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Liverpool are Premier League champions in waiting and could now make a surprise move in the transfer market that would make headlines across the globe, per reports.

Liverpool looking to build on impending Premier League success

The Reds are set to become league winners under Arne Slot and there is plenty of excitement over what comes next at Anfield once the summer window opens. Despite being the Premier League’s strongest side this term by far, resting on their laurels won’t be permitted by anyone connected with the club as they strive towards establishing themselves as England’s elite club for years to come.

Expectedly, the Reds hierarchy are well down the line in identifying targets and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is on the radar amid his £50 million release clause being set to become active this summer. Barcelona’s Raphinha could be a statement arrival at Liverpool if they can meet his £77 million price-tag. However, it remains to be seen whether they free up space by cashing in on Luis Diaz.

Milos Kerkez is an obvious pursuit for Slot to help provide competition for Andy Robertson in the form of the Cherries full-back, with the latter well into his prime despite his importance to the cause.

Better than Frimpong: Liverpool want to sign "one of the best FBs in Europe"

Liverpool could be about to forget about Jeremie Frimpong with a move for a Premier League right-back.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 23, 2025

Ultimately, Liverpool will be the go-to club for agents to try and plot a way for their clients to earn an elite move, and plenty of players will be offered to the impending champions over the duration of the window. However, it is more likely that the Reds will be ambitious in their mission to continue thriving under Slot, and Simon Phillips has dropped a claim of sizeable proportion involving one of their summer targets.

Simon Phillips: Liverpool 'sniffing around' Cole Palmer

According to Chelsea journalist Phillips, Liverpool are “sniffing around” Chelsea star Cole Palmer alongside Premier League rivals Manchester City, who are said to have made an enquiry about the Three Lions international.

Valued at £85 million+, the Manchester-born midfielder has enjoyed another successful campaign despite being off-colour in recent weeks, registering 14 goals and nine assists in 39 appearances across all competitions.

Cole Palmer’s key Premier League statistics – 2024/25

Chances created

78

Pass accuracy

83%

Shots

115

Shots on target

46

Completed dribbles

44

Touches in opposition box

136

Admittedly, Palmer’s form has dropped in a difficult period for Chelsea, though they remain in the hunt for a Champions League slot under Enzo Maresca. Conceivably, the Blues missing out on a place in Europe’s premier competition could ignite the fire of a controversial move to one of their Premier League rivals, but it would be a difficult deal to conclude for all parties.

Either way, a swoop for Palmer, who has been labelled “outstanding” by Paul Dickov, would illustrate a heavy level of ambition from Liverpool as they strive towards defending their title next term.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is in the market for a potential new manager this summer, with Ange Postecoglou likely to leave after a disappointing season.

Ange Postecoglou facing Spurs exit regardless of Europa League

News sources across the British media, including Mirror journalist John Cross and The Telegraph’s Matt Law, have heard from their sources that Spurs could part company with Postecoglou, even if they win the Europa League.

Related Tottenham now "ready to sell" £50m-plus star and replace him with 24 y/o

Spurs are hatching a plan to reshape the squad.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 23, 2025

It would be quite a feat for the Australian to clinch Tottenham’s first piece of silverware in 17 years amid a campaign blighted by injuries, protests from supporters and potentially their worst ever Premier League season to date.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

The Lilywhites face this year’s fairy-tale overachievers Bodo/Glimt in the Europa semi-finals, a side nobody expected to get this far, and Postecoglou’s men are the overwhelming favourites to reach this year’s final in Bilbao.

However, even in the event that Postecoglou keeps good on his promise by winning a major trophy during his second season in charge, something he confidently predicted right at the start of 2024/2025, Spurs’ torrid domestic form and lack of backing from fans could mean he still parts company.

Levy has the likes of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner and Brentford’s Thomas Frank on Spurs’ managerial shortlist to replace Postecoglou, according to reports,

Further abroad, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has previously shared news of Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi attracting admirers from within Spurs, but it will be very hard for Levy to prise the Nerazzurri boss away from Italy.

