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Liverpool have entered the 2025/26 campaign with a weight of expectation that was not there when Arne Slot led the Reds out for the first time one year ago.

The 2024/25 Premier League champions have won both their opening league fixtures this season, though four goals shipped and late winners required against Bournemouth and Newcastle United have shown that there is plenty of room for improvement for Slot’s side.

As the summer transfer window reaches the final stretch, clubs throughout the Premier League and all over Europe will scramble to wrap up deals that have dragged on and on.

And Liverpool are no different. Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi remains a top target for the Reds, with talks said to be ongoing on that front.

But there’s one man above all others who is locked in sporting director Richard Hughes’ sights.

Liverpool reach agreement for top target

There is little question that Liverpool’s priority as we enter this last lap of the transfer circuit remains the signing of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

The Magpies have floundered all summer, and still haven’t been able to land a new number nine. A second bid from FSG, having seen a £110m offer rejected at the start of August, will only come after encouragement from Tyneside, and that has yet to happen.

Even so, Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has confirmed that Liverpool have reached an agreement with the Sweden international on personal terms, and they are “waiting patiently” to finalise the deal.

PIF officials tried to convince the 25-year-old to stay in the wake of Liverpool’s win at St. James’ Park, but Isak’s stance is the same.

It would take a mammoth fee to prise the goalscorer away from Eddie Howe’s side, with Newcastle still maintaining he is worth £150m.

What Alexander Isak would bring to Liverpool

What would Isak bring to Liverpool? Goals, and goals aplenty at that.

The rangy centre-forward scored 27 times for Newcastle across all competitions last season, netting against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and finishing behind only Mohamed Salah in the Premier League scoring charts.

Hailed by Jamie Carragher as being “the best striker in the Premier League ” for his efforts across the recent campaign – certainly, he was the most complete, the most effective from his all-round berth – Isak would be a stunning addition to a Liverpool side already boasting so much firepower and attacking quality.

Not only a destructive finisher, the £120k-per-week Magpie has mastered the art of link-up play, so fast and dynamic as he shifts about the frontline, and it’s been evident from the beginning, with journalist David Cartlidge remarking that his all-encompassing game made him “unplayable” way back in 2022, when he plied his craft for Real Sociedad in Spain.

The 6 foot 3 Isak’s tall frame, strong physicality and quality in working into wider attacking berths suggest he could mirror Gakpo at Liverpool, even though the Dutchman is more of a natural wide forward.

Gakpo vs Isak (past 365 days)

Stats (per 90)

Gakpo

Isak

Goals

0.51

0.80

Assists

0.26

0.17

Shots taken

2.64

3.14

Shot-creating actions

3.78

3.07

Pass completion

74.5%

75.8%

Touches (att pen)

5.25

6.15

Progressive passes

2.68

3.00

Progressive carries

3.12

2.73

Successful take-ons

1.43

1.43

Data via FBref

Gakpo offers a bit more by way of creative output than Isak, but he arcs into the box with a regularity that evades most wide-placed forwards.

However, both attackers are crisp in possession, comparatively active in their progressive passing play, and able and effective ball carriers, both successfully taking on their man with the same consistency.

Against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season, Gakpo showcased his completeness, getting on the scoresheet and making a series of key passes, winning an abundance of duels.

Gakpo’s running style and ability to take on opponents might lend themselves to a fixed role on the left flank, but Isak has also demonstrated in the past a skill when shifting out wide.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope even remarked that the Sweden international was “like a wizard” when zipping down the left flank and setting up a goal extraordinarily against Everton in 2023.

Of course, there’s also the element that Isak has plied his trade in the Dutch Eredivisie in the past, actually first establishing himself as a prolific goalscorer when on loan at Willem II in 2018/19, scoring 14 goals across 18 appearances.

Liverpool signed Gakpo directly from the Dutch scene in January 2023, landing PSV Eindhoven’s superstar following his limelight-stealing performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, bagging in each of Oranje’s group stage outings.

It might have taken the 25-year-old a bit of time to adapt to the English game and truly click into gear, as he has in Slot’s system, having been hailed by pundit Peter Crouch as having “gone up a level”, but Gakpo is now an integral part of Liverpool’s success, especially now that Luis Diaz has been sold to Bayern Munich.

However, Isak has already equipped three years’ worth of experience on his belt, and could feasibly be expected to hit the ground running and lead Liverpool to trophy-winning success over the coming season – and beyond.

