Liverpool’s diligence and careful planning over the past several years has allowed Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards to ride the crest of a wave of intent in the summer transfer market.

While the Reds’ defensive line was hampered by the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of last season, Anfield’s vice-captain now coloured in Real Madrid white, FSG acted incisively to wrap up deals for new full-back pairing Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, joining from Bournemouth and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

The latter was the first to arrive, and boasts an electric kind of skill set which lends itself to a more attacking berth too. In this way, he can contest with Conor Bradley for a starring role while covering for Mohamed Salah on the right wing.

Frimpong certainly has offensive quality, once hailed as a “monster in the final third” by The United Stand’s Beth Tucker. Excitingly, he’s not even Liverpool’s best Leverkusen addition this summer, with Florian Wirtz welcomed to the fold for a British-record £116m fee.

The attacking midfielder has the lot, and will likely upgrade on the club’s existing attacking midfield options while concurrently replacing Alexander-Arnold’s limitless creativity.

Why Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz

Slot opened with an interesting gambit this summer, reorienting Liverpool’s creative focal point. Trent has long been regarded among the crème de la crème of playmaking in the Premier League, but he’s gone, and the champions were right in signing world-class talent more aligned with tactical conventions.

Wirtz, 22, has been an utter menace for Bayer Leverkusen over the past several years, bursting from the youth scene with gusto, flooring seasoned professionals with his bounding strides. In 2023/24, he earned the honour of Bundesliga Player of the Year, vital in toppling Bayern Munich after an invincible domestic campaign.

He’s the real deal and will add more flair and flavour to a title-rich Liverpool team. Wirtz has something most every attacking midfielder yearns for: he brings completeness defined by its artful and industrious mix.

For example, Dominik Szoboszlai is a fantastic player, crucial for Liverpool, but he lacks the potency and speciality that Wirtz brings to the table.

Matches (starts)

31 (25)

36 (29)

Goals

10

6

Assists

12

6

Touches*

73.4

46.1

Shots (on target)*

2.5 (1.3)

1.9 (0.6)

Pass completion

82%

86%

Big chances created

17

12

Key passes*

1.8

1.6

Dribble success

2.6

0.6

Ball recoveries*

3.6

3.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.3

1.4

Duels won*

5.2

2.8

Harvey Elliott’s feet wear a similar magic, but he lacks the clear definition of his German counterpart. Elliott, 22, has been touted with a move away from Merseyside this summer, Brighton and Borussia Dortmund among the frontrunners.

Should the Young Lion leave, Slot will want a replacement, and while Liverpool have one of the very best in Wirtz, they appear keen on signing yet another attacking midfielder who could bloom into one of Europe’s finest.

Liverpool prepare bid for La Liga sensation

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are interested in signing Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez this summer. Fermin, 22, has enjoyed a fast rise from La Masia and is valued at €80m (roughly £69m).

Transfer Focus

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

However, Hansi Flick’s focus on bringing attacking additions to Camp Nou has cast doubt over the Andalusian midfielder’s future, and Liverpool are ready to take advantage.

In fact, Anfield’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, is believed to be preparing a bid for the versatile star.

Liverpool might have signed Wirtz, but there’s room for such a profile to work on improving and blooming into a player of the highest class.

Why Liverpool want Fermin Lopez

Fermin is still young but he’s already established himself in a Barcelona side currently celebrating their La Liga and Copa del Rey double last year. The Spaniard also played a part in winning UEFA EURO 2024.

In total, he’s played 88 matches for the La Blaugrana senior side. With 19 goals scored and 11 assists laid on for his teammates, Fermin has a developing sharpness that has been utilised both centrally and out on the left flank.

In this manner, he’s not too dissimilar to Wirtz, especially when considering he ranked, per 90, among the top 10% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for goal contributions, the top 12% for pass completion, the top 9% for passes into the final third and the top 20% ball recoveries, as per FBref.

