An “amazing” Everton player is now thought to be “seriously considering” leaving the club when the January transfer window arrives.
Beto under-fire among Everton fans
In the Blues’ 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, Beto again failed to score, meaning he has only found the net once in the competition this season.
Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers has revealed that one Everton fan slammed the Portuguese after the game, comparing him to “that riderless horse in the Grand National that keeps going even though he’s never going to win the race,” and adding that “hard work cannot be criticised but as a striker, you will be judged on goals and he just isn’t scoring enough of them”.
Beto hasn’t managed to consistently shine for the Blues since arriving at the club, but he isn’t alone, with too many new signings flattering to deceive in recent years.
While Jack Grealish has made a positive start to life at Everton, other fellow arrivals haven’t managed to hit the ground running, and one such figure is already reportedly eyeing a fresh challenge in his career.
Everton player "seriously considering" exit
According to Africa Foot [via Sport Witness], Everton left-back Adam Aznou is “seriously considering” leaving the club in January, having not yet played a single minute of football for the Blues this season.
The £25,000-a-week Spaniard only moved to the Hill Dickinson Stadium from Bayern Munich in the summer window, but it looks as though a loan move away could be on the cards. A switch to La Liga is most likely, with Getafe leading the race, and Everton are open to the idea of loaning him out.
Aznou must be frustrated with how things are panning out at Everton, but there is no need to panic about his early struggles, considering he is a young player in a new country, especially given how tough the Premier League is.
Alongside Beto: Moyes must drop 4/10 Everton star who lost possession 19x
Everton were humbled on their own patch as Tottenham Hotspur ran out convincing 3-0 winners.
ByKelan Sarson Oct 27, 2025
The former Bayern teenager is clearly a talent, being described as an “amazing player by scout Jacek Kulig, and a loan move elsewhere in the second half of the season could be more beneficial instead of him not even being involved in matchday squads.
Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal's father has been accused of 'provoking Real Betis fans' in a tense exchange during the club's win in La Liga on Saturday. Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick, while Yamal and Roony Bardghji were also on target as the Catalan giants clinched an eight-goal thriller and extended their lead over second-placed Real Madrid to four points.
Yamal shines with a goal in Barca's win
Yamal started in Hansi Flick's starting lineup against Betis, alongside Marcus Rashford and Torres as veteran forward Robert Lewandowski was rested for the clash. Torres stole the limelight for the visitors as he scored a first half hat-trick after Manchester United flop Antony handed the hosts an early lead. Young summer signing Roony Bardghji also scored in the first half, bagging his first La Liga goal, as the Catalan giants enjoyed a 4-1 lead at the break.
Around the hour mark, Barcelona won a penalty and Yamal took the spot-kick to further extend his team's lead. Diego Llorente and Cucho Hernandez scored a couple of late goals but the defending champions finally emerged victorious and walked away with a crucial three points.
AdvertisementAFPYamal's father clashed with home fans
While the teenager's performance on the pitch was excellent, his father landed himself in trouble after reportedly clashing with Real Betis fans at the stadium. According to the situation in the stands, where Yamal's father was seated, turned hostile after he deliberately provoked home supporters surrounding him near his seat.
He reportedly made gestures, which in turn angered the local fans as they became hostile, leading to heckling and tense moments. A stadium security officer had to intervene and he could be clearly seen approaching Yamal's father to ask him to calm down. Yago, though, later claimed (via ): "I just asked my friend who's there, and he said that for the moment things have calmed down, but there was a moment when he even thought something might happen."
Yamal declared La Liga Player of the Month
The Spanish sensation delivered a dominant run of form across Barcelona’s four La Liga fixtures in November, scoring against Elche, Celta Vigo and Deportivo Alaves while adding two assists in the Catalan side’s emphatic win over Athletic Club. Yamal’s standout moments included a two-assist display on Barcelona’s return to Camp Nou and another goal-and-assist performance against Alaves to close out the month.
Yamal's decisive impact in each fixture reinforced the sense that he had fully rediscovered rhythm and confidence after recent injury struggles. The 18-year-old's explosive contributions helped Barcelona win every league match during the month, propelling him past rivals including Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann in the final vote for La Liga's Player of the Month for November. The teenager's final November tally of three goals and three assists extended his league-leading creative total to eight assists.
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AFPYamal loving success at Barcelona
At just 18, Yamal is already a generational talent who is destined to achieve great success in his professional career. He has already drawn comparisons with Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi for his exceptional talent and goalscoring ability.
