Tottenham are preparing for a crucial first campaign under new manager Thomas Frank, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be along for the ride.

Player expected to join Tottenham "as soon as next week", medical scheduled

Spurs are closing in on a summer signing.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 4, 2025

The Spurs squad responsible for clinching the club’s first major trophy in nearly two decades will go down in Lilywhites folklore, though reports suggest that a few members of that side could be facing their final few weeks at the club.

Chief among them is star defender Cristian Romero, who could be at the centre of a tug-of-war between Real and Atlético Madrid this summer as both Spanish capital sides eye an audacious move for the Argentina international.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025	Average match rating
Son Heung-min	7.00
James Maddison	6.98
Pedro Porro	6.95
Dominic Solanke	6.84
Dejan Kulusevski	6.83
via WhoScored

Real are expected to make an approach for Romero, according to some media sources, while others claim that Atletico have already offered Spurs around £56 million for his signature.

There is also a belief that Romero is keen on a move to Atlético in particular and will soon discuss his future with chairman Daniel Levy, so the saga surrounding his potential exit is unlikely to go away any time soon.

Meanwhile, Spurs legend Son Heung-min may also be sold before deadline day (The Telegraph), having entered the final 12 months of his contract.

The Saudi Pro League is targeting Son to join their division’s host of illustrious stars, and Levy could use this as an opportunity to raise some revenue off a player who’s arguably been on the decline this past year.

“Son would be a very valuable asset for Saudi Arabia,” said former Everton CEO, Keith Wyness, to Football Insider last month.

“At 32, it’s probably the right time for him to go if Spurs are going to maximise his value. I think Tottenham won’t find a better deal if they leave it later than right now. I believe they could even get something like £40-50million for him.

“That would be incredible, and I suggest that deal could be done. It might be in everyone’s interest to get him down to Saudi Arabia this summer.”

According to journalist Jorge Nicola this week, Saudi are actually targeting another Spurs forward with Son as well.

Tottenham put Richarlison up for sale amid Galatasaray and Saudi interest

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Nicolas reports that the man in question is striker Richarlison.

The Brazil international, who cost £60 million to sign from Everton three years ago, has been called an “underrated” member of the squad during his time in London (Micah Richards), and enjoyed a real purple patch of form under Ange Postecoglou midway through the 2023/2024 season.

However, barring that flash in the pan, Richarlison has largely failed to justify his mammoth price tag, partly due to injuries.

Nicola states that Tottenham are actively looking to sell Richarlison, and have held recent exit discussions amid serious interest from Saudi, who’ve been in contact for the last month.

As well as this, Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray are expected to make an offer for the 28-year-old in the next few days, so Richarlison isn’t exactly short of suitors.

With a place in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad potentially at the forefront of his mind, Richarlison’s next move will be absolutely crucial.

Miles Hammond, James Bracey score fifties before late scare as result puts Middlesex promotion hopes in peril

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2024

Miles Hammond scored 78•Getty Images

Tom Price and Zafar Gohar held their nerve to steer Gloucestershire to a tense victory at Lord’s and deal Middlesex’s Vitality County Championship promotion hopes a severe blow.The visitors appeared to be cruising to their target of 234 after Miles Hammond and James Bracey both struck half-centuries in a fourth-wicket partnership of 113.But a three-wicket burst for off-spinner Joshua De Caires in the space of nine deliveries hauled Middlesex back into contention before the seventh-wicket pair steered Gloucestershire over the line with an unbroken stand of 54.It was Gloucestershire’s second successive red-ball win at Lord’s, lifting them to fifth place in Division Two, while the home side drop to third and trail Yorkshire, in the second promotion spot, by 15 points.Middlesex applied pressure during the early stages as Toby Roland-Jones opened up with a maiden and Ryan Higgins struck with his fourth delivery, searing back down the slope to trap Ben Charlesworth in front for a duck.Opening partner Cameron Bancroft soon followed suit, lbw to a ball that Higgins moved the other way, but Hammond started to score freely against the change bowlers, pulling Tom Helm over the short boundary for six.The left-hander added a valuable 41 in tandem with Ollie Price before Helm made the breakthrough, having the latter caught low at first slip to bring Bracey to the middle on a pair.Bracey banished that prospect by carving Henry Brookes for successive off-side boundaries and added two more off Helm’s next over as Gloucestershire started to settle down again, going to lunch at 101 for 3.There was a scare for Bracey soon after the interval, when he slashed outside off stump at Helm and the ball flew fast and high to Robson at slip but, despite getting both hands to it, the fielder was unable to cling on.It was Hammond who won the race to 50 with his partner, reaching the landmark from 100 balls by drilling Higgins to the cover fence and Bracey was not far behind, using up 20 fewer deliveries in posting his half-century.Having swept Luke Hollman for successive fours to raise the century partnership, Hammond (78) looked on course for a ton of his own until he attempted a repeat of the stroke to De Caires and skied to mid-on.With Graeme van Buuren given out caught behind two balls later and Bracey sweeping into the hands of deep midwicket for 56, Gloucestershire suddenly found themselves six down and under renewed pressure.De Caires (3 for 45) continued to test the batters with flight and turn, but Price eased the tension by on-driving Roland-Jones to the boundary to take Gloucestershire beyond 200 and he and Zafar advanced steadily towards the finish line.Zafar, who had top-scored with 86 in the first innings, applied the finishing touch as he struck a De Caires full toss to the fence to finish unbeaten on 19, with Price alongside him on 34.

