Ipswich Town have reportedly agreed a deal to sign a former Liverpool player ahead of their Premier League opener next weekend.

Ipswich Town’s summer business

The Tractor Boys managed to keep hold of manager Kieran McKenna earlier in the summer and have made a number of new signings during the transfer market. The club have spent more than £60m and have also moved on a number of players from last season with weeks remaining of the window.

Ipswich Town summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Omari Hutchinson

Chelsea

€23.5m

Jacob Greaves

Hull City

€21.5m

Liam Delap

Manchester City

€17.85m

Arijanet Muric

Burnley

€9.55m

Conor Townsend

West Brom

€590,000

Ben Johnson

West Ham

Free transfer

McKenna is currently preparing his side for the first game of the season at home to Liverpool, however, behind the scenes, work is still ongoing in regards to further additions.

Recently, the club have been linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp, however, fellow promoted sides Leicester City and Southampton are also showing an interest.

Related Imagine him & Morsy: Ipswich targeting £13m PL ace in Hutchinson repeat

Ipswich Town could repeat the success story of their Omari Hutchinson deal with this summer purchase.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Aug 9, 2024

Elsewhere, Ipswich have made contact over the potential signing of Napoli midfielder Jean Cajuste, although reports do not state whether the approach has been made with the player, the Serie A club or both parties.

However, Ipswich appear to be making progress over another deal with a club abroad, with a fee now agreed.

Ipswich Town agree fee to sign Ryan Kent

According to reports in Turkey, Ipswich have had an offer worth €3m (£2.5m) accepted to sign Fenerbahce winger Ryan Kent. Jose Mourinho has given the green light for Kent to leave, and it is claimed that the club have handed Kent permission to speak with Ipswich.

Should personal terms be agreed, the winger will head to England in the coming days, with Ipswich on course to beat Leeds United to a deal after the Whites were linked with a move of their own in recent weeks.

Kent, previously of Liverpool and Rangers, has been with Fenerbahce for just over 12 months but during his first season in Turkey, only made 19 appearances, scoring once and providing two assists.

Speaking back in 2022, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara wanted Kent plying his trade in north London. "I don't want to pull him away from Rangers but I really like him, what a player he is. I would have him at Spurs. He should be in the Premier League, he is a top player."

Kent was also praised by former boss Steven Gerrard during their time in Glasgow, who said back in 2020: "He is so sharp and he has added a different dimension to his game. He is a pleasure to watch and coach and we just need to enjoy him. He has got the hunger and the desire and he is putting in the application to improve his numbers.”

Now, a return to England could be on the cards at Portman Road, making this one to watch.

South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje is still some way away from being at the level he was before his back and hip injuries, which kept him out of action for almost five months.Nortje was cleared of any serious injury just before IPL 2022 and allowed to continue his rehabilitation with Delhi Capitals. He made his comeback in Capitals’ third game of the tournament but it took him almost one more month to play his next match and feature regularly in the playing XI. Nortje finished the tournament with nine wickets from six games at an economy rate of 9.71. In the ongoing T20I series against India, he has three wickets so far from as many games, at an economy rate of 9.50.Related

• Harshal Patel: 'My job is to stay one step ahead of the batters'

• India seek to extend fightback as de Kock return looms

“No, not yet,” Nortje said when asked if he was back to his best. “I am still working on it, still trying to find one or two things, and body-wise also I am not 100% yet there where I want to be. It’s just about slowly increasing and slowly building it up. I would probably rate myself from where I was last year in the IPL and at the start of the World Cup, so still trying to get there.”Some of the bowling is limited, you can’t always just go out and bowl eight or nine overs in a day. But so far it has been a good challenge. I think it’s something that will help me a lot if there are any other niggles or injuries going forward. But it has been a long time and [there are] some important things to remember and take out of this.”But could he pinpoint what was missing? “If I knew exactly what it was, I would have done it,” he laughed. “I generally keep it very simple, stick to the basics. So it’s just going to be a small, minor adjustment. I am working on something at this stage and will see how it goes. Hopefully, I am on the right path. It’s not like it’s completely out of shape. It’s just small margins for me.”Anrich Nortje has picked three wickets so far in the T20I series against India•BCCI

