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Arsenal chiefs are now targeting an “all-round” forward, who arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur bid for last summer.

Andrea Berta's transfer plans for Arsenal this summer

The Gunners’ new sporting director, Andrea Berta, looks set to be a very busy man when the transfer window reopens for business.

Injury to Arsenal star stops Berta from signing two players in key position

The north Londoners had a potentially ambitious plan.

ByEmilio Galantini May 1, 2025

Manager Mikel Arteta has already admitted that the club are set for a “big” summer after Berta’s arrival, and the Spaniard is “excited” by what could be in store.

“It’s going to be a big one, and we are very excited about it,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s transfer plans ahead of next season.

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

“When you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad and the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. Every summer is big because it is an opportunity and especially because of the number of players we have in the squad right now, that is necessary.

“But it’s a big summer for many things, because first of all, we have to maintain the good foundations that we have and then, obviously, how can we improve and evolve the team.”

Arsenal are believed to be in the market for a second-choice keeper, full-back, midfielder, left-winger, right-winger and striker (GiveMeSport), with a host of players looking set to depart N5.

Neto will return to Bournemouth after his straight loan expires, while Kieran Tierney is off to Celtic after agreeing a pre-contract with his former club in the winter window.

Arsenal are expected to sell Oleksandr Zinchenko as well, and veteran midfielder Jorginho will be free to find a new club after his contract expires on June 30th – emphasising the need for new arrivals in key areas.

Thomas Partey and Arsenal are in negotiations over a contract extension right now, but a new midfielder remains high on Berta’s agenda, amid reports a deal for Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi is close.

Arsenal are internally behaving like they’ve already signed Zubimendi, according to David Ornstein. Meanwhile, as Arteta’s side also reportedly chase new wide options, Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey is emerging as an option.

Arsenal targeting Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, writing in a piece for The Boot Room, Arsenal are targeting Ramsey as a potential option, and a Villa Park exit for the 23-year-old isn’t entirely ruled out.

Ramsey has been a firm regular under Unai Emery this term, making 43 appearances in all competitions, where he’s predominantly featured on the left-wing. The Englishman could be a solid alternative to Gabriel Martinelli on that side, but Arsenal are not the only north London club to conjure up ideas about signing Ramsey.

According to The Times, Tottenham made a part-exchange bid for Ramsey, offering Villa £20 million plus Giovani Lo Celso, but this offer was rejected out of hand.

Called an “all-round” player by ex-Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ramsey’s rumoured price tag stands at around £50 million, so Berta will have to pay a significant fee if he wishes to seal an Arsenal deal.

Tottenham have given a "huge boost" for the January transfer window as journalist Pete O'Rourke shares some news on a top target.

Spurs form under Postecoglou

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has suffered from a plague of injury and suspension issues over the last few weeks, and they've resulted in his side taking a major downturn in form.

Starting the Premier League campaign with a ten-game unbeaten run, Postecoglou enjoyed the best start made by any new boss in the division's history.

Levy now ready to make Spurs bid for player and offer him "monstrous" wages

He’s “unlikely” to refuse Tottenham’s proposal.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 8, 2023

Now, following injuries to key stars like Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, Spurs have lost four out of their last five league matches since early November and haven't won since their 2-1 victory away to Crystal Palace.

Their latest 2-1 defeat to London rivals West Ham was a particularly sore one to take for Postecoglou and supporters, with Spurs' head coach lamenting his team's poor performance in many aspects.

"No I don't think so," said Postecoglou on the loss to West Ham and whether their first-half performance was a positive (via football.london).

"I think it's another game where we've dominated a game of football and haven't turned our dominance into something more tangible and kept the opposition in the game. I thought we were really poor in both boxes tonight – both with our finishing and both goals were terrible to concede.

"We had some unbelievable chances – for us it's another game, like the Villa game and other games earlier this year, and I said during the week our attacking play has a long way to go. In general we have a long way to go, and tonight was more evidence of that."

