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da dobrowin： Newcastle United are “interested” in completing the signing of an “outstanding” Premier League player this summer, according to a fresh transfer claim.

Newcastle eye new forwards and goalkeeper this summer

da mrbet： The Magpies know that victory at home to Everton on Sunday will seal a place in the Champions League next season, following an impressive campaign in the Premier League, not to mention a year that has seen them win the EFL Cup and end their long trophy drought.

Brighton forward Joao Pedro has been linked with a move to St James’ Park this summer, with Alan Shearer a big admirer of him, saying after a Seagulls win this season: “He was superb today and they just edged it in those forward positions. They are really strong with him, Rutter, Mitoma and Welbeck. Their understanding and they linked really well today in Rutter and Joao Pedro.”

Doubts continue to persist over the future of Alexander Isak at Newcastle, and if he does leave in the summer, a top-quality replacement will be needed. Alexander Sorloth has been mentioned as an option, following a strong season that has seen him score 17 goals for Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Borussia Dortmund youngster Jamie Gittens has been backed to join the Magpies, too, with the 20-year-old Englishman a player who could have a big future in the game. At the other end of the pitch, a fresh Newcastle transfer rumour has now emerged.

Newcastle interested in signing Liverpool goalkeeper

According to a report from Spain, Newcastle are “interested” in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the summer window, with the Irishman expected to leave Anfield at the end of the season.

Aston Villa, Chelsea and Bournemouth are all mentioned as alternative options, ahead of a potential huge auction for the 26-year-old’s signature before next season gets underway.

It does look like Newcastle see signing a long-term successor for Nick Pope as a priority this summer, if not bringing in an immediate replacement for the Englishman. In Kelleher, the Magpies would be signing a top-quality goalkeeper – one who has proven himself as a fantastic understudy to Alisson so many times in the past, being lauded by Steve McManaman.

In fact, Kelleher took centre stage at St James’ Park for all the wrong reasons earlier this season, making a mistake that allowed Fabian Schar to secure a late 3-3 draw for Newcastle, but that shouldn’t do anything to alter the Magpies’ opinion of him.

Related Newcastle now racing to sign £51m forward who Shearer thinks is "superb"

The Magpies could land an attacking reinforcement.

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 17, 2025

The £10,000-a-week Republic of Ireland international is too good to be sitting on the substitutes’ bench at Liverpool most weeks, and he should be considered a leading option for Eddie Howe this summer.

da premier bet： Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would reportedly approve the signing of an all-round player who Son Heung-min thinks is “incredible”, with sporting director Andrea Berta and the Gunners boss now having one eye on the next transfer window.

Arsenal turn attention to next season after PSG defeat

da betcris： Their 3-1 Champions League semi-final loss to PSG means Arsenal no longer have any silverware to play for next season, meaning attention is continues turning further to Berta’s debut summer at the Emirates Stadium.

Related Arsenal "closer to finalising" deal for £85m star with contract semi-agreed

The Gunners have made significant progress ahead of this summer.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini May 7, 2025

The ex-Atletico Madrid chief is expected to be very busy in the coming weeks, and a major squad overhaul has already been mooted by sections of the press.

Berta could even orchestrate a summer spend worth up to £300 million on seven signings across the squad, according to GiveMeSport, and it is highly anticipated that forwards will arrive at Arsenal among them.

Arsenal’s final Premier League games

Date

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have seriously debilitated Arteta’s forward options and exposed their lack of a potent goalscorer to lead their line, while there are also precious few options on the right-wing behind star man Bukayo Saka.

Some uncertainty also surrounds the long-term futures of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, who’ve been sporadically linked with potential exits from N5, so Arsenal’s forward line could be looking significantly different by the time next season commences.

Arsenal could sign a striker, left-winger and right-winger this summer (GiveMeSport), but Arsenal will only have so much money to spend on high-profile stars and competition is set to be rife for their signatures.

However, one man who could cover a lot of bases in the attacking areas, and a player they’re now believed to be interested in, comes in the form of versatile PSG ace Lee Kang-in.

A report from The Sun claimed earlier this week that Berta personally wants Lee at Arsenal, and PSG are prepared to sell the South Korea international who can play as an attacking midfielder, on the right, on the left and even as a striker when required.

Mikel Arteta would "welcome" Lee Kang-in signing at Arsenal

Berta was apparently driving a move for Lee when he was at Atlético, only for the Italian to miss out on his signature to PSG.