His positional fluidity and ball-playing focus link Fermin together with Liverpool’s new record man. However, there’s more. Digging deeper into the comparison, Fermin has been described by talent scout Jacek Kulig as being “simple and genius at the same time”.

There are exciting similarities in regard to the playmaking and pass-focused sides of the respective midfielders’ games, but don’t expect Fermin to bring as flashy and electric a game to Merseyside. He’s not that type of player.

However, Fermin’s alternate variation would give Liverpool the added dimension they need to continue to go from strength to strength under Slot’s wing.

Across 28 La Liga fixtures in 2024/25, as per Sofascore, he scored six goals and supplied five assists, so he might be a somewhat more pragmatic player but he’s certainly not without his offensive uses.

Without overextending with his creativity, Fermin manages to play that Wirtz-esque passing game in an industrious and controlled manner. He will collect the ball so many times across the 90, parcelling it out this way and that.

Liverpool enjoyed a stunning 2024/25 campaign, but they were felled at points – in particular in crash-out losses against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United – with both fixtures underscoring the need for more control and technical proficiency in the engine room.

Not that the Reds are lacking in that regard, just that they could do with that extra injection to win the lot next season. Wirtz and Fermin in tandem would likely help in that regard, for sure.

Slot's answer to Gyokeres: Hughes lines up Liverpool move for "crazy" CF

Liverpool have been named among the interested parties for this prolific forward.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 8, 2025

It’s almost time for Arsenal to return to action.

On Wednesday, the Gunners will take on AC Milan at the Singapore National Stadium, also facing Newcastle United in Kallang next Sunday, before heading over to Hong Kong for a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Ahead of their pre-season tour of Asia, the Gunners have been busy in the transfer market, but are they about to land their most important target of all?

Arsenal's busy transfer window

So far this summer, Arsenal have made four signings, following the announcement that Noni Madueke had arrived from Chelsea on Friday, doing so for a reported £53m.

He follows fellow new arrivals Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martín Zubimendi, and Christian Nørgaard, while it is widely expected that Cristhian Mosquera will join from Valencia for £16.5m.

Meanwhile, Mark Brus of Caught Offside claims that Arsenal are in talks to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig, which would certainly be an exciting addition.

Nevertheless, as noted by Art de Roché of the Athletic, a new centre forward remains the priority position that both those inside the club and supporters are concerned about, but there could be a breakthrough in that regard.

That’s because, according to Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport, Arsenal are now close to a “full agreement” with Sporting CP over the signing of Viktor Gyökeres, with optimism that a “breakthrough”, when it comes to add-ons, will be made over the weekend.

The Gunners have agreed to pay the Primeira Liga champions £55m plus close to £9m in add-ons, with the Swedish international still ‘waiting for permission to undergo a medical’, but there is hope he will be able to feature for Arsenal during their aforementioned fixtures in Asia.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

It was reported by Miguel Dantas and Ed Aarons of the Guardian last weekend that Gyökeres had failed to report for pre-season training, having informed Sporting he had no intention of returning, so this deal does appear set to be finalised.

Why Viktor Gyökeres will be so transformational for Arsenal

Given that midfielder Mikel Merino started pretty much every game from Valentine’s Day onwards last season at centre-forward, it was clear to all that Arsenal needed to spend big in this position.

Speaking on the Arsenal Vision podcast, Clive Palmer believes that the Gunners simply need a forward with a killer instinct in front of goal, and Gyökeres certainly provides that, whilst Simons would only offer a decent threat as a scorer from an attacking midfield role.

Viktor Gyökeres & Xavi Simons vs Arsenal attackers 23/24 & 24/25 comparison

Players

Appearances

Goals

Viktor Gyökeres

102

97

Xavi Simons

76

22

Arsenal’s highest scorers in 23/24 & 24/25 combined:

Bukayo Saka

84

32

Kai Havertz

87

29

Leandro Trossard

102

27

Gabriel Martinelli

95

18

Martin Ødegaard

93

17

Declan Rice

103

16

Gabriel Jesus

63

15

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, no Arsenal player or Simons comes remotely close to having scored as many goals as Gyökeres across the last two seasons, with the Swede having bagged only six fewer goals than Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus combined.