One saving grace for Spurs could be the transfer window opening next month, and reports suggest they're keen to strengthen in key areas.

Indeed, Tottenham are chasing a left-sided centre-back most of all, while Spurs are also keen to sign another winger (Sky Sports).

Spurs gifted "huge boost" in Iling-Junior chase

In the latter position, one name who's been regularly mentioned as a top target for Tottenham is Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior.

There have been reports that Spurs are favourites to sign the 20-year-old, with reporter O'Rourke now sharing a bit more good news for Postecoglou's side.

The journalist, writing for Football Insider, claims Juventus are ready to accept £20 million for Iling-Junior in what he describes as a "huge boost" for Tottenham.

Spurs view the former Chelsea academy ace as an "ideal fit" for Postecoglou's style of intense style of play, with the Serie A side now prepared to cash in on Iling-Junior in the winter window.

While the winger has struggled for consistent game time under Massimiliano Allegri, the same could've been said for Dejan Kulusevski during his time at the club.

The Swede has now gone on to thrive at Spurs, and supporters will be hoping Iling-Junior could follow a similar path if he signs.

Their inclusion means Bangladesh now have 11 frontline batsmen at their disposal for the rest of the Asia Cup

Mohammad Isam21-Sep-2018Batsmen Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes have been added to Bangladesh’s Asia Cup squad, which has suffered a spate of injuries. The additions were announced after Bangladesh were bowled out for 173 against India; a second batting debacle following their 136-run loss to Afghanistan on Thursday.Bangladesh’s leading batsmen have suffered setbacks: Tamim Iqbal fractured his wrist against Sri Lanka and is out of the tournament, while Shakib Al Hasan (finger) and Mushfiqur Rahim (rib) have been playing despite injuries. The bigger worry, however, has been the poor form of the younger batsmen.Openers Liton Das and Nazmul Hossain Shanto have been ineffective so far, so have Mominul Haque and Mosaddek Hossain, while Mohammad Mithun has scored one fifty in three innings.Both Soumya and Imrul have had played little cricket lately. They last featured in ODIs in the away series against South Africa last year, where Soumya played one match scoring 8 – making his tally 42 in his last five ODI appearances. Imrul played all three, totalling 100 runs. Neither was picked in the subsequent tri-series at home, or for the tour of West Indies in July-August.Their inclusion means Bangladesh now have 11 frontline batsmen at their disposal for the rest of the Asia Cup.Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan (vc), Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes

The batsman said the sweep had been a key weapon during his innings of 101 in the second Test at the SSC

