Steven Gerrard has fired a stern warning to full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as the Liverpool legend revealed his own transfer links to Real Madrid when Jose Mourinho was managing the Spanish giants. Alexander-Arnold rejected a new contract from the Reds and parted ways with the club this summer to join Los Blancos for a meagre fee of £10 million ($13m).

• Alexander-Arnold's shaky start to Madrid journey

  Despite completing a dream move to Santiago Bernabeu this summer, Alexander-Arnold has not had the ideal start to his journey with Madrid. The full-back picked up a hamstring injury and had to be subbed off in the eighth minute of their La Liga clash against Real Sociedad last month. He is not expected to return until November.

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  Gerrard sends 'risk' message to Alexander-Arnold

  Speaking on the podcast, Liverpool icon Gerrard said of Alexander-Arnold's move: "I wouldn't have done it. I just think he took a big risk on. He's an extremely good footballer, a very talented footballer. One of the best passers I've ever seen. He's in the conversation with (David) Beckham and (Paul) Scholes, no problem. But to leave Liverpool, where he was in his prime years, getting offered a new contract, he took a risk on. He's living that risk now. I hope it works for him because I love the kid. Love the kid to bits."

• Gerrard reveals Madrid transfer talks

  Gerrard further revealed that he had also received a similar offer from Los Blancos when Mourinho was in charge of the club, but he turned it down. The England legend said: "If I take my Liverpool hat off, I think any player in the game when Barcelona and Real Madrid come, it's going to turn your head. This is me speaking without my Liverpool hat on at the moment. Real Madrid came for me with Jose Mourinho, seriously. And it turned my head. It didn't get as much traction and noise as Chelsea because it was shut down pretty quick because of the timing of it and what Real Madrid wanted me to do to manufacture that. 

  "So it never got the traction or the noise, but it turned my head. 'Real Madrid and Barcelona, whether you like it or not, if you're a Manchester United or fan, they're two humongous clubs. And when they come, it's going to turn your head. No matter who you are, it's going to turn your head. Or you're not human. So I can understand it from being in Trent's shoes. I can understand it. I get it. His best mate (Jude Bellingham) plays there. Maybe he wants to challenge himself. He's won everything at Liverpool. So there's a part of me that really understands it."

  He added: "But as soon as I put my Liverpool hat back on… what are you doing? You're arguably one of the best teams in Europe. You're winning things that I sit here now and still dream of winning. You're winning European Cups. You're one of the main men. The fans adore you. What are you doing? But this is with my Liverpool hat on, because I love Liverpool football club."

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  Does Gerrard deserve a Liverpool statue?

  Podcast host Ferdinand then asked Gerrard if he feels he deserves a statue at Anfield, to which the 45-year-old said: "I don't need a statue to feel the love of Liverpool. There's enough. There's been enough. My respect for Liverpool has only gone stronger and thicker and more fonder since the day I retired. Liverpool have given me more love and care and respect since I've stopped playing for them."

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has told his players to bring the aggression to their latest attempt to ruffle the feathers of Premier League title contenders Arsenal.

The Gunners finished as runners-up to Liverpool last season and currently lead the pack chasing the champions this time around.

However, they lost to the Magpies on three occasions last season, including both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final, and have not scored a single goal in their last three visits to St James’ Park with Howe’s men having turned up the heat to get the better of them.

Asked about that edge they appear to have against Mikel Arteta’s side, their 47-year-old head coach said: “I think we play better when there is that edge in our game. Many times, I say that to the players themselves.

“If we’re not in that sweet spot of aggression and competitiveness, we don’t play the same way. I think we have players that really respond to that type of game.

“Of course there’s a balance depending on what style of game we’re in. I’d like to think we can navigate our way through a game and utilise all the skills we have in our psychological framework to help us win.”

Related Howe could silence Nwaneri by unleashing £40m Newcastle "machine"

Newcastle host Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie, leading 2-0.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Feb 5, 2025 Newcastle's season waiting for a jump start

Newcastle’s start to the season has been hampered by the Alexander Isak saga and while they have largely played well, results have not necessarily followed.

Their recent record against Arsenal – they have won four of the last six encounters in all competitions – is a source of satisfaction but Howe knows it will count for little once the first whistle sounds.