Of course, there is the caveat that the Primeira Liga is the seventh-best league in the world, according to Global Football Rankings, but even if Gyökeres scores 20 times across all competitions next season, that would be a major boost.

Recent Portuguese top-flight golden boot winners, namely Jackson Martínez, Bas Dost, Haris Seferović, Carlos Vinícius and Darwin Núñez do raise a bit of a red flag, but Thom Harris of the Athletic believes Gyökeres will be a success in North London, impressed by his ‘frightening physical profile’ as well as his ‘unerring ability to thump’ the ball really hard into the net.

So, of course, signing Simons would be exciting; it’s Arsenal heritage to have a team full of diminutive number tens. Tomáš Rosický, Alexander Hleb, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Özil, Cesc Fàbregas, Jack Wilshere and many others spring to mind.

Nevertheless, the Gunners need to win and they need to win now, and the signing of Gyökeres underlines this mission statement, even more so than Simons.

Related Ekitike 2.0: Arsenal actively plotting move for "golden" CF after Gyokeres

The promising poacher could be a star at Arsenal.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 19, 2025

After dropping out of the race to sign Hugo Ekitike, Newcastle United and Eddie Howe have now reportedly turned their focus towards an alternative option who’s more clinical than the Frenchman.

Newcastle's current striker shortlist

Whilst Ekitike did sit top of their striker shortlist before Liverpool entered the race and left them reeling, Newcastle still have a number of options that they could turn towards. The striker market is wide open. Even after watching Joao Pedro join Chelsea and Liverpool take the lead in the race for Ekitike, the likes of Victor Osimhen and Yoane Wissa remain on the market.

That said, even Howe couldn’t hide his frustration about how the transfer window has gone so far on Tyneside, telling reporters: “It was a difficult summer (to switch off) with everything going on behind the scenes.”

“Obviously losing Paul (Mitchell) and all of the dynamics changing within (the club). The Sporting Director role is such a pivotal role at the club, so there was a lot (of work) to pick up.

“There has been a lot of work, transfer wise, for very little incoming action, although we are delighted to get Anthony Elanga in, who has done very well in training so far. But a lot more work (is needed) behind the scenes in preparation for the new season.”

£50m England international now "very" open to joining Newcastle this summer

He’s got the same agent as Dan Burn…

ByTom Cunningham Jul 18, 2025

Howe’s verdict suggests that Newcastle’s work is far from over this summer. After missing out on Ekitike, all involved at St James’ Park will be desperate to ensure that their next pursuit goes off without a hitch – be it for Wissa or, as some reports have suggested is possible, Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.

At this stage, the most ideal scenario for Newcastle is welcoming a striker who is even better than Ekitike and that’s exactly what one Bundesliga alternative would offer them.

Howe personally plotting Sesko move

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Howe is now personally plotting a move to sign Benjamin Sesko for Newcastle, having previously instructed St James’ Park chiefs to take a look at the Serbian.

The Magpies would once again have to spend big to secure his signature, with Leipzig reportedly demanding around €90m (£78m) to sell their star striker, but Sesko could prove to be worth every penny.

Starts

31

30

Goals

15

13

Assists

8

5

Expected Goals

21.6

10

Ekitike may have outscored Sesko last season, but it was the latter who proved to be the more clinical finisher – outperfoming his XG by three goals whilst the Frankfurt star underperformed significantly. That would suggest that, in a side offering him more chances, Sesko’s numbers would soar.

It should come as no surprise that the talented forward has earned previous praise from the likes of former Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell, who said: “Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player.

“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

It’s not been a summer to remember for Newcastle United so far.

On the pitch, they’ve now suffered back-to-back defeats in pre-season friendlies, first demolished 4-0 by Celtic in Glasgow, before a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Singapore National Stadium; Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy on target but in vein in Kallang.

