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Sunderland could have striker Nathan Broadhead available for tomorrow’s crunch League One play-off semi-final second leg away at Sheffield Wednesday.

What’s the latest?

The Black Cats ran out 1-0 victors against Darren Moore’s men on Friday evening, although they will feel as though their aggregate lead should be more going into their trip to Hillsborough after a dominant display.

Following the match, Sunderland boss Alex Neil claimed, as quoted by the Sunderland Echo: “He [Broadhead] will have a chance for Monday. Unfortunately, tonight was too soon.

“We will assess him over the next few days and make a call.

“Tonight he wasn’t ready. It’s tough as he is a good player but we have other good players.”

Supporters will be hopeful

Although Broadhead’s availability isn’t 100% confirmed, the Sunderland faithful will be hopeful that the 24-year-old will at least make the squad that travels to south Yorkshire tomorrow.

The Everton-loanee has had an excellent campaign for the Wearside outfit, scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances although injuries have prevented the Welshman from making a serious impact at the Stadium of Light.

With this season being their fourth consecutive campaign in the third tier, Neil’s side arguably have their best chance of finally escaping League One since suffering back-to-back relegations in 2017 and 2018.

The Black Cats did manage to reach the play-off final in their first season in League One back in 2019, although victorious Charlton Athletic were deserved winners on the day.

Despite having the lead on aggregate, their advantage is small and will certainly be tested by a Sheffield Wednesday side who boast the best home form in League One this term.

Moreover, Sunderland lost 3-0 on their previous visit to Hillsborough earlier this season, although that was under their previous manager Lee Johnson.

Therefore, having extra firepower available in Broadhead will be a major boost for Neil’s side’s chances of making it to Wembley where they will face either Wycombe Wanderers or MK Dons for a place in the Championship on 21 May.

AND in other news: Neil can blow SAFC supporters away with £3.4k-p/w gem who was made “in a laboratory”

A recent report from Football Transfers has claimed that Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, with the player’s representatives having met with the Magpies last month as the 24-year-old seeks an escape route out of Vicarage Road.

The former Rennes man appears to be eyeing a new home as the Hornets ebb towards an inevitable drop back into the second tier, with the report suggesting that a fee of roughly £40m could be enough to snap him up this summer.

Although it remains to be seen if Eddie Howe’s side are actually interested in pursuing the signing of the £71k-per-week speedster, the thought of him lining up at St James’ Park next season truly is a mouthwatering prospect.

The Senegalese sensation has endured a tricky stint back in the top-flight – with just five goals and two assists to his name in the Premier League this season – although he caught the eye during an explosive debut campaign in English football two seasons ago.

Having made the club-record switch to his current side in the summer of 2019, the 39-cap international went on to provide 11 goal contributions in that first season, albeit with that not proving enough to keep the club away from the drop zone.

The subsequent season saw Sarr remain with Watford despite interest from the likes of Manchester United, with the “rapid” ace, as he has been described by Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, bagging 13 goals and registering ten assists as Xisco Munoz’s side secured an instant return back to the top tier.

Dubbed a “freak” by current teammate Ben Foster for his ridiculous talent, the one-time Metz man would offer guaranteed thrills to those in the northeast, with Howe and co already having his perfect partner in crime in Allan Saint-Maximin.

Should the Frenchman stay put – despite reports he is up for sale – he would seemingly be able to dovetail beautifully with Sarr, the duo offering electric speed and undoubted skill down the flank.

While Saint-Maximin often does his damage cutting in off the left, the aforementioned target is at his most potent down the right-wing, offering the Newcastle boss the chance to terrify teams on the counter and remain a threat on both wings.

Although it is not yet known if there is concrete interest in the £24.3m-rated gem, PIF should do the club’s supporters – and the Premier League – a favour by putting the two dynamic stars together.

They would surely be buzzing at the thought of watching the pair play at St James’ Park next term.

IN other news, Newcastle plot bid to sign player with 191 PL apps, he’d be a big upgrade on Lascelles…

When it comes to flop signings, Chelsea have made more than their fair share over the last four or five years.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk are just some of the players who arrived for big money and failed to live up to expectations.