Following on from these claims, a Spanish media source now states that Arteta would “welcome” the signing of Lee at Arsenal as well, so it appears both the manager and sporting director are in agreement over his quality.

The 24-year-old has bagged six goals and six assists in all competitions this term, across 44 total appearances, but a fair portion of his minutes have come off the bench.

Enrique, who called Lee a “complete” player, has found real use of him as a utility man at the Parc des Princes, and judging by praise from international teammate Son, he could end up being a very useful addition for Arsenal, even if reports late last year claimed PSG could demand £51 million to let him go.

“Kang-in Lee’s talent is incredible,” Son told Sungmo Lee in 2023.

“I believe he could grow even further. We have to help him not to get too much pressure.”

Celtic were given a timely reminder that they still have areas to improve on after they were beaten 3-2 by their city rivals in the Scottish Premiership in the last match before the international break.

The Hoops came from 2-0 down against Rangers to bring the score back to 2-2 at Parkhead last weekend, only for Hamza Igamane to deliver a crushing blow with two minutes to go.

Brendan Rodgers will surely have been disappointed with the performance of his side in the loss, despite it only cutting the gap between the two teams to 13 points in the table.

The performance, however, was mitigated by the absence of club captain Callum McGregor in the middle of the park, as he missed out on the game through injury.

Why Callum McGregor is important to Celtic

The former Scotland international is an important player to Celtic and Rodgers because he sits in the number six position and dictates the flow of matches for the club.

Chalkboard

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

He can control the game as a metronomic midfield presence for the Hoops, speeding it up or slowing it down with the pace of his passes and his decisions in possession.

McGregor leads the club’s midfielders for passes made per game (78) and pass accuracy (94%) in the Premiership this season, which illustrates just how important he is to the team.

Arne Engels, in his absence, only completed 51 passes – with a success rate of 88% – in an unfamiliar role, as the Belgian ace is usually more advanced as one of the two number eights.

Celtic do not appear to have a natural successor to the 31-year-old McGregor in the squad, but they could find a dream long-term replacement in Odin Thiago Holm – who is currently out on loan.

Why Odin Thiago Holm could replace Callum McGregor

It is fair to say that Holm’s time with Celtic has not gone as expected since Rodgers claimed that he could “make a big impact” at Parkhead upon his move to the club from Valerenga in the summer of 2023.

The Norwegian starlet has only played 16 times in the first-team to date and was sent out on loan to MLS side LAFC for the 2025 season, which means that he is due to return to Scotland in January of next year.

Holm has mainly played as a central or defensive midfield player in his career and this means that he could suit playing as a number six under Rodgers as the deepest-lying midfield player in a 4-3-3.

However, the 22-year-old maestro has not had many chances to showcase his quality on the pitch, as an injury delayed his MLS debut for LAFC until Saturday’s win over Kansas City.

As you can see in the table above, the midfield prospect also did not get many opportunities to shine in the Premiership for Celtic in the 2023/24 campaign, but there were promising signs with his defensive and offensive contributions.

Holm has the potential to offer plenty of defensive action, with tackles and interceptions, whilst also creating chances for his teammates in that role, if he can translate those into consistent performances over an entire season.

Worth even more than Maeda: Celtic have hit the jackpot on "magical" star

Celtic have struck gold with the star who is now worth more than Daizen Maeda.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 22, 2025

It is now down to him to enjoy a strong year with LAFC in the MLS to prove to Rodgers that he has what it takes to be the long-term successor to McGregor, because he seemingly has the attributes to be a dream replacement in the future if he can piece it all together.

da betobet： Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their managerial search, following another blow for Ange Postecoglou in the form of Spurs’ seventeenth Premier League defeat of the campaign against Wolves.

Ange Postecoglou comments after 4-2 Tottenham loss to Wolves

da pinnacle： A series of calamitous goals, thanks to errors from key players, cemented yet another Spurs loss in the top flight on Sunday, with Wolves running out 4-2 winners against the Lilywhites on another lacklustre afternoon for Postecoglou.

Related 52-year-old spotted at Spurs after Levy talks as pundit tips appointment

The Lilywhites chairman has sat down with him recently.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 12, 2025

You couldn’t have asked for worse preparation ahead of Tottenham’s vital Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, a must-win game for Postecoglou after their 1-1 draw with the Bundesliga side last week.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, Djed Spence’s own goal, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s strike and a Matheus Cunha finish compounded a miserable day at Molineux for the north Londoners. Mathys Tel and Richarlison made the scoreline less embarrassing with consolation goals in their 4-2 defeat, but Postecoglou did his best to back the players following a series of high-profile errors.

