All posts by h79snht.top

Wolverhampton Wanderers are now set to make an enquiry for £50 million Liverpool ace who could be a key player for Vitor Pereira, according to a new report.

Wolves step up summer transfer plans

The Midlands side already look set to lose one key player this summer, as Matheus Cunha allegedly edges closer to a move to Manchester United. Therefore, not only will Cunha’s departure bring money to the club, but it also means Wolves will need to enter the market to sign at least one new striker.

Related Wolves want "incredible" 25 y/o Atletico Madrid star who may replace Cunha

The Brazilian forward could depart this summer.

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 4, 2025

Already the Old Gold have been linked with a move for Jamie Vardy, who is set to become a free agent once his contract at Leicester City expires. But as well as looking at Vardy, Wolves are also interested in signing Phil Harres from Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel, and club chiefs have also held internal talks over signing Cameron Archer from Southampton. Archer has been in and out of the Southampton team this season, and given their relegation to the Championship, he could be available for a transfer.

As well as looking for a new number nine, Ben Jacobs revealed last week that Wolves could sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea. The midfielder has really struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge, and he could be available for a transfer this summer, given his lack of game time, and the Midlands side could be tempted to make a move.

Wolves set to make enquiry for £50m Liverpool ace

But Dewsbury-Hall is not the only Premier League midfielder on the radar of Pereira and co, as according to Give Me Sport, Wolves are ready to make a move to sign Harvey Elliott from Liverpool, as he looks set to leave Anfield.

The report states that the Midlands side are likely to make an enquiry over signing Elliott, as he’s been identified as someone who can replace Cunha. Wolves are not put off by the fact that Liverpool have placed a £50 million price tag on the midfielder’s head.

GMS add that Wolves want to make Elliott a ‘centrepiece’ of their plans under Pereira if they manage to find an agreement with Liverpool. They are not the only team chasing Elliott, though, as Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Brighton and teams from overseas are all interested in a potential deal for the England U21 international.

Harvey Elliott’s Premier League stats

Apps

91

Goals

4

Assists

12

Elliott, who has been described as “special” by journalist Bence Bocsak, has struggled for regular game time this season. The 22-year-old has played 25 games in all competitions, but only five have come as a starter, and Elliott has managed just one start in the Premier League, and that came on Sunday in the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Wolves will hope the fact they want to make him a key part of their plans under Pereira will be enough to tempt him to leave Anfield and move to Molineux, despite the fact he hasn’t made up his mind if he wants to leave the Premier League champions.

A forward who was once valued at nine figures has held talks over a summer move to Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca’s side rumoured to be laying groundwork over transfers ahead of the first window on June 1.

Chelsea target quick transfer deals before Club World Cup

The Blues will be taking part in this year’s edition of the Club World Cup, and it has been reported that Chelsea could stand to receive a hefty financial windfall if they perform well in the competition.

Related Fabrizio Romano: Chelsea now want to sign £50m star "by the end of May"

The reliable journalist says BlueCo want a deal done as soon as possible.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 10, 2025

BlueCo are therefore taking the CWC seriously, and they’ll have a limited window to do business and officially sign players before the tournament kicks off. From June 1 to June 10, Chelsea will be able to acquire squad upgrades ahead of the CWC, before the window then reopens from June 16 to September 1.

Race for Champions League qualification with 2 games remaining

Points

2. Arsenal

68

3. Newcastle United

66

4. Man City

65

5. Chelsea

63

6. Aston Villa

63

7. Nottingham Forest

62

Reports suggest the west Londoners are fully intent on completing deals in that period, with Fabrizio Romano recently stating that Chelsea want to seal a move for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen “by the end of May”.

Chelsea are involved in an airtight battle to finish in the top five and confirm their spot in the Champions League draw for next season, and the result of this race will have a knock-on effect when it comes to their transfer plans, as confirmed by Maresca.

However, in the meantime, Chelsea remain busy with their recruitment plans as they also aim to bring in new forwards. The Stamford Bridge hierarchy wish to acquire both a new winger and a striker for Maresca, as per journalist Simon Phillips and other reliable sources, and they’re now being linked with soon-to-be out-of-contract Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane.

Leroy Sane holds talks over joining Chelsea on free deal

The £244,000-per-week Germany international was closing in on a new deal in Bavaria, but he recently changed representatives, employing super-agent Pini Zahavi.

While Sane remains open to extending his contract, Zahavi has submitted a counter-offer to their initially agreed extension – with his camp now demanding a £10m-per-year salary plus £2.5m in add-ons tied to appearances (Florian Plettenberg).