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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Given that the Newcastle star has the Premier League qualities and a Gakpo-esque style in the final third, there’s every chance that he could prove a bona fide success for Liverpool, providing the cream at the end of an incredible transfer window.

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Aston Villa have now joined the race to sign a free agent striker who has held talks with Manchester United, according to a recent report.

Aston Villa chasing first-team arrivals

It’s been a very low-key transfer window for the Villans so far, but with the Premier League season set to get underway in less than three weeks, the Midlands side are now stepping up their plans as they look to improve on last season’s standings.

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According to The Athletic’s David Orstein, Villa have now placed a bid to sign Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse. The bid from the Premier League side has been rejected, but the Villans are continuing their pursuit of the centre-back, who is viewed as a top prospect. It is believed that Toulouse values Canvot in the region of £17 million, and they will be hoping the next offer is closer to that value.

Meanwhile, it was reported last week that Villa are in a race with Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign striker Mika Biereth. The AS Monaco forward, who is highly rated by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, scored 13 goals in 16 Ligue 1 games in the second half of last season, and that form has now put him on the radar of clubs around Europe.

Despite being under contract until 2030, Monaco are said to be opening to letting Biereth leave, but only if they receive a fee of around £40 million

Aston Villa join Calvert-Lewin race

According to The Sun, Aston Villa have now asked about Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s demands, as Unai Emery looks to bolster his attacking options.

Calvert-Lewin left Everton at the end of last season after nine years at Goodison Park, and while he continues to search for a new team, he has already spoken to interested parties. AC Milan and Newcastle United are two teams who are interested in signing the striker, but it is Manchester United who have held talks with Calvert-Lewin to gather information on his demands.

It’s been reported that the Englishman is looking to earn £100,000 a week at his new club, and while it is unclear if this would fit into Villa’s plans, they do need to bolster the attacking ranks after allowing Marcus Rashford to leave the club following his loan spell.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Premier League record
Apps	239
Goals	57
Assists	18

Calvert-Lewin is a player Villa are very familiar with, as the 28-year-old, who has been labelled a “top striker” by Jürgen Klopp in the past, has played against Villa 10 times in all competitions, during which he has scored twice at Villa Park, one coming last season in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup during the 2023/24 campaign.

كُشفت اليوم الجمعة هوية الدولة التي ستستضيف مباراة كأس السوبر الفرنسي بين فريقي باريس سان جيرمان وأولمبيك مارسيليا، في بداية العام الجديد المرتقب، 2026.

ويخوض باريس سان جيرمان تلك المباراة بصفته بطل الدوري الفرنسي، في حين أن مارسيليا هو الوصيف كون الأول فاز بالكأس كذلك عن الموسم المضي.

ولم يكن موعد ومكان إقامة مباراة كأس السوبر الفرنسي بين باريس سان جيرمان ومارسيليا معروفًا، ولكن تم الكشف عن كل شيء من قِبل رابطة كرة القدم الفرنسية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إنريكي: إذا كررنا أخطاء مباراة مارسيليا أمام برشلونة سنكون في عداد المفقودين

وحسبما أعلنت، فإن مباراة السوبر الفرنسي ستُقام يوم 8 يناير المقبل في الكويت، وتحديدًا على ملعب “جابر الأحمد الدولي” والذي يسع لـ85.000 متفرجًا.

وستُعد تلك هي المرة الأولى التي ستستضيف فيها الكويت مباراة كأس السوبر الفرنسي، ولم يُحدد بعد توقيت اللقاء حيث سيتم الإعلان عن كافة التفاصيل في وقت لاحق.

واستضافت قطر مباراة السوبر الفرنسي، النسخة الماضية، بين باريس سان جيرمان وموناكو حيث فازت كتيبة لويس إنريكي بهدف دون رد.

ويستعد باريس سان جيرمان لخوض مباراة في الدوري الفرنسي ضد أوكسير، غدًا، قبل صدامه بـ برشلونة في الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم الأربعاء المقبل.