Tottenham still have some key transfer business to conduct ahead of Thomas Frank’s first full season in charge of the Lilywhites.

As important as Kudus: Tottenham also confident of winning race for £25m forward

Spurs believe they can beat their Premier League rivals to the signature of a “electric” striker.

1 ByDominic Lund Jul 7, 2025

Spurs are yet to really make a statement signing this summer. Mathys Tel made his stay permanent for a cut-price fee of around £30 million, and Kota Takai’s £5 million move from Kawasaki Frontale was finally confirmed by the club this morning.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Tottenham have high hopes for Takai, and he will be in and around the first team next season, according to Alasdair Gold, but far more eyes are on whether the north Londoners can strike a deal with rivals West Ham United over the signing of Mohammed Kudus.

Spurs are in ongoing talks with West Ham to agree a move for Kudus after seeing an opening £50 million bid rejected, and he’s the calibre of potential signing which supporters are crying out for as Frank prepares for his first-ever season coaching in the Champions League.

Their pursuit of proven top-level additons is made even more important by uncertainty surrounding the futures of vital Tottenham men – most notably Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero.

The former has attracted rumoured interest from both Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles FC, but any potential exit for the South Korean will likely be delayed until after their pre-season tour of Asia – due to the obvious commercial appeal Son has in the far east (BBC).

Son’s entered the final 12 months of his contract, so chairman Daniel Levy could well be tempted to sell the 33-year-old in the event of a suitable offer.

Meanwhile, reports from Spain and South America have continued to heavily link Romero with a move to Atlético Madrid.

Tottenham in talks to sell Cristian Romero after Atlético Madrid offer

Spanish newspaper AS have an update on the £165,000-per-week defender’s future this week, with Atlético already tabling a £60 million bid, including add-ons, for his services.

This hasn’t met Spurs’ valuation of the centre-back, who won last season’s Europa League Player of the Year award, as Levy demands closer to £60 million all-in.

Nevertheless, Diego Simeone’s side are not giving up or shying away. Atletico are in ongoing talks with Tottenham over signing Romero, who James Maddison called Spurs’ most “underrated” player, and this story is unlikely to go away any time soon.

Simeone publicly confirmed his desire to sign the Argentine in a recent press conference, and there is an expectation that Romero could be more than open to this La Liga switch.

“You’ve got to want to be there, and I’m not sure he wants to be at Spurs,” said pundit Tony Cascarino on talkSPORT.

“I’ve always felt that he’s played his best football that he’s played his best football when he’s had to and when Atletico have made a clear indication they want him. That would be one of his issues [Frank], he’s got to look players in the eye and find out do you want to be at this football club.”

Nottingham Forest are now leading the race to sign a “world-class” £34 million star who already has an offer from West Ham, according to a new report.

Forest are still in the dark when it comes to the future of Morgan Gibbs-White, as Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in the England international after reportedly triggering his release clause, which the Reds believe was done illegally.

Nottingham Forest submit £6m bid for La Liga ace who's now pushing to join

The Tricky Trees have stepped up their pursuit of a defender.

