Category Uncategorized

Manchester City have now opened talks to sign an “exceptional” Real Madrid player, who has been personally requested by manager Pep Guardiola.

Man City unbeaten in nine after Villarreal triumph

Man City extended their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions by defeating Villarreal 2-0 on Tuesday evening, with Erling Haaland once again getting on the scoresheet, and the striker is now just one game away from breaking one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s records.

After a turbulent 2024-25 campaign, City appear to finally be rediscovering their best form, having also moved up to second in the Premier League, but it has now emerged that Guardiola is keen to bring in some extra attacking firepower.

Haaland is in the form of his life, but a report from Spain reveals Man City are keen on bringing in another attacking midfielder to provide for the 25-year-old, having opened talks over a deal for Real Madrid star Arda Guler at Pep’s request.

Since the arrival of Xabi Alonso, Guler has emerged as a key player for the La Liga side, which means they are extremely reluctant to sanction a departure, but that hasn’t stopped Guardiola’s side recently opening negotiations.

Guardiola is personally keen on the attacking midfielder, as the manager believes he suits City’s style of play, but the Blues may need to break their transfer record to get a deal done, with it being reported the 20-year-old is valued at over £130m.

Man City now rivalling Real Madrid to sign "tremendous" South American defender

Pep Guardiola’s side are battling the 15-time European champions for the signature of a centre-back.

ByDominic Lund Oct 21, 2025 "Exceptional" Guler would be statement signing for Man City

The youngster has been one of the Spanish side’s most important players this season, chipping in with three goals and five assists in 11 matches in all competitions, and he was recently compared to two former Real Madrid stars by Alonso.

The Madrid boss said: “Not just because of his background, but because of the quality he has. He is a mix between Ozil and Guti, because Guti knew how to play close to the box and give the final pass.”

Despite only turning 20 earlier this year, the Turkey international already has plenty of first-team experience, being lauded by Statman Dave as a result of his performances for Fenerbahce during the 2022-23 campaign.

Signing Guler would be a real statement of intent from Man City, but in truth the move seems very unlikely, given that Real Madrid have no plans to let the starlet leave, and he remains under contract until 2029.

Glamorgan 327 (Kellaway 90, Ingram 87, Agar 4-58, Parkinson 4-103) and 189 for 5 (Carlson 89*, Parkinson 4-82) beat Kent 155 (Bell-Drummond 55, van der Gugten 3-27, Harris 3-35) and 360 (Finch 68, Stewart 63) by five wicketsStand-in captain Kiran Carlson lifted Glamorgan into promotion places with a five-wicket win over Kent at Sophia Gardens.Kent’s winless run in the Rothesay County Championship continued for an eighth match after setting just 189, which they were unable to defend on a sun-beaten day four in Cardiff. The visitors remain bottom of Division Two with their last win coming in April while Glamorgan move up to second ahead of Derbyshire.Carlson eliminated any concerns of defeat from 25 for 2 with an nerveless 89 not out, negating a tireless spell from Matt Parkinson who claimed 4 for 82.Nerves would’ve been in both dressing rooms after Kent dominated day three albeit to only give themselves half-a-chance. Glamorgan had a full day to find 164 with eight wickets in hand in sunny conditions with a Kookaburra ball that would age.Glamorgan’s openers faltered on the previous evening under dim light and a brutal spell from Wes Agar, which left Carlson and nightwatcher James Harris to resume the innings.A drop at slip from Daniel Bell-Drummond with Carlson reverse-sweeping on 9 could’ve been a turning point as the Welshman took full advantage of the life.Harris wasn’t as fortunate with his edge to slip off Parkinson, which brought Billy Root to the crease. The left-hander, playing in his first game this season, showed innovation against the vast turn from Parkinson’s legspin, looking to sweep or defend as his only options – including getting off the mark first ball with a reverse-sweep for a single.While his brother was passing Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid in Test folklore at Old Trafford, Root was playing a vital role in taking Glamorgan to a promotion-chasing victory with 30 from 31 balls in a 68-run partnership; a potentially key innings for his Glamorgan future, lifting his side from a precarious position.Carlson took a leaf out of Root’s book as the certainty of victory increased, reversing and hard sweeping to go with his typically elegant open-faced guides and back-foot punches to accumulate with ease.Root’s dismissal brought about another twist, with 81 still needed when Colin Ingram strode out. Glamorgan’s leading run-scorer this season demonstrated his status with a fearless attack of the bowlers to leave 20 runs needed after lunch with a second 50-plus stand of the session.The South African was unable to see home the win with his captain after being dismissed first ball of the afternoon but No. 7 Ben Kellaway ensured no concerns for the Welsh county as the progressed to victory.

