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It’s been a frustrating transfer window for Newcastle United so far.

The Magpies have signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, but have missed out on countless other targets.

Now though, could Eddie Howe be about to land his second addition of a key summer, as he prepares to lead his side back into the Champions League?

Newcastle's search for a new attacker

As outlined by Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, this transfer window has been a complete ‘nightmare’ for Newcastle United so far.

With James Trafford seemingly set to return to Manchester City, this would be the seventh transfer target the Magpies have missed out on already, after failed attempts to bring Liam Delap, João Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Dean Huijsen to Tyneside.

The most high-profile pursuit was of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké, with David Ornstein of the Athletic reporting that the two clubs had agreed a £65m fee for the forward, but the Frenchman is now poised to join Liverpool instead.

Transfer Focus

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

Thus, as they continue their search for a new attacker, Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport is reporting that Newcastle have had a £25m bid rejected for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, although they are “optimistic” a deal can be finalised for around £30m, with the player “open” to the move.

Elsewhere, Sam Dean of the Telegraph notes that the DR Congo international has left the Bees’ pre-season training camp in Portugal, suggesting he will soon be on the move, continuing the mass exodus from West London, following Thomas Frank, Mbeumo, Christian Nørgaard and Mark Flekken out the exit door.

Wissa has previously netted three times against Newcastle, two of which came last season, but could he soon be turning out at St James’ Park bedecked in black and white stripes?

How Yoane Wissa would improve Newcastle

Since joining Brentford from Lorient in the summer of 2021, straight after the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League, he has scored 49 goals in 149 appearances for the club.

Last season, by virtue of netting 19 times in the Premier League, his best-ever haul in a single campaign, he very much ranked amongst the division’s very best strikers, as the table below documents.

Minutes

2,919

55th

Goals

19

6th

Non-penalty goals

19

=2nd

Shots

90

10th

Shots on target

51

5th

Goals-per-shot

0.21

8th

Expected goals

18.5

4th

As the table outlines, Wissa ranked highly for all attacking metrics last season, with only Mohamed Salah scoring more non-penalty goals, joint alongside Erling Braut Håland and potential future teammate Alexander Isak for this metric.

Then-Brentford boss Frank labelled his form “remarkable”, adding “I definitely think he is best as a number ninw” given that he has “got that nose for goals”.

Meantime, David Astill of Total Football Analysis describes him as ‘prolific’, while analyst Ben Mattinson asserts that he is “massively underrated”, impressed by his dynamic runs in-behind and excellent “finishing” ability.

The key question still remains: how does he compare to Ekitiké? Let’s find out.

Minutes

2,927

2,578

Goals

19

15

Non-penalty goals

19

14

Goals – xG

+0.5

-6.6

Shots

69

87

Shots on target %

62.32%

55.17%

Shot conversion rate

27.54%

17.24%

Big chances missed

17

16

Touches

1,020

1,155

% of touches in the box

16%

18%

Average Sofascore rating

7.16

7.27

As the table outlines, while Ekitiké’s statistics are impressive, hence why he is on his way to Liverpool for a reported fee of £79m, it’s actually Wissa who is the more clinical centre-forward.

Ekitiké ranked dead-last across all of Europe’s top five leagues last season when it came to goals – xG, with a figure of -6.6, according to FBref.com, which has to be a slight concern.

Wissa, on the other hand, overperformed his xG, albeit only by +0.5, while scoring more goals and finding the target with a higher proportion of his shots.

Of course, Wissa is 28 years old, 29 in September, while Ekitiké’s 23rd birthday came as recently as last month, so Liverpool are paying a premium for potential, but if Newcastle want a striker to come in now and improve their options, Wissa is surely their man.

Their new Ba: Newcastle confident of signing "remarkable" £50m star

Newcastle are weighing up a move for Brentford’s star man after move for Ekitike falls through.