He said: “You don’t think about that going into the game, you think, ‘This is a fresh game and a fresh opportunity to impress’, so we’ve always had that line that you draw under the past.

“The past isn’t relevant, but you need to take whatever confidence you can positively and take that with you, so we’ll look to do that. But this is a fresh game and Arsenal are a new team.”

Howe will celebrate four years at St James’ in November, and a great deal has changed since he took to the dugout for the first time against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium – he had been prevented from doing so for Brentford’s visit to Tyneside a week earlier by Covid-19 – and presided over a 2-0 defeat.

He said: “That was a proud day because it was my first day in the dugout, but it was a tough day as well and it, I think looking back, paved the way for how tough it was going to be to stay in the league because at that stage, we were a long way from the team that we are today.

“I think we’ve come a long way in a relatively short period of time, although four years in footballing terms is a lifetime, really. But we’re still here and we’re still fighting.”

Back in their favourite competition, can the sound of the Europa League anthem in Govan spark Rangers’ season into life?

Fair to say, the start of the Russell Martin era has gone, frankly, disastrously, with the Light Blues yet to win a Premiership match in five attempts, their worst start since 1978, thereby sat second bottom of the table.

They did at least beat Hibernian 2-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, thereby setting up a semi-final showdown with Celtic at Hampden in November, a result that will keep the universally unpopular Martin in a job, for another few days at least.

Now, the Gers will commence their Europa League campaign with a visit from Genk on Thursday night; they’ll also host Roma, Braga and Ludogorets Razgrad in the league phase, with away trips to Sturm Graz, Brann, Ferencváros and Porto on their schedule too.

Last season, Rangers finished eighth in the inaugural league phase, reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League, continuing their love affair with Thursday night European action, having got all the way to the final of course as recently as 2022.

If Martin’s team are going to make a winning start against Genk, he needs to make his best player a central pillar, but just imagine if Rangers still had one key man in their squad, sold under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Nicolas Raskin's importance to Rangers

Nicolas Raskin was Rangers’ undisputed best and most important player last season, underlined by the fact that he was named both Players’ Player of the Year as well as Supporters’ Player of the Year.

Thus, any new manager would want to build the team around the Belgian international, well, except for Martin it would seem.

The midfielder was left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, not included in the matchday squad at all for games against Celtic and Hearts, the latter a 2-0 defeat, with presenter Darrell Currie perplexed why any manager would choose to leave their “best player in the stand”.

Thus, after seemingly settling their differences, Raskin returned to Martin’s lineup against Hibs at the weekend and, to the surprise of no one, made all the difference, heading home the opening goal and putting in an all-round excellent performance.

Thus, the 24-year-old has to be considered simply undroppable going forward, set to partner Mohamed Diomandé at the base of midfield on Thursday, but just imagine if Rangers still had the “left-footed Yaya Touré” to complete this trio.

What happened to the forgotten Rangers hero

Back in the summer of 2019, despite reported interest from plenty of Premier League clubs, free agent Joe Aribo decided to join Rangers, convinced to move north of the border by manager Steven Gerrard, following the expiration of his contract at Charlton Athletic.

Well, the midfielder marked his Ibrox debut with a goal against St Joseph’s in a Europa League qualifier, bagging 26 goals and 25 assists for the club in total, winning a Premiership title and the Scottish Cup.

Speaking in 2021, Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, who played alongside Aribo at the Valley, labelled him a “left-footed Yaya Touré”, adding that his “languid style [is] fairly unique”, praising his “great feet​​​​​​​” and fantastic “ability”.

Then manager Gerrard agreed, asserting that Aribo had “the world at his feet”, adding that he was “outstanding from start to finish” following a League Cup victory over East Fife in August 2019, shortly after his arrival.

The Nigerian international’s historic moment in a Rangers jersey came in the 2022 Europa League Final, breaking the deadlock against Eintracht Frankfurt at Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, as the Gers were heartbreakingly beaten on penalties in Seville.

This would prove to be his last goal for the club, sold to Southampton for around £6m soon after, and his career has not quite turned out as many forecast it would.

The table below documents his season-by-season performances.

