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Newcastle United have now reportedly made their first contact to sign Ruben Neves from Al-Hilal, as they look to find a solution for their current problems under Eddie Howe.

The Magpies were in dire form before the international break and defeat at the hands of Brentford just about summed things up. For the first time in his tenure at St James’ Park, Howe is under pressure to get things right and turn things around as soon as possible, but with Manchester City up next there’s no doubt that’s easier said than done.

The manager admitted that Newcastle’s Premier League form has “not been good” at a recent charity dinner, saying: “Our Premier League form has not been good, and our away form has not been good. [But] our home form’s been strong, been good in the Champions League and we’re still in the Carabao Cup, so it’s a mixture of things.

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ByKelan Sarson Nov 20, 2025

“It’s been difficult to pinpoint one thing but certainly, we know we have to improve the general performances. We’re looking for more consistency – we’re looking for more goals.

“We’re looking for a big response in this moment and we’re going to need them because we have got game after game. Our schedule for the next two months is relentless, so we can’t allow any sort of negative trend to continue. It’s a really important few weeks for us.”

It’s form that has arrived off the back of a fairly chaotic summer transfer window, in which Newcastle missed out on almost every top target before turning elsewhere.

Under new sporting director Ross Wilson, that simply cannot happen in January and the Magpies have already set their sights on stars such as Elliot Anderson and Neves in a midfield rebuild as a result.

Newcastle make contact to sign Neves

As reported by Caught Offside, Newcastle have now made contact to sign Neves from Al-Hilal in 2026. The midfielder has just over six months left on his current contract and will be available for just €20m (£18m) in the January transfer window.

Whilst PIF, who hold a majority stake in Al-Hilal, could be about to lose Neves in Saudi Arabia, they could use their existing relationship with the Portuguese star to bring him to Newcastle.

Unlike Al-Hilal, however, the Magpies could struggle to meet his current wage demands. As things stand, the 28-year-old earns £15m-a-year in Saudi Arabia, which would instantly make him Newcastle’s highest-earner by around £7m. It’s simply not doable unless he brings his demands down.

Putting those wage demands to one side, though, there’s little doubt that Neves would be an excellent signing. Dubbed “fantastic” by former manager Nuno Espirito Santo during his time at Wolves, Neves would ease Newcastle’s fears of struggling in the face of a potential Sandro Tonali exit and could even form an impressive partnership using the Italian.

Find a way past his salary demands and those in Tyneside should go all out to bring Neves back to the Premier League in 2026.

Newcastle hold strong interest in Elliot Anderson amid Thomas Tuchel comments

Leeds United have to win their next Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest otherwise the Whites will be plunged even deeper into relegation trouble.

Indeed, Daniel Farke’s men now sit precariously above the drop zone after a pitiful 3-0 loss at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, with the five-point gap between themselves and Forest shaved to just two points if Sean Dyche’s side gets the better of the West Yorkshire outfit.

To further pile on the worry, Dyche also has six career wins under his belt as a manager when facing the Whites, with Leeds also winless – and goalless – on the road since a 3-1 success against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Farke will need to see an immediate reaction from this devastating defeat on the South Coast, with several of his summer recruits potentially being dropped, despite many making positive starts, away from the loss at the Amex.

Why Leeds' summer business must be questioned

Across the ranks, not a single player could trudge off at the end of the 3-0 loss to Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls, satisfied with their efforts.

Not even their marquee signing, Noah Okafor, is immune to criticism.

The tricky number 19 did try his best to unlock a stern home side with five successful dribbles. But, former Leeds player Jon Newsome has harshly called the ex-AC Milan winger a “passenger” for how easily he can give up the ball, and that was the case, again, versus Hurzeler’s hosts when ceding possession a costly 19 times.

Moreover, Dominic Calvert-Lewin could also find himself dropped up top after another goalless showing passed him by, with just one goal still next to his name since leaving Everton behind in the summer. He arguably has to be the most questionable signing of the summer, even if he did arrive on a free transfer.

Central defender Jaka Bijol might also be made to sit out after a two-game stint in the first team, with Pascal Struijk perhaps the most logical replacement, as the £15m summer recruit failed to win a single tackle, and just one duel, as Brighton ran the hopeless away side ragged all afternoon.

