The Chicago Cubs escaped with a 5–3 win at home against the Baltimore Orioles Sunday, thanks to a bit of late heroics from veteran infielder Justin Turner.
Turner came to the plate with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and proceeded to hit a walk-off two-run home run off Orioles reliever Keegan Akin to clinch the victory. It was the first walk-off home run in the regular season in Turner's career, which has spanned 17 seasons and 1,736 games.
Never before had Turner hit a walk-off home run, but at the twilight of his career at age 40, he got the job done in order to give the Cubs an important win against Baltimore. Even more impressive, he did so as a pinch-hitter, stepping in during a dire spot and coming through with a home run the likes of which he'd never managed to hit in his near two-decade long career.
On the year, Turner now has three home runs and 15 RBIs, having been used as more of a bench piece for Chicago. Across 58 games, he has a .616 OPS and a total of eight extra base hits. Though his production has slowed, he was still able to come up with some clutch heroics to clinch a series victory against one of his former teams.
Tahuhu’s two-for reduced Pakistan to 92 for 5 and leave their chances of progressing hanging by a thread
Vishal Dikshit18-Oct-2025
New Zealand’s fate will be decided by their games against England and India•Getty Images
No result Pakistan 92 for 5 (Riaz 28*, Tahuhu 2-20, Carson 1-7) vs New ZealandColombo handed a second washout in four days to Pakistan at the Women’s World Cup 2025, leaving their chances of progressing to the knockouts hanging by a thread. As Pakistan and New Zealand shared points, South Africa became the second team to progress to the semi-finals, after Australia, as even a finish on eight points in the league stage will take them through.If two or more teams finish on the same points, it will first be seen who has more wins, and South Africa will progress with four wins already from five games.With Saturday’s washout, Pakistan continue to remain winless in the tournament while New Zealand keep themselves in the running for the knockouts, still placed fifth with just one win and two abandoned games so far. Their next two matches, against India and England, will now decide their fate.Related
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'It's extremely frustrating' – Captain Sophie Devine on New Zealand's back-to-back washouts in Colombo
A fired-up New Zealand side laid the foundation after winning the toss in overcast conditions on Saturday. While their experienced quick Lea Tahuhu returned to the XI to strike twice in her first spell, the Kerr sisters and Eden Carson picked up a wicket apiece to leave Pakistan reeling at 92 for 5 before the second rain break sealed the outcome of the match.Tahuhu was the first to strike and she did it in her first over when Omaima Sohail, who had crawled to 3 off 14, was trapped lbw before two sharp catches dented Pakistan further. Muneeba Ali had dispatched a few boundaries and had been handed a life on 8 when wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze put down a low chance off Jess Kerr. But when Muneeba pulled a short delivery off the same bowler on 22, Suzie Bates threw herself to her left at midwicket to take a stunner. No. 3 Sidra Amin then saw a similar effort from Carson at point when she scythed a short ball from Tahuhu, and Pakistan were 52 for 3. It had been drizzling then for a few minutes, and as soon as Amin walked back after 12.2 overs it got heavier for a break.Pakistan now have two washouts in five games•ICC/Getty Images
Play resumed after 95 minutes in what was shortened to a 46-overs-a-side contest as Natalia Pervaiz joined Aliya Riaz. The more experienced Riaz soon charged down to crash Tahuhu to the square-leg boundary even as Pervaiz lived dangerously against Melie Kerr’s variations. Pervaiz even got a life on 9 when Sophie Devine put down a sharp catch at slip off Melie Kerr but lasted only five more balls by holing out off Carson for the simplest of catches to Devine at long-on.Melie Kerr then foxed the new batter – captain Fatima Sana – with a wrong’un which rattled the stumps to leave Pakistan on 80 for 5. Rain interrupted again after five overs and the players walked off with the score on 92 for 5 after 25 overs.It stopped raining within an hour with some lightning also around, and the game was soon reduced to 36 overs per innings. But the drizzle soon returned, turned into a heavy shower to make the ground staff cover the whole field, and the game was eventually called off.