2019/20

49

9 & 8

2020/21

43

8 & 7

2021/22

57

9 & 10

2022/23

27

2 & 0

2023/24

40

4 & 1

2024/25

37

3 & 0

2025/26

Zero

Zero

First and foremost, worth acknowledging that Aribo has not played a single minute for Southampton this season, completely frozen out by manager Will Still, initially due to transfer uncertainty but, now that the window has shut, he is yet to be reintegrated.

When he has been on the field for the Saints, he has registered only nine goals and a solitary assist for the club, despite getting into double figures for combined goals and assists during each of his three seasons in Glasgow.

Thus, Aribo surely regrets moving to the South Coast back in 2022, given that Southampton have been a yo-yo club since his arrival, and just imagine if this current Rangers team had him in his prime; he would make such an enormous difference alongside the likes of Raskin.

​​​​​​​

Forget Raskin: "Glorious" star will be the best Rangers player this season

This Rangers player will be the club’s best star this season ahead of Nicolas Raskin.

ByDan Emery Sep 24, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers have spent big on a number of players over the years, with the Old Gold using their European links to full advantage.

The club have signed stars from the likes of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and FC Porto, but who is Wolves’ record arrival? Here, we’ve taken a look at Wolves’ 10 most expensive signings.

Rank

Player

Fee

Signed from

Year

Matheus Cunha

£44m

Atletico Madrid

2023

Matheus Nunes

£38m

Sporting CP

2022

Fabio Silva

£35.6m

FC Porto

2020

Raul Jimenez

£30m

Benfica

2019

Nelson Semedo

£28m

Barcelona

2020

Goncalo Guedes

£27.5m

Valencia

2022

Tolu Arokodare

£24m

Genk

2025

Jorgen Strand Larsen

£23m

Celta Vigo

2025

Nathan Collins

£20.5m

Burnley

2022

Fer Lopez

£19m

Celta Vigo

2025

Andre

£18.5m

Fluminense

2024

Jonny Otto

£18m

Atletico Madrid

2019

Adama Traore

£18m

Middlesbrough

2018

Daniel Podence

£17m

Olympiacos

2020

Emmanuel Agbadou

£16.6m

Reims

2025

Patrick Cutrone

£16m

AC Milan

2019

Rui Patricio

£16m

Sporting CP

2018

Joao Gomes

£15m

Flamengo

2023

Sasa Kalajdzic

£15m

Stuttgart

2022

Jhon Arias

£15m

Fluminense

2025

Here's a detailed look at Wolves' 10 most expensive signings… 10 Fer Lopez £19m from Celta Vigo

An attacking midfielder who can play out on the wing, Wolves won the race for Fer Lopez in 2025, spending £19m on his services from Celta Vigo.

Lopez, who was 21 when he put pen to paper on a five-year contract in the Midlands, will be looking to become a star at Molineux and the latest foreign star for the Old Gold.

9 Nathan Collins £20.5m from Burnley

Following Burnley’s relegation to the Championship in 2022, Wolves acted swiftly to secure the services of defender Nathan Collins in a transfer worth more than £20m.

However, Collins’ time at Molineux was short-lived, and 12 months after signing, the Irishman was sold to Brentford, at least for a small profit.

8 Jorgen Strand Larsen £23m from Celta Vigo

Jorgen Strand Larsen’s initial loan move at Wolves became permanent in 2025 for a reported fee of £23m.

The Old Gold quickly had the chance to make a huge profit on the Norwegian striker, with Newcastle making bids for his services the same summer. However, Wolves rejected those bids and kept hold of their star forward.

7 Tolu Arokodare £24m from Genk

Wolves’ deadline day signing in 2025 was forward Tolu Arokodare, who cost slightly more than Strand Larsen at £24m.

The 6ft 6in Nigeria international signed a four-year deal at Molineux after scoring freely in Belgium with Genk.

6 Goncalo Guedes £27.5m from Valencia

After coming through the books at Benfica, Goncalo Guedes played for PSG and Valencia before signing for Wolves in a £27.5m deal in 2022.

But as one of many Portuguese stars to arrive following the influence of super-agent Jorge Mendes, the versatile forward struggled to make an impact in the Midlands, and in 2025, was sold to Real Sociedad.

5 Nelson Semedo £28m from Barcelona

Right-back Nelson Semedo was a regular for Wolves after arriving from Barcelona in a £28m transfer in 2020.

