All posts by h79snht.top

In Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United are enjoying the rise of a truly special player. Walk around the city and ask fans for their opinion of the Italian maestro, and many would say he is the very best they have witnessed at St. James’ Park.

It’s just one masterclass after another. Tottenham Hotspur couldn’t cope on Wednesday evening, dumped out of the Carabao Cup following Tonali’s brilliant midfield performance.

Eddie Howe engineered a covert contractual renewal when the star was serving a suspension for betting breaches, and so the Magpies need not worry about their central talisman playing elsewhere any time soon.

But Tonali alone cannot uphold the midfield, and it looks like change is afoot in the engine room, with United gearing up to sign a new central midfielder.

Newcastle angling for new midfielder

Joelinton has been a stalwart at Newcastle for many years, but the 29-year-old has come under fire at times already this season, with his questionable performances leaving some, such as blogger Thomas Hammond, to question whether this is “the start of the end” for the powerful Brazilian, who seems the weak link in this evolving midfield.

The emergence of Lewis Miley certainly suggests Joelinton’s place in the starting line-up is not as secure as it once was, and the continued question marks over Joe Willock’s long-term future in the Newcastle midfield add fuel to the fire.

Well, given that Howe is determined to re-sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, it does seem the cabinet could be set for a reshuffle.

As per Spanish sources, Newcastle are rivalling the mighty Real Madrid for the Three Lions star, who has been valued as high as £120m by Evangelos Marinakis. Technical director Ross Wilson will know he needs to act swiftly.

Moreover, Football Insider have followed reports with the claim that Liverpool and Manchester United have both placed the 22-year-old at the top of their lists.

Why Howe wants Elliot Anderson back at SJP

In the summer of 2024, Newcastle were being pressured by the Premier League’s PSR parameters, and sold two top talents – Anderson and Yankuba Minteh – to divisional rivals, easing away from financial bother.

Anderson signed for Nottingham Forest in a deal worth around £35m, and he’s only gone from strength to strength at the City Ground, with analyst Ben Mattinson hailing him as a “powerhouse” of a “midfield warrior”.

Indeed, you need only look at the metrics to see how he has evolved in his short time in red, with the current campaign seeing him take so many touches of the ball, creating and defending and leading by example.

Elliot Anderson – PL record for Forest

Stats (*per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

37 (33)

9 (9)

Goals

2

0

Assists

6

1

Touches*

54.2

98.2

Accurate passes*

28.7 (82%)

66.4 (88%)

Chances created*

1.0

1.3

Dribbles*

1.0

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.6

7.9

Tackles + interceptions*

2.5

3.7

Duels (won)*

6.5 (52%)

7.8 (56%)

Data via Sofascore

He is the complete number eight, and in this, just like Tonali, who is now considered “the best midfielder in the Premier League” by English legend Paul Scholes.

Anderson isn’t there – yet. However, he is earlier in his development and surely on track to rival the likes of Tonali if he continues to add strings to his bow.

Now part of Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, Anderson is finding a home alongside the more adventurous Declan Rice. Perhaps Bruno Guimaraes could serve as this type of partner, with Tonali elegantly keeping things moving from the side.

This is all to say that Anderson could be a stunning addition to Howe’s team, and maybe even come to surpass Tonali down the line.

Pulling him back over to Tyneside won’t be easy, but Howe has already shown his hand, speaking of his desire to bring the talent back home in a press conference last month, and must now hope that Anderson is swayed toward the nostalgia of returning to his boyhood club.

In any case, that aside, Newcastle might actually be able to canvass the most compelling proposal to the English talent.

Related New Tonali: Newcastle's 8/10 ace has been an "incredible piece of business"

Newcastle have proved their skill in the transfer market once again this summer.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Oct 30, 2025

Delhi Capitals fall short by 11 runs despite a late partnership from Arundhati Reddy and Shikha Pandey

