Liverpool are considering making an £8m offer for a highly-rated young player who “has everything” in his game, according to a fresh transfer claim.
Liverpool transfer news
The Reds have had some quiet transfer windows of late, with supporters left frustrated by a lack of business, even though they are shining under Arne Slot, topping the Premier League table after a flying start to the campaign.
More signings should be expected moving forward and Juventus starlet Kenan Yildiz has been mentioned as an option for Liverpool. It is believed that £66m could be enough for the Merseysiders to get their man, with the 19-year-old an attacking player with a high ceiling.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Reds future is still in doubt, with the vice-captain not yet signing a new contract at Anfield, so it’s no surprise to see potential replacements being lined up. Porto right-back Martim Fernandes has been mentioned as a target, with the 18-year-old already racking up 24 appearances for the Portuguese giants.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has also been linked with Liverpool, but the Dutchman is seen as a replacement for Ryan Gravenberch, should his international teammate depart. That would be a huge shock, however, given his performance under Slot this season, where he has become one of the first names on Slot’s team sheet.
Liverpool planning £8m offer for young star
According to a new report from Caught Offside, Liverpool are contemplating tabling an £8m bid for Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, with club scouts giving “glowing reviews” of him. The 18-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in Scottish football and has been linked with a host of other big clubs, including Newcastle United, Celtic and Rangers.
Miller would very much be one for the future at Liverpool, rather than someone who could come straight in as a key starter, especially with the Reds already possessing so much depth in the middle of the park. Like current Anfield youngster Ben Doak, though, the Motherwell ace is a player who has an enormous amount of potential, recently being lauded by Andy Halliday.
“I’ve been lucky to play with a few talented youngsters, but I look at Lennon and he’s got everything. It’s not even being a young player, I think he’s one of our best players and has been for a couple of seasons, now. I think we’ve very lucky to have him, but I’ve said this many times as well, and I think Lennon knows it, that’s he’s also very lucky to have Motherwell.”
Despite still only being 18 years of age, Miller has already played 59 times for Motherwell, showing that he is already an important figure at the heart of his side’s midfield.
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The lure of moving to a club as big as Liverpool would surely appeal, even though he knows his playing time would be limited, and he could be loaned out to begin with, potentially even remaining where he is for another season.
Manchester City’s horrendous run of form continues following a disappointing 3-3 draw at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side have now failed to win in six games, but have put an end to a five-game losing streak against the Dutch side.
They have now conceded seven goals in their last two home games, including their humbling 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
It seemed like the Cityzens were in cruise control, and were 3-0 up with 20 minutes or so left of normal time. Two goals from Erling Haaland, including a penalty, either side of an Ilkay Gundogan strike gave Guardiola’s men a handsome lead. It was a scoreline which seemed unassailable at one stage.
However, the visitors pulled off the unlikeliest of comebacks. Anis Hadj Moussa kickstarted the revival in the 75th minute before striker Santiago Gimenez gave the Dutch team some hope with their second.
Slovakian international David Hancko scored the third in the 89th minute, to complete one of the most iconic games in recent Champions League history. There were some incredibly disappointing performances from the Cityzens, with goalkeeper Ederson one of the players who struggled.
Ederson’s stats vs. Feyenoord
It was certainly a poor night for the City number 31. He was rounded easily for the opening goal, leaving a big gap for Moussa to slot home into an empty net. The second was not necessarily Ederson’s fault, although he failed to prevent a cross from making its way through to Gimenez. However, his error for the equaliser was arguably the worst.
The Brazilian came rushing out of his goal to sweep up a long, searching pass from the visitors. However, normally so composed in these scenarios, the goalkeeper attempted a headed clearance which he missed, allowing Feyenoord to capitalise and grab their third.
The former Benfica man received a 4/10 rating from GOAL journalist Richard Martin. He was critical of the goalkeeper for all three goals, explaining that he ‘appeared to take his eye off the ball late in the game’ as the visitors managed to draw level.
His poor performance was reflected in his Sofascore stats at full-time. The Cityzens goalkeeper had 37 touches of the ball and made two saves on the night. However, he prevented just 0.07 goals and made one error leading to a goal. It was a difficult night’s work for the Brazilian.
There was an outfield player who was arguably just as disappointing as Ederson on the night, however, and could not help prevent another calamitous result for City. That man is Jack Grealish.
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Grealish’s stats vs. Feyenoord
It is worth pointing out that England international Grealish was not at fault for any of the goals. However, he did have a frustrating night from an attacking point of view, and could not help add to any goals that might have been decisive for City.
