.

وقال ريدناب في تصريحات لـ”سكاي سبورت”: “إنه لاعب عظيم في الدوري الإنجليزي ولاعب عظيم في ليفربول، ولذلك لا أعتقد أن النهاية ستكون سعيدة”

وأضاف: “إنهم في وضع صعب الآن، عندما يكون لديك لاعب بهذه الكفاءة والأهمية للفريق داخل وخارج غرفة الملابس، كيف يتفاعل ويتصرف في التدريبات، لن يرغب في الجلوس على مقاعد البدلاء، لقد وقع عقده مع الفريق وهذا ليس نهاية مسيرته، يريد اللعب أسبوعاً وراء الآخر”.

وواصل: “سيكون الأمر صعب للغاية، سأندهش إذا أكمل العام والنصف الأخير من عقده”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. ردود أفعال جماهير ليفربول على أداء محمد صلاح أمام سندرلاند: لا يزال هو الأفضل.. واطردوا سلوت

وسئل ريدناب إذا كان يعتقد أن مسيرة صلاح مع ليفربول تقترب من نهايتها: “لا أعتقد أن ما يحدث سيحسن الوضع إطلاقاً، لا شئ يفاجئني في كرة القدم، سواء في يناير أو ربما في الصيف، أعتقد أنه إذا جاء النادي المناسب، أعتقد أن صلاح سيقرر، وقد يقول إذا لم أكن لاعباً أساسياً معكم فأنا لست من أولئك اللاعبين الذين يرغبون في البقاء فسأذهب أينما يتطلب الأمر”.

وأتم: “أعتقد أن رغبة صلاح تبقى البقاء في أوروبا، سنرى إذا كان سيذهب للسعودية لأنه لاعب أسطوري في هذه المنطقة من العالم، أو سينتقل للولايات المتحدة”.

وختم عن ليفربول ووضع محمد صلاح معه هذا الموسم: “إنه ليس لاعب لا غني عنه، الوقت لا ينتظر أحد، وسيكون الأمر صعباً على الجميع، إنهم يعيدون بناء الفريق، وقد لا يكون هذا عامهم ولكن بالنظر لأعمار هذه المجموعة، لديهم الكثير من اللاعبين الشباب، عليهم البدء في بناء الفريق حول لاعبين مثل فيرتز وإيزاك،ومهما كان أداؤه فكل شئ وارد”.

Even two-time MVPs are in awe of three-home run games.

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez joined the storied franchise's record books in a 10-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. Dominguez belted three home runs in the game, becoming the youngest player in team history to hit three long balls in one contest. And Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, no stranger to awe-inspiring performances himself, was more than impressed.

"That was incredible," Judge, who himself had a three-homer game this season, gushed. "Just even going back to spring training—a guy [Dominguez] goes out there, wins a job. The work I saw him put in on the back fields when no one was really looking. On the defensive side, to the work in the cage and then to see him have a game like this tonight. Three homers, it's just special."

"I think you see the excitement on everybody in the dugout on each homer," Judge continued. "I'm happy for him. He's going to have a fantastic year. This was another special night that we got to watch."

At 22 years and 91 days old, Dominguez surpassed Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as the youngest Yankee to hit three homers in one game. DiMaggio accomplished the feat in 1937.

That's incredible enough as is, but when you have a player like Judge, widely regarded as the best hitter walking the planet, using words like "incredible", "special", and "impressive" to describe your performance, you know you did something unforgettable.

Dominguez's first two home runs of the night were solo shots. His third dinger was grand—literally. The 22-year-old blew the game open and rewrote the history books with a grand slam. He finished the contest with seven RBI. After the game, he told reporters that he kept saying "no way" to himself as he ran around the bases.

"A 3-homer game, I'll remember that for the rest of my life," Dominguez said.

Over the last couple of years, Manchester United have shifted their focus in the transfer market to landing young talents who can make an immediate and long-term impact at the club.

Such a strategy may prove to be a risky one, but the benefits massively outweigh the negatives, with the huge development and room for profit no doubt a real contributing factor.

Leny Yoro joined the Red Devils in a £52m deal from Lille last summer, with the Frenchman seen as a huge addition for the backline in their attempts for Premier League glory.

At just 20, he’s racked up nearly half a century of appearances at Old Trafford and is likely to remain a key member of Ruben Amorim’s squad for the foreseeable future.

However, with January rapidly on the horizon, the hierarchy look set to make yet more additions, which could see numerous other youngsters take the jump to move to Manchester.

Man Utd’s hunt for new additions in January

Elliot Anderson is the player who has mostly been linked with a move to join United this winter, with the 23-year-old seen as the club’s marquee addition for the upcoming window.

However, his potential move to Old Trafford would likely be a club-record one for Amorim’s men, as current employers Nottingham Forest are currently demanding £100m for his signature.

Such a price tag is to be expected given his recent rise, which has seen him cement himself as a regular starter in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad in 2025.

However, he’s not the only youngster in their sights, with AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit another talent the hierarchy are considering, according to CaughtOffside.

Their report states that the Red Devils have already reached out to the Dutch outfit over a move for the 19-year-old star, with a £25m price tag currently being mooted for his services.

The article also claims that local rivals Liverpool are also interested in a move for the teenager, but it remains to be seen where the player himself would prefer to move.

