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Jamie Vardy rolled back the years with a superb solo goal for Cremonese against Juventus – something that sent the home fans in the Stadio Giovanni Zini into a 'frenzy'. The 38-year-old scored his second goal in three Serie A games, but it wasn't enough to prevent his team from falling to a 2-1 defeat. However, the veteran still showed he can deliver at the highest level with his clinical effort.

• Vardy thriving in Serie A

  The former England international ended a 13-year spell at Leicester City over the summer, before moving to newly-promoted Cremonese on a free transfer in a switch that surprised many. After a couple of substitute outings for the Italian team, Vardy bagged his first goal for his new club in a 1-1 draw against Atalanta last month, and on Saturday, he scored again, this time at home to Juventus. The arch poacher showed he is still a handful on his day when he shrugged off Juve centre-back Federico Gatti, before holding off the recovering defender and slotting past goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio in the 83rd minute. Cremonese came away with nothing, however, as goals from Filip Kostic and Andrea Cambiaso secured all three points for the Old Lady. But Vardy's display shows he has more to give in the game.

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• Vardy an 'agent of chaos'

  The striker, who was watched by his wife Rebekah and his four children, received mixed reviews from the Italian press following his goal against Juve. gave him a 6.5/10 but stressed that he is still very capable of producing moments of magic.

  They wrote, "Encouraged by his small tribe (wife Becky and four children), squeezed by the Juventus vice, fails to make an impact. Then, with seven minutes to go, he burns Gatti and sends the stadium into a frenzy."

  Meanwhile, hailed him as his side's best player.

  "The experienced English forward picks up his second goal of the season, with a fine finish after a counterattack to give the hosts a glimmer of hope late on. Worked hard tonight and showed the hunger to pick up his goal," they wrote.

  Meanwhile, talked up his evergreen capabilities. 

  The fanzine wrote, "Jamie Vardy scoring against Juventus in the year 2025? Really now? But Vardy is Vardy and will forever be Vardy as long as he’s playing. He’s scored so many damn goals like the one he did against Juventus during his time in England. He’s out here counting how many seconds Michele Di Gregorio had the ball in his hands while also standing right next to him and barely giving him any room to actually kick the ball upfield. That’s just Vardy being Vardy, folks. He is an agent of chaos if there ever was one in this game."

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  What comes next for Vardy?

  Vardy, who turns 39 in January, will hope to continue his good form when Cremonese travel to relegation-contenders Pisa in a battle between 17th and ninth respectively in Serie A on Friday. If results go their way in the next round of league fixtures, Vardy's side could jump into the European football qualification spots.

Mason Mount’s magnificent effort and a first Old Trafford goal for Benjamin Sesko secured Manchester United a 2-0 victory against Sunderland that helps ease the pressure on Ruben Amorim.

The under-fire Portuguese head coach headed into his 50th match as Red Devils boss in the spotlight after last weekend’s bruising 3-1 loss at Brentford.

But Amorim’s side responded well in wet and windy conditions against promoted Sunderland, with first-half goals from Mount and Sesko sealing a much-needed victory before the international break.

Asked about a public show of support from Mount, the United boss told reporters after the game: “I saw (that) today and I know they want to do their best – and I know they don’t want to change the coach all the time.

“But, like I said during this week, to be with the manager is ‘I will kill myself to go in every transition’. We need to show with actions.

“And sometimes when we look at our team I know for sure that when we see the games in the end they know that sometimes we can do better.

“So, I feel that during the week but we need to show that on the pitch, not just at home but also away.”

Sunderland meanwhile won’t be too worried by their start to the season despite the defeat, heading into the second international break of the season in the top half of the table with 11 points from their first seven games.

“They [United] scored twice then after that it became another game,” Regis Le Bris told BBC.

“We changed our shape to make a one-v-one game, it was a bit chaotic but at least we were back in the game. We were not strong enough to create chances today, only at the end.”

The Black Cats thought they had a route back into the game when a penalty was given for what appeared to be a kick to Trai Hume’s face, only for VAR to intervene as replays showed minimal contact. But that was not the only moment of controversy in and around the United box.