The last leg of Somerset’s treble bid went the way of the first two as Glamorgan won a truncated Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final on a gloomy reserve day at Trent Bridge that mercifully stayed dry long enough for them to lift the trophy for the second time in four years.In a match reduced in advance to 20-overs a side after Sunday’s total washout, overhauling Glamorgan’s 186 for 7 proved beyond them as the Welsh county, who beat Durham here to win the 50-over competition in 2021, came out on top by 15 runs, restricting Somerset to 171 for 6.Sam Northeast had anchored the Glamorgan innings with an unbeaten 63, while Billy Root added 39 off 27 balls, both hitting two sixes in a crucial fifth-wicket stand, Timm van der Gugten backing them up with 26 off just nine balls to bookend Will Smale’s 28 from 14 at the top of the innings.Skipper Sean Dickson hammered 44 from just 20 balls after Andy Umeed’s 45 from 36 for Somerset, but after offspinner Ben Kellaway and seamer Andy Gorvin had taken two wickets each, Glamorgan’s Jamie Mcilroy and Dan Douthwaite held their nerve with two fine overs at the death to finish the job.Beaten in the Vitality Blast final and knocked out of the race for the Vitality County Championship in the preceding nine days, the defeat left Somerset empty handed yet again.The only disappointment for the winning team was that their moment of triumph was witnessed in the flesh by only a smattering of spectators on the ground rather than the thousands who had turned up on Sunday.England spinner Jack Leach did not bowl a ball as Somerset opted to rely on five seamers, of whom George Thomas took 2 for 23 and left-armer Alfie Ogborn 2 for 36 from their four-over allocations.Sam Northeast cut loose for Glamorgan•Getty Images

After Sunday’s total washout forced the teams to return for the scheduled reserve day, play mercifully began on time, with the contest sensibly reduced to 20 overs per side even before the toss had been made, in anticipation of more heavy rain due to arrive in early afternoon.Somerset won the toss and opted to bowl as the Trent Bridge floodlights illuminated the misty gloom hanging over the ground.Ogborne took wickets with his third and fourth deliveries, bowling skipper Kiran Carlson before Tom Bevan shovelled tamely to short fine leg, but Glamorgan still put up 39 runs in the first four-over powerplay thanks to Smale’s aggression.Smale raced to 28 from his first 13 balls, living dangerously against Josh Davey with three boundaries over third but striking Ogborne cleanly over mid-on and for six over square leg. The threat he posed was removed when Dickson held a brilliant catch falling backwards at mid-off.After South African Colin Ingram, one of Glamorgan’s trump cards, picked out wide long-on off Thomas for just 11, Glamorgan were 71 for 4 from 10 and needed to find new energy.It came initially from Root, who cleared the rope three times, with Northeast eventually following suit with two of his own, one from a free hit, as Kasey Aldridge’s final over went for a damaging 29. They added 78 in 49 balls before Root was caught behind off Thomas.The next two wickets came quickly as Northeast’s failure to run as he was caught off a no-ball left the big-hitter Douthwaite stranded, before Kellaway sliced to short third, but van der Gugten’s swashbuckling cameo, encompassing four fours and a six off Davey hammered over long-off raised the total to something that looked defendable on a slow pitch.In reply, Somerset had Thomas run out in the third over of a stodgy powerplay and were some way off the pace at 63 for 2 from 10 after Lewis Goldsworthy, who had hit a century in the semi-final to down holders Leicestershire, picked out long-on off Kellaway, although Umeed was beginning to land some blows.A double setback followed as Umeed fell to a superb catch by Smale standing up to Andy Gorvin and James Rew was caught off a top-edged sweep as Kellaway landed his second blow, leaving Somerset 89 for 4 in the 13th and Glamorgan firm favourites.A blistering partnership of 66 in just five overs between Dickson and Archie Vaughan dragged Somerset right back into contention, Vaughan having survived Kellaway’s lbw shout on umpire’s call before he had scored.But after hammering 44 from 20 balls, hitting sixes off van der Gugten (twice) and McIlroy, Dickson reversed Gorvin to short third – from a delivery that might otherwise have been called wide – costing them critical momentum with 32 needed from 15 balls.It came down to Somerset needing 29 from the last two, a task that ultimately proved too much. Douthwaite picked up a wicket when Green heaved in the air to square leg and Vaughan’s boundary off the last ball was academic.

