Serge Gnabry's superb performance in Germany's 4-0 win over Luxembourg has sparked high praise from coach Julian Nagelsmann, who lauded the winger's 'feistiness' and work rate as a crucial role model for 'top players.' The German coach declared the display Gnabry's best international game in a long time, noting his hunger both offensively and defensively.
Serge Gnabry shines as Germany tops table
Germany delivered a dominant display in their 4-0 win over Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying, comfortably controlling the match after an early red card for Luxembourg put them down to 10 men. Gnabry was particularly impressive, not only scoring early in the second half but also contributing with energetic pressing and off-the-ball work. After the game Nagelsmann praised Gnabry’s performance, stating he was “very good” both offensively and defensively and showed the hunger the team needs going forward.
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Nagelsmann praises Gnabry's best game in a long time
The German coach was delighted by Gnabry's commitment in the game and commended the Bayern Munich player for feistiness both in front of the goal and at the back while also labelling it as one of his best performances in a long time.
"He was one of those role models when it came to greed. If the top players who are positioned in attack and have played for a huge club for years also display this feistiness at the back, then every player from a smaller club will do the same. He played his best international game in a long time," Nagelsmann said.
Gnabry's resurgence and Bayern's unbeaten run
Bayern have enjoyed a scintillating start to the 2025-26 season, remaining unbeaten in the Bundesliga and all competitions under Vincent Kompany. Gnabry has emerged as one of their standout performers, registering three goals and three assists in just the opening six league matches while consistently impressing on the left wing with high work-rate and attacking intent. After two turbulent, injury-hit campaigns, Gnabry is experiencing a resurgence and is widely considered to be enjoying his best season at Bayern, thriving in both form and confidence.
Speaking on his form after the Luxembourg game, the winger said: "Goals and assists always help you develop a certain ease. You don't constantly think about whether you have to do this or that in order to play in the next game. And that's why things are going so well right now."
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Germany top of the table but challenge looms
Germany, Northern Ireland, and Slovakia are currently locked atop Group A with six points each, though Nagelsmann's team hold the lead based on goal difference. With many qualifying games still remaining, Germany must maintain their high motivation and focus to successfully book their place in the World Cup. Their next critical challenge comes against Northern Ireland on October 13.
The Punjab Kings captain did not get strike for the final over and remained not out on 97
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-20252:12
‘Probably Shreyas Iyer’s best IPL innings’
Shashank Singh was only ten-balls old at the crease. At the other end, with one over to go in Punjab Kings’ innings against Gujarat Titans, was his captain Shreyas Iyer on 97. He was the set batter, having hit nine sixes, and he had never scored an IPL hundred.But Shashank said he was told “to hit every ball for a four and a six,” and not to think about giving Shreyas strike. He did just that, scoring five fours to take 23 runs off the final over to lead PBKS to 243 for 5 in their IPL 2025 opener, a total that was only 11 runs too many for GT’s chase.”I didn’t see the scoreboard to be very honest, but after the first ball I hit, I saw the scoreboard and Shreyas was on 97,” Shashank said after the match. “I was going to ask him if I should take a single or something but he only came and told me to not worry about his hundred. It takes a lot of heart and courage to say that because obviously hundreds don’t come easily in T20, especially in IPL. That gave me even more confidence.”Related
Gill lauds Impact Player Vyshak for stifling GT's chase: 'Not easy delivering those yorkers'
Shreyas Iyer's IPL best leads PBKS to winning start
Iyer and Shashank added an unbeaten 81 off just 28 balls to help PBKS score 77 off the last four overs. Iyer, batting at No. 3 for the first time in the IPL since 2022, faced just four balls in the last three overs of the innings. Shashank scored 44 off 16, while Iyer finished unbeaten on 97 off 42.”It’s a team game we all know, but then in those situations, it’s difficult to be that selfless but Shreyas was one,” Shashank, who began his domestic career with Mumbai before moving to Chhattisgarh, said. “I know him for the past 15 years, he is the same. He told me just to be calm, to play cricketing shots that I usually play, to maintain my balance and by God’s grace, I think we had a good finish.”Shashank Singh and Shreyas Iyer added 81 in just 28 balls•IPLGT were faced with pulling off the second-highest chase in the IPL, but Sai Sudharsan kept them on course with 74 off 41 balls. Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford also kept the big hits coming as GT scored 87 runs in the six overs between 9 and 14. The ask of 75 off 36 balls seemed achievable with heavy dew hindering the bowlers, until PBKS’ Impact Player Vijaykumar Vyshak bowled an incredible spell.Vyshak conceded just ten runs in his first two overs, bowling ten dot balls, and PBKS strung together three overs without conceding a boundary. GT couldn’t recover from the slowdown.”Shreyas is someone who works on instincts as a captain. That’s why he’s one of the best captains in in in the world right now,” Shashank said. “Even I feel that that was the right time to get Vyshak and the way he bowled… in the bowling meeting, we usually plan all those things. So this was a planned thing. The way he executed the plan was commendable. Those were the hard overs he bowled because there was some dew.”These are the moments you have to win. Vyshak came and he nailed it. It is very difficult to bowl those yorkers but he did his job to perfection and kudos to him.”