Sussex skipper registers the only half-century of the match as draw looms at Hove
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Sep-2025Sussex 232 for 8 (Simpson 66, Milnes 3-80) lead Yorkshire 194 (Lyth 47, Hudson-Prentice 3-33, Unadkat 3-36) by 38 runsCaptain John Simpson made the only half-century so far in a bowler-dominated contest as Sussex and Yorkshire battled for supremacy at Hove.Simpson’s 66 on a day when only 51 overs were possible because of rain and bad light helped Sussex to 232 for 8, a lead of 38.With a day to go a draw still seems the likely outcome – a result which would suit both teams bearing in mind the struggles two teams below them in the table, Hampshire and Durham, are having in the penultimate round of matches.Having started the day on 84 for 4 and still 110 behind, Sussex will be pleased with their efforts in conditions which were never great for batting with a grey canopy of low cloud all day and the ball doing enough off the pitch to keep the seamers interested before Dom Bess, belatedly introduced to the attack, spun two balls sharply to take two wickets in eight balls.Simpson, in two hours and 40 minutes of patient accumulation, offered just once chance after reaching the 60th fifty of his first-class career when he was on 53 and Adam Lyth put him down at slip off George Hill.When play started at 11.45am after overnight rain Simpson and Tom Alsop extended their fifth-wicket stand to 42. That it took 19 overs reflected the quality of the seam bowling, notably from Matt Milnes and Hill.Milnes made the breakthrough when he switched ends although Alsop could consider himself very unfortunate when he defended deep in his crease and the ball rolled onto the stumps, gently dislodging the leg bail. Nonetheless his 36 in two hours was an important contribution.After lunch Simpson and Carson went on the attack, adding 52 in 12 overs before Carson played at an outswinger he could have left from Hill and Lyth held on at second slip.There was another good partnership for the seventh wicket for nearly an hour between Simpson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice and it was the introduction of off-spinner Dom Bess that brought Yorkshire some relief.In his second over Bess turned one sharply to hit Hudson-Prentice’s off stump and he claimed the key wicket of Simpson in the next over as he was pushed forward and was beaten by one which turned to hit off stump, from a round the wicket line. It was a fine ball to end a quality innings, which included eight fours and took Simpson to 952 runs for the season. He will be confident of reaching 1,000 for the third time in his career with potentially three innings to play.Drizzle forced the players off shortly after tea and frustratingly, when they resumed at 5.05pm, only three balls were possible before bad light forced another delay. Umpires Tom Lungley and Jack Shantry finally called it a day at 5.50pm.
Are Manchester City starting to build some serious momentum?
On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues demolished Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League, with Phil Foden bagging a brace, Erling Braut Håland scoring his customary goals and then Rayan Cherki getting in on the act late on.
Back in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team have won five of their last seven, including four in a row at the Etihad, rediscovering their best form ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad on Sunday.
If the serial champions are going to defeat the reigning champions in this weekend’s headliner, which “exceptional” star should Guardiola start in his forward line alongside Foden?
Is Phil Foden getting back to his best?
On Friday morning, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad was announced for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana, with Phil Foden one of the noteworthy names included.
The 25-year-old has not featured in any of England’s last six matches, seeing just 179 minutes of international action, out of a possible 1,260, that is only 14%, since the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
His return to the England squad is an indicator of Foden’s return to form at club level, with his double against Dortmund taking his tally to four goals for the season, having bagged only ten throughout the entirety of the previous campaign, not including the Club World Cup.
Following Wednesday night’s Champions League victory, Guardiola asserted that Foden is back, labelling him a “special player”, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian noted that he was the ‘best player on the pitch’, adding that he was ‘perky and precise all night’.
Thus, Foden’s recent performances mean he is a guaranteed starter against Liverpool, but who should come into the team alongside him, thereby forming part of the Citizens’ attacking quartet in support of Håland?
