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Wolverhampton Wanderers are now ready to make a January offer for a midfield “artist”, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Wolves still not off the mark in the Premier League

It has been a torrid start to the Premier League season for Wolves, who remained bottom of the table after a very disappointing 3-1 home defeat against newly-promoted Leeds United last weekend.

Vitor Pereira’s side are the only top flight club yet to pick up a single point this season, but there has been some respite in the EFL Cup, having reached the fourth round, after progressing past West Ham United and, most recently, Everton.

Related Wolves star Munetsi reveals what they "really" worked on in training before Everton win

Wolves dominated the Toffees on Tuesday evening…

Posts ByBen Goodwin Sep 24, 2025

There were some promising signs on Wednesday night, with the Old Gold defeating the Toffees 2-0 at Molineux, courtesy of goals from Marshall Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare, and the manager remains confident his players have the ability to turn things around.

Pereira said: “The work I watch everyday in training is hard work and this is a group who work a lot, they compete and want to be at a better level. We’re just missing the results because the players have quality.”

If things do not improve, however, and their Premier League status is on the line, Wolves may have to inject some fresh quality into the squad during the January transfer window, and they are now looking to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

That is according to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), which states the Old Gold are now ready to make an offer for Locatelli as soon as January, although there will be competition from some of their Premier League rivals.

West Ham United and Aston Villa are also prepared to make bids of their own, and there are signs a deal could be possible, with the Serie A side considering sanctioning a departure, although it is unclear what sort of fee they would be looking for.

"Artist" Locatelli could play major role in Wolves securing survival

Even though we are just five games into the new Premier League season, it is already starting to look like Wolves’ main goal this season will be to simply avoid the drop, and the £103k-a-week Juventus maestro could take Pereira’s midfield to the next level.

An established Italy international, with 32 caps to his name, the 27-year-old has plenty of top-level experience, having made 22 Champions League appearances, and he is very highly rated by scout Ben Mattinson.

Not only is the midfielder comfortable in possession, but he is also solid defensively, as shown by his performance in some key statistics over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Tackles

2.78 (84th percentile)

Blocks

1.96 (97th percentile)

Clearances

2.72 (92nd percentile)

Locatelli could be an excellent signing for Wolves, but it is questionable whether a player of his quality would be interested in moving to a relegation-threatened side.

With Vitor Pereira aiming to add the final touches to his side before the transfer window slams shut, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly leading the race to sign a Barcelona gem this month.

Their opening day defeat at the hands of Manchester City highlighted a number of problem areas for Wolves. Whilst there were little expectations against Pep Guardiola’s serial winners who have spent big once again this summer, Pereira’s squad looked alarmingly thin throughout.

Since that defeat, the Midlands club have – to their credit – welcomed Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona in an attempt to replace Nelson Semedo and hand their backline a much-needed boost. But there’s undoubtedly still work to be done as deadline day approaches.

The defender is keen to get going too, telling Wolves’ official website: “I feel good. I feel happy to be here and I’m excited. I spoke a little bit with the coach, but I’ll speak more. The Premier League is one of my dreams and it’s one step that I want to do in my life, and also the history of the club, the stadium, the fans, this convinced me.”

With a trip to face Bournemouth awaiting this weekend, the new arrival could have the chance to make his Wolves debut just days after putting pen to paper in a game that must see marked improvement from Pereira’s side.

Pereira's very own Neves: Wolves plotting £26m move for "total leader"

Wolverhampton Wanderers could win Vitor Pereira his own Ruben Neves by signing this £26m ace.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 21, 2025

Meanwhile, now that Tchatchoua has officially arrived, Wolves have reportedly turned their attention towards the likes of Girona’s Ladislav Krejci and Christantus Uche. Rumours have even gone as far as to suggest that they’ve made an offer worth £26m to sign Krejci, whilst also setting their sights on another La Liga talent.

Wolves now in pole position to sign Casado

According to Sport Italia journalist Gianluigi Longari, as relayed by Sport Witness, Wolves are now in pole position to sign Marc Casado and are willing to go all out to sign the Barcelona midfielder.

The Spanish giants reportedly value the 21-year-old at just €30m (£26m), sparking a race between Wolves, West Ham United and Bournemouth to secure his signature this month.