Indeed, there were two really good chances for the Cityzens number 10 on Tuesday night. He had an excellent chance at 3-0 but failed to capitalise, and saw his shot hit the bar after it deflected off Phil Foden. It summed up the night for City.
Grealish’s stats on Sofascore were rather uninspiring. He had 55 touches of the ball, completing 80% of his passes and creating just one chance. The former Aston Villa captain managed to lose the ball 13 times and did not completed a dribble out of an attempted three.
Grealish stats vs. Feyenoord
Stat
Number
Touches
55
Pass accuracy
80%
Passes completed
28/35
Dribbles completed
0/3
Number of times possession lost
13
Ground duels won
4/9
Chances created
1
Stats from Sofascore
His efforts earned him a slightly better rating than Ederson. Martin gave Grealish a 5/10 for his night’s work, explaining that it was ‘not an encouraging return at all’, and criticised him for squandering ‘a great chance’ at 3-0.
Guardiola will be hoping Ederson, Grealish and their teammates can bounce back quickly. City have an incredibly tough trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon to play top of the Premier League Liverpool, in what is a vitally important game in the title race.
On the evidence of last night’s display, Grealish should well find himself out of the starting lineup.
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Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo has done a magnificent job during the opening ten games of the Premier League campaign, leading his side to third place before this weekend’s action.
Chris Wood has played a huge part in the recent success, registering eight goals in his ten appearances, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland the only player to score more than him at this stage.
The defence has also massively improved since last season, conceding just seven times, with new signing Nikola Milenkovic undoubtedly playing a huge role in the decrease of goals conceded.
Such recruitment over the summer has taken the Reds massively clear of the drop zone already, with survival still the first priority despite the incredible first few months of the campaign.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis appears to have strengthened the off-the-field staff at the City Ground, with the appointment of Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar – joining as the CEO of the Greek’s football empire, which also includes Olympiacos and Rio Ave.
It could leave the 46-year-old with some big decisions to make when he finally gets his foot under the table, with three calls needing to be made upon his arrival under Marinakis.
1 Ola Aina's contract extension
After arriving on a free transfer from Italian side Torino last summer, not many people knew what to expect from Ola Aina after his previous stint in England’s top flight with Fulham back in 2020.
He only agreed a one-year deal with many expecting him to be a backup to the likes of Neco Williams and World Cup-winning loanee Gonzalo Montiel.
Ole Aina
However, the Nigerian quickly cemented himself as a key player under both Steve Cooper and Nuno, registering a total of 22 league appearances, but did struggle with injuries during certain parts of the season.
Aina scored his first goal for Forest during the 2-0 win over Aston Villa at City Ground back in November 2023, with his fine strike flying past Emiliano Martínez and into the bottom corner.
As a result of his displays in 2023/24, the 28-year-old was handed a 12-month extension, a deal that takes him until the summer of June 2025.
The former Chelsea youngster has gone from strength to strength this campaign, being part of the second-best backline in the division – even scoring a screamer off his weaker foot in the victory over West Ham United.
His recent form hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the likes of AC Milan and Roma reportedly eyeing a move for the full-back in January – potentially able to agree a pre-contract should he fail to agree a new deal with the Reds.
The hierarchy can fend off any interest by handing Aina a new contract, something which he thoroughly deserves after his recent performances at the City Ground.
2 Anthony Elanga’s potential departure
Deadline day during the summer transfer window saw Forest frantically try for a new striker, with Omar Marmoush and Santiago Gimenez just two games who were both strongly linked with a move to the East Midlands.
However, it also saw a flurry of bids placed for key first-team members, including Anthony Elanga, who was the subject of huge interest from fellow Premier League side Newcastle United.
Eddie Howe’s side tried to secure a move for the Swedish international in the deal that saw Elliot Anderson move to the Reds, but instead, Odysseas Vlachodimos made the move to Tyneside.
Despite this, the Magpies made a £50m bid for Elanga on deadline day, an offer which the Reds’ hierarchy turned down – a surprise decision given the nature of the bid.
The 22-year-old only cost the club £15m from Manchester United 12 months prior, with the rejected bid seeing the club make £35m profit on the winger – a phenomenal piece of business given the recent PSR drama.
It appears that the offer may have turned the youngster’s head, with Elanga failing to score in the current campaign and only registering one assist in his first ten league outings.