Despite the hosts’ blistering nature, Bijol and the rest of the backline did make it very straightforward for Diego Gomez to kickstart his brace, when he was left in acres of room to tap home his first effort of the day for 2-0.

Farke really could ring the changes for the crunch tie at Forest, therefore, with one summer signing also at risk of being cut from the German’s starting XI.

The bold selection Farke could make

It hasn’t been exclusively doom and gloom all season long in West Yorkshire, with some positive performances potentially standing Farke and Co. in good stead to beat the drop.

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

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The aforementioned 3-1 away win at Wolves, in particular, saw everything click as new signings Anton Stach, Calvert-Lewin, and Okafor were all amongst the goals.

Gabriel Gudmundsson also put in a sterling effort against the now managerless Old Gold after joining from Lille in July.

Indeed, Leeds-based social media account The Leeds Press hailed the Swede as an asset that “gives everything” after the Wolves win, as seen in him registering eight clearances and winning three duels to keep the Molineux hosts at bay.

With 3.5 ball recoveries also averaged across his ten Premier League games, on top of two big chances being created, it felt as if Leeds had hit the jackpot on a perfect Junior Firpo replacement on the left flank.

Journalist James Marshment even boldly stated in late September that he has been “one of the best left-backs in the Premier League this season”. At just £10m, he had certainly proved himself to be a bargain.

Unfortunately for the Sweden regular, though, he put in a horror-show performance on the South Coast, as a rapid Yankuba Minteh turned him inside out all match.

Gudmundsson vs Brighton

Stat

Gudmundsson

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

72

Accurate passes

35/42 (83%)

Possession lost

16x

Dribbled past

2x

Tackles won

1/2

Total duels won

7/12

Stats by Sofascore

The strong and resilient full-back that had bounced back from his own-goal at Fulham in style was nowhere to be seen against the Seagulls.

He was dribbled past twice as a weak member of Farke’s defence, on top of also falling victim to an Okafor-like display, with possession given up 16 times.

James Justin could well get the nod to come in for Gudmundsson at the City Ground, therefore.

It is unlikely to be the only alteration, as Farke attempts to pick a refreshed side that can halt Leeds’ shambolic offerings on the road.

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Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 4, 2025

The spinning pitch in Pune seems like a reaction to the seaming pitch in Bengaluru and its come back to bite them

Deivarayan Muthu25-Oct-20241:37

Manjrekar: Kohli’s perception of length seems to be an issue

Skittled for 46 by fast bowlers in seaming conditions under cloudy skies in Bengaluru.Skittled for 156 by spin on a dry, turning pitch under cloudless skies in Pune.After two collapses in contrasting conditions, India are on the verge of losing their first Test series at home since December 2012, when Alastair Cook’s England toppled them. It feels like a storied era might be coming to an end.Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips, who aren’t specialist spinners in Test cricket, outshone R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. New Zealand also outbatted India in Pune.Related

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While Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach, dismissed notions that it was a “desperate measure” to prepare a pitch that would help spinners create uncertainty simply by landing the ball on a good length – and bring in the extra offie from outside the squad to exploit it better – it seems like an overreaction to their collapse in Bengaluru. India were looking to take New Zealand’s quicks out of the game and then trust their batters to deal with the spinners but again when one ball turns and another doesn’t – even though they pitched in the exact same spot – batting becomes a lottery. Shubman Gill was lbw to a straight ball soon after seeing one rip past his outside edge. Rishabh Pant was bowled by a short ball that shot low.Perhaps India might look back and wonder if they could have done more to throw Santner and Phillips off their lines and lengths. A lot of batters, especially those visiting the subcontinent, turn to the sweep shot to accomplish this. New Zealand were no different. On the opening day, even though there was a short third, and a square point led to dissuade Devon Conway from playing that shot, he went for it anyway and prospered. Overall, New Zealand scored 87 runs off 67 balls using various varieties of the sweep across both innings. It has cost them just the two wickets.3:12

Why have India’s batters struggled in home Tests?