Taskin Ahmed replaced him in Bangladesh’s XI

Mohammad Isam31-Aug-2024

Shoriful Islam took three wickets and contributed valuable lower-order runs in the first Test•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh fast bowler Shoriful Islam has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi with a groin injury. He is now in a race against time to be fit for the two Tests in India next month.According to the Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan, Shoriful complained of discomfort in the groin area after the first Test last week, and subsequent tests confirmed the injury.”Shoriful underwent an MRI following the first Test and the results show a Grade 1 left adductor strain,” Bayjedul said. “Recovery usually takes around 10 days in such cases and he has started his rehab.”Shoriful had taken three wickets in Bangladesh’s ten-wicket win in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. He was also handy with the bat, hitting two sixes in a 14-ball 22. Taskin Ahmed replaced him in Bangladesh’s starting XI for the second Test.Shoriful has played 11 Tests but also missed 11 Tests for Bangladesh since his debut three years ago. Taskin, meanwhile, is returning to the format after more than a year.Bangladesh’s next assignment is a tour of India, with the first Test in Chennai from September 19. They play two Tests and three T20Is during the tour that run until October 12.Bangladesh have a busy schedule till the end of 2024: after the tour of India, they have two Tests at home against South Africa in October, and a full tour of West Indies in November and December.

Celtic got their second Fabrizio Romano ‘here we go!’ of the summer transfer window when he provided the latest on their pursuit of Benjamin Nygren on Saturday night.

The Italian journalist has confirmed that the Scottish Premiership champions are on the verge of completing a deal to sign the Sweden international to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

Nygren is set to sign for the club on a five-year contract and will link up with his new teammates in pre-season in the coming weeks, ahead of competing for a place on the right wing next season.

The 23-year-old talent scored 15 goals in 30 appearances in the Superliga during the 2024/25 campaign, which suggests that the Hoops have landed a bargain with the fee that Romano has reported.

That is because Nygren’s contract with FC Nordsjælland was due to expire at the end of this year, forcing the Danish side to cash in before they lost him for nothing in January.

Whilst this looks set to be a shrewd piece of business, Celtic have shown that they are willing to push the boat out for signings, as shown by their move for Arne Engels last year.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Arne Engels

The Hoops smashed their transfer record to sign the Belgium international from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg in the summer of 2024 for a reported fee of £11m.

It overtook the previous record of £9m that was paid to sign Odsonne Edouard on a permanent deal from Paris Saint-Germain. It showed that the board were ready to seriously back Brendan Rodgers in the transfer market.

Given the money involved in the move, signing Engels for a fee of £11m was a gamble by the Scottish giants, but it is one that paid off big time for them.

xAG

0.25

Top 7%

Assists

0.37

Top 6%

Shot-creating actions

3.11

Top 29%

Key passes

2.24

Top 6%

Percentage of dribblers tackled

71.4%

Top 9%

Tackles made

2.49

Top 28%

Passes blocked

1.12

Top 27%

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian maestro provided plenty of quality in the Champions League, as he ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of key creative and defensive metrics.

Engels also ended the season with a haul of ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions from a central midfield position, which shows that he has been a big threat for the Hoops as both scorer and a creator of goals.

Celtic hit the jackpot with the midfielder because he hit the ground running at Parkhead to become an instant star, and they could repeat that trick with another record purchase this summer.

Celtic learn asking price for Sondre Orjasaeter

According to Norwegian outlet TV Sport 2, as relayed by the Glasgow Times, Celtic will have to splash out a fee of £11m to sign Sondre Orjasaeter from Sarpsborg before the end of the summer transfer window.

This means that they would have to make him their joint-record signing alongside Engels by splashing out a fee that they have never paid more than for any other player.

Transfer Focus

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

The report, however, adds that Dutch giants PSV are currently leading the race to sign the Norway U21 international, and that French side Lille are also eyeing him up, which means that there is plenty of competition for his signature.

It was reported earlier this month that the Hoops had opened talks with Sarpsborg to sign Orjasaeter to bolster their options on the left flank, but there has been no further update on those discussions to date.

They now know that a record fee of £11m will be required to get a deal over the line in the coming weeks, and they could repeat their Engels masterclass by going through with a move.

Why Sondre Orjasaeter could be Arne Engels 2.0

As aforementioned, Celtic have hit the jackpot with the Belgian star because he immediately became a key performer in the middle of the park for Rodgers.

At the age of 21, Engels is also still a young player with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve, and could yet be sold for a profit in the future.

Orjasaeter is a 21-year-old talent with similar potential, based on his performances for Sarpsborg. He has shown that the quality is there for him to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch, particularly as a creator.