Chris Wood
8
806
101
Anderson
3
602
200
Hudson-Odoi
2
731
365
Sosa
1
77
77
Jota Silva
1
181
181
Elanga
1
562
562
Gibbs-White
1
572
572
The “frightening” winger, as dubbed by journalist Laurie Whitwell, has also been left out of the Sweden national side for the upcoming Nations League matches against Slovakia and Azerbaijan- an indication as to how poor he’s been in recent weeks.
Given his lack of form under Nuno, should the club receive a bid of a similar nature from Newcastle, they simply cannot afford to turn it down, handing Edu the funds to work his magic in the transfer market upon his arrival.
Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga
In recent days, Bayern Munich winger Mathys Tel has been touted with a potential move to join Nuno’s side, with Elanga’s potential fee potentially covering any move for the Frenchman.
3 Andrew Omobamidele loan move
Centre-back Andrew Omobamidele joined Forest on deadline day back in January 2024, arriving in an £11m deal from Championship side Norwich City.
The Irishman arrived providing key depth to the defensive department as Nuno aimed to avoid relegation just a couple of months after taking over from fan-favourite Cooper.
Omobamidele would go on to make 14 appearances in all competitions during the second half of last season, scoring on his full debut in the FA Cup victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.
However, after the arrival of the aforementioned Milenkovic, the 22-year-old has found first-team minutes extremely hard to come by, featuring for a total of 90 minutes – failing to appear for a single minute in the Premier League.
As a result of his lack of minutes, the centre-back has been left out of the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming international break, replaced by current Norwich defender Shane Duffy.
Omobamidele has never put a foot wrong when featuring for Nuno, but ultimately, he’s become the victim of the club’s rapid success, falling down the pecking order as a result of the investment and form of other players.
Murillo
10
900
Milenkovic
10
840
Morato
5
65
Willy Boly
3
181
Omobamidele
1
90
Zach Abbott
1
60
He desperately needs a loan to either a bottom-half Premier League side or a promotion-chasing Championship side to give him the valuable minutes he needs if he is to progress and reach the potential he arrived with.
Edu has the opportunity to facilitate such a move, potentially enabling the Reds to reach the next level with their recruitment – helping Nuno and the coaching staff sustain their impressive start in 2024/25.
However, if the Brazilian is to make a great first impression in the East Midlands, he must look to implement all three aforementioned dilemmas allowing for all the players to continue their varying stages of development.
Edu simply must offload Nottingham Forest dud who earns more than Murillo
Nottingham Forest’s big-money signing has been a huge flop during his time at the City Ground.
تمكن منتخب ألمانيا من قلب تأخره بهدف إلى فوز بهدفين مقابل هدف على مضيفه إيطاليا، في منافسات دوري الأمم الأوروبية.
وواجه منتخب إيطاليا نظيره ألمانيا ضمن ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية، على ملعب “جوزيبي مييتزا”.
اقرأ ايضاً.. لاعب إسبانيا يغادر مباراة هولندا مصابًا في دوري الأمم الأوروبية
تمكن ساندرو تونالي من إحراز الهدف الأول في المباراة لصالح المنتخب الإيطالي عند الدقيفة التاسعة، مستغلاً خطأ في الإبعاد من قبل مدافع ألمانيا جوناثان تاه.
ونجح البديل تيم كلينيست في تسجيل هدف التعادل للمنتخب الألماني بضربة رأسية من صناعة كيميتش عند الدقيقة 49 من عمر الشوط الثاني.
وبضربة رأسية أخرى، أحرز ليون جوريتزكا ثاني أهداف منتخب ألمانيا بحلول الدقيقة 76 من صناعة جوشوا كيميتش.
يذكر أن مواجهة الإياب بين المنتخبين، ستقام على ملعب “سيجنال إيدونا بارك”، يوم الأحد المقبل. هدف إيطاليا في مرمى ألمانيا بدوري الأمم الأوروبية
⚽️ تونالي يعطي التقدم لإيطاليا#دوري_الأمم_الأوروبية #إيطاليا_ألمانيا #UEFANationsLeague pic.twitter.com/dKvNgbNvoJ — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 20, 2025
هدف تعادل ألمانيا في مرمى إيطاليا بدوري الأمم الأوروبية
⚽️ رأسية كلينيست تسكن شباك إيطاليا #دوري_الأمم_الأوروبية #إيطاليا_ألمانيا #UEFANationsLeague pic.twitter.com/Y3PmlR6Lng — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 20, 2025
هدف ألمانيا الثاني في مرمى إيطاليا بدوري الأمم الأوروبية
غوريتسكا يضاعف النتيجة لصالح المنتخب الألماني #دوري_الأمم_الأوروبية #إيطاليا_ألمانيا #UEFANationsLeague pic.twitter.com/XPncrxqWML — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 20, 2025
Steven Gerrard missed out on the Carlisle job following his Al-Ettifaq exit, with the League Two club appointing Mark Hughes as their new head coach.
