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INEOS are now reportedly prepared to spend more than £100m to sign Raphinha from Barcelona under one circumstance at Manchester United in 2026.

The Red Devils owners have not been afraid to spend big on transfer fees in the last six months, despite their cost-saving measures off the pitch. Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to back Ruben Amorim, who has shown signs that he could yet turn things around at Old Trafford, and that could yet result in further much-needed reinforcements.

INEOS have already seen the majority of their summer signings settle into life at Old Trafford, with Bryan Mbeumo even picking up the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for October to match Amorim’s Manager of the Month achievement. The former Brentford forward scored three goals and assisted one other to earn the award.

After watching Mbeumo pick up the award and claiming the Manager of the Month prize himself, Amorim told reporters: “The credit is not mine, the credit is for my players. They did really well, and our goal is to win the next one because it means we win football matches.”

The former Sporting CP boss, more than anyone, will be well aware that there’s still a long way to go, however, and INEOS must still back the Red Devils in the transfer market.

Forget Mbeumo: "Phenomenal" Man Utd star was the real player of the month

Bryan Mbeumo has won the Premier League Player of the Month, but one other Manchester United star may feel hard done by.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 7, 2025

On that front, those at Old Trafford have already been linked with 2026 moves for the likes of Elliot Anderson and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. Anderson would be a particularly impressive signing, given how he’s starred in a struggling Nottingham Forest side as of late, whilst Vlahovic would undoubtedly add depth to Amorim’s frontline.

Neither of those players would be as impressive as Raphinha though, who has scored twice against Man United throughout his career.

Man Utd prepared to spend over £100m on Raphinha

According to reports in Spain, INEOS are now prepared to spend €120m (£105m) to sign Raphinha if Man United qualify for the Champions League this season. Qualification for the competition would hand the Red Devils further financial freedom and the ability to attract stars such as the Barcelona winger.

The Brazilian would instantly become Man United’s record signing at £105m, finally dethroning the £89m fee that they paid to sign eventual flop Paul Pogba in 2016.

Unlike the Frenchman, Raphinha may well prove to be worth every penny after becoming one of the best wingers in the world at Barcelona and finishing fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Whether a club-record bid would be enough to lure Barcelona into a sale is the big question. Manager Hansi Flick should be desperate to keep hold of his winger, having told reporters last season: “He has good dynamics with the ball and he has had an extraordinary match. His offensive and defensive dynamics, and his good technique, are something special. I have never had a player like him and he helps us a lot.”

Forget Cunha & Mbeumo: "Explosive" Man Utd star is coded for the Fergie era

Liverpool have lost seven of their last ten matches in all competitions after they were hammered 3-0 by Manchester City at The Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Premier League champions have now lost five of their 11 matches in the division so far this season, per Sofascore, after losing four of their 38 games in the 2024/25 campaign.

After the match, as shown in the clip above, former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane suggested that the Reds should not be considered in the race for the title, and it is hard to argue with.

The current run of form, their position in the league, and their performance against Manchester City do not suggest that they are likely to retain their crown in the 2025/26 campaign.

Liverpool’s current situation is particularly frustrating for the club when you consider the significant money that they splashed on new signings during the summer transfer window in a bid to strengthen their squad.

Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record, at the time, fee of £116m, yet he failed to make an impact once again.

Why Liverpool should be worried about Florian Wirtz

It is fair to expect that a £116m signing would be able to make a fairly immediate impact for the club, but he has been anonymous far too often in his Liverpool career so far.

The Germany international produced 16 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Leverkusen in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which led to the Reds splashing a gigantic fee on his services.

This shows that he has the technical ability to make an impact in the final third. That was further evidenced by his two assists against a Bundesliga team in Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last month.

However, the physicality and intensity of the Premier League has proven a bit too much for Wirtz when it comes to making an impact with goals and assists at the top end of the pitch.

Per Sofascore, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder has no goals and no assists in 11 appearances in the division for Liverpool since his £116m transfer to Anfield in the summer.