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC23-Jul-2018For most of this series, it appeared as if no South Africa batsman would bat for 100 balls in an innings, let alone score a century. Even getting to triple figures as a team seemed difficult enough. On the last day of the series, though, two relatively new batsmen saved some face for the visitors. Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma put on 123 together – South Africa’s best partnership of the series by a distance.De Bruyn then went on to score his maiden Test hundred, in his sixth Test, in a series in which much more senior men had failed dramatically. He had had a feeling he just might manage a breakthrough in Sri Lanka, after having made only modest scores in his five previous Tests.”It’s been quite a journey – it’s been tough. My international career didn’t start the way I wanted it to,” he said. “But I just had a bit of calmness landing in the airport here in Sri Lanka. As we drove to the hotel, I looked at the ocean and said to myself: ‘Yep, there could be something special.’ As a team, it wasn’t special, but for me it was special.”De Bruyn was especially effective square of the wicket against the spinners, employing the sweep, which he said he had learned in South Africa’s spin camps. He batted 232 balls all up, which made his the longest innings of the series, even if it wasn’t the biggest in terms of runs.”Back home you don’t need the sweep, because we play on bouncier wickets and you can play spinners down the ground,” he said. “But here, you know they’re bowling in good areas, and the wickets don’t bounce as much. The sweep is a better option.”For me, it was important to get the fielders out on the boundary, early on – especially with the new ball. If you’re just defending, it can be difficult. So if you put the bowlers slightly under pressure, you can get the fielders out. I didn’t know it was going to take that long to get a hundred. They just don’t let you go. They keep on bowling very accurately. It’s Test cricket. It’s not easy.”Bavuma was the more positive partner during their long partnership, making 63 off 98 balls before a spitting Rangana Herath delivery took the outside edge. Bavuma’s was the only other fifty-plus score for South Africa in this series.”Temba actually came in and played quite comfortably,” de Bruyn said. “He scored runs all the way through his innings and could start ticking over the strike. I think we almost had the same game plan – to sweep a lot and reverse sweep, and hit your ones over the legside. I think we both learned a lot over the last few hours, playing against the Sri Lankan spinners on this wicket.”De Bruyn had batted lower down the order in his earlier jaunts in Test cricket but said he felt more comfortable at No. 3, where he bats in domestic cricket.”For me, it does make a difference batting at No. 3. I’ve batted there my whole career, even as a youngster. The waiting game when you’re batting at six and seven mentally drains you – I don’t know, I’m not used to it. But I wanted to do really well batting at No. 3. It’s a place I really cherish and I’d like to make it my own one day if I get more opportunities.”

ScorecardSurrey routed Somerset by an innings with more than four sessions to spare to replace them at the Specsavers County Championship table.Jade Dernbach and Morne Morkel shared eight wickets as Somerset, who had followed on 279 runs behind, were bowled out for 210 in 61.2 overs to hand Surrey victory by an innings and 68 runs.Only James Hildreth, who finished unbeaten on 89, offered prolonged resistance to a rampant Surrey seam attack. It is the first time since 1958 that Surrey have won three games in succession by an innings and they went on to win the Championship that season as well.The odds on a first title since 2002, which was when Surrey last won at Guildford, will have shortened after this impressive performance.They set victory by taking five wickets in the first hour as Somerset, who resumed on 18 for 0, lurched to 69 for 5.Morkel made the breakthrough with his first ball of the day, trapping Matt Renshaw lbw half forward for two. Dernbach then picked up the first of two wickets in his opening spell when George Bartlett drove loosely and was caught behind.Ed Byrom could only fend off the next delivery – a well-directed bouncer from Morkel – to short leg then Dernbach pinned Tom Abell deep in his crease.Rikki Clarke had Steve Davies held in the gully at which point Somerset had lost five wickets for 51 runs before Hildreth and Lewis Gregory dug in, either side of lunch.They added 62 runs to raise Somerset hopes of a fightback before another well-directed short ball from Morkel broke the stand as Gregory edged low to Clarke at slip.Dom Bess played down the wrong line and lost his off stump to Clarke but Josh Davey gave Hildreth good support in an eighth wicket stand of 62 although Davey rode his luck. Surrey were convinced he had been caught behind before he had got into single figures and he was dropped on 19 by Scott Borthwick at second slip.Hildreth pulled offspinner Amar Virdi, who was being watched by England’s chief selector Ed Smith, into the adjoining road for six and coped well with Morkel’s pace but he ran out of partners. Davey eventually gloved another good lifter, this time from Dernbach, to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope and Tim Groenewald played on for a second-ball duck.Morkel applied the final touch when Max Waller, batting as concussion replacement for Jack Leach, who had been struck on the helmet by the South African on the second day, edged another bumper to Pope.Hildreth hit 13 fours and faced 127 balls but lacked support against a Surrey side who look well equipped to end their long wait for the title on this evidence.

Elly De La Cruz is having a great season. He has improved in every statistical category from his rookie year, collecting more hits, doubles, triples and home runs than he did in 2023. He has also improved his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages in a larger sample size thanks to more than 200 more plate appearances than he had as a rookie.