ByDominic Lund Jul 22, 2025

In case Gibbs-White does leave the City Ground, Forest are looking at players who could replace their number 10 if needed. Manchester City’s James McAtee has been on Forest’s radar for a while now, and at the beginning of this week, it was reported by the Telegraph’s John Percy that the Reds are set to advance their pursuit of McAtee this week.

The England under-21 international looks free to leave the Etihad this summer, as his contract expires next year and he has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola.

The Blues are said to be looking for a fee of £25 million, but the Reds will need to fend off other teams from the Premier League as well as the Bundesliga for the young attacking midfielder.

Forest leading the race to sign “world-class” Douglas Luiz

As well as looking to wrap up a deal for McAtee, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by The Mirror, Nottingham Forest are now ahead in the race to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus.

The report claims that Forest’s global head of football, Edu, is pushing the Reds to sign the former Villa man this summer. Despite only joining Juventus a year ago, the Italian giants are keen to offload the Brazilian, and Forest are one of the sides who are strongly interested.

However, they face stiff competition as Everton are also interested in a deal, while West Ham have already submitted an offer for Luiz, as Juventus look to get around £34 million for the midfielder.

Given the interest from England, this new update has revealed that Luiz’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, is flying into London to hold talks with the interested teams.

Apps

175

Goals

20

Assists

18

Luiz, who has been dubbed “world-class” by journalist Leonardo Bertozzi, was brought to Juventus by former manager Thiago Motta, but he struggled to make an impact for him, as he failed to nail down a starting spot before the Italian boss was sacked.

That is completely different from the situation he was in at Villa Park, as the Brazil international played 35 of 38 league games in his final season and scored nine goals and recorded five assists in the process.

Talk of transfers at Liverpool in recent days have centred around the addition of a new centre forward.

The two players in question are Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, however, the Reds have found one deal rather more complex than the other.

Towards the beginning of the week, it was reported that the Anfield side had approached Newcastle United, issuing their willingness to put a £120m offer on the table for Isak.

It’s an astronomical sum of money, but the Toon have always said the same thing about the Swede; he’s not for sale.

While this was happening, Newcastle had actually been looking at doing a deal for Ekitike themselves, even registering a bid. Sadly for Eddie Howe’s men, they look set to miss out on the Frenchman.

That’s because Liverpool have come in with their own bid for the Frankfurt striker and there is now confidence that he will be heading to Merseyside. Once that deal is done, surely Richard Hughes and Co will chill out a bit? Apparently not.

Liverpool eyeing Real Madrid stars

While Ekitike is target number one right now, there have been links to Real Madrid winger Rodrygo in recent days.

Transfer Focus

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

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Also a target for Arsenal this summer, reports earlier in the week suggested that Liverpool were set to send officials out to Madrid to discuss a deal for the Brazilian. Yet, with Ekitike now looking ever more likely to arrive, whether they sign another forward player remains to be seen.

In fact, according to reports in Spain, another Madrid star is on the club’s radar: Aurelien Tchouameni.

Liverpool have already tried to sign the holding midfielder once when he was still at Monaco but they could make a fresh attempt.

The report states that Arne Slot’s side are ‘back on the attack and preparing a big offer to secure his services’.

What Tchouameni could offer to Liverpool

Two years ago, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool underwent a midfield rebuild. Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had departed for Saudi Arabia and the injury-stricken Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara also left Anfield behind.

As a result, three players came in: Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Mac Allister has been by far the most consistent, working his way onto the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award. For Gravenberch, the progress in Merseyside has been slower.

Under Klopp, he struggled to find a regular starting berth but Slot’s arrival has turned him into a midfield monster. The Dutchman repurposed his fellow countryman as more of a defensive-minded midfielder and he shone, notably winning the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year award for 2024/25.

Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has been criticised by Jamie Carragher for needing to score more goals. That might well explain why Florian Wirtz was signed this summer.

Yet, despite Gravenberch’s captivating campaign, he could well be replaced by Tchouameni, a player capable of emulating Fabinho at the base of Liverpool’s midfield.

Described as “one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet” by analyst Raj Chohan, the 25-year-old has been around the block for a while now, cementing himself in the Madrid team.

Last season, the Frenchman proved why he’s rated so highly, starting 31 of the 32 games he was available for in LaLiga and also starting ten of the 12 Champions League ties he was available for. You don’t play that many games for Madrid without being a good player.