The dissatisfaction around N17 right now after this tepid campaign has caused tensions in the stands to reach boiling point, so Levy and ENIC are under real pressure to get this next appointment right, make smart investments into the squad and turn Tottenham’s fortunes around.

Tottenham now eyeing Burnley manager Scott Parker

As per The Mail and journalist Mike Keegan, a new name is now on Tottenham’s growing list of linked head coaches – Burnley boss Scott Parker.

The former Lilywhites and England midfielder amassed 63 appearances for Spurs during his playing days, and has since gone on to enjoy some successful stints during his managerial career – guiding both Fulham and Burnley to Premier League promotion.

Bar a failed stint at Jupiler Pro League side Club Brugge, the 44-year-old has showcased some promise in his early career as a tactician, and it is believed Tottenham are fans of Parker as a manager.

He’s also attracted praise from his peers, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola branding him one of English football’s new “innovative” coaches back in 2021, while former Tottenham left-back Ryan Sessegnon called Parker a “top coach” when he was linked with the hot seat four years ago.

“He’s a top guy, top man and a top coach. He’s just an all-round great guy,” explained Sessegnon.

“He obviously has a philosophy of play and sticks to it and all the players are buying into that. Recently, it hasn’t been so good for them in terms of results, but I think the performances and effort is still there.”

A low-scoring game dominated by the bowlers was not the ideal way to launch a tournament which hopes to embrace a new audience

Sidharth Monga04-Jun-20242:06

Maharoof: Pitch in New York ‘not good enough’ for a T20 game

Were we not entertained?
Even for a traditional cricket fan, this match was a bit of a hard-sell. A diehard fan might have found some excitement during some tight overs when South Africa were chasing 78, but otherwise it was just too loaded in favour of the bowlers. There was just too much bounce, and unpredictable bounce, which made six-hitting next to impossible. It was going both up and down, left and right. And it was happening not in the air but after the ball bounced, which gives batters very little time to adjust. They can defend their wicket but can’t possibly score quickly.Why was the pitch so difficult? Surely they didn’t do it on purpose?
It is hard to say. These drop-in pitches were prepared by an experienced groundsman from Adelaide who knows the assignment. Perhaps they haven’t had enough time to settle down with enough cricket played on them. There are four pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, and six for the nets at Cantiague Park. They were all prepared at the same time. India have done the most training at Cantiague Park, and they have seen them behave better day by day. Perhaps these will too.Related

Klaasen on New York pitch: Batters need to suck it up

Stats – Nortje and Baartman hack into the dot matrix

'So unfair' – Sri Lanka, given a raw scheduling deal, struggle to find their bearings

