Arsenal have now been tipped to drop a key member of the starting eleven for their looming opening day clash against Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.

Mikel Arteta is poised to do battle with Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford on Sunday, with the north Londoners ending their pre-season preparations as they gear up for yet another title challenge.

Nothing but a perfect start will do for Arsenal, having watched a plethora of their nearest rivals in Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City all splash hundreds of millions on a plethora of summer signings to bolster their squads.

Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta has been a busy man too, investing north of £200 million on six major signings, with Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera and star striker Viktor Gyokeres all making the move to N5.

It is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Premier League campaigns in history, and especially near the top of the table, with many standout contenders already making themselves known after productive transfer windows.

“I think on the physical part we’re in a really good place,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s final pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao.

“I think we have competed against very different opponents in different contexts, in different countries, so it’s been a really complete pre-season. You constantly learn and evolve in the team, that’s not going to stop now because this is the last test of pre-season. On Monday we’ll continue to work on things, on things that we have to develop and improve from today, from the last few games, and other things that we want to still do. And especially the integration of the new players to make sure that we create such a bond and spirit in the team that we can compete against the opposition.”

Arteta has a few imperative decisions to make ahead of Arsenal’s face-off with United in Manchester, who are under a significant amount of pressure themselves to make a good start to 2025/2026.

Arsenal tipped to drop Myles Lewis-Skelly for Man United

Journalist Charles Watts, speaking to CaughtOffside, is convinced that Arteta could even drop star left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly for the clash.

The 18-year-old enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign last season, with his performances at full-back earning Lewis-Skelly both calls to the England squad and a brand-new long-term contract.

The rising star teenager played 23 Premier League games last year, starting 15 of them, and was handed the nod by Arteta in their blockbuster Champions League ties against Real Madrid and PSG.

Lewis-Skelly has been called “incredible” by the likes of Gary Neville after his rise to the first-team, and he’s now become a key player for them.

However, Watts believes that Lewis-Skelly will be axed for United in favour of Riccardo Calafiori.

“I think who starts at full-back this weekend will be interesting for Arsenal. There is a real competition in those positions,” said the reporter.

“When he’s been on the pitch Riccardo Calafiori has looked very good. I really enjoyed his performance last weekend and if he’s deemed fully fit I think he might get the nod at left-back over Myles Lewis-Skelly.

“It’s a tough call, but Lewis-Skelly hasn’t looked at his best yet this summer, so I would not be surprised if Arteta goes with the Italian to try and negate the threat of Bryan Mbeumo and also cause problems up the other end.”

Calafiori suffered various injury problems across 2024/2025, which hampered the Italian’s game time, but if he can stay fit, Arteta will have a seriously star-studded left-back rotation at his disposal.

Chelsea’s busy summer, both on and off the field, continues.

It’s now a fortnight since the Blues were crowned champions of the world, surprisingly demolishing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup Final, thanks to Cole Palmer’s double at MetLife Stadium.

Meantime, in the transfer market, the Blues have already made eight signings, costing in excess of £225m, notably adding João Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Estêvão Willian and others to Enzo Maresca’s squad, which is already jam-packed full of talent.

Nevertheless, they are far from done just yet, closing in on one ultra-talented attacker, but have they also had a bid rejected for someone who is, potentially, even better?

Chelsea seeking to sign all the forwards

As has been widely reported, including by James Olley of ESPN, Chelsea are close to signing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for around £44m, with the Dutchman pushing to leave the Bundesliga side, after they failed to qualify for any European competition.

Simons is certainly a highly-rated player, with Sultan Babajide of Breaking the Lines documenting his ‘stellar performances’ for both club and country, but are Chelsea now eyeing up a move for an even bigger talent?

Well, according to reports in Spain, Chelsea have seen a €70m (around £61m) bid rejected by Juventus for winger Kenan Yıldız.

They add that la Vecchia Signora have reiterated that the Türkiye international is ‘not for sale’ as he is an ‘essential part’ of their plans for the forthcoming campaign, but the player could push for a move.

So, could he soon become the first ever Turkish player to make a senior appearance for Chelsea? Leicester legend Muzzy İzzet was in the Blues’ academy, but never featured at senior level.

What Kenan Yıldız would bring to Chelsea

Despite the fact Juventus only reached the round of 16, comprehensively beaten by both Manchester City and Real Madrid, Yıldız was one of the stars of the Club World Cup.