Of course, it's his speed that truly sets him apart as one of the most electric athletes in the sport. With a week-and-a-half remaining in the season, he leads baseball with 64 stolen bases. He's just the sixth person to steal more than 60 bases in a season in the last decade.

But that's not what makes this season truly historic.

De La Cruz also leads baseball with 203 strikeouts and counting. With 11 games remaining on the Reds schedule, he has 15 more strikeouts than the next most K'd batter in baseball, Ezequiel Tovar.

It's not the best historical achievement, but when you do something that has never been done in the entirety of a sports existence, it's pretty amazing. Especially when that sport has existed for over a century. And they've been keeping incredibly detailed records of stuff like this since the 1880's.

Finally a Lankan game at the G. Bring on the bands and the lively fans

Priyan Weerasinghe03-Mar-2012Choice of game
Funny how Cricket Australia allocates grounds to games. Matches at the MCG involving Sri Lanka tend to attract almost the entire large Sri Lankan community living in Melbourne. So CA, in its wisdom, had Sri Lanka playing just one match in Melbourne this CB series, that too the one before the finals. Having attended all the matches involving Sri Lanka on this ground since 1995, I was going to be there, rain, hail or shine, dead rubber or not.Team supported
Sri Lanka.Key performer
Hussey, D (David/Dangerous). He held the Australian innings together and brought the home side (although Lankans may argue that they are the home side at the “G”) to the brink of victory in a pulsating match. He holed out trying to hit the ball out of the park in the final over with just 10 runs to get. Game over, bye bye and thanks for coming, India. Sri Lanka in the finals, and on to Brisbane on Sunday.Honourable mentions for Lasith Malinga for coming back so strongly after the shellacking he received from Virat Kohli in Hobart, and for Dinesh Chandimal for another splendid half-century.One thing I’d have changed about the day
Overzealous administration. My friends were allowed to bring a Lankan Papare band inside the stadium, but were then given last-minute notice of dimensions for “acceptable” drums, which meant that the bass drum could not be used. Problem resolved after much negotiation and a promise to not bring the same drum to the Boxing Day Test at year-end, when Sri Lanka will play their first Test here since the infamous Murali-Hair incident in 1995.Face-off I relished
James Pattinson v Tillakaratne Dilshan. Aggressor v Aggressive. This round was won convincingly by the young tyro. He pitched one just outside off and surprised Dilshan with the bounce to get a catch to the keeper.Wow moment
The old man Hussey, M (Mike/Man) can still take breath-taking catches to match the best of them. Here, he took a running catch on the rope from a lusty Thisara Perera hit, realised his momentum would carry him over the line, threw the ball back in and stepped in to catch it again. Take a bow, Mr Cricket! And join the circus in your retirement.Close encounter
After the aforementioned pulsating finish, most Lankan fans stayed in their seats (Okay, they were standing on them) to celebrate the win. In a pleasant and surprising gesture, a few Sri Lankan players fanned into various parts of the ground with bags of soft balls, throwing them into the crowd. Dilshan and Dammika Prasad (reserve) both made their way to my section. Dilshan does have a great arm, even with a soft ball.Shot of the day
Pity his innings didn’t last long, but Mahela Jayawardene started the day at a cracking pace, hitting a luscious cover drive off Ben Hilfenhaus’ second ball. The swing of the bat was something to behold. Two balls later, he was out taking a risky single.Crowd meter
There were 29,000 people at the ground (it’s only the MCG’s vastness that can make such an attendance look decidedly paltry). The crowd made up for it with good cheer and even better voice. Over 80% of the support was for Sri Lanka, with the stands a sea of blue and yellow, and Lion flags waving in all directions. The costumes were clever and banners witty.Entertainment
Downstairs in the Great Southern Stand was scene of the action off the pitch, with two papare bands in adjoining aisles providing non-stop music. I was sitting with one of the bands, and the commitment of these volunteer band members to keep the music going for the 100 overs is amazing to watch from close quarters. They would certainly rival the players for hard work and team ethic. Many supporters were providing solid and liquid sustenance to keep the band going.Fancy-dress index
There were the regular attendance of Kangaroos, Lions and ATM machines (to garner support from the sponsor of the series and win tickets to the West Indies), but the prize in most eyes went to the young man dressed like a village damsel in Sri Lanka.As for the bunch of Aussies in nappies, not sure what they were thinking or what inspired their fancy. They did however manage to stay the course of the game without bathroom breaks, so those large adult nappies must surely have served their purpose.Overall
It was a great game and a fitting finale to the series prior to the finals. In a match that ebbed and flowed, with both teams seizing the opportunities and handing them back, it was a high-quality contest with a thrilling finish. Sri Lanka bounced back very strongly following the thumping they received from India in the previous game, and will take a lot of confidence to the finals from having beaten Australia three times already in this series.Australia, on the other hand, will take heart from the fact that they ran the Lankans so close without Michael Clarke in the team. The bouncy Brisbane wicket will give them a better “home ground” advantage than the G and it partisan, mostly Lankan crowd.