Another star who looked destined for greatness at Stamford Bridge, but ultimately left a flop, was German international Timo Werner.

Unfortunately for Enzo Maresca and Co, one of the players in his current squad looks like he could be on his way to becoming Chelsea’s new Werner.

Werner's failed Chelsea career

When Chelsea agreed to pay RB Leipzig £45m to activate Werner’s release clause in the summer of 2020, there was an understandable level of excitement among the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

At the time, the then-24-year-old forward was one of the most exciting players in the whole of Europe and had just spent the last two campaigns scoring for fun.

For example, across the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons, the Stuttgart-born sensation had scored 53 goals and provided 23 assists in 82 appearances, totalling 6692 minutes.

In other words, the German international was averaging a goal involvement every 1.07 games, or every 88.05 minutes, which was a truly world-class rate of return.

Unfortunately, while he was perhaps not as bad as some fans made out, the 29-year-old would never recreate that sort of form for the Blues.

Appearances

45

52

Minutes

3589′

3831′

Goals

34

12

Assists

13

15

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

0.51

Minutes per Goal Involvement

76.36

141.88′

In fact, he wouldn’t even get close.

Across his two campaigns with the West Londoners, in which he made 89 appearances, the 57-capped international would score 23 goals and provide 21 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 2.02 games.

Now, that isn’t horrendous, but it wasn’t deemed enough to lead the line, and something the stats don’t really show is that he ended up getting quite the reputation for missing chances, especially following that game against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Chelsea decided to cut their losses in the summer of 2022, selling the rapid striker back to Leipzig for just £25m. Fast-forward to today, and it now looks like Maresca might have his own Werner in the squad.

Chelsea's new Werner

The unfortunate truth is that you could make the case that several of Chelsea’s summer signings have struggled this season, but the one who feels like he could become the new Werner is undoubtedly Jamie Gittens.

Now, the Englishman is still young and could therefore come good in the long run, but as things stand, it’s hard not to see the similarities between him and the German’s start to life in West London.

For example, like the former Leipzig star, the Reading-born gem joined the Pensioners after impressing in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

Despite being so young, the 21-year-old scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 49 appearances for the German giants, totalling 2803 minutes.

In fact, the winger was so impressive at points during the campaign, such as his performance away to Real Madrid, that Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley went as far as calling him “England’s best left winger.”

Unfortunately, as was the case with Werner, Chelsea fans are yet to see the dynamic winger at his best this year.

For example, while his tally of one goal and five assists in 18 appearances is already disappointing enough, it becomes more so when you take into account that three of his goal involvements came in the League Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Appearances

18

Minutes

830′

Goals

1

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.33

Minutes per Goal Involvement

138.33′

As things stand, the former Dortmund star is nowhere near good enough to start games for Maresca, nor does he seem to have much impact off the bench, so, while it’s harsh, it’s hard to disagree with one analyst who dubbed him a “pointless signing.”

Ultimately, there is still time for Gittens to come good at Chelsea, but at the moment, he looks destined to become another Werner.

Watch out Delap: Chelsea set sights on "one of Europe's most in-form CFs"

The free-scoring forward could spell the end of Liam Delap at Chelsea.

ByJack Salveson Holmes 6 days ago

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table for another week.

On Saturday evening, in a game that was far from thrill a minute stuff, Mikel Arteta’s team battled to a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage against Fulham; Gabriel’s flick-on from a corner bundled over the line by Leandro Trossard’s thigh.

Cue the familiar song: set piece again, olé olé!

That makes it five wins on the spin across all competitions for the Gunners while, in a second successive Premier League match, their opponents failed to register a single shot on target, the first time Arsenal have achieved this since doing so against Birmingham and, coincidentally, Fulham during the Invincibles season of 2003/04.

While man of the match Bukayo Saka and match-winner Trossard, more on him in just a second, will get the headlines, another of Arteta’s most-trusted disciples also underlined his importance to this team in West London.