India had even more reason to try and upset the bowlers because by the time they batted it was difficult to be sure what the ball would do. Would it spin? Would it go straight on? Would it stay low? They tried to answer these questions with a vertical bat. That’s how they’ve had success playing spin. They went to the sweep only 17 times and got 24 runs for the loss of Virat Kohli. Increasingly, they just ended up stuck in the crease, allowing Santner and co. to keep hitting the drier, good-length spots.Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, admitted that New Zealand’s attacking approach disrupted their plans. New Zealand had similarly disrupted Sri Lanka’s plans in Galle with their sweeps.”Yeah, I think I must give credit to New Zealand, I think the way they’ve adapted to conditions, the way they’ve blocked out what is in front of them and just played the game has been incredible so far in this series,” Morkel said. “I think definitely in Bangalore and here, playing those sessions, playing those important moments, they’ve done it better than us at the moment, and that’s one of the reasons why they’re on top of this game at the moment as well.”They’re creating pressure with the ball, they’re putting our batters under pressure by sweeping well, reverse-sweeping well, so they’re a team that always plan well and they go into tours and really leave no stone unturned, so I’m not surprised with the way they’re playing at the moment.”Santner, who was rolling out some sweeps during New Zealand’s training session on the eve of the Test, said that they had made a concerted effort to take some calculated risks and attack India’s spinners.”We know how challenging it can be in these conditions,” Santner said. “We’ve seen India squeeze a lot of teams for a long time and I guess it was pleasing with the bat was guys trying to fire some shots and play some sweeps and take on the bowlers because we know on the flip side, as a bowler, if guys are using their feet or going back or sweeping it kind of can upset your length a little bit. You know, in the past we’ve come here and just tried to block it out and, you know, eventually one’s got your name on it.”The collapse on Friday will sting, especially with New Zealand finding ways to score and push their lead up to 301, and there will be serious introspection – both in terms of the options they chose with the bat and the problems they had with the ball. But these events are part of a team’s life cycle.”Every few years there comes a time when key players are not in their prime,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on . “And you can clearly say Rohit Sharma is not in his prime right now so is Virat Kohli. That happened in 2011, when India suffered defeats in England 4-0 and Australia 4-0. There you had many senior players who were on the wane, and they didn’t quite deliver and India suffered. But here there’s been a nice transition. There’s Gill, there’s [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, there’s Sarfaraz [Khan], there’s Rishabh Pant. It’s been a nice transition.”But I guess somewhere in a situation like this, when New Zealand were throwing some really difficult questions at India, experienced players have to be at the forefront and they haven’t quite contributed. Hardly any contributions from Rohit Sharma in the first innings. From Virat Kohli as well and that is somewhere coming into play.”From 2012 to 2024, India were invincible at home. With every series, they kept finding ways to outlast their opponents, seemingly immune to the way good things are supposed to work. Crowds all over the country had gotten used to this. The 20,000 or so in Pune were screaming their heads off as the second wicket fell. Because it wasn’t so much a success for the opposition. It was the intro to their hero. The DJ played Oscar winner AR Rahman’s as Kohli walked out to the middle. But this script wasn’t like the others, and now there is every chance that in the next two days – or maybe even less – a proud and unmatched streak will finally come to an end.

Sri Lanka have promised to field a “full-strength side”, and that might mean Maheesh Theekshana getting in keeping in mind the conditions in Dubai

Madushka Balasuriya14-Sep-20258:05

Should SL play Wellalage or Theekshana?

Big picture – Can Sri Lanka continue to play like ‘defending champions’?Prior to Sri Lanka’s tournament opener against Bangladesh at the Asia Cup, Charith Asalanka had reminded people that his team was, indeed, the defending T20 Asia Cup champions. A fact not strictly inaccurate but one that might have raised a few eyebrows when put in context: Sri Lanka’s form in major tournaments in the three years since that momentous victory has been less than stellar.But for Asalanka, the psychological boost that it had provided was something he was sure would spur his side on. And so it proved to be against Bangladesh on Saturday, when whatever confidence or motivation was being derived was on total display – they dominated a contest that was expected to be much more closely fought, and quite frankly looked every bit the champions.Related