The Portugal international was named club captain in December 2024, taking over from Mario Lemina. However, the defender left the club after his contract expired in 2025.

4 Raul Jimenez £30m from Benfica

Raul Jimenez was a big signing following Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League in 2018, and his loan move from Benfica was made permanent for £30m just 12 months later.

The Mexico international scored 57 goals for the club in 166 appearances before signing for Fulham in a £5.5m deal in 2023.

3 Fabio Silva £35.6m from FC Porto

A big-money signing that didn’t go to plan for Wolves was for forward Fabio Silva, who arrived for a then-club-record £35.6m fee at the age of just 18.

Silva’s time at Molineux saw him loaned out to Anderlecht, PSV, Rangers and Las Palmas, scoring just a handful of goals for the Old Gold before being sold to Borussia Dortmund.

2 Matheus Nunes £38m from Sporting CP

After starring with Sporting CP under Ruben Amorim and catching the eye of Pep Guardiola, it was Wolves who ended up signing Matheus Nunes for £38m in 2022.

The midfielder’s time at Molineux only lasted one season due to his impressive Premier League displays, with Guardiola and City taking him to the Etihad for more than £50m.

1 Matheus Cunha £44m from Atletico Madrid

Matheus Cunha is currently Wolves’ most expensive signing of all time, with the Brazilian striker costing £44m from Atletico Madrid.

He moved to Molineux initially on loan in January 2023 with a permanent deal being activated that summer. Cunha went on to star in a struggling Wolves side, and as a result, moved to Man Utd for more than £60m.

علق ييس توروب مدرب فريق الكرة بالنادي الأهلي، على الفوز أمام منافسه الاتحاد السكندري، بهدفين لهدف في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن لقاءات الدوري المصري.

وقال توروب في المؤتمر الصحفي عقب اللقاء: “أشكر الجماهير على تحيتهم لي في مباراة اليوم، بالنسبة لي أول 45 أو 60 دقيقة كانت جيدة، ولكن بعد تقدمنا بهدفين منحنا المنافس الفرصة للعودة مرة أخرى، ونحتاج أن نطور الفريق وكل لاعب أيضًا”.

وتابع: “لست راضيًا عن الأداء وأحتاج العمل على تطوير الفريق، ولكن الهدف من كرة القدم دائمًا هو الفوز، نلعب مباراة كل 3 أيام وهذا يمثل ضغطًا كبيرًا علينا، نقوم بعمل استشفاء وبعدها نتدرب ونلعب ثم نعمل على تطوير الفريق واللاعبين ومعالجة الأخطاء”.

طالع| فيديو | زيزو يقود الأهلي لفوز صعب على الاتحاد السكندري وصدارة الدوري

وكشف: “هذه أول مرة أكون في استاد القاهرة، سعيد أنني المدير الفني للأهلي وسعيد أيضًا لتحقيق الفوز، وفخور جدًا بأنني جزء من كيان الأهلي”.

وبخصوص بصمته على الأداء، أكمل: “هذه ثاني مباراة لي مع الفريق، ولكن بالنسبة لي، التحكم في المباراة ومحاولة تضييق المساحات أعجبني أول 60 دقيقة في اللقاء، ولكن الباقي سنعمل عليه مرة أخرى”.

وأردف: “في كرة القدم الهجوم يقودك للفوز، لكن الدفاع الجيد يمنحك بطولات، مثلما يحتاج الفريق لإحراز أهداف يحتاج أيضًا أن يدافع جيدًا جدًا، الفريق بالنسبة لي وحدة واحدة، ليس حارس مرمى وحده أو خط دفاعه وحده، وقت الفوز نفوز سويًا وحال الخسارة نخسر جميعًا”.

وواصل: “أصعب شيء في كرة القدم هو تسجيل الأهداف، لدينا لاعبين مثلا زيزو وبن شرقي يستطيعان فعل هذا، ولا أظن أن كل اللاعبين نفذوا خطتي 100%، ولكني أمنحهم الفرصة دائمًا، هم نفذوا جزءًا كبيرًا من التعليمات”.

واختتم: “شاهدت مباريات كثيرة للأهلي وتعرفت على معظم اللاعبين وحاليًا أعقد معهم جلسات فردية من أجل معرفة شخصية كل لاعب وهذا مهم جدًا”.