Vishal Dikshit16-Mar-2023

Ashleigh Gardner struck her maiden WPL fifty•BCCI

Ashleigh Gardner doesn’t get bogged down easily. She calls herself a “massive confidence player”. Like most Australians in the WPL, she has been a world champion several times, and tends to rescue her team from situations in which normal teams usually lose. She was the Player of the Series less than a month ago at the T20 World Cup, and just prior to that, for the bilateral T20Is in India in December 2022.On Thursday night at the Brabourne Stadium, she walked in at No. 4 when Gujarat Giants were in a precarious situation, in the game as well as in the league. Already languishing at the bottom of the table after losing their last two games, they were crawling along at 53 for 2 around the halfway mark with their league top-scorer, Harleen Deol, just dismissed. Opener Laura Wolvaardt was struggling for fluency on 18 off 20.Gardner, an ace finisher for Australia, walked in and operated at a different level altogether. She struck five fours in her first 16 balls and gave a similar message to Wolvaardt: “If the ball’s in your area, go for it.” It was as if Gardner had flicked a switch on in her partner’s game.In T20 leagues, where there are always some weak links in the bowling, most batters see off the gun bowlers and target the others. Gardner’s confidence was such that she and Wolvaardt went after Capitals’ most fiery and wily bowlers, Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen. When Kapp bowled the 15th over, Gardner chipped the second ball over the bowler’s head for four and three balls later Wolvaardt charged down to smash a pull for four more. Wolvaardt then took on Jonassen single-handedly; a six over long-off, two more pulls for fours in the space of three balls to make it a 15-run over.With 26 runs off two overs, the Giants’ scoring rate shot up from under six to nearly seven an over.”We just kept speaking about building a partnership together because that’s what we’ve lacked doing over these last few games, we’ve lost wickets in clumps and we haven’t had those partnerships,” Gardner said at the press conference. “I said to her, ‘If the ball’s in your area, go for it’. We know what her strengths are, she hits over the off side so well. She got a couple of balls that she could throw her hands at. I think it was the Jess Jonassen over that ended up going for 15 and I think that was the momentum switch that we needed.”Wolvaardt got to her fifty off 41 balls in the next over and soon Gardner raced from 31 off 25 to a 33-ball half-century with back-to-back fours by carting Arundhati Reddy around, before going after Jonassen for two more fours to nearly touch 150. “Pressure affects people differently,” she said. “Lucky enough for me, I’ve played in a lot of high-pressure situations so I feel like I personally can stay quite calm and hopefully I can put that on to other people as well. So it’s being really calm in those situations and really calm with my language as well to other players to make sure that they stay really positive because the game wasn’t over until it was over.”Giants knew they were below-par on a pitch that was slightly slow yet batting-friendly. Back in the dugout at the halfway mark, Gardner got her team-mates together and gave them a clear message: be brave.”I just said, ‘147 is an okay score but we’re going to have to bowl well’. And we were probably going to have to bowl them out to win that game. I was just trying to reiterate the message to the girls around being brave and playing with freedom because ultimately, we needed to win these games and it was almost like we could play with freedom and just back each other up in the field. But more importantly just enjoy it. In moments like this, they go so fast and when you’re not winning, you forget about the enjoyment side of it, and that’s why we all play cricket because we love it and because we have fun playing with our friends and that’s the main thing.”And a brave combined effort it turned out to be. Uncapped left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar played cat and mouse with Shafali Verma to knock over her leg stump three balls after being hit for a six. When the spinners were being dispatched for boundaries, captain Sneh Rana bravely bowled the last powerplay over and sent down a flat delivery at 89kmh to trap Meg Lanning for 18.When Capitals needed 70 off 60, Deol bravely pitched one up to see Jonassen hole out to long-off, and when Gardner came on for her third, she smartly slowed the ball down, at 82.8kmh, to beat Taniya Bhatia swinging across the line and strike her stumps.”It’s being able to hit my natural lengths and be brave enough to slow my pace down a little bit,” Gardner said of her bowling on Thursday, “because as spinners you get hit and there’s no point me bowling 95kmh, because it’s going to go even further. So it’s just about being really brave and I think we were really brave tonight with the bowling attack.”Apart from some nervous moments in the tense chase when the Gujarat fielders started to fumble and leak overthrows, they also ran two big hitters out. Sophia Dunkley fired in a throw from cover to the wicketkeeper while there was a mix-up between Alice Capsey and Jemimah Rodrigues, and the former fell short. The biggest blow came in the 14th over when Kapp took off for a risky single and WPL debutant Ashwani Kumari took the stumps down with a direct hit to send back Kapp for 36 off 29 and help Giants take a big step towards their win.Eventually Capitals fell short, but they may have learnt a lesson from their opponents when under pressure: be brave.

The same two teams will face off again in the WTC final at The Oval in London in early June

Sidharth Monga13-Mar-20232:44

What could India’s XI look like for the WTC final?