In a hectic race which now also includes Marseille, Wolves are reportedly pushing hardest to welcome the young Spaniard in what would hand Pereira an instant upgrade in possession compared to his current options at Molineux.

Minutes

2,472

1,611

Progressive Passes P90

3.96

5.98

Tackles Won P90

2

1.4

Ball Recoveries P90

7.05

5.03

Although Andre is effective out of possession, Casado would hand Wolves far more control in the middle of the park to almost replicate the job that Ruben Neves did for so many years in the Midlands.

Dubbed a “wonderful talent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Casado would be an excellent addition to Pereira’s side. Whether Wolves manage to fend off the competition from both Marseille and their Premier League rivals to sign the Barcelona gem remains to be seen, however.

While the results and honours haven’t always followed, West Ham United have always been a team that can boast a genuine superstar or two in their side.

A few years ago, it was Declan Rice who was grabbing the headlines for the Hammers and representing them in a Euros final for England.

Nowadays, it’s Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta who are the standouts in the team, with the latter making it very clear he wants to remain in East London with his celebration against Nottingham Forest.

However, before either he or Rice had made their names in Claret and Blue, there was an exciting prospect who looked like an even bigger talent than both.

Rice & Paqueta's West Ham careers

Now, there may still be some ill feelings about where Rice moved on to a couple of years ago, but it would be impossible to deny that he gave an awful lot to West Ham over his time with the club.

He made his senior debut for the club against Burnley in 2017 and went on to make 245 appearances for the club, totalling an astonishing 20,580 minutes.

Despite playing in defensive midfield and even at the back at times, the Englishman managed to score 15 goals and provide 13 assists for the Hammers during his time in East London.

Moreover, he captained the club to Conference League glory in his final game – an achievement that has enshrined him in the club’s history books forever.

Paqueta, on the other hand, only joined the Irons from Lyon in the summer of 2022, but has still played a massive role at the club.

He was also part of the team that secured the Hammers’ European glory, and has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 14 assists in 124 games.

However, for as brilliant as Rice and Paqueta are, there was an academy gem who, a decade ago, was being looked at as an even bigger talent, but is not without a club.

The West Ham gem without a club

Cast your minds back to the distant year of 2015 and West Ham’s Premier League opener away to Arsenal.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

It was a game to forget for the hosts, but a memorable win for the travelling Irons, and one youngster in particular: Reece Oxford.

It was the then 16-year-old’s competitive debut, and instead of making a fool of himself against a pretty stacked Gunners side, he looked incredible and practically pocketed a prime Mesut Özil.

It was a performance that more than turned heads, with then-manager Slaven Bilic proclaiming afterward that the youngster “has everything.”

Later on, the Croatian would tell the press that, at the time, “I couldn’t move around the place without hearing that Reece Oxford was going to be the next big thing.”

Moreover, in an interview with The Athletic, former West Ham trainee Lewis Page revealed that during his early days, Rice was unsure if he’d get a scholarship as Oxford “was the main talent at centre-back, and I’m not sure if the club thought Dec was good enough to play in midfield.”

Unfortunately, the former Hammers gem didn’t go on to become a world-beater, and after several loans, he left the club with just 17 appearances to his name to join Augsburg in the summer of 2019.

Augsburg

80

3

2

West Ham

17

0

0

Mönchengladbach

8

0

0

Reading

5

0

0

Things went reasonably well for the youngster out in Germany for a while, but persistent injuries followed with a severe case of long COVID that prevented him from really kicking on.

In all, the 26-year-old made 80 appearances for the club, but his last senior professional game was all the way back in November 2022, and he’s been without a club since July 1st of this year.

Ultimately, while Oxford was never able to live up to the hype, he did carve out a decent career for himself in the Bundesliga, and we can only hope he finds himself a new team soon.

West Ham now join the race to sign £60m star who was a major Spurs target

The Hammers are keen to bring in a “sensational” player, who was a key summer target for Tottenham Hotspur.

