In the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, he made 816 runs at 74.18. He followed that with 674 runs at 56.16 in 2024-25
Shashank Kishore27-Jul-2025
N Jagadeesan will join the India squad in London by Tuesday•TNCA
N Jagadeesan, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper, has earned a maiden Test call up ahead of India’s fifth and final Test against England starting on Thursday at The Oval.He replaced Rishabh Pant, who fractured his right foot while batting in the first innings in just-concluded Old Trafford Test.Jagadeesan, 29, is understood to have received his visa early on Sunday morning and will link up with the squad in London by Tuesday. He will be a back-up for Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket in both the third and fourth Tests as a substitute to cover for Pant’s injuries – in the third Test, Pant had a finger injury.Related
Gambhir bats for injury replacements in Tests, Stokes finds idea 'ridiculous'
Jagadeesan has been on the fringes of the India A setup for a while. He has topped the run charts for Tamil Nadu two seasons back-to-back in the Ranji Trophy. In 2023-24, he made 816 runs in 13 innings at 74.18. He followed that with 674 runs in 13 innings at 56.16 in 2024-25.While Jagadeesan didn’t make the India A cut for the shadow tour to England, he’s been part of a wider pool of targeted players shortlisted by the BCCI’s centre of excellence over the past 12 months. As a batter, he’s also shown adaptability to play in different batting positions.He has built a formidable domestic record since making his first-class debut in 2016. He averages 47.50 and has aggregated 3373 runs in 79 innings, with ten hundreds and 14 half-centuries, with a best of 321 against Chandigarh in January 2024.Jagadeesan was most recently in action earlier this month for Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, hitting a 41-ball 81 in his last T20 innings on July 4. This will be Jagadeesan’s second tour of the UK, after having earlier led a Tamil Nadu Colts team last year.
O Superior Federal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) abriu denúncia contra mais um jogador do Botafogo. O atacante Diego Costa pode se tornar baixa para o técnico Lúcio Flávio em virtude de suas declarações ao fim do jogo no qual o Alvinegro perdeu por 1 a 0 para o Atlético-MG.
O camisa 19 pode receber até seis jogos de suspensão por ter criticado a conduta da arbitragem. Seu julgamento acontecerá no dia 19, uma quinta-feira.
+ A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!
Diego Costa foi enquadrado no inciso 1 do Artigo 243-F: “Ofender alguém em sua honra, por fato relacionado diretamente ao desporto”, mas com foco “contra árbitros, assistentes ou demais membros de equipe de arbitragem”. A punição pode variar entre quatro e seis jogos.
O atacante criticou a arbitragem por ter anulado seu gol na partida realizada na Arena MRV. Ao fim da partida, Diego Costa afirmou.
– Está claríssimo que foi gol legal. Acho que eles aí meteram a mão na questão da interpretação. Nem pensou, nem olhou muito. Sabemos que para a competição ficar mais atrativa tem que deixar o Botafogo mais próximo dos adversários – disse.
O técnico Lúcio Flávio pode ter mais dores de cabeça na reta final. Além do atacante, o lateral-esquerdo Marçal também será julgado no STJD.
كشف حساب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لكرة القدم عن الفائز بجائزة أفضل لاعب في الجولة الـ11 من المسابقة للموسم الحالي 2025/2026.
وشهدت الجولة مواجهات مثيرة للغاية، إذ حافظ آرسنال على صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج” برصيد 26 نقطة، رغم التعادل أمام سندرلاند.
وانتصر مانشستر سيتي على ليفربول في قمة هذه الجولة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بثلاثية نظيفة، بالمباراة التي جمعتهما على ملعب “الاتحاد”.
كما حسم التعادل الإيجابي مباراة توتنهام هوتسبير ومانشستر يونايتد بهدفين لكليهما وشهدت تسجيل كل فريق هدف في الدقائق الأخيرة من المباراة، ليكمل مانشستر يونايتد 5 مباريات بدون هزيمة لأول مرة منذ سنوات طويلة.
اقرأ أيضًا | كلاتنبرج ينهي الجدل حول هدف فان دايك المثير في مباراة مانشستر سيتي وليفربول
وتوج الدولي البلجيكي جيريمي دوكو بجائزة أفضل لاعب بالجولة الحادية عشر بعد الأداء المبهر الذي قدمه أمام ليفربول وتسجيله الهدف الثالث الرائع والتسبب في ركلة جزاء أضاعها هلاند.
وقدم دوكو أداءً فريدًا في المباراة وقام بالعديد من المراوغات على ظهير ليفربول برادلي الذي عانى بشكل كبير أمام الجناح البلجيكي.
مساهمات دوكو وتألقه ساعد مانشستر سيتي على احتلال وصافة الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 22 نقطة بفارق 4 نقاط فقط عن آرسنال.