“Obviously a disappointing result,” said Postecoglou after Tottenham’s defeat at Wolves.

“Funny game, because for the most part, I thought our football was decent considering all the changes we’ve made. For the most part we controlled large parts of it, were a threat going forward and didn’t give them too much. But then obviously we conceded some pretty poor goals and that made it awfully difficult to get an outcome today.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

“It’s not like the players are doing it on purpose, so you have an understanding that that’s the unfortunate things that sometimes happen in a game of football. Probably be more frustrated if it was something that we did from a tactical perspective or organisational perspective, but they’re individual errors, you know, the players don’t mean to do it and, especially Lucas and Romero, I mean they’re two fantastic footballers and what’s important now for both of them is that they recover and we focus on the next game.”

In the background, chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly contemplating the sacking of Postecoglou, with Spurs on course for their worst-ever Premier League season.

Tottenham stance on appointing Thiago Motta to replace Ange Postecoglou

According to recent reports, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is Tottenham’s top managerial target after his very impressive campaign in the Cherries dugout, while both Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Marco Silva (Fulham) are also on their radar (The Athletic).

There’s also been recent murmurs of a potential Spurs move for Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, as well as former Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, who was recently sacked by the Serie A heavyweights.

The Italian failed to mount a successful title challenge, or show any signs of promise in terms of winning major silverware, prompting Juve to ruthlessly hand Motta his P45.

The 42-year-old is now without a club, and is currently linked with a move to N17, but Romano has since told GiveMeSport that Tottenham have no plans to appoint Motta as things stand.

“I’m still hearing about Iraola and Silva as two concrete options,” said Romano.

“For Motta, no contacts at this stage.”

Despite his failed stint at Juve, Motta did attract praise as a tactician during his time in Turin.

“Thiago is unique and unrepeatable: he is not at Juve, Juve is at him,” said journalist Ivan Zazzaroni.

“Inside the notebook that he always carries with him and shows during press conferences, also to note down the questions and their authors, there must be a world of ideas that he scrupulously hides from the eyes of the laymen. Motta is undoubtedly the most stimulating and original coach in the championship.”

Sheffield United will still believe they have what it takes to pip Leeds United to the Championship title as Daniel Farke’s Whites begin to show some visible chinks in their armour.

The well-oiled Leeds machine has come unstuck recently with a defeat to Portsmouth taking everyone in the second tier by surprise, but Farke’s men have since recovered to return to the top of the division with a slender two point advantage over the Blades.

Yet, nothing can be taken for granted in the unpredictable nature of the EFL’s elite league, as Chris Wilder and Co attempt to leapfrog their West Yorkshire foes between now and the close of May.

Whilst the Blades do boast a standout attack, Wilder will have been left equally impressed by his defence making the step back down to the second tier, especially after a disastrous relegation saw them leak a jaw-dropping 104 goals.

Sheffield United's standout defenders

The South Yorkshire outfit were way out of their depth last campaign, with the return of the much-loved 57-year-old to the Bramall Lane dug-out during the season not enough to stop an inevitable relegation from happening.

Now, any lingering pain from slipping down to the Championship has been forgotten about, with the Blades only shipping 28 goals from 37 league clashes.

The promotion chasers have been boosted by the addition of new shot-stopper Michael Cooper with the ex-Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper an inspired pick-up from Devon, considering he has kept a hefty 18 clean sheets across 35 league matches.

Moreover, away from new additions, faces such as experienced centre-back Jack Robinson have found a fresh lease of life, with the 31-year-old winning 5.3 duels on average when featuring.

United did have to sign Rob Holding on a loan deal to add to their somewhat threadbare options at the back, but there will be no real regrets that they didn’t take a punt on Ipswich Town man Luke Woolfenden instead, knowing they have a colossus already in South Yorkshire.

Indeed, the promotion hopefuls were reportedly keen on adding the Tractor Boys defender to their ranks in January, but no such deal would come to fruition.

It wasn’t just the Blades that Woolfenden was linked with, as some reports declared there was interest from Inter Miami, a team owned by David Beckham and featuring the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

The Ipswich centre-back spoke about those rumours in a recent interview.

Messi or Tom Cannon? Instead, he’s still in the Premier League playing alongside Liam Delap and Co.