When fully fit, Nortje is one of the fastest bowlers in the world. In IPL 2020, he clocked 156.2kph, which was the fastest delivery in the tournament between 2012 and 2020. This year, Umran Malik, who is part of India’s current T20I squad, broke his record by bowling at 156.9kph, before Gujarat Titans’ Lockie Ferguson went one ahead with 157.3kph in the final against Rajasthan Royals. Nortje, though, is more focused on winning the matches for his team than being the fastest bowler around.”At this stage, I’m not bothered too much about who is the fastest and what the speed gun says,” he said. “It’s about what I can contribute for the team. When you train, when you are not playing, you obviously think about how you can crank it faster with your work, your training, your gym, or whatever you’re doing. So in the back of my mind, it’s something that I would like to keep on striving towards. But it’s not something I’m thinking about when I go onto the field.”Malik is a very good bowler, very fast bowler. He showed what he can do. And if he gets faster, great for him. If I get faster, great for me. But I don’t think we are at that stage where we are competing to try and just bowl the fastest ball. It’s about winning games and trying to contribute.”South Africa currently lead the five-match T20I series 2-1, and Nortje reiterated that the team is aiming to seal the series as early as possible, without giving India a chance.”I said at the last game as well that this was sort of like a final for us. We obviously didn’t perform well or anything to what we are capable of. So this would probably be like a final again for us. A second chance but we need to seal the series as soon as possible and not give them an opportunity or any sniff, that’s the main goal of this series as well.”

Arsenal have been left sweating on Gabriel's fitness ahead of their Manchester United clash with Mikel Arteta offering a worrying injury update.

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Arsenal beat West Ham 5-2 Gabriel's injury is a concern for ArtetaArteta revealed that the issue had occurred beforeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Gabriel started against West Ham and made an early impact, heading home Bukayo Saka’s corner to open the scoring in what ended in a 5-2 triumph for the Gunners. But, he lasted for only 45 minutes as the Brazilian was replaced by Jakub Kiwior following Lukasz Fabianski's punch in his face.

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However, while addressing the media after the West Ham match, Arteta confirmed that Gabriel’s substitution was related to an earlier injury sustained during the Champions League match in Lisbon against Sporting CP and not due to Fabianski's punch. The defender won the race against time to feature against the Hammers but the injury flared up again, prompting his early withdrawal.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

“It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon,” said Arteta. “He did great to be a part of that. With that result and the state he is feeling, we decided to take him off.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

Gabriel was not the only Arsenal player to make an early exit during their massive win. Saka and Riccardo Calafiori also left the pitch, raising additional concerns about Arsenal’s squad depth before a busy fixture schedule. Saka, who earlier converted a penalty to score Arsenal’s fifth goal, needed treatment after a collision with Emerson but was later deemed to be in good condition. “He’s fine,” Arteta reassured fans, suggesting the substitution was precautionary.

Meanwhile, Calafiori’s departure before the hour mark was a step taken to avoid aggravating his knee issues.

"Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks," Arteta said. "Obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well, but we have to manage his minutes. Today we have to do the same.”

GOAL takes a look at the managerial changes across MLS in 2024, and how remaining vacancies may be filled

Nick Cushing, John Herdman and Vanni Sartini are the latest managers to get caught up in the MLS coaching carousel. They were the 10th, 11th and 12th managers to be removed from their positions this MLS season, as it's been a challenging campaign for individuals on the touchline.

Regardless of success in previous seasons, or even impressive playoff runs in 2024, clubs seem to have very little margin for error. In fact, more than a third of the league’s teams have changed managers in 2024.

Shocked? You shouldn’t be.

When 2023 MLS Coach of the Year finalist Bradley Carnell was fired by St. Louis CITY in July, it showed the nature of the business. Now, as the 2024 MLS season nears completion, five sides – Atlanta United, Philadelphia Union, NYCFC, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps – all still have openings.

