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As Manchester United aim to clear some deadwood out of Ruben Amorim’s squad, Inter could reportedly provide a helping hand after submitting an enquiry to sign two Old Trafford attackers.

Man Utd exit door set to swing open

Whilst much of the focus so far this summer has been on the incomings that the Red Devils have made or could go on to make, there’s no denying that they’ve got plenty of work to do on the exit front. Before pre-season gets underway, there are several stars who should be shown the door if INEOS are to make room for the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Emiliano Martinez.

Among those is, of course, Rasmus Hojlund. The young forward struggled yet again last season – scoring just four Premier League goals – and is likely to leave Manchester United this summer as a result even if he does want to fight for his place.

It’s a return to Italian football which looks the most likely escape route for Hojlund in the coming months. Reports have already linked the forward to Serie A champions Napoli in a move that saw Scott McTominay rise to unexpected stardom, whilst previous headlines suggested that Inter are closing in on his signature.

His departure would certainly suit all parties. For Manchester United, although they wouldn’t be making back their stunning £72m fee that they initially paid out, they would be clearing an unwanted player from their wage bill. For Hojlund, meanwhile, it would be a much-needed fresh start.

Inter could yet do more than one deal with the Red Devils, however, amid rumours that they’re also interested in another unwanted star this summer.

Inter submit Rashford enquiry

According to Manchester Evening News, Inter have now submitted an enquiry to sign Marcus Rashford on loan. Like Hojlund, the England international is likely to leave the Red Devils this summer following a mid-season fall-out with Ruben Amorim and subsequent loan spell to Aston Villa.

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5 ByEthan Lamb Jun 21, 2025

It was at Aston Villa that Rashford began to rediscover his best form, though, and even earned the praise of manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard told reporters following Rashford’s impressive display against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League: “He is feeling better and he played a fantastic match. We are very happy. If he is happy, we are happy.”

Appearances

17

Goals

4

Assists

6

Whether Aston Villa, themselves, come back in for Rashford is another question that will be asked as the summer goes on. He certainly enjoyed success under Emery, but as their PSR issues continue, they simply may not be able to afford his £14m-a-year salary.

That could leave just Inter to swoop in and land a potential loan deal to welcome another Premier League player to the Serie A this summer.

Liverpool owners FSG are considering selling an “outstanding” player in a potential £68m move this summer, according to a new update regarding his future.

Summer departures expected at Liverpool

While much focus is on which players the Reds could sign in the summer transfer window, it could also be a relatively busy period when it comes to departures.

Caoimhin Kelleher looks almost certain to move on to pastures new, for example, with the Republic of Ireland international constantly playing second to fiddle to Alisson. With Giorgi Mamardashvili also coming in from Valencia, his minutes could become even more limited.

Kostas Tsimikas could also possibly move on, as Liverpool target a new left-back, with Andy Robertson then becoming more of a squad player, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is also leaving to join Real Madrid.

In attack, both Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota may be sweating over their Anfield futures, following disappointing seasons, with the former feeling particularly likely to find a new club. He has flattered to deceive throughout his three years at the club, and this summer feels like the right time to cut ties.

Liverpool could sell Luis Diaz despite Slot admiration

According to Caught Offside, FSG are considering selling Liverpool forward Diaz this summer, amid interest from Saudi Pro League clubs – a £68m price tag is mentioned in the report. The update does also say that Slot would “rather not sell” the Colombian, however, seeing him as an important figure moving forward, unlike Nunez, who is expected to depart.

Diaz may not be perfect, sometimes being criticised for lacking an elite level of end product, but the positives still outweigh the negatives with him, so it would be preferable for Liverpool to retain his services. The 28-year-old has had a good season for the Reds, playing an important role in them winning the Premier League title, scoring 16 goals in all competitions and being hailed by Virgil van Dijk.

“If you watch the game he wasn’t really a No. 9. He played through the middle but he obviously played in midfield as well. It is very difficult for defenders when you don’t play against a direct opponent because there is so much movement. Lucho did it outstanding today again and that is what we need.”

Even if Diaz stays, Liverpool still need to be targeting at least one new attacker – a centre forward and a versatile winger would be ideal – putting more pressure on the £55,000-a-week Colombia international to find another gear.