That shouldn’t frustrate Wilder too much though. Here’s why…

Sheffield United's "elite" star is worth more than Woolfenden

This could have been a worthwhile purchase – considering Woolfenden is still fresh off entering into the top flight with Kieran McKenna’s men – but Wilder already has Anel Ahmedhodzic at his disposal and the 26-year-old is worth a great deal more than the Ipswich-born centre-back.

Moreover, away from the likes of Robinson and Cooper already being mentioned, the Bosnian has been an absolute rock at the back this campaign for his side, with a well-timed header in February one of three goals he’s contributed to in the Championship.

This isn’t a one-off standout season from the 25-year-old, however, with the “elite” defender – as he’s been labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – one figure who managed to cover himself in some glory during his team’s dire relegation, with two goals picked up alongside winning 4.5 duels per Premier League match.

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that United hit absolute gold purchasing Ahmedhodzic when they did, with the Bosnian once costing the Championship side just £5.15m.

Now, the 6 foot 5 brute is worth a bumper £15m – as per Transfermarkt – with the one-time target of Woolfenden worth just £1.6m on the contrary.

Therefore, there will be no agony on United’s end that a move for Woolfenden didn’t happen, with any defensive purchases moving forward having to accommodate around main man Ahmedhodzic.

Sheffield United must regret selling a star who's "like Ronaldo"

The former Sheffield United centre-forward has enjoyed a great career since moving on from the club.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 13, 2025

125 for 9 (Athapaththu 41, Sippel 3-9, Hancock 2-16) by 44 runsQuicks Courtney Sippel and Nicola Hancock effectively utilised a bouncy WACA surface as Brisbane Heat comfortably beat Sydney Thunder in the elimination final.Heat kept their season alive after allrounder Amelia Kerr top-scored with 48 before Sippel and Hancock combined for five wickets under lights to crash Thunder’s chase of 170.Heat will play in the Challenger against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday at the WACA. The winner of that match will face Adelaide Strikers in Saturday’s final at Adelaide Oval.”Perth are a quality side and they have got world class players, we’re going to have to play well to beat them,” Kerr said after getting the player of the match award. “It’s about recovering tonight and then getting ready to go again tomorrow.”In good batting conditions, Thunder never seriously challenged in a disappointing ending to a bounce back season after last season’s wooden spoon.”It [surface] definitely bounced a lot…we didn’t quite make use of the conditions,” Thunder captain Heather Knight said.Both teams had to endure a cross-country journey after tailing off in the regular season to miss finishing in the top two. Thunder won the toss and elected to field in cool and overcast conditions in a notable change to oppressive recent weather in Perth.Heat’s fortunes of a revival seemingly rested on opener Grace Harris, who had gone off the boil recently mirroring her team’s spiral. After a watchful start, Harris took a liking to the wayward bowling from Thunder’s quicks. She particularly capitalised on seamer Sammy-Jo Johnson, who repeatedly bowled back of a length and was subsequently punished for three boundaries in the sixth over.Harris’ timing was exquisite, but she also showcased her trademark power by smashing offspinner Lauren Smith into the gigantic sightscreen near the rubble where the Prindiville Stand once stood.Courtney Sippel took three wickets for nine runs in her four overs•Getty Images

With her half-century in sight, Harris on the next ball attempted another lusty blow but she mistimed to deep midwicket. Harris had dominated the opening stand with Georgia Redmayne, whose struggles this season with being tied down at the crease continued. She made a sluggish 18 off 24 before being caught behind off seamer Hannah Darlington.Kerr took over with sweet shots around the wicket as Heat eyed a total around 200. She effectively went aerially in the power surge, while Laura Harris was keen to make up for lost time in her second match back after being sidelined for two months with a calf injury.Harris smashed Smith over deep midwicket for six off her first ball then whacked Darlington on her next delivery with a crunching blow through the off-side.But she soon fell lbw to a superb full slower delivery from Johnson, who found her length and ignited a late comeback from Thunder. Left-arm spinner Samantha Bates bowled accurately at the death to restrict Heat to a total that only felt par.Thunder’s batting all season had relied on Chamari Athapaththu, the newly-minted player of the tournament. But she struggled to find rhythm on a hard surface and was left rattled after a disastrous mix-up saw opener Tahlia Wilson run out in the eighth over.But the dismissal seemed to ignite Athapaththu, who went after left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen with decisive footwork. She was less assured against pace and it proved her downfall on 41 when Athapaththu succumbed to a well-targeted delivery from Sippel.When Kerr had Phoebe Litchfield caught and bowled, Thunder slumped to 61 for 3 at the halfway point and they never recovered as Heat lived to fight another day.