The comatose pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad had the final say as Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne batted Australia to a comfortable draw in front of the humongous but empty stands. Thus, a fourth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series ended in an identical result: 2-1 to India.India needed to win three Tests in the series to secure their participation in the World Test Championship final against other results elsewhere, but they received good news just as the second session was beginning: New Zealand had won a thriller in Christchurch to deny Sri Lanka, the only side that could challenge India’s progress to final. The India huddle was seen shaking hands just as it was confirmed that Kane Williamson had completed the bye that won them the Test off the final ball.Related

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Trailing India by 88 at the start of the day, Australia needed to bat a little over two sessions to practically ensure the draw. Although the ball did a little more than it had earlier, they lost just the two wickets in the day. One of those would not even have been out had it been a proper batter and not the nightwatcher Matthew Kuhnemann, who didn’t review the lbw call off R Ashwin with the ball missing leg.It was a day of some triumph for Head and Labuschagne. Labuschagne began the series as a key batter if Australia were to succeed, didn’t score a fifty in the first three even though he kept making desperate changes to his game to succeed. Head came with a question mark on his game against spin – even within his team, which didn’t play him in the first Test.Head found the opening spot thanks to the injury to David Warner and eased their potentially tricky chase in Indore. Both Head and Labuschagne missed out in the first innings on a pitch made for batters. In the second innings, they put their heads down and both went past 50 for the first time in the series.The conditions did get progressively difficult as the Test progressed, but the pitch was so slow it didn’t result in actual wickets. The control percentage went from 90.3 in the first innings to 90.7 in the second to 86.8 in the third innings. Normally, Tests start with those third-innings numbers and get progressively difficult.2:22

Chappell: Australia didn’t learn a lot about their play in this series

No matter the flatness, funny things can happen when you are trying to save a Test. Also, Usman Khawaja, Australia’s leading run-scorer for the series, had injured himself and was going to bat only if desperately needed. Head and Labuschagne made sure there was nothing of the sort even after Kuhnemann fell early on the day.Head also made sure the runs came quickly, which took Australia to parity and then past India’s lead. Labuschagne was in no rush: he just wanted to enjoy his time in the sun. The closest India came to getting him out was when Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin found his inside edge, but Jadeja didn’t have a short leg at all, and Ashwin didn’t have a backward short-leg.Head was nearing what would have been an immensely satisfying hundred, but Axar Patel did him with a flighted ball that landed in the rough. It got him to 50 wickets in just 12 Tests even though he has got just three in this series.By the time the final session began, the only matter of interest was if Labuschagne would get to a hundred. That interest was killed pretty quickly as he kept patting back half-volleys, and added just seven to his 56 at tea. Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara got a bowl too, and the teams shook hand at the earliest possible moment they could have done so: with 17.5 overs remaining.Australia declared at that point to give India 15 overs to bat, which is when the sides can agree to end a Test in a draw. That was as emphatic a statement as any against the pitch rolled out for the Test.

It indicates that Neser could remain with Australia’s Ashes squad beyond the Lord’s Test

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2023

Mitchell Swepson has slipped down the pecking order for Australia•Getty Images

Legspinner Mitchell Swepson has signed for Glamorgan to play in the County Championship as cover for Michael Neser who is with the Australia Test squad.Although the Australia selectors do not officially reassess the squad until after the Lord’s Test it is a strong indication that Neser, who was initially called up to replace Josh Hazlewood for the World Test Championship final, will remain with the Ashes group.Swepson is expected to make his debut against Sussex on Sunday. It will be his first experience of county cricket and comes a few months after he lost is Cricket Australia contract.He had made his Test debut last year in Pakistan and played four matches across that tour and the Sri Lanka series which followed.However, he was an unused member of the squad in India earlier this year when offspinner Todd Murphy and left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann were preferred.Due to his presence in Australia’s squad, Swepson went more than two months without bowling in a competitive game between the end of January and the start of April where he feature in the A series against New Zealand.Swepson’s signing continues Glamorgan’s strong links with Queensland, adding to Neser and Marnus Labuschagne’s spells with the county.Neser is one five pace bowlers in Australia’s Test squad after he was retained after the India Test. Mitchell Starc is in contention to replace Scott Boland at Lord’s after England’s batters took Boland for nearly six-an-over at Edgbaston.