Nortje: Don't need 20 sixes to make an entertaining game

Or perhaps the curator is leaving extra grass because the square of four pitches has to host eight matches in 10 days. He obviously doesn’t want them to die down by the time the New York leg is nearing its end.But aren’t these expert batters? Why couldn’t they adjust and score at least a run a ball through grounded shots?
The outfield wasn’t great. There were quite a few shots that would have fetched fours in standard conditions, but this is a heavy sandy outfield. Even aerial shots that clear the infield were bouncing in it and plugging.Can anything be done about the outfield? Perhaps shave some of the grass?
That could make it dangerous for the fielders. Already they are not too keen on diving. Perhaps they could consider bringing the boundaries in.Hang on, why do we want standard conditions?
Because T20 is the shortest format of cricket. It is the vehicle to take it to newer outposts. There is just not enough time to adjust to such variable conditions. It creates competitive imbalance, giving the bowling side a huge advantage. As you saw, the side batting first didn’t have the time to realise 120 was a good score and kept losing wickets trying to aim for a bigger total.Especially in tournament play, cricket always aims for standard conditions because you want the players to shine and not the conditions. In the ODI World Cup in India last year, the governing body kept rating pitches “average” whenever they deviated a bit from the norm.Looking good, but what about the pitch?•ICC via Getty ImagesBut didn’t Sri Lanka win the toss? Why did they choose to bat first?
They possibly didn’t know what to expect from these pitches.And why is that?
They only just arrived two days ago after spending their entire night in the Miami airport because of a flight delay. Then the actual facility doesn’t have practice pitches. Looking at how they would be practising elsewhere, they chose to rest rather than make the trek all the way from downtown Brooklyn to Long Island. Even on match day they woke up at 5.30am to make it in time. They were practically sleepwalking.Why are they staying so far?
The other hotels in the vicinity are fully booked by the other teams who are here for longer.That sounds like a nightmare. Why go through all this to come to New York when you can’t get a cricket field in the city where there are enough hotels to house all the teams?
New York is arguably the best city in the world. Like any business, cricket wants to expand. It is aiming for the richest consumers of sport.Then why play at 10.30am on a Monday?
In the biggest existing market for cricket, India, it was 8pm on a Monday. That’s primetime. You can’t completely ignore the existing audience in order to make an outreach to a newer one.There was significant help for the fast bowlers•Associated PressWere they entertained at least?
Going by the texts I received, no. They are generally traditionalists so most of them were laughing laughs of vindication. It was the loudest I told you so.I can understand they must be feeling like that girl in the meme where the boy is walking with her but looking at someone else.
That’s not a question but I will grant you this one. It is quite accurate.So is this a total disaster?
No, there is a cheat code. India vs Pakistan, arch rivals with a shared bloodied history. It has already sold out two stadiums in and around New York. It will rescue everything.Did it really need a World Cup for that particular game to be sold out? Because from what I understand it is a completely inconsequential match, which tells me these two teams can sell out anything.
Yes, it is inconsequential unless at least a couple of big upsets take place in other matches in this group. It is also correct that you don’t even get easier opponents in the next rounds if you win this match.But no, those two teams can’t play each other outside multi-nation events because of the politics between the two countries. Between you and me, the governing body even rigs the draw to make sure they play each other at least once.Hmm. But it’s not like the 1800s when Canada and USA played international cricket for the first time. The conditions needn’t have been such an unknown. Surely if the expat fans are selling out two stadiums, they must be wanting to play too? If they had stadiums here, you wouldn’t need to bring in untested pitches from Australia.
Yeah, but you can’t blame the ICC for that. Developing grounds and pitches is the job of the national board.Why didn’t they do it then?
USA Cricket? Now that’s a whole can of worms even the ICC opens with a visor and gloves on.How much did they spend on this makeshift stadium again?
Well, that really is the $30 million question.

With the multi-format series beginning on Thursday here are four players to keep a close eye on

Andrew McGlashan and Valkerie Baynes19-Jan-2022

Tahlia McGrath

Tahlia McGrath is a very different cricketer to the one who was part of the 2017-18 Ashes series where she made her Test debut at North Sydney Oval. It was a more-than-handy performance with three wickets and 47 – adding 103 alongside Ellyse Perry who made her famous double century – but that would be her last international appearance until a one-off outing in late 2020 against New Zealand.This season, however, has seen her state her claims as a top-class allrounder having worked on her game at domestic level. Against India she made 74 in the second ODI to help resurrect the chase with Beth Mooney then produced two key innings in the T20I series having batted nicely in Test before finding point. Her return has further added to Australia’s middle-order options with the bat and pace-bowling options in the field.Related

• 'I want to be involved as much as I can' – Healy still keen to keep and open in Tests

• Tammy Beaumont wants England to 'get over the line' after encouraging Ashes start ends in defeat

• Tahlia McGrath all-round excellence trumps Wyatt 70 as Australia take Ashes opening honours

