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Hampshire Hawks reached Finals Day for an 11th time as they comfortably beat Durham by 26 runs in their Vitality Blast quarter-final.Hampshire made a brilliant start, with Toby Albert and Chris Lynn smashing half-centuries to put on 112 for the first wicket. Durham did restrain them briefly in the middle overs, but Hilton Cartwright’s 61 took the Hawks to a massive total of 221 for 8.Durham’s chase was full of starts, with Ollie Robinson the only batter to pass fifty, but an excellent all-round bowling effort from the Hawks restricted Durham to 195 for 6.Alex Lees won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Banks Homes Riverside and Matthew Potts kicked things off with a tidy first over, but Albert showed some early intent as he launched Callum Parkinson’s first ball down the ground for six. The opening pair of Albert and Lynn continued to take on the bowling, with Jimmy Neesham’s first over going for 24 runs.Durham had a chance to breakthrough, but Albert was dropped by Robinson on 25 as a Parkinson delivery was nicked but the keeper couldn’t cling on.The pair continued to hit anything short and in the slot to the boundary, as they displayed incredible power to get the visitors to 89 without the loss in the powerplay, a season high. Hampshire then passed the century mark, with Lynn and Albert both recording fifties, but Nathan Sowter struck to remove Lynn for an excellent 51.Albert continued his assault as he heaved back-to-back Parkinson deliveries to the boundary, but the opener went for one hit too many as he picked out Colin Ackermann on the fence and he had to go for a swashbuckling 68.Cartwright then came to the crease and played a lovely reverse sweep for four and James Vince started to tick with consecutive boundaries off Raine. However, the Hawks skipper went for 27 as his ramp shot from a Raine ball didn’t have the legs on it and David Bedingham produced an excellent catch to dismiss him.Cartwright continued the onslaught, but Neesham picked up the wicket of James Fuller to stem the flow of runs.Australian Cawrtwright became the third half-centurion for the Hawks as he hit a Raine ball for six, but Benny Howell was then run out and Potts removed Cartwright for 61. A cluster of wickets then fell as Liam Dawson was run out and Potts removed Scott Currie, but the Hawks still reached an imposing total of 221 for 8.Durham, in front of their biggest crowd since 2019, had a daunting task, and that wasn’t made any easier as Graham Clark clipped one to Scott Currie in the deep to depart for 9.Bedingham heaved a Chris Wood short ball into the stands to give Durham their first maximum of the night and the South African smashed one down the ground in the same over. Bedingham then went for an enterprising 22 to leave Durham in trouble, as he sent a Currie ball straight to Howell on the leg-side boundary.Lees started to open his shoulders as he clipped a Dawson ball to the long-on boundary for four, but the impressive Howell removed him for 26 with the Durham skipper holing out to Dawson on the leg-side boundary.Ackermann was then run out by Wood for 16 after he tried for a single that wasn’t really there to leave Durham staring down the barrel of a T20 Blast exit.The Hawks then got Raine for 13, with Howell getting his second, but Neesham came out firing and smashed four boundaries in an over, but his cameo ended at the hands of Wood. Robinson showed some resistance with a tidy ramp shot off Currie and reached fifty from 29 balls but it was too little too late for Durham and they fell 26 runs short.

Phoenix captain hits 4-6-6-6-4 off Rashid Khan as Invincibles lose unbeaten record