It was confirmed in May that Jota is set to be out for up to nine months with a knee injury, which means that the left-wing spot where the Norwegian star operates is set to be vacant at the start of the 2025/26 campaign.

Appearances

28

7

Goals

5

1

Big chances missed

5

2

Big chances created

12

7

Key passes per game

1.9

2.0

Assists

5

2

Dribbles completed per game

2.4

2.7

As you can see in the table above, Orjasaeter is a player with the quality to fill the hole that has been left by Jota’s injury, as he has been in impressive form for Sarpsborg since the start of the 2024 campaign.

The 21-year-old star, who was described as a “playmaker” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has created 19 ‘big chances’ in his last 35 Eliteserien matches, which shows that the wing wizard is an incredibly creative forward.

For reference, Alistair Johnston’s haul of 15 ‘big chances’ created was the most of any Celtic player in the club’s 38-game Premiership season, suggesting that Orjasaeter could be a standout creative threat for Rodgers next term and beyond.

Celtic have hit gold with star who's now worth £8m more than Balikwisha

Celtic have hit the jackpot with this star who is now worth £8m more than reported target Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

ByDan Emery Jun 21, 2025

That suggests that the potential is there for the Norwegian star to be an Engels repeat for the Hoops as a record £11m signing who could instantly become a key player for the club, whilst still having plenty of years left ahead to develop and improve.

Had Tottenham Hotspur not won the Europa League final against Manchester United last week, this campaign would’ve been a real failure for the club, falling way below the levels they’ve set for themselves.

Ange Postecoglou has been a man under pressure throughout 2024/25, with their European success handing the Aussie a lifeline to resurrect his time in North London.

The 17th-place finish in the Premier League this campaign highlights the need for improvement next season, with Ange running the risk of losing his job should he fail to do so.

However, the summer presents another opportunity to invest and improve the first team squad, possibly able to attract some top-level talent given their Champions League qualification.

Even though the window has yet to open, numerous names have been touted with a switch to North London in an attempt to bolster the options at the manager’s disposal.

The latest on Spurs’ move to land a new striker

Liam Delap is a name that has been on Spurs’ shortlist over the last couple of weeks, monitoring his situation and preparing a move after his £30m relegation release clause became active.

However, it appears as though the Lilywhites are set to miss out on the 22-year-old this window, after it was confirmed he has agreed a move to join London rivals Chelsea.

Such a move could prove to benefit Ange’s side over the coming months, potentially allowing Christopher Nkunku to depart Stamford Bridge after falling down the pecking order under Enzo Maresca.

The Frenchman has been the subject of an enquiry from Daniel Levy, opening the door to a potential £50m switch across the capital to link up with the Lilywhites in North London.

It’s evident that a new forward is on the agenda this summer, but one player who previously plied his trade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has thrived since his departure over the past few seasons.

The former Spurs player who’s outscored Delap & Nkunku in 2024/25

Over the last 12 months, Spurs have had numerous attackers who have contributed to their various levels of success, helping them in their quest for European glory.

Brennan Johnson has proved the doubters wrong in recent times, scoring 18 goals across all competitions – including the all-important strike against United that secured the club’s first trophy in 17 years.

The Welsh international has thrived under Postecoglou, now being a key player and registering over three times more goals than he did during his first year in North London.

However, the side could’ve benefited further had they kept hold of Ivan Perišić, with the Croatian winger thriving for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands despite being 36.

He joined the club in the summer of 2022, arriving on a free transfer under Antonio Conte after his release from Inter Milan at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Croatian made 44 appearances during his first season at the club, notching one goal and 12 assists, but he would be unable to make such an impact during his second season in North London.

He would tear his ACL in the early stages of 2023/24, featuring in just six matches, before moving to Hajduk Split on a free transfer at the end of his contract in the summer of 2024.

Most goals & assists from players over 35 in Europe (2024/25)

Player

Team

Games

G+A

Robert Lewandowski

Barcelona

34

29

Dušan Tadić

Fenerbahçe

35

25

Ciro Immobile

Besiktas

30

19

Edin Dzeko

Fenerbahçe

35

18

Ivan Perišić

PSV

27

18

Tjaronn Chery

Royal Antwerp

29

17

Iago Aspas

Celta Vigo

30

15

Stats via Transfermarkt

However, Perisic, who was labelled a “massive waste of money” by The Athletic’s James Maw, has thrived at PSV this campaign, registering 16 goals in all competitions – tallies higher than Delap and Nkunku, who’ve scored 12 and 14 respectively.