So what's happened in 2024 to provoke so much change? The introduction of Lionel Messi in Miami in 2023 put eyes on MLS from all over the world, for one, and there seems to be little space on the touchline for underperforming. The margins are more important than ever, and for the five teams still with vacancies, they cannot afford to get their next hire wrong.

GOAL explores where Toronto, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Vancouver and New York should go next.

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  The carousel begins

  Gary Smith of Nashville SC was the first manager to be fired this season, with the Englishman getting the sack on May 16, and three more firings followed in June – FC Dallas, Atlanta United and San Jose. The first shocker came on July 1, though, when CITY fired Carnell.

  That was the tipping point for the league. Seven of the eventual 12 vacancies have since been filled, some immediately, and some over time.

  Club	Outgoing coach	Interim coach	Incoming coach
  Inter Miami	Tata Martino	N/A	Javier Mascherano
  Vancouver Whitecaps	Vanni Sartini	N/A	TBD
  Austin FC	Josh Wolff	N/A	Nico Estevez
  FC Dallas	Nico Estevez	Peter Luccin	Eric Quill
  Atlanta United	Gonzalo Pineda	Rob Valentino	TBD
  Philadelphia Union	Jim Curtin	N/A	TBD
  Chicago Fire	Frank Klopas	N/A	Gregg Berhalter
  St. Louis CITY SC	Bradley Carnell	John Hackworth	Olof Mellberg
  San Jose Earthquakes	Luchi Gonzalez	Ian Russell	Bruce Arena
  Nashville SC	Gary Smith	Rumba Munthali	B.J. Callaghan
  NYCFC	Nick Cushing	N/A	TBD
  Toronto FC	John Herdman	N/A	TBD

  There are still five vacancies, with each presenting its own unique opportunity. How do those teams capitalize?

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Philadelphia Union

  Who's out?

  Jim Curtin was removed from his position after missing the 2024 postseason. It was a shocking dismissal, considering he is widely-viewed as one of the best coaches in the league. However, ownership and Curtin apparently "were not aligned" with the club's mission.

  Pros and cons of the job

  The obvious strength for the job is you have access to the best academy in MLS, and, you are being put on the touchline to mentor perhaps the most exciting prospect in American soccer in Cavan Sullivan. The Union's youth has always propelled them to success, and Sullivan is arguably the best player in his age group across North America – and one of the best in the world.

  In terms of weaknesses, though, you won't have a large transfer budget, nor will you have access to big-name players that other teams are signing. The Union have always worked with little and found success, so it's hard to see them pivoting from that.

  Where do they go from here?

  It's evident the Union aren't going to pursue a flashy hire, nor are they going to spend big on one. Somebody such as Rob Valentino, who impressed in his debut stint on the touchline in MLS as Atlanta United's interim manager in 2024, would make sense. Looking at former Austin FC manager, Josh Wolff, would be sensible, too. He's a former U.S. international who knows the league well, and would potentially be a good mentor for their young core – including the Sullivan brothers, Cavan and Quinn.

• IMGAN
  

  Atlanta United

  Who's out?

  Gonzalo Pineda was removed his position on June 3 after a rough start to the season. After being brought into the club in 2021, he missed the postseason in 2022, and in 2023, they were knocked out in the opening round of the postseason. The final string was losing five consecutive home matches at the start of 2024.

  Pros and cons of the job

  Atlanta have the most exciting opening of any MLS team this offseason. They have the finances and roster spots to completely revamp their roster. Potentially, we they could have two U22 initiative signings, two new DP's and a new GM – and they just re-signed 2024 MLS Playoff hero Brad Guzan after upsetting Inter Miami in the playoffs. It's more than an enticing job, it's a competitive one that many coaches will be vying for.

  Where do they go from here?