A menos de duas semanas da abertura da janela de transferências, que se inicia no dia 3 de julho, o Corinthians quer antecipar o máximo que conseguir dos contatos para fechar os negócios desejados já no início do período de transações. Porém, a realidade financeira, que não é nada boa, tem atrapalhado as pretensões do clube.
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O Timão novamente optou pela estratégia de olhar o mercado internacional e praticamente ignorar possíveis opções no Brasil. O entendimento da diretoria é que no cenário nacional não há atletas que possam mudar substancialmente o patamar do elenco, principal objetivo do departamento de futebol no segundo semestre.
+ Lance! estreia nova marca e se reposiciona no mercado de mídia esportivas
No entanto, mirar fora do Brasil traz o desafio de negociar com clubes que estão em uma realidade financeira muito melhor que a do Corinthians e a necessidade dos alvinegros serem criativos e ‘atacar’ em detalhes específicos, como buscar atletas que estão há algum tempo em mercados alternativos e desejam retornar ao cenário nacional.
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É o caso do volante Cuéllar, por exemplo. O colombiano está no Al Hilal, da Arábia Saudita, desde 2019, quando deixou o Flamengo, e deseja voltar a atuar no Brasil. O acerto do Timão com o estafe do jogador aconteceu desde o começo das conversas, mas esbarrou na pedida do clube saudita, que recuou e aceitou se enquadrar na realidade financeira corintiana nos últimos dias, após contratar um meio-campista com as características do alvo alvinegro e com mais grife, que é Rúben Neves, que estava no Wolverhampton, da Inglaterra, além de fazer proposta por Sergio Busquets, do Barcelona.
Por sua vez, o duro momento financeiro do Corinthians atrapalhou os planos de ter o zagueiro Lucas Veríssimo. Assim como aconteceu com Cuéllar, a direção corintiana se acertou primeiramente com o estafe do atleta, que tinha o interesse de voltar a atuar no Brasil para recuperar o ritmo de jogo, perdido após uma lesão no joelho sofrida no fim de 2021. No entanto, o Benfica, de Portugal, não aceitou liberar o atleta por empréstimo sem uma compensação financeira, o que atrapalhou os planos corintianos que voltou à estaca zero na busca por um defensor.
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Uma alternativa que se mostrou bem-sucedida no Timão neste pré-janela foi monitorar o mercado sul-americano, já que a moeda brasileira é melhor valorizada do que a dos demais países do continente. Foi assim que o clube alvinegro conseguiu encaminhar a contratação de Matías Rojas, que tem contrato com o Racing, da Argentina, até o fim deste mês, e tem acordo para vestir a camisa alvinegra a partir de julho. Ele chega ‘de graça’ ao Corinthians, mas valorizado pelo bom momento na sua atual equipe. Assim, a aquisição do jogador, ainda que sem custos na operação, precisou de uma malabarismo para que os corintianos adaptassem o atleta na realidade salarial sem onerar ainda mais a folha de pagamento. A solução foi firmar um vínculo mais longo do que o pedido – quatro anos ao invés de três -, mantendo a pedida do meio-campista no contrato total, mas em um período maior, que diminuiria o valor do compromisso mensal.