Islamabad United were cruising in a chase of 202 and then the legspinner came in and with a bit of magic

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2024

Arif Yaqoob had a night to remember•PSL

17.6 Naveen-ul-Haq to Azam Khan, OUT
Gottim! Good length, slanting in at middle, Azam wafts and it’s not through the line, Babar Azam at mid-off takes a brilliant catch under pressure. It’s really a fabulous catch and Peshawar are right back in the contest. Azam Khan will be gutted with himself to not get the job done. He was suckered with the hard length delivery and lost his shape while trying to smash him downtown.Azam Khan c Babar Azam b Naveen-ul-Haq 75 (30b 6×4 6×6) SR: 25018.1 Arif Yaqoob to Munro, OUT
Crowd roars as Peshawar pick another! Another set batter departs in quick succession! Yaqoob bowls a beauty, slow, mystifying and a tempting legbreak that never really arrived at him; Munro tries to insolently smash him over long-on and gets beaten by the beautiful guile, spin and he makes a complete mess of it while prancing down the track. Haseebullah with sharp glovework removes the bails in a flash and Munro has to take the long walk back into the pavilion. It’s proving to be another nail-biter!Colin Munro st †Haseebullah Khan b Arif Yaqoob 71 (53b 7×4 1×6) SR: 133.9618.2 Arif Yaqoob to Faheem, 1 run
Nicely bowled, not afraid to toss it up and give it flight, gets a decent amount of turn towards middle and leg, clipped off the pads to backward square18.3 Arif Yaqoob to Haider Ali, OUT
TAKEN AT DEEP MIDWICKET! Zalmi are on fire. Tosses up a delicious legbreak turning away from off, tries to whip it over the leg side and just didn’t quite get it far enough. A major twist in the plot! Islamabad United collapsing like a house of cards. This is not sensible batting by any means, everybody has tried to swing frantically from the first ballHaider Ali c Mohammad Haris b Arif Yaqoob 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 018.4 Arif Yaqoob to Imad Wasim, 1 leg bye
Floats a legbreak that has more twists than a mystery novel, Imad inverses his stance and tries to connect and wears it on his pads18.5 Arif Yaqoob to Faheem, OUT
This is madness from Islamabad! Trying an unconventional reverse sweep and playing a poor shot to point. Luke Wood took some steps to his left and pouches it comfortably. Yaqoob running all over the place in jubilation! More was expected from Faheem who has ample international cricket experience but it’s poor shot selection and not judicious from Islamabad’s stalwart. Meanwhile, Arif Yaqoob gets a fifer! Look at him go, elation conspicuous on his faceFaheem Ashraf c sub (DR Mousley) b Arif Yaqoob 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 5018.6 Arif Yaqoob to Hunain Shah, OUT
What is going on out there! Hunain gets down on one knee and takes an almighty swing. The ball hangs in the air for a while but goes straight to Rovman Powell who catches it brilliantly in his big bucket hands. Suddenly there is pandemonium! Yaqoob continues to produce magic in a match-turning spellHunain Shah c Powell b Arif Yaqoob 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kuhnemann set to join Tasmania after not playing any Shield cricket last summer while Burns was left off the contract list as Queensland opt to promote youth

Alex Malcolm19-Apr-2024

Matthew Kuhnemann roars after pinning Virat Kohli lbw•BCCI

Left-arm orthodox Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has left Queensland and is set to head to Tasmania in a bid to play more first-class cricket to put himself in the frame for the tour of Sri Lanka, while former Test opener Joe Burns has not been offered a contract as Queensland revamp their list after a poor season.Kuhnemann, 27, played three Tests for Australia last year on the tour of India after being flown in following the first Test defeat and he took 5 for 16 in Australia’s sole victory in Indore.But since that Test appearance he has not played a single Sheffield Shield match for Queensland, and no first-class matches since an appearance for Australia A last September, with the Bulls preferring legspinner Mitchell Swepson as their No.1 spinner. The conditions in Brisbane, and in Shield cricket generally, have not been conducive to picking two spinners in the same XI meaning Kuhnemann’s only appearances for Queensland were in the Marsh Cup, and the only red-ball cricket he played was for Queensland’s Second XI and for his Queensland premier club Gold Coast.Related

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Kuhnemann is set to move to Tasmania to become their No.1 spinner in Shield and Marsh Cup cricket and will strengthen Tasmania’s attack after they fell just short of winning the Shield title. He is still contracted to play for Brisbane Heat in the BBL for the next two seasons.Meanwhile, Burns has been left off Queensland’s contract after he was left out of both the Shield and Marsh Cup sides last summer. His Shield omission in February came as a surprise given he had performed well in the early part of the season. He made a 133 and 55 against eventual finalists Tasmania in Hobart and 91 in a nail-biting fourth innings chase against South Australia in Brisbane. He also made an unbeaten 62 not out in a draw against eventual champions Western Australia before the BBL against an attack featuring Jhye Richardson and Cameron Green.Joe Burns has not been offered a contract•Getty Images