ByDominic Lund Sep 3, 2025

Deal is set to make London-based club the most valuable in the Hundred

Matt Roller and Nagraj Gollapudi31-Jan-2025English cricket has landed a multi-million pound windfall after a Silicon Valley tech consortium won a bidding war with the Sanjiv Goenka-owned RPSG Group for a 49% stake in London Spirit, the Hundred team based at Lord’s.The winning bid made by the consortium, headed by Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, valued the Spirit at £295 million, more than twice the price paid by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for Oval Invincibles on Thursday. It means they will pay £144.55m for a 49% stake in the Spirit, with MCC intending to retain its position as majority shareholder.The price is more than double the floor valuation set for London Spirit based on investors’ indicative bids and represents a significant injection of funds into English cricket. The revenue raised in the sales process will be split between the 18 first-class counties, MCC and the recreational game and is designed to “future-proof” county cricket for the next 20 years. RPSG Group is understood to have quit the race at the £292 million mark.The consortium – under the name Cricket Investor Holdings Limited – includes Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Shantanu Narayen and Egon Durban, the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Adobe and Silver Lake Management respectively, as well as Arora and Satyan Gajwani, who is one of the co-founders of the US-based Major League Cricket and vice-chairman of Times Internet, the Indian digital giant.It is understood that the consortium’s bid was spearheaded by Arora and Gajwani, after they were among the last investors to enter the race. ESPNcricinfo understands that there are 11 individuals involved in the consortium in total, five of whom are yet to be named publicly.Related

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Mark Nicholas, MCC’s chairman, told members on Friday evening: “We are delighted to have found partners who share our values and understand the power and mystique of Lord’s. We look forward to building on the happy relationship we have already established over the past few weeks.”Nicholas said that there had been “remarkable interest” from investors, and wrote: “Today’s announcement shows what we as Members have always known: our Club is special. It’s why people want to be involved with us. I hope that all Members are as proud as I am and excited at the opportunities that lie ahead.”Goenka, whose company RPSG Group run Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, was considered the favourite to buy a stake in the Spirit but was beaten in a three-hour bidding war on Friday afternoon, which lasted so long that the start time for the same process at Welsh Fire – which was later won by the owner of Washington Freedom – was delayed by an hour.Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group pulled out of the race at a £292m valuation•SportzpicsAvram Glazer, the co-owner of Manchester United, and Cain International, who are run by Chelsea director Jonathan Goldstein, were also involved in the auction process on Friday afternoon but pulled out early on. It is thought that what one source described as “the Lord’s factor” played a significant role in the unexpectedly high price for the Spirit.The consortium will now enter into a period of exclusive negotiations with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the host venue’s owner, and complete an agreement in the eight-week window set by ECB from the completion of the final round of the bidding process. MCC has maintained throughout that it intends to retain its 51% share in the franchise.The Spirit are defending champions in the women’s Hundred, with England captain Heather Knight leading them to their inaugural title last year and India’s Deepti Sharma hitting the winning runs in the final. Their men’s team, by contrast, have only won three games in the last two Hundred seasons, and finished bottom in 2024.RPSG Group are now expected to refocus their attention to Manchester Originals next week, having held detailed meetings with Lancashire over the past nine months. RIL were also understood to be on the shortlist for the Originals but are out of the running after buying a stake in Oval Invincibles.

Thomas Frank has confirmed that Randal Kolo Muani could make his Tottenham debut against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday. The forward joined the club on loan from Juventus on deadline day and is currently awaiting his debut. Now, Frank has confirmed that the France international is fit, although he has questioned his ability to play with intensity.

Kolo Muani debut incoming?

Spurs signed the France international on deadline day, with the forward on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The attacker scored 11 goals in 54 games for the Ligue 1 club, and will now be aiming to hit the back of the net with regularity in north London. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesSpurs kicking off CL season

Spurs are preparing for a return to European football's top table after winning the Europa League last season. However, Dominic Solanke has failed to train before the game, meaning Richarlison is the only other centre-forward option, given Mathys Tel has not been registered in the squad for Europe. 

Can Kolo Muani cope?

Kolo Muani's fitness has somewhat been questioned by Frank, who told reporters:"If we needed him to play, he could play 90 minutes, but can he play at the intensity and the level that we want? But he's ready and he'll be involved tomorrow, so that's the most important thing."

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AFPWho do Spurs have next?

After playing Villarreal to kick off their Champions League campaign, Spurs head to Brighton in the Premier League. They have won three of their first four games in the league.