Leeds United are reportedly eyeing a move for an “unbelievable” Premier League player in the January transfer window, as he looks to boost his World Cup chances.

Aaronson hails impressive "mentality" at Leeds

The Whites continue to battle well in the Premier League this season, with last Friday’s 2-1 win at home to West Ham leaving them 15th in the table at the end of the weekend.

One player who is enjoying his football at Leeds is Brenden Aaronson, with the American hailing the mentality on show under Daniel Farke after scoring against the Hammers, and lauding the competition for places.

“It was huge for us today to keep the mentality. I think that was the message all week. Late minutes in the game, stay on top of it and get the result which we needed today to hold the 2-1 win. Defensively, we were good today. We handed a lot of crossing situations from them. West Ham is a team that has a ton of quality so it was definitely a difficult game. I am just proud of the group.

“I think we have this next-man-up mentality where I think everybody is ready to play and everybody is winning their chance. I think the biggest thing for me is getting in the box and the ball bounces your way but that is all about positioning and reacting. I am really happy with the goal and I am happy with the group and the atmosphere.”

But Leeds will know that there is still a huge amount of work to do this season, in terms of avoiding relegation back to the Championship, and new signings in January wouldn’t go amiss.

Leeds eye January move for "unbelievable" Barkley

According to The Leeds Press, Leeds and Farke are keen on signing Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley on loan in the January window.

The 31-year-old is seen as “an option amongst several other players” midway through the season, with Farke “keen to add a creative midfielder to his squad in January”. The player himself is “keen for more game time”, with a move to Elland Road giving him an “outside chance of a place in the England World Cup squad” next summer.

Barkley could be a shrewd creative loan option for Leeds in attacking midfield, scoring 37 Premier League goals in his career and being lauded by former Luton Town teammate Andros Townsend, who even once compared him to the legendary Diego Maradona.

Farke has found a new Dallas-type player in “unbelievable” Leeds star

Daniel Farke has now stumbled upon Leeds United’s next Stuart Dallas-type figure in this unbelievable star.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 27, 2025

Barkley has a point to prove and a big World Cup aim with England, which would only be a good thing for Leeds, and if the loan move didn’t work out, he would simply return to Villa at the end of the season.

There is no getting away from the fact that it’s been a horror start to the season for West Ham United this year.

The East Londoners were knocked out of the League Cup at the first time of asking by Wolverhampton Wanderers and have lost four of their five Premier League games, scoring just five goals and conceding 13.

So, when taking this into account, plus last season’s dire form, which saw his side lose nine of 19 games, it was no surprise to see Graham Potter finally given the sack on Saturday.

Matches

25

Wins

6

Draws

5

Losses

14

Points

23

Points per Game

0.92

Goals For

30

Goals Against

41

In his place, the Hammers have hired Nuno Espírito Santo, who recently enjoyed a brilliant stint with Nottingham Forest, taking them from relegation candidates to European football in a season and a half.

The Portuguese manager is known for playing slightly more defensive football than the Englishman, but his ability to turn his teams into counter-attacking machines could bring some real excitement – and success – back to the London Stadium.