One player who has notably not made the trip to Southeast Asia is Alexander Isak, with widespread reports claiming that the Sweden international is pushing to leave the club this summer.

Given that ongoing situation, Eddie Howe and his recruitment team have very much entered the transfer market for a new centre-forward, so have they identified their number one target?

Newcastle's search for a new striker

As outlined by Seb Stafford-Bloor and David Ornstein of the Athletic, Newcastle were very much in the running to sign Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt, but he joined Liverpool for around £79m instead.

It was then reported that the Magpies would make a move to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford, only for Dharmesh Sheth and Keith Downie of Sky Sports News to claim that the deal is now off, stating that Newcastle ‘are set to move on to other targets’.

Following Callum Wilson’s release, William Osula, the only available senior centre-forward at the club, led the line in Singapore on Sunday, but could the Toon Army go big to change that fact?

Well, according to a report by Craig Hope of the Daily Hope, Newcastle have enquired about the possibility of signing Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig.

Earlier in the window, the Slovenian striker’s most likely destination appeared to be Arsenal, with James McNicholas and Mario Cortegana of the Athletic claiming he was the Gunners’ ‘preferred target’ until the arrival of Andrea Berta, who was instrumental in them securing Viktor Gyökeres instead.

Now, as reported by Yvonne Gabriel of BILD, due to limited interest, Leipzig have lowered their asking price from €100m (£87m) to around €70m (£61m), so should Newcastle snap up Šeško at this reduced price?

How Benjamin Šeško would improve Newcastle

It’s unquestionable that Šeško is a massive talent, with presenter Adam Keys praising his ‘superb ball-striking’ ability, labelling him ‘powerful’ and physical.

Meantime, Ben Mattinson of Breaking the Lines is impressed by his ‘elite’ movement and mobility, noting that he is a strong finisher with both feet, with scout Jacek Kulig even describing him “the new Haaland” such are his wonderful array of attributes.

In two seasons at Leipzig, Šeško has scored 39 goals in 87 appearances, thereby on target every 136 minutes, which is certainly impressive for a 22-year-old.

So, let’s see how he compares to Newcastle’s previous leading striker target Wissa?

Appearances

45

39

Minutes

3,258

3,079

Goals

21

20

Assists

6

5

Shots

65

74

Shots on target

40

45

Shots on target %

61%

62.32%

Big chances missed

18

18

Chances created

20

29

Big chances created

7

3

Take-on success %

52.53%

38.5%

Average Sofascore Rating

7.15

7

As the table documents, Šeško and Wissa’s statistics last season are very similar, with the Leipzig forward scoring one more goal across all competitions, while also creating more big chances and completing a higher percentage of his take-ons.

Wissa does have the edge in many categories, underlining that he would more than likely score goals for Newcastle, but the reported £35m fee that was being banded around does appear high for a player who is into the final 12 months of his contract, and will celebrate his 29th birthday come early-September.

Šeško, on the other hand, has only just turned 22 years old and has the potential to get even better, so surely seems to be the more shrewd investment, both in the short but also longer term.

More prolific than Sesko: Newcastle targeting move for £87m "monster"

Newcastle are looking to bring in another striker or two this summer

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 27, 2025

Hosting India in all three formats and another bumper SA20 serves as a boost to CSA coffers

Firdose Moonda12-Sep-2024

Hosting the SA20 and India for two Tests have proven to be a huge success•SA20

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced profits of R815 million (US$ 45.6 million) for the 2023-24 fiscal year after hosting India for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in the December-January period and benefitting from a bumper SA20. As the majority shareholder in the T20 tournament, CSA earned profits of R54 million (US$ 3.02 million) from the event, which boasted a double-digit growth.This comes after losses for the last three reporting periods – 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 which collectively amounted to R538 million (US$ 30.14 million). The turnaround was mostly due to the increased revenue derived from broadcast rights, which make up 54% of the CSA income.The coffers were also boosted by the successful hosting of the 2024 Under-19 men’s World Cup, which was moved to South Africa from Sri Lanka and generated revenue of R54 million (US$ 3.02 million). CSA’s total ICC disbursements for the period were R566 million, (US$ 31.63 million) up from R290 million (US$ 16.2 million) in the previous year.Related