But despite being the Bulls leading run-scorer through the first seven games and averaging a healthy 37.16 in a season dominated by the bowlers, Queensland decided to blood some young batters in the second half of the season when they fell out of Shield final contention. He spent some time away from the squad late in the season due to a family bereavement.Queensland have opted not to offer the 34-year-old a contract. Burns has played 23 Tests for Australia and made four Test hundreds. He is also out of contract at the Melbourne Stars.The Bulls have instead promoted opener Angus Lovell onto the contract list after making his Shield debut last summer and playing four matches.Queensland have also signed four of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup winners for next season. Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Hugh Weibgen and promising quick Callum Vidler have received full contracts. Vidler made his Shield debut in the final round of the season against New South Wales and took five wickets.Fellow Australia Under-19 squad members Lachlan Aitken and Tom Straker have been handed rookie deals. Straker has been recruited from New South Wales after he took a record-breaking 6 for 24 in the Under-19 World Cup semi-final win over Pakistan.Queensland are still searching for a new coach after parting ways with Wade Seccombe last month.Queensland squad 2024-25: Lachlan Aitken (rookie), Xavier Bartlett (CA contract), Max Bryant, Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Liam Guthrie, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja (CA), Marnus Labuschagne (CA), Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Jimmy Pierson, Matthew Renshaw, Jem Ryan (rookie), Gurinder Sandhu, Jack Sinfield, Mark Steketee, Tom Straker (rookie), Connor Sully, Mitch Swepson, Bryce Street, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Tom Whitney (rookie), Jack WildermuthIns: Angus Lovell, Lachlan Hearne, Callum Vidler, Lachlan Aitken, Jem Ryan, Tom StrakerOuts: Joe Burns, James Bazley, Blake Edwards, Aryan Jain, Matthew Kuhnemann, Will Prestwidge

One final push. The Premier League title race has entered the last stretch, and Liverpool’s advantage at the summit is almost unassailable.

Barring a dramatic decline, Arne Slot’s Reds will be crowned champions by May, second-place Arsenal trailing 12 points behind. Focus is already being turned ahead to the summer transfer window, with the gaffer sure to want to avoid any bouts of second-season syndrome.

Liverpool need reinforcements in a range of zones. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s expected move to Real Madrid should give rise to a concerted approach for a successor, but it’s on the other flank that bringing someone in is a more pressing need.

It’s early days yet, but Milos Kerkez is the name on most fans’ minds.

Liverpool's interest in Milos Kerkez

Liverpool have been linked with Bournemouth’s Kerkez for several months now, Slot having grown concerned about Andy Robertson’s decline and Kostas Tsimikas’ unshakeable reputation as the second-fiddle man.

Kerkez has been a “revelation” for the Cherries this season, so says Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, bringing a potent and sparky style to the left side of Andoni Iraola’s backline.

Now, things are starting to shift. As per The Times, Bournemouth will demand a fee of £45m for their 21-year-old star this summer, who has three years remaining on his current deal.

In short, chairman Bill Foley is ready to play hardball, even if the Hungarian, good friends with Dominik Szoboszlai, wants the move.

However, FSG rarely place all their eggs in one basket and could move for a different up-and-comer, one who might even have a higher ceiling than Liverpool’s ostensible top target.

Liverpool eyeing Kerkez alternative

Kerkez is a talented guy, but he’s not the only exciting left-back on the market. According to Football Insider, Liverpool are also interested in Ajax star Jorrel Hato, 19, and have been informed that a £40m bid would convince the Dutch giants to sell.

Hato’s propensity to impress across central and wide defensive berths makes him an attractive proposition indeed for Slot’s Liverpool. For one so young, £40m is a tall order but the lofty potential is clear.

However, Arsenal, Chelsea and Los Blancos are all keen too, so the Anfield side will need to act swiftly if they are to complete the signing of a supertstar in the making.

Why Jorrel Hato would be perfect

A buccaneering defender, Hato is aggressive and brave, rooted in his defensive virtues but eager to travel about and progress play forward.

Described as an “exceptional athlete” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Hato has been something of a revelation for Ajax, who are nine points clear at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie, two seasons without winning the title.

Already, he’s featured 104 times for the first team, racking up four goals and nine assists, with Mattinson unsurprisingly highlighting his “insane quality on the ball”.

FBref have the data to back it all up: the teenager ranks among the top 20% of full-backs across relevant leagues over the past year for ball recoveries and the top 6% for through balls per 90.

While Hato wouldn’t come cheap at £40m, it may be that he would make a better signing than Kerkez, for Hato could be shaped by Slot’s craftsman hands, nurtured into a player capable of serving across multiple defensive roles.

At 6 foot, the Dutchman is a powerful and commanding player, perhaps with a more structured style of play that could see him dovetail into Slot’s system without eliminating a natural attacking edge that has actually topped Kerkez’s own haul this term.