Speaking about the success he has achieved thus far, the youngster said: "Where I used to play, in my neighbourhood, there were walls where people would sit and there was no better feeling than getting the people who were sitting there to stand up and laugh at the opponents. I think it’s the best feeling in the world and something that reminds me of that a lot is when I’m playing on the field and the fans get up and are surprised by a play I’ve made. I can’t feel pressure when playing football. I just try to enjoy it. I think that my friends and family have been through harder things than me just playing football.
"Football is everything to me. It’s the first love of my life and it will remain so. It’s one of the sports where everyone is on an equal footing. I don’t think I’ve ever felt pressure playing football. My parents faced real pressure as young parents. Managing family, work, being happy, and buying gifts… that’s real pressure for me."
The Boyle brothers – Jack and Matt – posted their career-best scores in the first round before they face each other in the second
Deivarayan Muthu21-Nov-2025
Glenn Phillips returns to action
Glenn Phillips wasn’t originally named in Otago’s XII for the first round, but after clearing a late fitness test, he returned to action from injury and had a good workout against Wellington at Basin Reserve.Though Phillips scored only 6 in the first innings, he had a bigger role to play with the ball, bowling 37 overs across two innings and coming away with five wickets. Having proved his match fitness, Phillips could be back in contention for selection for the upcoming three-match Test series against West Indies. The allrounder has not played for New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final against India in Dubai in March earlier this year.After Wellington were asked to follow-on, Phillips found turn with a new-ish ball and had opener Sam Mycock caught at short leg. He then had Nick Kelly nicking to slip, for 150, with the older ball and proceeded to dismiss No. 11 Liam Dudding, setting up a simple 96-run chase for Otago. He then crashed an unbeaten 28 off 20 balls to ice the chase.After spending several months on the sidelines Phillips had an active week: he was retained by Gujarat Titans for IPL 2026 and impressed on his comeback from injury.
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Triple delight for Otago
Otago’s win, though, was set up by centuries from their top three: Jack Boyle, Jacob Cumming and Tom Jones. Jones, the grandson of former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney, enjoyed a memorable debut for Otago, hitting 119 off 124 balls, including 16 fours and three sixes. He took charge after Jack and Jacob, the son of former New Zealand opener Craig, struck up a 210-run opening stand after Otago were asked to bat. Having moved from Central Districts, Boyle scored a career-best 156 in his first Plunket Shield outing for Otago. This was only the fourth instance of top-three batters scoring hundreds in a Plunket Shield innings.
Matt Boyle also posts his career-best score
Jack’s younger brother, Matt, too lit up the opening round, following up his first-innings 70 with a career-best 156 not out in the final innings against Northern Districts in Rangiora. Matt came to the crease when Canterbury were 51 for 4 in pursuit of 370. He combined well with opener Chad Bowes (118) and wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay (59*) as Canterbury stormed back to chase the target and stun defending champions ND. This was Canterbury’s highest successful chase at Mainpower Oval. In the next round, Matt will come up against his brother Jack next week in Dunedin.
Aryan Mann: a future star?
In the injury-enforced absence of Tim Seifert and Ben Pomare, ND seem to have found a future star in Aryan Mann, who turned 19 in October and could be in action for New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup in January next year. Having made his Ford Trophy debut last week, the wicketkeeper-batter scored twin fifties on Plunket Shield debut. During the process, he went after Ish Sodhi and showed why he is rated highly in the New Zealand cricket circles. Mann was also sharp behind the stumps, effecting four dismissals. Earlier during the winter, he had travelled to Chennai to hone his game at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai.”Aryan has come in and he’s been with us for a couple of years,” Northern Districts captain Jeet Raval told ESPNcricinfo in the lead-up to the red-ball season. “He’s an easy-going character and doesn’t get fazed by the occasion and I think he’s quite comfortable in his own skin. He’s worked hard to get to this level and we’ve seen how he operates on a daily basis. He belongs to this level and I have no doubts he will go on to achieve bigger and better things.”Bevon Jacobs was among the runs for Auckland•New Zealand Cricket
Stackpole, Jacobs power Auckland
Auckland kickstarted their Plunket Shield campaign with an innings win against Central Districts in Palmerston North. Dale Phillips, Glenn’s brother, and captain Sean Solia, who recently played for Samoa, fell early, but Bevon Jacobs and Lachlan Stackpole propelled Auckland to 406. While Jacobs fell six short of a century, Stackpole zoomed past the landmark and finished with a career-best 148 off 112 balls, including 11 fours and nine sixes.While Jock McKenzie and Simon Keene caused damage to Central Districts’ reply and helped Auckland enforce the follow-on, left-arm spinner Rohit Gulati triggered another Central Districts collapse with a maiden five-wicket haul in his second Plunket Shield match.