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Wolvaardt, Jansen win big at CSA annual awards

CSA to address transformation issues holistically

CSA is expected to enjoy another strong financial year in 2024-2025, largely due to hosting India for four T20Is in November. The revenue from those games is expected to be upwards of R150 million (US$ 8.38 million) per match. These figures again underline India’s monetary importance and the incentive other countries have to host them as often as possible. CSA is starting to move slightly away from total dependence on the Indian national team, thanks to the SA20, but it is important to note that all six franchises are IPL affiliates.The biggest beneficiary of CSA’s financial turnaround is the women’s game, which underwent professionalisation at the domestic level last season. CSA has spent R32 million on women’s cricket (US$ 1.78 million). The cost of running professional cricket – the eight division 1, seven division 2 domestic men’s teams and six provincial women’s teams – remains CSA’s biggest expense. They shelled out R633 million (US$ 35.3 million) on these costs, which also underlines one of the major problems in South African cricket: how reliant the domestic system is on CSA. The cost of the national teams amounted to R172.8 million (US$ 9.66 million) or almost a quarter of the domestic expenses.Overall, CSA reported strong performance, in everything from the national teams – the men reached the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup while the women beat Australia in an ODI and a T20I for the first time in the period under consideration – to grassroots cricket. The KFC mini-cricket programme, which targets children between the ages of six and 12 and has produced the likes of Wayne Parnell and Ayabonga Khaka, reported a 20% increase in participation, with over 100,000 children from more than 2000 schools participating. The rate of progression of those players to provincial and national teams is 15%.CSA’s AGM also marked the end of Lawson Naidoo’s three-year tenure as CSA chair. A new chair will be elected at a special general meeting this month. The new chair will be chosen from the independent directors, in other words, not from presidents of provincial unions.

Fabrizio Romano says that Arsenal are about to sign yet another player this summer, with sporting director Andrea Berta remaining busy in the transfer market after an already-ambitious window.

Eze's dream CF: Arsenal in talks to sign £69m "monster" & it's not Gyokeres

Arsenal could still change their mind on Viktor Gyokeres.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jul 10, 2025

Mikel Arteta has already watched the Premier League title hopefuls confirm deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard most recently.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)	Money on new signings
19/20 – winter	£0
20/21 – summer	£81.5m
20/21 – winter	£900k
21/22 – summer	£156.8m
21/22 – winter	£1.8m
22/23 – summer	£121.5m
22/23 – winter	£59m
23/24 – summer	£208m
23/24 – winter	£0
24/25 – summer	£101.5m
24/25 – winter	£0
25/26 – summer	£75m

The Gunners announced Norgaard’s capture on Thursday for an initial fee of £10 million, which could rise to £15 million if add-ons are met, and he comes in to shore up Arteta’s midfield whilst replacing the departed Thomas Partey.

“We’re delighted to welcome Christian to Arsenal,” said Arteta about Norgaard’s arrival.

“He is an international player with a wealth of experience of the Premier League. He has proven leadership skills and a strong character which will be invaluable to our squad.

“He is a strong midfielder with excellent tactical awareness and versatility. He also has physical presence and intelligence which will give us added depth and balance. Christian will bring a lot to the group both on and off the pitch, and we’re excited to start working with him in this next chapter of his career. We welcome Christian and his family to Arsenal.”

Attention now swiftly turns to who will follow the Denmark international to N5.

Arsenal remain in ongoing talks to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres as negotiations reach a very advanced stage, and it is believed the 27-year-old is now on strike as he attempts to force through his desired move to north London.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have also held talks with Eberechi Eze’s representatives, according to reliable media sources, and a potential deal for the England international playmaker is separate to their pursuit of Chelsea winger Noni Madueke.