Bayern are intent on standing firm and have no intention of improving their original proposal, though, leaving the door open for Sane to potentially leave the Allianz Arena despite his excellent form over the second half of 2024/2025.

Sane is thought to be keen on a move to Chelsea as an alternative to remaining at Bayern, with journalist Graeme Bailey sharing another update to The Boot Room.

Bailey reports that Sane’s representatives have held talks over a move to Chelsea, even if he would prefer to stay at Bayern, with his contract ticking down towards expiry on June 30.

Every day that passes and no new deal is agreed, Sane’s return to the Premier League grows more likely, as the player and Vincent Kompany’s side find themselves in a stalemate.

Signing the experienced high-level forward for nothing would be a coup, especially considering he was once valued at £137 million during his time at Man City.

Glasgow Rangers’ wait for a win at Ibrox is finally over. On Sunday, after a goalless first half, the Gers ultimately demolished their battered opponents 4-0, thanks to goals from Václav Černý, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and then, rather fortuitously, Jefté; Černý’s shot deflecting in via his back-side.

This was Rangers’ first home win since 2 February, ending a streak of seven matches, and a first victory at Ibrox for Barry Ferguson in interim charge.

The Light Blues, guaranteed to finish second in the Scottish Premiership, host Dundee United on Wednesday night, before concluding a very disappointing campaign with a trip to Easter Road on Saturday lunchtime.

With the on-field results mattering very little at this stage, the main question Rangers supporters are pondering is who will be their next manager?

Well, could that mystery be about to be solved?

The latest on Ancelotti to Rangers

According to a report by Madrid-based outlet AS, Rangers are interested in appointing Davide Ancelotti as their new manager.

It was confirmed on Monday that Carlo Ancelotti will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season to take over as the new Brazil manager, thereby becoming the Seleção’s first permanent foreign head coach since Ramón Platero exactly a century ago.

So, as noted by the aforementioned AS report, Carlo’s son Davide is now looking to pursue his own managerial career, having received ‘several offers’, including from Saudi Pro League clubs, but the ‘project’ that appeals to him most is Rangers, given the incoming 49ers takeover and the potential of Champions League football.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Expand Collapse

Davide, who is 35-years-old, has been his father’s assistant at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and now Real Madrid, and is known for being a master tactician and an excellent communicator, as outlined by Mina Rzouki of BBC Sport.

Also, as documented by Ben Banks of Glasgow World, during Ancelotti’s time at Goodison, he worked alongside fellow assistant-coach Duncan Ferguson, who is an ex-Rangers player of course, intimating the duo could link-up once again.

So, would a rookie coach be the best way to go, or should the 49ers appoint a more-experienced manager?

Who Rangers should appoint instead of Ancelotti

According to a report from TEAMtalk earlier this month, Rangers were said to be ‘hoping to appoint’ Danny Röhl as their new manager, with Southampton also interested.

As documented by Football Insider, Röhl – who favours a 4-2-3-1 system – is likely to ‘walk away from Sheffield Wednesday’, having been required to juggle several off-field issues since arriving at Hillsborough in October 2023, leading to a’strained relationship with Dejphon Chansiri, who is the owner and chairman.

Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland has previously claimed that Röhl is one of the candidates to become the new RB Leipzig manager, stating in an interview with Kicker that he’d “like to work at the highest possible level… in the near future”, so could this see him take over at Ibrox?

Let’s assess Röhl’s managerial credentials from his time in Yorkshire.

Röhl’s Sheffield Wednesday career in numbers

Statistics

Röhl

Matches

89

Wins

34

Win %

38%

Championship finish 2023/24

20th

Championship finish 2024/25

12th

Preferred formation

4-2-3-1

All statistics and information

Sheffield Wednesday’s EFL Championship survival in the 2023/24 is known as a great escape, given that they looked dead and buried when Röhl was appointed, only to win eight of their last 14 fixtures, concluding the campaign unbeaten in six, thereby surviving on the final day.

The Owls then finished 12th this time round, a more than commendable achievement given all their off-field issues and low budget.

Röhl has therefore earned widespread praise, described as “unbelievable” by Owls forward Josh Windass, while Toby Gavelle of Breaking the Lines praised the ‘outstanding job’ he’s done at Hillsborough, adding there will be no shortage of suitors.

So, rather than going for the headline-grabbing gamble that appointing Ancelotti would be, the 49ers should be a lot more sensible and secure a manager who has already proved he is capable of getting a team to punch above their weight.