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Consistency, however, has been Sri Lanka’s Achilles’ heel, and against Hong Kong on Monday, they have a chance to build up a head of steam ahead of their final group game against Afghanistan.As for Hong Kong, two defeats already means they are out of the qualification reckoning, but they will no doubt want to bow out on a high note. And who better against the “defending champions”?While this Sri Lankan side seems to be ironing out weaknesses, their middle order is still on the soft side. Kamil Mishara has added some much-needed aggression, but in general there is still a heavy reliance on the opening pair of Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. Get them early and who knows what’s possible.Against both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, seamers Ayush Shukla and Ateeq Iqbal showed they can pick up wickets in the powerplay. Where the Hong Kong bowling struggled was in limiting scoring through the middle overs – a period Sri Lanka’s batters have been known to struggle. That heavy collapse against Zimbabwe just three games ago has also served to highlight this Sri Lanka batting line-up’s propensity to unravel, and with the pitch expected to be on the slower side, the stage is as set as can be for a low-scoring contest.But to be clear, Sri Lanka are overwhelming favourites and, considering their clinical performance against Bangladesh, are also right on top of their game. It’s an uphill task for Hong Kong whichever way you slice it, though not impossible.Ayush Shukla has shown he can pick up wickets early on•Getty ImagesForm guideSri Lanka WWLWL
Hong Kong LLLWWIn the spotlight: Ehsan Khan and Wanindu HasarangaIf Hong Kong are to pull off an upset, their best path will be to limit Sri Lanka’s batting. While there are plenty of dangerous batters in the Sri Lanka line-up, their sometimes brittle middle order has no less than four left-hand batters – Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis. With offspinner Ehsan Khan being Hong Kong’s most prolific wicket-taker – 128 wickets in 94 innings at an economy rate of 6.29 – the match-ups are tailor-made.Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t look like he had missed a step on his return to the side against Bangladesh. His googly caused chaos as he ended with figures of 2 for 25, and it might have been more had heavy bails not been used with Jaker Ali surviving one that grazed his off stump. On a surface where spin has been at the forefront, it would take a special effort from Hong Kong to keep Hasaranga from adding to his 133 T20I wickets.Does Maheesh Theekshana fit into Sri Lanka’s “full-strength” side?•Getty ImagesTeam news: Will Maheesh Theekshana return?Hong Kong are likely to be unchanged, but with this being their final match of the tournament, it would be unsurprising to see some bench players get a game.Hong Kong (probable): 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshuman Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan KhanSri Lanka have stated that they will go with a full-strength side, which means there are unlikely to be any changes in the batting unit. On the bowling front, there could be a return for Maheesh Theekshana as the pitch is likely to aid spin.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan ThusharaPitch and conditions: Spin, what else?The pitch in Dubai hasn’t necessarily proved conducive to high scores over the past year, with spinners generally finding conditions to their liking. For example, of the 17 wickets to fall in the Oman vs Pakistan game, nine fell to spin, while pace-off deliveries were regularly employed by the seamers.Stats and trivia This will be the first match between Sri Lanka and Hong Kong in any format in international cricket. The side batting first has won seven of the last ten T20Is played in Dubai. Sri Lanka last played in Dubai in 2022, in the final of the Asia Cup that they won. Nissanka’s 902 runs are the most by a player from a Full-Member nation in T20Is since the start of 2024.Quotes”We don’t want to take any chances. In this format, everybody is tough to beat. We will go with our full-strength side.”

There has been an obscene amount of cash flying to and from Premier League bank accounts over the last few years, with transfer records tumbling all the time, even in a post-pandemic world and the era of PSR.

Four Premier League clubs received record transfer fees in the summer of 2025.

So which players have gone for club-record sums?

Rank

Club

Player

Sold to

Fee

Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona

£142m

Newcastle

Alexander Isak

Liverpool

£125m

Brighton

Moises Caicedo

Chelsea

£115m

West Ham

Declan Rice

Arsenal

£105m

Aston Villa

Jack Grealish

Man City

£100m

Everton

Romelu Lukaku

Man Utd

£90m

Chelsea

Eden Hazard

Real Madrid

£89m

Tottenham

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid

£85.3m

Man City

Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid

£81.5m

Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

£80m

Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

£71m

Bournemouth

Dominic Solanke

Tottenham

£65m

Wolves

Matheus Cunha

Man Utd

£62.5m

Crystal Palace

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

£50m

Fulham

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Al-Hilal

£50m

Nottingham Forest

Brennan Johnson

Tottenham

£45m

Leeds United

Georginio Rutter

Brighton

£40m

Arsenal

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool

£35m

Sunderland

Jordan Pickford

Everton

£30m

Burnley

James Trafford

Man City

£27m

All 20 Premier League clubs' record signings

From Manchester City to Ipswich Town, here’s a look at each Premier League club’s most expensive signing.

