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One club are willing to sell their star midfielder to Tottenham Hotspur this summer and plan to replace him with Sunderland ace Jobe Bellingham, according to an intriguing report this week.

Tottenham target midfielder after 2024/2025 injury crisis

Ange Postecoglou was left desperately short of options in numerous areas throughout 2024/2025, which undoubtedly played a key role in their lowly 17th-placed finish and record number of Premier League defeats.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 28, 2025

Injuries threatened to dampen their Europa League final success as well, particularly in midfield, with Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison both forced to sit out of their eventual 1-0 win over Man United in Bilbao.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Star midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has suffered fairly frequent lay-offs over the last two campaigns as well, and the South American’s presence is always missed when unavailable.

Postecoglou or any new manager is also facing the looming threat of AFCON midway through 2025/2026, with both Pape Sarr (Senegal) and Yves Bissouma (Mali) set to compete at the tournament in Morocco.

The Lilywhites face being left very short in the middle through a combination of possible injuries and international obligations, leaving little surprise that chairman Daniel Levy reportedly has his eyes on new options.

Lille midfielder Angel Gomes is a reported target for Tottenham, with the England international recently confirming that he’s set to quit his club this summer after his contract expires.

“After four unforgettable years at LOSC Lille, it’s time for me to say goodbye,” he said.

“This club has been more than just a team – it’s been a family, a home, and a place that has shaped me both on and off the pitch. Like any journey, there were ups and downs, highs and lows, but I’m truly grateful to my team-mates and the fans for sticking with me throughout.”

Gomes’ availability at zero transfer cost makes him a prime candidate to reinforce Spurs’ midfield, but he’s by no means their only target.

Eintracht Frankfurt prepared to sell Larsson to Tottenham

According to GiveMeSport, Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Larsson is on their radar as well, following his very productive campaign with the Bundesliga side.

GMS report that Eintracht are “prepared” to sell Larsson to Tottenham, if Levy pays the required £50 million to secure his signature, and Dino Toppmoller’s side are targeting Sunderland’s Bellingham as a replacement for the 20-year-old.

However, while the door is described as open for Spurs to move ahead with negotiations, the £50m asking price could still prove to be a sticking point, despite the riches acquired from qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The Sweden international could be considered an elite midfield technician, having registered an 87.4% passing accuracy in the Bundesliga this season (WhoScored), and he’s even been compared to Balon d’Or winner Rodri by some.

His “skillfulness” and “close control” also has shades of Man City legend Kevin de Bruyne, as per the Bundesliga website, so Spurs risk missing out on a potentially world-class talent.

AC Milan have reportedly entered talks with Liverpool over the loan signing of a “world-class” attacking player in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool rebuff Barcelona approach for Luis Diaz

It has been a busy period for Luis Diaz off the field since the season ended, with doubts persisting over his future at Anfield amid a fresh approach from Barcelona – the Colombian reportedly dreams of playing for the Catalans despite his affinity for the Reds.

The La Liga giants have been rebuffed in their efforts, however, with Liverpool holding firm and saying he isn’t for sale, even though they aren’t planning on handing him a contract extension.

Diaz himself hasn’t exactly poured cold water on a possible Reds exit this summer, though, discussing his future during international duty with Colombia.

“I’m very happy at Liverpool, I’ve always said so. They’ve welcomed me very well from day one. We’re currently in contact with Liverpool because we’re talking to clubs, and that’s normal given the transfer market that’s opening. We’re trying to work out what’s best for us. I’m just waiting to see what happens. If Liverpool gives us a good renewal or I still have the [two] years left with them, I’ll be happy and content there.”

Now, a new exit rumour regarding another Liverpool attacker has emerged, ahead of a summer of change in that area of the pitch.

AC Milan in talks over signing Liverpool forward

According to journalist Orazio Accomando [via Sport Witness], AC Milan are in talks with Liverpool over signing Federico Chiesa on loan this summer.

The 27-year-old is believed to be “open” to the idea of returning to his homeland, but on the flip side, the Reds don’t like the thought of him leaving on a temporary basis, potentially wanting to seal a permanent exit instead.