Ref watch react to Bertrand Traore's yellow card for diving

Bertrand Traore made his first start for Sunderland since joining from Ajax in a £2.5m move this summer, and charged through on goal before being sandwiched between debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens and Bruno Fernandes.

Carragher spots Newcastle star play underrated role in Bruno's Nottingham Forest screamer

The Magpies cruised to victory in the end…

By
Ben Goodwin

Oct 6, 2025

While it would have certainly been a soft penalty, referee Stuart Attwell went beyond just ignoring the shouts from the Burkina Faso international and booked him for simulation.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ ref watch show on Monday morning, former PGMOL man Dermot Gallagher revealed Attwell should have taken the third option: do nothing.

When it comes to America’s best sports rivalries, the ones that stand out most prominently are typically regional. The premier bi-coastal rivalry is probably between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers—the organizations have met in the NBA Finals 12 times, most recently in 2008 and ‘10 but most prominently in the ’60s and ‘80s, a period that saw nine Finals matchups.

While Celtics-Lakers is worthy of distinction, it’s not alone. And on Friday, one of sports’ greatest dormant rivalries will be renewed when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series.

The two franchises rank first and second in Fall Classic appearances: The Yankees will astoundingly be making their 41st trip, while the Dodgers are on No. 22. This will be their 12th time meeting in the World Series—the most frequent pairing of all time, and five more than the runner-up (Yankees-Giants). Both clubs shared residency in the Big Apple for over half a century before the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. They met in the World Series eight times between ‘41 and ‘63, but haven’t battled for the Commissioner’s Trophy since ‘81.

That’ll change Friday. Not only will this be a matchup between two of the most successful and recognizable franchises in all of sports, but it will pit the game’s two biggest stars—Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge—against one another as they chase their first World Series title.

To prepare for such a moment, let’s take a look back at the previous Yankees-Dodgers World Series meetings and rank them from least to most memorable. Which series was the most competitive? Which had the biggest stakes (beyond deciding that year’s champion)? And which featured the most dramatic or iconic moments? Those are the kinds of questions considered when deciding on the final order.

In all, the Yankees hold a decisive 8–3 advantage (though the Dodgers triumphed in the most recent one, winning the 1981 World Series in six games). How will this latest tilt shape up? We’ll find out soon enough. For now, we can get ourselves ready with a little history lesson and hope this latest iteration can live up to its predecessors.

11. 1941: Yankees in 5

MVP: N/A

Future Hall of Famers: Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Leo Durocher (manager), Joe Gordon, Billy Herman, Joe McCarthy (manager), Joe Medwick, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Red Ruffing

The first Subway Series featuring the Yankees and Dodgers was a low-scoring affair, with New York’s 7–4 win in Game 4 the only game of the series that saw more than five runs. The first three contests were all decided by one run. The Yankees’ win was their fifth championship in six years and ninth overall.

Most significant moment: In Game 4, the home side Dodgers held a 4–3 lead in the top of the ninth inning, three outs away from evening the series at two games apiece. With two outs, two strikes to batter Tommy Henrich and nobody on base, pitcher Hugh Casey got Henrich to swing and miss on a curveball to seemingly end the game. But catcher Mickey Owen dropped the pitch, allowing Henrich to reach first base. That opened the door for the Yankees to mount a two-out rally that produced four runs to let New York take the lead and eventually win, 7–4.

10. 1949: Yankees in 5

MVP: N/A

Future Hall of Famers: Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Gil Hodges, Johnny Mize, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Casey Stengel (manager)

The two teams traded 1–0 wins in the first two games. After that, the Yankees never trailed, outscoing the Dodgers, 20–13, over the final three. Robinson, who was the National League MVP after hitting .342 with 37 stolen bases and 124 RBI, was kept in check for the series as he was just 3-for-16 (.188) at the plate.

Most significant moment: Locked in a scoreless pitchers’ duel in Game 1, Yankees first baseman Tommy Henrich led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off homer against Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe. Newcombe had 11 strikeouts on the day, tying the World Series record for most by a losing pitcher. Henrich’s blast was the first walk-off homer in World Series history.

Glasgow Rangers decided to splash the cash in the summer transfer window to sign Youssef Chermiti from Everton for a fee of £8m, their most expensive signing since Tore Andre Flo for £12m in 2000.