Like Fabinho, he’s a tempo setter but he can also break up play fantastically well. Here’s what the data tells us.

Tchouameni (24/25) vs Fabinho (19/20)

Stat (per 90 mins)

Tchouameni

Fabinho

Pass success %

92%

87%

Passes into final 3rd

5.89

5.58

Progressive passes

5.15

5.58

Tackles won

0.77

1.52

Interceptions

1.54

1.47

Blocks

1.14

1.08

Errors leading to a goal

0.03

0.04

Touches

77.7

77.2

Successful take-ons

0.33

0.39

Progressive carries

0.64

0.82

Data via FBRef.

Analysing Fabinho at the peak of his powers, when Liverpool won the Premier League in 2019/20, the similarities with Tchouameni are clear to see.

While the Brazilian got through more tackles per 90 minutes, in other areas there isn’t much to split the duo whatsoever.

They complete a similar number of take-ons, have almost an identical touch count and have a similar skillset when it comes to various passing metrics.

For a defensive-minded midfielder, however, the ability to intercept play and block passing lanes is crucial. Those are two areas where Tchouameni and Fabinho in his prime are very alike.

Signing a new holding player this summer may not be the most pressing issue but if the Madrid sensation is on the market, this would be a wonderful opportunity for FSG to take.

Related Better than Isak & Ekitike: Liverpool make £142m "monster" a dream target

Liverpool have two primary candidates to bolster their forward line; Alexander Isak & Hugo Ekitike.

Posts 1 ByMatt Dawson Jul 17, 2025

تحدث ديكو، المدير الرياضي لنادي برشلونة عن أهداف الموسم الحالي للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بقيادة هانز فليك ومواجهة باريس سان جيرمان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وأجري ديكو حوارًا مطولًا مع صحيفة “لانس” البرازيلية، كشف خلاله أبرز ملفات فريق كرة القدم وتجديد اللاعبين ومدى ترابطهم بالمدرب هانز فليك وطموحات الفريق للموسم الحالي.

وقال ديكو عن أهداف الموسم الحالي في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”: “هناك العديد من الفرق التي عززت صفوفها بشكل ممتاز، مثل ليفربول الذي تعاقد مع لاعبين جدد، وريال مدريد أيضًا، الفرق كلها أفضل، علينا أن نكون أقوياء للغاية إذا أردنا التأهل إلى النهائي”.

وأكمل: “باريس سان جيرمان فريق رائع، لقد نجحوا في بناء فريق قوي في السنوات الأخيرة، وأجروا التعاقدات المناسبة، ولديهم مدرب أحبه حقًا، يتميز بالتنافسية والجدية، وهم من أبرز المرشحين للفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا مجددًا، ستكون مباراة جيدة وجذابة للجمهور لكنها أقرب إلى مباراة تأهيلية”.

وأردف: “علينا أن نتعامل مع كل مباراة على حدة، لا جدوى من الحلم بدوري أبطال أوروبا إذا لم نتجاوز دور المجموعات، إنها مباراة جيدة لكننا سنسعى جاهدين لحصد النقاط لتحقيق هدفنا وهو التأهل”.

وعن تغيير معايير دوري أبطال أوروبا والذي يسمح لأصحاب المركز الأول والثاني في مرحلة الدوري بالاحتفاظ بأفضلية اللعب على أرضهما حتى نصف النهائي: “أعتقد أن الموسم الماضي كان غير عادل في المباريات خارج أرضنا، لقد فُقدت ميزة التواجد بين أفضل 8 فرق لفترة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ديكو يتحدث عن مستقبل دي يونج وليفاندوفسكي ويؤكد: لاعب برشلونة رحل من باب الامتنان

واستطرد: “لعبنا جميع مباريات الإياب تقريبًا من دور المجموعات خارج أرضنا مثل ربع النهائي ونصف النهائي، كنت أعتقد أن أفضل الفرق يجب أن تتمتع بهذه الميزة، لقد صححوا ذلك هذا العام لذلك هناك دائمًا مجال للتحسين لكنني معجب بهذا النموذج”.

وعن فترة تدريب تشافي للفريق: “كان مهمًا في عصره، فقد جلب الاستقرار وحقق الفوز، هذا الانتقال من تشافي إلى هانز، ربما كنا نعتقد آنذاك أننا بحاجة إلى شخص يتمتع بمهارات إدارية مختلفة لأسباب عديدة، أعتقد أنه كان مناسبًا تمامًا في النهاية، سارت الأمور على ما يرام”.