Captain’s double-strike puts hosts on the cusp of their first win of the season after posting 470

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Apr-2025

Toby Roland-Jones removed Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway in successive balls•Getty Images

Toby Roland-Jones struck twice in as many deliveries to boost Middlesex’s push for a first Rothesay County Championship victory of the season against Glamorgan at Lord’s.Trailing by 271, the visitors responded with an opening stand of 93 between Zain ul Hassan and Eddie Byrom, but were pegged back to 148 for 5 when Roland-Jones bowled Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway with successive balls.However, Kiran Carlson’s defiant unbeaten 54 maintained Glamorgan’s hopes of staving off defeat, guiding his side to 186 for five – a deficit of 85 – at stumps.Middlesex had earlier declared on 470 for 9, although both Leus du Plooy and Ben Geddes missed out on centuries, falling to Kellaway for 89 and 83 respectively as the Glamorgan off-spinner finished with 4 for 61.Du Plooy, who resumed 15 short of a first ton of the campaign, added just another four to his overnight tally before being undone by a ball from Kellaway that pitched and turned to clip his off stump.Geddes was the more fluent of the pair towards the end of their fifth-wicket stand of 131, slashing Timm van der Gugten twice to the third man fence as he advanced to within sight of his maiden century in Middlesex colours.But Geddes became stuck in a rut, surrendering his wicket to Kellaway with a loose drive that sailed straight to short midwicket before Jack Davies, slog-sweeping the spinner, picked out Byrom diving to his left.Roland-Jones restored some momentum to the innings with a pugnacious 31 from 27 balls, launching Kellaway for a straight six and clubbing Ned Leonard for a trio of boundaries in his first over of the morning.Leonard had the final say by collecting Roland-Jones’ wicket, with Chris Cooke soaring to his right for an outstanding one-handed catch off the outside edge, then adding a stumping to dismiss Zafar Gohar in Kellaway’s next over.However, there was to be no five-wicket haul for Kellaway, bowling unchanged from the Nursery End, as Middlesex declared following a few lively blows by Dane Paterson in order to put their opponents in again before lunch.While the seamers beat the bat several times on either side of the interval, they could not find a way through – although there was a let-off for Byrom with five to his name, steering Roland-Jones to second slip only for the chance to go begging.Byrom capitalised, dispatching successive Ryan Higgins deliveries to the leg-side rope and pummelling a Henry Brookes half-volley through the covers for four more while his partner also found ways to keep the scoreboard moving along.With half-centuries firmly in their sights, though, the opening pair departed in successive overs as Byrom top-edged a sweep off Gohar to backward square and Higgins, who had just switched ends, had ul-Hassan caught behind.That double success galvanised the home side, who struck again shortly after tea when Paterson nipped a ball away to pin Sam Northeast leg before – although height could well have saved the Glamorgan captain on another day.Paterson’s swing continued to cause problems for the batters, with Ingram very much in survival mode and Carlson edging a ball that dropped fractionally short of slip’s outstretched hands.But the Glamorgan pair added 40 before Roland-Jones brought himself back on to break the partnership, knocking back Ingram’s off stump and then dismissing Kellaway, who played on first ball.Carlson continued the battle, bringing up his half-century from 84 deliveries, while Cooke remained alongside him on 16 when deteriorating light prompted the umpires to halt play five overs before the scheduled close.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras tem se notabilizado por ser uma base vencedora nos últimos anos, mas também tem revelado joias atrás de joias em sua formação. Depois de Endrick, Luis Guilherme e Estevão, o próximo da lista parece ser Erick Belé, jogador do sub-17, que tem se destacado na categoria e recentemente assinou seu primeiro contrato profissional. Com inspiração em Messi e em Ronaldinho, ele projeta seu futuro no time principal, mas antes quer cumprir todas as etapas que forem necessárias.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Aos 16 anos, Erick chegou ao Palmeiras em 2018, quando tinha apenas 11. Assim, já são cinco anos vivendo um sonho, que pode ficar ainda maior, mas por enquanto os objetivos ficam nas conquistas com a base, como a Copa do Brasil sub-17, que o Verdão ganhou em junho.