Earlier this week, after agreeing personal terms with the 23-year-old, Arsenal opened formal talks with Chelsea over signing Madueke, and it now appears those negotiations have reached a swift conclusion.

Arsenal given green light to sign Noni Madueke with agreement reached

That is according to Romano and widespread reports, which claim that Arsenal have now reached a total agreement for Madueke, in a deal worth north of £50 million including add-ons.

Arteta’s side have been given the “green light” to sign the ex-PSV Eindhoven sensation, with Chelsea set to make a £20 million profit – two years after he joined them from the Eredivisie for around £30 million.

The forward, called a “machine” by members of the media, was also dubbed one of Chelsea’s “best players” by Enzo Maresca last season.

However, Madueke is now poised to become the latest in a long line of transfers between the west Londoners and Arsenal, which surely casts major doubt over the long-term futures of both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard – especially if they also complete a deal for Eze.

Ben Compton and Tawanda Muyeye reach close unscathed after Hampshire enforce follow-on

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Kent battled hard to save their Division One status after being forced to follow on by Hampshire, on a rain-affected third day in the County Championship at Canterbury.The hosts could be relegated by the end of this round of fixtures, but they reached the close 70 without loss in their second innings, still 126 behind, with Tawanda Muyeye unbeaten on 46 and Ben Compton 24 not out.Torrential rain fell during an already truncated evening session and play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5.26pm. Earlier, Kyle Abbott took 5 for 46 as Kent were dismissed for 207 in their first innings, Compton their highest scorer with 51.Kent began day three on 64 for 5, still 339 runs behind Hampshire’s first innings score of 403, but Compton and Harry Finch survived for the first 90 minutes of an extended morning session, aided by some sub-optimal slip fielding. Toby Albert dropped Compton twice, on 24 and 32, the first when he couldn’t hang on to a difficult slip catch off Abbott, the second a more routine head-high chance offered by James Fuller.Albert finally snared Compton at the third attempt when Abbott found his edge with the first delivery after he had switched to the Nackington Road End. In his next over, Abbott had Finch caught behind for 44, before Liam Dawson bowled Charlie Stobo for 10.Kyle Abbott claimed a five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesMatt Parkinson was out soon after lunch, caught behind off Brad Wheal for four, but the last-wicket pair of George Garrett and Jas Singh proved a nuisance, particularly after James Vince dropped the former when he was on 17, again in the slips.Singh passed his previous best first-class score of 14, before he was removed by the new ball, lbw to Abbas for 18, leaving his partner stranded on 27.With 45 overs remaining in the day Hampshire immediately announced they were enforcing the follow on, but a whiff of farce arrived when Muyeye hit the penultimate ball before tea for a six into the gardens on the Old Dover Road side of the ground. Hampshire were unhappy with the replacement and four of their fielders, the twelfth man and a coach climbed awkwardly over the fence to look for the original, finally finding it after seven minutes.Shortly after the resumption the potential importance of those seven minutes was magnified when the rain arrived and a total of nine overs were lost. When play resumed at 5.05pm it was already raining again, the groundstaff were already holding the covers and Compton faced down three balls from Abbas before they gave up and went off again.

Aston Villa are facing a tricky transfer window after just avoiding the PSR axe and being fined by UEFA last week for breaching FFP regulations.

Aston Villa ready talks to sign £18m forward and may use Malen in swap deal

Talks are planned ahead of a potential move to Villa Park.

ByHenry Jackson Jul 12, 2025

Their sale of the women’s team to V Sports “effectively solved” their PSR worries, according to The Athletic, but just days later, UEFA slapped Unai Emery’s side with a fine of around £10 million, which could go up by another £13 million if they fail to comply again in the next three years (BBC).

Taking this into account, Villa could still be forced to sell a high-profile player or two, or face the risk of not being allowed to register players for their Europa League campaign, similarly to Chelsea, who were punished in similar fashion last week (BBC).