The exceptional star Pep Guardiola must start against Liverpool
In mid-week, it was Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho and Jérémy Doku who all started alongside Foden, but Guardiola surely must tinker with his lineup this weekend.
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That’s because, having recovered from a thigh injury, Rayan Cherki is starting to show glimpses of what he is capable of.
The Frenchman came off the bench to score his fourth goal for the Citizens on Wednesday, having previously netted against Al Ain, Wolves and Swansea.
When he arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m in June, big things were expected of the 22-year-old, with Guardiola describing him as “exceptional”, and his statistics in Ligue 1 last season underlining why.
Cherki Ligue 1 stats 2024/25
Stats
Cherki
Ligue 1 rank
Goals
8
25th
Assists
11
1st
Goals – xG
+3
7th
Key passes
75
2nd
Big chances created
22
1st
Passes into area
77
1st
Shot-creating actions
146
1st
Goal-creating actions
24
2nd
Progressive carries
106
10th
Carries into area
91
2nd
Successful dribbles
48
13
Touches in attacking 3rd
826
3rd
Average rating
7.6
2nd*
*minimum 25 appearances.
Stats via FBref & SofaScore
As the table documents, Cherki was one of the outstanding players in France’s top-flight last season, leading Ligue 1 for assists as well as a whole host of other creative metrics, behind only Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.
This season, despite sitting out eight matches due to injury, Cherki has already started to produce in a Man City shirt, registering three goals and three assists as well as creating four big chances in the Premier League; only seven players have more across the entire division, despite the fact he’s featured in only 163 of a possible 900 minutes to date.
Two of his three assists came against Bournemouth last Sunday, both times setting Håland free to burst in behind to slot the ball beyond Đorđe Petrović.
Thus, this forthcoming Sunday, a similar game plan is surely required.
During their sequence of six defeats from seven games, Liverpool were very susceptible to players running in behind, with Virgil van Dijk not at his dominant best and Ibrahima Konaté largely looking all at sea throughout the entire campaign.
With that in mind, Guardiola will want to pick a team that can exploit this weakness, featuring Håland running in behind and Doku giving right-back Conor Bradley nightmares with his dribbling, pace and trickery.
In order to best supply these other attackers, he must find room for Cherki, who demonstrated against Bournemouth last weekend that he possesses the right skillset to unlock Man City’s other attackers.
In the possible absence of Rodri, Reijnders will be in the team to offer support to Nico González while, as already documented, Foden’s flurry of goals makes him undroppable.
This leaves Savinho, who is still yet to score in the Premier League or Champions League this season, meaning the Brazilian is the most likely candidate to make way for Cherki, who simply has to be included in the starting lineup if Man City are going to become the latest team to defeat Arne Slot’s Reds this season?
Man City "monster" is closest thing Pep's had to Messi & it's not Cherki
Pep Guardiola has found his new Lionel Messi at Manchester City in pure “monster” and it is not Rayan Cherki.
Fabrizio Romano has now shared an update on Endrick’s future at Real Madrid, with West Ham’s striker search taking a significant twist.
Endrick is gearing up to leave Real on loan in January, and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been touted as one of the fierce contenders for his signature.
The 19-year-old, still widely regarded as one of Brazil’s brightest young prospects, hasn’t exactly had a smooth ride since joining the La Liga giants.
With first-team opportunities limited at the Bernabeu as a result of fitness issues and competition for places in Xabi Alonso’s side, a loan move appears to be the next logical step for his development.
West Ham have reportedly held talks about bringing Endrick on loan, already positioning themselves well in the race for his signature ahead of January.
Other clubs are also interested, like Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Brentford, according to some reports, but West Ham’s reported early discussions could give them an edge.
This comes as Nuno allegedly urges David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers hierarchy to sign a new defender, midfielder and forward (GiveMeSport), but with funds tight, temporary deals could be a key theme of their winter window.