Minutes

83

Pass accuracy

88%

Crosses completed

0/2

Key passes

0

Big chances created

0

Shots

2

Shots on target

0

Duels won

4/8

As you can see in the table above, Wirtz’s performance against Manchester City on Sunday lacked substance, with no shots on target, key passes, or ‘big chances’ created.

He was efficient in his passing and won half of his duels, to his credit, but his lack of physicality meant that he was unable to really threaten the Cityzens backline, marshalled brilliantly by Ruben Dias.

Liverpool should, therefore, be worried because his performances are not improving and his only goal contributions, outside of the Community Shield, came against a Bundesliga team.

Wirtz needs to adjust to the intensity of the English game, and quickly, to start proving why the Reds were right to spend so much money on his signature this year.

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

The Germany international is not the only player whose performances are concerning, though, as central defender Ibrahima Konate put in another disappointing display.

Why Ibrahima Konate should be dropped by Liverpool

The French centre-back must be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up by Arne Slot when the team returns to action after the international break, because he put in a dismal showing against City.

For the opening goal from Erling Haaland, Konate was unable to time his jump correctly and allowed the Norwegian giant to beat him to the header, which landed in the back of the net.

That was followed up by some passive defending in the second half for the third goal. Jeremy Doku seemed destined to cut onto his right foot to shoot from distance, but Konate did not shape his body to react to the situation and allowed the shot to come in almost uncontested.

The France international, who was called “horrific” by Liverpool supporter Lawrie on X, was even worse than Wirtz against Pep Guardiola’s side, as he made costly errors for two of the three goals, whilst the German midfielder simply did not do much of note.

Whilst Wirtz, at least, won half of his duels in the game, Konate struggled with the physical challenge posed by Haaland, which is not a surprise given the Norway international’s presence and style of play.

Minutes

90

Tackles

0

Interceptions

0

Ground duels won

2/5

Aerial duels won

1/3

Dribbles

0

Shots

0

As you can see in the table above, the former RB Leipzig man lost the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air, which shows that he was far too easy to beat in duels throughout the match.

On top of that, the central defender did not step in to make a single tackle or interception, and did not attempt any dribbles to get his team up the pitch to bypass the first line of City’s press.

Passive was the word of the day for Liverpool and Konate, as evidenced by both the result and his individual statistics, which is why Slot may want to shake things up with some changes to his starting line-up after the break.

The France international could find himself out of the team when the Reds next play, with Joe Gomez waiting in the wings for his chance to start at the heart of the defence next to Virgil van Dijk.

Man City fans' brutal chant sums up Florian Wirtz's time at Liverpool

The German struggled, yet again, for the Reds against Manchester City.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 9, 2025

Whilst it is now down to Slot to decide whether or not that is the right call to make, Konate’s performance on Sunday has given the manager a decision to make.

Are Manchester City rediscovering the form that made them simply unstoppable not so long ago?

In the Champions League, the Sky Blues have now accumulated seven points from nine matches, following Tuesday night’s commanding 2-0 victory over Villarreal; Erling Braut Håland and Bernardo Silva on target during the first half at Estadio de la Cerámica.

​​​​​​

Meantime, in the Premier League, having collected 13 points from the last 15 available, the Citizens have climbed up to second, looking to continue their winning streak at Villa Park on Sunday.

Some may argue that Pep Guardiola’s team are over reliant on one player, although what a player to be reliant on, but could the return of an “extraordinary” talent make the goalbot himself truly unstoppable?

How Erling Haaland compares to Europe's best

We all already knew that Håland was a goal-scoring machine, but he may be taking this to a whole new level this season.

He has netted in each of his last nine international outings, scoring 17 times across these matches in total, while Tuesday’s opener in Spain took his tally to 15 club goals for the campaign already.

Håland is currently averaging a goal every 63 minutes in Manchester City colours this season and, at this current rate, he’ll bag 52 in the Premier League alone, annihilating his own single-season record of 36 set in 2022/23.

Across a top five European league and the Champions League, he is actually not the top scorer, level with Kylian Mbappé who also has 15, but both are being outshone by a certain Harry Kane, who is currently on 17.

Nevertheless, Håland’s importance to Manchester City is underlined by the fact he has scored 65% of their Premier and Champions League goals this season, while no other player at the club has scored more than a solitary goal across the two competitions.