Jorrel Hato vs Milos Kerkez (2024/25)

Stats (* per game)

Hato

Kerkez

Matches (starts)

24 (23)

29 (29)

Goals

2

2

Assists

6

5

Touches*

66.6

57.8

Pass completion

90%

81%

Big chances created

5

6

Dribbles*

0.3

0.6

Ball recoveries*

4.0

4.6

Tackles + interceptions*

2.8

2.6

Clearances*

2.0

2.7

Duels (won)*

4.5 (55%)

3.8 (51%)

Stats via Sofascore

Hato might have the properties to perform as a centre-back in the long run, but he’s played the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign as a full-back and would be the perfect understudy for Robertson, 31, next season.

Well, understudy with a view toward leapfrogging the veteran. Hato’s tactical qualities lend themselves to success across multiple roles, but he’s got the ball-playing ability and sinewy athleticism to pass the tests the Premier League has to offer and indeed flourish in the years ahead.

Robertson, indeed, may be flagging but has still served as a starting member of a potentially title-winning team, completing 89% of his passes in the Premier League.

His style of play has worked so well for Liverpool over the years, though, that it might be that Hato’s somewhat similar approach could bear dividends for the Reds as they move into their second iteration under Slot’s wing next season.

Harking back to the table above, Hato is showing signs of being a more able and reliable defender than Kerkez, who is no rookie himself, with an endless gas tank and an unwavering sense of tenacity besides.

Such prodigal talent has seen Hato become one of Europe’s most exciting youngsters. Indeed, last month, he became a part of his side’s prestigious 100 club, the youngest to achieve the feat at 18 years old – Matthijs De Ligt was the previous holder at 19 years and 199 days.

The exciting thing is that he’s got so much potential still to tap into. With Slot, his compatriot, guiding him to the fore, it could be a match made in heaven for Liverpool as they look to get even better next year.

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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A tough ask; they are heading for the Premier League title, after all. But to consolidate this position of strength under Slot’s management, this is just the type of signing needed. Kerkez is great, Hato’s just better, and a mite cheaper at that.

Related Slot is already brewing Liverpool's very own homegrown Frimpong

Liverpool’s vice-captain looks set to join Real Madrid at the end of his contract this summer.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Apr 1, 2025

Chelsea and chairman Todd Boehly will be looking to find a new club for one player who’s attracted criticism for his “horrendous” attitude behind-the-scenes, according to a new report this week.

Chelsea set for mass summer sale in transfer overhaul

Enzo Maresca will have many key decisions to make when the transfer window reopens for business, as a host of players are set to return spells out on loan and face uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge.

Related Chelsea chiefs "adamant" they'll sign £60m star after Real Madrid decision

Los Blancos have had a real influence on BlueCo’s transfer plans.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Apr 2, 2025

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alfie Gilchrist, Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, David Datro Fofana, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi all appear very likely to leave Chelsea this summer, either on loan again or permanently, while Trevoh Chalobah is also expected to depart, regardless of the Blues activating their recall clause for him in January.

Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Tottenham (home)

Today

Brentford (away)

April 6th

Ipswich Town (home)

April 13th

Fulham (away)

April 20th

Everton (home)

April 26th

Mykhailo Mudryk has been linked with a move to Sevilla after his failed drugs test as well, and versatile forward Christopher Nkunku actually agreed personal terms with Bayern Munich in the winter, only for his Bundesliga move to fall through.

In-form goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, amid Chelsea’s links with Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher, has also refused to rule out remaining at sister club Strasbourg beyond this season.

“We’ll see after what could happen this summer. It could be a very good option to stay here if Strasbourg qualify for the UEFA Champions League,” said Petrovic on his Chelsea future.

“I always had confidence in my ability to improve. I have progressed more than I thought (at Strasbourg), but I can still improve more between now and the end of the season.”

It is set to be a big summer of transfers again at Chelsea, and they’ll be getting busy early. The Premier League confirmed that the window will be open from June 1st to June 10th, allowing BlueCo to conduct business before the Club World Cup, and there is every reason to believe that outgoings could occur in this period.

Joao Felix attitude slammed as Chelsea look to sell

AC Milan loanee Joao Felix is another who’s set to return to London after his temporary stint in Serie A, which really hasn’t gone according to plan.

Despite a promising start, the Portugal international’s form has seriously tailed off in recent months, and Fabrizio Romano confirms that Milan have no intention of signing Felix on a permanent deal.