• Ellyse Perry's T20I place under scrutiny for start of Ashes

• Beth Mooney suffers fractured jaw ahead of Ashes

Sophia Dunkley

After spending 18 months on the fringes of selection through 2019-20, Sophia Dunkley made quite an impression during the English summer of 2021. She debuted at the Women’s World T20 in 2018, but it was an assured 74 not out against India in June, when she became the first black woman to play Test cricket for England, that set her on course to make a place in England’s middle order her own across formats.The nerveless nature of that innings pervaded limited-overs series against India and New Zealand when, more than once, she kept a cool head to see England to victory. Her unbeaten 73 batting for the first time in ODIs was instrumental in England’s win against India at Taunton and she scored a four off the penultimate ball to clinch a tight chase – and the series – in the third T20I against New Zealand.In England’s warm-ups against England A in Australia, Dunkley struck 15 off 12 balls in the rain-affected 35-over match, where her sharp fielding was also on display with three catches, while in the two T20s, she hit 10 off eight and 17 off 10. Her legspin has been used sparingly by England but she provides another option while her batting is key.Charlie Dean made a promising start to her England career•Getty Images

Darcie Brown

It feels like Darcie Brown, the 18-year-old quick bowler, is on the verge of taking the cricket world by storm. Capable of rapid late outswing and also possessing one of the best bouncers in the game, Brown has put together two impressive WBBL seasons – 29 wickets across the two editions at an economy under a run-a-ball – and earned her first call-up for last year’s tour of New Zealand.In just her second ODI, earlier this season against India, she served notice of her potential with a Player of the Match 4 for 33 with her scalps all being among the top five of the order. She was wicketless on her Test debut at Metricon Stadium and there is an understandable caution about over-bowling her as she continues to develop, but there are few more exciting prospects in the game.

Charlie Dean

Something of an unknown in Australia, 21-year-old offspinner Charlie Dean has made the most of her handful of opportunities. She made her debut in the first ODI against New Zealand in September and played all five fixtures. It was her 4 for 36 to help England to victory in the rain-hit match at Worcester – just her second match at this level – which really caught the eye, as did her enthusiasm in the field throughout.Dean had been in line to feature earlier in New Zealand’s tour when she was named in England’s squad for their three-match T20I series before she and Maia Bouchier had to isolate as possible contacts of a suspected Covid case in their Southern Vipers team. Fifty overs is Dean’s preferred format at this stage and that may be where she features most heavily in this Ashes series, but her ability to deceive batters by generating plenty of overspin and drop makes her a valuable addition for England.

As they attempt to hold off the Mariners in a furious American League West race, the Astros may soon have back one of their most formidable weapons.

Houston designated hitter Yordan Alvarez will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Sunday via Chandler Rome of .

Alvarez, 28, has not played since May 2 in what has for the most part been a lost season. He slashed an uncharacteristic .210/.306/.340 with three home runs and 18 RBIs before a lingering hand injury forced him onto the injured list; a July setback delayed his return even further.

The ailment pressed pause on Alvarez's extraordinary, still-young career. In seven seasons, he's slashed .295/.387/.573 and averaged 41 home runs, 119 RBIs and 5.7 bWAR per 162 games.

Houston, which leads the AL West by 1.5 games, will close a series with the Orioles Sunday before heading north for a seismic three-game showdown with the Tigers.

In the aftermath of their 217-run defeat to Bangladesh, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie was still proud of the fight put up by Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey and Jordan Neill on the fifth day in Dhaka.The visitors batted 59.3 overs on Sunday, holding Bangladesh up till almost the tea break, when Hasan Murad removed Hoey and Matthew Humphreys with successive deliveries. Nobody could remove Campher though. He made an unbeaten 71 having faced the greatest number of balls by an Ireland batter in the fourth innings of a Test match (259). Hoey was second on the list with 104.”[Curtis Campher] is someone that is hard to get out when he is in his bubble,” Balbirnie said. “He is very determined not to get out even when he is in the nets. He has such a strong defense, he showed that today.”Bangladesh were pushed to a little bit of an extreme, bowling 100 overs for the first time in the fourth innings at Shere Bangla National stadium. Campher played a big part in that.Related