He reached out on social media ahead of his final Test after the bag containing his cap was lost

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-20243:51

Warner: ‘It’s been surreal to be here for 112 Tests’

David Warner has made a plea on social media for the backpack containing his baggy green cap to be returned after it went missing on the journey from Melbourne to Sydney ahead of his final Test.Warner will make his final Test appearance at the SCG this week and is desperate to have his cap returned.Related

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“Hi all, this is my last resort,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside a video, “but my backpack, which contained my Baggy Green, has been taken from my luggage, which was transported to Melbourne airport and flown on @qantas to Sydney a few days ago. @qantas have said they checked their cameras and have not seen anyone open our bags and take the backpack, however they do have blind spots. If you are the person, who was either working for the company driving it to and from the airport or working for @qantas and have, by chance, just wanted the backpack, I have one for. I would be grateful if this were returned asap. Thanks.””Please reach out to Cricket Australia or myself via my social media and I’m happy to give this to you if you return my baggy greens,” Warner added in the video. The bag is understood to contain two caps, including the one that Warner has worn for the majority of his 111 Tests. In 2017 he was provided with a replacement cap when his original could not be located before his wife, Candice, found it in a bag at home.”I think there should be a countrywide search right now from the Australian Government,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said. “We might need the best of detectives to get that back.”Because he’s been a great ambassador and he deserves every bit of respect and every bit of celebration for his unbelievable career. He’s an example to openers. And just personally I love watching him bat and love watching him play.”Nick Hockley, the Cricket Australia CEO, said: “I implore anyone with information about the location of Dave’s bag and baggy green caps to come forward so he can proudly wear his cap for a final time at the SCG.”Speaking a few minutes before the news of Warner’s baggy green became public, captain Pat Cummins lauded him as a game-changer in the Test format.”I think everyone will think of him in their own way,” he said. “Personally I think of him when he first came on the scene and really changed Test cricket. He was striking at over 70 which is unheared of, especially for an opening batter, averaging 40 or 50. That’s the Davey I remember – walking out there and taking the game away from the opposition in the space of an hour or two, and doing it for over a decade.”His longevity is something that gets overlooked. Just the bulk of cricket he’s played over the last 12-13 years is pretty much more than anyone else in the world. Every time he walks out there, he’s competitive and ready to go. Just a champion of Australian sport. Hopefully he gets a good send off this week.”Cummins confirmed that Australia would take an unchanged XI into the Sydney Test as they look to secure the series 3-0.

Xabi Alonso has revealed that Jude Bellingham will see his role tinkered with slightly as Real Madrid prepare to usher in a new era.

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World Cup winner appointed as Blancos bossHas a star-studded squad at his disposalThree Lions star will be dropped a little deeperFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Having bid farewell to Champions League-winning coach Carlo Ancelotti, another familiar face has been welcomed into the dugout at Santiago Bernabeu. Former Blancos midfielder Alonso has returned to his homeland after overseeing title glory during his time at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

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World Cup winner Alonso is understandably keen to put his own stamp on a side that surrendered domestic and continental crowns in 2024-25. More movement on the transfer front is expected, while legendary playmaker Luka Modric is leaving as a free agent.

DID YOU KNOW?

It is in the middle of the park that Bellingham operates – with a further 14 goals and as many assists added to his tally in the season just gone – and he will be pulled back from a No.10 berth under Alonso in a bid to make the most of his energy in Real’s engine room.

Getty ImagesWHAT XABI ALONSO SAID

Alonso has told reporters of Bellingham: “He can be special anywhere because he’s a special player. His eruption is that of an era-defining player for Real Madrid. He’s 21 years old I think and will be fundamental to the club’s future projects.

“The feeling I get is that he is in a good place and good moment to work with him. I see him as a midfielder. We’ll try to make him as efficient as possible.”

da aviator aposta： Arsenal have been handed a boost in the race to sign a prolific striker for manager Mikel Arteta, with the player apparently “sold” on joining them as the Gunners enter pole position for his signature.

Arsenal plunged into injury crisis as Havertz misses rest of 24/25

da premier bet： On Thursday, Arsenal officially confirmed that Kai Havertz would miss the rest of this Premier League campaign, following David Ornstein’s exclusive report which originally broke the bad news (X).