Sam Elliott had the final say after New South Wales had suffered a middle-order collapse
AAP20-Oct-2025Charlie Stobo was nearly the hero for New South Wales, as Victoria held on in the last over for their first one-day win of the season.Stobo, batting at No. 8, made 47 from 41 balls in a riveting finish, after NSW had collapsed again at Junction Oval in the wake of last week’s Sheffield Shield loss.Stobo’s impressive knock, which included 19 off the penultimate over from Todd Murphy, brought them to within five runs of a comeback win, before he holed out to Murphy at mid-off off the bowling of seamer Sam Elliott with four balls left.”It was a cracking game in the end … obviously very happy with the result,” said Elliott, who is back from an Australia A white-ball tour of India. “Anyone who says they don’t get nervous is a liar. I was definitely nervous at the end there.”Luckily, we’ve played a lot of cricket together now. Being able to have that clear communication towards the end, that definitely does help.”The game had been shortened to 36 overs per side because of morning rain.The visitors were well on their way at 97 for 3 in the 21st over. Young quick Austin Anlezark then struck twice in three deliveries and part-time spinner Campbell Kellaway took another wicket in the next over to wrest control from NSW.Kellaway starred with 2 for 25 from seven overs with his left-arm spin after anchoring the Victorian innings at No. 3 with 43.Captain Will Sutherland top-scored with 46 from 44 balls after NSW won the toss.Stobo top scored for NSW with four fours and a six in his rearguard knock after taking 3 for 32 to lead their attack.Sam Konstas and Kurtis Patterson gave NSW a solid start with their opening stand of 54, before wickets fell steadily.On Friday, Victorian Test paceman Scott Boland rifled through the NSW tail with five wickets to decide their Sheffield Shield match.”A frustrating week – we were in the game, both games, and we let it slip,” said NSW captain Jack Edwards. He [Stobo] held his nerve, gave us a chance. He showed in the last game as well, what he can do with the bat – he’s a very handy cricketer.”It’s a shame he couldn’t get over the line there. We need to be more ruthless if we want to be a good side. We let them back in the game, they take the opportunity and run with it.”NSW are 2-2 in the One-Day Cup after Monday’s loss, with Victoria 1-3.NSW will regain Test star Steve Smith for their next Shield game from October 28, against Queensland at the Gabba.
The rougher squares this year have fulfilled the precondition for reverse swing in a span as short as 20 overs
Sidharth Monga06-May-2025Rajasthan Royals (RR) have had their mental fortitude questioned to the extent that pundits have been criticising their decision to chase even when it is plain to see they should. This kind of message comes with the territory: you play a popular league, you fail to close out two matches from nine required in the last over, and the first diagnosis is likely to be around mental strength and the first prescription is to tell you to stop doing what you have been doing.We can’t fact-check the pundits. There could well be a block, for all we know. However, what we know and can verify is that in both those games the ball reverse-swung appreciably, playing a part in what is popularly known as a “choke”.Mitchell Starc started the turnaround in the Delhi Capitals (DC) game. The ball to get a set Nitish Rana swung in 1.83 degrees. On average, Starc drew 1.2 degrees of swing in his last two overs as opposed to 0.8 in his first two with the new ball.Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Avesh Khan’s last two overs to deny RR featured even more reverse swing. The yorker to get Yashasvi Jaiswal swung 2.21 degrees. The yorker to beat Riyan Prag’s ramp swung 1.86.Related
Archives: Reverse swing – a rough guide
Mohit Sharma: Use of saliva is 100% helping the ball reverse swing
Reverse swing for Arshdeep or drier ball for Chahal – PBKS have to decide
There is enough anecdotal evidence of reverse swing in IPL 2025 at various ages of the ball. If Starc and Avesh swung it right at the end, there was a game when Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) Eshan Malinga reversed the ball in the 12th over and then right at the end. In the 18th over, he swung two balls at 2.59 degrees each, and took out Mumbai Indians’ (MI) Naman Dhir’s toe with one that swung in 1.84 degrees. Last year, 11% of deliveries, excluding slower balls, swung more than 1.5 degrees after the tenth over; this year it’s 18%. It has almost gone from one in ten to one in five.However, before we conclude that there has been more reverse swing than in the Covid-19 years, when the use of saliva to shine the ball was banned, we need to first acknowledge that degrees of swing is a flawed measure. The average swing is even worse. Aaron Briggs, who has done a PhD in the aerodynamics of swing bowling, has been advocating a “swing coefficient”, which measures swing independent of the time the ball spent in the air.The fuller you bowl, the more chance you give the ball to swing. So the degrees need to be normalised for length for it to be comparable. That, though, is the easier part. Briggs points out a bigger drawback in data collection in cricket: we don’t record the bowler’s intent or skill. We don’t yet record different seam orientations bowlers try. Did the bowler really intend to swing the ball? Was the release good? To account for that, the best we can do is exclude slower balls.Himanish Ganjoo, a physicist and data scientist, made the data somewhat comparable by normalising the degrees of swing for length. He considered only balls bowled at more than 128kph, and the following graphic emerged.