– Estar no palmeiras já é um sonho, algo que estou realizando todos os dias. Mas depois de ganhar mais títulos aqui na base, quero jogar no profissional. Então, todos dias planto esse sonho para que ele possa se concretizar – disse o meia-atacante em entrevista ao Lance!

continua após a publicidade

Em 2022, atuando pelo sub-15, Erick já havia se destacado com 19 gols em 26 jogos. Agora, no sub-17, ele mostrou que segue sendo goleador com 13 gols em 23 partidas. Em um duelo com o Araçatuba, pelo Paulistão, ele entrou no fim do primeiro tempo, fez três gols e ainda deu duas assistências na goleada por 5 a 0. E olha que ainda tem muita coisa para rolar em 2023. Os objetivos são bem claros:

– Conquistar o Paulista e o Brasileirão, fazer bons jogos e continuar evoluindo. Sei que ainda sou muito jovem e todos esses processos são fundamentais para crescer.

continua após a publicidade

+ Integrado ao profissional do Palmeiras, Cria da Academia revela admiração por Dudu: ‘Me espelho nele’

Para o torcedor do Palmeiras que não costuma acompanhar partidas das categorias de base, Eirck Belé contou como é o seu estilo de jogo e revelou sua inspiração em dois grandes ídolos mundiais.

– Sou um meia que pisa muito na área, de movimentação e gosto de fazer gols. Dentro de campo eu me inspiro muito no Ronaldinho Gaúcho e no Messi. Gosto de ver vídeos deles sempre que possível.

Com essas credenciais, a participação na Copinha de 2024, que é um torneio sub-20, parece ser um caminho natural. No entanto, novamente, Erick prefere seguir os processos sem atropelar etapas.

– Eu tento sempre pensar no agora, até porque ainda sou muito jovem. Procuro dar meu melhor agora para que tudo aconteça naturalmente. Jogar a Copinha é sim um sonho e pretendo realizar o quanto antes.

+ Palmeiras fica perto de emprestar mais uma Cria da Academia para o futebol português

Depois de vencer o Grêmio por 4 a 3, na terça-feira (25), pelo Brasileiro sub-17, as Crias da Academia voltam a campo pela competição no dia 2 de agosto (quarta-feira), contra o Atlético-GO, às 15h, no Allianz Parque.

Confira outros trechos da entrevista de Erick Belé:

Você é considerado uma das novas grandes joias do Palmeiras na base. Como tem sido lidar com status?
Para mim está sendo bem tranquilo. Prefiro não me apegar a isso, deixo mais para as pessoas de fora e procuro focar no meu trabalho e na evolução na base.

Depois de Endrick, Luis Guilherme e o próprio Estevão, fica uma responsabilidade maior para vocês do sub-17 em subir para o profissional?
Acredito que não. Tento pensar em fazer meu melhor no sub-17 e respeitar os processos. Sei que tudo tem seu tempo. O fato desses atletas terem subido jovem acabam nos motivando e mostram que o Palmeiras vai dar espaço e apostar na base cada vez mais, o que é bom para todos.

Tem contato com o pessoal que tem subido para o profissional? Eles te dão algum conselho?
Sim, sempre que possível converso com os meninos que já subiram ou treinaram lá pra saber como é. Eles passam algumas coisas, é uma etapa importante e sei que em breve vou viver essa experiência também.

The storm of the summer transfer window has passed, and Liverpool are now enjoying a welcome period through calmer waters as the first international break of the campaign takes centre stage.

Some might feel that the break came at the right time for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who won the Premier League so confidently last year but have since undergone significant upheaval, something that showed across the opening matches of the campaign.

Liverpool produced a display of much greater solidity when beating Arsenal 1-0 at Anfield last weekend, and it’s worth stressing that while this new iteration of Redmen have their detractors, they have claimed nine points from nine and added Alexander Isak to their ranks on deadline day.

Some signing, that. Liverpool fought tooth and nail across many weeks to sign the 25-year-old marksman, but they secured their quarry and have scored a major upgrade on Darwin Nunez.

Why Liverpool signed Isak

Liverpool entered the summer transfer window with a single-track mind: they needed to sign an elite striker to lead Slot’s line.

It had been anticipated for a while that Nunez would be sold. The Uruguayan striker had struggled to kick on in Red across his three years at the club, with only 25 Premier League goals scored over his three campaigns, missing 53 big chances, as per Sofascore.