Chiesa has been disappointing for Liverpool since making a surprise move from Juventus last summer, with injuries not helping him in his efforts to impress Arne Slot.

Just one start came the £150,000-a-week winger’s way in the Premier League in the whole of 2024/25, and a total of only 104 minutes, so there is some sense in allowing him to move on.

That said, keeping hold of Chiesa would still be no bad thing, with the Italian a positive character in the dressing room who has so much ability, with Alessandro Pierini once heaping praise on him during Euro 2020.

“He’s world-class. He has all the ability and desire of a great player. If he improves then he’ll be even better than his father [Enrico]. I have loads of respect for Enrico and all he has done to help Federico come on as a player until now.”

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Posts ByBrett Worthington Jun 5, 2025

If the right permanent offer arrives for Chiesa, Liverpool may accept it, but a loan move doesn’t feel like the right choice, so they should retain him for one year if the desired interest doesn’t come.

While this season ended up being an undeniable failure, Arsenal fans shouldn’t forget how brilliant some of their players are.

For example, David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães helped to create the best defence in the Premier League.

Moreover, Declan Rice has gone from strength to strength, and now looks more than at home as the left eight.

And then, despite missing over three months of action, the club’s best player, Bukayo Saka, was able to rack up an incredible haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in just 37 games.

The Hale Ender is undoubtedly the team’s talisman and most dangerous attacker, so fans should be delighted about reports linking Arsenal to another international star who has won comparisons to the Englishman.

Arsenal's winger search

Given Arsenal’s significant reliance on Saka to produce from the right this season, it’s not been much of a surprise to seem linked with several talented left-wingers in recent weeks, such as Nico Williams and Leroy Sané.

Transfer Focus

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The former has a well-known release clause worth around £50m in his current contract with Athletic Bilbao, and while that is a lot of money, he did perform reasonably well this season, chalking up a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 45 games.

Sané, on the other hand, would be a free signing thanks to his contract with Bayern Munich running out this month, although even with his impressive haul of 19 goal involvements this term, the fact he’ll be 30 midway next season makes signing him a less appealing prospect.

Moreover, it’s difficult to imagine him matching Saka’s output from the left next year, which isn’t the case for Rodrygo.

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s Real Madrid correspondent, Mario Cortegana, Arsenal are one of a few clubs intensely interested in the Brazilian international.

In fact, he claims that Arteta is “convinced he would have a big role” in the team, although on top of convincing the player, reports from earlier this month claim that the Gunners would have to stump up around £84m to get their man.

It could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Rodrygo’s immense ability, it is one worth fighting for, especially as he’s won comparisons to Saka.

How Rodrygo compares to Saka

So then, before we take a look at some of the other reasons why Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer, it’s important to examine this comparison to Saka and where it has come from.

Well, in this case, it stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in the Champions League this season and then created a list of the ten most comparable players.

By doing this, it concluded that the Real Madrid star was the tenth most similar attacking midfielder or winger and the third most similar midfielder to the Arsenal star in the competition this season.

Rodrygo & Saka

Statistic per 90

Rodrygo

Saka

Assists

0.21

0.24

Progressive Passes Received

10.3

10.2

Shots

2.57

2.61

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.10

0.12

Shot-Creating Actions

3.70

3.67

Successful Take-Ons

1.86

1.67

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 UCL Season

The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to assists, progressive passes received, shots, crosses into the penalty area, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

However, while a comparison to someone incredibly talented as Saka is undoubtedly encouraging, there are other reasons Arteta and Co should sign Real’s “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by former teammate Luka Modrić.

The most important is that he’d be a reliable source of goals, as, since the start of the 23/24 campaign, the former Santos gem has managed to score 32 goals and provide 19 assists in 103 appearances, totalling 7,137 minutes – even though he has spent much of that time out on the right when he’d rather be off the left.

In other words, he’s maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.01 games, or every 139.94, for two years.