ByWill Miller Jul 23, 2025

With 10 Tests to be played in 15 weeks, India have “laid out some plans” to manage the workload of fast bowlers

Alagappan Muthu17-Sep-20241:56

Are turning pitches a good idea for India against Bangladesh?

India are coming off a break of more than a month without any cricket – “We are starting after a long time actually”, the captain Rohit Sharma said – but they are also aware of the strain that their schedule over the next few months can place on their players, particularly their fast bowlers.India begin the first of 10 Tests in 15 weeks against Bangladesh on Thursday, and they already have plans in place to protect the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who might be needed to take on heavy workloads when they travel to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in November through to January.”We have laid out some plans on how we are going to manage these bowlers,” Rohit said. “But again, it all depends on the workload that has been carried by them in these games. So yeah, we will monitor that. I think we have done that pretty well. Even when we played against England [at home, earlier this year], we managed to get Bumrah one Test match off. We managed to give Siraj one Test match off.Related

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“So it all depends on how the body feels at that particular time, what the [strength and conditioning] is, and what the physios feel about them, when is the right time to give them a break from the game, and then take the call.”India wrap up the two-Test series against Bangladesh on October 1 and have a couple of weeks off from red-ball cricket before they face New Zealand over three games that take them into early November. Then they will leave for Australia where they will play five Tests in eight weeks.”You want your best players to play all the games, but that’s not possible because there is so much cricket that happens,” Rohit said. “It is not only Test cricket, there is T20 cricket happening [against Bangladesh and South Africa] in the middle of the Test series as well. So you [have] got to understand everything, and then see what is best for the team and then manage your bowlers around it.”There has also been an effort made to expand the fast-bowling pool, with left-armer Yash Dayal joining the team for the Bangladesh series. There are several others pushing their case to make the national team with performances in domestic cricket. Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj were all involved in the season-opening Duleep Trophy earlier this month, and Rohit was pleased with what he saw from those matches.”We have got a lot of bowlers who are there for us,” he said. “We saw some exciting prospects in the Duleep Trophy as well. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers that are waiting in the wings for us.”On head coach Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma said: “We have a good understanding”•PTI Gautam Gambhir takes charge of the Test team for the first time since being appointed the new India head coach. He and his assistant Abhishek Nayar were with the limited-overs team in Sri Lanka in August, and they have been overseeing a training camp in Chennai, leading up to the Bangladesh series.”The staff is new, but I know both Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar,” Rohit said. “I have played quite a bit of cricket against [bowling coach] Morne Morkel; we’ve played some tough cricket against each other. I’ve also played, maybe a couple of games, against [assistant coach] Ryan [ten Doeschate], but the two of us haven’t spoken as much before. From what I experienced with him in Sri Lanka, I think he has a sensible and [an] understanding personality, given the way he quickly started to understand things about the team.”As for Gambhir and Nayar, like I said, I know them well. Sri Lanka was the first series [with them in charge], and now they are going to play their second series with the team. Everyone has their own style. Rahul [Dravid] , Vikram Rathour, [and] Paras Mhambrey – they had a different way of running the team, [while] these guys will have a different style.”So it’s important for you to adjust. So far, there have been no problems or issues as a player. Like I said, if there is understanding between both [coaches and players], that’s the most important thing. And we have a good understanding.”India arrived in Chennai a full week before the start of the first Test against Bangladesh•PTI India are not seeing their home series as preparation for the challenges they will be facing abroad.”Look, at the end of the day, you are playing for your country,” Rohit said. “So there is no dress rehearsal kind of stuff happening here. Every game that we play is important, and every game becomes important because of what is at stake. [In the] World Test Championship, still the table is quite wide open, and you want to win every game. So it doesn’t matter where we play in two months’ time. We want to win here. We want to win this Test match.”That’s why they arrived in Chennai a full week before the start of the game, to have the best preparation possible.”We assembled here on the 12th, and we’ve had a good time spending hours on the field, [and] getting everything together. So yeah, it is tough. But see, now people are so experienced, they managed themselves pretty well. And guys who have not played a lot of Test cricket, obviously went on to play the Duleep Trophy, which was good.”So in terms of preparation, [and] in terms of readiness, I feel we are quite ready for this game and what lies ahead of us. So it was a good little prep that we had before this Test match. It was important to utilise that time, and I thought we utilised this little camp that we had in Chennai pretty well.”