However, before Nuno has a chance to greet the home fans, he faces the daunting task of taking on Everton at their brand-new stadium, which will be no easy task given their current form.

West Ham and Nuno's record vs Everton

Since their first competitive encounter all the way back in February 1907, West Ham have played Everton a whopping 153 times. Unfortunately, the Hammers have won just 45 of those games, drawn 33, and lost the other 75.

However, their recent record against the Toffees has been far more encouraging, with just one loss in their last five games, two wins and two draws.

Those two draws came last season, with ex-boss Julen Lopetegui overseeing a drab 0-0 draw at home in November, and then Potter leading his side to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park courtesy of a 67th-minute strike from Tomáš Souček, which was matched by a 91st-minute strike from Jake O’Brien.

03/25

Away

1-1 Draw

11/24

Home

0-0 Draw

03/24

Away

3-1 Win

10/23

Home

1-0 Loss

01/23

Home

2-0 Win

Unfortunately, while the Irons’ overall record against West Ham is far from ideal, Nuno’s isn’t any better.

Across his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Forest, the São Tomé-born tactician has overseen nine matches against the Merseysiders, winning three, drawing one and losing the other five.

Now, his teams have scored 13 goals and conceded just 12 in those games, but it’s still a worrying record, especially when taking into account the fact that the Tricky Trees lost at home to David Moyes’ side in April this year.

However, today is the start of a new project for Nuno and West Ham, and there is every chance the former Forest boss can pick up all three points, and this is the line-up he could do that with.

West Ham's predicted line-up

Souček is still out due to the straight red card he picked up against Tottenham Hotspur, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is still out with a stomach issue.

However, apart from them, Nuno should have a full contingent of players to pick from to fill out his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation for tonight’s hugely important game.

Starting between the sticks has to be Alphonse Areola. The Frenchman wasn’t great against Crystal Palace last week, but Mads Hermansen has had a horror start to his Irons career, and the new boss won’t want a goalkeeping error to cost him in his first game.

The full-back pairing has to be Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf. The former has to start due to Wan-Bissaka’s stomach issue, and the latter has been one of the few players who have looked good this season, already providing three assists in five league games.

Things could change quickly under the new regime, but for the game tonight, Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos will likely keep their places in the team as they’ve started the last three games together.

Now, we get to the first significant change to the team in the midfield, with the “average” James Ward-Prowse, as dubbed by one analyst, being left on the bench for summer signings Matues Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa to come in as the deeper midfield two.

The former Southampton star barely got any game time when he was on loan with Forest last season, and considering his truly dreadful start to the campaign, it would be baffling to see him start tonight.

Moreover, the former AS Monaco gem possesses the tenacity, energy, and mentality to do the necessary dirty work. At the same time, the Portuguese ace can bring more ball quality from deep, helping to create a wonderfully balanced double pivot.

Starting in attacking midfield will undoubtedly be the mercurial Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian hasn’t been at his best so far this season, but he’s still been able to score three goals in five games.

Moreover, the manager helped Morgan Gibbs-White rack up 17 goal involvements in 38 games last year, so there is no telling what he’ll be able to do with the former Lyon star.

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see Jarrod Bowen out on the right this evening, as even though the rest of the team have struggled this season, the former Hull City star has scored two goals and provided an assist in his six appearances.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old game-changer was able to rack up a sensational haul of 24 goal involvements in just 36 appearances last year, so he is going nowhere.

Appearances

36

Minutes

3138′

Goals

14

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.66

Minutes per Goal Involvement

130.75

On the opposite flank, it’ll probably be another start for Crysencio Summerville. The former Leeds United gem certainly needs to work on his output, but there is no denying that he makes things happen off the left, and his rapid pace could be perfect for the counter-attacking football the new boss is known for.