The Portugal U21 international has scored one goal, which was aided by some fairly dismal goalkeeping, in 11 appearances in all competitions for the Gers so far, per Sofascore.

Michael Stewart criticised his “poor” finishing in the League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic on Sunday, as he spurned two great chances, whilst Ally McCoist said that he was “showing nothing” up front against Brann in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Hearts, who are top of the Scottish Premiership, reportedly paid a fee of around £400k to sign Claudio Braga, who has been far more impressive.

Why Rangers need to find their own Claudio Braga

Instead of splashing huge money on project players, like Chermiti, Rangers should be looking at bargain options to bolster their squad, because you can find some real gems.

Hearts paid less than a million pounds to sign Braga from the second division of Norwegian football, and he has been a huge success for the Jam Tarts.

The Portuguese attacker has delivered nine goals and one assist in 16 appearances in all competitions for Hearts, per Sofascore, this season, which shows that he has provided far more quality than Chermiti has since his £8m move to Ibrox.

Whilst Rangers can learn from the Jam Tarts to utilise different markets for cheaper prices in future transfer windows, Danny Rohl may have his own version of Braga, from a stylistic perspective, in the building.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

Rangers can unearth their own Claudio Braga with this forgotten star

Before Rohl’s arrival at Ibrox, Brazilian centre-forward Danilo appeared to be forgotten about by Martin as a genuine first-team option for the Scottish manager.

The striker only made one appearance for the first-team under Martin in September and October, which was an 11-minute cameo off the bench against Sturm Graz.

As you can see in the table above, he was an unused substitute on several occasions, when he even made the matchday squad, before Martin’s exit in October.

Rohl came in last month and immediately made the Brazilian striker an option, as he has played in all four of the manager’s games so far, and scored two goals.

Like Braga, Danilo is not a towering and physical striker who can bully opposition defenders. He is dynamic and looks to use his control and movement to create chances and score goals, as he did brilliantly against Hibernian.

For Hearts, Braga has struck up a partnership with Lawrence Shankland, who is a physical presence, and Rohl can unearth his own version of that partnership by continuing to play Danilo off another striker, whether that is Chermiti or Bojan Miovski.

Danilo, who ex-teammate Ofir Marciano claimed “has the quality to be a big player for Rangers”, scoring two goals in two Premiership matches under Rohl shows that he can be effective in the final third.

However, it is now down to the manager to find the right blend alongside him to ensure that his skillset is used to its fullest potential, as Hearts have done with Braga by playing him alongside Shankland.

Martin claimed Rangers star was a "huge asset", now he looks "rotten"

This Rangers signing was heavily praised by Russell Martin, now it looks like he needs to be sold.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 3, 2025

Once forgotten by Martin at Ibrox, the former Feyenoord centre-forward looks like he might have a bright future under the German head coach.

The son of a Manchester United legend has made waves with an eye-catching performance on his first start for Salford City, scoring two goals and walking off with the Man of the Match award in a 4-2 victory over Wolves' Under-21s in the Football League Trophy. There is a strong Manchester United connection at Salford as the club are currently owned by a consortium headed by David Beckham and Gary Neville, who bought out fellow Class of '92 stars Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville earlier this year.

• Another star in the making?

  Ruben Butt, son of former Manchester United and England midfielder Nicky, has been celebrating his first goals for Salford after helping seal an impressive win on Tuesday. The 18-year-old bagged a brace on his first start, producing two excellent finishes to ensure he was named the Man of the Match. Butt cut inside and curled a low shot past the goalkeeper for his first of the night, and then ran onto a long ball and slotted his shot between the goalkeeper's legs for his side's fourth.

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• Butt delights in first goals for Salford

  Butt spoke about his pride at opening his account for the club after the win. He told the club's media: "I had at least one in the first half maybe two. In the second half I thought, I'm going to have to score one here and I got two. Got to be happy to be honest.

  "[Alex] Bruce reminded us, especially for the senior lads about how important this competition is, with the final being at Wembley. You've got to try and win every game. We went 1-0 down so we did well to react. At half time we just said we've got to win the game. Second half performance was really great, better than the first half.