Nunez – Liverpool Stats
Competition	Apps	Goals (assists)
Premier League	95	25 (16)
Champions League	17	5 (1)
Carabao Cup	13	2 (6)
Europa League	10	5 (1)
FA Cup	7	2 (2)
Community Shield	1	1 (0)
Data via Transfermarkt

For such a staggering transfer fee, initially £64m with a view toward an £85m total package, Nunez flattered to deceive. In fact, Liverpool never forked out the full sum, for the forward never hit his stride.

It bears testament to sporting director Richard Hughes’ skill that he sold Nunez to Al Hilal this summer in a deal rising to £57m.

And now Liverpool have signed Isak. The Sweden international has linked up with his countrymen over in Scandinavia and will no doubt relish the chance for this sojourn ahead of his new chapter on Merseyside.

It was an unsavoury transfer saga, to be sure, but one which ended in joy for Liverpool. Along with Hugo Ekitike, the Anfield side have landed a big upgrade at number nine, with Isak in particular capable of blitzing his positional competition over the coming years.

While everything has worked out now, Liverpool did actually have an original version of the Swede in their ranks before, but they sold the Premier League star for a comparatively small fee.

Indeed, Dominic Solanke never found his footing at Liverpool.

Why it didn't work out for Solanke at Liverpool

Liverpool signed a 19-year-old Solanke on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2017, and he went on to make 27 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side, scoring his first and only goal on the final day of the 2017/18 Premier League season.

Liverpool did well to turn a big profit on the youngster, selling him to Bournemouth for £19m. This move proved instrumental for the England international, who honed his skills across the first and second tiers and eventually earned himself the big-money move he had been touted for all those years earlier.

The 27-year-old joined Tottenham Hotspur from Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth for a club-record £65m fee in 2024, coming off the back of a remarkable 19-goal campaign on the south coast, underscoring his improvement from talented hopeful to reliable Premier League frontman.

While it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Solanke since earning his switch to the capital, with injuries limiting him last season, he has established himself as a talented and versatile central striker, described as a “pressing monster” by reporter George Sessions.

In this way, he might be something like Isak, who was hailed last year as being “the best all-round centre-forward” in the league by pundit Ally McCoist.

Isak might not have kicked a ball for Liverpool yet, but he’s the benchmark, all right. Having proven himself over the past three years in the Premier League, it’s inconceivable that he would fall by the wayside.

Solanke, deceptively fast and just as powerful, isn’t in the same bracket, but he plays in a way that Liverpool have shown time and time again in recent years as being their stylistic preference at number nine.

FBref’s statistical data reveals that Solanke ranks among the top 17% of forwards across Europe over the past year for assists per 90, with his ranged approach to his game offering similarities to players such as Isak and Nunez (minus the latter’s profligacy).

That said, rarely have we seen Solanke chalk up numbers of the same calibre as Isak, with his dynamism lending itself to a fluid attacking role, but the jury still out as to his goalscoring ability down N17, having posted 16 goals and eight assists across 48 matches for the Lilywhites so far.

If he can stay fit, Solanke might hit some rather fluent form at Newcastle this season, though, with the Danish tactician previously outlining his capacity to shape physical and athletic strikers into phenoms. Just look at Ivan Toney.

Ultimately, Liverpool might have once felt that they could have got more from the sale of Solanke, whose potential was always clear but whose circuitous journey to the top precluded a more linear route, but they won’t care now.

Even so, they missed out on millions, and having since paid a premium for a young Benfica prospect named Nunez, a bit more time invested in Solanke might have seen him become a star under Klopp and now Slot’s wings.

He has Isak-like qualities, after all.

Not Ngumoha: Liverpool's exciting 17-year-old could become the next Isak

Liverpool have refined every level of their squad this summer, from youth to senior standard.

By
Angus Sinclair

Sep 4, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Santos e WTorre assinarão contrato sobre a construção da nova Vila Belmiro nos próximos dias. A tendência é que a situação seja sacramentada bem antes do fim do ano, quando termina o mandato do presidente Andres Rueda.