واستطرد: “هانز فليك مدرب عصري، عمل لفترة طويلة كمدرب مساعد في المنتخب الألماني، حقق نجاحًا باهرًا مع ألمانيا ثم مع بايرن، كان بايرن فريقًا يلعب بأسلوب لعب هجومي، وخطة لعب واضحة وهجومية، وهو ما يشبه إلى حد ما فكرة برشلونة”.

وأردف: “يمكن الجدال حول الجودة لكنك لا ترى فريقًا دفاعيًا، تمكن هانز من تحسين وتعظيم إمكانيات اللاعبين الذين كنا نملكهم، أعتقد أن هذا كان مفتاح نجاح الموسم الماضي”.

وعن دور تياجو ألكانتارا كمساعد لـ فليك: “عندما وصل هانز، ساعده لمدة تزيد قليلًا عن شهر، كانت تلك فترة انتقالية بعد رحيله وبفضل العلاقة التي جمعتنا، ضمه هانز إلى الجهاز الفني، وكان بالغ الأهمية في البداية”.

وأتم: “ثم لأسباب شخصية، لم يستطع، إذ كان لا يزال يقيم في إنجلترا، كانت هناك دائمًا إمكانية لعودته وهذا التزام المدرب، ونحن نحترمه، تياجو شخص يعرف النادي جيدًا، شخص جيد، وسيساهم بشكل إيجابي كثيرًا، أعتقد أن سلامة المدرب وراحته أمران أساسيان بالنسبة لنا والنادي يدعمه تمامًا”.

Chelsea returned home from the Club World Cup as resounding champions, having downed the might of Paris St. Germain 3-0 in an unexpected demolition job in the final.

Already, brand new faces are settling in swimmingly, as seen in Joao Pedro firing home yet another goal in the pre-season tournament against Luis Enrique’s challengers to take his total out in America to a lethal three strikes from three games.

He could soon be joined by even more exciting talents in attack, as other targets up top are chased following on from the instant success of the ex-Brighton striker’s arrival.

Chelsea enter talks with £52m star

These attacking additions are unlikely to be more strikers, however, with £30m also splashed on Liam Delap to move from Ipswich Town to Chelsea, away from Pedro costing a far heftier £60m.

Instead, the big bucks might well be reserved for a fresh number ten presence, with the Blues allegedly now preparing to bid a wild £78m for Aston Villa superstar Morgan Rogers, who they deem as a number one priority.

After such a standout campaign in the Premier League with the Villans, which culminated in him collecting a mammoth 14 goals and 15 assists, this could well be viewed as a costly expense worth pursuing.

Yet, there are other options out there, away from boldly chasing the England international, who might be more viable, with a report from CaughtOffside revealing that the agents of RB Leipzig ace Xavi Simons are deep in discussion with Chelsea, alongside Arsenal and Tottenham, over a major £52m switch this summer.

For £26m less, Chelsea could well be about to land a talent that’s even more exciting than Rogers entering Enzo Maresca’s camp, with the Dutchman at the top of his game for some time now, away from offering up similarly electric numbers last season for his Bundesliga employers.

How Simons could be even more exciting than Rogers

The former Manchester City youngster might well have a slight upper hand over his Leipzig counterpart when solely viewing their side-by-side numbers from 2024/25, considering Simons lags behind with ten fewer goal contributions for Ole Werner’s men.

Yet, Rogers only really exploded into life last campaign at the very top after having to work his way up to the Premier League, with only four goal contributions tallied up in total for Villa during the 2023/24 season as he grew used to his challenging surroundings.

On the contrary, the Blues’ new £52m target has been a sublime performer in both the Bundesliga and the Eredivisie over many a season now, leading to outlandish shouts from one analyst that he is “one of the best number 10s in the world,”

The numbers don’t lie, either, with Simons tallying up a monumental 77 goals and assists across 124 appearances in both Germany and the Netherlands, with Rogers only on 23 goal contributions himself in the Premier League.

Staggeringly, he has also created 37 big chances off the back of the silky playmaker’s magic in these tough leagues, which will be music to the ears of the aforementioned Pedro.