ByBrogan Clasper Sep 4, 2024 Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £35m to Liverpool, 2017

Given the amount of cash Arsenal have splashed in more recent years, it is perhaps a surprise that their record sale dates as far back as this.

However, the Gunners have been perennially poor sellers, particularly under Arsene Wenger, though he received a pretty cool £35m when Liverpool came calling for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017, just months after the midfielder helped Arsenal to the FA Cup.

Considering Oxlade-Chamberlain only shone in brief glimpses at Anfield, Arsenal can put this down as a fine piece of business.

Aston Villa: Jack Grealish £100m to Man City, 2021

After guiding Aston Villa to promotion and then Premier League survival, it had seemed just a matter of time before Jack Grealish would take the next step in his career.

To the Villans’ credit, they kept hold of the Englishman’s services for a further year, but could not say no to champions Manchester City, who came forward with a British-record nine-figure bid in the summer of 2021.

Grealish was part of City’s treble-winning side in 2022/23, while Villa have gone from strength to strength in his absence, and took part in the Champions League alongside Man City in 2024/25. Grealish’s departure may have been bittersweet, but things have worked out pretty well for the Midlands outfit.

Bournemouth: Dominic Solanke £65m to Tottenham, 2024

Bournemouth broke their own transfer record in 2024, but not before receiving the largest sum in the club’s history for one of their players.

Dominic Solanke’s move to Tottenham Hotspur cost the north Londoners £65m – eclipsing the £40m they received from Manchester City for Nathan Ake in 2020.

The Cherries responded to Solanke’s departure by signing Evanilson for just over £40m from FC Porto.

Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo £71m to Manchester United, 2025

Brentford have been pillaged in recent years with Ivan Toney heading to Saudi, Yoane Wissa making his move to Newcastle and Bryan Mbeumo – the biggest of the lot – heading to Manchester United in a colossal £71m deal in the summer of 2025.

Mbeumo was one of the Premier League’s standout players in 2024/25, scoring 20 top-flight goals. That tally of goals richly deserved a move and he duly got one.

Brighton: Moises Caicedo £115m to Chelsea, 2023

Moises Caicedo was subject to interest from Chelsea and Liverpool in the summer of 2023, with the Ecuadorian selecting the Blues as his next destination after Brighton & Hove Albion accepted mammoth bids from both clubs.

Despite approving a £111m transfer to the Reds, Chelsea decided to go one further by structuring a deal that could yet rise to £115m.

It was reported that £15m of that total is in appearance-related add-ons.

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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024 Burnley: James Trafford £27m to Manchester City, 2025

James Trafford enjoyed a remarkable campaign with the Clarets during their promotion-winning season in 2024/25.

The goalkeeper kept a whopping 29 clean sheets. Quickly becoming one of the best English stoppers around, Man City paid a £27m fee to bring him back to the club where he grew up.

Sadly for Trafford, he was quickly displaced when the Citizens brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Chelsea: Eden Hazard £89m to Real Madrid, 2019

Chelsea have had a history of receiving handsome transfer sums for players in recent years, and while Eden Hazard is undoubtedly one of their better stars within the last decade or so, the £89m they received upfront from Real Madrid turned out to be a terrific steal.

The deal to send the Belgian to the Santiago Bernabeu – which came off the back of Hazard guiding Chelsea to Europa League glory – could have reached over £150m. However, given the Blues legend only featured 76 times in an injury-ridden four-year spell in Madrid before retiring, we highly doubt many of the add-ons were ever activated.

Still, it is comfortably the highest fee Chelsea have received – it is most closely rivalled by Kai Havertz’s move to Arsenal for £65m.

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ByFreddie Taylor Oct 13, 2023 Crystal Palace: Aaron Wan-Bissaka £50m to Man Utd, 2019

Manchester United’s spending spree in 2019 features multiple times in this list as they parted with nearly £150m that summer alone. A decent chunk of that went on bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50m.