• Earthquake stops Bangladesh vs Ireland Test for three minutes on third morning

• Unassuming Taijul wears the crown of the best Bangladesh bowler

• Taijul and Murad star as Bangladesh break Ireland's resistance for 2-0 win

“If he puts his mind to it, he can do it,” Balbirnie said. “It is a shame that no one from the top and middle order could hang around for long enough. I think the batters showed fight today, to bat till just before tea on the fifth day. We were behind the game a lot. Bangladesh deserved to win the series 2-0.”Balbirnie also talked about Hoey and his recently-developed skillset as an allrounder: “I play with Gavin in club cricket in Dublin. I have known him since he was a kid. His dad was an Irish international in the 1990s. He was a legspinner as well. I think [Hoey] has only been bowling legspin since [Covid] lockdown, so it’s been five years. He was a seam bowler [earlier].Andy Balbirnie was candid about Ireland’s inability to bat for long periods•ECB/Getty Images

“So to have that skillset in this short time is really impressive. He will get better and better from experiences like this. We have to make sure that he gets enough overs under his belt. We need to have our spinners develop consistency so that we do well in these conditions.”Ireland had some hope of batting the day out and coming away with a draw. “[There were expectations] probably just before Murad took the two wickets,” Balbirnie said. “There was a small bit of excitement in the dressing room at that drinks break. Credit to the Bangladesh spinners. They don’t miss their line and length too often. They test batters a lot. The two wickets in two balls put an end to that [hope] pretty quickly. It was an enthralling day’s play. I think Curtis can be proud of his work today.”The fact that the Test match stretched to the fifth day was also a tribute to the type of pitch prepared for the encounter. “A lot of us had seen the West Indies ODI series. We were a bit nervous coming here,” Balbirnie said, referring to pitches that had, on one occasion, witnessed fifty overs of spin in the first innings. “When we arrived, we thought [the pitch] would break up quickly, but it held together. There was turn, but it wasn’t every ball. It was a good cricket wicket. I thought it was a pretty fair wicket. We had two good wickets over the two Tests.”Balbirnie was also candid about what Ireland hoped for from the series. “We had won three Tests in a row before coming here, so there was confidence in the group,” he said. “We had to manage our expectations. You are coming to places that have experienced cricketers.”We are trying to get that consistency. Our top-order didn’t fire for the last two games. Bangladesh’s top-order showed us how to do it – to bat for a long time and get big hundreds. [Their batting] was the big difference. We weren’t competitive against Bangladesh for longer periods. They showed their class over the nine days,” he said.

Naman Dhir is Jitesh Sharma’s deputy, while the squad also includes Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, Ramandeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Suryansh Shedge, Abishek Porel and others

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2025Jitesh Sharma has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Rising Stars Asia Cup, earlier the Emerging Teams tournament, to be played in Doha from November 14 to 23. Naman Dhir has been appointed his deputyThe selectors have also included 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the squad, which explains his absence from the four-team Under-19 Challenger Trophy. Over the years, that tournament has been used as a key marker by the junior national selection panel to finalise their squad for next year’s Under-19 World Cup – for which Suryavanshi appears to be a certainty.The 15-member squad, picked by Ajit Agarkar and his senior men’s selection panel, comprises some stellar IPL performers, most notably Punjab Kings and Delhi Premier League (DPL) star Priyansh Arya.ACC Rising Stars tournament schedule

Nov 14 – Oman vs Pak; Ind vs UAE
Nov 15 – Ban vs HK; Afg vs SL
Nov 16 – Oman vs UAE; Ind vs Pak
Nov 17 – HK vs SL; Afg vs Ban
Nov 18 – Pak vs UAE; Ind vs Oman
Nov 19 – Afg vs HK; Ban vs SL
Nov 21 – Semi-finals: A1 vs B2; B1 vs A2
Nov 23 – Final