Given his age and the long-term injury he sustained at the club, it’s understandable that the club would allow him to leave – especially considering he was on £180k-per-week, as per Capology.

His return to form, even scoring in the Champions League, is a credit to Perisic, making Spurs rue their mistake in allowing him to depart and showcasing his elite-level talents despite his entering the back end of his career.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes May 29, 2025

Newcastle United fans are surely in dreamland at the moment, with their Magpies heroes in the driver’s seat now involving the ongoing Champions League race in the Premier League.

Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off versus Chelsea had all the ingredients of a high-stakes affair with both the Toon and the Blues heading into the game on 63 points each.

But, Eddie Howe’s men didn’t play with any nerves visible in their free-flowing game, meaning the Magpies are now sat in a pretty third position – only one point off Arsenal – after easing past Enzo Maresca’s men 2-0.

Both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes would steal the limelight on the day as the Newcastle goalscorers, with the fantastic midfield pairing looking ready made for Champions League football off the back of their polished displays.

Tonali and Guimaraes stole the show

In such a tense affair, the best possible mood setter would be to score early on.

Tonali certainly felt that way anyway when he gifted Howe’s hosts the lead after just two minutes, with the former AC Milan maestro managing to tap home after an inviting delivery into the box fell charitably at his feet.

Away from sending the home masses into delirium with the opening strike of the day, Tonali would continue to keep plugging away centrally with his boundless energy, leading to the standout number eight winning three ground duels.

On top of that, he was also on the lookout for an assist to complement his goal with two key passes tallied up, but no such moment would arrive.

Instead, Dan Burn would turn provider when teeing up Guimaraes for Newcastle’s game-clinching second, with the popular Brazilian also showing off his varied game – much like Tonali – when winning three duels, while registering two more shots past his fabulous late effort looping over Robert Sanchez.

But, there is another sensational forward player for Howe’s side that hasn’t even been mentioned yet who is slowly but surely turning into Newcastle’s next iteration of Nolberto Solano with his expert eye for an assist.

Newcastle's new version of Solano

The now retired right winger would consistently dazzle Premier League defences with his trickery when donning Magpies black and white.

He would also pick up assists by the bucket-load to back up his memorable showboating, with Solano’s assist haul of 15 in league action during the 1999/2000 season yet to be topped, until potentially now.

Jacob Murphy amazingly only finds himself three short of Solano’s bumper total in the here and now, with his 12th assist of the Premier League season to date the cross that Tonali very kindly finished off.

It’s been a remarkable campaign for the 30-year-old so far, considering he had only picked up eight assists last season when he was sparingly used 21 times in league action due to injury concerns. Now, he’s as crucial as Tonali and Guimaraes are in Newcastle’s exciting hunt for European glory.

Newcastle’s top five G/A contributors this season

Player

Games

Goals scored

Assists

1. Alexander Isak

33

23

6

2. Jacob Murphy

33

8

12

3. Harvey Barnes

31

9

4

4. Anthony Gordon

32

6

5

5. Bruno Guimaraes

36

5

6

Stats by Sofascore

Staggeringly, only Alexander Isak is able to surpass Murphy for goals and assists this season in the Premier League for the Magpies, with the ex-Norwich City man certainly living up to his next Solano label more when powering home eight goals from 33 games. In total, the silky Peruvian would pick up 48 strikes on Tyneside.

Murphy will hope he can get near to that sizeable tally soon, with the hard-working yet skilful winger another gem playing out of his skin for the Toon as Champions League football possibly reappears.

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As Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future continues to come into question, Crystal Palace could now reportedly receive the opportunity to sign a struggling striker in a swap deal for the Frenchman.

Crystal Palace could be offered shock swap deal

The interest in Mateta should come as no surprise. The forward has found a new level under Oliver Glasner and has just over a year left on his current contract. As negotiations continue to rumble on over a new deal, the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa have both been linked with moves to sign the Frenchman in what would deal those at Selhurst Park an instant blow.

For Mateta, meanwhile, he’s at a crucial point in his career. At 27 years old and at the peak of his powers, he may not get the opportunity to complete a mega move again in his career and must simply get his next decision right.