  Valentino seemed likely to be in the mix after his brilliant takeover in 2024, but he announced his departure last week. Now, club president Garth Lagerway and the are set to undergo an in-depth hiring process. The obvious move, though, is Jim Curtin. The ex-Union boss is one of MLS' most successful managers, and he's achieved so much with so little over the years. If you give him money to spend to build an elite roster, it could be a great fit.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Vancouver Whitecaps

  Who's out?

  Vanni Sartini was dismissed after Vancouver was eliminated after a closely-contested Round One playoff series against LAFC. The Whitecaps smashed the Portland Timbers 5-0 in the Eastern Conference Wildcard match, but fell to the No. 1 seed in the opening round.

  Sartini didn't excel with Vancouver, but he didn't underperform either. Notably, though, he was outspoken on a number of topics. In 2023, he was initially suspended for six matches for comments aimed at a referee following a postseason exit, though that was later reduced to four games. After their 2024 season came to an end, it seemed as though it was just the right time for both parties to move on.

  Pros and cons of the job

  The Whitecaps have an important offseason ahead. They have Ryan Gauld in his prime years, Brian White playing excellent, and a terrific defensive pairing with centerbacks in Tristan Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic, with Scottish veteran Stuart Armstrong in the midfield. Elsewhere, though, a lot of their roster feels replaceable.

  Notably, though, they don't have a ton of room regarding high-profile player. They have maxed out their DP and U22 slots at the moment, so any additional upgrades will come in the form of TAM or GAM signings.

  Where do they go from here?

  They need to target a coach who can get the most out of the current group, while using the transfer market to elevate the team. The ambitious answer is Pellegrino Matarazzo, a German-American coach who has lived in Europe since 2000 – and has constantly been talked about as a potential MLS coach. He was sacked from his role as Hoffenheim manager after a poor start to the season, and is available. It would be a flashy hire, and potentially one that could draw talent to the club.

MatériaMais Notícias

Presente no top 15 dos maiores artilheiros da história do Campeonato Brasileiro, com 105 gols marcados – é o 13º na lista -, Wellington Paulista agora é também um dos cinco que mais entraram em campo. Neste sábado, na vitória do Fortaleza por 2 a 1 sobre a Chapecoense, o atacante saiu do banco aos 26 minutos do 2º tempo, substituindo o chileno Ángelo Henríquez, e completou 404 jogos na Série A. O atacante igualou a marca de Paulo Baier, o 5º no ranking.

Revelado pelo Juventus, de São Paulo, Wellington disputou seu primeiro Brasileirão em 2004, atuando pelo Paraná. Desde então, ficou de fora apenas da edição de 2007, quando estava no Alavés, da Espanha. Além dos tricolores, paranaense e cearense, o centroavante disputou o campeonato vestindo as camisas de Santos, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, Palmeiras, Criciúma, Internacional, Coritiba, Fluminense, Ponte Preta e Chapecoense.

JOGADORES QUE MAIS ATUARAM NA HISTÓRIA DO BRASILEIRO

1º – Fábio – 596 jogos
2º – Rogério Ceni – 574 jogos
3º – Leonardo Moura – 497 jogos
4º – Diego Souza – 459 jogos
5º – Wellington Paulista – 404 jogos
Paulo Baier – 404 jogos
7º – Márcio Araújo – 397 jogos
8º – Fábio Santos – 388 jogos
9º – Victor – 384 jogos
10º – Edinho – 380 jogos

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Unai Emery is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to securing more new signings for Aston Villa.

After eight summer arrivals, the Spaniard is now seeking a few more players to give his side that added quality heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

It looks as though he is turning to Turkey with regard to his next target…

Latest on Aston Villa's search for a striker

According to Turkish outlet Sabah (via Sport Witness), Villa have reportedly made a bid for Besiktas striker Semih Kılıçsoy as they step up their interest in bringing the player to the Premier League.

Fulham made an offer for the striker, which was subsequently rejected by the club, before Villa submitted a proposal of around €18m (£15m), although this offer was also rejected by Besiktas as they look to keep one of their most promising talents.