So, one could certainly argue that Man City are overly reliant on Håland’s goal but, if you’ve got to be reliant on one player, he isn’t a bad choice.

So now, which forgotten sky blue star could make the Norwegian truly unstoppable?

Manchester City's new "extraordinary" talent

In 2025, Manchester City have spent around £385m on 11 new signings, the majority of whom have made little impact so far.

Omar Marmoush did impress after arriving in January, Gianluigi Donnarumma has instantaneously proved why he is considered to be a world-class goalkeeper, while Tijjani Reijnders has been a useful addition to midfield.

However, could Rayan Cherki, who joined from Olympique Lyonnais in June for £34m, prove to be the best of the bunch?

Since the start of this season, the Frenchman has seen just 80 minutes of action due to a thigh injury, but has come off the bench towards the end of the last two matches against Everton and Villarreal as he eases back to full fitness.

Having joined hometown club Lyon at the age of seven, Cherki has been touted as a talent to watch for many years, making 185 appearances for les Gones, scoring 29 goals and registering 45 assists, despite still only being 22 years old.

Last season was certainly his most productive in Ligue 1, as the table below documents.

Cherki Ligue 1 stats 2024/25

Stats

Cherki

Ligue 1 rank

Goals

8

25th

Goals – xG

+3

7th

Assists

11

1st

Expected assists

11.7

1st

Key passes

75

2nd

Big chances created

22

1st

Passes into area

77

1st

Progressive passes

206

5th

Shot-creating actions

146

1st

Goal-creating actions

20

2nd

Progressive carries

106

10th

Carries into final third

91

2nd

Stats via FBref & SofaScore

As the table highlights, while he is a goal threat and a high-quality dribbler, Cherki is primarily a creator.

In Ligue 1 last season, he ranked first in all sorts of metrics to support this, namely assists, expected assists, big chances created, passes into the opposition penalty area and shot-creating actions, second only to Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

Following his arrival in the summer, Gillian Kasirye of Total Football Analysis asserted that Cherki is the natural heir to Kevin De Bruyne’s throne as Manchester City’s primary chance creator, ahead of existing players, namely Phil Foden.

Meantime, after the Sky Blues’ 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, the Frenchman marking his Premier League debut with a goal, Guardiola asserted that his talent is “unbelievable”, adding that his “creativity in the final third [is] extraordinary”.

Well, if this rocket against Spain during June’s Nations League semi-finals in Stuttgart doesn’t underline what Cherki is capable of, nothing will!

Thus, following an injury-blighted start to life in Manchester, the Frenchman, on his way back to full fitness, will be looking to start making a serious impact.

For now, he’ll probably become a mere member of the fabled “Pep rotation” alongside Foden, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and others.

Chalkboard

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

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Nevertheless, based on his talent, Cherki should be right at the front of the queue for starting minutes and, if he rediscovers last season’s creative numbers, Håland will become truly unstoppable, if he isn’t already.

Related 100% dribbles, 5 key passes: 8/10 Man City star showed he's "Sane-esque"

Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and one of Pep Guardiola’s stars underlined that he is Leroy Sané-esque.

Posts ByBen Gray Oct 22, 2025

Newly-appointed West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo’s arrival is set to spark a significant shake-up of the Hammers squad, according to reports in the last few days.

West Ham planning to back new manager Nuno Espírito Santo in January

Vice-chairman Karren Brady was reportedly a key driving force in West Ham’s decision to hire Nuno, who swiftly jumped into Graham Potter’s shoes just hours after the east Londoners announced his departure.

Potter left Rush Green despite significant support from senior members of the West Ham squad (The Telegraph), and Nuno took West Ham training that same day as the Portuguese quickly got to work ahead of his debut clash in the dugout against Everton.

His first match ended in a 1-1 draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Jarrod Bowen’s excellently-taken equaliser cancelling out Michael Keane’s early opener — largely thanks to some impressive work down the left by summer signing El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Everton 1-1 West Ham – best players of the match	Match rating
Michael Keane	8.0
Max Kilman	7.3
Alphonse Areola	7.3
Jarrod Bowen	7.3
James Garner	7.1
via WhoScored

The latter is standing out as a shining light in an otherwise dismal season for West Ham so far, with members of the media already calling Malick Diouf one of the best finds of 2025/2026.

