Tag Futebol

Many thought Liverpool would fall by the wayside when Jurgen Klopp left at the end of the 2023/24 season, but this football club has an uncanny ability to remain with its head above the water.

Indeed, Arne Slot defied expectation when arriving and leading the Reds straight to the Premier League title, and has now been rewarded by FSG, who are spending freely in the transfer market.

Although Florian Wirtz will add a fresh and world-class dimension to Slot’s squad, there’s still the sense that more quality and prolificness could be added.

Mohamed Salah

52

34

23

Luis Diaz

50

17

8

Cody Gakpo

49

18

7

Diogo Jota

37

9

4

Darwin Nunez

47

7

7

Federico Chiesa

14

2

2

Although with Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong signed to bolster the wide defensive positions, the intensity toward securing new stars is set to simmer down.

But Liverpool remain very much primed to pounce if the right opportunity emerges.

Liverpool's wider transfer plans

Sporting director Richard Hughes cut a contentious figure after his first summer transfer window at Liverpool, having only added Federico Chiesa to the newly arrived Slot’s squad.

But he’s since proven his meticulous, calculated nature, having dotted all the i’s and crossed the t’s ahead of the window and since pounced on top targets, reeling them in.

Any further activity will depend on outgoings, reports The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe. This makes sense, for the Reds have forked out more than £200m already this summer.

Darwin Nunez’s expected transfer to Serie A champions Napoli should see a new number nine acquired, while rumours of a new winger hinge on Luis Diaz’s future, with Barcelona and Saudi Arabian suitors interested.

He’s not Sadio Mane, but the Colombian has been immense in a Liverpool shirt, posting 41 goals and 23 assists across 141 appearances in total.

Transfer Focus

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

Liverpool line up new winger

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are interested in signing Belgian winger Malick Fofana and have been boosted in their bid now that Lyon have been relegated from Ligue 1.

However, Newcastle United have also been named as suitors, and have actually established contacts with the 20-year-old’s entourage.

Earlier this year, the player’s former representatives told Africa Foot that playing in the Premier League, namely at Liverpool, would be his “dream”, and it’s something that Hughes and Co can now bring to fruition.

Chelsea are also keen, though appear to be prioritising a deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens.

This could leave Liverpool with a free shot to sign one of Europe’s most exciting prospects, who is valued at £43m, with Lyon’s fate also suggesting his price tag could be whittled down.

Why Liverpool should sign Fofana

Hailed for his “electric” skills by content creator Dev Bajwa, Fofana is bound to move clubs this summer, but where to remains to be seen.

He’s young and raw, but he’s also naturally “explosive”, as has been said by analyst Ben Mattinson, with his sharp bursts of pace something that could pay dividends for Slot’s Liverpool team, especially when the time comes to replace Diaz.

Fofana is Belgian but he is of Guinean descent, and for this reason he has expressed Mane (and Mohamed Salah) as being one of his footballing idols. For this reason, the left winger could prove to be Slot’s own version of Mane, whose career on Merseyside served to guide Anfield back to the forefront of domestic and continental football.

Part of Klopp’s iconic front three at Liverpool, Mane won the whole gamut after signing from Southampton for £34m in 2016, with the German manager declaring him a “world-class” forward and an absolute “machine”, his work rate and tenacity leaving an indelible mark on the game.

Fofana hasn’t reached that point in his career yet, but has the potential to do exactly that, already performing with a hunger for goal and fleet-footed style that is somewhat reminiscent of the Senegalese star.

As per FBref, Fofana ranked among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues last year for non-penalty goals scored and the top 2% for progressive carries per 90, emphasising that very point.

So then, you can see how Mane has inspired Fofana’s early-career development, especially as elements of his defensive work rate can be found in the one-cap Belgium international’s skill set too, for he averaged 1.1 tackles + interceptions in Ligue 1 last year, as per Sofascore, also finishing the term having won 54% of his ground battles.

Slot is not Klopp, but then Fofana is not Mane either, and the Dutch tactician could fashion his own version of the former Liverpool superstar, who certainly has stylistic similarities to the Al Nassr forward, now 33.