The in-form Josh Inglis steadied Western Australia alongside Cooper Connolly

Tristan Lavalette21-Oct-2024

Josh Inglis continued his strong start to the season•Getty Images

Opener Cameron Bancroft’s bid for a Test recall took a hit after a third consecutive failure to start the Sheffield Shield season. But in-form Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly rescued Western Australia out of trouble against Tasmania late on day two at the WACA.Replying to Tasmania’s first innings of 277, Bancroft made just 8 before nicking off to seamer Kieran Elliott in the sixth over. WA slumped further when captain Sam Whiteman and Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply.Related

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An aggressive Hilton Cartwright raced to a half-century by tea, but he didn’t re-emerge after the interval as he dashed to be at the birth of his second child. He could still bat on day three, but is believed to require approval from the match umpire and Tasmania to continue his innings.Allrounder Aaron Hardie fell on the first over after tea as Tasmania edged ahead before Inglis turned the match on its head much like he did with a century in the season opener against Queensland.Inglis made it look easy under the shadows as he raced to a half-century off 57 balls. He found good support from Connolly as they combined for an unbroken 119-run partnership to turn the tide as WA set their sights on a handy first innings lead.After Tasmania were bowled out at the stroke of lunch, the spotlight firmly shone on Bancroft at the resumption. With the surface appearing to be flattening and as Perth’s famous sunshine emerged after a rain-interrupted first day, Bancroft eyed a big score to ignite his Test candidacy after making a pair against Queensland.Bancroft was tested immediately by quick Riley Meredith and unable to get off the mark from his first nine deliveries. The pressure was building before he scored his first runs of the Shield season in streaky fashion when he slashed Meredith past third slip.He hit a more controlled boundary through point on the next delivery, but could not kick on after shuffling across his stumps to edge a back of a length delivery from Elliott, who soon had Whiteman caught behind for 13.Marsh entered in strong form after a powerful 94 in the second innings against Queensland. For the second straight match he is playing as a specialist batter at No. 4. Marsh had publicly stated that he would build his loads in this match ahead of next month’s first Test, but his bowling return is being put on hold for now.Marsh started watchfully before hitting a gorgeous straight drive to the boundary off seamer Mitch Owen. But Marsh had a rush of blood on the next delivery as he mistimed a short delivery straight to deep square leg. He immediately started walking off after realising he had thrown away his wicket.Owen had earlier led a recovery for Tasmania after blasting 69 from 60 balls at No. 8. Tasmania were in major trouble at 190 for 8 before Owen combined with Matt Kuhnemann for a ninth wicket partnership of 87.Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, fresh off being selected for Australia A, finally ended Owen’s entertaining knock before dismissing Meredith on the next delivery to finish with 4 for 70 from 24.3 overs.Recruit Brody Couch was the pick of the quicks with 3 for 33 off 17 overs in a lively performance where he reached speeds of 143kph.Hardie did not enter the attack in the morning session having bowled six overs on the opening day as he works his way back from a quad injury that ruled him out of the match against Queensland.

Their series win against NZ allows Sri Lanka to ponder the prospect of a WTC final berth next year

Madushka Balasuriya29-Sep-2024Sri Lanka’s dominant series win against New Zealand has been one to savour not just for the way they won the second Test but also because it allows, even fleetingly, for them to ponder the prospect of a World Test Championship [WTC] final berth next year.As things stand Sri Lanka are placed third behind Australia and India on the WTC points table, but only 6.94 percentage points behind second-placed Australia, with a home tour against them to come in this cycle.Captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who has navigated Sri Lanka to their best year in Tests since 2006, is not getting too far ahead of himself. Before that Australia series, the next port of call for the Test side will be in South Africa in November-December.Related

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“We’re only looking at it from one match to another,” Dhananjaya said when asked about his side’s WTC final prospects. “If you look too far ahead you can miss out on what’s immediately important.”It’s what I always tell the young players as well, if you do what’s required from one match to another, then what needs to happen in the points table will take care of itself.”Among those young players is Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya’s junior back in their school days at Richmond College who has fast become an integral part of the Test side.