Endrick is poised to be one of Europe’s finest talents available on loan in January, leaving little wonder why West Ham are very keen to secure his signature.
While the teenager has struggled for game time under Alonso, Endrick did score five Copa del Rey goals to fire Los Blancos to the final of the competition last season, before they eventually lost to Barcelona.
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West Ham 0-2 Brentford
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The former Palmeiras sensation would be an excellent signing for West Ham, and one who’d inject much-needed flair and enthusiasm to their forward line.
The prospect of a Premier League move could also tempt Endrick, as it would do with any other player on the continent, but according to Romano, West Ham now face growing competition for his services.
Fabrizio Romano shares Endrick update as West Ham striker search takes twist
Taking to X, the reliable transfer journalist now claims that Ligue 1 giants Lyon have opened talks to sign Endrick on loan — which could seriously impact West Ham’s chances of a deal.
Endrick is believed to be intrigued by the possibility of a move to France, as Paulo Fonseca’s side already make their intentions known with an “official approach” just over two months before the January window opens.
Commenting further, Romano also says that while Endrick is still waiting to assess all of his options, potentially including West Ham, the attacker is pretty keen on Lyon as an option.
If a move for Endrick eventually becomes out of West Ham’s reach, it is worth noting that they’ve also held rumoured discussions about signing his Real teammate, Gonzalo Garcia.
The Spaniard, who finished last summer’s Club World Cup as the competition’s joint-top scorer, has also struggled to establish himself as a starter for Alonso this season and could be a great alternative to Endrick.
There are other options for West Ham as well, but it is absolutely imperative that the club back Nuno with a new centre-forward, especially considering Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes and their lack of decent options.
West Ham already working on deal to sign £40 million striker in January.
In what would hand their promotion hopes a major boost, Southampton are now plotting a January move to sign a Premier League star who’s been told to leave his current club.
Will Still "delighted" after much-needed Sheffield United win
Prior to their 2-1 victory over a struggling Sheffield United side, Southampton had gone as many as six Championship games without a win. It’s a run that included frustrating draws against Watford and Portsmouth and one that could have quite easily led to several questions about Will Still’s position. But, at long last, it is now a run that has come to an end courtesy of Sheffield United.
In the end, it was Ross Stewart who was the hero of the hour as his brace secured the Saints’ 2-1 victory against Chris Wilder’s side in what Still described as the “ultimate Championship game”.
Asked if Southampton deserved all three points, the manager told reporters: “Overall, yes. I think we’ve been in control of large parts of it. We probably conceded another one of those annoying goals.
“You then miss a penalty and think, ‘Jesus, it’s going to happen again’, but we’ve not done that at all. We’ve made a few tweaks. We bought a bit of energy on the pitch and managed to turn it around. Getting back into the game is always tough when you’re away here.
“Then we’ve just kept at it and not felt sorry for ourselves. We’ve dug deep and got a brilliant win from Roscoe. It was the ultimate Championship game.”
Even after getting back to winning ways, however, there’s still work to be done at St Mary’s and the January transfer window will present Southampton with the perfect opportunity to welcome one particular upgrade.
Southampton plotting Ward-Prowse return
As reported by GiveMeSport, Southampton are now plotting a move to sign James Ward-Prowse in the January transfer window. The West Ham United midfielder has been told that he’s not in new manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans and could now return to the Saints less than three years on from sealing a £30m exit.
It would be a sensational return for the Southampton academy graduate, who could certainly do with a return to where it all started. Already dropped by Nuno, Ward-Prowse arguably needs the Saints just as much as they need him.
Whilst it’s been a frustrating couple of years, Ward-Prowse is still capable of taking Southampton to promotion if he completes his return in January. The 30-year-old could instantly partner Shea Charles at the heart of Still’s midfield and suddenly take the Saints from play-off hopefuls into automatic promotion contenders.