Desta forma, o Time do Povo, que mapeou quatro posições para serem reforçadas na próxima janela de transferências, está adiantado para solucionar duas necessidades, ambas no meio-campo, com um volante e um armador, que também jogue pelos lados.
No entanto, ainda há dois desafios: a contratação de um zagueiro e de um atacante que atue pelas pontas. No setor ofensivo, todos os jogadores monitorados foram considerados caros e, além de não se enquadrarem na realidade financeira corintiana, não estavam disponíveis para conversas que permitissem um acordo ‘criativo’.
Assim, ainda que não tenha conseguido encaminhar as contratações desejadas para as duas posições consideradas carentes no elenco no pré-janela, a fim de fechar as contratações assim que o mercado abrir, a diretoria seguirá ativa até o fim do período de transferências para encontrar essas soluções mesmo longe de estar em uma situação financeira saudável.
"Naples has always been marginalised by the rest of Italy. It is a city that suffers the most unfair racism," said Diego Maradona. When he played for Napoli in the more prosperous northern cities like Milan and Turin, he and his team-mates would be subjected to banners reading 'Welcome to Italy'; 'Napoli, cholera sufferers' or 'Vesuvius, wash them with fire'.
For players cast aside by Manchester City and Manchester United, however, Napoli has become a safe haven. It was the first choice destination for Kevin De Bruyne after he was forced out of City by Pep Guardiola after a glorious decade and he has gotten off to a flying start there, with two goals in three games. Rasmus Hojlund, who was kicked out of United after the arrival of Benjamin Sesko despite wanting to stay, made a dream start to his loan spell with a well-taken goal and a fine all round performance in Napoli's 3-1 win at Fiorentina on Saturday.
Then there is Scott McTominay, who has not just found safety in Naples from the chaos of United, but a platform to relaunch his career as a talismanic goal-machine, firing his new team to the Italian title, being named Serie A’s player of the season and then being nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
The trio will be returning to their former home on Thursday to take on City in Napoli’s Champions League opener and they will be keen show they are reaping the benefits of La Dolce Vita…
AFPIn love with the Premier League
While Hojlund and McTominay were seen as flops when they left United and De Bruyne was considered past his best at City, they were all seen as highly attractive propositions to Antonio Conte, who holds a special respect for Premier League players. Conte took the English league by storm by leading Chelsea to the title in his very first season despite an abysmal previous campaign under Jose Mourinho and then Guus Hiddink.
And while star names like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa played crucial roles in that triumph, the coach also got the best out of previously unsung players like Victor Moses, who he turned into a wing-back, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta. His experience gave him a special appreciation of physical players from England’s top flight and when he took his next job at Inter he populated his side with former Premier League players such as Matteo Darmian, Aleksandar Kolorov, Christian Eriksen, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Ashley Young, even signing Moses on loan for half a season.
His Premier League-heavy squad helped Inter win their first title in 11 years before Conte left after falling out with the board, as he so often does, over transfers.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportPassionate about physical players
And when he returned to Italy after a short-lived but highly eventful spell at Tottenham, he again looked to England. Billy Gilmour joined from Chelsea, he signed Lukaku once more (from Roma) but the missing piece was McTominay, signed just before the transfer deadline.
"Conte is a coach who is very methodical so he is passionate about physical players who run a lot, players who are strong, fast and who can follow his tactical instructions," explains Italian journalist Antonio Moschella. "That's above all why he wanted McTominay. It is clear that, like everyone else, he likes Premier League players. It's the top league in the world."
Moschella adds that Napoli have taken a keen interest in former Premier League players due to the success of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who arrived after a disappointing spell at Fulham, initially on loan, and later became their inspirational captain. "Since then they have been looking at players who did not do well in the Premier League but believing they could do well in Italy because the level is lower."
And there is no better success story from this approach than McTominay.
GettyUnited's loss, Napoli's gain
Conte had identified a lack of steel in his team amid a shock 3-0 loss to Hellas Verona in his first game, when he declared his players had “melted like snow in the sunshine”.