The report states that it is uncertain whether Villa will make another approach for the 18-year-old before the window slams shut, but they could face competition from Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who have all been linked with the youngster at various times since the window opened.

There is no doubting the fact Emery requires another centre-forward in his squad. Could Kılıçsoy replace Jhon Duran?

Semih Kılıçsoy’s season in numbers

It looks as though Duran’s future lies away from Villa, despite a report from Football Insider claiming both Chelsea and West Ham United have withdrawn their interest in the Colombian.

The report states that Villa will still consider offers as they look to offload the youngster before the summer transfer window closes.

If he does leave, then Emery will need to sign another centre-forward, hence the interest in Kılıçsoy.

The youngster only made his debut for Besiktas during the 2022/23 campaign but emerged as one of the finest young players in Turkey last year, scoring 11 league goals in just 23 matches, chipping in with three assists too.

The 18-year-old also created four big chances, succeeded with 1.7 dribble attempts and averaged 0.7 key passes per game, proving that he is more than just a clinical finisher in front of goal.

Goals

11

Assists

4

Big chances created

4

Shots on target per game

1

Goal conversion percentage

19%

Scoring frequency (minutes)

154

Successful dribbles per game

1.7

He was hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson earlier this year amid his breakthrough, who said: “Semih Kılıçsoy really is one to look out for. No surprise at all to me that so many clubs are watching him. Semih won’t be in Turkey much longer.

“Physical monster too, big reason why he’s taken to senior football so well (in addition to his killer instinct, creativity and IQ).”

If Emery could somehow lure him to Villa Park, he could sign a prodigious talent who may go from strength to strength.

There is no doubt he could be an ideal replacement for Duran, especially considering he has shown evidence of his success in a major European league.

Much will depend on how much Besiktas value the striker, but if it is within Villa’s budget, then they should be going all out to sign him.

Talks held: Aston Villa chasing dream £26m Diaby replacement

Unai Emery looks keen on signing a winger who shone at Euro 2024

ByRoss Kilvington Aug 9, 2024

Captain relishes opportunity to learn the hard way in lead-up to T20 World Cup

Matt Roller14-Mar-2021Eoin Morgan said that he was pleased to have had the opportunity to play on a pitch that took England “out of our comfort zone” with both bat and ball in the second T20I in Ahmedabad, and that he expects another unfamiliar surface in the third game of the series on Tuesday.England struggled with the ball in their attempts to defend 164 on a pitch that offered less for their fast bowlers that the one used in Friday’s series opener. Morgan said that the surface was a “typical Indian wicket” that “exposed our weakness” and reiterated his comments before the series, when he had expressed a desire to play in different conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.”It was quite slow, low, and didn’t really turn a great deal – [a pitch] that does expose our weakness,” Morgan said. “We don’t play a lot on slow, low wickets and the more that we can do that, the better. Posting a total on a wicket like that, I thought we were right in the game… we established partnerships, we got to the point where we tried to accelerate, but managed to lose wickets at different stages.”Taking an early wicket was brilliant but India managed to get away from us quite quickly. Ishan Kishan played pretty well and managed to take the game away from us, and everything that we tried didn’t seem to work.”I thought the other night, the pitch really suited us because it had more pace in it – similar to a wicket at home, a Cardiff wicket or somewhere like that, that was a little bit uneven and maybe stood up a little bit. But this took us out of our comfort zone and really was a typical Indian wicket that we would play on in an IPL game. Again, your accuracy has to be on, and you’re bowling to guys really on their home patch when you talk about a wicket like this.”To become better in these conditions, the only way you do that is by playing and making mistakes. You tend to learn quicker if you’re winning and confident and everything goes reasonably smoothly – you can integrate the learning quite quickly – but equally, if we have to learn the hard way, we’re still going through that process of trying to learn game-on-game so when it comes to the World Cup in seven months’ time, we can be as best prepared or know more about ourselves and where we need to get better before then.”Adil Rashid’s expression summed up England’s position in the chase•Getty Images