Arsenal's star man against Fulham

With Eberechi Eze deployed centrally to fill Martin Ødegaard’s void, the biggest team selection headache facing Arteta on Saturday was who to deploy on the left wing.

Both options had been on target during the international break; Trossard netted for Belgium in Cardiff, while Martinelli scored for Brazil in Tokyo, but Arteta will certainly feel vindicated in his decision.

Having scored as a substitute against Athletic Club and Port Vale last month, Trossard has started each of the last five Premier League and Champions League fixtures, forcing over the line his first league goal of the campaign at the weekend, and what an important one it could prove to be.

This, though, is nothing new, with the Belgian taking his tally to 31 goals and 25 assists for the Gunners, averaging a goal contribution every 130 minutes.

In fact, since his debut in January 2023, only Saka (42 goals) has scored more times for Arsenal than Trossard, just ahead of Kai Havertz and Martinelli, both on 29 goals.

So, while Trossard will rightly get plenty of plaudits, which other Arsenal player deserves to be spotlighted for their eye-catching performance at Craven Cottage?

Mikel Arteta's new favourite chaos merchant

The emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly was one of the key storylines of last season.

In the space of only five months, the teenager went from playing in the EFL trophy in front of 2,400 people to starting Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

This season though, the England international is yet to start a Premier League match, through no fault of his own, it should be reiterated, purely because Arteta is enamoured with what Riccardo Calafiori offers.

The Italy international accumulated just 1,497 minutes during his first season in North London, starting only 16 matches across all competitions, but has started all eight Premier League fixtures to date this time round, so far managing to remain injury-free.

His performance at Fulham on Saturday evening was Calafiori at his chaotic best.

Expected goals

0.04

9th

Shots off target

1

3rd

Defensive actions

5

6th

Clearances

4

4th

Accurate passes

27

9th

Pass completion %

87%

9th*

Duels contested

9

6th

Aerial duels contested

5

4th

Touches

50

9th

Average rating

6.8

11th

*minimum 16 passes completed.

As the table outlines, while Calafiori’s statistics don’t stand out for any one metric in particular, he ranks highly for a wide variety of numbers, underlining that he is contributing all over the pitch.

Early in the first half, the £42m Italian thought he had broken the deadlock, only for his thunderous volley to be disallowed due to offside, one that journalist Charles Watts posits may be one of the best disallowed goals in modern Arsenal history.

Now that you’re thinking about it, Pépé vs Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, Trossard at Leicester and Gabriel against Bournemouth are the other leading contenders.

Back to Calafiori, he continues to impress, with Andrew Mangan of Arseblog labelling him ‘defensively very solid again’ while, paradoxically, James Benge of CBS asserts that he is “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment”.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

To support this, amazingly, the left-back has attempted 16 shots in the Premier League this season, scoring at Old Trafford on the opening day of course, the second-most of any Arsenal player, behind only centre-forward Viktor Gyökeres.

It’s for that reason that he has, undoubtedly, been just as important as star man Saka of late.

Indeed, the fact the defender is able to combine being an excellent defensive presence with being a chaotic on-ball contributor, something this Arsenal team often lacks, especially when coming up against a low block, is absolutely invaluable.

Saturday saw Arteta’s team keep their eighth clean sheet in just 11 matches across all competitions this season, staggering numbers that would not be possible if one quartet of their back four was in any way a defensive liability.

William Saliba and Gabriel rightly get plenty of plaudits, while Jurriën Timber’s exceptional performances this season have earned plenty of praise too, but Calafiori’s contribution should not be overlooked, given that he offers this team so much, literally all over the pitch.

As bad as Gyokeres: Arteta must boldly drop 6/10 Arsenal star after Fulham

Arsenal won 1-0 at Craven Cottage but it wasn’t all plain sailing for Mikel Arteta’s side.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 19, 2025

After failing to impress once again as Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season against Crystal Palace, Jamie Carragher has pinpointed “another problem” that Florian Wirtz is having at Anfield.

Slot: Liverpool "have to go back" to set-piece strength

In what is becoming quite the trend, Liverpool were undone by two set pieces against Crystal Palace as the Eagles shocked the Premier League champions late on at Selhurst Park. Eddie Nketiah’s late strike was the fourth goal that Liverpool have conceded from set pieces this season in a record that Arne Slot admitted must change.