“The decision was taken at the right time because we all know that in Galle batting in the last hour is quite difficult. And I think it’s because of that decision that we were able to bowl them out the following morning.”Kamindu Mendis on de Silva declaring when he was 182 not out

But despite that years-old connection, there was no room for sentiment when Dhananjaya called for a first-innings declaration with Kamindu 18 short of a maiden double century. Asked if he had been tempted to continue through till Kamindu reached the milestone, de Silva explained that it was not a decision he would take if it meant impacting the team negatively.”More than Kamindu’s double hundred, I wanted Kusal Mendis to get a hundred because he hadn’t scored one in quite some time,” he said. “But once we got to that point in the match, I think that was the best decision to take.”Kamindu, who sat beside his captain at the post-match press briefing, was quick to back up his skipper when questioned on the same.”We had put a big total on the board, even at lunch I had 136. So the plan even then was to score a little bit more and then put them into bat,” Kamindu said. “I think the decision was taken at the right time because we all know that in Galle batting in the last hour is quite difficult. And I think it’s because of that decision that we were able to bowl them out the following morning.”Nishan Peiris finished with nine wickets in his debut Test•APWith two wickets picked up in the dying minutes of day two, Sri Lanka rolled New Zealand over for 88 on the third morning to all but guarantee the win. A bulk of the damage in the game was done by another youngster, Nishan Peiris.The 27-year-old offspinner who was making his debut ended up with nine wickets in a stellar first Test outing, and Dhananjaya revealed it was his particular skillset that bolstered the team following a hard-fought first Test.”Nishan had bowled really well in domestic cricket for quite some time, and what I had stressed on was to bring in a bowler that could keep the economy rate low, especially on a turning track,” Dhananjaya said. “That’s how you put pressure on the opposition, with Prabath [Jayasuriya] at the other end. And I think he did his job excellently in this game.”With six Test wins this year, Sri Lanka have moved up to fifth in the Test rankings. For Dhananjaya, this has been reward for the work the side has put in, and the bench strength they’ve developed.”I have been part of the side for six years and we’ve always wanted to come up in rankings but we tried and failed,” he said. “We just couldn’t get the right team makeup, but we have got it right now. And now we also have combinations that can work on any surface, both at home and overseas.”

Tottenham Hotspur find themselves under a new manager in Thomas Frank and he could now pounce to bring one of his favourites to N17, according to a report.

Frank's aim to build on Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League success

Winning the Europa League was a watershed moment for Tottenham after 17 years of waiting, but the mission for all connected with the club now is to build on the foundations that Ange Postecoglou laid come next term.

Daniel Levy took exception to a poor Premier League points tally from the Australian. However, Thomas Frank now has a magnificent platform to build on, courtesy of Spurs qualifying for the Champions League off the back of their success in Bilbao.

Opting not to sugarcoat things, Chris Sutton proposed the theory that Frank will be under pressure to deliver immediately at Spurs, claiming the different expectation levels Brentford and Tottenham leave the Dane with little leeway to work with in N17.

He stated: “Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job at Brentford, but this is a whole different kettle of fish. Because of the expectation at Tottenham, Frank won’t get time to get his feet under the table. He will be under pressure from the off.”

Later, he added: “The aim for Frank will be to keep them in the Champions League, and whether that is by making the top four or five, that is not going to be easy.”

Tottenham star very close to Spurs exit after receiving £195k-p/w proposal

Spurs could be set to let an iconic figure depart…

1

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Jun 15, 2025

Brentford duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa could join Tottenham, if Frank opts to go down the route of raiding his former club for talent, though it is hard to imagine the Bees letting either of their star men leave on the cheap.

Nevertheless, it appears that the 51-year-old could instead look to another of his favourites at the Gtech Community Stadium if reports are to be believed.

Tottenham preparing bid to sign Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard

According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham are preparing a bid for Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard and the Denmark international is viewed as a priority addition by Frank to strengthen his engine room.

Spurs are set to submit an offer between the £17-20 million mark, though the Bees are reluctant to see the 31-year-old depart this summer and could inflate his price to ward off interest.

Christian Norgaard’s reliability under Thomas Frank
Appearances	249
Goals	18
Assists	22

Winning an extraordinary 163 duels on Premier League duty last term, the Brentford captain is someone who has an ‘exceptional’ understanding of Frank’s system, making him indispensable in West London regardless of who is in charge.