All signs suggest that the Senegal international could be a key player for Nuno, but West Ham are also prepared to bring in new January recruits to support the 51-year-old’s attempts to save the Irons’ season.

West Ham committed to a long-term deal with Nuno by agreeing a three-year contract, even if chairman David Sullivan was initially contemplating a reunion with former manager Slaven Bilic on an interim basis until the end of the season (Pete O’Rourke).

The club must go all in with their new manager, who guided Nottingham Forest back to Europe for the first time since 1995 last season, with West Ham apparently ready to make winter signings in the forward areas to back Nuno.

The ex-Tottenham and Wolves boss will already have a good idea of the players he wants out too.

Nuno caused a stir when he dropped midfielder James Ward-Prowse from the matchday squad against Everton.

The Englishman’s omission was solely Nuno’s tactical decision and not due to injury, with a report now shedding more light on his long-term future at the London Stadium.

James Ward-Prowse resigned to leaving West Ham after Nuno's arrival

According to GiveMeSport and reporter Andrew Dillon, Ward-Prowse is resigned to quitting West Ham in January after Nuno’s arrival, and the former Southampton star has already been told that he has no place in the new boss’ plans.

Nuno’s call to axe Ward-Prowse just two days after his appointment apparently sent “shockwaves” through the squad, but the 30-year-old has accepted his fate with professionalism with no behind-the-scenes bust-ups occurring.

Nuno briefly worked with the 11-cap England international at Forest, who signed on a season-long loan there at the start of 2024/2025, but they cut his temporary spell short midway through the season and sent him back to London.

Taking this into account, Nuno has clearly never fancied Ward-Prowse that much, with the player now poised to leave this winter in pursuit of a new club.

Ward-Prowse was a firm regular under Potter, and his threat from set-piece delivery was viewed as a prime reason why David Moyes brought him to Rush Green for £30 million in August 2023.

He’s just one free-kick goal away from equalling David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18, but that’s now unlikely to happen at West Ham.

Potter was always a fan of Ward-Prowse, even calling him a “quiet leader” in the team, but Nuno views the player very differently.

Arsenal will host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Mikel Arteta's side facing an early test of their European credentials. The Gunners have already seen off Athletic Club and Olympiacos this season, but the visit of Diego Simeone and his troops will be their sternest challenge yet, particularly with the Spanish giants clicking into gear after a slow beginning to the season.

It will also see Arsenal's formidable defence try to keep someone who could have been a team-mate of theirs quiet. Former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez is loving life again in Madrid, but he could have swapped the capital of Spain for that of England earlier this year.

Alvarez was one of several strikers tentatively linked with a move to Arsenal during the first half of 2025, with Arteta eventually settling on Viktor Gyokeres as his new No.9. Even despite their early-season success, some Gunners fans aren't totally convinced by the Swede and are wondering how much better they could be doing with a different forward up top.

Getty Images SportNeed for a No.9

Arsenal supporters had been crying out for a new No.9 since forever. When you grow up on a diet of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, how can you expect to be satisfied by helpings of Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's successful one-man mission to win the 2020 FA Cup was pretty much the last time Arsenal's striker was one of the most feared in the land. Gabriel Jesus did have a period where he looked like the second coming of Pele upon arrival in 2022, but he hasn't been the same since suffering a knee injury at that year's World Cup and is currently working his way back from an ACL tear.

When they needed a centre forward to carry the scoring load in the second half of 2023-24, Arsenal turned to Kai Havertz, who was very openly signed as a midfielder, though whose versatility was seen as a massive plus-point when paying Chelsea £65 million and immediately making him one of the club's highest earners. The Germany international has played well as a lone striker, though has rarely looked like one you could win the Premier League with.

Arsenal's over-reliance on Havertz and winger Bukayo Saka to provide goals and assists also led Arteta down the path of adding firepower to his squad. That was before you even factored in how stale their attack looked during an injury-blighted 2024-25 campaign.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhy Gyokeres?