Now, reliable journalist Simon Phillips has shared what sources have told him about Felix’s “horrendous” attitude behind-the-scenes – which could be the reason why his career has stunted since a mega-money move to Atlético from Benfica a few years ago.

He adds that Chelsea are looking to sell the attacking midfielder again this summer, with Felix even separately linked to a surprising Galatasaray transfer.

“An SPTC source has been speaking with some Atlético Madrid staff members as well as some current Portuguese internationals, and we have heard that Felix’s talent as a youngster was the best they’d seen at that level from a Portuguese player but according to the source, it is his attitude and arrogance that let’s him down and is ‘horrendous’,” wrote Phillips, via his Substack.

“I guess this could explain a lot and why he floats from club to club trying to find a new home.”

Questions will now really be asked of Boehly and why Chelsea elected to re-sign him on a permanent deal just last summer.

Yet more dropped points for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, although, on this occasion, at least Barry Ferguson’s men didn’t lose.

On Sunday, the Gers seemed set for yet another defeat, 2-0 down against Aberdeen at Pittodrie and a man down too.

However, Hamza Igamane halved the deficit immediately after half time before, right at the death, after Cyriel Dessers had thwacked the post, Ianis Hagi curled home a stunning equaliser with, virtually, the last kick of the afternoon.

During Sky Sports’ coverage, Rangers legend Kris Boyd, rather jokingly, exclaimed that the title race is still on, with the Light Blues now 15 points behind Celtic with five games to go, albeit their goal difference is 42 inferior.

One player in particular came in for scathing criticism for his performance at Pittodrie.

Yet another Rangers red card

40 minutes into Sunday’s visit to Aberdeen, Ross McCausland was sent off for a second bookable offense, making a very rash challenge on Topi Keskinen.

This came just three days after Robin Pröpper was dismissed only 12 minutes into their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Athletic Club Bilbao, with Barry Ferguson’s side doing incredibly well to hold on for a goalless draw given the circumstances.

This is the Gers’ fifth red card of the campaign, after Jefté vs Dynamo Kyiv, Mohamed Diomandé vs Dundee United and Hagi vs St Johnstone, so let’s see how that compares to previous seasons.

As the table shows, one more sending off for Rangers this season would be their highest amount in a single campaign since 2018/19 when, mind-bogglingly, they collected 12, albeit five of which were brandished in the direction of a certain Alfredo Morelos.

Rangers number of red cards per season

Season

Red cards

2024/25

5

2023/24

5

2022/23

3

2021/22

4

2020/21

2

2019/20

4

2018/19

12

2017/18

6

2016/17

4

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

However, it was not the dismissed McCausland who came in for the most criticism on Sunday.

Rangers star must be dropped after early substitution

Fair to say, Danilo has not lived up to expectations since arriving at Rangers from Feyenoord two years ago.

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However, his display at Pittodrie must surely be one of his worst in red, white and blue, as these statistics outline.

Danilo’s performance vs Aberdeen

Statistics

Danilo

Match rank

Minutes

45

N/A

Shots

0

12th

Dribbles attempted

3

5th

Dribbles successful

0

N/A

Possession lost

9

14th

Duels lost

7

6th

SofaScore rating

6.5

23rd

All statistics courtesy of SofaScore

The fact Danilo lost the ball nine times in just 45 minutes is very concerning, having no shots, successfully completing no dribbles, and winning only four of 11 duels.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Kris Boyd exclaimed, “Danilo. £5m… WOW!”, adding “some of these Rangers players should never be seen again”, labeling the team’s first half performance “lethargic” and “embarrassing”.

Danilo has so far scored just 12 goals in 43 Rangers appearances, which is even more concerning considering there have been 68 matches during this period that he has not featured in, either due to injury or simply because he hasn’t been selected.

Thus, Ferguson is not likely to give the Brazilian forward any minutes against Athletic Club at San Mamés on Thursday, and his days as a Rangers player might be numbered.

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Posts ByDan Emery Apr 10, 2025

Last night was not the game or result Arsenal would’ve been hoping for ahead of their Champions League semi-final next week.

Mikel Arteta’s side lined up against Crystal Palace, who happen to have an FA Cup semi-final this weekend, and put in one of their most lacklustre and underwhelming performances of the entire season, which saw them pick up their 13th Premier League draw of the campaign – the second most in the competition.

From David Raya between the sticks to Raheem Sterling in attack, there were dire displays across the pitch for the Gunners.

However, there was at least one player who put in yet another impressive showing, a player who has made himself undroppable and is starting to resemble Granit Xhaka in certain ways.