Even if Liverpool don’t part ways with Diaz, 28, this summer, it might be worth snapping Fofana up as Lyon plummet into the second tier of French football. After all, there are no guarantees that a new out-and-out frontman will be signed, and Diaz operated so admirably in a false nine role across the 2024/25 campaign.

Given that the Colombian could potentially reprise said role, it might be worth adding some competition for Cody Gakpo to jockey with on the left flank.

In any case, given the player’s desire to move to Merseyside and indeed his Mane-esque qualities rising to the fore, it would be a smart move indeed to ward away Premier League competition and snap him up quickly.

He'd be Wirtz 2.0: Liverpool stand a "chance" of signing the "next Mbappe"

Liverpool believe they have a good chance to sign a star who would be a Florian Wirtz repeat.

1 ByDan Emery Jun 26, 2025

Vic Marks’ gentleness belies the incisiveness of his observations on the game. His autobiography is an inside look at the fiery Somerset dressing room of the late ’70s, and more besides

Paul Edwards17-Nov-2019As though living up to his reputation, Vic Marks begins this delightful book by recalling an occasion in 1974 when he marvelled at a cricketer more talented than himself. Admittedly the player in question was Viv Richards, who was better than almost everybody, but it is still a typical observation from an allrounder who frequently gave the impression that he could not believe he was mixing with such cracks. Behind the gentle exterior, one might conclude, there is an even more gentle soul not trying terribly hard to get out.But there are two misconceptions here. The first is pardonable but obvious: it is that Marks approximated to a run-of-the-mill county professional (in itself a noble calling, of course) when in fact he was a bloody fine cricketer, good enough to play six Tests and 34 one-day internationals for England and to become only the second Englishman after Tony Lock to play in a winning Sheffield Shield side. Clearly Rod Marsh and the other Western Australia selectors knew a player when they saw one.Marks, himself, of course, is having none of this and often writes as though his achievements remain mysterious to him. Five years before his engagement with the state side, he played grade cricket in Perth for Bayswater. In one match against Claremont Cottesloe he took the first wicket. His account continues as follows: “We bowled another sixty-two overs after the interval, during which Claremont were dismissed for 118 and the scorecard reveals that my figures were 34.1-21-28-9. Well, it must have turned a bit, I suppose, and I did not bowl much rubbish. Even so, at this distance it’s hard to imagine how this ever came about.”The other error is to suppose that an apparently mild man has written a similarly noncommittal autobiography, when in fact this book contains all the acute insight and firm judgements that readers have come to expect from its author. And Marks has some fine material with which to work. He played alongside some of the best and most ebullient talents of the late 20th century and experienced both the joy and misery of the England tourist. Here he is on the 1982-83 Ashes trip: “It was a wretched time. I can understand how cricketers are more likely to become depressed on tour… The temptation is to conclude that if you keep playing badly you must be a bad person.”Allen and UnwinFortunately, the achievements in Marks’ career outnumbered the disappointments, and his marvellously wry humour is never far away. He is a master of the paragraph that recounts an event only for the final sentence to offer a pleasing contrast or dry observation on all that has gone before. In 1979, Somerset reached the final of the Gillette Cup and the team invited their long-time fan John Cleese to join them at Lord’s. Marks recalls that their guest “sat quietly in a corner of the dressing room, anxious not to be a distraction. A year or two later Jeffrey Archer would not be quite so reticent.” Or there is this cherished reminiscence from Marks’ schooldays at Blundell’s, where he was taught English literature by John Patrick: “When I wrote the required essay on Othello, for example, there would be John’s curt assessment at the bottom. ‘Not too bad… but where are the quotes?’ – a refrain I have heard from a succession of sports editors a few decades later.”If contains three fine chapters on its author’s experiences in the media, its most heartfelt passages concern Somerset cricket, its triumphs in the era of Richards, Joel Garner and Ian Botham, and its subsequent civil war. Marks is especially acute, here, not least because he was one of the few men who could talk to the captain, Peter Roebuck, who was one of his oldest friends in the game, and also to the skipper’s soon to be sworn enemy, Botham. (Not that it did a scrap of good.) His analysis of Roebuck’s part in the business is objective, tough and rather moving. “The club had been torn asunder and it took a long time to recover… I remained friends with him but there was always a tension on this issue. He always sought affirmation from me that he had taken the right course in 1986 and I was never able to give it to him.”Thankfully Marks is still enthralled by the game and still cares enough about it to reserve some of his sharpest analysis for The Hundred, which he dismisses as “a patronising gimmick rather than a radical change”, and one that will result in even fewer first-class games being played in the prime months of June, July and August. Marks views the innovation as unnecessary, and that is putting a kind gloss on his prose. He remains the pleasantest of press-box companions, yet behind the engaging exterior lies a sharp mind whose thoughts are clearly explained in this fine book. His deepest emotions regarding the game are revealed in his two cricketing cravings: “that Somerset should win the Championship and that the Championship should still be worth winning”. Most supporters of the game would be happy to see the first of these satisfied but accommodating the second would meet with near unanimous approval. Vic has spoken for us all.Original Spin
By Vic Marks
Allen and Unwin
336 pages, £20