Ultimately, he will cost a lot of money, and it might be a difficult transfer to pull off, but due to his brilliant record and the fact he shares some key statistical similarities with Saka, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 10, 2025

Birmingham City might well have stormed to the League One title in part due to their electric attacking arsenal consisting of Jay Stansfield, Alfie May, and many others, but the Blues’ defence also shone all season to ensure the title was triumphantly lifted.

Indeed, Chris Davies’ men would only ship 31 goals across the course of the memorable 46-game marathon, as the likes of Christoph Klarer and Ben Davies routinely bullied third-tier attackers.

Davies will know he needs that same switched-on approach from his back-line as they navigate a step-up in quality, with Birmingham once possessing a rock-solid option at this level in the form of Auston Trusty, before he eventually moved on to pastures new at Celtic.

Trusty's standout loan spell at Birmingham

The American titan would join the building on loan the season before Birmingham’s relegation to League One, but that isn’t to say he entered a camp that was sky-high on confidence.

The Blues had been locked into many a relegation scrap before his arrival, with a worrying 75 goals leaked during the 2021/22 season when Trusty was still on the books of Arsenal.

Whilst Trusty’s added presence could only see Birmingham finish in an equally disappointing 17th position in the league the next campaign, his importance to the cause was definitely noticeable.

By the end of his St. Andrew’s stint, the 6-foot-3 defender would tally up four league goals from 44 games – which included this audacious flick beating Seny Dieng – away from bringing the goals conceded number down to a more respectable 58.

Winning a valiant 6.2 duels on average too, the American ultimately ended the campaign having claimed the club’s Player of the Year award, prior to sealing a permanent switch to Sheffield United.

Davies, meanwhile, will be crying out for similarly dominant performances from his batch of defenders when making the step back up, with this potential new signing going on to be his own iteration of the now Celtic regular if everything slots into place.

Birmingham could land the next Trusty

After all, despite boasting such an impressive defensive record during their promotion success story, Birmingham will know how demanding the Championship can be, meaning improvements could be sought after.

Transfer Focus

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

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The ambitious Blues are reportedly in the race to sign Luton Town powerhouse Teden Mengi to help in this regard, with Burnley, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough all also keen on adding the ex-Manchester United defender to their rosters this summer, as per journalist Graeme Bailey.

The in-demand starlet previously joined the Blues on loan for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, albeit with a recurring hamstring injury limiting him to just ten appearances in all competitions. Now, another opportunity to thrive at St Andrews could be on the cards.

Straight off the bat, there are plenty of comparisons to be made between Mengi and Trusty, with the pair having been noted as statistically similar players among those in their position in the Premier League, as per FBref, during the 2023/24 season with Luton and Sheffield United, respectively.

That likeness was particularly seen in their ability to sniff out the danger in their own penalty area, with Mengi ranking in the top 11% for clearances made per 90, while Trusty ranked in the top 9% for that same metric.

Equally, the 6-foot battler’s early education came at the illustrious Red Devils in the Premier League, much like his centre-back counterpart calling the Emirates home as a youngster.

Moreover, Mengi has managed to forge a successful career for himself away from his hometown club – much like the American has at Celtic – as seen in the 23-year-old’s current spell with Matt Bloomfield’s Hatters now attracting interest from various suitors.

Mengi’s Luton numbers (23/24) + (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Mengi (23/24)

Mengi (24/25)

Games played

30

20

Goals scored

1

1

Assists

0

1

Touches*

44.4

48.1

Accurate passes*

24.2 (78%)

27.8 (77%)

Ball recoveries*

4.2

4.2

Clearances*

4.5

3.9

Total duels won*

4.3

3.6

Stats by Sofascore

As can be seen looking at the table above, Mengi has shone in spurts for Luton, particularly when the underdogs were battling bravely against the Premier League drop, with the Manchester-born enforcer winning 4.3 duels on average across his 30 top-flight appearances.

The then Luton manager, Rob Edwards, would even label Mengi as “astounding” for his ability to perform under such pressures, with his addition to Davies’ camp now perhaps viewed as a worthwhile boost to their defensive numbers, away from just relying on the old guard of Klarer and Co.