The story of Xhaka's redemption at Arsenal

Arsenal paid Borussia Mönchengladbach around £30m for Xhaka in the summer of 2016, and while he wasn’t particularly poor, it would probably be fair to say he underwhelmed for the first few seasons of his career in North London.

However, it was clear from the get-go that he was a passionate player and that, combined with his seniority, saw him handed the captaincy by former manager Unai Emery in September 2019 following a vote from his teammates.

Unfortunately, the team’s results nosedived soon after and, following an unsavoury episode in which he swore and goaded a jeering Emirates before throwing the shirt and armband to the floor, he had the captaincy stripped from him less than two months after receiving it.

The Swiss international would later reveal that at that point, he was set on leaving the club but eventually decided to stay and fight for his reputation after being convinced to do so by the recently appointed Arteta.

While it took some time, the Basel-born titan eventually started to win the fans back onside, and finally, after three years of graft, he was handed the armband again by Arteta in the absence of Martin Odegaard away to Brentford in September 2022, a game that also saw the fans begin to sing his name again, much to his appreciation.

That season would be his best in red and white as he racked up a brilliant tally of nine goals – two of which came in his final game – and seven assists in 47 appearances from central midfield.

Xhaka left the club that summer, but instead of doing so under a cloud of controversy as it seemed he would just a few years earlier, he left as a cult hero and with a rapturous Emirates Stadium singing his name.

Now it looks like a player in the current squad could be crafting something of a cult status for himself this year.

Xhaka’s Arsenal career

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

Red Cards

16/17

46

4

3

2

17/18

48

3

8

0

18/19

40

4

5

0

19/20

41

1

2

0

20/21

45

1

2

1

21/22

30

1

2

2

22/23

47

9

7

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

The current Arsenal star with shades of Xhaka

There are probably some of you thinking that the player in question is Mikel Merino, as, after all, the Spaniard is positionally similar to Xhaka and has seen his stock skyrocket among Arsenal fans in recent months, but you’d be wrong.

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Instead, the current Gunners star who is starting to have shades of the Swiss international about him is none other than Jakub Kiwior.

Okay, so we know the pair couldn’t be more different in terms of position and, therefore, playstyle, but where they play has practically nothing to do with this comparison, as it’s based on their standing within the fanbase more than anything else.

For example, just a few months ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who’d had a particularly strong feeling towards the Polish international, as while he’s stepped in here and there, he’s never really looked like a first-team quality player.

In fact, it was only in December that Arsenal podcaster Phil Costa branded the former Spezia ace “shocking,” claiming that “he hasn’t kicked on at all since joining” and that, at the end of the day, “he isn’t good enough.”

Now, in his defence, it wasn’t an uncommon opinion, with content creator and fan Alexander Moneypenny describing the international as “shakey” following his underwhelming performance vs Bayern Munich last season.

So, while there wasn’t the same vitriol that there was surrounding Xhaka’s fall, there was a similar desire from plenty of fans to move the Tychy-born star on and find someone better as soon as possible, which in turn led to some serious concern over how he’d cope covering for Gabriel Magalhães following the Brazilian’s hamstring surgery.

However, instead of becoming a weak spot in the team, the “extraordinary” defender, as dubbed by Robert Lewandowski, has stepped up in a massive way.

For example, aside from a minor mistake early on in the first leg against Real Madrid, he was simply sensational. Moreover, after William Saliba’s mistake that led to a goal in the second leg, there is a strong argument that he was the better centre-back of the pair.

Then again, last night, while the Frenchman made a costly mistake, he was near-enough faultless, scoring a goal, making some impressive tackles and earning himself an 8/10 match rating from journalist Tom Canton, which was more than justified by his statistics.

For example, in 98 minutes of action, he scored, made six clearances, won 100% of his duels, blocked two shots, made one tackle, lost the ball just seven times despite taking 135 touches, completed 115 passes, was accurate with two of three long balls, and was even successful in 100% of his dribbles.

Kiwio’s game in numbers

Minutes

98′

Expected Goals

0.04

Goals

1

Clearances

6

Blocked Shos

2

Tackles

1

Dribbled Past

0

Duels (Won)

2 (2)

Lost Possession

7

Touches

135

Passing Accuracy

115/120 (96%)

Long Balls (Accurate)

3 (2)

Shots on Target

1

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (1)

Fouls

0

All Stats via Sofascore

Ultimately, Kiwior has transformed from a player fans were worried about starting into one who’s outshining Saliba and becoming an increasing fan favourite for the no-nonsense way he’s going about his job – if that doesn’t remind you of Xhaka’s transformation, we don’t know what will.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 24, 2025