“We’re trying to predict the future, and that’s never an easy game, but if you look at a worst-case scenario with the ban, I think at the moment there’s a lower level of risk attached to that, shall we say,” said football finance expert Dan Plumley to Football Insider recently.

“I know that they’ve come out and said they don’t have to sell players, and it’s not something that they’re looking at, but I think it’s likely probably one or two do move on.

“Ultimately, given those numbers, the difference between Champions League football and Europa League will hurt them a little bit financially as well, but they have had a good year in the Champions League. So there’s a lot of moving parts to it.

“I guess in terms of a ban, we’re still not quite there yet, but I think they’ve got a bit of work to do.

“As we’ve said before with Villa, looking at those numbers, there’s a bit of work to do in the next year, and you hope that that’s not a possibility for them. I think it’s likely they’ll have to get a couple of players out of the door this summer.”

Interestingly, Villa haven’t stopped being linked with star players this window, and they’re rumoured to be closing in on a deal for Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot.

However, as one shot-stopper comes in, another could be on the way out.

Port Vale make offer for Aston Villa keeper Filip Marschall

That is according to Football League World, who report that Port Vale have made an offer to sign Aston Villa keeper Filip Marschall on loan.

The 22-year-old is also attracting interest from Blackpool, but it is Vale who’ve made the first move for him, although there is no word on Villa’s stance just yet after they were sent this proposal by the League One side.

Marschall spent the 2024/2025 campaign on another temporary deal at Crewe Alexandra in League Two, making 47 appearances as a mainstay for the English minnows, and he’s been praised as a real hard-worker behind-the-scenes at Villa.

“Filip’s desire to improve in all areas sets him apart from others,” said former academy goalkeeping coach, Mark Naylor, after Marschall won Villa’s 2020/2021 scholar of the year award.

“He has a driven mindset that allows him to push himself in order to progress. He is constantly looking for that extra percent that will improve his performance both on and off the field.”

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن آخر مستجدات ملف المدير الفني الجديد للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، موضحًا حقيقة التفاوض مع روي فيتوريا.

وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم: “ستسمعون كثيرًا عن مدربي النادي الأهلي، المعلومة التي عندي، عندما سألت مصدرا مسؤولا داخل النادي الأهلي، قال لي: نعم هناك تفاوض بقوة مع مدربين أجانب، هذا ما قيل لي بالضبط”.

وتابع: “بالنسبة للكلام عن فيتوريا، قيل لي إنهم سألوا لاعبي المنتخب، خصوصًا تريزيجيه ومحمد هاني ومحمد الشناوي، عن المدرب، فقالوا إنه مدرب جيد”.

وتابع: “لا أعرف هل الأهلي يتفاوض معه بالفعل أم لا، لكن الحقيقة بدأت أستغرب من صيغة الأخبار التي تقول (الأهلي يحاول إقناع فلان، الزمالك يحاول إقناع فلان)، الأهلي لا يحاول إقناع أحد؛ هو يقدم عرضًا، إما أن يقبل المدرب أو يرفض، لكن عبارة (يحاول إقناع) غير دقيقة”.

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وأشار: “جماهير الأهلي بدأت تقول: (يا ريتنا كنا صبرنا على كولر، وليته لم يرحل، وليت الأهلي لم يستغنِ عنه)، لكن أنتم نفس الجماهير التي صنعت حملة ضده، كما فعلتم سابقًا مع عماد النحاس، وكنتم أنتم من طالبتم برحيله، وكذلك مع ريبيرو وغيرهم”.

وأضاف: “الآن هناك مدربون كثيرون متاحون في السوق، مثل روي فيتوريا، وهو مدرب جيد، رحل مؤخرًا عن باناثينايكوس، وكان يتقاضى هناك راتبًا أقل مما حصل عليه في منتخب مصر، فقط لتعرفوا الصورة، وبالتالي لو الأهلي أراد التواصل معه، فالأمر سهل لأنه متاح الآن ولا يرتبط بأي نادٍ”.