After all, the last time Birmingham purchased a former Premier League starlet to help out the back in the form of Trusty, it went down as a golden purchase, with Mengi – who Football Transfers value at £6m – potentially viewed down the line as another successful buy.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jun 9, 2025

‘I’ve been around long enough to know how it works,’ captain says, after emphatic win over Oman

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2024

Jos Buttler, England’s captain, praised his players for blocking out the noise and focussing on the task of beating Oman in style, as the T20 World Cup defending champions produced a command performance that has put them back on course for Super Eight qualification.England needed a grand total of 99 deliveries to beat Oman in the first of two must-win matches in three days, with Buttler himself striking 24 not out from eight deliveries to hunt down a victory target of 48 in just 3.1 overs.In so doing, England transformed their net run-rate from -1.8 to +3.08, placing them ahead of Scotland’s figure of 2.16, meaning that they will progress at the Scots’ expense from a tightly contested Group B if there are no more upsets or washouts in the remaining fixtures.Though the speed of England’s chase was a key factor in the NRR boost, the match was set up by a thrilling bowling display, led by Adil Rashid’s 4 for 11, with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer both returning the excellent figures of 3 for 12.”I thought the tone was set really well by the bowlers,” Buttler said at the post-match presentations. “We managed to pick up those early wickets and restrict them and knock them off, so job done today and we’ve got another big game in two days’ time.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Asked if he had been surprised by the mood around England’s campaign, after one washed-out contest against Scotland and a poor display against Australia in Barbados, Buttler smiled and acknowledged that he’d seen it all before.”I’ve been around long enough to know how it works,” he told Nasser Hussain, who was conducting the post-match interviews. “How guys like you make some comments, so that’s fine. That’s part of your job. I don’t mind. We know what’s going on in the dressing room. We have lots of confidence in our team and we have another huge match to come.”That match is against Namibia on Saturday, at the same venue in Antigua, which ought to suit England’s bowling attack given the steep bounce on offer for the quick bowlers and the sharp spin that Rashid extracted in the course of his four superbly executed overs.”I thought they bowled brilliantly,” Buttler said. “[Reece] Topley with his height, Jofra Archer with that high release point as well. They were really challenging bowlers on that surface. I thought they bowled a really good line and length.Related

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“I don’t think any of us expected the wicket to probably play like it did,” he added. “It looked a really good surface. But yeah, [Rashid] found spin and obviously you know what a threat he is. He bowled fantastically well.”England’s run-chase was ignited by Phil Salt’s volley of two sixes from the first two balls – the first such instance in a T20I since Spain versus the Isle of Man in February 2023, and sealed 17 balls later by Jonny Bairstow’s second four in as many balls.”Just be ultra-positive,” Buttler said, when asked what his message to the batters had been. “We’ve spoken in the lead-up to this about we have to win games, and if we get a chance we have to try and take advantage with the net run-rate, and we managed to do that today.”We can only focus on ourselves. We’ve got a huge game against Namibia and all focus now is on that.”

In what would be the ultimate statement of intent from INEOS, Manchester United are now eyeing a shock move to hijack a Champions League megastar ahead of Arsenal after Real Madrid lowered their asking price.

Who Man Utd could target after Bryan Mbeumo

After launching a fresh bid worth more than £60m to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, all signs a pointing towards success for Manchester United in their chase to sign the winger. In another big money deal, the Red Devils look increasingly likely to welcome their second attacking reinforcement of the summer following Matheus Cunha.

It always needed to be a big summer at Old Trafford, however, and INEOS may not be done after Mbeumo. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team have also set their sights on improvements in goal, in midfield and further attacking additions to round off an excellent summer of business.

On the goalkeeper front, the main name mentioned in recent weeks has been Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez. The Midlands club have PSR troubles hanging over their head and will likely need to sell a player before the June 30 deadline – potentially allowing United to take full advantage.