Stockpiling in key areas would be a wise idea for Spurs amid their injury crisis last season, which rarely saw Postecoglou having a full-strength side to pick from in a tumultuous campaign.

Norgaard is a symbol of reliability for Brentford, and it makes sense to recruit experience if circumstances allow for it, though the Bees may prove to be too tricky to deal with in the end.

While Afghanistan coach Trott believes “pressure is on South Africa,” SA coach Walter says burden of past losses should not be borne by current crop of players

Sidharth Monga26-Jun-20243:14

Rob Walter: ‘Getting over the line in close games gives us confidence’

At the risk of navel-gazing and giving too much importance to mainstream media, it is hard to contemplate team representatives outnumbering the press at a press conference before a World Cup semi-final. South Africa’s head coach Rob Walter arrived with their media officer and security officer to speak to a total of one member of the press. This is not the first time it has happened with South Africa during this World Cup – they kicked off their campaign on Long Island similarly – but there is something eerie about a semi-final creating no buzz in one of the most passionate centres for cricket at the T20 World Cup 2024.Well, almost one of the most passionate centres. For this ground – Brian Lara Cricket Academy – is located 50km from Port-of-Spain, on the outskirts of San Fernando. The Queen’s Park Oval, owned by a private club, has refused to upgrade with the times and has been left behind, but taking such a showpiece event away from the historic venue in the heart of Port-of-Spain to a ground that doesn’t necessarily hold more people is akin to cutting the nose to spite the face.Then comes the schedule, which doesn’t even give teams the time to train. South Africa at least held an optional training session after having arrived on Monday night, but Afghanistan finished their qualification well into the wee hours of Tuesday for a match on Wednesday. So excuse them for not training a day before the semi-final.Related

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Not that the ICC would have thrown open the gates to the public to watch the training anyway. There are lessons to be learnt from MCG in Melbourne and Eden Gardens in Kolkata, two of the few international grounds where people can come and watch the nets.Despite all this and other problems, the World Cup has been a roaring success. On TV, that is. Perhaps that’s the future of the sport? The fans at the grounds are just not worth the bother. The carnival atmosphere that World Cups of sports carry doesn’t seem to be a prerequisite for the cricket one to be a success.Not that South Africa mind. They allegedly freeze under the spotlight so perhaps it is best to stay under the radar? “This is an empty hall, which is a good sign, I think,” Walter joked when asked if it felt like a semi-final. Before he put the press in its place: “It’s not really about the press but about the occasion, isn’t it?”Walter did say that you can’t mislead yourself into believing it is just another game. Better to embrace it and the emotions that come with it. How does it manifest? Do you train differently? Do you not sleep well?2:11

Fleming: How Klaasen plays spin could decide the game

Walter again joked he is not the best person to talk about the quality of sleep since his is never “very good”. “I think there’s always an energy that you can feel that’s tangible when it comes to a semi-final,” he went on to say. “There’ll be a mixture of emotions which is with anxiety but excitement and I think anyone in any sport, if they get to this phase of a competition, feels that. And so really, it’s just acknowledging that and accepting it and then just understanding what you’ll do with that. We still want to play our best cricket in the key moments of the game tomorrow.”It is being said that this South Africa is different because it has been winning close games, but is a convenient, almost unfalsifiable claim: if they fail to win the title, it will again be said that they failed to win “when it mattered the most”. Walter chose not to argue that point but said whatever near misses have taken place, in the past, the burden is not theirs to carry.”The near misses in the past, they belong to the people who missed them,” Walter said. “To be honest, this team is a different team. We own whatever is ours to own. And so, our nearest reflection point is this tournament where we’ve managed to get over the line. So that’s what we think about.”That is exactly what another South African by birth, Englishman by nationality, and Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott is focussing on. “We go into the semi-final with no scarring or no history with regards to semi-finals,” Trott said minutes after winning against Bangladesh. “This is uncharted territory for us. We’re just going to go out there and give it our all. There’s no preconceived ideas on it all, or history of failure or success in semi-finals in past years. For us it’s a new challenge, and I think that makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition.”Now that feels like a semi-final-level attempt at needling.

Liverpool’s second-half collapse may have put a dampener on Sunday’s clash with Arsenal, although the Premier League champions had started the day in rampant mood, after racing into a two-goal lead at Anfield.