Total shots

2.17

1.76

Shot-creating actions

4.71

3.05

Attempted passes

49.80

27.07

Pass completion %

78.1%

72.8%

Progressive passes

5.79

3.59

Progressive carries

3.51

3.20

Their respective FBref numbers over the last year also further validate the argument that the 22-year-old would be a far more thrilling talent to obtain than his English counterpart, as seen in Simons averaging more shots, more shot-creating actions, more progressive passes, and lots more over the last year per game.

Of course, Rogers does have the boost of knowing the Premier League’s rhythms on his side, but Simons has excelled in two taxing European environments already, meaning he shouldn’t be daunted by the step up to the English top-flight.

If anything, the “exceptional” Dutchman – as he’s been labelled in the past by Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund – should be able to take this next step in his stride, as Maresca prays another sublime capture is soon to be clinched.

Better signing than Pedro: Chelsea make contact to land "gifted" £68m star

João Pedro certainly made quite the impression after arriving at Chelsea, scoring 3 goals in 2 games, but could the Blues sign an even better PL star?

2 ByBen Gray Jul 20, 2025

After months of speculation, Manchester United finally secured the signature of Bryan Mbeumo earlier this week, with the Cameroonian international penning a five-year contract.

The hierarchy forked out a whopping £71m for the 25-year-old’s signature, becoming Ruben Amorim’s second signing of the summer after Matheus Cunha joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, whilst it may be a hefty sum, it could prove to be a worthwhile investment should he replicate his form in the Premier League during the 2024/25 campaign.

He registered 20 league goals last time around, with only talents such as Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland finding the net more in the same period.

Despite the big-money addition of Mbeumo, the hierarchy are still working tirelessly to improve the current squad to try and be successful in the 2025/26 season.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

Ollie Watkins is a player who’s been constantly linked with United over the last couple of weeks, leading to strong interest from Amorim’s side this summer.

The England international could be available for a fee in the region of £60m this summer, a figure that could be slightly inflated given he’s 29 and coming into the back end of his professional career.

However, another name has been thrown into the mix over recent days, with PSG striker Randal Kolo-Muani also in their sights, according to one Spanish outlet.

They claim that the Red Devils are preparing an opening offer for the Frenchman after scoring 10 goals in his 22 appearances on loan at Italian side Juventus.

It also states that Newcastle United are in the hunt for the 26-year-old, with Luis Enrique’s side currently demanding a fee in the region of £39m for his signature this summer.

Why United’s £39m target would be a better signing than Mbeumo

There’s no doubt that signing a player after scoring 20 league goals in England’s top flight is excellent business for a club who were lingering in the bottom half all campaign.

However, there may be some concerns around his impact next season, potentially having to operate in an unnatural role at the club given Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

The Cameroonian operated in a right-wing position during his time at Brentford, but could be forced to play in a central attacking midfield role during his time at Old Trafford.

It could prove to be a huge investment on a player who’s not featuring in a familiar position, potentially failing to replicate his excellent form from 2024/25 as a result.

As a result, Kolo Muani could be a better option this summer, handing the manager the centre-forward he’s craved since taking the reins back in November last year.

When comparing the Frenchman’s stats to those of Mbeumo from the most recent season, he’s managed to better him in numerous key areas, highlighting the threat he carries in attacking areas.

Kolo Muani, who’s been labelled a “superstar” by former Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus, may have been outscored, but he posted the same goal per shot on target rate, showcasing the clinical edge he possesses in front of goal.

How Kolo Muani & Mbeumo compare throughout 2024/25

Statistics (per 90)

Kolo Muani

Mbeumo

Games played

26

38

Goals & assists

12

27

Shot on target accuracy

48%

43%

Goal per shot on target

0.4

0.4

Pass accuracy

71%

66%

Take-ons completed

1.5

1.3

Aerials won

1.2

0.9

Aerial success rate

39%

31%

Stats via FBref

He also managed to register a higher shot on target accuracy rate, whilst winning more aerial battles – handing Amorim the all-round talent he desires at the top end of the pitch.

Such dominance is further reflected in his tally of take-ons completed and a higher pass completion rate highlights he can also provide for others along with finishing off attacks himself.

£39m could prove to be an excellent fee for the 26-year-old striker, who will be entering the prime years of his career should he complete a move to Old Trafford.