Meanwhile, when it comes to midfielders it is Ardon Jashari who has found himself among recent headlines. The Belgian Pro League’s Player of the Season has reportedly attracted the interest of United, who could land an instant upgrade on Casemiro.

It’s going forward that INEOS could save their best work once again though, with reports now suggesting that United may yet hijack Arsenal’s move to sign a Real Madrid megastar.

Man Utd eyeing shock Rodrygo hijack

As reported by Caught Offside, Manchester United are now eyeing a shock move to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid this summer in what would see them hijack Arsenal’s pursuit.

It looks as though the Brazilan’s Real Madrid departure is a realistic possibility this summer as he continues to be overshadowed by the work of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.

Arsenal are chasing his signature, which will now cost around €85m (£73m) following Madrid’s price drop from €110m (£94m), but United’s interest could now complicate things for the Gunners.

It would be some statement if INEOS managed to beat Arsenal to Rodrygo’s signature, albeit an expensive statement at that. Not only would United be spending another £73m to secure his signature, but the Madrid man also currently earns around £10.5m-a-year at the Bernabeu to form what would be Ratcliffe’s biggest deal yet.

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Previously described as a “special” player by former manager Carlo Ancelotti, there’s a strong argument to be made that Rodrygo would be worth every penny of that £10.5m-a-year contract.

The talented winger may be an afterthought at Madrid at times, but there’s no denying that he’d instantly become the biggest star at Ruben Amorim’s disposal if he joined Manchester United this summer.

England duo star on county return after Luke Wood mops up resistance with three wickets

ECB Reporters Network17-Jul-2024

Lancashire 136 for 2 (Salt 70, Livingstone 54*) beat Nottinghamshire 131 for 7 (James 51, Wood 3-23) by eight wicketsLancashire became the second North Group side to qualify for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, brushing struggling Nottinghamshire aside by eight wickets chasing 132 at Emirates Old Trafford as England duo Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone starred on their return to county action.Second-placed Lightning joined leaders Birmingham in progressing courtesy of their seventh win in 13 games, set up by a polished bowling display led by left-arm quick Luke Wood’s season’s best three for 23 in limiting his former county to 131 for seven.All-rounder Lyndon James top-scored with a career best 51 off 38 balls before Salt underpinned a successful chase with a more destructive 70 off 42, including five sixes, in his first innings after T20 World Cup duty.Livingstone, another returning international, also contributed a wicket, three catches and 54 not out off 37 with three sixes. He shared a second-wicket 112 with Salt as victory was sealed with 5.3 overs remaining.Lancashire became the first county to achieve 150 wins in Blast history.From the moment Outlaws captain Joe Clarke got a thick edge behind off Saqib Mahmood’s pace, leaving the visitors two for one after eight balls, Lightning controlled things.The Outlaws, inserted, slipped to 28 for four inside six overs, Wood claiming his first – Jack Haynes caught at deep square-leg – added to other scalps for spinners Chris Green and Tom Hartley.The latter, England’s left-arm spinner, had Matt Montgomery caught at deep square-leg for his first wicket in any format since May 12, owing much to him being a squad member only at the recent T20 World Cup.In terms of games won, Nottinghamshire (144) are the second-most successful side in Blast history. But they will want to forget this campaign having only won twice so far.James and Tom Moores shared a fifth-wicket 53 inside eight overs and hit a six apiece to stem the tide and at least get the Outlaws into an innings which saw home captain Keaton Jennings employ four spinners to share 12 overs.Irish overseas debutant George Dockrell wasn’t one, but Livingstone was.And he broke the partnership when Moores miscued a wider delivery to long-off for 26 – 81 for five in the 13th over.After Wood struck again to get Liam Patterson-White caught at deep cover, James reached his fifty off 37 balls – by which time Nottinghamshire were 122 for six early in the 19th over.But, having mixed power with invention, James fell next ball to a brilliant diving catch from Livingstone at deep mid-wicket to hand Wood his third wicket.The visitors did well to get the total they did, though it just didn’t feel like one to threaten Lancashire’s progression through to a 17th quarter-final in 22 seasons.Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi had Luke Wells caught at point in the second over of the chase – 14 for one – to raise Outlaws’ hopes.Livingstone, in at three, was dropped in the deep on five and 20 en-route to a fifty later achieved with the winning hit – a pulled six off Farooqi.Salt pulled Olly Stone for an early six and hit Luke Fletcher for two more in succession over the off-side shortly afterwards.By the time Salt reached his fifty off 31 balls, Lancashire – now on course for a home tie in the quarters – were motoring at 84 for one in the 10th over.Salt hit two more sixes off Fletcher’s seam to bring up the century partnership with Livingstone before falling to Patterson-White’s spin.