Heading into the summer window, there were two prominent names on Arsenal's shortlist. One was RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, and the other was Gyokeres of Sporting CP. The profile of striker Arteta craved for was a brutish and prolific hit-man who could occupy defenders with their physicality.

Despite a summer spend of roughly £250m ($335m), Arsenal seemingly had a limit on how much they were willing to shell out on a striker. It's one of the primary reasons why they pivoted away from Sesko, per , despite the Slovenian being the preferred choice of the club's hierarchy prior to the window.

Sporting director Andrea Berta, who officially took post on March 30, balked at the demands of both Leipzig and Sesko's representatives, which effectively killed the hope of Arsenal agreeing a deal. Sporting, meanwhile, were still tough negotiators and an agreement over Gyokeres dragged on until late July over the structure of payment, but the price never really went back above £60m ($80.5m) all in once the Portuguese champions agreed to come down on their top scorer's £85m ($114m) release clause. The Sweden international, who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting, became the priority target once Sesko was ruled out of the race for good, with Manchester United later stumping up an initial £66.3m plus £7.4m ($89m plus $9.9m) in add-ons to sign him from Leipzig.

While Sesko was still seen as a work in progress by Arsenal, the hope with Gyokeres was that he could hit the ground running as a ready-made striker capable of firing Arsenal to glory without too much of a settling in period, particularly as he had performed excellently in England with Championship side Coventry City from 2021 to 2023.

Getty Images SportEarly teething problems

Through 11 games of his Arsenal career thus far, Gyokeres has scored three goals. Two came on the second week of the season in a 5-0 hammering of Leeds, while the other came directly after the September international window during a 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest at the start of Ange Postecoglou's infamous 39-day spell as manager.

Gyokeres heads into Tuesday's battle with Atletico on a run of nine games without a goal, but this isn't of public concern to Arteta. Prior to Gyokeres drawing a blank in Saturday's 1-0 victory at Fulham, the Arsenal boss said: "I told [Gyokeres] before the first meeting, I said, 'the nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn't score for six or eight games, he can handle that. If not, you have to go somewhere else because the expectation is going to be there'.

"So, if you put on a nine shirt for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, 'OK, six games, if I don't score, I'm a different player? I start to act in a different way?'. No, I want much more of the same of what he's doing."

Speaking after that win at Craven Cottage, Arteta said: "He was very close today again, two or three times. We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal, so we try to give him support and love and it will come.

"He looks at you and doesn't move. He was on the screen like this and he just said: 'It's fine'. That's him. There's no emotion there, he just has a single-targeted mindset. That's what I love about him."

That Arteta has even had to whip out these lines is proof enough that Gyokeres hasn't quite had the totally desired impact to date. Beyond the raw numbers, he also looked lost in Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Liverpool and their last-gasp 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City. Even against lesser opposition, he's still getting up to speed with the ruthless rigour of the Premier League and appears a step or two behind his team-mates. This is a natural step he needs to take, but one Arsenal can only afford since they're already top of the table.

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Getty ImagesBerta unconvinced

Though Gyokeres and Sesko were the two frontrunners for the Arsenal striker gig, Alvarez's name was one that appeared in many a gossip column when it came to the Emirates Stadium striking vacancy. He was prolific in his first season at Atletico, registering 29 goals and eight assists in 57 matches across all competitions, though was seldom cast as a happy figure at the Metropolitano.

Barcelona have long been linked with the Argentina international, while if Arsenal indeed held an interest, it would probably have been easier to try and get him out of Atletico rather than domestic rivals Manchester City. Alas, Sami Mokbel reported that a move failed to materialise due to financials involved regardless, and Berta, the sporting director at Atleti when they first bought Alvarez for up to £81.8m in 2024, cooled the Gunners' interest.