The Dutchman said in his press conference ahead of the Galatasaray game: “Last season I said many times, the reason we hardly conceded was that 11 players worked incredibly hard to make it difficult for the other team to even create a chance.

“That’s what we have done this season many times as well, but you can work as hard as you want but a set-piece is almost a different game inside a game. That was, by the way, one of our main strengths last season, that we hardly conceded from set-pieces.

“We have to go back to that, we haven’t changed our set-up, we haven’t changed anything, so we have to prove in the upcoming weeks and months that we were maybe a bit unlucky in conceding some set-pieces.

Not Isak: Liverpool star is their own version of Arsenal icon Thierry Henry

Liverpool have enjoyed incredible success with this talent in their mix.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 29, 2025

“That can happen in five or six games [and can be] difficult to see it for the long term. We definitely have to improve because I also see teams in the Premier League that win games by set-pieces, and we lose games because of set-pieces.”

It’s not just set pieces that Liverpool should be concerned with, however. £116m arrival Wirtz is yet to make his mark and many have had their say as to why that is, including former player Carragher.

Carragher pinpoints "another problem" for Wirtz

Without a goal or assist since the Community Shield, there’s no denying that Wirtz is struggling to adapt to life at Anfield. The German has looked a shadow of the player that many know he is capable of becoming at Anfield and Saturday’s defeat has welcomed some uncomfortable questions.

Taking the chance to have his say on Wirtz’s struggles, Carragher actually told Monday Night Football that the form of Alexis Mac Allister is causing the midfielder “another problem”. The Argentine has faced injury struggles since the end of last season and has endured his own poor form on the pitch as a result.

There’s plenty of truth to that statement. In Wirtz’s most impressive Premier League display, he only showed signs of life against Arsenal when Mac Allister was replaced by Curtis Jones and no longer occupying similar spaces to the former Bayer Leverkusen star as a result.

The big question for Slot this summer revolved around how he would get both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak in his side. As it turns out, however, his biggest problem could be fitting both Mac Allister and Wirtz into his midfield.

Leeds United’s form at the start of the 2025/26 campaign has been impressive. Daniel Farke’s side are not in the relegation zone at the start of the season, and the early signs are positive. In fact, ESPN journalist Ryan O’Hanlon said the Whites have “played quite well” at the start of the campaign.

Critically, the Yorkshire-based side have defended well. According to Understat, seven sides have conceded more than their seven goals. On top of that, their expected goals against tally of 6.42 xGA is 10th best in the English top flight.

The Whites will certainly have to be on their A game defensively against Bournemouth on Saturday. They have the unenviable task of keeping Antoine Semenyo quiet.

Why Leeds must stop Semenyo

There is little doubt that stopping Semenyo this weekend at Elland Road will go a long way to helping Leeds reduce Bournemouth’s attacking threat. At the start of the season, the winger was described as “one of the best players in the league” by BBC Sport tactics correspondent Umir Irfan.

That is certainly a fair assessment of the winger, who has shown just how much of a threat he can be to sides. The Ghanaian international already has three goals and two assists, including a brace at Anfield on the opening day of the season.

The Whites have already been on the receiving end of a Semenyo goal, too. Scoring against Leeds is certainly not an unfamiliar feeling for the winger, who bagged against them back in 2022/23 for the Cherries. That is one of two appearances he made against the club, with the other coming for Bristol City in 2018/19.

One of the things Leeds must be most cautious of when coming up against the forward is his deadly ball-carrying skills. The winger averaged 2.2 successful dribbles per 90 minutes this season, to go along with his threat in the final third.

It will certainly be important for Leeds to stop the Cherries attacker on Saturday. Indeed, Farke could adjust his starting lineup to play someone who might be better at coping with the winger.

The Leeds star who can help silence Semenyo

Leeds are looking to maintain what is, so far, a strong defensive record. That is certainly something that will help keep them in the top flight this season. Bournemouth’s attacking threat from the likes of Semenyo will challenge that.