Ryan Mason has already won himself one standout signing since entering the pressurised West Bromwich Albion hot-seat.

Indeed, the Baggies forked out £3m on the services of Nathaniel Phillips to strengthen at the back, with Phillips just fresh off a relegation-saving season at Derby County in the Championship on loan from Liverpool. Now, he’s West Brom’s first major foray into the market.

Transfers at the Hawthorns are unlikely to halt there, though, as West Brom aim to bolster all over the pitch in the wake of Baggies stalwarts Grady Diangana, John Swift, and Semi Ajayi all leaving for nothing.

West Brom interested in another centre-back

A big chunk of West Brom’s long-standing servants are now nowhere to be seen in the West Midlands, as Mason prepares to leave his mark on proceedings.

It’s been heavily commented on, but the 33-year-old does have his past Tottenham Hotspur connections he can fall back on when targeting some sensational summer acquisitions, with both Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear reportedly in their sights when assessing the cream of Spurs’ young crop.

Away from treading down this familiar North London path, however, West Brom could be about to win a much-talked-about 22-year-old prospect from the EFL.

West Brom-based X account DOOD has speculated that Mason and Co. are interested in the possibility of acquiring Stockport County powerhouse Ethan Pye this summer, although nothing is in motion as of yet.

It’s clear when looking at his sublime 2024/25 season – which ended with him winning every personal Hatters accolade possible – why West Brom are hunting him down as a possible partner for Phillips in the heart of defence.

After all, many of West Brom’s star performers once plied their trade in the lower depths of the EFL, as the promotion hopefuls now hope that Pye can be another to burst into life up a division, much like Tom Fellows managed after an early lower league education.

How Pye can be Fellows 2.0

Looking at the final West Brom lineup fielded at the close of the 24/25 campaign is enough to validate how many of the Baggies’ seasoned first-teamers have the third tier to thank for an initial boost in confidence, with Darnell Furlong once loaned out to Swindon Town in League One, before his big Hawthorns break.

Two goals and five assists would come the experienced right-back’s way during his formative County Ground switch, which is amazingly five more goal contributions than Fellows would register on the books of Crawley Town prior to his moment in the spotlight.

The rest is history now for the Solihull-born ace, however, with the homegrown product one of the first names on the Baggies’ teamsheet last season when collecting a blistering 14 assists in Championship action.

Pye will hope he can be as much of a standout figure for the second tier side down the line if a move is finalised, considering the Manchester-born defender has also had to endure many a lower league loan, before developing into one of Dave Challinor’s integral pieces of the jigsaw last season at Edgeley Park.

Pye’s league numbers for Stockport (24/25)

Stat (* = per game)

Pye

Games played

35

Goals scored

1

Assists

1

Touches*

73.7

Accurate passes*

44.4 (79%)

Ball recoveries*

4.5

Total duels won*

7.3

Clean sheets

11

Stats by Sofascore

Only two years prior to his breakout 24/25 offering Pye was plying his trade in the National League with Gateshead. Now, much like Fellows back at the Hawthorns, the Hatters’ success largely depended on the 22-year-old last season, with a mighty 7.3 duels won per game by Pye as Stockport dared to dream about promotion up to the Championship.

Hailed as “outstanding” by West Brom-based journalist Chris Hall, this could be a buy that sees West Brom repeat their unbelievable Fellows magic, with Pye more than ready to make a splash up a level.