The close relative of a “great” Liverpool transfer target has claimed that his move to Anfield this summer is now “basically a done deal”, in an exciting new update.

Florian Wirtz week at Liverpool

The Reds have already brought in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen since the end of last season, but this week has the potential to be a particularly memorable one at Anfield.

Liverpool appear to be edging closer to the stunning signing of Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz all the time, with fresh reports claiming that he will be in England on Thursday, with his medical and official unveiling taking place on Friday.

While much focus is on Wirtz currently, which is no surprise considering he is seen as one of Europe’s best players currently, a move for Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth is also close to happening.

The 21-year-old has emerged as the perfect left-back to come in and be Andy Robertson’s long-term successor at Liverpool, and now a new update suggests that the transfer is closer to happening than ever.

Liverpool signing Kerkez "basically a done deal"

Speaking to Super Indirektno [via The Mirror], Kerkez’s father, Sebastijan Kerkez, claimed that his son’s move to Liverpool is “basically a done deal”, also discussing the huge influence of sporting director Richard Hughes.

“It’s only Liverpool for us and we’re not going anywhere else and we won’t talk to other clubs. Everything is done between us (personal terms) we just need to sort out some details but it’s basically a done deal. Richard Hughes brought us to Bournemouth, if he said we go to India, then we go to India, everything is agreed, just some little things.”

This is fantastic news for anyone of a Liverpool persuasion, with Kerkez looking tailor-made to thrive in this Premier League-winning team under Arne Slot.

Appearances

38

Starts

38

Minutes played

3341

Goals

2

Assists

5

Clearances per game

2.6

Tackles per game

1.4

Interceptions per game

1.2

The Hungarian caught the eye so often with his performances for Bournemouth in 2024/25, standing out as one of the best left-backs in the country and being hailed by manager Andoni Iraola.

“Milos has improved a lot from past season. He has done a great job defensively. I think he’s a player that because of his physical condition arrives so many times to the last third with the ball under control to put good crosses that the number of assists, of good balls he was having, was quite low past season, but this season I think he’s deciding much better. He’s adding quality to his deliveries.”

Big Ekitike upgrade: Liverpool dreaming of signing "the world's best CF"

Liverpool need to sign a centre-forward this summer.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 17, 2025

There is always a risk that any move won’t work out, but assuming he avoids serious injury, the £40m-rated Kerkez looks primed to be a massive player for Liverpool for many years to come.