With McTominay in the team, Conte changed Napoli’s formation from 3-4-2-1 to 4-3-3 with the former United man at the tip of the midfield. By the time McTominay moved to Napoli, he had already discovered his goalscoring touch. It first happened for Scotland after being deployed further up by Steve Clarke and then Erik ten Hag did the same for United. But even though McTominay had saved the Dutchman’s job with his brace against Brentford, he was still used sparingly, often as a last resort rather than a Plan A.
And when United needed to raise cash in the summer of 2024, McTominay was the player the club decided to let go. Ten Hag did not want to lose him but nor did he put up too much resistance. Napoli and Conte, however, could not believe their luck. McTominay scored 12 goals in Serie A, including six in the final seven games, proving utterly crucial to them pipping Inter to the title by a single point.
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Getty ImagesFrom misprofiled to the King of Naples
"He never had a primary role at Man United, while here we gave him one," Conte said towards the end of last season. "He feels more complete and knowledgeable and he's reaching a key stage in his career where he needs to decide his direction. He's worked hard and now he's a complete player."
McTominay called the title win the best moment of his career, trumping the FA Cup final win with United over City and any other moment during his seven-year spell with his boyhood club. And he felt that Napoli appreciated him in ways that United had not. He told : "When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing,” he said. “My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No 6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game."
"I think he wanted to prove Manchester United wrong and prove people in the Premier League wrong. He has gone over there and done that pretty successfully," said his Scotland team-mate Andy Robertson. “That’s credit to him, credit to his attitude and his determination to be the best version of himself. Now he is a king over there."
Sri Lanka’s first goal, however, will be to be more competitive than they were in Durban
Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Dec-20244:28
Will Sri Lanka go in without a spinner in Gqeberha?
Big picture: Can Sri Lanka avoid another collapse?The headline is that both teams are in with a shot at making the World Test Championship final, but neither have secured a place. Unhelpfully for South Africa, the WTC points system doesn’t reward hefty winning margins, so although they crushed Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban, it still only goes down as a simple win.Still, they have arrived in Gqeberha full of confidence. Another win here, and their path to that final clears up significantly. A win for Sri Lanka, meanwhile, would mean they have a chance of qualifying for the final without having to depend on other results. (They would also need to win the matches against Australia 2-0.)Their first goal, however, is to be more competitive than they were in Durban. Their batters, specifically, cannot allow another collapse to occur. Various members of the batting group have spoken about the challenge of facing South Africa’s tall quicks, on tracks that offer more bounce than they are used to at home. These coastal venues are not as bouncy as they tend to be in the Highveld, for instance, but have clearly presented more of a challenge than Sri Lanka expected. They’ll also hope that given the wind and sunshine forecast for Gqeberha for the next few days, the surface will dry out and bring spinners more meaningfully into the game.Related
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South Africa’s own batters were dismissed for 191 in the first innings in Kingsmead, but they have Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs coming into this Test in serious form, while Aiden Markram also got a decent innings under his belt at Kingsmead.South Africa’s concerns ahead of the Test centre around the make-up of their attack, with Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee both ruled out. They still have their spearheads in Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, however, who shared 14 wickets in the previous Test, Jansen getting 11 on his own.Form guideSouth Africa: WWWWD (last five Tests, most recent first) Sri Lanka: LWWWLSouth Africa will be without Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee in Gqeberha•Gallo Images/Getty Images
In the spotlight: Tristan Stubbs and Lahiru KumaraTest cricket must seem pretty straightforward so far to 24-year-old Tristan Stubbs. Eleven innings in, he’s got two centuries and a fifty, with an average of 43.90. While Bavuma was tentative in the approach to triple figures in Kingsmead, Stubbs raced through the 90s. He had had some luck in that innings, having been dropped on 33, but remained positive through his stay at the crease, pressing South Africa’s advantage alongside Bavuma. He will relish the opportunity to back that 122 up with a solid performance in his first Test in his home town.Lahiru Kumara is not always the most disciplined of Sri Lanka’s quicks, but he is their fastest bowler, and at Kingsmead, the most penetrative. He is on the verge of joining a fairly exclusive club. Sri Lanka have only ever had four seam bowlers get to 100 wickets – Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, and Dilhara Fernando. Kumara needs only one more dismissal to get up to triple figures. If Sri Lanka are to level the series, they will likely need Kumara to blow well past that milestone.Team newsSouth Africa named their XI on match eve, with Ryan Rickelton and Dane Paterson coming in in place of Mulder and Coetzee. That means an extra batter, three seamers and a spinner.