Alvarez isn't the same physical profile as Gyokeres or Sesko, standing somewhere between 5'7" and 5'9" depending on which database you believe. The point is he's on the diminutive side and wouldn't have been able to harass defenders in the same way, instead relying on his off-ball pressing and on-ball excellence. Playing with this sort of centre-forward may have made Arsenal an easier watch this season, such is Alvarez's elegance and ability to bring others into play.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras entregou neste sábado (29) a lista de inscritos para as oitavas de final da Libertadores. O clube enviou os nomes para a Conmebol dentro do prazo estabelecido pela entidade, que é de 72 horas antes do início da fase (1º de agosto). Mesmo sem os esperados reforços, o Verdão precisou fazer mudanças nos 50 jogadores que foram inicialmente registrados para a fase de grupos da competição.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras ainda pode acionar ’emergência’ para garantir reforço nas oitavas da LibertadoresPalmeiras29/07/2023PalmeirasSaiba quanto a atual patrocinadora do Palmeiras investiu no clube desde o início da parceriaPalmeiras29/07/2023PalmeirasDe olho no futuro, Palmeiras contrata jovem que pode ter multa de mais R$ 500 milhõesPalmeiras28/07/2023

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Na sexta-feira (28), segundo o diretor de futebol, Anderson Barros, o Alviverde foi “ao limite” na tentativa de contratar o volante Aníbal Moreno, do Racing-ARG. No entanto, os argentinos estavam irredutíveis e não abriram mão do valor que vinham pedindo. Dessa forma, a diretoria palmeirense acabou desistindo de contratar um atleta a tempo de atuar pelas oitavas da Libertadores.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

O clube poderia fazer até cinco alterações dentro da lista de 50 nomes que havia sido entregue para a fase de grupos. Como não trouxe novos jogadores, restou ao Palmeiras fazer outro tipo de mudança: retirar os atletas que foram negociados e não estão mais no grupo.

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São os casos de Vinicius Silvestre, que está no Portimonense-POR, de Rafael Navarro, que está no Colorado Rapids-EUA, de Giovani, que está no Al Sadd-QAT, e de Bruno Tabata, que está no Qatar SC-QAT. Todos eles foram removidos da lista, restando 46 nomes disponíveis para Abel Ferreira. Desses, 27 estão na base, no grupo de transição ou acabaram de subir para o profissional.

+ Racing-ARG recusa oferta por Aníbal Moreno, e Palmeiras fica mais longe de se reforçar para a Libertadores

Caso passe para as quartas de final e consiga contratar um reforço até o dia 2 de agosto, quando se encerra a janela de transferências, o Palmeiras poderá inscrevê-lo até o dia 19 de agosto, quando serão permitidas três trocas na lista.

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Confira a lista de inscritos do Palmeiras na Libertadores:

Goleiros

21 – Weverton
42 – Marcelo Lomba
51 – Kaique
24 – Natan

Laterais-direitos

02 – Marcos Rocha
12 – Mayke
32 – Garcia
52 – Gilberto

Zagueiros

15 – Gustavo Gómez
26 – Murilo
13 – Luan
34 – Naves
33 – Michel
43 – Vitor Reis
44 – Vareta
53 – Pedro Felipe
54 – Benedetti

Laterais-esquerdos

22 – Piquerez
06 – Vanderlan
36 – Ian

Meio-campistas

08 – Zé Rafael
25 – Gabriel Menino
23 – Raphael Veiga
20 – Atuesta
27 – Richard Ríos
30 – Jailson
35 – Fabinho
40 – Jhon Jhon
31 – Luis Guilherme
38 – Patrick
45 – Léo
48 – David Kauã
50 – Pedro Lima
55 – Vitor André
60 – Thalys

Atacantes

07 – Dudu
09 – Endrick
10 – Rony
14 – Artur
18 – López
19 – Breno Lopes
37 – Kevin
39 – Daniel
41 – Riquelme Fillipi
47 – Kauan Santos
49 – Wendell

Birmingham City completed the summer transfer window with one of the highest quantities of arrivals in the Championship, despite being quite a way off the highest expenditure.