If he can solve the issue the Red Devils currently have within the final third, he would be worth every penny, filling the void at the top end of the pitch, subsequently making him a better signing than Mbeumo.

Related He'll love playing with Mbeumo: £70m CF now keen on signing for Man Utd

Manchester United have set their sights on a new centre-forward this summer.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 22, 2025

Big Picture

Ready for some more England vs Australia? Whatever your answer may be, there’s plenty through the rest of this month with eight matches in 18 days starting with the first of three T20Is in Southampton. And from the paying punters’ point of view, the late-season action is proving popular with five of the games sold out after a Sri Lanka Test series where the less-than-crammed stands on some days was a talking point.The ridiculousness of England’s schedule is again in the spotlight with this series starting the day after what would have been the last day of The Oval Test if it had gone the distance. It means an almost entirely separate squad for the T20Is – Josh Hull is the one overlap – in what is England’s first series after a stuttering T20 World Cup campaign which ultimately led to the sacking of Matthew Mott.Related

• Phil Salt to captain England in Australia T20Is with injured Jos Buttler out

• Green's career-best with bat and ball seals Australia's 3-0 sweep

The England Men’s coaching roles will be unified under Brendon McCullum, but not until January with Marcus Trescothick taking charge for this series and the tour of West Indies in November (which is wedged between Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand) while for the T20Is at least there is also a stand-in captain with Phil Salt deputising for the injured Jos Buttler.Still, there is no shortage of white-ball pedigree in the England squad: despite a shocking ODI World Cup and an uninspired T20 version it feels their depth remains significant, and perhaps it’s been a case of the golden generation being given a little too long before the next batch are let loose.Cameron Green found form against Scotland•Getty Images

Before the three Scotland matches which began this tour for Australia, Mitchell Marsh played down talk of it being a T20 “reset” for his side after their disappointing exit from the World Cup where, in fact, they dropped out before England. The changing shape of the Australia side with a view to 2026 does feel more subtle than the home side, although there are some of England’s Test team that would have featured if the schedule had allowed.They were very efficient in the three matches against Scotland with Josh Inglis and Cameron Green, who had been unused in the T20 World Cup squad, having impressive outings after Travis Head’s opening-game rampage.The pace-bowling resources are being stretched with injuries popping up – most significantly to Nathan Ellis who is out of the tour – but Josh Hazlewood has joined up with the squad after a minor calf tweak meant he sat out the Scotland leg. It’s likely that Australia will continue to tinker with their combination and batting order during this series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWW
Australia WWWLLJacob Bethell is among the new faces for England•PA Photos/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Jacob Bethell and Jake Fraser-McGurk

Given the new-look nature of the England squad you could almost pick out anyone, and perhaps it’s simpler to leave the spotlight on the entire XI. But allrounder Jacob Bethell, who was born in Barbados, has generated plenty of talk this season and his talents are already noted on the global stage with BBL and SA20 deals. He had a breakout season in the T20 Blast for Birmingham Bears, averaging 36.10 with a strike-rate of 153.61, which included a 15-ball 50. His team-mate Dan Mousley, who is also in the England squad, said: “I haven’t seen many people strike a ball like that.”Jake Fraser-McGurk was given first dibs at replacing David Warner at the top of Australia’s order, but it wasn’t the easiest of starts against Scotland with two ducks either side of making 16 to begin his T20I career. He’s given the licence to go at top gear from ball one, but the slow, two-paced surfaces did not appear to his liking, a world away from the flat pitches in the IPL where he put his name up in lights earlier this year after enjoying a breakout home summer. Following on from a lean MLC it means Fraser-McGurk has 97 runs in his last ten T20 innings. With Matt Short available for this series after the early arrival of his first baby, having originally only been part of the ODI squad, and others who could easily open, Fraser-McGurk may not get all three matches against England, or he could potentially be tried in another position.

Team news: England hand debuts to Bethell, Cox

England confirmed their XI more than 24 hours before the game. Bethell and Jordan Cox will earn their first caps while Jamie Overton, who was called up as Jos Buttler’s replacement, also makes his T20I debut as a batter-only as he continues to recover from a back injury. Saqib Mahmood plays his first international since March 2023.England: 1 Phil Salt (capt & wk), 2 Will Jacks, 3 Jordan Cox, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Reece TopleyMarsh did not name Australia’s XI but confirmed that Hazlewood was good to return after his calf niggle. He also said that if Short plays he will open the batting which potentially means Fraser-McGurk missing out.Australia: (possible) 1 Travis Head, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk/Matt Short, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Tim David, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

There wasn’t much grass on the surface and some of the bigger boundaries in the country could should suit Australia. The autumn weather is set fair, if chilly by the evening. The match is a sellout and Hampshire are switching on 1000 solar panels at Utilita Bowl before the game.