He was on target against Al Ain at Audi Field, before bagging a brace when I Bianconeri smashed Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia, cruelly denied a hat-trick by FIFA’s equivalent of the dubious goals panel.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled him both “special” as well as a “magnificent” talent, while former teammate Wojciech Szczęsny asserted back in 2024 that he “will be nominated for the Ballon d’Or within 5 years.”

Meantime, featuring in the Guardian’s Next Generation of 2022, Michael Yokhin praised his ‘magnificent technique and close control’ adding that he also possesses a ‘keen eye for goal’, forecasting that the then teenager ‘has a bright future ahead’.

Well, he was certainly proved right because, last season, Yıldız scored 12 goals and registered nine assists across all competitions, racking up impressive statistics in Serie A.

Minutes

2,402

96th

Goals

7

29th

Assists

4

26th

Goals – xG

+2.7

16th

Shots

60th

20th

Progressive carries

115

7th

Progressive passes received

223

8th

Shot-creating actions

130

3rd

Touches in attacking 3rd

752

4th

Average SofaScore rating

7.25

9th

As the table documents, Yıldız ranked highly for pretty much every attacking metric in Serie A last season, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he was a teenager and was plying his trade for a generally dismal Juventus team who were the division’s eighth-highest scorers.

But the key question still remains: is he a bigger talent than Simons? Let’s compare the duo.

Appearances

52

33

Minutes

3,521

2,763

Goals

12

11

Assists

9

8

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Shots

1.5

1.4

Chances created

2.2

2.1

Take-ons completed

2.3

1.4

Dribble success %

54.6%

37.1%

% of touches in the box

7%

5%

Average Sofascore rating

7.30

7.35

As the table documents, Yıldız comes out on top for all the attacking metrics included, most notably pure goals and assists, but also shots, chances created and dribbling.

This very much underlines the Turkish international’s talent and potential, so could he be the next youngster to call Stamford Bridge home?

Maresca and Co will certainly hope so.

Chelsea in talks with "real deal" Man United player alongside Xavi Simons

The west Londoners are keen to

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 26, 2025

Daniel Marsh and Pravin Tambe come on board as batting and bowling coaches, respectively

Shashank Kishore12-Dec-2024Mithali Raj, the former India captain, has parted ways with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchise Gujarat Giants (GG) ahead of the tournament’s third edition, which is slated to be held in February 2025.Mithali, who served as GG’s mentor during the first two editions, has taken up a similar role at the Andhra Cricket Association, where she’ll be in charge of looking after the state’s pathway structures, apart from working with the senior team.Also out of GG’s set-up is Nooshin Al Khadeer, the former India offspinner, who had served as assistant coach for the first two seasons. Al Khadeer is presently in charge of the India Under-19 women’s team that is currently preparing for the second edition of the Under-19 World Cup to be held in Malaysia early next year, with India looking to defend their title.Related

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What each team needs at the WPL 2025 auction

While the announcement from GG comes just days before the WPL mini-auction that will be held in Bengaluru on December 15, ESPNcricinfo understands that a decision had already been made prior to the start of the 2024-25 domestic season.Michael Klinger, the former South Australia batter, will continue to remain in charge as head coach, with Daniel Marsh and Pravin Tambe coming on board as batting and bowling coaches, respectively. Marsh, who played 150 first-class matches during his career, served as Tasmania’s head coach from 2013-17, and was appointed assistant coach of the Australia women’s team in 2022.Meanwhile, Tambe, whose foray into the IPL with Rajasthan Royals from obscurity at the age of 41 has been well documented, is also currently involved as a spin-bowling coach at Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL.”We laid solid groundwork last season, and I’m excited to build on that with the talented players we have retained in the squad,” Klinger said in a statement. “Our focus remains on fostering a winning mindset, and pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve as a team.”It is incredibly rewarding to see so many of our Gujarat Giants players representing India since last WPL season. This invaluable high-level experience will undoubtedly strengthen our squad for the upcoming season.”Klinger, who had taken over early last year from fellow Australian Rachel Haynes after the inaugural season, was late last month also announced as the new head coach of Manchester Originals in the Women’s Hundred. He also serves as assistant coach of Sydney Thunder in the WBBL, and as a general manager of Washington Freedom in the USA’s Major League Cricket.GG, who are owned by Adani Sportsline, had finished last in the first two editions of the WPL, and now have the biggest purse of INR 4.4 crore going into Saturday’s auction, where they are likely to be quite busy. GG have released as many as six players, including Sneh Rana, who had captained them in the inaugural edition. Rana apart, GG have also done away with Lea Tahuhu and Veda Krishnamurthy, among others.