Morgan emphasised the importance of batsmen taking on the right match-ups on pitches that are harder to bat on, and stressed that he had no issues with any of his side getting out while taking an attacking option against a bowler-type that they are generally strong against – much as both Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow did in holing out to deep midwicket against the offspin of Washington Sundar.”Particularly when it comes to batting, the biggest sixes guys hit are when it looks like they’ve put no effort into it, so maintaining your shape when you’re hitting the ball [is important],” he said. “Attacking a bowler that you know you’ve got an advantage with, or you play that type of bowler really well – things like that, trying to improve positions that we get into, and when we do get into a position, taking advantage of it.”Most players should know their game inside-out – where they struggle and where they’re strong. It’s when they’re strong against whoever, it’s taking that option and not hesitating in doing it. If you get out doing it, you’re taking the right option.”Related

Washington Sundar can bowl to right-handers too

Blazing fifties from Kishan, Kohli power India to 1-1

Kohli: 'Kishan took the game away'

Stokes endures all-round off-day

The third T20I will be played on a red-soil pitch rather than a black-soil one, which is likely to bring spinners into the game much more than the surfaces for the first two matches of the series. As a result, England are likely to bring Moeen Ali into the side, with Tom Curran the most likely man to give way after an expensive showing on Sunday night.”The next game is on the red soil that looks like Ayers Rock so it’s probably going to turn,” Morgan said. “These are the challenges that we want to play against. Regardless of how we do in the series we want to learn as much as we can and get that experience under our belt for the World Cup.”Because we’re playing on a different type of soil, on the red soil not the black soil, there’s a chance that it might take more spin which probably lends itself to batting first if it doesn’t hold as well together as the black soil, which traditionally it doesn’t. It might lend itself to posting a total because the wicket might get worse.”The two wickets we’ve played on have not turned. We looked at them and didn’t expect them to turn, but potentially, the next game might offer a little bit for the spinners.”Mark Wood missed the second T20I with a bruised heel, but Morgan said the injury was “not a big worry”. “He felt better again today but not fit enough to play,” Morgan said. “Hopefully he’ll be available for the game in two days’ time, but if not, the fourth match.”

يخوض فريق برشلونة، مساء يوم الأربعاء، مباراته الأخيرة في مرحلة الدوري من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2024/25، وذلك ضد خصمه فريق أتالانتا.

ويستضيف ملعب “مونتجويك” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الثامنة والأخيرة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري.

وحسم برشلونة تأهله إلى منافسات دور الـ16، بشكل مباشر، حيث يتواجد حاليًا في المركز الثاني برصيد 18 نقطة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024/25 قبل الجولة الأخيرة

ويستطيع برشلونة إنهاء مرحلة الدوري في الصدارة، حال فوزه اليوم ضد أتالانتا، مقابل خسارة ليفربول أمام آيندهوفن.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن الصدارة أو الوصافة لن تمثل تغييرًا بالنسبة لـ برشلونة في منافسات دور الـ16، حيث أن هناك قواعد محددة بشأن المنافس الذي سيواجهه (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

من جهة أخرى، يحتل أتالانتا المركز السابع برصيد 14 نقطة، حيث ضمن على الأقل التواجد في مرحلة الملحق المؤهل إلى دور الـ16. موعد مباراة برشلونة وأتالانتا اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وأتالانتا اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN SPORTS 4. معلق مباراة برشلونة وأتالانتا اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

سيعلق خليل البلوشي على أحداث مباراة اليوم.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Chelsea have endured a couple of testing campaigns in the Premier League, and while there is a lot of external noise around the bloated nature of Enzo Maresca's squad, there's reason to be optimistic in west London.

A host of the Blues' first-teamers are expected to depart before the window slams shut next week, with Raheem Sterling's chances of remaining at Stamford Bridge slimmed down after recent events…

As such, Chelsea are seemingly in the clear to complete the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid – with an agreement having now been reached – and he's not the only possible incoming to get excited about…

Busy finish to the transfer window

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are still locked in negotiations with Napoli for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku – with highly-rated Victor Osimhen looking to move to England in a separate deal.