In his maiden IPL campaign in 2025, Arya struck 475 runs at a strike rate of 179.24 – the third-best in terms of runs for the franchise behind Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh. Last week, Arya was handed a first-class debut by Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.The other key state and IPL performers include Abishek Porel, currently captaining Bengal in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s absence, and Harsh Dubey, who has been a regular feature across various India A squads over the past few months.The fast bowlers include Gurjapneet Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yudhvir Singh and Yash Thakur – all of whom are part of BCCI’s targeted pool of fast bowlers. Ramandeep Singh and Suryansh Shedge are the seam-bowling allrounders.Pakistan A and Oman will kick off the tournament, with the showpiece India A vs Pakistan A match slotted for November 16. The teams are divided into two groups: Group A has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, while Group B has India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE.This will be the first cricketing exchange between the men’s teams of India and Pakistan since the senior Asia Cup in September, though the senior women’s teams faced off at the ODI World Cup earlier this month.When the men played the Asia Cup, there were no handshakes or any other form of greetings between the players of the two countries, and it ended with India, the tournament champions, leaving Dubai without the trophy.It emerged that they had decided not to receive the trophy from the ACC chief, Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be PCB chairman and the country’s interior minister.India A squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup T20 tournamentPriyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir (vice-capt), Suryansh Shedge, Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), Ramandeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ashutosh Sharma, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Yudhvir Singh, Abishek Porel (wk), Suyash Sharma

اعترف وكيل أعمال نجم نادي تشيلسي، أن اللاعب كان على وشك الانتقال إلى صفوف برشلونة في وقت من الأوقات، وذلك قبل الذهاب إلى البلوز.

برشلونة واجه تشيلسي يوم أمس الثلاثاء في دوري أبطال أوروبا، حيث تعرض لخسارة ثقيلة في ملعب ستامفورد بريدج بثلاثة أهداف مقابل لا شيء، وكان البلوز الطرف الأفضل في المباراة.

وشهدت مباراة الأمس تألق نجم نادي تشيلسي الشاب، إستيفاو ويليان، والذي قدم عرضًا رائعًا وسجل هدف النادي الإنجليزي الثاني.

وراوغ استيفاو لاعبي برشلونة داخل منطقة الجزاء، ليسدد الجناح الأيمن كرة قوية في شباك البلوجرانا عجز حارس المرمى، خوان جارسيا عن التصدي لها.

اقرأ أيضًا .. فرص برشلونة في التأهل إلى دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الهزيمة أمام تشيلسي

وكشف وكيل أعمال استيفاو، أندريه كوري، أن برشلونة كان قريبًا من ضم اللاعب، لكن وضع البلوجرانا المادي منع حدوث الصفقة في نهاية المطاف.

وقال كوري في تصريحات نقلتها ”Barcauniversa”: “لطالما وافق المسؤولون عن الأمور الفنية في برشلونة على التعاقد مع استيفاو، لكن ديكو كان مقيدًا لأن الوضع الاقتصادي للنادي لم يسمح بذلك”.

واختتم كوري حديثه: “تحدثنا مع برشلونة بشأن استيفاو في أعوام 2021 و2022 و2023 و2024، عرضنا اللاعب على الأندية الكبرى لأنني كنت أعتقد أنه سيحظى بمستقبل باهر، لكن برشلونة لم يكن في وضع جيد اقتصاديًا”.

استيفاو بدأ مسيرته مع بالميراس، حيث تألق مع النادي البرازيلي ليوقع مع تشيلسي خلال صيف العام الحالي مقابل أكثر من 30 مليون يورو.

وبرزت موهبة استيفاو سريعًا مع تشيلسي وحصل اللاعب على ثقة المدرب إنزو ماريسكا والذي يعول على الجناح الشاب بشكل كبير.