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Gerrard remains a free agentWas being considered by Carlisle as an optionInstead, they chose to settle with HughesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Reports suggested that Carlisle United viewed Gerrard as a potential candidate to fill their managerial vacancy after Mike Williamson was relieved of his duties on Monday. However, despite his experience managing Rangers and Aston Villa, the club decided to appoint Hughes, a seasoned coach with extensive experience in English football.
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Hughes, who last managed Bradford City, will be joined at Carlisle by Glyn Hodges, who takes on the role of assistant manager. The 61-year-old has been out of work since being dismissed by Bradford in October 2023, following a mixed tenure that saw him lead the club to the League Two play-offs in his only full season before being eliminated by Carlisle United themselves. Hughes brings a wealth of managerial experience, having been in charge of six Premier League clubs over his coaching career, having previously managed the likes of Fulham, Manchester City and Stoke City. Before his time in club management, Hughes was also at the helm of the Wales national team for five years, during which he guided them to the Euro 2004 play-offs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Carlisle United’s decision to bring in Hughes comes amid a season of turmoil. The club is bottom of League Two, having struggled for form throughout the campaign. They have already parted ways with two managers, with Paul Simpson leaving in August before Williamson was dismissed this week. Carlisle’s home form has been particularly concerning, with the team securing just two victories at Brunton Park this season. Williamson's reign came to an abrupt end following a 5-1 home defeat to Swindon Town, a result that proved to be the final straw for the club's board.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HUGHES?
With 18 games remaining, Hughes has a tough job ahead as he attempts to rescue Carlisle’s season and avoid relegation to the National League. His first test will come this Saturday, as his new side travels to face Grimsby Town.
كشف خالد الغندور لاعب الزمالك السابق، والإعلامي الحالي، أن نادي بيراميدز اتخذ قرارًا هامًا بشأن مباراة الأهلي، التي تقام بينهما في المرحلة الثانية والنهائية من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
ومن المقرر أن يلعب الأهلي مع بيراميدز، في الجولة الثانية من المرحلة الثانية لبطولة الدوري المصري، وذلك يوم السبت 12 أبريل المقبل.
وانتهت مرحلة الدور الأول من منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، حيث يتصدر بيراميدز الترتيب برصيد 42 نقطة، ويأتي الأهلي ثانيًا برصيد 39 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الزمالك في المركز الثالث بـ 32 نقطة.
طالع | “سينافس على هذا المركز”.. خالد الغندور يوضح حظوظ الزمالك في الدوري المصري
وقال الغندور خلال تصريحات لبرنامج “ملعب أون” المذاع على “قناة أون سبورت”: “لدي معلومة من مسؤولي نادي بيراميدز، النادي قرر أن يلعب مباراة الأهلي بحكام أجانب”.
وعن الأقرب لحصد الدوري، أوضح: “أرى أن الأهلي الأقرب لحصد الدوري على أرض الواقع، لديه قائمة لاعبين قوية وإعلام وجماهير”.
وعن اختيارات الأفضل بعد نهاية المرحلة الأولى من الدوري، قال: “بيراميدز أفضل فريق، وأفضل مدرب هو كرونوسلاف يورشيتش، مدرب بيراميدز، وأفضل لاعب إبراهيم عادل لاعب بيراميدز، أفضل حارس أحمد الشناوي من بيراميدز”.
Under Arsène Wenger, Arsenal were a team renowned for their dedication to playing football the ‘right way’, come rain or shine.
While this approach gave fans some incredible teams over the years, it also led to a lot of frustration and the more than the occasional demolition at the hands of other more physical and defensively astute sides in the latter years.
However, while the club’s DNA of wanting to play attractive attacking football is still present today, Mikel Arteta has worked tirelessly on making his team significantly harder to break down, more physically dominant, and maybe just that bit more fluent in the so-called ‘dark arts.’
The Spaniard’s team is full of solid stars who have helped make the North Londoners perhaps the most defensively impressive team in Europe, such as Jurrien Timber and Ben White. While those two could remain at the club for years to come, the academy might have already produced their long-term heir.