Two goals in the space of a minute from Cody Gakpo and Luiz Diaz came amid that first-half onslaught for the hosts, with the pair having now scored 18 and 17 goals, respectively, this season in all competitions.

With Mohamed Salah – who boasts 33 across all fronts – rounding off that frontline, the trio have been the standout figures in Arne Slot’s attacking unit in 2024/25, with no other player having reached double figures for goals thus far.

While there had been doubts over Diaz’s future at the club, more recent reports suggested that a new deal could be on the cards for the former Porto man. Salah, of course, has already put pen to paper on his long-awaited contract extension.

Gakpo PL season in numbers – 23/24 vs 24/25
Stat (*per game)	23/24	24/25
Games (starts)	35 (17)	33 (21)
Goals	8	10
Scoring frequency	206min	179min
Big chances missed	6	6
Big chances created	5	8
Assists	5	3
Key passes*	0.7	1.0
Pass accuracy*	79%	84%
Successful dribbles*	0.9	0.9
Stats via Sofascore

With Gakpo, meanwhile, tied down until 2028, the flanks look to be in a good place for the Merseysiders moving forward. That said, a new wideman could be on the cards this summer…

Liverpool's search for a forward

It is no secret that Liverpool’s priority ahead of next term is likely to be the addition of a new centre-forward, with Darwin Nunez looking set to depart after netting just seven times in total this season.

The primary target would appear to be Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, albeit with the £100m-rated Swede seemingly out of reach, the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are also reportedly under consideration.

Away from the pursuit of a number nine, however, journalist Graeme Bailey has also reported that the Reds could be in the mix for Athletic Club sensation, Nico Williams, with the Spaniard seemingly ‘willing’ to move to England this summer.

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According to Bailey, it is Arsenal and Chelsea who are leading the race at present, although Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool have all made contact with the player’s representatives.

As reported elsewhere, the Euro 2024 winner would be able to depart if any suitor triggers his €58m (£49m) release clause, albeit with one potential sticking point likely to prove his wage demands. The Daily Mail – via GOAL – reported he would be looking to earn more than £400k-per-week, a figure close to what Virgil van Dijk will seemingly be taking home following the signing of his own extension.

Such a salary could prove a real stumbling block for Slot and co, although should a compromise be met, the 22-year-old would be a more than worthy addition to the Anfield ranks.

Why Liverpool could be targeting the next Gakpo

As noted above, Sunday’s stalemate with the Gunners saw Gakpo get on the scoresheet once again, with the 26-year-old nodding home from Andy Robertson’s whipped cross to notch his tenth Premier League goal of the campaign.

That marked the first time that the former PSV Eindhoven man has reached double figures for league goals for the club, after netting 15 times in the 18 months prior to that, following his £35m arrival in January 2023.

Prior to moving to Merseyside, the then-Manchester United target had been a real revelation in his homeland for PSV, having registered 55 goals and 49 assists in 149 games for the Eredivisie giants, offering a relentless threat down the left flank or in a central role.

Such quality had also been on show on the international scene, with Gakpo scoring in every group stage game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, just a matter of months before moving to England.

In many ways, there would be a sense of Deja Vu if young Williams is to follow suit this summer, with the Bilbao wizard having also dazzled in his homeland, with 61 goals and assists in 166 senior games.

That includes a return of 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions this season, amid the Basque side’s surge to the Europa League semi-final, with it no surprise that he has been dubbed “one of the best wingers on the market” by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Like Gakpo too, it is for his national team where Williams has perhaps made the bigger splash, having started in six of Spain’s seven games en route to glory last summer, while memorably netting in the showpiece success over England.

A natural right-footer who typically operates off the left flank, much like Gakpo, Williams also emulates his Liverpool counterpart due to his versatility, having also been just as comfortable operating on the opposite side in his career to date,

That flexibility should ensure that the in-demand speedster provides welcome competition and cover for the likes of Diaz, Gakpo and Salah on either flank, with the chance there for Williams to enjoy gradual progression in a Liverpool shirt – much like Gakpo has been afforded the time to do.

As this campaign has already showcased, Slot’s starting lineup looks strong and healthy – now it’s the time to really enhance the squad as a whole with exciting, high potential moves.

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By
Dan Emery

May 12, 2025