There have indeed been periods of significantly higher reverse swing this year. Briggs warns against oversimplifying this by correlating it with the lifting of the saliva ban. He says comparing reverse swing this year with pre-saliva-ban years will not provide any intelligence because the Kookaburra ball has itself evolved over the years.Briggs’ experiments have shown that more than the shine, the rough is a non-negotiable for reverse swing. The reverse swing is a function of how long the air sticks to the two sides of the ball. What you are basically doing is flinging the ball into an air tunnel. When the ball is perfectly smooth, air separates around the middle of the ball. As it gets rougher, this separation point moves to the back of the ball. When it gets even rougher – dirty, shammy rough as opposed to fluffy rough – this separation point moves forward. So if you have one side really dirty and rough and the other side less rough, the air on either side is separating from the ball at the two extremes, thus kicking the ball sideways.This is where shining agents – sweat, saliva, Vaseline, rubbing the ball on pants, etc – come in. This is how Wasim Akram explained reverse swing to me over two different interviews. He never messed with the new ball. Just used the conventional swing when it was still new. Once convinced there was no new-ball help left, start to get the ball really rough, it didn’t matter which side. Once you have got the ball rough, identify the rougher side and start shining the less rough one. And now it takes all the discipline to not let even one drop of sweat fall on the rough side.Now there are two big differences between that reverse swing and what we are seeing in the IPL. Firstly, it had the time for the ball to go rough before they could, in the words of Briggs, repair one of the sides. Twenty overs is hardly enough time for that to happen. More importantly, the red ball is polished, which can be re-shone with sweat or saliva. The white ball is painted; it cannot be repaired with sweat or saliva. The weight differential doesn’t even factor in because if one side is heavier, it will tilt down as opposed to move sideways.It’s the rougher squares this year, something the bowlers confirm they have encountered, that have fulfilled the first precondition even in a span as short as 20 overs. Without that roughness, saliva or sweat makes no difference. To Briggs, saliva over sweat is not a big difference either. He suspects it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy that bowlers, who believe saliva makes a difference, are attempting reverse swing more often, and thus getting it more often.Eshan Malinga reversed the ball in the 12th and 18th overs against MI•AFP/Getty ImagesOn the field, the bowlers differ. “There is no way we don’t try everything even with just sweat,” says one. Saliva, though, has two advantages. It is more viscous than sweat, and human bodies have a much larger supply of saliva than sweat. Now what the bowlers do is that they load one side of the ball with saliva, especially pucking it up where the quarter seam splits. And the quarter seam splits easily: one boundary into the LED boards and it is done. The bowlers load the seam split believing it makes one side heavier.”In 70% of the games, the ball is tailing in and it’s only because the saliva is heavy, and our sweat is not so heavy,” Mohit Sharma said recently. “If the ball is heavier on one side, it will tail in.”Briggs concedes that if the saliva is sugar-laden through candy or mint, it is possible that it forms a smooth layer over the rough, creating different degrees of roughness on the two sides. “We anyway never shone the old ball with sweat,” one bowler says. “Sweat was used only on the new ball. For the old ball, you need saliva. Saliva plus Mentos is the bomb.”To do that, though, will require a shrewd practitioner of managing the ball because umpires will not allow a player who has anything in their mouth to spit on the ball. Then again, it is not so strictly policed. A player could go off the field, have a lozenge, not bring the smoking gun onto the field, but the saliva will be thick and sugary for a while. Players are known to go off, apply Vaseline on their fingers and come back to shine the ball, but it is difficult to catch them red-handed. Given the stigma around ball-tampering, any action must be solid enough to stand the scrutiny of a court of law.