There will, of course, be question marks over their ability to afford such a player but West Ham could yet set a cut-price amid Nuno’s desire to show the midfielder the door. If that proves to be the case, then Southampton should take full advantage.
Ruben Dias has explained why Erling Haaland is “very similar” to Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Manchester City and Portugal defender having played with both. At club level, Dias has seen Haaland hit another purple patch that has helped him to reach 324 career goals three years quicker than five-time Ballon d’Or winner CR7 managed – with the prolific Norwegian seemingly taking his game to even greater heights.
Haaland goals in 2025-26: How many has he scored?
A red-hot start to the 2025-26 campaign has been enjoyed by Haaland, with the target being found on 23 occasions through 13 appearances for club and country. He came agonisingly close to claiming a ninth Premier League hat-trick last time out when bagging a brace for City in their 2-0 victory over Everton – with several big opportunities being spurned.
Just three months after turning 25, Haaland has reached 324 goals. He has hit that point considerably quicker than Ronaldo, who remains in the process of chasing down 1,000 – with the Portuguese GOAT, who now plies his trade for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, sitting on 949 and counting.
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Qualities shared by Haaland and Ronaldo
Dias will be hoping to help Ronaldo challenge for World Cup glory next summer, having starred alongside Haaland in City’s quest for more domestic and continental honours. He is understandably delighted to be a team-mate of two iconic goalscorers that boast similar traits.
Dias told reporters when asked about how Haaland and Ronaldo compare: “It's a good reflection of his state of mind. In that he is very similar to Ronaldo. Everyone wants to score goals, but both of them have this ability to just keep on scoring and scoring. We're just happy that Erling is in this moment and we want him to continue. We want to keep pushing him because we want him to break records that have not been beaten before.
“You need to ask Erling and Cristiano (about what makes them so special), but obviously mentality is key in everything that everyone does. That will be a big part of it. But also natural talent and a lot of other things.”
Best version of Haaland? Dias answers tough question
Haaland hit 52 goals for City in his debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium, helping them to a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble. His 36 efforts in the English top-flight that season was a new record.
Quizzed on whether Haaland is even better now, Dias added: “I don't really know because Erling has beaten the Premier League goals record before, so better than ever? He's always been brilliant and on a very special level. Last season was obviously tricky for us, but it was probably the moment after winning so much.
“I actually don't know what his numbers are, but we will keep pushing him. We will push everyone on the pitch because only that way will we achieve great things. If anyone thinks we have won enough here then they're in the wrong place. If players keep pushing themselves for better individual form then a better collective form comes out. That's the only way.”
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Premier League record? Future targets for Haaland
Haaland is working on a contract at City through to 2034. Alan Shearer has told of his all-time Premier League goal record of 260 potentially being eclipsed by a man that currently has 96 to his name: “Yes, Haaland is the perfect centre-forward. His record is phenomenal, appetite to score is fantastic. I love it. He’s quick, strong, agile, he reacts quicker than most around the six-yard box which is impressive and his ability to put the ball in the back of the net is magnificent. If you’re building a footballer or centre-forward, you wouldn’t look too far away from Haaland being the perfect one.
“Haaland could definitely break my Premier League goal record. There’s no doubt that if he does another seven or eight years, maybe even less then he’ll have a brilliant chance of breaking it. But there’s so many ifs and different things that could happen to that. There are so many ifs and buts, but absolutely, if Haaland was to stay in the Premier League another six or seven years then he’s definitely someone who could, and probably will break my record.”
It remains to be seen how long Haaland will remain in Manchester. He continues to attract interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, as they remain in the market for the best players on the planet, and is already considered to be one of, if not the best goalscorer that the Premier League has ever seen – topping the likes of Shearer and Harry Kane.
Sunderland will be hoping they can make the Stadium of Light a firm fortress for all of the Premier League season to come.