That said, Mateta’s decision could yet provide the Eagles with an unexpected opportunity. According to Football Transfers, Manchester United could now offer Rasmus Hojlund in a swap deal to sign Mateta this summer in what would see their transfer flop finally bring an end to his Old Trafford nightmare.

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Left benefitting is potentially Crystal Palace. Whether they accept the chance to sign the Dane with talks over Mateta already reportedly open with Manchester United remains to be seen, but it would at least end their search for a replacement swiftly.

Crystal Palace perfect fit for struggling Hojlund

Whilst he has far from lived up to his reported £72m price tag, there’s been enough evidence over the years to suggest that the blame may not fully be on Hojlund at Old Trafford. He’s not the first fresh arrival to face new struggles at United and he certainly won’t be the last.

Now, like others before him, he needs to move on and become the player that many believed he would become for the Red Devils. And that’s where Palace could come in.

As relayed by Football Transfers, Palace have a ‘club fit’ of 76/100 with Hojlund – an algorithm which measures potential development, a side’s system and the game time that certain players will receive. All signs suggest that the Dane would finally thrive away from Manchester United and under Glasner.

At just 22 years old, there’s ever chance that Hojlund could still realise his potential like many have by leaving Old Trafford. It wasn’t so long ago that he even found himself at the centre of praise from around the media, with Times reporter Charlotte Duncker among those with plenty of positives to say.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Duncker described Hojlund’s work off the ball as “underrated” last season in something that he now needs to bring back to his game if he completes a move to Crystal Palace.

Surrey quick’s stock is rising fast, and England are already watching his progress closely

Cameron Ponsonby06-Jul-2023Gus Atkinson’s stock is rising. Fast. He started the season outside the Surrey team, but three outstanding County Championship performances were all that was needed to propel him to being a whisker away from the Ireland Test squad, and only a handful of slips on the golf course from an Ashes debut.Atkinson’s rise is testament to England’s new mantra that how does, in fact, matter as much as how many. At 25 years old, Atkinson has played just 13 first-class matches and only recently become first-choice for his county, but in a running theme, people don’t need to see much of him to decide they’re a fan.A smooth run-up, a quick action and an even quicker short ball combine to make a player who is fast enough as it is and yet is legally obliged to be introduced by any commentator on radio or television as: “Gus Atkinson, right-arm-seamer, who’s just that bit faster than you think.” Comparisons to Jofra Archer, made at first by friends in jest, are now said with a straight face by those who actually know what they’re talking about: “Quite a few people have said that to me,” Atkinson smiles when asked. “A lot, actually.”His list of admirers extends from the revered old school of Michael Atherton, to the new-age number crunchers including England’s recently appointed white-ball analyst Freddie Wilde, who signed him twice in the last year, first for Oval Invincibles and then for Desert Vipers in the ILT20, before he joined the ECB. Over the winter, Atkinson also got deals to play in the Abu Dhabi T10 and was signed by Islamabad United in the PSL. And now he’s spearheading Surrey’s push for a place in the Vitality Blast Finals Day. With friends like these, who needs an IPL deal?It would be wrong, however, to say that Atkinson has come from nowhere. Surrey have been excited about the player ever since he returned to training as a slender 14-year-old and started hitting the coach’s mitt in bowling warm-ups far harder than the biology of his slight frame should have allowed.

I watched a video of myself bowling in 2020 or 2021 and I couldn’t believe it. I was like, oh my god, is that me? I was running in really slowly, it almost looked like I wasn’t trying.