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ByAngus Sinclair May 9, 2025

If he does end up leaving, it wouldn’t necessarily be a disaster, but Slot is right to value him and may only be fully appreciated after he leaves, both in terms of his quality and work ethic.

Newcastle United failed to make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon with a disappointing 1-1 draw away at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Gaining all three points would have seen Eddie Howe’s Magpies really lay down a marker when it comes to their top five aspirations, but this draw means the tussle between themselves, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest will only intensify more ahead of a thrilling May to follow.

On another day, however, the Tyneside outfit could have returned back home empty-handed, with more heroics from Alexander Isak thankfully bailing the visitors out.

Isak's heroics on the South Coast

It’s hardly a surprise now when Isak’s name flashes up as a goalscorer for the Toon, with the unerringly accurate Newcastle number 14 now up to 27 goals in all competitions after firing home a last-gasp penalty on the South Coast.

The spot-kick beating Bart Verbruggen also means Isak is now on a hefty 23 Premier League strikes, with this total being the most lethal tally a Newcastle player has managed in league action since Alan Shearer’s 22-goal haul during the 2003/04 campaign.

Amazingly, Howe’s men had actually had two penalties overturned via VAR before Isak’s was given, meaning it was crucial that the lethal Swede fired home with confidence, and he did just that to send the away masses into momentary delirium.

Away from his effort from the spot wrongfooting the Seagulls goalkeeper, it was somewhat of a quiet day at the office from Isak in open play, seen in the 25-year-old only registering two efforts on goal and 20 accurate passes, away from his last-gasp moment of quality.

But, any negatives from his overall game were quickly brushed under the carpet after the penalty trickled in.

Whereas, one of Isak’s attacking teammates might well find his starting spot is up for grabs after an entirely unmemorable performance against Fabian Hurzeler’s hosts.

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The 5/10 Newcastle star who could now be dropped

It’s clear when reading over the match numbers that there were a whole host of underperformers from Newcastle’s perspective.

Indeed, having posted two assists last weekend, Kieran Trippier was nowhere near his rampaging best down the right flank when squandering possession 15 times, whilst Joe Willock struggled too in an attacking capacity when making just 17 accurate passes, also booked for diving.

But, Jacob Murphy would be the biggest letdown for Howe, considering the usually electric number 23 has eight goals and 11 assists next to his name across 32 Premier League outings this season, but offered virtually nothing when bombing forward against the Seagulls.

This would result in Howe putting Murphy out of his misery on the 56th minute mark, with the Magpies boss clearly fed up by the fact the 30-year-old had registered just one effort on Verbruggen’s goal when still on the pitch, among other lacklustre numbers.

Minutes played

56

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

30

Accurate passes

17/22 (77%)

Accurate crosses

0/2

Accurate long balls

0/1

Shots

1

Successful dribbles

1/2

Total duels won

1/4

Frustratingly, Murphy would also tally up no accurate crosses, no accurate long balls and just one successful dribble when attempting to create an opening for the visitors, on top of also failing to be aggressive when needed when winning just one duel from four attempted.

Arguably, the 30-year-old’s replacement in Anthony Gordon offered more from his limited minutes on the Brighton turf, with one of the overturned penalties on the day coming about from the ex-Everton man’s burst of pace, alongside the lively attacker winning four of his own duels.

Northern Echo journalist Scott Wilson would hand out a low 5/10 rating to the former Norwich City winger subsequently stating that his afternoon was defined by a number of promising crossing opportunities being ‘wasted.’

It could well be time for Howe to axe Murphy from his starting lineup to freshen up proceedings, therefore, with the Magpies boss hopeful that both Gordon and Harvey Barnes next to Isak can cause Chelsea all sorts of bother in a huge Premier League clash up next.

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1 BySean Markus Clifford May 4, 2025

After their win over Fulham during the week, it was another disappointing Premier League affair on Saturday for Arsenal.

The title race may be all but over, but Mikel Arteta and Co would still have been hoping for a win over Everton ahead of the must-win clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League tomorrow night.

Instead, the Gunners played out another dismal draw against the Toffees, and while they never really looked in danger of losing, they didn’t look like winning either.

It was another encounter that demonstrated the North Londoners’ need for a new striker, and the good news is that recent reports have touted one of the most exciting in Europe for a move to the club, a striker who’d be a better signing than Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal striker search

It’s no secret that the area of the squad Arsenal need to strengthen the most this summer is centre-forward, so recent reports linking them to players like Sesko are no surprise.