It does appear to be only faint murmurs at this point, but West Brom will surely want to make more moves soon as the new season edges closer, with Pye perhaps the next figure to join the intriguing Mason project.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jul 2, 2025

أعرب لويس دي لا فوينتي مدرب منتخب إسبانيا عن رضاه التام عن أداء لاعبيه عقب الفوز ضد تركيا بسداسية نظيفة، في تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026 بعد أن سبق له وأنتقد مستواهم ضد بلغاريا.

وسحق منتخب إسبانيا، نظيره تركيا بعد أن تقدم الفريق الضيف بثلاثة أهداف في الشوط الأول، قبل أن يعود ليسجل ثلاثة أهداف أخرى في الشوط الثاني.

وقال دي لا فوينتي في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “أنا فخور باللاعبين وبالمنتخب، سعيد للغاية بفريق يواصل النمو وأول من يفاجئ أنا”.

وأضاف: “فريقي لا يحتاج للكثير من الكلام، هم يفهمون الرسائل فورًا، لم نكن راضيين تمامًا عن ما قدمناه في المباراة الماضية”.

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وواصل عن رسالته للاعبين في مباراة تركيا: “أن لا نكرر الأخطاء نفسها، كنا بحاجة لهذا، إنه جيل من اللاعبين لا يكل أبدًا من العمل والرغبة في التحسن، وسط فرحة الفوز، نفكر بالفعل فيما سنفعله في المباريات القادمة لنكون أفضل قليلاً”.

وواصل دي لا فوينتي ليعرب عن آسفه بإصابة نيكو ويليامز: “إصابة مؤسفة، شعر بألم في العضلة المقربة وربما تكون عضلية وسنرى خلال فحوصات الغد”.

وعن ارتداء رودري شارة القيادة عند دخوله الملعب، علق دي لا فوينتي: “هذا الفريق كريم للغاية، كان قرار ألفارو، أنا فخور بهذا القائد، إنه رجل نبيل، وهذا يشرفه باتخاذه هذا القرار”.

وأشاد دي لا فوينتي في نهاية تصريحاته بلاعب آرسنال ميكيل ميرينو الذي سجل هاتريك ضد تركيا: “لدينا لاعبون رائعون، ميكيل يبدع في كثير من الأمور، هو لاعب عبقري وعالمي وأحياناً لا يحظى بالتقدير الذي يستحقه في إسبانيا”.

Liverpool have reportedly had a “phone call” with the representatives of a big-money attacking player, as they look to sign a replacement for Darwin Nunez.

Slot's beautiful Jota tribute before Preston

The Reds started their pre-season with a 3-1 win away to Preston North End on Sunday afternoon, on what was an emotional occasion after the tragic passing of Diogo Jota earlier this month.

Prior to the game, Arne Slot provided some beautiful words on the Portuguese, showing exactly why he was such a perfect successor to Jurgen Klopp.

“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not. What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there’s a wrong decision?

“And I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.”

Now, it is a case of Slot and his Liverpool players trying to achieve lots of success with Jota in their thoughts, and further signings may help in that respect. A new update has now emerged regarding a potential addition in the final third.

Liverpool have "phone call" with £78m Nunez replacement

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal on X, Liverpool have been in contact with a “phone call” to RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko’s agents about a £78m move to Anfield, coming in to replace the likely-to-leave Nunez, who scored against Preston.

Sesko feels like an ideal option to come in and lead the line for the Reds, considering it looks increasingly unlikely that they will be able to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.

The 22-year-old is already such a prolific and dominant striker, scoring 39 goals in 87 appearances for Leipzig, as well as 16 in 41 caps for Slovenia.

Related Slot's next Wirtz: Liverpool in contact to sign "the new Haaland" for £78m

Liverpool are planning to sign a new striker in the summer transfer market.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jul 14, 2025

If Liverpool could sign Sesko on top of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez this summer, it would be outstanding business, with a new backup centre-back potentially the next priority after Jarell Quansah’s move to Bayer Leverkusen.