*South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Ryan Rickelton, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane PatersonSri Lanka also have major decisions to make around their attack. Will they do what they did in Lord’s this year, and strap four fast bowlers to the plough? It’s a definite possibility, given Milan Rathnayake can also bat a bit. They also desperately want to find a place for Oshada Fernando, as Oshada had recently made 122 and 80 for Sri Lanka A in South Africa, and had also hit 75 not out at this venue in 2019. But who would make way for his inclusion?Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Prabath Jayasuriuya/ Milan Rathnayake, 9 Vishwa Fernando, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru KumaraLahiru Kumara is on the verge of 100 Test wickets•AFP/Getty Images
Pitch and conditionsThe day before the match, the playing surface was covered with a hessian to prevent too much moisture loss as the drying wind was expected to pick up in the afternoon. There remained significant grass on the surface for the same reason. The groundsman has yet to decide how much will be cut on the morning of the match. The westerly wind is forecast for most of the match, which suggests batting first and taking advantage of deteriorating conditions later on. No rain is forecast for the five days, for now.Stats and trivia If Kumara takes three wickets in Gqeberha, his wicket-tally will go past those of Dilhara Fernando (100) and Lasith Malinga (101), and he will become the third-highest wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s seam-bowling history. Sri Lanka lost their first match in Gqeberha in 2016, going down by 206 runs. But they won their most recent game at the venue, by eight wickets in 2019. Stubbs has been excellent at getting starts so far in his career, having got to 20 in nine of his 11 innings.Quotes”The way that we stacked up our line-up is that, we believe that with the runs on the board, that gives you enough time to get 20 wickets. It might take us a bit longer. It may not play like Durban. There is a bit more grass on the wicket. I think there will be something in there for our seamers. But if it doesn’t favour our seamers, we do have the spin of Kesh[av Maharaj] to be effective. So we believe that whether it’s the seam, whether it’s the spin, we can still be successful in these conditions.” “If we compare this cycle with the previous one, we are doing far better. I’m happy with the boys and how they’ve performed. If we don’t get to the final in this cycle, we should be prepared to de even better in the next one.” *
There is no getting around it, next season feels like it’s do or die for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has done incredible work over the last five or so years, turning what was a mid-table side at best into perennial title challengers, but after three failed attempts to claim the Premier League crown, they have to get it over the line this time.
Fortunately, while it’s going to require a Herculean effort from the Spaniard’s squad, Andrea Berta and Co have done their bit so far this summer in providing him with some exciting reinforcements.
The marquee signing so far has undoubtedly been Viktor Gyokeres, who joined the club from Sporting CP for a total fee of around £63.5m, and while that is a lot of money, there is already an attacker in the Gunners’ setup worth that little bit more, and no, it’s not Bukayo Saka.
Why Arsenal signed Gyokeres
So, there is no denying that Arsenal pushed the boat out to sign Gyokeres this summer, as while his fee of £63.5m might not break any records, it still comes in as the club’s fifth highest ever.
Gyokeres
However, it’s easy to see why Arteta and Co felt okay spending that, as for all their defensive solidity last season, the Gunners were only the third-highest-scoring team in the Premier League and scored a whopping 17 goals fewer than champions Liverpool.
So the best course of action in that situation would probably be to go out and sign a prolific number nine, and there were few, if any, more prolific than the Swedish monster.
For example, in 52 appearances for Sporting last season, totalling 4248 minutes, the goalscoring “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, put the ball in the back of the net 54 times and provided 13 assists for good measure.
In other words, the 27-year-old machine averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, or one every 63.40 minutes, which is the sort of output that could fire the North Londoners to glory next year.
On top of that, the former Coventry City star has also scored 15 goals and provided six assists in 26 appearances, totalling 1568 minutes, for Sweden, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.23 games, or every 74.66 minutes.
In short, Gyokeres is a lean, mean goalscoring machine, and it’s easy to see why Arsenal splashed the cash on him, although even with his lofty price tag, he’s worth less than one of his new and younger teammates.