The RB Leipzig star is one of the most exciting up-and-coming number nines on the continent at the moment, has amassed a tally of 25 goal involvements in 39 appearances and, per reports from earlier this month, remains a key target for the Gunners.

However, while he would undoubtedly help improve Arteta’s attacking options, there is another target who’d be an even bigger game-changer: Viktor Gyokeres.

Transfer Focus

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Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal’s strong interest in the Swedish superstar has intensified over the last week.

Moreover, in even better news, the report has revealed that the player’s representatives will attend the game against Real tomorrow night, indicating that further talks may take place.

The report does not reveal a potential fee, but according to stories from late last month, the former Coventry City marksman could be available for around £58m in the summer.

It could still be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Gyokeres’ immense ability, it is well worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a far better signing than Sesko.

How Gyokeres compares to Sesko

So, while both strikers would certainly improve Arsenal’s attack next season, why would Gyorkeres be the better signing?

Well, while there are a few reasons, the most significant is their respective output, as, after all, they’re number nines.

For example, since the start of last season, the Sporting CP star has scored 86 goals and provided 26 assists in just 93 appearances, which comes out to a simply staggering average of 1.20 goal involvements every game.

Sesko vs Gyokeres since 23/24

Player

Sesko

Gyokeres

Appearances

81

93

Minutes

4918′

7599′

Goals

37

86

Assists

8

26

Goal Involvements per Match

0.55

1.20

Minutes per Goal Involvement

109.28′

67.84′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In contrast, the Slovenian international has scored 37 goals and provided eight assists in 81 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.80 games.

Now, it is true that the Leipzig star is playing in a more challenging league, but when we look at their output from their time in the Champions League, it’s once again clear who the superior striker is.

For example, the “complete” Stockholm-born monster, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored six goals in eight UCL appearances, while the former RB Salzburg gem has six in 28 games.

Lastly, Sesko is still just 21, and while he could become a superstar in the future, he is not entirely developed, whereas, at 26, Gyokeres could come into Arteta’s team as the finished article and immediately lead the line.

Ultimately, while he may cost a significant amount of money, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the Sporting star this summer over the Leipzig ace.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Apr 6, 2025

Team’s valiant efforts on first three days undone in 23.1 overs on fourth afternoon

Alan Gardner21-Jul-2024They had kept at it throughout the morning and afternoon, despite the inhospitable conditions and the odds stacked against them. As England’s fourth-wicket pair pressed towards a double-century stand and the chances for their side apparently receded, spirits remained high. “Baby don’t worry, ’bout a thing, cause every little thing, gonna be all right…”Perhaps it was due to Trent Bridge only being half full for this fourth day that the support for West Indies was more visible – certainly more audible. A clutch had banded together in the lower west terrace of the Radcliffe Road Stand, maroon shirts and funky headpieces, the colours of Dominica, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis on display. Regular calls of encouragement floated across the ground, with Jason Holder turning on more than one occasion to acknowledge their enthusiasm.Sometimes a Test match resembles a tug of war. One team flexes their muscles and pulls the game their way, only for the opposition to dig in with their heels and start inching the rope back towards them. West Indies may have collapsed in an ungainly heap at the end, but they had made England sweat and strain throughout, at times threatening to pull the contest from their grasp.Few gave them a chance of competing on level terms after defeat inside seven sessions at Lord’s. Few will say, certainly with hindsight, that West Indies had much of a shot of chasing 385 to win in the fourth innings here. But neither did it look like a done deal for England, as Joe Root looked to chisel out as many extra runs as possible with the tail, Jayden Seales hustling through the crease to the end to claim a deserving four-wicket haul.The chase began in confident mood, England again denied early success with the new ball. Kraigg Brathwaite had exhorted his players to “find a way” with the bat before the game and he set the tone in the opening over by calmly drilling Chris Woakes through cover point for four. As Brathwaite cracked along at a run a ball, the West Indies openers put on 50 together for the second time in the match – the first time they had achieved such a feat in England since 1991.Then came the drinks break, a third of the way through an extended evening session that was theoretically set to see 48 overs bowled. West Indies were 61 without loss and seemingly building a sturdy platform from which to carry the fight into day five. Who knows, on a flat pitch, against an attack playing together for the first time, maybe history could be made?Few thought they were capable of levelling the series against Australia at the Gabba in January. Few thought they would pull off a 300-plus run-chase against England at Headingley in 2017, a game in which Brathwaite notched 134 and 95 after the tourists had been pancaked at in the first Test.Jamie Smith and Joe Root go up in unison to celebrate Kirk McKenzie’s dismissal•Getty ImagesBut the naysayers, it turns out, had this one right. The reversal was as swift and brutal as it is possible to be in cricket, where three-and-a-half days of graft can be rendered futile in 23.1 overs of spiralling madness. A punch to the gut just as West Indies fans might have been daring to dream.Brathwaite said afterwards that disappointment was the overriding emotion. “But the main thing is to learn from it,2 he said. “It’s gone, it’s history, we can’t bring it back. Test cricket will always bring challenges. There were positives in the game we can speak about and it’s important that we just learn, learn from different scenarios, different situations in a Test match. Because with 240-odd runs remaining, potentially if we had six/seven wickets in hand on day five, you can think about these things and say we’re not far away. But it’s important to learn.”A Test that had seen West Indies seemingly take a great leap forward with their batting was summed up by one cruel juxtaposition. While the first-innings 457 at Trent Bridge, underpinned by Kavem Hodge’s maiden century, was their highest Test total since 2014, the second-innings implosion marked the first time they had been bowled out in a session since 2013.For Brathwaite, the urge was to make building blocks from the rubble. The next few months amount to a rare period of concentrated cricket for his side, with a third Test against England to come ahead of visits to the Caribbean by South Africa and Bangladesh.Related