ECB Media12-Aug-2025A brilliant unbeaten 69 from Liam Livingstone saw Birmingham Phoenix chase down Oval Invincibles’ total of 180 for 8 with two balls to spare in a tense finish in the men’s Hundred competition at Edgbaston.South African Donovan Ferreira blazed a spectacular 63 from 29 balls for Invincibles but was upstaged by the Phoenix skipper who hit five sixes in his match-winning 27-ball innings.Inserted by the home side, Invincibles lost Will Jacks second ball and reached 31 for 2 after the 25-ball powerplay. The score quickly became 34 for 3 after the loss of Sam Curran before the Invincibles recovered through Jordan Cox and Sam Billings to reach 70 for 3 at halfway, though lost Billings soon after.Enter Ferreira, who started positively, depositing Tim Southee for a maximum over wide long-on to bring up Invincibles’ 100 after 65 balls.Cox fell for 44, but Ferreira continued unperturbed, reaching his half-century off 24 deliveries with another huge six. Invincibles finished strong, the penultimate set from Mousley conceding 25, including two sixes and two lots of five wides, while Rashid Khan (16) contributed two maximums of his own as Invincibles closed on 180 for 8.The Phoenix run chase started slowly, Aussie left-armer Jason Behrendorff bowling the first 10 balls straight through and conceding just five. Saqib Mahmood then took the big wicket of Ben Duckett with his third ball, but Will Smeed wrestled some of the initiative back with back-to-back sixes.Smeed (51 off 29) was bowled by Nathan Sower one ball after reaching his fifty to see the score 91 for 3, Jacob Bethell then went 20 runs later. But Livingstone responded by smashing Khan for 26 in a set and combined with Mousley to leave three needed from five.Mahmood then removed Mousley and Louis Kimber with successive balls, but Benny Howell drove the hat-trick ball through cover to secure the win.Livingstone, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “We needed it, it’s been a bit of a disappointing start to the tournament. It’s nice to lead from the front and hopefully that gives the boys a bit of momentum and a bit of confidence.”I was trying to be there at the end, it’s something I haven’t done a lot of in my career, so it was in the back of my mind, but we still needed to take some risks.”It’s massive. There’s no hiding in this competition. If you lose a couple of games, you’re right up against it. Hopefully this gives us a bit of confidence going forward, it’s an incredible win from where we were. It’s nice to be on the board and get that first win.”

Scotland discovered their World Cup 2026 group opposition after the draw took place in Washington DC, but only after an infernally long pre-draw build-up that left many of those watching fuming. One of those frustrated by the long videos, interviews with stars, including US President Donald Trump, was Scotland star John McGinn, who summed-up everyone's frustrations in one simple, but hilarious image.

Draw eventually made ahead of World Cup

The waiting is finally over, but it came only after Rio Ferdinand, Heidi Klum, Shaquille O’Neal and a host of other presenters took what felt like several lifetimes to complete the draw for next year’s tournament in America, Canada and Mexico. Steve Clarke’s side has been drawn in a very tricky group where they will face South American giants Brazil, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, and Haiti.

Qualification for the World Cup marks the Tartan Army's first appearance at the tournament since 1998, a campaign where they also faced Brazil and Morocco in the group stage. The draw presents a challenging but exciting prospect after they topped their qualifying group ahead of Denmark following that thrilling 4-2 win at Hampden Park. Scotland can progress past the group stage for the first time in their history.  

But in the couple of hours it took for the draw to start, McGinn posted an image which described how the vast majority of the viewing public felt. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMcGinn sums up mood in one image

The image earned McGinn lots of replies, many agreeing with him that the draw was dragging on wary too, long. One of his followers said: "Rumour has it. The second half of the draw is on display at Villa Park at half time tomorrow." Another added: "This makes the 27 years without qualifying feel short."

Christie: 'You can't ask for more exciting games'

Following the draw, Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie told the BBC: "It's exciting. A tough group but one we're looking forward to. We have to go over there wanting to try and prove a point. We're not just there to make up the numbers. We're wanting to go and compete and get through the group phase. Two out of the three games are going to be massively tough and even Haiti, nobody gets to a World Cup without being a decent team. (They are) teams we're not used to playing. You can't ask for more exciting games."

He added: "I'm sure me and the rest of the boys are buzzing for it. Everybody's been asking me who I've wanted, I've been saying Brazil the whole week and then they came out and I thought, maybe I shouldn't be saying that. Brazil was one of my favourite international teams growing up. Hopefully, we'll get the chance, myself, to play them next summer."

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This edition of the World Cup will feature a new, expanded format with 48 teams and nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a new Round of 32 knockout stage. This increases the total matches from 64 to a whopping 104, and the champions this time round will play eight matches instead of seven. The draw is now complete, but the specific match dates, venues, and kick-off times are being announced by FIFA in a special program tomorrow. The opening match will be on June 11th in Mexico City, and the final will be on July 19th in New Jersey.