The Arsenal star worth more than Gyokeres
While they are yet to win anything, Arsenal are a team stacked to the rafters with brilliant talents and, in this instance, we are talking about none other than Ethan Nwaneri.
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Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
In a season in which it felt like nothing went the way of the Gunners and their fans didn’t have a whole lot to celebrate, the 18-year-old’s breakout was one of the few genuinely positive points.
Of course, the Enfield-born gem did make his first senior appearance for the club as a 15-year-old in 2023, but it was last season when he showed the fans and the rest of the league, for that matter, that he’s a serious talent.
In fact, he was so impressive last year that Football Transfers have valued him at a whopping €74m, which is around £64.5m, or £1m more than Gyokeres cost late last month.
Now, we aren’t saying for a second that the youngster is already better than the Swedish international, or will have as big of an impact as him in the first team next season, but given his brilliant performances in 24/25, it’s not hard to imagine him developing into a genuine superstar in a few years – hence the lofty valuation.
Nwaneri in 24/25
Appearances
37
Minutes
1378′
Goals
9
Assists
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement
125.27′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, despite starting the season as a 17-year-old, the “phenomenal” prospect, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock, managed to score nine goals and provide two assists in just 1378 minutes.
In other words, the Hale Ender averaged a goal involvement every 125.27 minutes in his first proper campaign of first-team football, when playing in the Champions League and the toughest league in the world, per Opta Analyst.
Finally, it’s not just the output, as some of the teenager’s underlying numbers are nothing short of extraordinary.
According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 4% for crosses into the penalty area and the top 7% for total carrying distance, all per 90.
Ultimately, there is still so much to see from Nwaneri over the coming years, but based on his performances last season, it’s easy to see why he is currently worth more than Gyokeres.
Fewer touches than Raya: 5/10 Arsenal dud showed why Berta has to sign Eze
It was a game to forget for most of the Arsenal team.
A £160,000 a-week Liverpool star has now said ‘yes’ to joining a new team this summer, and there is only the fee left to be agreed between the clubs, according to a recent report.
Latest on Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez transfers to Liverpool
This week is expected to be an important time for the Premier League champions, as they are closing in on the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The Germany international is set to join Liverpool in a deal worth roughly £116m inclusive of add-ons, with a medical taking place this week.
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Wirtz is expected to complete the first part of his medical on Thursday, with the plan being he completes the rest on Friday, with a view to then announcing the transfer over the weekend. The attacking midfielder is set to sign a contract until 2030, which will place as him as one of the club’s highest earners.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are also continuing to find an agreement to sign Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth. Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed earlier this week that the Reds are set to finalise the agreement for Kerkez next week in a deal worth £40 million. There are only small details to work on to complete this transfer, and his arrival at Anfield could potentially have a knock-on effect.
Robertson says 'yes' to Atletico Madrid
That is because, according to Spanish outlet AS, Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson has given the go-ahead to join Atletico Madrid this summer.
The report states that the Spanish giants are keen on signing the Scotland international, and Robertson sees the move to Spain as an excellent option to continue playing at the top level. Robertson wants to continue playing regular football and winning titles, which he may not be able to do at Liverpool given Kerkez’s arrival, so he believes Atlético are offering him everything that he wants at this stage of his career.
All that remains is that Atlético need to find an agreement with Liverpool over a transfer, which could be a relatively small fee, given Robertson has only one year remaining on his contract.
Apps
342
Goals
11
Assists
67
Robertson, who earns £160,000 a week at Anfield, played 33 times in the Premier League last season, 10 more than he played in the previous campaign. But Kerkez’s arrival pushes him down the pecking order, and a move to Atlético would see him become their regular left-back, as the Spanish side only have Javi Galan as their recognised player for that position, and he spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad.
His move to Atlético would see him join the likes of Kieran Trippier and Conor Gallagher in moving to the Spanish club in recent years from the Premier League.