Related Their new Morelos: Rangers eyeing "top striker" who'd cost just £8,000

Rangers have their eyes on a talented young striker

Posts ByRoss Kilvington May 12, 2025

What was set to go down as Tottenham Hotspur’s worst season in a generation just a few days ago will now go down in history for all the right reasons.

Ange Postecoglou’s side might still have seriously underperformed in the Premier League, but nobody is going to remember that following their Europa League heroics on Wednesday night.

The North Londoners might not have been at their free-flowing best against Manchester United, but they were stubborn, hard to break down and came out with a European title as the reward.

Two of the best players on the night were Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, and yet, Spurs might already have found themselves an even bigger talent.

Van de Ven & Romero's heroric showing

One can only wonder how Spurs’ season would have turned out had Van de Ven and Romero been fit for more of it, as against the Red Devils, they were both sensational.

The former didn’t even have to rely on his breakneck speed too much, as he was consistently in the right place at the right time, so much so that he was able to clear Rasmus Hojlund’s header off the line midway through the second half.

Likewise, Romero was a rock at the back, making ten clearances, blocking one shot and making another tackle for good measure.

Moreover, while he committed one foul and found himself winding up Harry Maguire at almost every opportunity, the usually hot-headed World Cup winner kept himself on the referee’s right side and fully deserved his Man of the Match award.

It’s almost impossible to overstate just how important both defenders are to Postecoglou’s system, as when he does instruct his team to play a high line, it’s the Flying Dutchman’s rapid pace that ensures they aren’t caught on the counter too easily.

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

Moreover, as the team isn’t regarded as being particularly tough, it helps to have the former Juventus ace in the backline, instructing his teammates and giving 100% in every challenge.

Yet, as utterly brilliant as both Romero and Van de Ven are, it looks like Spurs might have already found another young defender who could be an even bigger talent than both.

Spurs' incredibly exciting talent

It would be fair to say that, for everything that has gone wrong this season, Spurs have a number of really exciting youngsters in their ranks, like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Mikey Moore.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Expand Collapse

There will likely be another name added to that list for next season: Luka Vušković.

The Croatian teenager was signed by the Lilywhites back in September 2013 but has spent the last year and a half on loan with Radomiak for the latter half of the 23/24 season and then Belgian outfit KVC Westerloo for this season.

Described as a “freak talent” with a “scary ceiling” by respected data analyst Ben Mattinson, the 18-year-old has been nothing short of spectacular in Belgium this year.

It might sound hyperbolic, but it’s really not, as in just 35 appearances, the “monster of a CB,” as dubbed by Mattinson, has managed to score seven goals and provide three assists, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.5 games.

Vušković’s 24/25

Player

Vušković

Appearances

35

Clean Sheets

5

Goals

7

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.28

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of being a huge attacking threat, the 6 foot 5 titan is no slouch when it comes to the defensive side of the game either.

According to FOTmob, he sits in the top 7.7% of centre-backs in the league for aerial duels won and blocks, the top 8.8% for ball recoveries, and the top 23.1% for overall duels won – which is undeniably outstanding for someone so young.

Ultimately, while it’s still incredibly early in his career, Vušković looks destined to reach the top of the game, and based on his already rapid development, he looks like a bigger talent than Van de Ven and Romero.

Related Spurs star just showed why he will leave with a bigger legacy than Bale

The Spurs icon is now a legend.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes May 22, 2025

Daniel Farke will be hoping he can finally earn his stripes as a Premier League-worthy manager situated in the Leeds United dug-out next season.

The German is certainly a well-regarded manager at Championship level, considering he can boast three promotions up to the big time with Norwich City and now the Whites, but he has also only ever won a mere six top-flight ties from 49 contests when jumping up a level.

He won’t feel too weighed down by the pressure of keeping the West Yorkshire side afloat if improvements are made all across the pitch, however, with a new goalkeeper surely a must after a rocky season or two with Illan Meslier as his number one stopper.

Moreover, as much as Joel Piroe did finish as the Championship golden boot winner this season just gone, upgrades could be fancied in the striker department still, with this new sharpshooter reportedly on the agenda.

Leeds' search for a striker

After all, Farke already knows too well how challenging the new division can be, even for those once seen as the cream of the crop in the EFL’s elite league.

Off the back of this, the promotion winners are now reportedly in the race to sign up AC Milan attacker Tammy Abraham to seriously enhance their firepower, as per journalist Graeme Bailey.

Bailey elaborates that Abraham is keen on a move back to England after calling Italy his home at both parent side AS Roma and loan outfit AC Milan since 2021, with the likes of Manchester United, Everton, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and more all interested in adding him to their respective rosters.