  "I feel like we've got a lot closer to the first team lads. They all look after us and are dead nice to us on the pitch, even if they have to shout at us and tell us what we've done wrong, it helps us. We are all familiar with the style of play that the gaffer and Brucey want from us. You've just got to work on it every day and prove that you should be given a chance. Like tonight was a great chance to prove it."

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  Familiar faces at Salford

  The youngster is not the only familiar name at Salford. Alex Bruce, son of ex-Manchester United star Steve Bruce, is a first-team coach at the club, while former Liverpool striker Fabio Borini was also part of the XI on Tuesday night after joining Salford in October on a short-term deal.

  Borini spoke about his decision to join the club after signing, telling the club's website: "It’s been great, I came in to train to keep myself fit in this transition between contracts and Salford, the Gaffer, Alex Bruce were kind enough to allow me to use the facilities and train here. Experience is one thing that I can bring, but it’s not just about the experience that I have on the pitch, it’s outside of the pitch so leading by example in training, outside training, how to manage a game. I’ve never played League Two football so I need to learn as well from my team mates the main characteristics of this league, but I will bring myself as an open book for my team mates to use me, learn from me or help me, so I’m very open to this challenge. It’s a challenge that I’m embracing and I chose to embrace because I needed the real football, something that warms my heart for football, not for anything else."

Spring training is a time for baseball teams to work out their kinks as they gear up for the regular season.

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies found some kinks that will certainly need working out in the days to come.

After a rain delay, the day’s exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers finally commenced, and was broadcast on ESPN. The network took advantage of the extra access that spring training allows for, nabbing mid-game interviews with players and coaches that we sometimes see during regular-season broadcasts, but with a bit more freedom.

One of those interviews was with Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who answered questions in the second inning while newly acquired starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo was on the mound. At least, Thomson tried to answer questions—he didn’t have much of a chance to speak during one portion of the interview, as Luzardo gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches.

Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones got the dinger fest started with a grand slam off of a change-up Luzardo left right down the pipe, and was followed by home runs from Andy Ibanez and Gleyber Torres to jump the Tigers out to a 6–0 lead.

All Thomson could do was watch.

The Tigers tacked on six more runs in the third inning to take a 12–0 lead. This time it wasn’t Thomson, but Phillies first baseman Kody Clemens who was on the mic with ESPN, along with his father Roger Clemens.

Hey, at least these games don’t technically count.

Leeds United are eyeing up one manager who has wins over Oliver Glasner, Thomas Tuchel and Ange Postecoglou to replace Daniel Farke.

Farke under pressure at Leeds after Nottingham Forest defeat

The Whites and Farke headed into the international break following two Premier League losses on the road to Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

Conceding three goals at the AMEX and the City Ground, Leeds now find themselves just one point clear of safety and have an extremely tough run of fixtures when club football returns.

There has been plenty of speculation on Farke’s future following the defeats in recent week, but journalist Graeme Bailey insisted the 49ers Enterprises intend to give him until January to turn things around.

Bailey said: “Pressure is mounting on Daniel Farke – but he knew this was coming and the club did too. This is going to be a long season. Everyone was aware. They didn’t spend the tens of millions that Sunderland did.

“They know Farke can only do so much with the squad at his disposal. But the quality of performance and how they compete is going to be vital in the coming weeks.”

There have been a number of managers mooted with an Elland Road move to replace Farke, should the 49ers make a change, including Liam Rosenior of Strasbourg and Valencia’s Carlos Corberan, a former assistant to Marcelo Bielsa.

Leeds eyeing up move for Marco Rose

Now, according to Football Insider, former RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose is firmly on Leeds’ radar.

The outlet then relayed comments from former scout Mick Brown, who said it would be a “gamble” to appoint someone like Rose.

“I have no doubt Marco Rose is on Leeds’ radar. Their links with Red Bull make that a possibility for Leeds, so it’s certainly an option they might look to explore if they do decide to make a change.

“But personally I would be surprised if he was the person they chose to help them. If they decide to sack Farke, it will be because they’re at risk of getting relegated, so I don’t think taking a gamble on a manager like Rose would be right for them.

“He doesn’t know the Premier League, and it might be a cliche, but that’s what Leeds will be looking for. There was talk about Farke during the summer and whether he could go, because they wanted somebody with experience of being successful in the Premier League.