Finally, while some might want to see Niclas Füllkrug return to the team, it will likely be Callum Wilson who starts up top. The former Newcastle United star certainly has his drawbacks, but unlike the German, he has a goal to his name this season and a track record of scoring when fit.

Ultimately, it may well still be incredibly early on in the season, but West Ham’s game against Everton tonight feels like a massive one, not just because it’s a chance for the team to put a stop to their downward slide, but also because it’s a chance for Nuno to properly introduce himself to the fans and show them what he’s about.

Arsenal have become a far smarter club when it comes to the transfer market over recent years.

Mikel Arteta and Co have overseen a host of incredible additions to the squad that have turned them from a mid-table side into consistent Premier League and Champions League contenders.

Yet, the North Londoners lag behind their rivals when it comes to the selling side of transfers.

However, at least they don’t lose future stars for nothing anymore, like they did with a current world-class talent who is playing as well as Bukayo Saka.

Youngsters Arsenal released too soon

As with all big clubs, there are a number of international superstars that Arsenal let go as youngsters, only to regret that decision later.

However, unlike a lot of other clubs, they have gone on to re-sign one of them in a statement deal: Eberechi Eze.

The club released the summer arrival as a teenager and after spending time with Fulham, Reading and Millwall’s academies, he’d finally get a professional contract with QPR, where he’d be spotted and signed by Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020.

During his time south of the river, the Greenwich-born dynamo would rack up a brilliant haul of 40 goals and 28 assists in 169 appearances, which was enough to convince his former side to bring him home.

Another player who came back to North London after being released by Arsenal, although to the wrong side, is Harry Kane.

Released after just one season with the Gunners, the young Englishman would go on to join Tottenham Hotspur a few years later, and by the time he left the capital, he had scored 280 goals and provided 63 assists in 435 games.

The England captain is now tearing it up for Bayern Munich, and he’s not the only former Arsenal prospect doing so.

The former Arsenal youngster now looking like another Saka

There are actually two former Arsenal gems plying their trade for Bayern alongside Kane, and one of them is, of course, Serge Gnabry.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

However, while getting rid of the German international was a mistake, the Gunners did at least get a fee for him, which they did not for Michael Olise.

Yes, before spending time in the academies of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Reading, the dynamic youngster spent a short period at the famous Hale End of the North Londoners, before leaving for nothing.

It was during his time with Reading that Crystal Palace spotted him, and in 2021 he earned an £8m move to the South London side.

During his three seasons with the Eagles, the French international scored 16 goals and provided 25 assists in 90 appearances, which caught the attention of Bayern, who agreed to pay £50m for him last summer.

Now, when we say that the 23-year-old is playing ‘like Saka’, we don’t necessarily mean in playstyle, but more in how important he is to his team from an output perspective.

For example, despite missing almost four months of action last year, the Englishman still racked up 26 goal involvements in just 37 appearances for Arteta’s side.

Appearances

62

Minutes

4410′

Goals

24

Assists

26

Goal Involvements per Match

0.80

Minutes per Goal Involvements

88.2′

In comparison, the former Eagles star scored a staggering 20 goals and provided 23 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3842 minutes.

In other words, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.27 games, or every 89.34 minutes, and as he’s already racked up seven goal involvements in seven games this season, it would be fair to say Oliver Glasner has been proven more than right when he claimed the Frenchman was “one of the best talents in the world.”

Ultimately, Arsenal have a brilliant team this year, but just imagine how dangerous they’d be with Saka and Olise in the squad.

Saved by Martinelli: 5/10 Arsenal man was even worse than Merino vs City

It was a game to forget for Mikel Arteta and this Arsenal star.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 22, 2025

Under past tenures, Everton weren’t exactly known as the most easy-on-the-eye watch.

Indeed, under Sean Dyche, the football was often a struggle to be entertained by, with just 21 goals finding the back of the net under the unpopular 54-year-old’s reign.