The Whites are keeping an eye out to see how the situation develops, but if they were to amazingly beat all this competition and land the £34m star, they would secure themselves a big upgrade on their current Dutch marksman when venturing into the Premier League.

Why Abraham could be an upgrade on Piroe

This isn’t to say Piroe won’t be given chances to impress when moving up to the tough division, with his 19 league strikes undoubtedly helping Farke’s men to lift the title.

But, Abraham would surely get the first team nod over the ex-Swansea City man on his arrival, with the 27-year-old now a seasoned machine in front of goal, having left Chelsea so early into his career to perfect his clinical edge.

Abraham’s G/A record minus Chelsea

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

AC Milan

44

10

7

AS Roma

120

37

13

Aston Villa

40

26

3

Swansea City

39

8

4

Bristol City

48

26

4

Sourced by Transfermarkt

The £93k-per-week marksman does have 26 Premier League strikes next to his name, ahead of former Leeds hero Raphinha (17), for instance, as well Patrick Bamford (24), with that mainly down to his short-lived Stamford Bridge stint.

That said, Abraham would truly blossom into a lethal finisher away from the familiarity of England, as seen in his bumper 67 combined goals and assists lining up for Milan and Roma.

Piroe does have his plaudits too, considering he has bagged 79 strikes in total for both Leeds and one of Abraham’s many loan sides in Swansea, but the Dutchman has been prone to long stretches of barren form too.

In the Championship this season just gone, for example, the division’s top scorer still managed to squander a hefty 13 big chances.

On the contrary, despite playing for an underperforming Rossoneri on loan after finding his time in the Italian capital to be injury-ravaged, Abraham would only waste ten big chances in Serie A action.

He is in many ways a goalscoring “monster” – as he once referred to himself after improving under Jose Mourinho.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Therefore, the former Blues youth product has the potential to be the centre-forward Farke and Co are longing for as they embark on their daunting Premier League adventure, with the likes of Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto no doubt excited by the prospect of linking up with their brand new teammate.

Related He'd be incredible with Buendia: Leeds chase star with a "hint of Haaland"

Leeds United are interested in signing a star who would be incredible with Emiliano Buendia.

Posts ByDan Emery May 31, 2025

Glasgow Rangers have yet to make a signing under new manager Russell Martin, but could all that change in the coming days?

The Ibrox side has reportedly shown interest in strikers Matija Frigan and Dor Turgeman recently as Martin seeks to bolster the club’s attacking options.

With Cyriel Dessers closing in on a move to AEK Athens, adding a striker or two could be vital.

Bringing in another centre-back is also high on the wishlist for the new boss, especially with Leon Balogun leaving at the end of last season.

The Nigerian defender was a superb servant for the Gers across two spells. But could Martin sign an upgrade on him this summer?

Rangers search for a new defender

Robin Propper is another defender who looks set to leave Ibrox while Ben Davies appears not to have a future at Rangers.

This leaves Martin with just John Souttar, Clinton Nsiala and Leon King as options at the heart of the defence.

According to The Rangers Review, the Gers are still interested in signing centre-back Harry Darling. His contract has expired at Swansea City, which means Martin wouldn’t have to pay a penny to reunite with his former player.

The Englishman played under the former Southampton boss at MK Dons and Swansea; therefore, he knows him well.

On a free, with the likelihood of Darling not breaking the bank wage-wise, the signing could be a shrewd one for the Glasgow side.

Balogun was loved by the supporters. That much is certain. Could Darling be an upgrade on the veteran, however?

Why Rangers must sign Harry Darling

Balogun was a titan at the back during his spells with the club. He won three trophies and helped Rangers reach the 2022 Europa League final.

Across 20 Premiership games last season, he won an impressive 62% of his total duels contested, while being dribbled past on just 0.3 occasions per game.

The 6ft 2 defender was a nightmare for opposition strikers as his physicality was superb, and that is also the case for the Swansea defender, who won 65% of his duels and was only dribbled past 0.3 times per game in the Championship.

In the second tier last season, Darling registered eight goal contributions for the Swans. Add this to the fact he recorded five the season before, and it is clear he thrives in set-piece scenarios.

Harry Darling’s Championship stats with Swansea (2024/25)

Goals

5

Assists

3

Accurate passes per game

53.9

Clean sheets

12

Total duels won per game

4.9

Balls recovered per game

3.9

Via Sofascore

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers in the Championship during 2024/25, the centre-back ranked in the top 12% for assists (0.08) and in the top 7% for non-penalty goals (0.13) per 90.