White and Timber's evolution at Arsenal
Arsenal’s £50m signing of White in the summer of 2021 was not a move met with universal praise at the time, as just a few months later a poll of football agents named it the worst signing of the window, as insane as that sounds today.
That first year in North London saw the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace primarily play as a centre-back, but the introduction of William Saliba for the following campaign saw him shift out to right-back, where he has been incredible ever since.
In all, the Poole-born star has now made 95 appearances for the Gunners on the right of the back four, where he has scored five goals and provided ten assists, and 39 appearances in his original position, where he unsurprisingly has not produced a goal or assist.
He might not have been seen as a smart transfer by some at the time, but in the three years since, he has more than proven his worth to the club and now has another teammate who shares his positional versatility in Timber.
The Dutch international moved to N5 last summer for around £38m, but an ACL injury kept him sidelined for practically the entire campaign. However, given the way he has started this year, you’d never have guessed he’d suffered such a severe injury.
So far this season, the former Ajax star has made six appearances, in which he has played at left-back, right-back and even defensive midfield, making it practically impossible to predict exactly where Arteta will start him in games.
Overall, both White and Timber have proven themselves to be exceptional players, and so long as they stay fit, they could help shore up Arsenal’s defence for years to come, although they could have some extra competition on their hands in a few years from an up-and-coming academy gem.
Why fans should be excited about Michal Rosiak
So, the Hale End gem in question is Poland U19 international Michal Rosiak.
The 18-year-old has been a star in the club’s academy for some time now and has shown signs that he could be a potential long-term heir to White or even Timber, but how?
Well, one of the main reasons is his versatility. For example, he is accomplished as both a defensive midfielder, where he has started 34 games in his junior career, and a right-back, where he has made 17 starts thus far.
Appearances
34
17
3
1
Goals
11
6
0
0
Assists
8
5
0
1
Goal Involvements per Match
0.55
0.64
0.00
1
That said, while he can already play both to an impressive level, those in the know expect his best route into the first team to be as an inverted full-back, with Hale End expert and podcaster Will Balsam describing him as “the future of that position for the club” thanks to his “innovative passing range.”
The second reason is related to the first.
Thanks in part to his experience playing in the middle of the park, the gifted youngster is incredibly comfortable on the ball and can influence proceedings at both ends of the pitch. In those 34 starts as a defensive midfielder, he’s racked up a seriously impressive haul of 11 goals and eight assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.78 games.
Ultimately, while it will still be a good few years before we see Rosiak making regular first-team appearances, the signs are overwhelmingly positive.
Left for £0, now worth £84m: Arsenal must regret losing world-class star
The sensational international has haunted the Gunners for the best part of a decade.
Tottenham have made a major announcement on star forward Son Heung-min's future amid Barcelona transfer links.
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Son extends Tottenham stay
Was linked with a move to Barcelona
Spurs take on Liverpool on Wednesday
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The north London club have announced that Son has signed a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the summer of 2026. There had been speculation over the South Korea international's future at Spurs as he entered the final six months of his existing deal, however, the English side have now put the rumours to rest.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
On Monday, reported that Catalan giants Barcelona were eyeing a move for the Spurs star despite their financial woes, but the Premier League side have now successfully exercised their option to trigger a one-year extension on the 32-year-old's deal. Since joining Tottenham in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen, Son has appeared in 431 matches across all competitions and has scored 169 goals.
WHAT TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SAID
The official statement from the club read: "We are delighted to announce that we have exercised the option to extend Heung-Min Son’s contract, which will now run until the summer of 2026."
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WHAT NEXT FOR SON HEUNG-MIN?
The Spurs captain will be back in action for his club in midweek as they take on Premier League leaders Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie at home on Wednesday.