Now, however, with the likes of Jack Grealish leading the way under David Moyes, the Premier League side are a far more captivating sight to behold, with several striker options also available to the Scotsman that should see the goals continue to flow.

Moyes' striker conundrum in 2025/26

There was a drastic change in attack during the off-season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin didn’t pen a new deal at the club after an injury-ravaged few years on Merseyside, culminating in the long-serving Toffees servant swapping the blue half of Liverpool for Leeds United on a free transfer.

To fill this huge void, Moyes and Co would swoop in for rising Villarreal star Thierno Barry, with the Frenchman costing a weighty £27.6m to get through the door.

While he is yet to get off the mark for his new Premier League side from his first three league clashes, the hope will be that the “menacing” forward, as he was labelled by U23 scout Antonio Mango, can grow into becoming a lethal finisher on English shores with time.

Indeed, he tallied up a standout 61 goals previously playing in Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland.

After all, Beto would regularly spurn chances towards the start of his up-and-down spell. Now, however, he’s the main man Moyes relies on up top, with two goals already next to his name this season.

Still, it could be deemed a risk to just rely solely on these two attackers to deliver the goods, with a homegrown Barry already up Everton’s sleeve. He’s now potentially ready for senior opportunities to boost their options.

Everton's "prolific" homegrown Barry

The high-flying Toffees do have a distinguished reputation for unearthing top gems through their academy in attack, with Moyes the manager who first handed Wayne Rooney a senior shot on Merseyside way back in 2002.

He also had a part to play in Ross Barkley’s rise up the ranks to senior stardom, with Omari Benjamin hopeful he can be the next in line for some first-team chances up top, having lit up the youth pitches at Everton for some time now.

Initially scoring goals by the bucket load at Arsenal in the U18 fold – with 18 strikes next to his name from 33 clashes – the 19-year-old Welshman has since made the switch to Everton and been equally as lethal.

Barry would very much be seen in the same clinical light when firing home ten goals in total for the Sochaux B team, with Benjamin even going as far as to be labelled a “prolific” threat by Arsenal youth reporter Jeorge Bird, before settling into life on Merseyside swimmingly.

CF

12

7

LW

4

1

LM

2

0

RM

2

1

RW

1

1

AM

1

0

As can be seen glancing at the table above, the 19-year-old has slotted into many different roles for the U21s and excelled, with the centre-forward spot his obvious preference overall, as seen in him bagging seven of his ten efforts to date from this position.

However, he can also line up down the left or right wing if needed, much like Barry, who has a sterling record of 14 career goals down either of these flanks.

Moyes might boldly want to insert Benjamin into his first team plans shortly; therefore, with this versatility, a standout attribute of his varied game, away from his red-hot goalscoring ability.

Yet, it could also be seen as a huge gamble to throw another raw and inexperienced striker into the mix, with Barry already very much a work in progress.

The former Villarreal number 15 will just need to shake off that first goal burden sooner rather than later, with Benjamin perhaps offering competition down the line as the revamped Everton attack aims to entertain supporters all season long.

Imagine him & Grealish: Everton may have Baines 2.0 in 19-year-old starlet

Everton’s next Leighton Baines could be a perfect partner to Jack Grealish down the left flank

ByWill Miller Sep 6, 2025

Glasgow Rangers are still looking for their first win of the Scottish Premiership season after they were held to a 1-1 draw by St Mirren away from Ibrox on Sunday.

The Light Blues needed academy graduate Findlay Curtis to come off the bench to score an excellent goal to rescue a point for the side late in the second half.

Russell Martin’s team looked bereft of quality at the top end of the pitch until Curtis and James Tavernier, who supplied the corner that led to the goal, came on as substitutes.

If the head coach wants to bring the captain back into the starting XI, in the Champions League or against Celtic next weekend, Max Aarons may need to drop out.

Why Max Aarons should be dropped

The Bournemouth loanee is not a horrendous player and he did not put in a terrible performance against St Mirren on Sunday, but he does not offer the same level of attacking threat that Tavernier does.