Matt Short wants to make the T20 World Cup side for Australia next year and knows a role in the middle order is his best hope

AAP06-Nov-2025Australia allrounder Matt Short prefers opening the batting, but has revealed his best chance of playing at next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka is in the middle and lower order.The 29-year-old toured the West Indies for Australia’s underwhelming 2024 World Cup showing as a reserve player outside of the 15-man squad and did not play.The current T20 series against India, which concludes in Queensland with matches on the Gold Coast and at the Gabba, has a lot riding on it for Short.Related

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His best innings for Australia, including a dynamic 66 off 30 deliveries against South Africa in 2023, have come as an opener. However, Short, who played his first two matches of the current series at No.7, has been given a clear picture of his path to T20 World Cup inclusion by the side’s brains trust.”Personally I think I am suited to the top of the order, but having conversations with selectors and coaching staff, I think, looking forward to that T20 World Cup, I know that our top four or five is going to be pretty locked in,” Short said.”If I was to make the XI in the World Cup, I think my best chances are in the middle or lower order. We are probably using this series to see guys in different positions and looking ahead to that World Cup.”[To play at the World Cup] would be massive. I missed out on the one in the West Indies where I was a travelling reserve, but I love playing cricket for Australia no matter if it’s in the World Cup or a series like this. I am happy taking what I am getting, whether that is in the top order or through the middle.”The Adelaide Strikers captain confirmed himself as a cricketer of absolute class when he was player of the tournament in BBL 12 and BBL 13, where his powerful batting and crafty offspin stole the show.That high level of consistency was the stepping stone for Short to gain selection in both the Australian T20 and ODI sides, where he debuted in 2023.Short enjoys the ball coming onto the bat, but has set himself a goal of upping the ante when facing spinners.”There’s always ways to improve,” he said. “Looking at the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, it is probably my game against spin that probably needs a little bit of work.”Especially when you look at our squad and the power hitters we have got through the middle like Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis … guys that have had that experience in India before and have that real power game against spin.”It is obviously a challenge, and playing for Australia is not easy, so we will have to wait and see.”

Shubman made the highest score by an India captain in Tests, as well as the highest by an India batter outside Asia

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill now has the highest Test score by an India batter in England•Getty Images

269 – Shubman Gill’s score in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, the highest by an India captain in Tests, surpassing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.Gill’s 269 is also the highest by an India batter in Tests outside Asia. Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not out at the SCG in 2004 was the previous highest.It is also the third-highest score by an India batter in away Tests, behind Virender Sehwag’s 309 in Multan and Rahul Dravid’s 270 in Rawalpindi on the tour of Pakistan in 2004.Only two Indians had scored double-hundreds in men’s Tests in England before him – 221 by Sunil Gavaskar in 1979 and 217 by Rahul Dravid in 2002, both at The Oval.Overall, Gill’s 269 is the seventh-highest score for India in Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd93.28 – Gill’s control percentage during his 269 at Edgbaston. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs, only two batters have had a higher control percentage while scoring a hundred in men’s Tests in England since 2006 – 96.45 % by Ian Bell during his 119* against Sri Lanka in 2011, and 94.6 % by Jamie Smith during his 111 against Sri Lanka last year.Related

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2 – Visiting batters with double-hundreds at Edgbaston in Tests before Gill. Graeme Smith scored 277 in 2003, while Zaheer Abbas scored 274 in 1971. Gill’s 269 is the eighth-highest score by a visiting batter in Tests in England.7 – Number of batters, including Gill, with hundreds in their first two Tests as captain. Three of the previous six were Indians – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. Jackie McGlew, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith are the others.5 – Batters with double-hundreds in both Tests and ODIs. Gill joins a list dominated by Indians – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle.4 – Scores higher than Gill’s 269 after being put into bat by the opposition. It is the highest for India.376 – Runs India scored after the fall of Nitish Kumar Reddy at Edgbaston – the most they have added for the last five wickets in a Test innings.3 – Number of 200-plus partnerships involving Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth (or lower) wicket in Tests. Only Adam Gilchrist (six), BJ Watling (five) and MS Dhoni (four) have been part of more such stands. Two of Jadeja’s three such stands have come at Edgbaston.7 – Yashasvi Jaiswal has a 50-plus score in each of his seven Tests against England. Viv Richards and Mark Taylor also had a 50-plus score in each of their first seven Tests against England.