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has claimed that it was Travis Head who “abused” him first during their altercation on the second day of the Adelaide Test.”It was a great battle going on [with Head] and he batted really well,” Siraj told Star Sports Hindi before the third day’s play. “When you get hit for a six on a good ball, it fires you up differently. And when I bowled him, I just celebrated and he abused me and you saw that on TV too. I only celebrated at the start, I didn’t say anything to him. What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me.”We respect everyone, it’s not like we disrespect other players. I respect everybody because cricket is a gentleman’s game, but what he did wasn’t right. I didn’t like it at all.”By the end of the Test on Sunday, however, both captains and the players sought to play down and move on from the incident, with Siraj and Head seen embracing at the end of the game.The incident had occurred when Siraj bowled Head for 140, a ball after getting hit for six, and celebrated animatedly. There was a send-off from the bowler and some words said by Head, which weren’t very clear on the broadcast.Head had said in the press conference after the second day that he had jokingly said “well bowled” to Siraj after his dismissal. “It probably [went] a little bit far, that’s why I’m disappointed in the reaction I gave back but I’m also going to stand up for myself. Like to think in our team we wouldn’t do that. [It’s] not the way I’d like to play the game and feel like my team-mates are the same. If I see that, I probably call it out, which I did.”Speaking to SEN radio before the third day’s play, Head said: “No one really wants to see that in the game. I feel like both teams can probably represent themselves a little bit better and respect each a little bit more in those situations, and we move on.”India captain Rohit Sharma played down the incident at the press conference after the game. “I was standing at the slips, I don’t know what was exchanged but two competitive teams are going at each other. These things happen,” he said. “Travis was batting well, obviously our plan was to get him out. And on the other side, Travis wanted to try and put our bowlers under pressure. And we got the wicket, he celebrated it. There were obviously a few words changed within the two of them. I exactly don’t know what was said because my job is not just to look at that one incident, I am focused on the overall picture or the overall Test match. But again, I don’t think we can look too much into that. When India and Australia always play, these things happen and these are now just part of the game.”Rohit, however, said it was his job to back Siraj’s aggression. “Yeah, I mean he likes to get into the battle, as simple as that. It gives him success. And as a captain it’s my job to back that aggression. Obviously there is a fine line between that. We don’t want to cross anything that can bring dispute into the game. But obviously having a word or two with the opposition is not a bad thing and he likes it. And that’s what gets him going. In the past we have seen so many cricketers who like that battle and Siraj is definitely one of them. But again like I said, there is a thin line between getting aggressive and getting too aggressive and crossing that line. Obviously as a captain it is also my responsibility to make sure that we don’t cross the line. But yeah, a word or two here and there I don’t think makes a huge difference.”Australia captain Pat Cummins said he was happy with his team’s behaviour. “Look, it’s heated. It’s a big series. You know, it’s been packed crowds all the days. So there’s a lot riding on it. Yeah, I think the umpire stepped in pretty quickly and that was the end of it … To be honest, you know, they [India] can do whatever they want. More worried about our boys. And like always, I thought our boys’ behaviour was excellent this week. Like it seems to be every week. So happy with them.”

The two new arrivals from Bayer Leverkusen have had fitness issues whereas the Hungarian has hit the ground running this season

Liverpool made a succession of significant signings during the most sensational transfer window in the club's history. The summer-long pursuit of Alexander Isak obviously dominated the headlines, given the saga was only concluded on deadline day, but the acquisition of Florian Wirtz was the deal that nobody saw coming.

The common consensus was that if Bayer Leverkusen were to actually sanction the sale of their most prized possession, he would go to Bayern Munich or Manchester City. However, Liverpool suddenly and surprisingly emerged as the frontrunners in the race to sign Wirtz at the start of June before agreeing to pay an initial £100 million (£135m) for the attacking midfielder.