“In 70% of the games, the ball is tailing in and it’s only because the saliva is heavy, and our sweat is not so heavy. If the ball is heavier on one side, it will tail in”Mohit Sharma
Still, the administrators and umpires needn’t worry too much: the shine is of no use by itself, especially on the white ball. If the square is not dry and rough, the ball is not likely to reverse. This is why the umpires frown upon throws on the bounce. Anything from inside 30 yards must be sent in on the full, the only exception being a a direct hit on a genuine run-out chance.All said and done, though, the scoring rates haven’t dropped. Fast bowlers went at 11.43 per over at the death last year, this year it is 11.52. Expand it to the last ten overs, and the economy rate for pace bowlers has gone up from 10.49 to 10.58. In the first 50 matches this IPL, spinners have bowled 41% of the overs as opposed to 33% in the first 50 matches last year.For one, it is still small reverse swing, not the big, booming yorkers we have in our minds. So the impact is limited, which is not to say there is no impact. Ganjoo tells me that fast bowlers are attempting yorkers 42% of the time at the death this year as opposed to just 36% last year. The real advantage they have is that when they miss their length, they get saved by reverse swing. At the death this year, the strike rate on slot balls that swing less than 1.5 degrees is 161, but for those that swing more than 1.5 degrees, it is 121.It is a fact that bowlers have little agency in this format against batters with high intent, high resources and ever-improving hitting efficiency, but evidence suggests that whatever little reverse swing the bowlers have found has limited the damage a little bit. Also, not every square is rough, so not everyone can reverse. Therefore, overall numbers are not the best indicator. It is a tribute to the bowlers’ ingenuity that the moment they find conditions suitable for reverse, they manage to do so even in a 20-over game.
While Sunderland stole many of the plaudits in the summer for their outrageous transfer activity, with £100m+ splashed out on new recruits, Leeds United were arguably a tad more methodical in their approach when winning themselves some gems from all around Europe.
Daniel Farke and Co. are already thanking their lucky stars that they gambled on acquiring both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor from Hoffenheim and AC Milan, respectively, with a combined four goal contributions already picked up by the promising midfield duo in Premier League action.
In defence, Gabriel Gudmundsson also already looks like a steal in the left-back spot, having only cost £10m to snap up from Lille, while Lucas Perri was agonisingly close to his first clean sheet in his new location up against West Ham United last time out.
But, away from all these names mentioned, Sean Longstaff rightly sticks out as the best bit of business Leeds signed off on over a bumper summer, with the Premier League-experienced 27-year-old very much allowing the Whites to tick so far this season from the middle of the park.
Why Longstaff is one of Leeds' best signings
Already, the £12m summer purchase feels as if he has been in and around Elland Road for some time.
Longstaff has played a part in all nine of Leeds’ league matches so far this season on their return to the daunting top-flight, and while there have been some nerves on display as they navigate the choppy waters of the top division, the Newcastle-born midfielder has cut a cool and composed figure throughout.
Longstaff’s PL numbers for Leeds (25/26)
Stat – per 90 mins*
Longstaff
Games played
9
Goals scored
1
Assists
2
Touches*
46.2
Accurate passes*
27.1 (85%)
Key passes*
2.0
Big chances created
5
Tackles*
3.0
Ball recoveries*
3.0
Total duels won*
5.0
Stats by Sofascore
Having seen his career at his boyhood Magpies fizzle out, Longstaff clearly knew – from the get-go at his new employers – that he needed to prove himself, and he has certainly done that when looking at the table above.
Already, the brand-new number eight has chipped in with one goal and two assists from a central position on the pitch, but he has offered up far more than just a goal threat, with an average of five duels won per contest enabling Farke’s men to see out some tight contests.
Accumulating five big chances being created, too, has even led to some bold shouts that Longstaff is Leeds’ second coming of Pablo Hernandez, as Farke now potentially attempts to recreate the magic of this shrewd deal in January by landing another classy top-flight veteran when the transfer window swings back open.
Leeds considering another Longstaff-style signing
It has been some turnaround for Longstaff since ditching the home comforts of Tyneside, with zero goals or assists falling into his lap during his final campaign at Eddie Howe’s Toon.