Furthermore, he even ranked in the top 12% for progressive carries (1.05) and in the top 23% for progressive passes (3.7) per 90, suggesting that he loves to bring the ball forward from the defence, whether he is passing or dribbling.

In this sense, he would make for an ideal upgrade on Balogun, especially considering he is also 11 years younger than the former Gers man and would provide far more long-term value to the club as an asset that could increase in value.

Dubbed “heroic” by manager Luke Williams earlier this season, Darling would be a dream first signing for Martin and a big upgrade on Balogun. No doubt about it.

Related Martin's own David Weir: Rangers have "explored" move for "infectious" star

Rangers will be keen to sign a defender this summer

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Jun 14, 2025

Chelsea are carrying on their busy transfer window by making some behind-the-scenes moves amid their Club World Cup campaign.

Related £369k-p/w star and his club agree he will leave amid interest from Chelsea

The Blues could have an advantage in the hunt for a forward.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 23, 2025

Enzo Maresca’s side, after failing with three pre-CWC deadline day bids for Borussia Dortmund starlet Jamie Gittens, could now strike a deal for the Englishman “imminently” – coming as another boost for the Blues after their £30 million deal for Liam Delap.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Gittens has already agreed personal terms on a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, and if all goes to plan, the forward will become Chelsea’s second major signing of the summer – even if he won’t be able to feature for them at the CWC.

As well as further forward, Maresca’s side also remain on keen on a new goalkeeper.

Chelsea did try to sign AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, but they couldn’t reach an agreement on price with the Rossoneri. They could yet go back in for Maignan (TEAMtalk), but according to journalist Rudy Galetti, he isn’t the only big-name shot-stopper attracting interest from Cobham.

Chelsea make approach for Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen

That is according to journalist Rudy Galetti, who told FlashScore this week that Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is firmly on their radar.

The £103,000-per-week Catalans captain was unable to play his usual key role due to injury last season, and Hansi Flick’s side have moved to sign his long-term successor in Joan Garcia from rivals Espanyol.

This has put question marks surrounding his future at the Camp Nou, with Galetti reporting that Chelsea made a recent enquiry about ter Stegen, alongside Man Unied, who are also on the hunt for Andre Onana’s replacement.

Man City have also been thrown into the mix now amid Ederson’s uncertain future, and the Premier League is looking more and more like a viable destination for the highly decorated Germany international.

Xavi called ter Stegen the best goalkeeper in world football just two years ago, with Chelsea considering him as an elite-level alternative to the likes of Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen.

“I know how he thinks, his personality, he is very methodical, he’s a perfectionist,” said Xavi in 2023.

“He has worked a lot and he was aware that he had to improve too. Right now he is at an extraordinary level. I would say that, right now, he is the best goalkeeper in the world.

“Even more so for us what we in terms of play. With the ball to feet in goal, he is perfect for us. Having Marc in goal makes me calm.”

The 33-year-old would bring that needed experience to the Chelsea squad, but given he still has three years remaining on his contract, Barça could still demand a significant fee.

Fast bowler admits he suffered doubts after loss to Australia, but bounced back against Oman

Andrew Miller14-Jun-20241:22

Wood: ‘Happy with how I’ve bowled apart from one stinking over’

Mark Wood admitted England had been aware of “a few negatives flying around” in the lead-up to their crucial victory over Oman on Thursday, but said he had harnessed the “nervous energy” to help deliver a statement performance that has got the team’s T20 World Cup back on track.With nothing less than victory required, Wood proved too hot to handle in his fierce three-over burst against Oman. He struck twice in his opening powerplay over, including a return catch first-ball, and finished with 3 for 12 as Oman were rolled aside for 47 in 13.2 overs.England’s fate is still not entirely in their own hands despite rushing to their target in just 19 balls, to revive their flagging net run rate. Assuming they overcome Namibia on Saturday, in what will be the first T20I between the two teams, they will still require Australia to beat Scotland 24 hours later to confirm their place in the Super Eight.But, after a washout in their own match against Scotland, followed by a 36-run loss to Australia in Barbados last week that had left them needing such favours, Wood was delighted with the focussed display that England produced to see off Oman, given the doubts that had been swirling externally about the team’s readiness to defend the title that they won two years ago.”It feels great,” Wood said. “We had to put a stamp on the game … the table didn’t look great obviously before, but it looks a lot better now. There’s still work to do, but I’m feeling a lot better about things after this game.”Wood himself had come in for particular criticism during the Barbados leg of the campaign, not least in the Australia defeat where – on a surface that was not suited to raw pace – he was taken apart by David Warner in the powerplay, conceding three sixes and a four in a 22-run opening over.Mark Wood bowled with pace to claim three wickets against Oman•ICC via Getty Images