The news understandably sparked mass excitement around Anfield. Fenway Sports Group (FSG) had finally decided to splash the cash – and one of the finest young players in world football was on his way to Liverpool.

Amid all of the hype and hysteria, Dominik Szoboszlai was largely forgotten. The Hungarian had played a pivotal part in last season's title triumph yet the presumption was that he'd simply accept a supporting role in Arne Slot's squad.

Szoboszlai, though, has been Liverpool's star performer during the first three rounds of the new Premier League season – and even with Isak now on board, there's no reason to think that he'll suddenly be relegated to the bench.

On the contrary, Szoboszlai has arguably made himself un-droppable – because he's not just posing a threat to Wirtz's status as a starter, he's also emerged as an attractive alternative to another summer signing from Leverkusen, Jeremie Frimpong, at right-back.

Getty Images'Runs for two players'

Jurgen Klopp once described Szoboszlai as "a joy to work with" – and Slot quickly came to understand why. As the Dutchman said in January, "Dom's work-rate is un-be-lievable! He just keeps on running with the highest intensity and that is so important for a team that wants to compete for something."

Slot wasn't wrong. Szoboszlai's pressing was a key component in Liverpool's game plan all season long, while he also made some decisive contributions in massive matches – most notably his goal and ingenious assist in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on February 23, and the opener in the victory over Newcastle three days later that effectively sealed a record-breaking 20th championship.

"He wins the ball back for us, he runs for two players," Slot enthused at the time. "That probably deserves even more credit than him scoring a goal."

Despite pointing out that Szoboszlai's importance to Liverpool was "underestimated", the £60m (£81m) signing still came in for criticism last term for his perceived lack of end product. The 24-year-old may have been directly involved in more Premier League goals during the 2024-25 campaign than the likes of Declan Rice, who was nominated for Player of the Season, Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne, but his numbers still became a big topic of debate.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesOminous arrival

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, for example, made no secret of the fact that he was "not Szoboszlai's biggest fan" and felt that the Reds were entitled to expect more from a player who was regularly deployed as an attacking midfielder.

"I know he's a completely different player, and he's got great energy, but when you think of what Arsenal have got in Odegaard, what Man City had in De Bruyne in the past, what Chelsea have got in Cole Palmer, you want someone who’s going to get you close to 15, 20 goals a season from that position," Carragher told the 'Stick to Football' podcast. Essentially, the England international was arguing that Liverpool need to sign a more productive No.10 during the summer – which is exactly what they did.

Unbeknownst to the fans, Liverpool had been exploring the possibility of signing Wirtz for some time and their interest in the 22-year-old's services made perfect sense. The Germany international is a very different type of attacking midfielder to Szoboszlai. He's a proper No.10, an old-school trequartista with a very modern approach to pressing.

As well as being a wonderful dribbler, Wirtz has a wonderful gift for finding space and picking out passes in between the lines – as he demonstrated during the first half of the Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace.

Getty Images SportSlot's masterstroke

Given his cost and his qualities, then, Wirtz was always going to play in his preferred position when Liverpool began their Premier League title defence at home to Bournemouth on August 15. Szoboszlai started, too, of course but as part of a midfield pivot with Alexis Mac Allister due to the unavailability of the suspended Ryan Gravenberch. It was, thus, thought that when the latter returned to the starting line-up for the game at Newcastle on August 25, Szoboszlai might drop to the bench.

Slot had a problem, though. Not only was Mac Allister missing for the trip to Tyneside due to the birth of his first child, Frimpong was ruled out through injury and the obvious replacement at right-back, Conor Bradley, wasn't match fit. Consequently, Slot picked Curtis Jones to replace Mac Allister in midfield and asked Szoboszlai to fill in for Frimpong. Remarkably, it proved a masterstroke. 

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Getty Images Sport'Absolutely outstanding'

Szoboszlai was sensational at St. James Park, first doing an outstanding job in nullifying the threat posed by Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes, and then, after being moved into midfield, effectively creating the winning goal for Rio Ngumoha with an outrageous dummy.

As he didn't touch the ball, Szoboszlai wasn't credited with an assist (Thierry Henry argued he should have been!) – but his characteristic selflessness was rightly and widely lauded, with even Carragher lauding him for an "absolutely outstanding" all-round display. As for Slot, he felt Szoboszlai personified his side's winning mentality.