The six years that have followed have not been too rosy for the club nor the player, with the Red Devils making a significant loss on the full-back when selling him to West Ham United ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Eagles have often been resolute when it comes to high-profile interest in their players, and recently had their resolve tested once more in 2024 as Newcastle threatened to eclipse the sum received for Wan-Bissaka while seeking to add Marc Guehi to their squad.

Everton: Romelu Lukaku £90m to Man Utd, 2017

It has all been downhill for Everton since selling Romelu Lukaku in 2017, when he linked up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

However, Everton did manage to secure a princely sum for the striker, with United paying the Toffees an initial £75m in a deal that included a further £15m in add-ons.

It is unclear how much of these were activated, but Everton have struggled on and off the pitch since, finishing in the top half just once since the turn of the decade and remaining out of Europe since the year of the Belgian’s departure – all while being under scrutiny for their finances amid a number of transfer flops.

Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic £50m to Al-Hilal, 2023

Fulham were one of the many victims of the Saudi Pro League’s raid on European-based footballers. Their riches were too much for Aleksandar Mitrovic to ignore in the summer of 2023 – and they nearly took manager Marco Silva along with them.

However, Fulham have remained a solid top-flight club after comfortably surviving in their first season back with Mitrovic in 2022/23.

They have invested the reported £50m fee paid by Saudi champions Al-Hilal for the Serbian’s services wisely, with Rodrigo Muniz among those to shine at Craven Cottage.

Everton are now reportedly keeping close tabs on a Premier League gem who’s been compared to Aston Villa’s Jadon Sancho.

Everton ready to pounce in Zirkzee race

Everton’s January transfer window may well centre around Premier League talent. The Toffees already enjoyed great success in the summer when they welcomed out-of-favour stars Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Now, The Friedkin Group could look to repeat that act of genius.

Despite the fact that Thierno Barry finally scored his first goal for the club against Nottingham Forest last time out, it seems as though those in Merseyside still intend to target an attacking reinforcement.

Reports have even gone as far as to claim that they’re ready to pounce in the race to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United in January. The forward has fallen down the pecking order since the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but could have his season saved by the Toffees.

Zirkzee may have struggled at Old Trafford, but Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are living proof that a move to Merseyside can quickly revive a career.

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Even if Barry now kicks on, David Moyes could do with that extra attacking addition, given that Beto is yet to show signs that he’ll become a viable goalscoring option for Everton.

That’s not to say Zirkzee is their only target, however. Alongside the Man United forward, the Toffees have also reportedly set their sights on signing Chelsea’s young, versatile winger, Tyrique George.

Like Zirkzee, the youngster has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and is now looking to leave Chelsea when the winter window swings open in less than a month.

Everton keeping close tabs on Tyrique George

According to TeamTalk, Everton are now eyeing a move to sign George and have joined Leeds United in the early race to secure the 19-year-old’s signature.

Compared to Sancho by Italian media, George wouldn’t be the first struggling Chelsea star to find life at Everton. His former teammate, Dewsbury-Hall has undeniably thrived since arriving in Merseyside.

Ultimately, fresh faces have forced George down the pecking order in West London, but Enzo Maresca was certainly impressed by the teenager last season.

The Chelsea boss told reporters after George’s display against Man United in May: “Very good. Very good. Brave. He was a threat in behind. Not easy for him because on the other side you have Maguire, you have Lindelof, you have Shaw.

“He was fighting against important defenders. But again, we tried to find a solution with a player from the academy. Overall I think also he had the penalty moment, so he works quite good.”

Whether it’s Everton or Leeds, both would benefit from George’s arrival in the January transfer window and the striker himself desperately needs senior minutes if he is to kick on.