وشدد: “النادي الأهلي اسم كبير، وأي مدرب يتمنى تدريبه، ميكالي مثلًا، مدرب المنتخب الأولمبي، قال بوضوح إن تدريب الأهلي شرف لأي مدرب، لذلك فكرة أن الأهلي (يحاول إقناع) أي مدرب ليست دقيقة”.

واختتم: “لكن في المقابل، هناك مدربون يرفضون فكرة العمل في مصر بسبب تجارب سابقة لم تكن جيدة بالنسبة لهم. هذا وارد، أنا شخصيًا سألت مدربين كثيرين جدًا، وسألت لاعبين أيضًا، والجميع قالوا إن فيتوريا مدرب جيد”.

Allrounder Samit Dravid, who had been sidelined from the three-match one-day series against Australia Under-19s in Puducherry, hasn’t recovered from a knee injury and will likely miss the upcoming four-dayers in Chennai as well, according to India Under-19s’ coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar.”As of now he’s at the NCA, recovering from his knee injury,” Kanitkar said of Dravid on the eve of India Under-19s first four-dayer against Australia Under-19s at Chepauk. “So, [I] don’t know yet. It looks unlikely.”Samit, the son of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, had earned his maiden call-up to the India Under-19s squad after featuring in the Maharaja T20 trophy, where he played for Mysuru Warriors, and the Cooch Behar Trophy, which Karnataka won.Related

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Samit, now 18, however, will not be eligible for the next Under-19 World Cup in 2026. As per the ICC’s regulations, any player who is eligible to feature in the Under-19 World Cup should be aged under 19 as of August 31, 2025. But Samit is set to turn 19 on October 11 and hence will not be able to meet the eligibility criteria for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup.VVS Laxman, the former India batter and NCA head, has said that they are prioritising giving the players exposure to grow over merely selecting a talent pool for the 2026 T20 World Cup.”So, now we are playing a series against Australia Under-19 and luckily a lot of the guys who may miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series,” Laxman said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new state-of-the-art National Cricket Academy which will be known as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Bengaluru.”So overall the exposure is there and they also are not only restricted or constrained only for the World Cup. We want them to evolve as cricketers and just because someone played India Under-19 or someone didn’t play India Under-19 doesn’t mean that they won’t progress in their career but if they play at the highest level, understand the pressures of a World Cup I think that will enhance their mental strength and also progress as cricketers.”VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy of India, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the head coach of India Under-19, have a chat•ICC/Getty Images

India Under-19 coach Kanitkar eager to test out his players in red-ball cricket

The first youth Test against Australia Under-19s, which will begin at Chepauk on Monday, will be India colts’ first four-dayer in more than five years. Kanitkar also talked up the exposure the Indian players would get, in red-ball cricket, against some Australian players who are on the fringes of Sheffield Shield selection.”I think it’s a great initiative to play Test games because red-ball [cricket] really tests you,” Kanitkar said. “There’s enough time for the bowlers to plan and [make] strategies. So, for both batters and bowlers and even fielders it’s the ideal challenge to see where you stand. I think to be able to play against a foreign side is a great thing. I know a lot of people, including myself who played Under-19 cricket against foreign teams and it really helped us a lot. So, I think it’s going to be magnificent for the players.”India Under-19s go into the four-dayers on the back of a 3-0 sweep in the one-dayers in Puducherry. Kanitkar was happy with the gains India Under-19s had made in those three games, but with Chennai receiving some spells of rain over the past week, to go with extremely high humidity, he was wary of the conditions at Chepauk.”They’re confident and we’ve had a good one-day series,” Kanitkar said. “Having said that, this is a different format altogether. Everything changes and the place is different. So, it’s better to take good things from that and leave the highs back and prepare again.”Pondicherry was hot as well. It’s very similar [in Chennai], so weather-wise, we’re fine. The pitch is obviously different and we will have a look again tomorrow morning. Let’s see if it rains overnight or not because it’s hot and humid.”