USA pulled off a stunning victory over Pakistan in a game that went into a Super Over
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-20241:19
Jaffer: Saurabh Netravalkar’s got a great story
0.1 Amir to Aaron Jones, FOUR runs Amir starts with the wide one but Jones is able to reach it. It was slow and into the pitch, slashed wide of third for four. Big advantage for USA!0.2 Amir to Aaron Jones, 2 runs Nails the on-pace yorker but Jones manages to skilfully drill the flick through midwicket. They scamper back for two as well0.3 Amir to Aaron Jones, 1 runPakistan, like they did at the death, go with the yorker plan. This is nailed. Pace-on again. Jones can’t do nothin with that. Jams it a foot or two in front but that allows a scampered single0.4 Amir to Harmeet Singh, 2 wide Amir misses his line (and length) and concedes a wide plus bye. Could have been worse but Harmeet missed the flick on the low full toss going down leg. Rizwan can’t collect cleanly, they run one0.4 Amir to Aaron Jones, 1 run Jones goes across to try and get inside the line. Gets a low full toss at the stumps, flicks it to deep square leg. Just a single0.5 Amir to Harmeet Singh, 2 wide Amir misses, Harmeet misses. Everyone’s disappointed but this is in USA’s favour. Low full toss swung down leg, went past the attempted flick. Another bye stolen0.5 Amir to Aaron Jones, 2 runs Into the pitch, wide too. Jones connects with the cut. Sweeper runs to the right, Amir yells as they return for the second on the throw (which was to the keeper’s end)0.6 Amir to Aaron Jones, 3 wide 5head leave from Jones. Buzzers too, USA are doing this with unforced errors. Jones cleared the front leg but saw the fullish ball, going away with the angle, to be outside the tramline and let it pass. The batters ran as Rizwan lobbed it high up, too far for Amir to collect but no one backing up either. They steal two byes!0.6 Amir to Aaron Jones, 1 run, OUT Amir looks for the yorker. It’s at the stumps and is clipped through square leg. Jones returns for the second, which is never on, and fails to make it. But he had to of course
****
0.1 Netravalkar to Iftikhar, no run Iftikhar gets across, and the bowler follows. Netravalkar goes fullish and angles it across, with the ball finishing wide of off. But Iftikhar was far too across as he attempted to loft, but missed. So wide not called0.2 Netravalkar to Iftikhar, FOUR runs Thumped between long-on and deep midwicket! Netravalkar bowled on a length on middle and off, but Iftikhar waited before pulling hard in the gap for four0.3 Netravalkar to Iftikhar, 1 wide This is a wide! This time Ifthikar doesn’t move much, and sees this yorker-length ball wide of off go past him. He leaves it alone, and it is given wide0.3 Netravalkar to Iftikhar, OUT Wow, superb catch! Sub fielder Milind Kumar takes a great catch! Placed at long-off, he took a few steps forward before going low and grabbing it barely above the ground. The final verdict will be given by the third umpire, though. He sees multiple replays, with the ball almost hinting to drop off his hands on impact. Now the TV umpire looks at it from a different angle. The ball is dipping and dying on to Milind, who uses both his hands to try and catch that. And after much ado, it is given out! This is what had happened earlier: Netravalkar had bowled a low full toss, which was angling across towards off, as Ifthikar launched down the ground. But the length seemed too full for him to fireIftikhar Ahmed c Kumar b Netravalkar 4 (3b 1×4 0x6)0.4 Netravalkar to Shadab, 1 wide And it is another wide. This is angled across, and lands on a yorker length wide of off. Shadab lets it go0.4 Netravalkar to Shadab, 4 leg byes Ohh, lucky four for Pakistan! Shadab got across the stumps to try and sweep this, but the ball dribbled off his toes between the keeper and short third0.5 Netravalkar to Shadab, 2 runs Ahh, well bowled! This is a nice yorker angling across towards middle and off, and Shadab is able to loft it only as far as between long-off and long-on. They pinch two0.6 Netravalkar to Shadab, 1 run USA win by five runs! The first upset of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The USA players make their presence feel by yelling their feelings out. Their dugout is up in celebration and ecstacy, even as the Pakistan dressing room is left wondering what would have been.
16th in the Premier League table. A 17th top-flight loss of the season. As manager Ruben Amorim put it, Manchester United are now “losing the feeling of [being] a massive club”.
Those explosive words came amid a noteworthy post-match press conference from the Portuguese coach, following United’s dour 2-0 defeat to a struggling West Ham United side at Old Trafford.