Aarons has only created one chance in three starts in the Premiership for Rangers, per Sofascore, and did not create any chances in 69 minutes on the pitch in this match.

The English full-back has not offered enough going forward, whilst Tavernier has only started one of the three games and created three chances for the team, per Sofascore.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

This is why Aarons should be dropped from the XI to add more creativity to the side, but the defender is not the only player who should be ruthlessly dropped, as Lyall Cameron’s position should also be under threat.

Why Lyall Cameron should be dropped

Martin must ruthlessly ditch the Scottish central midfielder alongside Aarons after the former Dundee man put in a disappointing display against St Mirren.

The manager knows that he will get a hard-working, tireless, performance from Cameron, who runs his socks off, but the quality in and out of possession was not there for him on Sunday.

He missed a very presentable opportunity to open the scoring when Jayden Meghoma whipped a brilliant ball into the box, although it was maybe at a bit of an awkward height.

Aside from that miss, though, the 22-year-old central midfielder’s all-round performance was not good enough to justify him keeping his place in the team against Celtic next weekend, looking beyond the second leg against Club Brugge.

Minutes

90

Shots on target

0

Dribbles completed

0/1

Big chances created

0

Ground duels won

0/6

Aerial duels won

0/1

Tackles + interceptions

0

Dribbled past

2x

As you can see in the table above, Cameron failed to deal with the intensity and the physicality of the clash with St Mirren, as he lost 100% of his duels.

The opposition found it far too easy to get the better of him in one-on-one situations, and he did not make up for his lack of physicality with quality or creativity on the ball in the final third.

Mohamed Diomande won more duels (one) and made more tackles and interceptions (two) in just 26 minutes off the bench for the Light Blues, which suggests that he may have more to offer to the team out of possession as a physical presence.

Rangers may need physicality to deal with Celtic next weekend at Ibrox, as they look to close the already-growing gap to their rivals, which is why Cameron should be ruthlessly ditched from the XI alongside Aarons.

Morelos 2.0: Rangers are in talks to sign a "powerful" £5.6m-rated striker

As Rangers seek to bolster their forward line before the transfer window closes, could the Gers sign a “powerful” striker similar to Alfredo Morelos?

Aug 22, 2025

Manchester United outcast Andre Onana grabbed a delightful assist as Trabzonspor came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Gaziantep in a Turkish Super Lig clash on Saturday. Onana's maiden appearance for the Turkish club came last week where he impressed after making eight saves, although his new club went on to lose 1-0 to Fenerbahce.

Onana's Turkish delight as keeper plays part in goal

The United loanee marauded way outside of his penalty area as he looked to take matters into his own hands, eventually sending a pinpoint pass for Paul Onuachu behind the opponent's defence. The former Southampton striker held off several defenders before slotting beyond the onrushing goalkeeper as Trabzonspor came back from behind to snatch a point against Gaziantep.

AdvertisementWatch the video of Onana's assistAFPMan Utd flop continues to impress on loan

The Cameroonian goalkeeper has, at least temporarily, ended his nightmare spell at Old Trafford after completing a season-long loan move to the Turkish Super Lig towards the end of the summer transfer window. Before the move, Onana had appeared in just one game for United this season, their Carabao Cup second-round exit against fourth-tier side Grimsby Town, where he made several mistakes and conceded 11 times in the penalty shootout.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

When will Onana play next?

The 29-year-old will be back in action for Trabzonspor on September 27 as they host Fatih Karagumruk in a Super Lig clash.

A total of 120 players will feature in the WPL 2025 mini-auction, which will be held on December 15 in Bengaluru. Out of those, 91 are Indians and 29 from overseas, including three from Associate teams. A maximum of 19 slots are to be filled across five teams. Five of those can be taken by overseas players.Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have four vacancies each, while UP Warriorz have three. Below is the full auction list.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();