In the same age-group as Ollie Pope, Sam Curran, Ryan Patel, Amar Virdi and Will Jacks, Atkinson for a while threatened to be the black sheep of this mystical, magical cohort. From signing as a professional in 2017, he watched on as all of his contemporaries debuted for Surrey by the end of 2018 – and in the case of Curran and Pope, for England – all while he sat on the sidelines nursing the unwanted fast-bowler threepeat of suffering a stress fracture in each of 2017, 2018 and 2019. It wasn’t until 2020, almost three years after putting pen to paper, that he would finally make his professional debut, but in 2022 the intangible qualities that Surrey had long seen in him started to turn into tangible results.”I wouldn’t say it was hard,” Atkinson reflects about watching his contemporaries move ahead of him. “Because they earned that and performed well. But I was always sort of thinking, ‘ach’, I was not where I wanted to be and I just felt like my career’s not flourishing. And obviously, you’re still young, but you do think that your career doesn’t last forever.”Fears over contract renewals were natural, but from Surrey’s end, the risk of letting Atkinson go far outweighed the cost of keeping him. There was a serious player in there, with the likes of Vikram Solanki, at the time the 2nd XI coach, being a vocal supporter and the instigator of a net that changed the trajectory of his career.”Two or three years ago, I had a bowl at LSE [London School of Economics] New Malden. Just me and Jordan Clark went down with Vikram Solanki and Vik was like, ‘run in and bowl as quick as you can’ and something just sort of clicked.”My run-up didn’t feel as good and we just sort of lengthened it out a bit and when I did that, it was like, pfff, it’s coming out well…let’s go for it.”Atkinson’s first-class career has taken a while to take off, but he’s getting noticed now•Getty ImagesCut to 2022 and the private school Bieber mop was gone, and in came a skin-fade, a beard and a pair of biceps. The result was a summer where Atkinson no doubt turned as many heads in Cafe Sol as he did in the ECB offices. He may have only played four Championship games and six Vitality Blast matches, but it was enough.”I watched a video of myself bowling in 2020 or 2021 and I couldn’t believe it. I was like, oh my god, is that me? I was running in really slowly, it almost looked like I wasn’t trying. And that obviously wasn’t the case, but I think I was holding myself back because of maybe a fear of injury or a fear of not performing.”In my head, before, I wasn’t not trying, I just didn’t really know how much I could.”At this point it is probably best to admit a personal bias here. Hailing from the same club and two years apart in age, Atkinson and I have known each other for roughly a decade. Near enough the last match we played together was when a 19-year-old me tricked a 17-year-old Gus into playing for the 3rd XI by not revealing the team in question until after he’d got the green light from his mum, Caroline, that he was available. Opening the batting, Gus scored zero runs. And opening the bowling, he took zero wickets. The match was later abandoned after one of our fielders hit his head on the ground whilst dropping a catch and an ambulance had to be called. Gus did not play for us again.Around that same time, I was coaching at the Stewart Cricket Centre, an academy run by Alec Stewart’s brother, Neil, where you-name-him-and-he’s-been-there has passed through. I asked Neil who the one player was, who he’d been sure would make it as a professional, but hadn’t, and his answer was Atkinson. Not because at that point Surrey were planning to release him, but simply because they never saw him. With his mum in London and dad overseas, summers were spent between the two, with cricket not necessarily left behind, but harder to be front and centre.”It’s the same for me!” Atkinson laughs when trying to make sense of the black hole in his cricket timeline that occurred from 16 to 19 years old.Related

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“I played [at Surrey] since Under-11s but I was never one of the main guys because there were other lads who were better than me.”I always wanted to do cricket, but I don’t reckon I actually believed I could until after school and I went to Adelaide and did well.”The story goes that after duffing his A-Levels – “To be honest, I was never… school,” Atkinson grimaces in an incomplete sentence that millions would relate to – it was his mum who kept the Surrey wheels turning.”I think she sort of did that behind my back,” Atkinsons says. “Mum would email… just trying to keep me in the loop as much as possible, because I wasn’t ever really on the Academy. Like I would play Academy games and I would train every now and again, but I was never signed.”Through Caroline, Surrey stayed in contact and it was pre-season 2017 when Alec Stewart had a look and liked what he saw – “So I stuck around, played, and got a contract that summer.”Caroline would see Gus make his long-awaited debut for Surrey three years later, when he dismissed former England captain Alastair Cook, but was tragically killed in a car crash later that same year.”It’s obviously difficult,” Gus explains. “My sister started a Master’s a few weeks after it happened and she did that. My brother’s also started at university. We’ve just sort of, just carried on our lives really, there’s not really too much you can do apart from that.”I went into training three, four days after because I needed to get out of the house. I just needed to get away and escape.”As a player, Atkinson has a huge amount of goodwill surrounding him. And as a person, so does Gus. Introductions to people with the reference that “I know Gus Atkinson a bit” bring a smile, and depending on the company, a follow-up comment that “he’s a serious bowler.””You know,” Gus ponders on the England talk now following him. “Probably if you asked me six months ago, I would have said my goal is to just play cricket for England. And now, I probably go, ‘I would like to play for England in the next year’.”So, yeah,” he finishes with a smile. “I guess it is a big change.”