As partes se reuniram na tarde desta quarta-feira (16), e a conversa foi considerada positiva, como vinha sendo nos últimos meses. Ainda restam pequenas arestas a serem aparadas no contrato, que ainda não é o definitivo.

+ Cupom LANCEFUT com 10% OFF para os fanáticos por esporte em compras acima de R$299,90

Ainda não há uma data exata para o início das obras. Porém, o clube do litoral paulista trabalha com a projeção de que elas comecem no primeiro semestre de 2024. Inicialmente, Rueda desejava que a construção tivesse o pontapé inicial na reta final de seu mandato.

O NOVO ESTÁDIO E ONDE O SANTOS JOGARÁ DURANTE AS OBRAS

A nova Vila Belmiro terá capacidade para receber em torno de 30.108 pessoas. Isso é praticamente o dobro da realidade atual, pois o estádio conta com 16.068 lugares.

O acordo entre Santos e WTorre é semelhante ao do Palmeiras com a empresa, que administra o Allianz Parque, casa palestrina. O Peixe mantém posse do terreno e não arca com a reforma. Em contrapartida, a corporação do setor imobiliário fica com a concessão e se torna responsável pela administração do estádio durante 30 anos. É estimado que a WTorre gaste cerca de R$ 300 milhões com o projeto.

As obras demorariam cerca de dois anos para serem concluídas. Neste período, a ideia do Peixe é utilizar como casa provisória o Canindé, caso o estádio tenha as condições estruturais necessárias. Outra possibilidade é o novo Pacaembu, que tem previsão para ser reinaugurado em 2024. Essa é a tendência, mas o martelo ainda não está batido.

“Just like a selection committee wouldn’t pick an out-of-form player, it is the same for us,” says Asif Mahmud

Mohammad Isam31-May-2025Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud has said that the ICC welcomed the change in leadership in the BCB after they were communicated of the decision. On Friday, the BCB’s board of directors elected Aminul Islam as the new president after the sports ministry removed Faruque Ahmed as its representative.”We have properly contacted the ICC. The new president also worked in the ICC for a long time,” Asif said in a press briefing in Dhaka on Saturday. “There’s no communication gap. ICC knows the situation here, so they have welcomed the decision.”Asif said that Faruque didn’t perform well in the nine months that he was in charge, while he was also linked to irregularities in the sports ministry’s fact-finding committee report. Eight BCB directors also sent a no-confidence motion against Faruque, which the sports ministry considered in its decision as well, Asif added.”We have seen in the report from the BPL’s fact-finding committee that there were instances of irregularity and negligence of responsibility,” he said. “We found Faruque’s link with them. Eight out of the nine BCB directors sent the NSC (the National Sports Council) a no-confidence motion.”Related

Anatomy of a fall: How the BCB presidency changed hands

Aminul Islam elected new BCB president

Faruque Ahmed removed as BCB president

The BCB constitution allows the sports ministry to have a quota of five councillors (members) and two board directors. The ministry had nominated Faruque and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim as their directors on August 21 last year, shortly after which the BCB directors unanimously elected Faruque as the new president. Nine months later, the ministry removed Faruque, and replaced him with Aminul. Asif said that the ministry has the right to pick and drop their nomination as councillor or director.”I spoke to Faruque personally. It is not like we removed him because we found corruption charges against him,” he said. “It is totally performance-based. Just like a selection committee wouldn’t pick an out-of-form player, it is the same for us.”NSC has the jurisdiction to give or take a [BCB director] nomination. We didn’t remove the president. We took his directorship, which is why his presidency was gone. We nominated another director. The board followed the ICC guideline and BCB constitution to elect the next president.”Asif said that Faruque’s decision-making during the BPL, particularly in selecting the Durbar Rajshahi franchise for the 2025 edition, was costly. He said that the payment issue was so embarrassing that Dr Muhammad Yunus, the country’s Chief Advisor, didn’t attend the BPL final.”The BPL’s fact-finding committee spoke to BPL’s stakeholders, including Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BPL’s member-secretary. The sports ministry had informed our concerns about the owners of Durbar Rajshahi,” Asif said. “[Selecting them as a franchise] was an individual’s decision. In the end, even the government had to be involved to solve the players’ payment and hotel bill issue of that team. It was an undesirable situation. Our head of government couldn’t attend the BPL final, which was quite shameful for everyone.”