Latest thrashing by South Africa underlines scale of challenge for Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum

Matt Roller02-Sep-2025If the margin was an aberration, then the result itself was not. England were utterly thrashed at Headingley as South Africa cruised home with 175 balls to spare, their seventh defeat in 10 ODIs this year and their 20th loss in 30 matches since the start of the last World Cup. Harry Brook said it was “just a bad day” but England have had far too many of them in this format.This was an abject performance, characterised by a collapse of 7 for 29 to slide from 102 for 3 to 131 all out. Sonny Baker conceded 76 runs in seven wicketless overs, the most expensive figures for an England debutant, and the chase barely lasted long enough for the floodlights to come on. The crowd had long since thinned out by the time Dewald Brevis hit the winning six.For Brook, this was a reality check after starting his tenure as white-ball captain with a clean sweep against West Indies in June. South Africa were far stronger opponents, and have now hammered England in three consecutive ODIs: this was worse than the car-crash in Karachi at the Champions Trophy, though still someway short of the Mumbai mauling at the 2023 World Cup.Related

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The fans who stuck it out to the bitter end cheered sarcastically as Adil Rashid took two cheap wickets with the scores level, but left feeling short-changed. “It’s not good enough,” Brook said. “Nobody wants to come and watch that. I can’t say much more than we’ve just had a bad day. We’ve got to put it behind us as quick as possible and move onto the next game.”Brook refused to blame England’s lack of relevant preparation, but their build-up to this series was almost non-existent. Eight players trained at Headingley on Sunday, with seven – including Brook – missing due to their involvement in the Hundred’s knockout stages, and the same number on Monday. Jamie Smith aside, their batters looked bereft of rhythm or confidence.The contrast with South Africa’s preparation was obvious, arriving in Leeds directly from Australia last week. They were faultless in the field – Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton took excellent catches, and Tristan Stubbs’ sharp throw ran Brook out from deep cover – and looked every inch a side that had been playing international cricket for the last month.But the last week alone cannot explain the wider pattern of England’s sharp decline in ODI results. Once the team to beat in this format, they are now ranked eighth in the world – sandwiched between Afghanistan and West Indies – and this was a defeat that had all the hallmarks of the bad old days.For Brendon McCullum, Markram’s ultra-attacking innings in the run chase must have felt eerily familiar. Markram’s 86 off 55 balls bore almost uncanny similarities to McCullum’s 77 off 25 against England in Wellington a decade ago – right down to his merciless treatment of Baker, which evoked McCullum’s disdainful takedown of Steven Finn.England’s problems did not stem from over-aggression but a more fundamental failing to adjust to the tempo of the format. Brook was run out looking for an unlikely second run in the 14th over while Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks’ dismissals were about as soft as they come, all caught playing half-hearted, rotating shots rather than trying to hit boundaries.”In my opinion, we probably could have gone a little bit harder with the bat and tried to put them under a little bit more pressure,” Brook said. “The more positive you are and aggressive you are as a batter, sometimes you get away with more stuff.” Markram’s high-risk, high-reward approach served to underline his point.But England consistently bat like a team unfamiliar with the demands of 50-over cricket, with batters grinding the clutch to jump between first gear and fifth but nothing in between; they have been bowled out in 15 of their last 30 ODIs. For all that they can blame their lack of exposure to the format, their top seven on Tuesday had more than 15,000 ODI runs between them.Concerned by the divergence between formats, they have made an overcorrection. They picked seven players on Thursday who had featured in a gruelling Test series against India, six of whom had then gone straight into the Hundred and looked worn down by their heavy workloads. Somehow, they managed to look short of rhythm and overcooked simultaneously.England were too slow to evolve after their 2019 triumph, changing captains three years into a four-year cycle between World Cups. They were understandably reluctant to move on from a golden generation of white-ball players, and paid a high price with a humbling group-stage exit in 2023 which marked the final chapter for several players’ ODI careers.The trouble is that they do not appear to have learned from those errors. They are halfway through another four-year cycle but have no clear identity as a team beyond a deep batting line-up. Brook’s repeated clichés about putting bowlers under pressure and trying to take wickets do not equate to a philosophy, nor an actual gameplanEngland have two chances this week – at Lord’s on Thursday, then in Southampton on Sunday – to prove that criticism wrong, and perhaps it is unfair to judge them too harshly after one off-day. But for a team that only two years ago were defending champions in both white-ball formats, days like this have become uncomfortably familiar.

The baseball world suffered a huge loss Monday when Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died at the age of 65 following a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer.

Sandberg played 16 years in the majors, with the final 15 of those coming with the Cubs. He was a legend in Chicago and fans were rightfully heartbroken over the news.

On Tuesday, Sandberg's longtime double-play partner, Shawon Dunston, shared that he and some other former teammates had special conversations with Sandberg before his death.