Next season feels like it’s set to be a massive one for Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s side will be going into it as Conference League and World Champions, and while they won’t be the favourites to win the Premier League, there will undoubtedly be an expectation that they will challenge for the title.

Fortunately, the board are properly backing the team so far this summer, with exciting signings like Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro.

Moreover, the Blues have even been linked with Eberechi Eze, although, based on reports, it now appears they’re turning their attention to someone who’d be a far better signing.

Chelsea target big Eze upgrade

It’s been a busy summer of business for Chelsea so far, and one of the players who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge has been Eze.

Transfer Focus

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

The Crystal Palace star has also been heavily touted for a move to London rivals Arsenal, but reports from earlier this month revealed that the Blues have been in contact with the player’s representatives.

The England international has a release clause worth £68m in his current deal and would undoubtedly bring some real quality and flair to Maresca’s squad, but it now looks like BlueCo are rapidly advancing towards a deal for another attacker, who’d be an even better signing.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, who claims that Chelsea are incredibly keen on signing Xavi Simons.

In fact, Plettenberg has revealed that personal terms are not an issue as the player is “open to the Chelsea project” and that “very good talks also took place with RB Leipzig yesterday.”

The German journalist claims that the Bundesliga side are now just “waiting for an offer” for the player they value at around £52m, per other reports.

While that’s still a lot of money to spend on one player, Simons has proven he’d be worth it over the last couple of seasons, and a better signing than Eze to boot.

Why Simons would be a better signing than Eze

So, while both players are brilliant, there are several reasons why Simons would be the better signing for Chelsea this summer, and the first is their output in the league, which is ultimately their bread and butter.

Appearances

25

34

Minutes

2157′

2603′

Goals

10

8

Assists

7

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.68

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvement

126.88′

162.68′

In his 25 Bundesliga appearances last season, totalling 2157 minutes, the former Paris Saint-Germain gem scored ten goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.47 league games, or every 126.88 minutes.

In contrast, the Eagles star scored eight goals and provided as many assists in 34 Premier League appearances last season, totalling 2603 minutes, which comes out to a lacklustre average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games, or every 162.68 minutes.

In addition to performing better in the league, the Flying Dutchman also shares some statistical similarities with the incredible Cole Palmer, which can only be a good thing.

For example, Squawka ranks them very closely for key metrics such as goals, assists, chances created, take-ons completed and more, all per 90.

These numbers help convey that the Amsterdam-born “game-changer,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is someone capable of impacting the game in more ways than just goals and assists, as evident in some of his highlight reels.

Finally, and this is especially important when it comes to the Blues, the former PSV Eindhoven monster is still just 22 years old, and therefore, he’d be able to develop and continue improving alongside the likes of Palmer, Moises Caicedo, and Joao Pedro and then hit his peak around the same time as them.

Ultimately, while Eze would be a good signing for Chelsea, Simons would simply be the smarter one with more upside a few years from now, and therefore, they should do all they can to get him to West London this summer.

Chelsea star says yes to joining Madrid; his exit can fund Simons & Rodrygo

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 23, 2025

“I think it is the right time to move on from this format for me and the team, especially with the World Cup coming up in less than two years”