Ross Barkley will hope he can similarly breathe life back into his waning playing days at Elland Road if rumours are to be believed, with a report from The Leeds Press revealing that the West Yorkshire outfit is considering a move for the reserve Aston Villa presence, who even once had a short-term loan stint at Leeds way back in 2013.
Now, he could be returning, again on loan, but this time as a far more experienced option, as Leeds reportedly weigh up a move for an attacking midfielder in the window, and while he has struggled to break into Emery’s first team picture as of late, he is certainly a classy operator on his day.
Indeed, this fiercely struck effort against Leicester City earlier in the year is just one of seven goals Barkley has put away for the Villans, meaning he definitely has a similar eye for a goal to that of Longstaff.
Barkley’s PL record
Stat
Barkley
Games played
287
Goals scored
37
Assists
34
Sourced by Transfermarkt
More importantly, too, the 31-year-old has also shone before in a team that is attempting to beat the drop in Luton Town – as seen in his weighty five goals and seven assists for the then troubled Hatters – and became a beloved fan favourite, subsequently, with one of his teammates in Andros Townsend at Kenilworth Road even hailing him as “unbelievable” to play alongside.
It could well be, much like Longstaff, that Barkley comes back into his own in West Yorkshire, with the well-travelled attacking midfielder also being dubbed as “exquisite” by his former Everton manager in Roberto Martinez, for his skilful approach on the pitch.
The £60k-per-week star is somewhat fading away at Villa Park, though, with just 30 minutes of action handed to him this season.
Yet, if he relocates to Leeds this coming January, he could end up rebuilding his career before it’s too late, just as Longstaff has already done this season.
Forget Longstaff: £10m star is now Leeds' best signing since Bielsa left
This Leeds United star could now be considered the best signing the Whites have made since Marcelo Bielsa left.
Aston Villa’s first Premier League win of the season didn’t fall until late September, but heading into Liverpool’s clash with Unai Emery’s side later today, the two sides are somehow tied on 15 points in the early league standings.
Of course, the West Midlands outfit has turned around its slow start, but it speaks more to how alarmingly quick the wheels have fallen off for Arne Slot’s machine in recent matches, with his side deep in a four-game losing streak in league action, alongside also tasting defeat in the Champions League and the EFL Cup along the way.
The under-fire Dutchman will surely be considering changes aplenty heading into this late-night clash against the Villans, with Alexis Mac Allister in danger of being dropped, as his own personal season shows no signs of improvement.
Mac Allister's drop-off at Liverpool
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that Mac Allister was crucial to Slot and Co. last season as they romped home to the Premier League title.
Of course, Mohamed Salah stole most of the plaudits as everything he touched turned to gold, but the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder was also a sensational spectacle to take in all campaign long, with five goals and five assists heading his way, strengthening his presence as a constant livewire from the centre of the park.
Unfortunately for Slot, though, it looks as if the Argentinian’s days of hammering home strikes like this sweetly struck one against Fulham are long behind him, with Mac Allister now looking “like Fabinho in his final season”.
It’s been lethargic showing after lethargic showing all season long, in truth, with the number ten doing little to tighten his grip on a first-team spot against Villa when struggling, again, against Crystal Palace mid-week as a much-changed Reds XI crashed out of the EFL Cup as abject 3-0 losers.
Mac Allister would fail to hit a single shot at stand-in Palace keeper Walter Benítez, while also only managing to win a weak two duels centrally, as per Sofascore.
With news emerging that Ryan Gravenberch could be fit for the clash later today, it might be a case of swapping out the South American “disappointment” – as one analyst also branded him recently – for the returning Dutchman.
Mac Allister isn’t the only worrying drop-off Slot has had to contend with, though, as this high-profile summer signing is already in danger of being seen as a flop, based on his early days at Anfield, despite joining with such fanfare.
Liverpool star is looking "painfully out of his depth"
Liverpool demanded everyone’s attention in the hectic summer transfer window.
£415m was wildly spent, after all, with £40m of that huge amount being forked out to land blistering AFC Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, following a breakout campaign on the south coast.
His unbounded energy for Andoni Iraola’s men, which resulted in five league assists coming his way last season, must have made Kerkez a priority target for Liverpool, as they went about refreshing their defence in the wake of Trent Alexander-Arnold gallivanting off to Real Madrid.