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“The big positive was our first innings, scoring 400 runs was great,” Brathwaite said. “A guy scoring his maiden hundred as well, that was good. I think with the ball we weren’t as good as we were supposed to be in the first innings. We dropped a few chances, which will happen, but I think we need to be a lot more disciplined. We went both sides of the pitch a little too much, too easy at times. That’s one thing we’ve got to get better at. They made 100-120 too many first innings, especially if we caught better.”The more you play, the more you’re in these type of pressure situations in international cricket, once you’re learning and thinking about how to get better, it can only be beneficial for us. The two defeats are gone but we still have five Tests matches remaining for this year. So we keep learning and by the end of the year we’ll be better off, once we have that correct mindset.”The problem for West Indies is that the learning curve is so steep. With the Richards-Botham Trophy back in English hands, there is only pride (and World Test Championship points) to play for at Edgbaston next week. But as those fans in the Radcliffe lower would tell you, pride is no small thing. Time to get up, stand up, and give them something to sing about once again.

His control and rhythm has been instrumental in India turning around a dismal record in the first powerplay

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Oct-2022There’s usually an unwritten rhythm to the international white-ball calendar; there are ODI years and T20I years, with teams prioritising one format or the other depending on which global event is around the corner.In the time of Covid-19, though, ODIs have come to occupy a strange and seemingly neglected space. A T20 World Cup was scheduled for 2020 and postponed to 2021. There’s another T20 World Cup starting later this month. There could have been an ODI Champions Trophy in the mix, but it was scrapped, so the ODI became the format where you played your second-stringers most often.It was at such a time, this February, that Mohammed Siraj came back into the ODI side for a home series against West Indies. He’d played just the one ODI before that, back in January 2019.In his comeback game, in Ahmedabad, Siraj took the new ball and began with a maiden. In his second over, he conceded back-to-back fours to Shai Hope, full outswingers dispatched with fluent drives through the off side. Then, Siraj bowled his wobble-seam ball, looking just as driveable as the previous two balls but nipping back in off the deck, and Hope, taking the bait, inside-edged it onto his stumps.Related