تحدث المدير الفني لفريق مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، لأول مرة عن التقارير الصحفية التي تشير إلى اهتمام حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي بضم عمر مرموش، النجم المصري.

وارتبط مانشستر سيتي، في الأيام الماضية، بصفقة عمر مرموش وإمكانية الحصول على خدماته من صفوف آينتراخت فرانكفورت.

وتضاربت التقارير الصحفية حول توقيت إتمام تلك الصفقة، وما إذا كان من الممكن حدوثها في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي الحالي.

وظهر بيب جوارديولا في مؤتمر صحفي، منذ قليل، للحديث عن مباراة مانشستر سيتي وسالفورد في دور الـ64 من كأس الاتحاد.

وسُئل جوارديولا عن نشاط مانشستر سيتي في ميركاتو يناير، حيث رد في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “سيتي إكسترا” الإنجليزية: “لا تسألوني عن ذلك لأنني لن أجيب”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الألماني بعد هدف عمر مرموش أمام سانت باولي

وأضاف: “ستسألون نفس الشيء عن كل ما يرتبط بنا في وسائل الإعلام، طوال ذلك الشهر، لذلك لن أتحدث، يمكنك الإصرار، لن أجيب لأنني لا أعرف الوضع”.

وواصل: “نعلم أنه لا ينبغي لنا الذهاب إلى نافذة الانتقالات، لا أحب ذلك كثيرًا، الموقف الذي حدث هذا الموسم مع العديد والكثير من الإصابات، لكن ماذا يحدث؟ لن أتحدث لأنني لا أعرف”.

واسترسل: “بالطبع لدي محادثات مع النادي، لا أعرف ما سيحدث لأنه صعب للغاية، ما سيحدث سيقع، وإلا فلن أستطيع أن أقول أي شيء آخر”.

وعن مرموش تحديدًا، قال: “اسمع، ألم أكن واضحًا في إجابتي؟ هيا! لقد كنت واضحًا في إجابتي، لن أتحدث، إنه لاعب من فريق آخر، لن أقول إجابة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رئيس إيفرتون السابق يحث مانشستر سيتي على ضم مرموش: مختلف عن هالاند.. وسيضيف السحر

وأوضح: “يمكنك أن تتحدث في كل مؤتمر صحفي عن سوق الانتقالات حتى النهاية، لن أجيب على سؤال واحد! لا تتعامل بهذه الطريقة! الأمر سهل، لا تعليق!”.

وشدد: “حدث نفس الأمر في الماضي، كنت واضحًا، أليس كذلك؟ يمكنك أن تحاول ذلك في أي وقت تريد، لا مشكلة على الإطلاق، لكنك تعرف إجابتي!”.