Stats and trivia

• Southampton was the venue for the first T20I between these teams in 2005 when Australia were bowled out for 79 ahead of that summer’s Ashes. In 2020 the ground staged three behind-closed-doors T20s during Covid which England won 2-1.
• Josh Inglis currently averages 42.87 with a strike-rate of 176.80 when batting at No. 3 in T20Is
• In 24 T20Is between these sides, it stands all squad at 11-11 with two no-results

Quotes

“We see him playing a pivotal role as Jos’ right-hand man… his name stood up to the leadership qualities that you expect from your players within the group and he’s got every attribute that you’d want and the respect that you’d want from a captain.”
“No matter what format, they’re our oldest rivals and we love coming here. The reception we get as an Australian cricket team’s always a good one.”

Both teams happy to decide final on the field as shortened contest beats the weather

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2024After a first-day washout in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge, Glamorgan managed to beat both Somerset and the weather to regain the title that they last won in 2021, in a competition that was pragmatically reduced from 50-overs-a-side to 20 to maximise the prospect of a result.It was, as Sam Northeast, Glamorgan’s matchwinning batter, said: “the right thing to do in the circumstances”. That sentiment was echoed by Somerset’s captain, Sean Dickson, who insisted his over-riding emotion was one of pride even as his team saw a third title slip through their fingers in the space of a week, after their loss in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston and Surrey’s County Championship triumph on Friday.”We hadn’t played any Twenty20 for a while so it was strange coming into a 20-over contest,” Northeast told the ECB Reporters Network, after top-scoring for his team with 63 not out from 49 balls. “We didn’t even know we were going to get a game at all, so the change from 50 to 20 overs, about 40 minutes before, meant we had to adapt as best as possible.”In the event, it started to rain just as we were coming off, so somebody was clearly looking down on us. I’m glad they did make the change. It was the right thing to do in the circumstances, to get the game on.”Somerset had made the early running after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, with Alfie Ogborne, their 21-year-old left-armer seamer, claiming two wickets in his first over. However, the team’s inexperience was exposed at key moments of the contest, particularly while Northeast, Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten were accelerating through the back-end of their innings to add 115 in the final ten overs.”We didn’t really know what a good score was,” Northeast said. “So from my point of view it was just about building partnerships, getting a bit of a platform and trying to accelerate once we had a feel for the pitch.”At one point we thought 160 might be okay but that little innings from Timm van der Gugten at the end gave us what we thought was a pretty good score, one that we knew would be competitive. Timm hit the ball really cleanly and Billy Root through the middle too, and the way Will Smale got us off to a bit of a flyer meant we had something to build on.”With Somerset choosing to back the players that had carried them through to the final, it meant they were missing 11 players who had featured in this year’s Men’s Hundred, which had run concurrent with the group stages. Their most experienced player on the day was England’s left-armer spinner, Jack Leach, but between the damp conditions and the List A regulation fields that limited the number of out-fielders through the middle overs, he did not get a bowl.”As a county, we’ve ended up winning nothing when we would have liked to finish with at least one or two trophies,” Dickson said. “But the bottom line is that we have just competed for three trophies and we are really proud as a squad that we have been able to do that.”In this competition, we have resisted the temptation to bring back guys that we lost to the Hundred, so I’m hugely proud that this squad in particular made it all the way to the final.”And we were much happier today to be able to go out and try to win on the field, rather than have had a total washout and shared the trophy. No one wants to share a trophy, everyone wants a bash at trying to be a winner.”We were fine playing it as a T20. We just wanted to get a game on, as did they. We had a discussion with the umpires, the match ref and the ECB ref that was there so we were all on board.”We could analyse all day where the game was won and lost but I think they obviously bowled better than us. With the fresh pitch, it definitely offered something with the new ball up top.”Our bowlers were slipping and sliding all over the place, which was unfortunate, but that’s what you get for choosing to bowl first and we just have to take our medicine and move forward.”