Yet, while his extremely dangerous pace is clear for all to see in the above clip, Kerkez has yet to really find his Bournemouth groove again at Anfield, with two games on the trot against Chelsea and Manchester in October, seeing him attempt just one dribble.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
76
Accurate passes
40/53 (75%)
Possession lost
19x
Tackles won
0
Total duels won
3/9
Much like Mac Allister, too, he struggled again when selected against the Eagles mid-week, with Ismaila Sarr having a field day up against the out-of-sorts Hungarian, leading to his two goals rubbing more salt into the gaping Liverpool wound.
Away from that one-on-one battle, Kerkez also only won three out of his nine duels on the night, on top of losing possession a high 19 times, with journalist Tim Spier’s comments that the number six is “painfully out of his depth” lining up for the red half of Merseyside very much ringing true.
Andrew Robertson might be a sensible replacement moving forward, as Slot attempts to put together a strong enough XI that can clinch a desperately needed win against Villa, with the “naive” full-back – as Gary Neville has labelled him – likely to drop out subsequently, alongside Mac Allister.
Every Liverpool game that Jeremie Frimpong will now miss after latest injury
West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has reportedly made his feelings about recruitment crystal clear to the board ahead of January, with the Portuguese adamant that they need to strengthen multiple areas of the squad.
West Ham told by Nuno to make three signings in January
Second bottom after conceding more Premier League goals than any other side so far, losing six of their first eight matches, West Ham are staring relegation in the face if they don’t improve quickly.
Nuno is yet to win his first game as manager since taking over from Graham Potter in September, and they looked completely bereft of ideas in their last outing against Brentford at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
West Ham fielded a much-changed line-up to face the Bees, which included a host of men playing out of position, and Nuno’s team selection for the 2-0 defeat certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.
They were second best all over the pitch and barely threatened the away side at all, barring a decent attempt from winger Jarrod Bowen, with the January window looking more and more like Nuno’s potential lifeline.
According to reports this week, Nuno has urged West Ham chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to sign a defender, midfielder and forward in the winter (GiveMeSport) as three key positions to address.
Defensively, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo had a nightmare against Brentford. While Igor Julio has impressed in training lately and could be recalled to the West Ham squad to face Leeds, especially after Konstantinos Mavropanos’ injury, the need for another option is evident.
In midfield, Nuno is believed to want a box-to-box engine room technician who can inject some pace, with internal talks held over a potential move for Chelsea star Andrey Santos among others (GiveMeSport).
Out of all West Ham’s glaring weaknesses, you don’t need an expert to tell you that they’re sorely lacking a reliable number nine who they can rely on as a consistent goalscoring threat.
Niclas Füllkrug’s injury nightmare since joining from Borussia Dortmund threatens to add the German to a long list of failed West Ham striker signings, and it is believed they’re already moving for alternatives.
West Ham have reportedly spoken to Real Madrid about signing Endrick on loan, while journalist Alan Nixon reported earlier this week that the east Londoners are considering ex-Brentford star Ivan Toney on a temporary deal too.
While their goalkeeping department demands the least attention, it is now being reported that West Ham have a chance to sign yet another big-name on loan.
West Ham offered Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen on loan
That man is Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
FC Barcelona's Marc-AndreterStegenlifts the trophy with teammates afterwinning LaLiga
The Catalans captain has barely featured since Hansi Flick took charge in 2024, having suffered various injury problems, but ter Stegen is expected to be back around December — on the eve of the next transfer window.
With Joan Garcia now seizing the number one spot, Barça have told their club legend that he’s free to leave in January for more game time, informing ter Stegen’s camp that they should start looking for a new landing spot.
According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, West Ham are one of the clubs who’ve been offered a chance to sign ter Stegen on loan, with intermediaries reaching out over a potential deal.
The 33-year-old is a serial winner. Boasting a Champions League winner’s medal and six La Liga titles from his time at the Camp Nou, ter Stegen would bring a champion’s mentality to Rush Green – something which has been severely lacking in the squad for quite some time.
However, given his £280,000-per-week wages, and the fact West Ham need to prioritise outfield positions, an agreement could well be out of the Hammers’ reach.
Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that Leeds United have received a response after making contact to sign an “outstanding” attacker in the past few days.
Leeds showing fight in battle for survival
Heading into a tricky three-game run against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, Daniel Farke would’ve been fearing the worst, given the widespread speculation about his future, but his side have managed to amass a very respectable four points.