Having made the decision to sack Alan Sheehan after just six months in charge earlier this week, Swansea City have now reportedly opened talks with Kim Hellberg.

The South Wales outfit felt a change was needed following a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Ipswich Town on Saturday which left them as low as 18th in the Championship. Sheehan lasted just six months at the club and ended his tenure with 17 wins in 39 games.

Ultimately, despite a positive start to life at Swansea last season, it was Sheehan’s recent four-game losing run which acted as the nail in the coffin for his tenure. The international break also hands the club some much-needed time to get their next appointment right.

Swansea owners Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen told the club website after announcing their decision: “Alan has been instrumental in helping improve the club through two periods of time. Alan has a tireless work ethic, an honest approach and a positive attitude.

“He has put his full effort into the job on behalf of the club. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Alan for all of his hard work during his time at Swansea City. We wish Alan and his family all the best for the future.”

Those in Wales will hope to have an appointment through the door by the time that they return from the international break to face Bristol City on 22 November. They’ll also be desperate to hire a manager that lasts longer than six months and can provide a long-term solution to their current struggles in the Championship.

Swansea hold talks with Kim Hellberg

As reported by Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph, Swansea have now held talks with Hellberg, who is currently in charge of Swedish side Hammarby IF. The Swans are reportedly “keen” to hire the 37-year-old and have identified him as one of the early leading candidates to take their vacant role.

Whilst Hellberg isn’t the most experienced manager that Swansea could find, he is impressive in his own right.

The young manager has earned plenty of praise from those in Sweden, including IFK Varnamo sporting director Enes Ahmetovic, who worked with Hellberg at the club and said: “An incredibly skilled football coach. He spends a huge amount of time on every detail. I’m completely convinced that Hellberg will coach much bigger clubs than IFK Värnamo.”

Operating in a 4-2-3-1 system, Hellberg would also suit Swansea’s current squad who are used to the formation thanks to their time working under Sheehan.

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Manchester United are now back in talks to sign highly-rated Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba in 2026.

The Red Devils’ midfield needs to be a key area of focus next summer, due to Casemiro being out of contract at Old Trafford when the season ends.

The Brazilian has enjoyed a resurgence of late, scoring in United’s 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend, however, he still isn’t the player he was and will soon need to be replaced by a younger model.

Baleba emerged as one of the front-runners to join the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, but in the end, he stayed put for the time being, with no defensive midfielders added to Ruben Amorim’s squad.

The 21-year-old Seagulls ace is sure to have plenty of suitors moving forward, though, with a switch to United still very much on the cards, following a new update.

Man Utd willing to pay £90m for Baleba

According to reports relayed by Caught Offside, Manchester United are once again negotiating over the signing of Baleba from Brighton, and INEOS would be willing to pay as much as £90m for his signature.

An official bid is expected to be incoming for the Cameroonian, as the Red Devils look to complete a significant piece of business next year.

Baleba may not have hit top form yet this season, with his focus arguably affected by the level of interest in him from various clubs, but he has all the tools to enjoy a fantastic career.

He is a force both in and out of possession, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League last term, as well as scoring three goals, and Alan Shearer has hailed him as “absolutely wonderful” on Match of the Day.

As mentioned, Casemiro is not the player he once was, no longer being to cover so much ground at pace, but Baleba could bring that to United’s team, suddenly making them far harder to run through.

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He has so much time to improve further as a player, and while his age means that some inconsistency may be a part of his game to begin with, he feels like a leading option for Amorim, as the Red Devils look to bring in the perfect addition to a vital area of the pitch.

Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim

Unseasonal weather in Western Australia, and a relatively new venue, means surface characteristics are unknown

Tristan Lavalette19-Nov-2025Given the hyperbole, with unseasonal weather adding another layer of drama, there is much intrigue over an expected fast and bouncy Perth Stadium surface ahead of the first Test.However, Australia quick Mitchell Starc remains pessimistic of a pitch which the local tabloid newspaper, in its latest effort to needle England ahead of the series has dubbed a ‘Green Monster’.The teams in recent days have been preparing in the nets behind the massive ground, with the practice sessions notable for sharp and rapid bounce. Whether conditions can be replicated on a drop-in surface that was put in just four weeks ago remains unknown, although the groundstaff do remain hopeful.”The wickets out the back have had a bit of sideways, and up and down,” Starc told reporters. “I’m not going to pretend I know how to read wickets until they’re played on.”A fair bit has been made about the colour of it and that it’s going to be a green mamba. I think it’s probably ready to go now, so I don’t expect to see it do as much as you all anticipate it to do.”Having opened in 2018, and missing two international cricket seasons due to Covid, Perth Stadium is still a relatively new Test venue with no consistent trend established yet.In last year’s India Test, similarly played in late November, both first innings were over within four sessions before the pitch then flattened on days two and three, before unevenness started to come through via large cracks. The year before, against Pakistan, batting was treacherous in the fourth innings thanks to those same cracks, although that Test was played in the oppressive conditions of mid-December.While the WACA’s lore has been rekindled at times, Perth Stadium has been the best batting surface in Australia across the last four years since the new Kookaburra and greener surfaces have made conditions much more difficult on the east coast. Only five overseas batters have scored centuries in Australia in that time and three of them have come in Perth”We’ve had five different wickets in the sense,” Starc said of surfaces at Perth Stadium over the years. “We got a pretty slow, flat wicket against the West Indies [in 2022 which went deep into day five].”The first Test here [in 2018] was one where it cracked up and played a bit like the WACA used to. Last year saw all those wickets on the first day and then it got pretty flat.”You can look at trends and you can look at what’s happened. In the end you got to play what’s in front of you.”Related

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Adding to the intrigue, there has been some stormy weather in the metropolitan area in recent days, while rain is forecast this weekend on the back of a wetter winter and spring in Perth.Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual, with the famously sun-drenched Western Australia capital usually almost totally dry from November through to April.But WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald does not believe the elements will change the expected characteristics of the surface.”You look historically at every Test through both venues here in the west, pace and bounce is a mainstay, and that’s not going to change any time soon,” said McDonald, whose on-field press engagement was pushed back due to lightning strikes close to the ground.”This forecast has been hit and miss. The temperatures have been varying by a few degrees here and there every day. Taking lessons learned from last year, we started prep a day earlier…..really trusting to get our moisture and firmness right.”McDonald said 9mm of grass is currently left on the drop-in pitch, a similar amount to recent Tests at the ground. “The cracks will be present later in the game. What I’ve really knuckled down this preparation is ensuring the pace and bounce is spot on for day one, to ensure an even battle,” he said.”Previous years, I think we’ve been on the flatter side. But last year, being the exception, we were probably a day early in preparation.”So we tried to tackle that with giving ourselves an extra day in preparation to try and even out that balance.”

It wasn’t perfect, but Manchester United secured three points at Molineux to return to winning ways in the Premier League and gear up for another charge toward Champions League contention.

Bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers crumbled away after the break, and the Red Devils made them pay, with Bruno Fernandes’ brace coming either side of second-half strikes from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount.

The home side might be at the centre of a catastrophic failure this season, but take nothing away from United’s slick attacking play, creating a platform to build on after labouring to a draw against West Ham United at Old Trafford last week.

How Man Utd beat Wolves

Amorim’s Red Devils have rekindled the feel-good factor. There is work still to be done, and the Portuguese tactician’s system leaves something to be desired, but Manchester United are just one point behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace.

Amorim knew his side would dominate the ball, and dictate the flow of possession they did, but he would have drilled into his troops at half-time a lesson about wayward shooting. As per Sofascore, United chalked up an xG total of 4.01 across the match, with 3.06 of that total coming after the interval despite 14 of the 27 shots on the evening being lashed across the first half.

It’s also worth noting that five of United’s seven shots on target came during the first half. This may have smacked of desperation in other circumstances, but at Molineux illustrated a tactical tweak orienting toward greater variation, a ramping-up of the gas that outfoxed a Wolves backline that crumbled under pressure.