The Black Cats are currently two wins from two on their own patch, with the only defeat they’ve tasted so far this league campaign coming on the road to fellow newly promoted side Burnley.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect the wins at home to keep piling up, but if more and more positive performances come their way on Wearside, survival will surely be in their clutches.
Regis Le Bris will be more at ease about his side’s survival chances, too, having just snapped up the services of former Ajax goal machine Brian Brobbey for a standout £21.6m.
Brobbey's standout deadline day move
Transfer deadline day was a busy one at the Stadium of Light.
An unwelcome bump in the road would come Sunderland’s way when news filtered out of the Premier League club that short-term loanee Marc Guiu was being recalled by Chelsea, with the Blues light on numbers up top after Liam Delap went down with an injury.
Thankfully, much like they had done throughout the chaotic window, Sunderland had a seamless plan up their sleeve in attempting to win more exciting purchases, with Brobbey drafted in late on to make up for Guiu’s unanticipated departure, alongside Bertrand Traore and Lutsharel Geertruida also entering the fray.
The expectation will now be that the lethal Dutchman can instantly hit the ground running after leaving his native Netherlands behind, having garnered quite the reputation for being a potent finisher in the Eredivisie.
Indeed, after smashing home a ridiculous 85 goals at youth level for the Amsterdam giants, the forceful 5-foot-11 hotshot would then go on to amass a similarly clinical 56 strikes from 163 senior outings, leading to former Dutch attacker turned pundit Pierre van Hooijdonk labelling him as “very annoying” to try and hinder.
Sunderland will, of course, now pray he can be as commanding in the English game.
But, they might well possess their own homegrown Brobbey already, if one raw youngster goes on to be a hit in the senior side down the line.
Sunderland's homegrown Brobbey
It isn’t a strange occurrence when a rising star from the Black Cats academy starts to make a name for himself in the senior ranks. Rather, it’s almost expected at this point.
Indeed, in recent years, both Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson have graced the Stadium of Light turf for their boyhood side in the Championship, with Watson – who is now at Brighton and Hove Albion – even scoring the decisive strike in the playoff final last season to send his beloved team back to the Premier League.
The next up-and-coming youngster in line for more consistent, first-team opportunities could well be Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi, with the teenage sensation already being dubbed a “super talent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango for his whirlwind displays up front for both the U21s and U18s.
From 56 appearances in these age brackets, the promising Belgian talent has managed to amass a hefty collection of 27 strikes and four assists, and while those numbers do slightly pale in comparison to Brobbey’s own haul of 85 goals when starring on the youth pitches at Ajax, it does feel written in the stars that he will be their next highly-talked-about starlet that takes the first team by storm.
Games played
58
284
Goals scored
27
141
Assists
4
45
Age at first team debut
18
18
After all, when studying the table above, despite their vast difference in numbers, both Samuel-Ogunsuyi and Brobbey coincidentally share the same age when they made their respective senior debuts for Sunderland and Ajax.
Hopefully, the 18-year-old can soon follow in the Dutchman’s footsteps even more by becoming an overwhelming success story for the Black Cats, with a formative loan spell to come at Falkirk – where he has already been tipped to be a “crowd-pleaser” by Falkirk boss John McGlynn – likely to boost his confidence even more that he can cut his teeth in the senior game.
If all goes to plan, Sunderland could have their own version of Brobbey for free, with the teenager looking to the 23-year-old, too, for some guidance through the choppy waters of the men’s game.
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Liverpool are looking to complete the signing of an “incredible” player next year, potentially beating rivals Manchester United to his signature, among others.
Isak in Liverpool training ahead of debut
The Reds are back in Premier League action on Sunday action on Sunday afternoon, making the trip to Burnley in a game that many will expect to see the visitors win comfortably.
For Alexander Isak, it has the potential to be a special day, with the Swede in line to make his debut at some point, even if it is from the substitutes’ bench.
The 25-year-old took part in his first training session for Liverpool on Wednesday, with footage showing the elite finishing ability that he has in his locker, and why the Premier League champions were willing to pay Newcastle United a record-breaking £125m for his services.