However, Farke may well decide to turn to James Justin to help keep the Ghanaian attacker at bay. The former Leicester City full-back was one of Leeds’ summer signings, joining from the Foxes for a fee of £10m including add-ons.

The England international has not played many minutes for the Whites so far. He’s featured twice in the Premier League, playing just 17 minutes in that time. He is match fit, though, having started Leicester’s first two Championship games this season.

He could certainly be a good candidate to start at Elland Road, in a bid to silence Semenyo. Justin is now a vastly experienced player, having played 101 times in the Premier League for Leicester and Leeds.

Not only will he bring experience to Farke’s side when going up against Semenyo, but he is also a more than competent defender. The full-back has put up some impressive numbers over the past few Premier League seasons with Leicester. For example, in 2019/20, he averaged 4.2 tackles and interceptions and won an average of 2 aerial duels.

2019/20

4.2

2

2020/21

4

1.1

2021/22

2.5

1.2

2022/23

2.5

1.7

2024/25

3.2

2.1

Justin’s task on Saturday afternoon is clear: stop Semenyo. He poses a huge threat to Leeds going forward, with his impact in the final third and direct dribbling ability. Should Farke give Justin the nod, he possesses the talent and experience to help stop the winger.

As Statman Dave said, the defender is a “colossal” figure at the back. Leeds would need to see that in action if he was to start against Semenyo.

Leeds struck gold on "indispensable" star who's now worth more than Stach

This Leeds star was one of Farke’s best signings

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 25, 2025

Chelsea continue to be extremely busy in the transfer market.

Just last week, both João Pedro and Jamie Gittens arrived, with the Brazilian thrown straight in for his debut off the bench against Palmeiras in Friday night’s Club World Cup quarter-finals.

That 2-1 victory in Philadelphia means Enzo Maresca’s team faced Fluminense in the semi-finals, and Pedro truly delivered, scoring twice as the Blues progressed through to Sunday’s final, where Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid will await at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Meantime, back at home, Chelsea’s recruitment staff continue to be the hardest-working people in football, so could the Blues snap up yet another highly-rated young talent?

Chelsea's search for more attacking talent

With all their arrivals, The Times are reporting that Chelsea ‘need to raise’ in excess of £60m through player sales to be compliant with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations.

With that in mind, reports suggest that Arsenal are ‘advancing their pursuit’ of Noni Madueke, who they believe is valued at around £50m, noting that personal terms have already been agreed.

If that deal goes through, will they be able to use that money to sign another English talent?

Well, Simon Johnson of The Athletic notes that the Blues are ‘big admirers’ of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, adding that Chelsea’s summer transfer activity is unlikely to be finished yet.

One sticking point is likely to be the player’s price, with talkSPORT previously quoting that the England international is valued at something in the region of £100m.

How Morgan Rogers would improve Chelsea

Should this come to fruition, he would be yet another former Manchester City academy player, or indeed coach, to end up at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca

2022-23

2024

Cole Palmer

2010-23

2023

Liam Delap

2019-20

2025

Jamie Gittens

2018-20

2025

Roméo Lavia

2020-22

2023

Tosin Adarabioyo

2003-20

2024

Rogers featured for Manchester City in the UEFA Youth League, EFL Trophy, FA Youth Cup and PL2, without ever making a senior appearance, departing for Middlesbrough before exploding on the scene at Aston Villa.

Now though, could the 22-year-old swap the West Midlands for West London?

Rogers certainly impressed at Villa this season, registering 14 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, including a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic in January.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserted that he enjoyed a “magnificent campaign”, while former defender Jamie Carragher noted that he was truly “unstoppable” in the Premier League.

Another former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood, also an ex-Villa boss of course, believes Rogers is worth at least £80m, underlining his exponential improvement, having joined the Villans for up to £15m just 18 months ago.

But the question remains: is Rogers a bigger talent than the recently arrived Gittens, as well as the potentially departing Madueke? Let’s find out.

Games

54

45

49

Minutes

4,496

2,625

2,803

Goals

14

11

12

Assists

15

5

5

Stats below: per-90 league & UCL only.