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From that point, Siraj has given India regular breakthroughs in the first powerplay of ODIs. On Tuesday, he added two more, both with short balls, both times using the two-paced nature of the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch to his advantage.Batters probably find Siraj’s short ball a little tricky to pick anyway, given his beyond-the-perpendicular release, and the way he hurries through the crease. You expect the ball to skid quickly onto the bat; when it instead stops on you, as it did when Reeza Hendricks shaped for a pull, you’re halfway through the shot before you realise what’s happening.The wicket of Hendricks was Siraj’s 12th in the first 10 overs this year, the most of any bowler from a Full-Member team. Siraj averages 15.66 in the first powerplay this year, and he has an economy rate of just 3.54.These are superb numbers, and especially encouraging for the team management because they’ve come at a time when India were suffering from a bit of a new-ball problem.And that’s an understatement. From the start of 2020 to their last ODI before Siraj’s comeback, India played 18 matches, in which their bowlers took just nine first-powerplay wickets, at an average of 115.77. They were comfortably the worst team in the world in that phase, well ahead of Zimbabwe who averaged 63.45. India’s economy rate of 5.78 in this phase was the worst of any team too, with Pakistan in second place at 5.34.The lack of new-ball wickets was a major factor behind India’s 7-11 win-loss record in this period. Opposition top orders made merry – there were century stands for the first wicket alone.India bowled to some of the world’s best batting teams in this period, but they were also using their first-choice fast bowlers most of the time. Jasprit Bumrah bowled in the first 10 overs in 12 innings, and took just one wicket at an average of 213.00, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar averaged 64.50 across seven innings. While these two kept the runs down, managing economy rates of below five an over, Mohammed Shami averaged 75.50 and went at 6.29. The other India fast bowler to bowl at least 100 balls in this phase in this period, Navdeep Saini, went wicketless while going at 6.47.Ouch.Siraj has been in sparkling form throughout this series, displaying all the skills needed to thrive with the new white ball•Associated PressIt’s possible, of course, that Siraj may have played those games and done just as poorly. His outstanding recent form with the new ball has coincided with an overall improvement in India’s record; they’ve averaged 21.10 in the first powerplay since Siraj’s comeback, and conceded 4.22 per over, indicating that they’ve often bowled in conditions with a little more help and/or to weaker top orders.But no matter what circumstances they came in, Siraj’s contribution to India’s improved new-ball record cannot be underestimated: since his comeback, he’s bowled 318 balls in the first 10 overs, over three times as many as the 102 delivered by Prasidh Krishna, who has taken on the next-biggest workload.As he’s shown through all three matches of this ODI series against South Africa, Siraj has all the skills you need with the new white ball. He swings the ball away from the right-hander, and snakes his wobble-seam ball back into them. His default line and length ensure a tight grouping of balls close to the top of off stump. He has a sharp bouncer.There were glimpses of skills for other phases too. In the second ODI, he bowled unchanged from the 44th over to the 50th, and conceded just 14 runs and four overthrows (which counted as byes and didn’t go into his figures) in four overs of unhittable slower cutters. Ball after ball, he hit that annoying length that was too short to drive and not short enough to pull, and used all the purchase on a dry Ranchi pitch to suffocate South Africa’s batters. The conditions were unusual – so dry and abrasive that the ball took on the greenish-brown colour that evoked the end overs of ODIs in the era when they only used one ball per innings – but he showed the control needed to make complete use of them.That’s been a feature of a lot of his recent performances too. In the third T20I in Indore, for instance, he bowled a 17th over full of inch-perfect yorkers, and gave away just eight runs – a small, memorable stretch of ball holding its own against bat in a match that was entirely about bat dominating ball.

Siraj’s outstanding recent form with the new ball has coincided with an overall improvement in India’s record; they’ve averaged 21.10 in the first powerplay since his comeback

The control Siraj showed in that over, and the control of length he showed right through the ODI series, indicated the kind of rhythm he’s in. This has been evident just from watching him run up and zip through the crease. Everything’s just looked smooth and in sync.There’s even a chance that this rhythm might tempt India to name Siraj as their replacement for Bumrah in their T20 World Cup squad. Thanks to a bout of Covid-19, it’s as yet unclear whether Shami – who seems to be their preferred option – will be at full fitness by the time the tournament begins. Deepak Chahar, the other fast bowler in the original list of reserves, is injured.Siraj was probably nowhere near India’s plans when they began planning for the World Cup. He’s only played two T20Is this year; Avesh Khan, in comparison, has played 15, and you could argue that Siraj was lucky to not get the time and space to have his weaknesses thoroughly tested.ODIs, moreover, are an entirely different beast to T20Is, with entirely different demands. Even if some strengths are transferable, Siraj’s biggest one – new-ball bowling – isn’t the gap India are looking to plug in Bumrah’s absence.But Siraj is quick, slippery and skilful, and he appears to be in peak rhythm. Sometimes, those reasons are compelling enough.