One way of looking at it would be that United toiled, to little avail, before the break, but we also saw tactical adaptation from a manager who has been criticised for his obstinacy.

Content creator Adam Joseph said that “tonight doesn’t solve any issues”, but he praised the victory all the same. Now, Amorim needs to go one step further and deepen the nuances of his system, surely ending one protracted experiment which might have seen the visitors come unstuck, had they been playing a higher calibre of opponent.

Amorim must boldly drop Man United talent

Amad Diallo is one of the most talented players in Manchester United’s squad, but he’s also been played out of position for the lion’s share of the Amorim era, and the contest at Molineux issued a reminder that he cannot continue in an unnatural wing-back berth forever.

Not only does it hinder the 23-year-old’s attacking play, but it also fails to offer United’s system the balance and fluency it requires down the right channel.

Minutes played

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

68

Accurate passes

39/44 (89%)

Chances created

4

Possession lost

9x

Crosses

1/3

Dribbles

2/4

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

1/1

Duels won

5/9

This was by no means a, quote unquote, disasterclass, but Amad did leave something to be desired, lacking end product and culpable for a few defensive lapses. The Manchester Evening News recognised this, handing the Ivory Coast international a 6/10 match rating.

Amad, after all, was perhaps at fault for the Old Gold’s parity-restoring goal before the break, failing to close David Møller Wolfe as the wing-back cut back to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who scored.

There were flashes of quality, for sure, but we must remember that Amad is performing, dutifully, in a role that is not his own, and this was picked up by analyst Raj Chohan, who remarked that it has been “completely unserious squad planning” on Amorim’s part, shoehorning a fleet-footed forward into a position that he “does not suit playing” in.

This season, ten of Amad’s 15 appearances have come as United’s right-sided wing-back, with five outings made in an attacking role off the central striker.

There he plays his best stuff, and if Amorim is to succeed at the club and lead the squad for the long run, he will need to find a way to maximise this talented forward’s skills in a position that he can call his own.

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Liverpool are now ready to accelerate talks to sign a key defensive addition, who could put an end to Ibrahima Konate’s struggles.

Romano shares update on Slot's Liverpool future

It’s been a disastrous season for Liverpool so far. The defending champions have seen their crown go from gold to paper in a matter of 12 Premier League games. Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest turned a blip into a crisis and questions are now being asked of Arne Slot.

The Dutchman, for the first time in his Liverpool career, is under pressure to turn his side’s form around. According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, however, the Reds are not searching for another manager just yet, even if everyone involved at the club is well aware that the current results cannot go on.

The news will come as a relief for Slot, who clearly has plenty of credit left in the bank after winning the Premier League title in his first season at the club.

There is still no denying that the Red must turn a corner sooner rather than later, though. They currently sit 12th and are on course for one of the worst title defences in Premier League history.

Having spent big in the summer, breaking their transfer record twice, those at Anfield could turn towards the January window to make further, much-needed additions.

Names such as Marc Guehi have continued to steal the headlines on that front, but reports are now claiming that Liverpool are ready to accelerate their talks to sign Goncalo Inacio.

Liverpool ready to accelerate Inacio talks

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are ready to accelerate their move to sign Inacio from Sporting CP in 2026. The impressive central defender has a release clause worth €80m (£70m) in Portugal, but that looks unlikely to be enough to fend off the interest of those at Anfield.

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By signing Inacio, Liverpool would also have the chance to rub salt in the wounds of Ruben Amorim. The Manchester United boss was a big fan of the centre-back at Sporting, telling reporters: “Gonçalo is perfect for the way we play. He can defend aggressively, step up to win the ball, and then start an attack with one pass. His ability to do both phases so well is rare.

“I’ve said it before—Gonçalo has everything to play at the highest level. His technique, his vision, his bravery. He’s brilliant, and he’s still improving every day.”

Minutes

990

976

Progressive Passes

98

45

Successful Aerial Duels

24

42

Ball Recoveries

69

30

It’s also worth noting how impressive Inacio has been compared to Konate this season. If the Frenchman does leave as a free agent next summer, then Inacio would provide Liverpool with the perfect upgrade.

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