Manchester United’s midfield depth is becoming a bit of an issue under Ruben Amorim. Whilst he has found his first choice pivot in Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, the Portuguese manager does not seem to trust his squad depth in those deeper areas.

His stubbornness at not playing Kobbie Mainoo is bizarre, given how talented the young Carrington graduate is. It now seems that the England international will leave his boyhood club on loan this winter, with Napoli one potential destination.

As for Manuel Ugarte, he has only played 301 Premier League minutes and seems off the pace for the Premier League, having been described as “not good enough” by Gary Neville, following the Manchester derby defeat.

With that in mind, it might not come as a surprise that United are targeting a new midfielder.

Man Utd’s latest midfield target

Midfield is clearly an area United are looking to improve this winter. They have already been linked with Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace in the last few days, although they will face lots of competition for the Englishman.

Another player the Red Devils could target is Stuttgart star Angelo Stiller.

According to reports in Spain, United are one of the sides ‘interested in acquiring his services’, with the German international one of the top names on their midfield shopping list.

Transfer Focus

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

However, despite having seemingly made an ‘approach’, they will not be alone in the hunt for Stiller’s signature.

United’s competition comes in the form of Real Madrid, with Los Blancos looking to add to their own midfield depth after losing Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the last few seasons.

As for a price, Stiller – who is said to be keen on moving to the Spanish capital – could cost upwards of £53m to tempt Stuttgart into a sale.

How Stiller compares to Adam Wharton

Five-cap Germany international Stiller has shone in the middle of the park for Stuttgart over the last few seasons. Described as a “complete” midfielder by football analyst Ben Mattinson, he oozes class on the ball, controlling play from deeper areas.

This season has been no different for the midfielder, who was born in Munich and has played for Bayern Munich at senior level. Stiller has played 17 times so far this term, chipping in with one goal and assisting five.

Indeed, those assists from deeper areas are a key theme of Stiller’s game. He has 22 assists in 98 games for Stuttgart. This pass against FC Augsburg is an example of how creative he can be, looking to pull the strings from the edge of the final third.

Of course, the German is not the only midfielder United are looking to sign. Wharton is also a name high up on their shopping list, as he is for many clubs.

The Palace midfielder has shone for the Eagles again this season, playing 15 games across all competitions.

His former manager at Blackburn Rovers, Jon Dahl Tomasson, said, “on the ball, he’s Champions League level.”

Indeed, like Stiller, Wharton is a true controller, able to dictate games from deeper areas. Look at the influence he had in midfield against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final last season.

It might well be the case that United only end up signing one of Stiller or Wharton, given how alike their profiles are. Whilst the former Blackburn star has Premier League experience, it might be the case that Stiller is actually a better signing.

The stats go a long way in supporting this theory, too. So far this season, the German averages more progressive passes, with 7.56 to Wharton’s 5.06 per 90 minutes, and more ball recoveries, with 5.47 compared to 4.68 each game.

Progressive passes

7.56

5.06

Passes into final third

7.44

3.77

Passes into penalty area

2.33

1.04

Progressive carries

2.21

1.17

Ball recoveries

5.47

4.68

It is easy to see why bringing Stiller in over Wharton could be a better move for United. Not only does he rank ahead of him in several key metrics, but the former Bayern star is also someone who has more of an impact in the final third and racks up far more assists.

As Mattinson said in a separate post, the 24-year-old is “the perfect player for Amorim’s style of play.” He could certainly be that controller in United’s pivot, with the skills he has in possession, whilst also contributing in attack.

A fee of £53m is not too expensive in the current transfer market. Stiller could be the ideal candidate to add depth to United’s midfield that Amorim trusts.

Casemiro 2.0: Man Utd make £79m bid for "one of the best DMs on the planet"

Man Utd’s midfield could be improved grealty with this signing

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 20, 2025

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.