“So if they decide to sack him now, I expect that’s what they’re going to look at.”

The 49-year-old, who plays a 4-4-2 system, is currently out of work after leaving Leipzig back in March.

Rose does have wins over the likes of Glasner, Tuchel and Postecoglou on his CV and revealed what style of play he likes his sides to have.

Could that be at Leeds?

He's got a "bit of Bielsa": Leeds could sack Farke for "mental" 4-3-3 coach

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has sent out a strong message on talk of a potential blockbuster £100m Spurs transfer. Since the Lewis family took full control of the Premier League side from former chairman Daniel Levy, they have pumped in funds of £100 million to demonstrate that they are aiming to achieve sustained success at the north London club.

• New ownership, renewed hope at Spurs

  The financial boost from the Lewis family came at a time when Tottenham are fighting for a top five finish this season, and have suffered only three Premier League defeats in 11 matches under new boss Thomas Frank, a considerable improvement from where they were under Ange Postecoglou last season. While £100m might not stretch far in today’s highly inflated football economy, many are calling it "the beginning, not the end" of a new financial drive at Spurs. Behind the money is a new face of Tottenham power, Vivienne Lewis, daughter of the late billionaire patriarch Joe Lewis. Alongside her brother Charles and son-in-law Nick Beucher, Vivienne has taken personal charge of the family’s football jewel, regularly attending matches and meetings to steer the club’s new direction. 

  Since ousting long-serving chairman Daniel Levy in September, the Lewis family has tightened its grip, rebuffing three separate consortium offers from Saudi, Chinese, and American investors. A source close to the family had earlier told , "This is initial additional funding. As the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful."

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  'They definitely said they are all in for the club'

  Speaking on the new club owners, Frank told reporters: "They [the Lewis family] definitely said they are all in for the club, that they want to be here for the long term and they want to have success. That’s, of course, a little bit big headlines. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I’m confident they will back us to do everything we can to build a successful club.

  "I’m very good at talking up here [to the media], but it’s about showing it out there on the pitch consistently and after setbacks. The same with them. In the best positive way, that’s what we need to do together."

• Will Tottenham spend £100m on one player?

  Addressing the club's plan for the January transfer window and whether they would spend the entire £100m on one player, Frank added: "In the next 50 years? Then yes! It’s very evident that every successful club, not for one year. Over five, six, seven years, to build, you need a combination of time and processes. Then, of course, investment. If you want success in football, you need to invest in players. Hopefully, do it cleverly and we want to do it smart, so we don’t invest too much on the wrong players. But you need to invest… £100m? I don’t know. Let’s see. I don’t think we are close to spending £100m, put it that way. But I don’t know, let’s see what happens in the future.

  "So you need to be good at developing the players, which I believe we are and we will be very good at. But then you also need to invest in the right potential of a player. He could be 22, or 26. Declan Rice is a good example. How old was he when he joined Arsenal? 24? That’s important. Nobody achieves the top without investing."

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  Spurs eye win in North London derby

  At the moment, Spurs and Frank remain focused on maintaining consistency on the pitch and remain among the top five teams in the Premier League. Up next is the north London derby on Sunday, where Frank's side will lock horns against arch-rivals and league leaders Arsenal. Spurs will hope to win the season's first derby and reduce their gap with the Gunners. 

On Saturday the San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves, 1-0, to stay undefeated and sweep the Braves for their first series win of the young MLB season. Jake Cronenworth was the winning run, getting driven in by Yuli Gurriel in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cronenworth was in a position to score thanks to one of the strangest doubles you'll ever see.

In the bottom of the seventh Cronenworth was at the plate facing a full count with two outs. He swung at a sinker from Braves reliever Aaron Bummer and got just enough wood on the ball that it flew off the bat as a low liner. Then things got weird.

The ball hit Bummer and careened off the field of play past the third-base line into the dugout. Cronenworth was rewarded with a double. It was a ridiculously unlikely sequence.

It was already very unlikely that Cronenworth hitting a ball off the pitcher would result in a hit. It's even more unlikely that the ball would hit off the pitcher and end up going down the dugout stairs. It's not a very wide entrance to the dugout! But that's exactly what happened. Cronenworth got just enough contact to get the bounce he needed, got himself in scoring position, and wound up the game-winning run.