Tom Wagner and Tom Brady oversaw permanent transfers, loan moves and free agent arrivals for 14 new players for a net spend of just over £3.6 million for Chris Davies. They ranked 7th for highest net spend, and only a small number of teams had more arrivals; however, leading up to deadline day, Davies shared his desire for more arrivals:

“I think we need a little bit of reinforcement, just depth in our defensive area and again, we could do with a bit more depth, maybe higher up the pitch as well. But we have to see what the squad looks like in the next couple of days because there’s a lot of moving parts to it, as I said. But everyone’s trying, we’ll see what happens.”

The Blues did manage to bring in late additions in defender Jack Robinson and winger Patrick Roberts from Sheffield United and Sunderland respectively. However, it now looks like that deadline day didn’t satiate Davies’s desire for reinforcements and so Birmingham are looking to take advantage of the free agent market to bring in a Premier League-proven midfielder.

Birmingham front-runners to sign free agent Oxlade-Chamberlain

Birmingham City are looking to reinforce their midfield options and continue developing into a Premier League quality team by bringing in free agent and former Premier League winner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Since leaving Liverpool in 2023, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been playing for the Turkish side Besiktas. However, in mid-August, it started being reported that Besiktas were looking to terminate Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract and that the midfielder was interested in a move back to England. On August 27th, the Turkish side paid off the remaining £1.5 million of his contract, making him a free agent.

While any club could have signed the Nike-sponsored midfielder during the transfer window, clubs focused on deals that required an actual club-to-club transfer, as being a free agent, Oxlade-Chamberlain can be signed at any time.

Ever since the rumours of a contract termination first broke, Birmingham have been one of the most heavily connected teams. Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has now reported that Birmingham are at the forefront of the race to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain and are the leading candidates. However, they face competition from European teams as well as Premier League side Leeds United.

Opportunity to sign "wonderful" midfielder

If Birmingham can tempt Oxlade-Chamberlain away from his other suitors, they will be receiving a seasoned player with Champions League and International experience.

When he joined Besiktas, his former Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, had plenty of praise, calling Oxlade-Chamberlain “wonderful”.

In the years since Klopp said this about Oxlade-Chamberlain, his injury record hasn’t improved. However, the experience that he can bring to the Birmingham side, having gone through a successful promotion campaign with Southampton and having copious amounts of Premier League experience, will make him an invaluable addition to the team.

Nathan Smith came in for Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20251:27

Southee: Henry not playing the final a ‘massive loss’ for New Zealand

Matt Henry was ruled out of the Champions Trophy final against India because of the shoulder injury he picked up in the semi-final, against South Africa, on March 5 in Lahore. Nathan Smith was brought in as Henry’s replacement in the New Zealand XI.Doubts about Henry’s availability for the final emerged on Friday when Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said, “We’ve had some scans and stuff done on him, and we’re going to give him every chance to be playing in this match. [But it’s] still a little bit unknown at this stage.”Henry bowled and fielded in the New Zealand training sessions on match eve, raising his team’s hopes. But, on the morning on the match, when Henry was out on the ground with the rest of the team, he turned his arm over just a few times, grimacing each time, and walked out.Related

New ball or old, Henry will make things happen

Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy leading up to the final with ten strikes, had hurt his shoulder while taking the catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen. He left the field but returned to bowl two overs late in the match. He was also seen diving in the field after he came back.Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, had been optimistic about Henry’s availability soon after the match against South Africa, and Stead had also sounded a positive note, saying, “I guess the positive thing from our perspective is he got back out there to bowl.”Henry had been crucial to New Zealand’s run to the final. In the only match they lost in the first round, against India – also their opponents in the final – Henry returned a five-for. That match was also played in Dubai, like the final.New Zealand opted to field allrounder Smith in Henry’s place even though they had the option of a fast bowler in Jacob Duffy. Smith played one game in the Champions Trophy, the tournament opener in Karachi against Pakistan, where he didn’t get a chance to bat and picked up one wicket in two overs with the ball as New Zealand won by 60 runs.

Tottenham Hotspur have now directly contacted a “fantastic” defender’s club, in order to assess the possibility of a potential deal, according to a report.

Spurs looking to bolster full-back options despite Spence renewal

Tottenham are relatively well-stocked in the full-back department, given that Thomas Frank has Destiny Udogie at his disposal at left-back and Pedro Porro on the opposite flank, while Djed Spence is capable of playing on either side.