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, with a 2-0 win over local rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

Enzo Maresca’s side now sit on seven points in England’s top-flight, adding to their 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace and 5-1 rout against West Ham United last weekend.

It was a superb display from the Blues on home soil, taking control of the game and limiting Marco Silva’s side to just three shots on target in the 90-minute contest.

The game wasn’t all positive for the Italian, with striker Liam Delap limping off with a hamstring injury within the opening quarter of an hour – which is set to rule the Englishman out for eight weeks.

Such a display allowed numerous players to thrive once again, standing their claim for a regular starting role in the club’s hunt for Premier League success come the end of May.

How Chelsea’s win over Fulham played out

Chelsea were fortunate not to find themselves one goal down early in the clash at the Bridge, with Josh King putting the visitors ahead – but the goal was ruled out after Rodrigo Muniz was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up.

However, the Blues took the lead just minutes before the break, after Enzo Fernández’s corner was nodded into the far corner by summer addition Joao Pedro.

Maresca’s side held a one-goal lead going into the break, which quickly became two in the second half after yet another VAR intervention from Michael Salisbury.

A cross from Trevoh Chalobah was blocked by the arm of Ryan Sessegnon, resulting in a penalty being awarded after referee Rob Jones was sent to the monitor.

Captain Enzo tucked home the subsequent spot kick, completing the scoring and securing a second league win in the three outings so far in 2025/26.

Alongside Enzo and Pedro, one other Blues player hugely impressed during the triumph, now being more than deserving of a consistent run within the starting eleven.

The Chelsea star who’s now as undroppable as Enzo & Pedro

Given the huge volume of signings at Chelsea over the past couple of years, it’s been tricky for Maresca to find a settled starting eleven that could lead his side to success.

Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been spent over recent campaigns, including over £200m this window – with today’s goalscorer Pedro just one of the additions made by the hierarchy.

However, the Blues have also been the home to one of the best academies in the country over recent years, often developing talents who can make an impact in the first-team.

Centre-back Chalobah is just one player who has developed through such a system, now being a key member of Maresca’s side – despite looking certain to depart 12 months ago.

He started the game against the Cottagers this afternoon, having a game to remember and helping the side keep a clean sheet on their way to victory.

The centre-back made three tackles and won 11 duels – with both tallies the highest of any player on the pitch – offering a dominant presence out of possession.

However, in possession, the 26-year-old also starred, recording 80 touches and completing 90% of the passes he attempted – with five of his efforts going into the final third.

Chalobah stats vs Fulham
Statistics (per 90)	Tally
Minutes played	90
Touches	80
Pass accuracy	90%
Duels won	11
Tackles won	3
Passes into the final third	5
Interceptions made	4
Recoveries made	2
Stats via FotMob

Such a showing has certainly cemented his place within Maresca’s starting eleven, subsequently being able to form a superb partnership at the heart of the backline with Tosin.

The fact that he’s been able to keep out new signing Jorel Hato shows the quality the academy graduate possesses – with Maresca needing to stand by him in the months ahead.

Better signing than Simons: Chelsea targeting "generational" £100m talent

Despite missing out on Xavi Simons, Chelsea could be plotting an even bigger statement move…

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 30, 2025

Liverpool are marching their way through the summer transfer window like nobody’s business, with the signings made thus far fitting additions to a Premier League-winning team.

It’s a good thing too, for the Anfield side’s domestic rivals are looking to reel in impactful additions of their own as they look to challenge for the top-flight title next term.

FSG will slow down now, though, having signed two full-backs and Florian Wirtz (for a British-record £116m fee) to boot.

And there’s more still to come. The Merseysiders have placed themselves in a strong financial position after biding their time across recent transfer windows and claiming a windfall from sealing the league title.

Where might FSG strike next?

Where Liverpool are planning to strengthen

There’s plenty of noise surrounding Liverpool’s planned signing of a centre-forward, but with Bayern Munich plotting to sign Luis Diaz, we may see a left-sided winger arrive at the club in the coming month too.