Mohammad Isam and Daya Sagar08-Oct-2024Mahmudullah will retire from T20Is at the end of Bangladesh’s ongoing bilateral series in India. He made the announcement on Tuesday, at a press conference on the eve of the second game in Delhi. Mahmudullah, 38, said that he had informed the relevant people in Bangladesh cricket about his decision, and will continue playing ODIs.”I am retiring from T20I cricket after the last game of this series. I was pre-decided before coming here,” Mahmudullah said. “I had a chat with my family. I spoke to the coach [Chandika Hathurusinghe], captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto], chief selector [Gazi Ashraf Hossain] and the board president [Faruque Ahmed] as well. I think it is the right time to move on from this format for me and the team. Especially with the World Cup coming up in less than two years. I will concentrate on the one-day game.”Three years ago, Mahmudullah had retired from Tests during a game against Zimbabwe. His white-ball career went off the rails somewhat when he was dropped for two years from the T20I side, missing 27 matches between 2022 and 2023. He returned in T20Is with a 54 against Sri Lanka earlier this year, but had an ordinary campaign at the T20 World Cup, before falling for 1 in the first T20I against India in Gwalior.Related

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A former captain in the format, Mahmudullah will retire as the join third-most-capped T20I player in history. He has played 139 matches and two more matches will take him level with George Dockrell at 141. He is also Bangladesh’s second-highest run-scorer in the format, only behind Shakib Al Hasan. Mahmudullah has also played in the most defeats in this format, and earlier this year he became Bangladesh’s oldest player in T20Is.Mahmudullah’s T20I career will be remembered for his transformation as a big-hitter almost a decade after his debut. At the start of 2016, Hathurusinghe had given him the role of finisher. He took up the challenge, adding more aerial shots to his repertoire.”Back in 2016, there was a T20 World Cup in India. Before that, we had a training camp in Khulna. I changed my batting approach from that camp,” Mahmudullah said. “I had to bat at No. 6 or 7, so I decided to change my approach and style. It was the team’s finisher role. It was a very tricky place to bat. Not always you could finish the game. People would usually highlight the ones you didn’t finish, rather than the ones you were there for. But it is part and parcel of this game.”He raised his strike rate for the following couple of years, culminating in his best T20 knock in 2018. His unbeaten 43 off 18 balls against Sri Lanka took Bangladesh to the Nidahas Trophy final, and it was played with an umpiring controversy around, which led to then captain Shakib nearly calling off the Bangladesh innings. Despite all that – during the last over of an already tense chase – Mahmudullah held his nerve and won the match off the penultimate ball when he whipped Isuru Udana for a six.

“It is not easy to bat there in T20Is. You have to be brave. You can’t think about failure. You have to go out there, and hit the ball as hard as you can. Coach and captain has to back the batter in that position”Mahmudullah on the T20I finisher’s role

Mahmudullah called the innings a career “highlight”, and identified Bangladesh’s defeat against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup match in Bengaluru as the most “frustrating moment” in his career. He said that although Bangladesh didn’t win a major trophy during his T20I career, the team did take strides forward in the 17 years since his debut.”Definitely we didn’t win a major trophy, but I don’t agree that we don’t have any achievements,” he said. “I think if a trophy is the only benchmark then many legends wouldn’t be called legends. The situation is very different from the time I made my debut in 2007 to now. It is not just due to the [‘five Pandavas’ from the , a reference to the combination of Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza]. Every player, coach and team management involved, have all contributed to this change in Bangladesh cricket.”Mahmudullah said that there were several players in Bangladesh who could replace him in the finisher’s role, but it was a batting position that required patience and support from the coach and captain. “Jaker Ali, Shamim [Hossain], Afif [Hossin] and Yasir Ali can be good choices at No. 6 or 7,” he said. “It is not easy to bat there in T20Is. You have to be brave. You can’t think about failure. You have to go out there, and hit the ball as hard as you can. Coach and captain has to back the batter in that position.”

Newcastle United’s summer transfer window has not gone to plan. In fact, some would say it’s gone to the dogs.

However, we still have a month of market mayhem ahead of us, and Eddie Howe is intent on bolstering the key areas after leading the Toon back into the Champions League with a fifth-place Premier League finish last season.

The shrewd tactician also engineered an incredible triumph in the Carabao Cup, ending so many years of searching for an elusive major trophy.