van der Dussen and Shamsi win men’s ODI player of the year and men’s T20I player of the year awards
ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2021
Anrich Nortje won the newcomer of the year award in 2020•AFP/Getty Images
Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at CSA’s annual awards ceremony, which was held virtually on Monday. Nortje became the 12th player to win the newcomer of the year and men’s cricketer of the year awards in successive years.Both players also bagged other major awards, with Nortje being named the Test cricketer of the year, South Africa fans’ player of the year and South Africa men’s players’ player of the year (sharing a tied vote with Aiden Markram). As for Ismail, she also won the women’s T20I cricketer of the year and South Africa women’s players’ player of the year awards.Having previously scooped up the women’s premier award in 2015, Ismail joined Marizanne Kapp (2013, 2014) and Dane van Niekerk (2016, 2018, 2019) as multiple winners in the professional era.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Batter Rassie van der Dussen was named men’s ODI player of the year while left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently No.1 on the T20I bowling rankings, took the men’s T20I player of the year award. Lizelle Lee, meanwhile, claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award.”Anrich and Shabnim have set the highest standards that we expect from our icon Proteas players,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Acting Chief Executive, said in a statement. “Anrich’s international career to date has been remarkable. In the space of a year he has gone from being named our International Newcomer of the Year to our overall Player of the Year – an incredible achievement. The pandemic has restricted him to just 10 Test matches to date in which he has taken 39 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls.”Shabnim is the fastest bowler on the women’s international circuit, and she has been the leader of our Momentum Proteas attack for a long time now. She is the only South African to have taken 100 wickets in the T20 International format and she recently passed the significant landmark of 150 wickets in ODI cricket.”She has played a huge role in enabling our Momentum Proteas to break into the top group of countries with a world ranking of No. 2 in the ODI format.”Allrounder George Linde was adjudged the men’s international newcomer of the year while fellow left-arm fingerspinner Keshav Maharaj won big on the domestic front. He was named the SACA Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as domestic players’ player of the season.Dolphins’ Ottniel Baartman, who recently earned his maiden call-up to the South Africa Test squad, was the inaugural winner of the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award. Titans’ Markram was named the 4-day domestic series player of the year for racking up 945 runs in seven matches at an average of 94.50, in the 2020-21 season. Former Dolphins allrounder Robbie Frylinck, who had announced his retirement earlier this year, was awarded the one-day cricketer of the season title while Lions’ Sisanda Magala was recognised as the T20 challenge cricketer of the season.
With their first pre-season under Arne Slot well underway, Liverpool could finally seal their first arrival of the summer transfer window – with an offer reportedly expected in the coming days.
Liverpool transfer news
A new manager, a new sporting director in Richard Hughes and the return of Michael Edwards, combined with international tournaments this summer, was always going to delay the Reds in their transfer business. However, now in August, some may have expected those at Anfield to have had at least one deal over the line. Alas, that hasn't been the case, and it seems as though they won't be rushed into securing incomings that aren't deemed suitable enough.
Liverpool could sign best CF since Suarez with move for £59m "powerhouse"
FSG would need to break their record to land this goal machine…
By
Angus Sinclair
Aug 3, 2024
The lack of fresh faces hasn't stopped Slot's first pre-season from going to plan, either. The Dutchman has overseen friendly victories over Real Betis and Premier League rivals Arsenal, during which Liverpool fans got a potential glimpse of what he's asking his new side to do.
That's not to say that fresh faces won't be on their way, with fresh reports suggesting the exact opposite. According to Sportmediaset via TuttoJuve, Liverpool are expected to submit an offer for Teun Koopmeiners in the coming days in a deal that would see them sign a midfielder who previously worked under Slot at AZ Alkmaar.
Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
Previous reports indicated that Atalanta have set a hefty price tag of £50m for the Dutchman, which would undoubtedly kickstart the Reds' transfer window just before the Premier League campaign gets underway. Following rumours that Wataru Endo has been attracting the interest of Marseille, who even saw a bid rejected, those at Anfield may well be in need of a midfield addition this summer. And Koopmeiners would certainly be an impressive coup.
"Complete" Koopmeiners can replace Endo
Although Koopmeiners' main position is attacking midfield, his ability to play in both central and defensive midfield means that he could emerge to replace Endo in the long term. The former Stuttgart man even admitted that he is not a long-term solution at the heart of Liverpool's midfield at 31 years old, saying (via This is Anfield): "I don’t care about those reports, but I also think it would be better to get a No. 6 midfielder."
League stats 23/24 (via FBref)
Teun Koopmeiners
Wataru Endo
Goals
12
1
Assists
5
0
Ball recoveries
150
108
Tackles won
24
28
The numbers instantly highlight Koopmeiners' versatility, managing to match Endo defensively whilst also adding an attacking element that the current Liverpool midfielder lacks.
Described as "complete" by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Atalanta man could be the final piece of the Reds' midfield rebuild and the key to the perfect debut season for Slot at Anfield. Having worked with the Dutchman before, it would feel somewhat fitting that Koopmeiners emerges to finally kickstart Liverpool's summer less than two weeks until the Premier League campaign gets underway.
All eyes will be on Slot's first Premier League game against Ipswich Town, which may yet feature a fresh face in the form of Koopmeiners.