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The German will miss the rest of this season.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 13, 2025

Havertz suffered a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s warm-weather training trip to Dubai, which will require surgery. The German is expected to undergo this procedure in the coming days, with Havertz then set to begin rehab which will extend into pre-season for 2025/2026.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games

Date

Leicester City (away)

February 15th

West Ham (home)

February 22nd

Nottingham Forest (away)

February 26th

Man United (away)

March 9th

Chelsea (home)

March 16th

As a result, the £280,000-per-week striker has played his last game of the campaign, leaving Arteta short of attacking options as he bids to catch Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are also on the treatment table right now, with the latter also set to miss the rest of this season (Sky Sports). Right now, Arteta has just Raheem Sterling as his sole senior striking option, and the lack of numbers in Arsenal’s final third could seriously threaten to derail their title chances – if they weren’t slim enough already.

Arsenal will be keen to avoid a similar scenario next campaign, and those around the club will be left disappointed by the fact they didn’t bring in another number nine when the January transfer window was open.

Arsenal had a bid rejected for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, and were linked with more high-profile forwards throughout the window. However, unless the north Londoners opt to sign an emergency free agent like Diego Costa, then they’ll have to wait until this summer to bring in another number nine.

Benjamin Sesko "sold" on joining Arsenal this summer

According to reliable journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on the GiveMeSport Market Madness Podcast, RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko appears to be the main candidate to bolster Arsenal’s forward line.

Other reports have claimed that Arsenal are considered favourites in the race to sign Sesko, with Jacobs providing a further update on the £91,000-per-week striker’s future at Leipzig.

He says that Sesko is “sold” on joining Arsenal after already being convinced by the project, and Arteta’s side are confident they can strike a deal for the Slovenia international who’s scored 15 goals and bagged four assists in all competitions this season.

“Now, Chelsea also like Benjamin Sesko. The good news for Joel is that I think Arsenal are leading that race. So I can foresee a situation where everyone wants Alexander Isak,” Jacobs said.

“He doesn’t leave Newcastle. Arsenal go for Benjamin Sesko. Player’s sold on the project.

“He just wanted to wait and do an extra season at Leipzig. But when he was presented with that choice between Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Sesko picked Arsenal and then made a secondary choice that he was going to stay at Leipzig. So Arsenal are quite confident on Sesko.”

That being said, he won’t come cheap, with German media claiming Leipzig are holding out for £83 million as they anticipate a bidding war.

The allrounder underwent back surgery in October and was ruled out of the entire home season

AAP09-Jan-2025Australia hope to have Cameron Green back available for the World Test Championship final, while preparing for him to return as a batter only.Green posted a video of himself running on social media on Wednesday, almost three months after undergoing season-ending surgery on his back.Chief selector George Bailey confirmed on Thursday he was “very hopeful” Green would be available to play at Lord’s against South Africa.Related

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Green is due to undergo further post-operation scans next month and is expected to be back batting in May. He will have to wait longer to bowl, potentially after Australia’s three-Test tour of West Indies in June and July.Green’s return adds further questions to Mitchell Marsh’s chances of extending his Test career, after he was left out of Australia’s 16-man squad for Sri Lanka.While Beau Webster retained his spot after an impressive debut in Sydney, Marsh will be left to wonder when his next Test will come at age 33.But Bailey suggested there was still potential for Marsh to return to the team in next summer’s Ashes, after his impressive return to the team against England in 2023.
“I don’t necessarily see it as the end of the road for him,” Bailey said. “I think Mitch at his best and with a longer-term view of potentially what the Ashes may look like and what England may throw at us there.”He’s got a skill set that suits there, not taking away from the fact that at some stage clearly we’re going to have the return of Cameron Green as well into the team. But unlike some, I’m probably not as glass half empty around where that leaves Mitch.”Webster’s selection comes after he hit 57 and an unbeaten 39 in Sydney, but his ability to shoulder a heavy workload with the ball could also be crucial in Asia.He also bowled offspin for the majority of his career before turning to medium pace during Covid, but Bailey said it was unlikely his tweakers would be called upon in Sri Lanka.Instead, Travis Head can provide support to Australia’s spinners Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, who could both feature as frontline spinners in the XI alongside Nathan Lyon.”[Webster’s spin] probably wasn’t something that came up as a factor in selection,” Bailey said.”I think we’ve got plenty of spin options there. It’s a nice fourth or fifth bow for Beau to have up his sleeve, but I don’t necessarily think that we’ll be heading down that path.”