Let’s not forget, Anthony Elanga has signed for a £55m fee, while Southampton shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale is undergoing his medical ahead of a switch to Tyneside. The Three Lions man was hailed for his “phenomenal” quality when at the Emirates by ex-Arsenal legend David Seaman.

Howe and his transfer team plan to add a centre-back to the ranks ahead of the forthcoming campaign too. However, it’s a centre-forward that St. James’ Park want, especially as Alexander Isak wishes to explore a transfer to Liverpool.

But is Benjamin Sesko going to end up in black and white?

Newcastle's pursuit of Benjamin Sesko

Sesko’s has been a name which has attracted it’s measure of attention on the English scene over the past year or so. Last summer, Arsenal wanted the Slovenian striker, wanted him bad, but failed to convince Leipzig to part with their young star, albeit with a gentleman’s agreement placed that he could jump ship in one year.

But the Gunners have since signed Viktor Gyokeres, and now Newcastle are primed for a shootout with Manchester United, who have no European football on the cards after finishing 15th in the league last year.

The plain truth, of course, is that the Red Devils remain one of the biggest outfits in the world, and their success in signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, both of whom were chased by Newcastle and other top clubs besides, illustrates the concerns around pushing ahead for Sesko.

Of course, Newcastle must try. Sesko, 22, is one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers, having scored 39 goals and supplied eight assists across 87 matches for Leipzig, of which just 62 have come from the starting whistle.

He’s worth chasing, all right, but if Newcastle prove unable to get the job done, there’s another who has emerged as a candidate who might prove a fantastic signing.

Newcastle make enquiry for Sesko alternative

Newcastle have opened talks with Fulham for striker Rodrigo Muniz, making an enquiry for the Brazilian. That’s according to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, who also revealed that Newcastle are indeed locked in a battle with Man United, both teams having initiated contact.

However, the 24-year-old Muniz would be the ideal fallback, with the discussions with intermediaries leading the Toon to believe that a £40m bid could get the job done.

Newly-promoted Leeds United have also been in for Muniz this summer, but Howe will surely be confident that his team would win the battle, should their interest rise to the next level.

Why Newcastle want Rodrigo Muniz

With Isak reported to be training at his former club Real Sociedad’s facilities in Spain, there’s a growing sense that the damage is irreparable and that PIF should cash in for a record sum.

Especially given that the funds could be shrewdly redirected to a talent such as Muniz, who has been described as “one of the best strikers in the Premier League” by his Cottagers teammate Willian.

Joining Fulham from Flamengo in 2021, Muniz has garnered a reputation for his clinical shooting under Marco Silva’s wing, ranked among the top 3% of Premier League forwards in 2024/25 for non-penalty goals scored per 90, as per FBref.

He might not start every week, but Muniz is always improving and would bring a guaranteed goal threat to Howe’s system, something Sesko cannot promise given that he only scored 13 times in the Bundesliga last year, and would be taking the daunting leap over to the English top-flight game.

Matches (starts)

26 (18)

31 (8)

Goals

9

8

Assists

1

1

Shots (on target)*

2.8 (1.0)

1.3 (0.6)

Big chances missed

4

5

Pass completion

62%

66%

Key passes*

0.7

0.2

Dribbles*

0.2

0.2

Tackles + interceptions*

0.5

0.5

Duels (won)*

4.6 (39%)

3.7 (52%)

Perhaps he is a centre-forward whose output comes in stacks, like bursts of fire with frustrating pauses in between. But even so, there’s no denying the South American’s natural coolness in front of goal.

Indeed, he’s missed just nine big chances across his past two years in the Premier League, scoring 17 times.

Looking at Sesko in the Bundesliga across the same timeframe, the 22-year-old has missed 18 big chances, scoring 24 goals.

Not much to separate them, then. But Sesko is unrefined, yet to tap into those tubes of potential and direct them all to a nucleus which has yet to fully form.