He came back well from that indignity, conceding just ten runs in his next two overs by resorting to a diet of cutters, but it was not sufficient to rescue England’s position in the contest.”I’ve been pretty happy with how it’s gone apart from that one really stinking over,” Wood said, having previously been England’s most economical option in the two overs he was able to bowl before the Scotland match was abandoned. “I know I’ve come in for a lot of flak and a lot of stick in the last few days, but I was determined to put on another performance.”I was probably more pleased with the fact that I came back [against Australia], showed some resilience and actually bought some cutters which isn’t natural to me. Normally I’m just trying to bowl quick so to use some guile and some skill, I was pleased. There were obviously doubts about me keeping my spot, but I’ve been quietly trying to keep my focus to perform for the team.”Part of that focus, Wood said, had come from working with David Young, the team psychologist who aided England’s 2019 World Cup campaign and who has been brought back to the squad on a consultancy basis from his current role with Manchester City.”Self-doubt is common for players,” he said. “I was speaking to Youngy about more of the things that I focus on, rather than outcome all the time.”Of course, you have doubts every game you play for England,” he added. “I don’t think there’s a cricketer who doesn’t have a little bit of self-doubt, but the nerves before the game, that’s what helps people bowl fast as well, because you have that nervous energy, that excitement.Related

Warner on Wood and Archer: 'Just have to use their pace'

Reinvigorated England seek confirmation that their campaign is back on track

Cummins: Australia would never have manipulated England's exit

Buttler brushes off criticism as England get World Cup campaign back on track

England rip through outclassed Oman to win in 99 balls

“You want to perform, you’re out there in front of cameras, the millions of people watching, the media, opposition … it’s all judgment, so you’ve got to just remember your focus and what you’re trying to do. In Twenty20 it’s a bit different, isn’t it? You can bowl really well and get whacked, or you can bowl rubbish and get two or three wickets. So, it’s the realisation that you’re doing the right things in your own mind.”Above all else, Wood was pleased with the ruthlessness of England’s victory over Oman, first with the ball and in the field, and then with the bat during their rapid run-chase. However, the team are still reliant on another display of ruthlessness from Australia against Scotland, if their mini-revival is to count for anything in the qualification stakes.All the talk in the build-up to the Oman match had centred around Josh Hazlewood’s suggestion that Australia might go easy on Scotland to help knock England out early. Far from being fired up by the notion, however, Wood said the team had taken that suggestion as a compliment, adding that they had no doubts that Australia would be gunning for victory, as ever, on Sunday.”I think that’s part of being England and Australia, isn’t it?” he said. “I think actually I saw it more as a respect thing, if I’m honest, that he was saying that England have done well against Australia in the recent past and thinks we’re a big threat and a big team, so I have no problem with it.”He did, however, admit it would be slightly strange to be cheering on Australia in the final group game.”I know I’m close to the Scottish border [coming from Durham] and Australia and Scotland are England’s rivals… but we’ll obviously be supporting Australia because we’re trying to get through,” he said.”We have got to show a little bit more and then fingers crossed for Australia. Then when you are through to that next stage every team can go on from there. I’m absolutely confident they’ll play the game their hardest, that’s the Australian way. They’ll play hard and fair and try to get the win.”

The 25/26 season could prove to be Mikel Arteta’s most challenging as Arsenal manager.

The Spaniard has done fantastically well over the last five and a bit years to take the club from mid-table mediocrity to serious contenders in both the Premier League and Champions League.

However, since the FA Cup win in 2020, he hasn’t been able to deliver any silverware, and with fan expectations now where they are, it feels like next season may be make-or-break time.

Fortunately, the board look like they are trying to help him out, as recent reports have linked Arsenal to an outrageously talented winger, someone who is even better than Rodrygo.

Arsenal's winger search

With Arsenal scoring 17 fewer goals than Liverpool and three fewer than Manchester City in the Premier League this season, it was clear that the two priorities this summer had to be a new number nine and a new left-winger to help alleviate the pressure on Bukayo Saka.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

So, it’s not surprising to see the North Londoners linked with a host of talented wide players in recent weeks and months, from Rafael Leao to the aforementioned Rodrygo.