Despite a rocky start to his career at Spurs, Spence has now done enough to earn a new long-term contract, and the full-back has admitted he is delighted to extend his stay in north London.

That said, given that Spence has predominantly featured on the left in recent times, Frank may want to bring in another full-back to provide competition for Porro on the right, and Manchester City’s Rico Lewis was recently identified as a potential option.

Last week, intermediaries made contact with the Lilywhites over a potential deal, and Frank’s side have now stepped up their interest, having made direct contact with Man City.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Tottenham have now submitted an enquiry to City about Lewis, but there could be fierce competition for the full-back’s signature, with a number of rival Premier League clubs also keen.

Indeed, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have all made approaches for the 20-year-old, with the Tricky Trees even submitting an offer worth €30m (£26m), which was knocked back by the Blues.

That said, it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible, with Pep Guardiola keen to keep hold of the youngster, while also recently saying: “I think he’s going to stay, I think. He told me that. But, I said, maybe tomorrow, after tomorrow, it’ll change.”

"Fantastic" Lewis could challenge for Porro's starting spot

Once lauded as “fantastic” by Guardiola, the English starlet has managed to repay his manager’s faith in him by establishing himself as an important player for City, making 28 appearances in the Premier League in the 2024-25 campaign.

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During that time, the Bury-born defender has also showcased his versatility, featuring at left-back and even in central midfield, although right-back is the five-time England international’s favoured position.

As such, Lewis would most likely be brought in as a direct competitor to Porro, and he could have the potential to usurp the Spaniard on a long-term basis, considering Pep has stated the City ace is “one of the best” players he has trained.

That said, it could be difficult for the full-back to displace the 25-year-old in the Tottenham starting XI, given that Porro has outperformed him in both an attacking and defensive sense over the past year.

Average per 90

Pedro Porro

Rico Lewis

Non-penalty goals

0.09

0.03

Assists

0.21

0.14

Tackles

2.13

1.46

Interceptions

1.23

0.66

Manchester United have enquired about the potential signing of a “completely unique” striker this summer, according to a new claim from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Man Utd still searching for new striker

It has been a good summer transfer window to date for United, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo having the potential to be strong signings from Wolves and Brentford respectively.

United desperately need to sign an elite striker, however, with Rasmus Hojlund not yet doing enough to suggest that he is the answer to lead the line for Ruben Amorim in the coming years.

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko appears to be the current front-runner to come in this summer, with the Slovenian ultimately now having to choose between the Red Devils and Newcastle United.

While some reports have suggested that the Magpies have won the race to sign Sesko, a different update has claimed that Director of Football Jason Wilcox is confident of getting his man and bringing him to United. Now, another huge player has been mentioned as an alternative option.

Man Utd make contact over signing "unique" striker

According to Sky Germany‘s Plettenberg on X, Manchester United recently enquired about Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, amid strong interest from Liverpool.

In truth, it looks unlikely that United will be able to sign Isak, with Liverpool the obvious favourites to get him, and the player himself keen on a move to Anfield and turning down any chance of a move to Old Trafford.

That said, if the Red Devils were suddenly able to strike a deal for the £120,000-a-week star, it could have been a game-changing piece of business, with journalist Matthew Ketchell speaking glowingly of him.

“He’s got a real easy-on-the-eye, unique style about his play, it’s almost balletic the way he moves, it’s completely unique. The balance he has, the speed he has, the strength he has, the intelligence, it’s kind of all there. He had a little bit of an issue with one-on-ones last season (2023/24), start of this season, where he was going through on goal and not taking his chances – he seems to have cleaned that up.”

Assuming United miss out on Isak, it then has to be a case of them signing Sesko instead, with the Leipzig star having the potential to be a huge hit at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils don’t have Champions League football to offer him, however, or any European football for that matter, whereas Newcastle are playing in the top club competition next season.

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He’s the subject of a Premier League battle…

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Hopefully, the lure of United ultimately proves too great for Sesko to turn down, but missing out on him would be a big blow, forcing the club to look at an alternative.