The usual rumours linking Liverpool to Anthony Gordon have resurfaced; might we see the Three Lions star playing alongside Alexander Isak, his Newcastle United teammate, at Anfield next season?

After such a fierce wave of activity, Liverpool can now afford to be opportunistic, though there is still a pressing need for a central defender as Jarell Quansah prepares to join Bayer Leverkusen for £35m and Ibrahima Konate’s contractual uncertainty rumbles on.

Liverpool had attempted to bring Dean Huijsen over from Bournemouth, but that one’s off the cards.

Huijsen might have signed for Real Madrid, but Liverpool have shown they still want to sign a centre-back, and there’s one man in particular in Richard Hughes’ sights.

Liverpool agree personal terms for Premier League star

As per journalist DaveOCKOP, Liverpool have reached an agreement on personal terms with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Transfer Focus

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

Guehi is out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 season and Liverpool are planning to take advantage of the market opportunity, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, with talks been the clubs slated for this week.

Liverpool and Palace are apart on their valuations, so the coming days will prove crucial. The Reds hope to strike a deal for £30m.

Why Liverpool want natural leader Marc Guehi

With so much change taking place at Liverpool this summer, it would be good to sign an experienced Premier League star, and Guehi fits the bill in that regard.

Praised by England U21 coach Lee Carsley for showing “leadership qualities on and off the field”, Guehi may even find himself in contention for the armband down the line, having captained the Eagles in each of his 44 appearances across all competitions last season, leading his side to the FA Cup title after beating Manchester City in the final.

In this regard, the England international might even become Liverpool’s next Jordan Henderson, arriving for a fairly large fee from a Premier League rival after demonstrating authority and influence to marry with the technical quality.

Guehi, it must be said, is one of the most composed and cultured ball-playing centre-halves in the Premier League, actually ranked among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe over the past year for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

His completeness and potential to guide Liverpool through a new era over the coming years speak of a certain similarity to Henderson, especially as he would play alongside a legend in Virgil van Dijk for the next few years as the Dutch captain approaches his twilight. In Henderson’s case, this was applicable to Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool signed Henderson from Sunderland for £20m back in 2011. He had already been capped by England and was considered a hugely promising midfield talent.

No one could have imagined what he would achieve. Across 492 matches for Liverpool, Henderson notched 91 goal contributions and captained Liverpool toward the Premier League, Champions League and many more.

Now, a new leader in Guehi can follow suit. He might be a little older, but the defender can emulate his compatriot, having established himself in a settled Premier League outfit, standing out.

Matches (starts)

25 (23)

34 (34)

Goals

0

3

Assists

1

2

Clean sheets

4

11

Touches*

61.6

64.9

Pass completion

87%

84%

Key passes*

0.3

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.8

4.3

Dribbles (success)*

0.3 (64%)

0.4 (86%)

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

2.6

Clearances*

3.5

4.6

Duels (won)*

3.6 (60%)

4.9 (59%)

It’s clear that this is a man of consistency and incremental, steady improvements. Regarded as a “monster in defence” by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, the stocky defender won’t just be an exciting addition, but an instrumental one.

Liverpool, having lost Trent Alexander-Arnold and with Andy Robertson potentially on the move too, must ensure that they don’t create too youthful an underbelly to Slot’s title-winning squad, and Guehi will thrive in bringing his wealth of leadership qualities to the fold.

Liverpool might have two of the most talented central defenders in the game, but the Reds need to replace Quansah with a player capable of playing a bigger part, the England U21 star only handed four top-flight starts.

Guehi is clearly an upgrade across every facet, both from a technical standpoint and in regard to his maturity.

Moreover, he’s a natural-born leader, and coming from a divisional rival having carved success for himself, perhaps Slot will see his own version of Henderson welcomed to the ranks in the coming weeks or months.

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