"It is not easy to play as a full-back if you've only been a midfielder in your career," the Reds boss said after the 3-2 victory. "He played there once in pre-season – I think it was against Stoke when we played behind closed doors – but in that game we only had the ball and now he had to defend a lot. For him to put in a performance like that, you can say a lot about his character."

Sunderland have now submitted an offer for an “unreal” centre-back, according to a significant update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Sunderland's summer spree set to continue

It has been a memorable summer for the Black Cats, who have built on their Championship promotion last season by making 11 permanent signings in total to date.

Granit Xhaka is arguably the most high-profile addition, with the Swiss arriving from Bayer Leverkusen and immediately being made Sunderland captain, helping his side beat West Ham 3-0 in their Premier League opener on Saturday afternoon.

Habib Diarra and Simon Adingra have come in as the Black Cats’ two most expensive additions of the summer, however, joining from Strasbourg and Brighton respectively, looking to bolster Regis Le Bris’ midfield and wide options.

The early signs certainly bode well for Sunderland, in terms of their new signings ensuring that they avoid relegation straight back down to the Championship, but their business might not be done there.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£27.1m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.8m

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£17.2m

Noah Sadiki

Union SG

£14.6m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£12.9m

Nordi Mukiele

Paris Saint-Germain

£10.3m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£9.8m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

free transfer

Arthur Masuaku

Besiktas

free transfer

Sunderland submit bid for "unreal" centre-back

Now, Romano has taken to X to claim that Sunderland have tabled an offer for Bologna centre-back Jhon Lucumi, as their summer of spending continues. He is keen to seal move to the club.

Lucumi could be just what the Black Cats are after, with the 27-year-old an experienced head but really rising into a star over the last couple of seasons, bringing high level talent and physical dominance to Le Bris’ back-line.

He is a 29-cap Colombia international, which is no mean feat, and after 94 appearances in Serie A, he may like the idea of testing himself in the Premier League.

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Lucumi was once backed to become a “great” centre-back” by scout Jacek Kulig, while journalist Ethan Todd described him as “unreal” earlier this summer.

The Colombian would be a statement 12th permanent signing of the summer for Sunderland, assuming the deal goes through, as their squad goes from strength to strength amid their efforts to remain a Premier League team beyond this season.

تمكن فريق ريال مدريد من تسجيل هدف أول في شباك نظيره فريق كيرات، في مباراتهما الجارية حاليًا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.

ويستضيف ملعب “ألماتي المركزي” مباراة فريقي ريال مدريد وكيرات، في خضم منافسات الجولة الثانية من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري (لمتابعة اللقاء من هنا).

ونجح ريال مدريد في تسجيل هدف أول في شباك كيرات العنيد، في الدقيقة 25 من عمر الشوط الأول.

جاء الهدف عن طريق النجم كيليان مبابي، بعدما تحصل ريال مدريد على ضربة جزاء نتيجة تدخل حارس مرمى كيرات ضد ماستانتونو، لينفذها الفرنسي بنجاح، ويحولها إلى هدف أول للفريق الملكي.

⚽️🥅 كيليان مبابي يفتتح التسجيل للنادي الملكي من ركلة جزاء#دوري_أبطال_أوروبا #UCL pic.twitter.com/WFZJclERCf — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 30, 2025

Arsenal supporters teased new Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou with chants declaring he will be “sacked in the morning” as they renewed hostilities with the former Tottenham manager on Saturday. The Gunners fanbase was quick to taunt Postecoglou, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the Forest dugout earlier in the week, as they ran out 3-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium.

• When did Arsenal fans start to taunt Postecoglou?

  Having watched their side power into a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal fans then directed their attention towards Postecoglou in the second half. The Australian guided the Gunners' fierce north London rivals Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final in May, before being relieved of his duties a month later.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Arsenal fans then turn their attention to the Forest players

  And after Zubimendi, 26, headed home his second of the afternoon and Arsenal's third, the home supporters then began to sing "are you Tottenham in disguise?" towards both Postecoglou and the Forest players, in what was a disappointing afternoon for the visitors.