How Smit compares to Scott McTominay

United’s academy setup has often produced numerous top-level talents, with midfielder Scott McTominay just one player who has placed himself in that bracket.

The Scottish international rose through the ranks at Old Trafford, before making himself known to the supporters in the first team ranks – subsequently racking up a total of 255 appearances for the club.

However, last summer, the hierarchy decided it was best to move him on and cash in on his services, with the club offloading him to Napoli in a deal worth a reported £25m.

Such a decision has massively backfired, with the midfielder scoring 13 times in all competitions last season, resulting in the 28-year-old winning the Serie A MVP award for 2024/25.

He’s carried his phenomenal form into his international career as of late, even scoring a remarkable bicycle kick against Denmark this week to secure Scotland’s place at the 2026 World Cup.

His move away from Old Trafford has made him an elite-level talent, but the club could be about to land their next version of the star with a move for Smit in the coming months.

The Dutch youngster has also made a name for himself in recent months, as he’s already registered six combined goals and assists in his 19 appearances across all competitions.

He’s become a box-crashing midfielder who likes to pop up with a goal or an assist, something which McTominay has done excellently since his transfer away from his boyhood club.

Smit, who possesses “superstar potential” according to Ben Mattinson, has also completed 88% of the passes he’s attempted – resulting in 2.1 chances created per 90 this campaign.

Games played

19

Goals & assists

6

Pass accuracy

88%

Chances created

2.1

Successful dribbles

1.2

Dribble success

50%

Recoveries made

6.3

Tackles in final third

0.9

Other figures, such as 1.2 successful dribbles per 90 and a 50% dribble success rate, further showcase his talent in possession, which makes him a huge threat in attacking areas.

Out of possession, the youngster has also thrived, subsequently making 6.3 recoveries per 90 and 0.9 tackles per 90 in the final third of the pitch – numbers which could add a new dimension to Amorim’s side.

£25m for a youngster with Smit’s quality and potential is an excellent deal, but the Red Devils board will need to act quickly to avoid missing out to Liverpool.

If he can replicate McTominay’s incredible nouse for goals and assists within the final third, it would be a phenomenal piece of business that could take the club to the next level in the years ahead.

Next Carrick: Man Utd want to sign "one of the best CMs in the PL" for £60m

Man United could enhance the quality of their midfield with the signing of another Michael Carrick.

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 19, 2025

India extended their dominance over Pakistan to 11-3 in T20Is with a comfortable seven-wicket win in the first of three possible meetings at the Asia Cup. It was one-way traffic right from the time Hardik Pandya removed Saim Ayub with the first legal ball of the match.India’s superior bowling attack proved to be too much for Pakistan, who were frequently forced to play low-percentage shots to be able to score at a respectable pace. Still, 63 balls went unscored off, the scoring rate went past a run a ball only in the last over of the innings, and 128 was hardly a target for a power-packed India line-up.Related

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Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel two each, and Hardik and Varun Chakravarthy one apiece in a performance with no let-up.

Hardik, Bumrah strike, but Farhan fights

Taking the new ball ahead of Bumrah, Hardik started with a loose delivery, but Ayub hit him straight to Bumrah at backward point. In the next over, Mohammad Haris tried to impose himself on Bumrah, and managed only to hole out to Hardik at long leg.Sahibzada Farhan, though, went on to do something no Pakistani had ever done: hit a six off Bumrah in an international match. He then hit another in the final over of the powerplay, making him only the sixth batter to have hit more than one six off Bumrah in all T20Is.However, 42 for 2 was still only a strictly fighting score for a powerplay. It was to be Pakistan’s last bit of joy in a long time.

India’s spin strangle

The trio of Varun, Kuldeep and Axar immediately shut out all the scoring after the powerplay. It took Pakistan 31 balls to hit their first boundary after the powerplay. In the intervening period they scored just 12 runs for the loss of two wickets. Both were shots borne out of desperation, resulting in the wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha.2:20

How big is the gulf between India and Pakistan?

These two wickets came off slogs, but Kuldeep now began to go past defensive shots as well, his wrong’un to consign Mohammad Nawaz to a golden duck leaving him on a hat-trick.Pakistan’s struggles were summed up by their best-looking batter, Farhan, going into the death overs on 40 off 43, and getting out off the first ball of that phase. Shaheen Shah Afridi snatched that honour away from Farhan immediately with some clean striking for a personal T20I best of 33 not out off 16 to give Pakistan some hope.

Abhishek, Gill end Pakistan’s hopes

That small ray of hope was snuffed out immediately by Abhishek Sharma, who charged at Afridi first ball and hit it back over his head for four. He then hit the second for a six over long-off. Shubman Gill then hit successive boundaries off Ayub. Even though Ayub got his own back with the wickets of both openers, India had raced away to 41 for 2 in 3.4 overs.India themselves struggled to score freely once their second-best powerplay against Pakistan ended, but the quality difference between the sides was still palpable. Pakistan’s bowling didn’t ask as many questions as India’s did, and India’s batting was able to keep finding runs.The seven overs immediately after the powerplay produced just 39 runs and Tilak Varma’s wicket, but India were still comfortably placed. All it took was a small final push from Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube to seal the win with 4.1 overs to spare.