Shots

1.5

2.6

1.8

Shooting accuracy %

50.84%

56.14%

50.74%

Chances created

1.5

1.4

1.1

Take-on success %

50.3%

49.45%

49.53%

Touches

46

47

49

Touches in the box

4.6

8.8

6.2

As the table outlines, many of the attacking metrics included are generally comparable across all three players assessed.

Rogers scored more goals and registered significantly more assists than both Madueke and Gittens, albeit doing so in almost twice as many minutes on the pitch, albeit he also came out on top for chances created, on a per-90 basis, and take-on success percentage too.

That suggests that Rogers isn’t just a livewire in the final third but he’s also got the end product to boot.

Where he would fit in, and how much it would cost to get him out of Aston Villa, well, those would be the tough questions? Either way, coming off the back of an outstanding campaign, he would well be set to better Madueke and Gittens.

A better move than Nwaneri: Chelsea looking to land their own Rice for £51m

Chelsea are in the market for another defender or two this summer

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 7, 2025

Arsenal supporters are being forced to wait patiently for their first confirmed signing of the summer, despite new sporting director Andrea Berta’s well-documented transfer attempts behind-the-scenes.

The Gunners are reportedly closing in on a few key deals, namely for Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

Arteta wants Arsenal to sign £204k-p/w forward with crucial meeting this week

The Spaniard is personally very keen to sign him.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 14, 2025

Arrizabalaga looks poised to complete a £5 million move to Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s new back-up keeper and understudy to David Raya (David Ornstein), while Zubimendi is on course to seal a switch to the Premier League one year after rejecting Liverpool.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Zubimendi actually caused quite a stir with his recent comments suggesting that his future was still up in the air, but the likes of Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano have since confirmed that Arsenal are still expected to sign the 26-year-old after agreeing a deal with Sociedad.

After Zubimendi and Kepa, the north Londoners also remain in the market for a new winger and striker.

Arsenal have Real Madrid forward Rodrygo on their long list of wide options, with links still surrounding Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, so that is certainly a position to keep an eye on. However, the most noise continues to surround Berta’s attempts to bring in a centre-forward.

Groundwork has been laid on deals for both RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, according to the BBC, with Arsenal exploring the conditions of moves for both men before deciding which one to formally pursue.

While Arsenal have already held “concrete” talks over Sesko, Gyokeres remains firmly on the radar.

Portuguese newspaper Record even reported this week that Arsenal made an official £55m opening bid for Gyokeres, with journalist Graeme Bailey sharing an update on the story.

Viktor Gyokeres camp clash with Sporting over rejected Arsenal bid

Speaking to The Boot Room, Bailey reports that the offer has been rejected by Sporting, which isn’t surprising when factoring in that their president, Frederico Varandas, confirmed that an offer below £60m wouldn’t be enough.

Bailey adds that Gyokeres’ camp clashed with Sporting after they snubbed Arsenal’s offer, but Arteta’s side remain in “constant contact” over his signature alongside Man United.

“Speaking to sources, Gyokeres is convinced that he is moving this summer, and he believes he will be in England – not that he has ruled out other countries, it is just where he believes he will be playing,” said the reporter.

“He did make it clear from the start that a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Pro League was not a consideration despite them making an approach this month.

“Arsenal and Man United are in constant contact, the lines of communication with those two clubs has been ongoing for months.

“The player’s representatives are working hard on his future, but there is no deadline here – it could be this month, but likely July, I am told, before something is agreed, but there is no panic. They are calm.”

Varandas’ preferred price tag could be around £68 million, but there are the strikers wages to consider, with Gyokeres reportedly demanding as much as £250,000-per-week.

West Ham United are reportedly leading the race to sign a “phenomenon” for Graham Potter in a £25m transfer, according to one journalist.

West Ham transfer rumours after big 2024/25 spending spree

It is fair to say that the Hammers didn’t live up to expectations in the 2024/25 Premier League season, finishing 14th with 43 points from 38 games.