How many times have we seen an exciting talent arrive in England only to fall by the wayside? Instead, Newcastle could sign a player who has proven themselves in the division and would be joining a team with bucketloads of creative flair.

Of course, given the sheer depth of financial recoupment that would come from Isak’s sale to Liverpool, there is no reason why Howe could not welcome both stars to St. James’ Park this summer.

Muniz is tough and tenacious, with his physical style leading pundit Alan Shearer to say he’s “horrible to play against.” Newcastle need a bit of that, marrying into the high technical quality of Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and the like.

This clinical striker would add a dimension to Howe’s project, no doubt, and while Sesko’s potential is exciting to think about, there’s every chance he would take a while to get up to speed on English soil, should he even reach his lofty potential at all.

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ByWill Miller Jul 29, 2025

Legspinner released from tour squad to manage workload ahead of busy rest of winter

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2024Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner, is to return home from England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean before he has had a chance to make his international debut, with the team management choosing instead to manage his workload ahead of the forthcoming Lions tour of South Africa.Chohan, 22, made history last month when he became the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to be named in an England squad. Launched in 2021 by Dr Tom Brown, the academy aimed to remedy the under-representation of British South Asian players in the professional game, with Chohan’s opportunity with Yorkshire arising after he had been released by Middlesex as a 17-year-old in 2019.Chohan will not, however, be making the step-up to England international status just yet. Instead, he will fly home on Monday, with the rest of the squad relocating from Barbados to St Lucia, having last night taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, following a comfortable seven-wicket win.In addition to the Lions tour, which takes place from November 20 to December 14 and will be Andrew Flintoff’s first outing as head coach, Chohan is also due to play for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, with that tournament commencing on December 15.Related

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His release from England’s white-ball squad is a reflection of the T20I team’s current success, as well as the wealth of spin options already available to Jos Buttler and Marcus Trescothick, the interim head coach.In addition to Adil Rashid, Chohan’s mentor at Yorkshire, with whom he has been working in the nets for the past fortnight, England also have Rehan Ahmed waiting in the wings as a back-up legspinner, plus Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley and Will Jacks in the current starting XI.Nevertheless, his fast-tracking into the England set-up remains a notable achievement, given the distance he has come since 2022, when he was playing National Counties cricket for Berkshire.”SACA helped me a hell of a lot,” he told ESPNcricinfo in the wake of his call-up. “I felt like my game was in a pretty good place, but there’s no real way in, once I got out of the system. It was really tough to think, ‘Okay, I want to become a pro cricketer, how can I actually do it?’ And SACA provided that opportunity for me.”

Ruben Amorim has been told to drop a Manchester United player after his "absolutely useless" performances this season.

Amorim urged to drop Man Utd manCriticises his "useless" performancesReplacement signed this summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Chelsea star Craig Burley believes head coach Amorim "can't play" goalkeeper Altay Bayindir again this season after a shaky start to the campaign. The ex-midfielder also laid into Bayindir's United team-mate Andre Onana for being a big let-down since joining from Inter Milan for just over £47 million ($63.5m).

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT BURLEY SAID

He told ESPN, via ESPN: "Altay Bayindir, they can’t play him. He might be okay at shot-stopping, which is what goalkeepers are paid for, but he’s absolutely useless at dealing with balls in from set-pieces.

"[Onana] is another player who’s gone to Manchester United and got worse. He cost a lot of money but he wasn’t able to marshal a back four. I thought Onana would be the real deal, it looked that way in Italy. I thought he might have a Peter Schmeichel-esque aura about him and boss about players but it hasn’t happened. If this new, youngish lad comes in and starts flapping about all over the place, it’s going to be a mess."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

United recognised the need for a new keeper when they signed Senne Lammens from Antwerp on transfer deadline day. Some believe this is a "panic buy" and Burley thinks the 23-year-old has a huge task on his hands.