The Serie A club are reluctant to let Osimhen depart for a fee below his £111m release clause, but all parties are eager for a resolution and there's tentative hope that the Blues can land an exciting new centre-forward to spearhead Maresca's team.

Imagine Victor Osimhen & Joao Felix

Osimhen, who earns £211k per week in Naples, has been hailed as "one of the best strikers in the world" by Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, scoring 76 goals and adding 18 assists across 133 matches for Napoli.

He's one of Europe's finest goalscorers but he is also blessed with natural creativity and sharp movements when on the press, drawing defenders away and creating space for his peers.

Indeed, during Napoli's 2022/23 Scudetto-winning campaign, Osimhen scored 26 goals and added four assists from 30 starting appearances, averaging 1.1 key passes per game.

This kind of profile could see an electric bond forged with Felix, who has never been regarded as the most prolific player around but actually maintained an impressive strike rate on loan at Barcelona last year, ranking among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90, as per FBref.

Felix, moreover, is one of the smoothest operators in the business, with a butter-soft dribbling ability that allows him to breeze past opponents. He's been dubbed "the football artist" by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past, and he could paint quite the picture with Chelsea, under Maresca's wing.

2023/24

Napoli

32 (27)

17

4

2022/23

Napoli

39 (35)

31

5

2021/22

Napoli

32 (26)

18

6

2020/21

Napoli

30 (19)

10

3

2019/20

LOSC Lille

38 (28)

18

6

Described as a "monster" by analyst Raj Chohan, Osimhen is a world-class striker, and he could be a real menace with Felix – and that's without mentioning the likes of Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku and co.

Chelsea need to get it done. Sure, the squad still needs trimming, but with the right outgoings, Felix and Osimhen could arrive and wreak utter havoc in the Premier League.

Chelsea hold talks to sign £153k-p/w star in swap deal for Raheem Sterling

The Blues could get a younger upgrade on their winger…

ByTom Cunningham Aug 18, 2024

Liverpool have been told by Danny Murphy to replace Andy Robertson with Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Liverpool urged to go for Davies
• Canadian left-back out of contract in 2025
• Murphy has little confidence in Tsimikas

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Robertson, who turned 30 earlier this year, has been a pivotal figure at Anfield, delivering stellar performances over several seasons. However, Murphy pointed out that Liverpool must plan for the future, emphasising the need for serious competition in the left-back role. While Konstantinos Tsimikas has rotated with Robertson in recent weeks, Murphy does not see the Greek international as a consistent replacement.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Davies, the 24-year-old Canadian international, is entering the final months of his contract at Bayern Munich. From January 1, he will be eligible to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside Germany. While Real Madrid are reportedly leading the race to sign him, Liverpool are being urged to explore the possibility of bringing the dynamic full-back to Anfield.

• WHAT MURPHY SAID

  Speaking to BetBrain, ex-Liverpool midfielder Murphy said: “Considering what Andy Robertson has done for Liverpool and the level of performances he’s delivered over the years, he’s now in the conversation when people talk about the best left-backs Liverpool have ever had. There’s been some incredible left-backs in some unbelievable Liverpool teams, so let’s praise him for what he’s done in his career – he’s a winner and a phenomenal player.

  "However, I don’t think Konstantinos Tsimikas is ever going to replace Robertson or play instead of him on a consistent basis, so I think Robertson and Liverpool would benefit from him having real competition at left-back and for Arne Slot to look long-term at the position."

  Suggesting Davies as a potential replacement, Murphy added: "There’d be plenty of competition, but Alphonso Davies is out of contract at Bayern Munich in the summer. If you’re looking for a left-back that ticks every box in terms of one-on-one defending, threat going forward, pace and physicality, he would be the obvious choice for Liverpool.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Aside from Davies, Liverpool has also been linked with Bournemouth’s 21-year-old left-back Milos Kerkez. The Hungary international, who recently scored his first goal for the Cherries, is reportedly valued at $50 million (£40m).