"The last couple of days, he wanted to speak to me, Andre [Dawson] and Mark Grace," Dunston said during an emotional appearance on the MLB Network. "He told us that he loved us and he loved all you fans too. Go Cubs."

Here's that segment:

The Cubs will celebrate Sandberg with a patch on their uniforms for the rest of the season. The team will be back home at Wrigley on Friday, which will likely be an emotional day for a fanbase and a city that lost a former player that they all loved.

تمكن فريق طلائع الجيش من تحقيق الفوز على نظيره السكة الحديد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الإثنين، في منافسات بطولة كأس مصر.

وواجه فريق طلائع الجيش نظيره السكة الحديد، في إطار مواجهات دور الـ 32 من بطولة كأس مصر، للموسم الحالي 2025-2026، وذلك على ملعب جهاز الرياضة العسكري. 

طالع.. فيديو | حرس الحدود يهزم الإسماعيلي بثلاثية ويتأهل لدور الـ 16 من كأس مصر

وحقق طلائع الجيش الفوز على فريق السكة الحديد، بهدفين دون رد، ليحصد بطاقة التأهل إلي دور الـ 16 من بطولة كأس مصر.

وأحرز هدفي طلائع الجيش في مرمى فريق السكة الحديد الثنائي محمد عاطف في الدقيقة 18، وإسماعيل أجورو في الدقيقة 64 من عمر المباراة. 

ومن المقرر أن يواجه طلائع الجيش، في دور الـ 16 من بطولة كأس مصر، فريق كهرباء الإسماعيلية الذي تخطي عقبة الاتحاد السكندري أهداف مباراة طلائع الجيش والسكة الحديد في كأس مصر

The South Australia batter, who is captaining Australia A, plundered the England Lions attack

AAP06-Dec-2025

Nathan McSweeney celebrates his double century•Getty Images

Nathan McSweeney threw up his hand to be the man to replace Usman Khawaja, with a superb double century for Australia A against the England Lions.As David Warner urged selectors to return Travis Head to No. 5 and put a specialist opener alongside Jake Weatherald, McSweeney made his case on Saturday.Related

Kellaway enhances his credentials with top score for Prime Minister's XI

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The 26-year-old finished unbeaten on 222 in Brisbane, posting his maiden double-century as Australia A went to stumps on day two at 554 for 7 in reply to the Lions’ 166.This match is now effectively over as a contest, with the hosts leading by 388 at Allan Border Field against a Lions side fielding three frontline bowlers with Test experience.But it has come at a perfect time for McSweeney, who also hit 63 for the Prime Minister’s XI against a more experience English attack last weekend.McSweeney is a natural No. 3 or No. 4, but was given the chance to open for Australia in three Tests last year against India. He was ultimately worked over by the world’s best bowler Jasprit Bumrah, before being dropped after averaging 14.4 across six innings.But he bounced back to form with a century for South Australia in late October, and now has scores of 103, 68, 63 and 222 not out in the past six weeks.Khawaja is hopeful of being fit for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on December 17, but it remains to be seen whether the 38-year-old will be brought back in.Head hit 33 for Australia in the first innings at the Gabba after his Perth second innings heroics as opener, but the likes of Warner believe he is still better placed at No. 5 as a rear-guard option.”I think they need a genuine opener to compliment Jake Weatherald,” Warner said on Kayo.  “Because the way Jake plays you’re probably going to be hit or miss at the top of the order with two guys who like to go after the ball. That’s Australia’s problem.”If they have a couple of innings where that does happen and they lose early wickets, that’s going to come under the microscope.”Beyond Khawaja, Matt Renshaw has hit three Sheffield Shield centuries for Queensland this year but missed out for Australia A on Friday, scoring 8.Young Victorian Campbell Kellaway has also made a sound case this summer, with his 71 against the Lions on Friday following a century for the Prime Minister’s XI last week.But Saturday was McSweeney’s time to shine, routinely pulling England’s quicks and spinners to the boundary. Batting at No.3, some 11 of his 27 boundaries came in that fashion, while he also used his feet to hit spinner Jacob Bethell for a big six down the ground.Beau Webster also cover-drove well and hit 44 for Australia A after losing out in a selection battle for the Gabba Test, while Cooper Connolly struck 88.