He added, "This new lad [Lammens] needs to be able to marshal a back four, make saves and have an authority and make a statement at set-pieces. That’s what every team is going to do against United now, they’re going to launch balls into the box and the goalkeeper needs to be able to deal with it. He’s either going to sink or swim. We don’t really know how he’s going to handle this scenario."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

All eyes will be on who will start in goal for United when they face bitter rivals Manchester City as the Premier League returns next weekend. Will Amorim stick with Bayindir, trust the more experienced Onana, or give Lammens his first taste of English football?

After a disappointing season in 2024/25, Manchester City will be desperate to bounce back next term. Pep Guardiola’s side have been active in the summer transfer window, as they look to improve on their third-place finish and Champions League play-off elimination to Real Madrid.

There have already been six new faces through the door at the Etihad Stadium this summer. Rayan Cherki, his namesake Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders all joined before the Club World Cup, a competition City were dumped out of at the quarter-final stage. They’ve also added young talent Sverre Nypan, and goalkeepers James Trafford and Marcus Betinelli.

With two shot-stoppers already signed this summer, it seems that Guardiola wants to bring in a third.

Manchester City’s next summer target

It seems like it will be all change for City this summer between the posts. Two new faces are already signed, and Ederson could leave, with reports at the start of the month suggesting Galatasaray could pursue a move.

Transfer Focus

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

Well, City are lining up a move for another new goalkeeper, with Football Insider claiming they ‘are entering the race’ to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Gianluigi Donnarumma.

They have recently ‘expressed an interest’ in signing the Italian and Hugo Viana’s transfer team are now ‘exploring a move’ for the goalkeeper.

However, this will not be a straightforward deal to do. City are set to face competition from arch-rivals Manchester United, who are also interested in a move for the Euro 2020 winner. As for the fee, it was reported that as much as £43m would be enough to seal the deal for City in the coming weeks.

Why Donnaraumma would be a good signing

One of the heroes of PSG’s Champions League victory last season, Italian shot-stopper Donnarumma, is about to enter his peak years.

He is just 26 years of age, having first broken through for AC Milan back in 2015/16. Back then, he was described as a “phenom” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Last term, that ability shone through as PSG lifted their first Champions League title. He conceded just 43 goals in 47 games for the French giants, keeping 17 clean sheets in that time.

It is saves like that one against Leandro Trossard which led him to be nominated for the Yashin Trophy. Indeed, Donnarumma’s stats from the 2024/25 Champions League campaign are superb.

In 15 matches, he conceded 14 goals and had a save percentage of 72%.

Clean sheets

0.4

6

Goals conceded

0.9

14

Expected goals conceded

1xGC

15.7xGC

Saves

2.3

36

Save percentage

72%

72%

Accurate long balls

3.6

55

Goals prevented

0.11

1.69

Interestingly, too, there could certainly be similarities drawn between Donnarumma and former City maverick Mario Balotelli. The journeyman centre-forward was once described as a “crazy” character but “one of the nicest guys ever” by former teammate at the Etihad Stadium, Micah Richards.

Away from some of the controversy that followed the former Italy striker, he was an important player for City, helping them to win the Premier League in 2011/12.

That season, he bagged 13 goals in 23 top-flight games, and ended his career in East Manchester with 30 strikes in 80 appearances.

Already, the similarities are there to see. Two Italian superstars who have both been in the spotlight for a number of years. In fact, the word “crazy” was also used to describe Donnarumma, who said himself back in 2017 that he is “the most crazy one in the team”.

Of course, let’s not forget, Balotelli is also a former Milan player, just like the Italy goalkeeper. That further increases the similarities between the pair, with their careers potentially crossing over in many ways.

It is easy to see how Donnarumma could be the second coming of Balotelli. Both are strong characters who have dealt with the pressure of the spotlight and know a thing or two about winning.

City fans would surely love to have a character as big as Donnarumma in the dressing room, in what could be seen as a real throwback to Balotelli’s time at the club.