That came after a big spending spree in the summer under the guidance of ex-technical director Tim Steiden and former boss Julen Lopetegui. They also brought in Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton in the January transfer window after parting ways with Lopetegui and bringing in Potter.

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

Evan Ferguson

Brighton

Loan transfer

This summer, the Irons may have to look at sales alongside signings, with teenage striker Daniel Cummings already agreeing to join the club from Celtic on July 1.

Mohammed Kudus is the West Ham star who is being linked with a move away from the London Stadium, being offered to Chelsea, according to Sky Sports.

In discussions between the Hammers and their London rivals, West Ham asked about the availability of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, a player Potter knows well from his time at Brighton.

West Ham now racing to sign 24 G/A midfielder who's "out of this world"

The Hammers are now in a straight shoot-out with a rival Premier League club for the signature of a goal-scoring midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Jun 3, 2025

A new shot-stopper to replace the departing Lukasz Fabianski and rival Alphonse Areola is therefore on the to-do list, and an update has emerged on West Ham’s pursuit of Aaron Ramsdale.

West Ham “favourites to sign” £25m Ramsdale

Talking to TBR Football, journalist Graeme Bailey provided an update on Ramsdale’s future with a move expected following Southampton’s relegation.

As well as stating the goalkeeper’s £25m release clause, Bailey said that West Ham like the keeper “a lot” and named the Irons as “favourites to sign” Ramsdale ahead of Leeds United and Newcastle United.

On £120,000-a-week at St Mary’s, Ramsdale, called a “phenomenon” by Ian Wright during his time at Arsenal, would bring plenty of top-flight experience to the London Stadium.

However, the Englishman has been relegated from the Premier League on three separate occasions. In 2020, Ramsdale went down with Bournemouth and a year later, suffered the same fate with Sheffield United.

Should West Ham secure his services, they’ll be hoping it’s not four relegations come the summer of 2026.

In what would be one of the most surprising moves of the summer transfer window, one Manchester United player is now reportedly demanding his agent to seek out a transfer to Real Madrid.

Garnacho hits out at Amorim's decision

Ever since the arrival of Ruben Amorim, Alejandro Garnacho has often found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. As soon as Amorim arrived, the Argentine found himself dropped for the Manchester derby alongside Marcus Rashford and although he didn’t face the same exit fate as the latter, he has struggled to impress his new manager.

It seemed over recent months that the young winger had worked his way into Amorim’s plans only to be snubbed for a starting place in the Europa League final for Mason Mount. It was a final that Manchester United went on to lose, of course, leaving Garnacho in a righteous mood.

The 20-year-old didn’t keep quiet about his frustrations over his manager’s decisions, however. Instead, he told reporters: “Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know. The final will influence [my decision], but the whole season, the situation of the club. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards.”

In a battle of words, Amorim issued a response to Garnacho’s frustrations, saying: “How many times have we had this conversation, and it was the opposite? Some players come in, like Mason Mount, against Bilbao and changed the game.

“So now it is easy to say. Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? Yeah [Garnacho]. Of course, now it is easy for us to talk about a lot of views.”

Whether that is the straw that breaks the camel’s back for the winger’s Manchester United career remains to be seen, with a meeting now reportedly scheduled with INEOS.

Garnacho now demanding Real Madrid move

Despite struggling to break into Amorim’s strongest Manchester United side, the 20-year-old has set his ambitions high. According to reports in Spain, Garnacho is now demanding that his agent secures him a move to Real Madrid this summer. Whilst an exit does seem likely at this stage, a move to the Bernabeu is as ambitious as it gets for the winger, who may not get his wish.

That said, to his credit, Garnacho was showing plenty of signs that he’s destined for the very top when playing under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman – perhaps unlike Amorim, based on the mounting evidence – was also a big fan of the Argentine and shared high praise for him.

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Speaking to reporters when asked about Garnacho, Ten Hag said: “You have seen in the start of the season, we played him, then his contribution was not good enough.

“But he had also then some good actions. You see always that he always is attracting the game even when he is not playing that well. And he has to learn, ‘when I do my job in defending, I will always have my moment.’ And he will always be decisive, because he has great qualities.”