Even in the 3-2 loss at the Etihad Stadium, the Whites showed heart, fighting back from 2-0 down, which will be very encouraging for Farke, and the 2024-25 Championship title-winners remain outside the relegation zone for the time being.
That said, it is still very close near the bottom of the Premier League table, with both Nottingham Forest and West Ham United starting to pick up better results since hiring new managers.
Consequently, it is little wonder Leeds have started looking at new signings ahead of the January transfer window, recently making an approach for Tromso star Jens Hjerto-Dahl, and they have now set their sights on £21m summer Como signing Martin Baturina.
That is according to Romano (via Leeds United News), who said: “Baturina is a player Como still wants to focus on, they’re not thinking about a January exit. I’ll tell you the behind-the-scenes story. In the last few days, Leeds has been in touch, the teams are starting to move.
“Leeds has proposed opening talks with Como and the player’s agents about a possible transfer, even a permanent one. Leeds would have practically repaid Baturina to Como,”
“The response I understand from both Como and the player was ‘No, thanks’. Baturina wants to stay at Como, he believes in the project Como is happy with Baturina, with how he trains, the potential he has.
“Baturina continues to work hard, but the door has been closed for Leeds. In short, it also marks some clarity regarding the rumours that have been circulating about the future of the Croatian midfielder.”
Leeds scouts now spotted watching "fantastic" European standout alongside Man Utd
He’s one to watch.
By
Tom Cunningham
7 days ago
"Outstanding" Baturina could have bright future ahead
Leeds will be frustrated they didn’t receive the ideal response after making a move for the 22-year-old, given just how impressive he was at Dinamo Zagreb, registering 22 goals and 39 assists in 165 outings, while he has also now scored his first goal for Croatia.
Scout Ben Mattinson has also waxed lyrical about the attacking midfielder, saying a little over a year ago: “His vision and weight of pass is outstanding.”
However, the former Dinamo Zagreb man hasn’t exactly hit the ground running since moving to Italy, being benched for the majority of Como’s Serie A matches this season, having recorded just one goal contribution in his first seven outings.
As such, Baturina clearly isn’t the finished article just yet, so it is not majorly disappointing that Leeds appear to have missed out.
Arsenal have now joined the race for a £88m forward who recently entered “very advanced” talks over a move to Tottenham Hotspur…
Gunners ramping up pursuit of forward amid Eze criticism
The Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League table was reduced to just two points on Saturday, with Aston Villa securing a 2-1 win at Villa Park, and Shaka Hislop was particularly unimpressed with Eberechi Eze’s performance.
Hislop said: “He could have been taken off after 30 minutes, I’ll be honest.
“Now I am as willing as anybody to sing Eze’s praises, but everything from Arsenal came down the right in that first half.
“Everything came through Bukayo Saka, so the change had to be made at half-time because Eze was non-existent.”
In fairness, Eze has made a very promising start to life at the Emirates Stadium, with the England international amassing nine goal contributions in his opening 22 matches across all competitions.
However, the 27-year-old’s best performance arguably came in the 4-1 victory against Tottenham, during which he played through the middle, so there may be room to bring in another left-winger this winter, and Arsenal are now ramping up their pursuit.
It was recently revealed that a strong move is being made for Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola, but the Frenchman is not the only target, with a report from Caught Offside revealing Arsenal have now joined the race for RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.
The Gunners have been monitoring Diomande’s progress over the past few weeks, alongside a number of Europe’s top clubs, while Spurs are also keen, with Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri recently stating they are in “very advanced” talks with the left-winger.
A deal could be on the expensive side, however, with it being suggested RB Leipzig could look to hold out for around €80m – €100m (£70m – £88m).
Arsenal to "directly contact" £88m forward about joining after talks with his reps
Arteta apparently wants to sign him in January.
By
Emilio Galantini
7 days ago
Diomande making "sensational" impact in Germany
The Ivorian only made the move to Germany during the summer, but he has already started to make a major impact, being singled out for high praise by scout Jacek Kulig.
Most recently, the 19-year-old put in a remarkable performance in his side’s 6-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring a hat-trick and completing more dribbles than any other player.
Yan Diomande’s key statistics vs Frankfurt
Number completed
Dribbles (successful)
8 (4)
Key passes
1
Duels (won)
13 (6)
Goals
3
Considering Diomande is still a teenager, the level of his performances in the Bundesliga this season have been remarkable, and he may be ready to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs soon, so it would be fantastic if Arsenal were able to beat Tottenham to his signature.