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The 19-year-old made a superb century against the Indians in Canberra to further his case

AAP04-Dec-2024Teen sensation Sam Konstas says he is up for the challenge of playing Test cricket this summer, believing he is in the right headspace to debut for Australia.Konstas catapulted back into the public spotlight on Sunday when he smashed a 90-ball century against a Test-level Indian attack for the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.The runs showed the 19-year-old is clearly a step above, with only one other batsman in the PM’s XI top or middle order passing five runs.Related

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Konstas has been the talk of the summer since October, when he became the youngest player to score twin tons in a Sheffield Shield match since Ricky Ponting.His runs dried up somewhat after that, before he hit an unbeaten 73 for Australia A against India A at the MCG last month. Nathan McSweeney ultimately won the race to start the Test summer as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner, but Australia’s side is far from set in stone.Konstas will face his next toughest test in the Shield this week, against a Western Australian attack expected to feature Lance Morris, Joel Paris and Corey Rocchiccioli.Teenage debutants are rare for Australia, with Ashton Agar the last male to do so in 2013. Asked if he felt he needed more time scoring runs in domestic cricket rather than getting an immediate call up, Konstas said it was a case of the latter.”I really want the chance, I love being challenged and hopefully that can happen soon,” Konstas said. “I feel like I’m in a good headspace. It’s been the best few months I’ve had, and hopefully one day I can represent my country.”For me, it’s focusing about Friday and then trying to score runs to put myself forward. It would be a huge honour to represent my country one day.”Konstas has already earned plenty of plaudits on his rise this summer. His mentor Shane Watson, potential Sydney Thunder opening partner David Warner and Steven Smith are among those to congratulate him on his runs.But blocking out the hype has been easy for Konstas. The Under-19 World Cup winner spent most of his teens without social media, only signing up to it in recent months in order to promote sponsors.He is also a keen meditator before games, and moves quickly to the wicket in a statement of intent at the start of his innings.”I don’t get too fazed about [the hype],” Konstas said. “It’s about being in the present and being the best version of myself, and then hopefully let the result take care of itself.”Likewise, Konstas said he had not been too down about missing out on Test selection for the start of the summer.”I feel like it’s all part of the journey,” he said. “Unfortunately I didn’t get the runs that I would have liked. But I’ve been reflecting on how I could have done better and challenging how they got me out and tactics they used.”

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has undergone surgery after a bicycle crash, leaving him a major doubt for their Champions League opener.

Enrique suffered broken collarbone in cycling accidentFaces race against time for Champions League openerRafel Pol steps in to lead PSG trainingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the PSG coach has undergone successful surgery after suffering a broken collarbone in a cycling accident. The 55-year-old Spaniard, who guided the Parisians to their first-ever Champions League crown as part of a 2024-25 treble, crashed during a bike ride in Spain and was taken to hospital. The Ligue 1 giants confirmed the news and offered full support to their manager, but his recovery timeline remains uncertain. He is now considered a serious doubt for PSG’s Ligue 1 clash with Lens on Sunday and their Champions League opener against Atalanta on September 17.

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The setback arrives at a critical moment for PSG, who are under pressure to build on last season’s historic treble. Les Parisiens have won all three matches in Ligue 1 this season and are preparing for the Champions League to get underway, but the absence of their coach on the touchline could still prove disruptive. Assistant coach Rafel Pol has already stepped in to lead training and will front the press conference ahead of the Lens clash.

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The Asturian coach is widely regarded as one of Europe’s elite tacticians, having previously managed Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Since joining PSG in 2023, he has reshaped the squad and delivered unprecedented success with a Ligue 1 title, domestic cup victories, and their long-awaited Champions League triumph in 2025.

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Enrique’s recovery will continue in Spain, with PSG monitoring his progress closely. While there is no official return date, the club are preparing for several games under interim leadership if necessary. Pol will remain in charge until the coach is declared fit to return, with Enrique’s presence for the Atalanta clash still highly doubtful.