Chamari Athapaththu also played a key all-round role as Thunder bounced back from their previous defeat to the same opposition

AAP31-Oct-2024Impressive innings from imports Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu and savvy bowling from Hannah Darlington have helped Sydney Thunder avenge an early season WBBL loss to Hobart Hurricanes.Three days after Hurricanes won by 31 runs in Hobart, Thunder scored a 33-run victory in a match reduced to 17 overs a side after rain delayed the start at North Sydney Oval by 30 minutes on Thursday.Related

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Athapaththu (38 off 29) and Knight (48 off 28) helped the Thunder amass 146 for 5. Hurricanes smashed 18 off their first seven balls, but lost 5 for 13 in the last few overs.Darlington claimed the big wickets of Lizelle Lee and Heather Graham and Athapaththu completed a good all-round effort by taking 1 for 11 off three overs of tidy spin, dismissing England star Danni Wyatt-Hodge.England captain Knight, who missed the first game between the two teams, played some handsome shots and added momentum in the second half of the innings.She struck 14 off the last three balls of the one power surge over bowled by Molly Strano, lofting the first over long off and adding two fours in the same area. “It was really nice when you start a competition to hit the ground running and I thought ‘Atta’ was brilliant as well,” Knight told . “We managed to get in a bit of a partnership there and it set up things at the end.”Athapaththu, who was out for a first-ball duck on Sunday, was dropped at deep midwicket on 5. Her innings included sixes over deep midwicket and long off before she fell to a remarkable one-handed low diving return catch by Strano off a fierce drive.”I didn’t have much time to think about it, it was a tracer bullet, so pretty happy it just stuck,” Strano said.In reply, Lee clubbed boundaries off the first two balls of Hurricanes’ chase and three in the over then Wyatt-Hodge belted a six over backward point off the first ball of the second over.Thunder struck back with Athapaththu having Wyatt-Hodge caught at backward point. Nicola Carey, who scored a 50 in last weekend’s game, then chopped a delivery from Shabnim Ismail onto her stumps, a ball after the South African quick struck her on the helmet.Lee couldn’t maintain her early impetus and was adjudged lbw the first ball after the mid-innings break, though if she had used DRS, she would have been reprieved.A brisk fourth-wicket stand of 43 between Graham and Elyse Villani gave Hurricanes hope before they were dismissed in successive overs to trigger a decisive collapse.

Chelsea chiefs hold a private belief that one “sensational” player will make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer, following the club’s decision to offer him a tempting contract.

Chelsea suffer damaging 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United

The race for Champions League qualification is the tightest and most enthralling we’ve seen in years, with six teams involved in a narrow top-five battle which could see any one of them drop out in the final two Premier League games of the season.

Chelsea favourites to sign £148m forward ahead of Al-Nassr with talks held

The Blues are ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s side.

ByEmilio Galantini May 11, 2025

Chelsea acquired some breathing room between themselves and sixth place after their excellent win over champions Liverpool, but immediately followed up that result with a damaging 2-0 loss to Newcastle at St. James’ Park over the weekend.

Sandro Tonali opened the scoring inside two minutes, kickstarting the uphill contest awaiting Enzo Maresca’s men, with striker Nicolas Jackson then compounding Chelsea’s misery by receiving a red card on 36 minutes.

Man United (home)

May 16th

Nottingham Forest (away)

May 25th

They remained in the game until the dying seconds, with midfielder Bruno Guimaraes sealing a precious three points for Newcastle. Chelsea remain in the top five on goal difference alone, making their final matches against Man United and Nottingham Forest absolute must-wins.

The race for Europe is absolutely vital in more ways than one, with their success set to have an influence over their transfer plans for the summer as well.

Beyond this season, Chelsea are competing in the Club World Cup and reportedly want to bolster their squad before the tournament kicks off.

According to widespread reports from reliable media sources, Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen is a very serious target for Maresca’s side as they seek to reinforce their central defensive options.

Chelsea have already held talks with Huijsen’s representatives, and some reports claim they’re moving in with an attractive proposal for the 20-year-old, one which he personally likes (Simon Phillips).

Huijsen’s £50 million release clause has piqued interest from a host of English rivals and beyond, but it appears BlueCo are making real moves for the ex-Serie A defender, and want a deal done “by the end of May” (Fabrizio Romano).

Chelsea convinced Huijsen will join with "lucrative" contract offer

Now, TEAMtalk have backed up previous reports that Chelsea are ready to tempt Huijsen with an offer, providing further background on this evolving story.