The former enjoyed a pretty strong campaign with AC Milan this season, racking up a tally of 12 goals and 13 assists in 50 appearances, and could be available for around £77m, whereas the latter could cost just as much but did marginally worse, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in two more games.

In short, either attacker would seriously bolster the North Londoners’ frontline options for next season, but it now appears as if the club are looking at someone else, someone better than the Real Madrid star: Bradley Barcola.

According to a recent report from L’Equipe, Arsenal are one of several teams seriously interested in the Paris Saint-Germain gem.

The report has revealed that, alongside the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich, the Gunners have already made an approach for the 22-year-old dynamo, who didn’t start the Champions League final.

The bad news is that the story claims that PSG have no intention of selling the talented winger, but according to stories from earlier in the summer, he has a valuation of around £101m, so there may still be a chance to strike a deal.

It would be an incredibly complicated and costly transfer to get done, but given Barcola’s immense ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a better signing than Rodrygo.

Why Arsenal's £101m target is better than Rodrygo

If we are arguing that one attacking player would make for a better signing than another, the first place to see how the pair stack up against one another would be their raw output, and when doing that, Barcola comes out miles ahead.

For example, in 59 appearances for the Parisians, totalling 3678 minutes, the utterly superb 22-year-old has scored 21 goals and provided 19 assists.

That means that the Lyon-born machine has been able to maintain an average of a goal involvement every 1.47 games, or even more impressively, every 91.95 minutes – just imagine that level of output opposite Saka.

In contrast, Rodrygo’s 25 goal involvements have come in 52 appearances, totalling 3425 minutes, and while that is still fantastic, it does come to a worse average of a goal involvement every 2.08 games or every 137 minutes.

The young Frenchman continues to look like the better signing when we take a look under the hood as well, lending credence to analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he is “one of the best LW’s in Europe.”

Barcola vs Rodrygo

Statistics per 90

Barcola

Rodrygo

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.97

0.32

Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

0.99

0.51

Progressive Passes

3.97

5.05

Progressive Carries

5.66

5.28

Shots

3.05

2.52

Shots on Target

1.57

0.93

Passing Accuracy

81.7%

85.9%

Key Passes

2.07

2.29

Passes into the Penalty Area

2.11

1.21

Shot-Creating Actions

4.17

4.95

Goal-Creating Actions

0.83

0.42

Tackles Won

0.70

0.65

Blocks

1.03

0.84

Interceptions

0.79

0.51

Clearances

0.50

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

1.40

2.29

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

Not only does he do better in crucial output-related metrics like expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, but the data also shows he’s far more willing to do the dirty work as well, with him coming out way on top for things like tackles won, blocks, clearances and more all per 90.

This ability to both supercharge the attack while also not leaving his full-back out at sea could make the former Lyon gem the perfect left-winger for an Arteta system.

Finally, with FBref placing him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and the top 9% for progressive carries, fans can expect the PSG phenom to get them on their feet on a regular basis, especially as U23 scout Antonio Mango described him as having “devastating pace.”

Ultimately, while Rodrygo would still be an excellent signing for Arsenal this summer, Barcola appears to be better in every way, and therefore, the club should be doing all they can to secure his services.

Related A bigger star than Zubimendi: Arsenal make approach to sign £50m midfielder

The midfield monster would be a game-changer for Arsenal.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 23, 2025

Thanks to this result, Sri Lanka are out of contention to qualify from Group D

Ashish Pant13-Jun-20241:52

Rapid Fire Review: Rishad changed the course of the game

Bangladesh made a big stride towards securing a Super Eights berth at the T20 World Cup 2024 with a confident 25-run win over Netherlands in the first international fixture in Kingstown in close to a decade.It was a welcome return to form for Shakib Al Hasan, who scored his first fifty in 20 T20I innings to shepherd Bangladesh to 159 for 5. Netherlands made a good fist of the chase, moving to 111 for 3 in the 15th over. But legspinner Rishad Hossain struck three times in four balls spread across two overs to change the course of the game.Related

Shakib has arrived at the T20 World Cup, finally

Shakib: 'Happy with the way I contributed, it wasn't an easy wicket'

With Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman tightening the screws alongside Rishad, Netherlands fell in a heap, losing 4 for 6 in the space of 16 balls. They still had an outside chance with 36 needed off the last two overs, but Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters proved too much to handle in the 19th over. He kept slanting the ball across, and the batters kept swishing and missing. He conceded just three runs in that over, having given away just one in the 17th, and Netherlands were eventually restricted to 134 for 8.Bangladesh fly away despite Dutt’s strikes With the Bangladesh top order studded with left-handers, Netherlands brought Aryan Dutt in for his first game of the tournament and he immediately repaid their faith. Introduced in the second over, he removed the Bangladesh captain with his second ball. It was an innocuous length ball outside off, which Najmul Hossain Shanto reverse-swept straight to first slip.Dutt struck again in his next over, with a lot of help from Sybrand Engelbrecht. Litton Das eyed a slog-sweep only to get a top-edge well in front of square. But Engelbrecht, stationed behind square, sprinted to his left , put out a full-length dive and picked up a screamer inches off the turf.Despite the early losses, Bangladesh continued to score at a fair clip. Tanzid Hasan struck Vivian Kingma for two fours and a six in the third over before Shakib picked another four off Paul van Meekeren in the fifth. Shakib then laid into Logan van Beek in the sixth over, smashing him for four fours to take Bangladesh to 54 for 2, comfortably their highest powerplay score of the tournament.1:42

Maharoof: Shakib was prepared for Netherlands’ short-ball tactics

The middle-overs squeezeNetherlands weren’t backing down, though. Captain Scott Edwards rung in the changes and the bowlers made sure to stick to their lengths. According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, Netherlands only veered into the full lengths four times in 10 overs from the seventh to the 16th, and Bangladesh’s scoring rate dropped. The pressure told on Tanzid, who mistimed a pull to deep backward square leg in the ninth over, while Towhid Hridoy had his leg stump flattened by Tim Pringle in the 13th. Bangladesh managed only 58 runs in the middle ten overs with five fours and a six, and lost two wickets.Shakib the glue as Bangladesh end stronglyThe last time Shakib scored a fifty in T20Is was in October 2022 against Pakistan. At the T20 World Cup, he hadn’t breached the half-century mark since 2016. But on this crucial day, Bangladesh’s stalwart stood tall.He scored his first seven runs at a run-a-ball, and picked up his once he got the hang of the surface. And even when the runs dried up in the middle phase, he kept rotating strike without panicking. He reached his fifty off 38 balls and hit de Leede for back-to-back fours in the final over to finish unbeaten on 64 off 46 balls, his innings studded with nine fours.There were important contributions from Mahmudullah (25 off 21) and Jaker Ali (14* off seven) as Bangladesh collected 47 runs off the last four overs.Bas de Leede is stumped off Rishad Hossain•ICC/Getty Images

Bangladesh keep chipping awayWith 349 runs in nine innings, Michael Levitt came into this tournament as Netherlands’ highest run-scorer in T20Is since the start of 2024. However, he’s had a dismal start to his T20 World Cup with scores of 1 and 0 against Nepal and South Africa. He seemed to change the tide against Bangladesh when he drove Mustafizur through the covers in the first over. Then, when he smashed Taskin Ahmed over the roof at deep midwicket, it seemed his campaign was back on track.But Levitt’s joy was short-lived. In the fifth over, he top-edged a cut off Taskin to Hridoy at point. In the next over, Max O’Dowd smashed a length ball straight back to Tanzim Hasan, and Netherlands ended the powerplay at 36 for 2.Vikramjit Singh hit Shakib for back-to-back sixes in the seventh over and slog-swept Rishad over deep midwicket in the ninth. His sprightly 16-ball knock was cut short when he was stumped, walking past a tossed-up delivery from Mahmudullah. But at 69 for 3 in the tenth over, Netherlands were still in with a chance.Rishad triple-strike gives Bangladesh the WNetherlands seemed to be giving Bangladesh a proper fight when Engelbrecht and Edwards were at the crease. The duo ran superbly and got the boundaries at regular intervals during a 31-ball stand of 42 for the fourth wicket.When Rishad was brought on to bowl the 15th over, Netherlands required 56 off 36. The legspinner’s first two overs had gone for 19 and he knew this over could decide the match. It did, in Bangladesh’s favour.With his fourth ball, he got Engelbrecht to top-edge a legbreak straight up, with Tanzim taking the catch at point. Two balls later, he had de Leede stumped with a ball that spun sharply past his outside edge. Mustafizur then got into the act by taking out Edwards, and when Rishad sent back Logan van Beek at the start of the 18th over, the game was as good as done.Dutt struck a six off Rishad later in that over, but he and Pringle had no answers to Mustafizur’s cutters in the 19th. Eventually, Netherlands fell well short of their target. The result does not knock them out of contention, nor does it give Bangladesh a sure-shot place in the Super Eight. It has, however, knocked Sri Lanka out, and given Bangladesh an excellent chance of advancing from Group D.