• Gunners return to Premier League action in style

  Arsenal's new strength in depth was on full display in their victory over Postecoglou and Forest. Despite the absences of William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, manager Mikel Arteta was able to call upon new boys Cristhian Mosquera and Noni Madueke as his side returned to Premier League action in some style following the recent international break.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Postecoglou and Forest aim to bounce back in the Carabao Cup

  Meanwhile Postecoglou and Forest will hoping to bounce back when they head to Swansea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Forest will then travel to newly-promoted Burnley in the Premier League on September 20, before getting their Europa League campaign under way against Real Betis at the Villamarin Stadium on September 24.

Following the news that James Maddison faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly held fresh talks to sign a Premier League-winning replacement.

Extent of James Maddison's injury revealed

As the football calendar continues to become more and more congested, there will be no worse feeling for any player than an untimely injury. But that’s exactly what Maddison has been dealt. On what was meant to be a day centred around the emotions of Heung-min Son’s departure, the midfielder was forced off the field within 10 minutes against Newcastle United. And now, he’s been handed the worst-possible news.

Set to miss the majority of the coming campaign in a World Cup year, Maddison has an almighty battle ahead of him as he aims to at least play a small part in Tottenham’s season.

Meanwhile, those in North London must react. Their frontline was already short on goals and creativity following Son’s departure and that issue has now only become more prominent following Maddison’s untimely blow.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Maddison

Son

Starts

21

24

Goals

9

7

Assists

7

9

Less than 10 days out from their first Premier League game of the season against Burnley, Tottenham must turn towards the transfer market and ensure that Thomas Frank’s side are set up to compete on all fronts.

To that end, names such as Jack Grealish are already reportedly on their transfer radar. The Manchester City star has looked destined to depart the Etihad since being left out of their Club World Cup squad and may now get the chance to decide between Everton and a move to Spurs.

He’s not the only Man City star on Spurs’ shortlist, however. It’s in North London that Grealish could be joined by an impressive talent.

Tottenham hold fresh talks to sign McAtee

According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Tottenham have now held fresh talks to sign James McAtee from Manchester City this summer. The young midfielder, like Grealish, is likely to depart in search of game time this month, allowing Spurs to take full advantage.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Aug 7, 2025

With Maddison’s injury leaving a void of creativity in Frank’s midfield, McAtee represents an ideal option for all involved in North London. In search of game time, the Premier League-winning midfielder would slot straight into Spurs’ current plans and perhaps go on to prove Pep Guardiola wrong in similar fashion to Cole Palmer.

After earning praise for a “fantastic” start to the year by scout Jacek Kulig, McAtee could yet end 2025 in a Spurs shirt as the Lilywhites continue to intensify their interest.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos ainda não vive calmaria após tempestade. A vitória sobre o Botafogo-SP na Copa do Brasil encerrou a sequência de três jogos sem vencer, mas não mascarou os problemas expostos em campo, principalmente os vistos na primeira etapa. Entretanto, no meio de um cenário desanimador para o torcedor santista, a dupla Eduardo Bauermann e Messias realiza feitos interessantes.

Dupla titular do Peixe em onze partidas neste ano, os defensores só foram vazados em três jogos, que foram contra Ferroviária, Palmeiras e Grêmio.

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+Cuca deixou o Corinthians: veja técnicos com passagem-relâmpago nos clubes brasileiros

Os últimos sete jogos do Peixe tiveram a dupla Bauermann e Messias no onze inicial e, ao analisar o recorte, os números ficam ainda melhores. Além do time não ter sido vazado em seis partidas, o único gol tomado não foi sofrido por conta de uma bola aérea.

Durante a disputa do Paulistão, praticamente metade dos gols levados pelo Alvinegro Praiano foram derivados de bolas paradas. Portanto, essa melhora evidente neste quesito é importante para demonstrar evolução no trabalho de Odair Hellmann.

Vale também ressaltar que nos últimos jogos, além de não sofrer com os cruzamentos, os zagueiros não fizeram feio nas investidas ofensivas. Diante do Blooming-BOL, Bauermann marcou o gol da vitória, mesmo feito realizado por Messias contra o Botafogo-SP.

O sucesso da dupla colocou Maicon e Joaquim, que eram preferidos pelo técnico do Santos na reta final do estadual, no banco de suplentes.

Na missão de ampliar o número de jogos sem ser vazado, Messias e Bauermann devem ser os titulares contra o América-MG, pelo Brasileirão. Em plena Vila Belmiro, o duelo será disputado neste sábado (29), às 18h30.