While attention is now focused on next week’s Europa League final, the ex-Sporting CP boss appears furious with the manner in which his side are throwing in the towel domestically, having seemingly demanded a club-wide reaction to the team’s current malaise.
The only saving grace from this wretched league run is that Amorim has been afforded the time to figure out just who he wants to have onboard for next term, with work seemingly already underway in the background, ahead of the looming summer window.
Indeed, by all accounts, the Red Devils could be close to wrapping up a first deal, in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman, Matheus Cunha.
The latest on Cunha's move to Man Utd
While much of United’s summer business may depend on securing Champions League qualification, via Europa League glory, Amorim has already stated that no player who “only wants” the Champions League will be moving to Manchester – as he outlined in relation to reports surrounding Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Matheus Cunha
Thankfully, as far as the 40-year-old is concerned, it would appear that Cunha is willing to move to the Theatre of Dreams regardless of what happens next week, with talks for the Brazilian forward already said to be advanced.
Indeed, reports last week even claimed that personal terms had been agreed with the 26-year-old, with the former Atletico Madrid man in line to depart Molineux in the coming months, provided any suitor matches his £62.5m release clause.
While there is rival interest from the likes of Arsenal, the suggestion remains that United are the side who are leading the race at present, with Cunha deemed to be the perfect fit for one of Amorim’s number ten berths.
A player with that Eric Cantona-esque edge to his game, the fiery forward has backed up his temperamental displays with a string of standout performances this season, having chalked up 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League to date.
Mo Salah
28
18
36
Alexander Isak
23
6
33
Erling Haaland
21
3
29
Chris Wood
20
3
34
Bryan Mbeumo
18
7
36
Yoane Wissa
18
3
33
Ollie Watkins
16
7
36
Cole Palmer
15
8
35
Matheus Cunha
15
6
31
Jean-Philippe Mateta
14
2
35
The in-form marksman has been a real star of 2024/25, albeit while having actually been outperformed by a figure of United’s recent past, across all competitions…
The Man Utd "disappointment" who's outperforming Cunha
United supporters are wise enough not to be getting too carried away over the prospect of Cunha joining the club this summer, having seen far too many marquee moves go south in recent years.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
As club legend Gary Neville stated, Bruno Fernandes is the “only” player in the last decade to have lived up to expectations, after arriving at Old Trafford, with the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era having been littered with high-profile transfer mistakes – not least under former CEO, Ed Woodward’s watch.
Arguably the “biggest disappointment” in that period, as per Neville, was the capture of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid on a £59m deal, with the Argentine sensation joining just a matter of months on from his Man of the Match display in the 2014 Champions League final.
Di Maria – Man Utd record
As the player himself later admitted, however, he never wanted to make the move to Manchester in the first place, having also described then-boss Louis van Gaal as the “worst boss I ever had”, following the dour nature of his time at the club.
There were flashes of quality, namely the playmaker’s delightful dink against Leicester City, although such moments were few and far between, with the mercurial left-footer swiftly departing for Paris Saint-Germain after just a solitary season, as Woodward and co cashed in for around £44.3m.
The now-veteran playmaker – who did rack up 15 goal involvements in 34 games for United – went on to register 212 goals and assists in Paris, prior to joining Juventus and then current side Benfica in recent years.
Back at the club where he made his name between 2007 and 2010, before moving to Madrid, the 37-year-old remains a central figure for the Lisbon outfit, amid their battle for the title.
Having re-signed in 2023, Di Maria has particularly impressed in the current campaign, after chalking up 15 goals and nine assists across 38 games in all competitions.
That return of 24 goal contributions actually places the ageing star ahead of that man Cunha, with the wantaway Wolves star registering 23 goal contributions for the Old Gold in 2024/25.
In truth, that return highlights the quality that United saw only too briefly during Di Maria’s time in Manchester, with the hope now that Cunha doesn’t follow suit, should he make his own statement switch in the near future.
Amorim’s side no doubt need a maverick, expressive talent like Cunha, although as Van Gaal found with Di Maria, the question remains as to how that individual asset will shine as part of the collective.
As Di Maria swiftly found out, no player is bigger than the club…
Man Utd willing to pay £38m for star who scored at Old Trafford this season
He could be exactly what Ruben Amorim is looking for.