The outlet reports that Chelsea’s offer to Huijsen will be a “lucrative” seven-year contract, and he’s responding “positively” to their eagerness. Those within Stamford Bridge are also convinced that he’ll choose to join them over rival clubs.

While they haven’t won the race for his signature just yet, with Real Madrid described as a threat in particular, Chelsea view themselves as serious frontrunners to sign the Bournemouth sensation after his impressive debut campaign in England.

Dubbed a “sensational” centre-back prospect by members of the media (Ben Mattinson), the intense race for his services is a clear indicator that elite club insiders see Huijsen as a potentially world-class addition, both for now and the long-term.

What could have been a bleak summer transfer window now looks like it could be an incredible one for Tottenham Hotspur.

Thanks to their heroic efforts in the Europa League final last week, Ange Postecoglou’s side have a Champions League campaign to look forward to next season.

Moreover, competing at the top table of European football should allow them to attract more exciting players to bolster the squad.

In fact, if recent reports are to be believed, the club are already eyeing up a forward who’s an ideal upgrade on Mathys Tel or replacement, should the Frenchman not be signed on a permanent deal this summer.

Spurs transfer news

The last few weeks have seen Spurs linked with a multitude of brilliant attacking players, such as Jamie Gittens and Daizen Maeda.

Transfer Focus

The former is supposedly available for around £59m and has enjoyed a relatively successful season with Borussia Dortmund this year, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists in 48 games.

Maeda has been even more effective north of the border, scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in 51 games for Celtic, and could be available for just £25m.

However, it looks like Daniel Levy and Co could be shopping closer to home for a new attacker this summer.

According to a recent report from Spain, Spurs are now incredibly interested in Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku.

The report claims that the Frenchman’s departure from Stamford Bridge is ‘virtually assured’ and that the North Londoners are now prepared to negotiate a loan deal with an option to buy at €45m, which is just £38m.

It might not be the most popular transfer right away, but Nkunku was a force of nature at RB Leipzig, and if he were able to recreate some of that form in N17, he could be a perfect upgrade or replacement for Tel depending on where his future lies.

How Nkunku compares to Tel

So, the first thing to say is that, like Tel, the Chelsea ace is someone who can and often does play all across the frontline, so should Levy and Co not sign the Bayern loanee on a permanent deal this summer, he could come in to fulfil the same role, or compete with him if he does join.

With that said, which attacker comes out on top when we compare their output from this season?

Well, this is an area in which the former RB Leipzig star comes out miles ahead, as in 42 appearances, totalling 2039 minutes, he has scored 14 goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.21 games, or every 107.31 minutes.

In contrast, the Sarcelles-born Lilywhites ace has scored just three goals and provided two assists in 34 appearances, totalling 1714 minutes, across both his teams this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 6.8 games, or every 342.8 minutes.

What about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out looking better when we take a look under the hood?

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.66

0.44

Non-Penalty G+As

0.69

0.21

Progressive Passes

3.18

2.52

Progressive Carries

1.97

2.76

Shots

2.53

2.57

Shots on Target

1.33

0.84

Passing Accuracy

88.6%

75.5%

Key Passes

1.27

1.17

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.21

1.41

Passes into the Final Third

2.49

1.17

Shot-Creating Actions

3.24

2.33

Goal-Creating Actions

0.58

0.25

Unfortunately for Postecoglou’s January addition, it’s the Blues’ “unstoppable” dynamo, as dubbed by European football expert Zach Lowy, who once again emerges victorious.

For example, he comes out on top in the majority of relevant metrics, including but not limited to expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, passes into the final third, key passes and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Tel is still a talented footballer, but Nkunku has the better raw output and underlying numbers while being just as versatile, so should Levy and Co regardless of whether they decide to activate the option in the 20-year-old’s loan deal; they should also be looking to bring the Chelsea ace to N17.

Only 2 passes made: Levy must ensure Spurs dud never wears the shirt again

Europa League winners Tottenham were trounced by Brighton to finish their Premier League campaign.

ByAngus Sinclair May 26, 2025