Granted, Isak needs time to build up his match fitness, so as mentioned, Hugo Ekitike is likely to be preferred at Burnley this weekend, but a second-half cameo feels on the cards, in what is hopefully the first of many appearances in a Liverpool shirt.
Liverpool enter race to sign "incredible" ace
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are now battling to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton in 2026, whether that be in January or next summer.
Man Utd “face a fierce battle” with their biggest rivals, with FSG now entering the race, whereas Newcastle United and Chelsea are also mentioned as options for the £60m-rated England international.
Wharton is one of the most exciting young English players around currently, already becoming such an accomplished footballer at the age of just 21.
The Palace star is an elegant player with a lovely left foot, and he possesses the ability to both dictate play from a deep midfield role, but also shine out of possession, displaying good positional sense and a strong work ethic.
Wharton, who has won two of his three games against the Reds (66%), could be a brilliant squad addition for Liverpool, coming in as a replacement for Wataru Endo, before maturing into a key starter, having been lauded by former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze.
“Playing with him at Palace, I’ve got used to seeing the way he plays and understanding him. He’s very calm, composed, and a joy to play with. For someone so young, he’s very mature and very wise. When you speak to him, it feels like you’re speaking to someone older than you, that’s the type of person he is. He’s an incredible player.”
"Huge money" – Liverpool eye 2026 move for "magician" after Isak and Wirtz
What a signing this could be.
ByHenry Jackson Sep 9, 2025
There was a time when United were clearly the more exciting proposition than Liverpool, but that has changed significantly in the modern game, and the hope is that Wharton sees the champions as his best future option, picking them over the Red Devils and other suitors.
Despite rejecting a deadline-day move, one Glasgow Rangers player who is not in the plans of manager Russell Martin could still complete a departure away from Ibrox.
Youssef Chermiti "only wanted" Rangers
A busy summer ended with a hectic deadline day for all involved at the Gers, who welcomed both Youssef Chermiti and Derek Cornelius. The former arrives with the task of helping to replace the goals of Hamza Igamane following the forward’s move to LOSC Lille, whilst Cornelius must somehow fix the leak within Martin’s backline.
Speaking for the first time since arriving from Everton, Chermiti told Rangers’ official website: “I am really happy to be here. As soon as Kevin [Thelwell] and the manager spoke with me, I did have other choices but I just wanted to join Rangers and I am here now.
“Kevin and I have had a good relationship since Everton and he text me during pre-season and I spoke with my agents and my family and we got this done. For me the most important thing is the interest from the club and the interest of the manager to be on the team. Of course I want to play so for me the most important thing was coming here to play.”
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There’s certainly room for the 21-year-old to hit the ground running too. Cyriel Dessers’ late departure should see Chermiti enter Martin’s squad as soon as possible in the hope of making an instant impact.
A similar departure also very nearly took place within Martin’s backline, only for one defender to reject an exit even though he’s not in the manager’s plans. The task that the Gers now have on their hands is showing him the exit door one way or another.
Nsiala could still leave Rangers
According to The Glasgow Times, Clinton Nsiala could still leave Rangers after rejecting a deadline-day loan move to Dynamo Kyiv. The defender is not in Martin’s plans and those at Ibrox are still trying to find the right move for him amid further loan interest from Anderlecht, KV Mechelen and Zulte Waregem.
The transfer window in Belgium doesn’t close until Monday, 8 September, which hands Nsiala just four days to seal a much-needed move away from the Scottish Premiership.
After just one year at the club and just 17 games, the 21-year-old would be wise to complete a move away to get his career back on track. The last thing that he needs is to stay put and remain outside of Martin’s squad entirely, having so far failed to make a single appearance this season.
Ultimately, Nsiala looks destined to go down as another transfer that failed to work out from the Philippe Clement era. What was a defender full of promise is now one that Rangers must move on before the end of the window elsewhere.