Baseball is back.

When it became clear that Liverpool would be crowned Premier League champions in Arne Slot’s first season at the club, well before the title was rubber-stamped and sealed, sporting director Richard Hughes suggested the summer transfer window would be significant.

After all, it was clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold was going to join Real Madrid at the end of his contract, and the likes of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz were being linked with a move away. Liverpool needed a left-back.

And Liverpool have welcomed a sweeping array of new talent, shattering financial records as FSG added layers to Slot’s title-winning team.

But you’ll need no telling that the Reds have lost nine of their past 12 matches in 2025/26, thrashed in consecutive appearances at Anfield against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.

The balance is all wrong, and the squad have been shorn of confidence. It’s hardly surprising that Hughes is gearing up for a return to the transfer market.

Liverpool's winter transfer plans

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher has been among those advocating for FSG to pull their purses out and sign a centre-back this January. However, Ibrahima Konate’s wretched form has seen Real Madrid cool their interest, and talks are ongoing regarding the France star’s renewal on Merseyside.

The need for an out-and-out winger is more pressing, with Diaz not replaced when sold to Bayern Munich in August.

That’s why Liverpool have set their sights on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who has been in fine fettle in the Premier League this season and is considered to be a top target on Merseyside, with his £65m release becoming active in January.

However, Hughes has compiled a list of multiple targets, and in Rafael Leao, Liverpool might even have an alternative who would prove a better pick, with stylistic similarities to the Ghana international.

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are ready to rekindle their long-standing interest in AC Milan star Leao and place a formal winter offer worth €120m (about £105m).

This would be a significant outlay for Liverpool after their summer of spending, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Cody Gakpo has not looked convincing on the left wing.

Why Liverpool should sign Rafael Leao

Leao, 26, is among the finest wide forwards in the world.

This season, he has enjoyed a clinical start, scoring five goals and providing one assist across all competitions. In Serie A, he hasn’t been as dynamic as in recent years, though he has been championing Maximiliano Allegri’s simplistic playing style, serving as a clinical outlet in the final third.

At Liverpool, Leao would probably be utilised in a different way, with Slot requiring more width and multi-facetedness on the flank to restore balance to his ailing frontline.

Among the most clinical wingers in Serie A this season, Leao is also maintaining such athleticism and creativity in his play. Gakpo, conversely, has consistently faced criticism for being overly one-dimensional,

It is curious that Gakpo has been a bit more active in duelling situations than Leao, while also running more frequently with the ball. However, this season stands as an outlier for the Portuguese winger, as far as ball-carrying metrics are concerned.

Indeed, as well as being hailed as “one of the best left wingers in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Leao has also been described as being “unstoppable” when on the ball by journalist Zach Lowy.

Gakpo might be running a fair bit in the Premier League this season, and his defensive metrics are impressive too, but he’s flattered to deceive in combination with left-back Milos Kerkez, who joined Liverpool from Bournemouth for £40m this summer.

The Dutchman, moreover, ranks among the bottom 39% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for take-on success rate.

In and of itself, this is not an egregious tactical sin, but Gakpo’s lack of dynamism has certainly been exposed since Diaz left Liverpool, amplified even more so by the 33-year-old Mohamed Salah’s deterioration on the alternate wing.

Given that Gakpo has only posted four goals and three assists across 18 matches in all competitions this season too, it’s clear that Liverpool need to make this move – for Leao or Semenyo – and add a dimension to their frontline.

There was a feeling that Liverpool opted against signing a like-for-like Diaz replacement in the summer due to the excitement around Rio Ngumoha, who became one of the youngest scorers in Premier League history when scoring the winner at Newcastle in August, but Slot has since used the 17-year-old sparingly.

Also dubbed “world-class” by Mattinson, Leao’s fleet-footed and ferocious style of play is exactly what Liverpool need going forward. He fits the same mould that has been sculpted for Semenyo by the powers that be at FSG.

It’s clear that Leao, in his finest form, would nail down a starting berth at Anfield, and Hughes must now make it happen.

Better than Isak: Liverpool join race for "one of the best RWs in the world"

Arne Slot’s Liverpool tenure is crumbling before him, and FSG are considering changes.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 28, 2025