Owning the left wing ⚡️
You voted @ManCity’s Jeremy Doku Player of the Matchweek after his electric display against Liverpool 🩵 pic.twitter.com/1R3IcVMf0W — Premier League (@premierleague) November 11, 2025
Liverpool needed a response after they were beaten in their own backyard by Manchester United at the weekend, thus condemning Arne Slot to three successive Premier League defeats.
And reply they did against Eintracht Frankfurt, winning 5-1 in the Champions League to end the losing run and turn toward a weekend trip to Brentford with fresh optimism
It was a rip-roaring attacking display. Defensive fragilities remain, but there are promising signs for Slot and co to grab onto and develop.
But for Mohamed Salah, the win in Germany was one of strife on an individual level. Left out of the starting line-up for the second Champions League match in a row, he entered late on and failed to get in on the action, finishing tamely when the opening was there to play Florian Wirtz in for a tap-in, thus handing the new recruit his first goal in red.
Salah's struggles continue
Salah has for so long been the indomitable hero at the front of Liverpool’s success. But this season, the 33-year-old is struggling, having scored only three times across 12 matches, and with no contributions across his past five.
Everyone anticipates his revival, but Liverpool’s win over Frankfurt came without the veteran in the starting line-up, and pointed toward a future beyond the legendary winger’s presence.
Last season, the Egyptian legend scored 34 goals and assisted 23 more across all competitions. He was the leading force of Slot’s title charge and won the full gamut of individual accolades.
The drop-off has been stark, and though Salah wasn’t performing with his same gusto and athleticism last season, he was sharper than ever and incredibly prolific. That wellspring has dried up, and it’s uncharted territory.
Mohamed Salah’s Premier League Form
Stats (per 90)
24/25
25/26
Goals
0.77
0.25
Assists
0.48
0.25
Shots taken
3.23
1.77
Shot-creating actions
4.51
2.65
Touches (att pen)
9.50
5.30
Pass completion (%)
70.6
69.0
Progressive passes
3.84
3.28
Progressive carries
4.14
3.16
Successful take-ons
1.55
0.13
Ball recoveries
2.70
3.16
Data via FBref
There is the fact that Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak’s respective arrivals have reshaped Salah’s role somewhat, with the elite marksmen commanding the box as Darwin Nunez and, in a makeshift role, Luis Diaz did not last season.
Salah is getting old. While he is still underperforming the expected level, the £400k-per-week superstar is entering the autumn of his glittering Premier League career.
And, with this in mind, Liverpool will need to identify a new proverbial talisman. Perhaps they already have.
Liverpool's new version of Salah
Salah will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic forwards in Liverpool’s history. He is one of the greatest Premier League players of all time.
It is only October, and the clinical winger will surely find form again soon, but there’s a sense he might struggle to outscore Ekitike, who looks every bit the perfect successor as Liverpool’s new star forward, even when pitted against a phenomenon like Isak.
Liverpool signed the 23-year-old Frenchman from Frankfurt this summer for an initial £69m fee, and he netted on his return to Die Roten this week to make it six goals (and an assist) for Slot’s side this year.
He’s brilliant. Ekitike is a deadly finisher, but he’s also so much more than that, with journalist Peter Bolster putting it perfectly.
The Liverpool writer said, “Ekitike’s got the pace of Torres, the touch of Crouch, the flair of Sturridge and the intelligence of Firmino.”
That’s quite a player, and it’s indeed fair to suggest that Liverpool’s slick striker may well be undroppable right now, especially when considering he started from the bench as the Red Devils struck a shocking blow against the Premier League champions last year.
With the rangy forward also ranking among the top 13% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months for shot-creating actions and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90 (as per FBref), it’s clear that the aforementioned Bolster’s effusions might just have some substance.
His rapid running, seamless link-up play and silky movements around the final third all emphasise the calibre of talent Liverpool have signed, and like Salah before him, he is resurgent after previously falling by the wayside for a top European outfit.
Salah flopped at Chelsea. This is well-documented. But Ekitike, too, has tasted regret for a superpower, having left Reims for Paris Saint-Germain at the start of his career only to score four goals across 33 matches before being shipped out to Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
There he made his name and was tutored into the player he is today. It is a similarity he shares with Salah, and he is a better player because of it.
Salah is too much of a world-class sensation to not rediscover his goalscoring form in the coming months, and with a player like Ekitike beside him, a stunning partnership could be forged to maintain the African’s levels across the final two years of his illustrious career in English football.
But Ekitike is coming for the crown. Few expected this would be so when Isak completed his British record move from Newcastle United to Merseyside, but the Sweden international has his work cut out if he is to shift ahead and stand as Liverpool’s star striker.
Perhaps the most exciting part is that Ekitike is only going to get better and better. Without a doubt, he has what it takes to take the baton from Salah’s hands when that rueful day comes.
Mac Allister upgrade: Liverpool preparing huge offer to sign £69m "monster"
Arne Slot’s Liverpool midfield is malfunctioning this season.
Glasgow Rangers are inching ever closer to finally appointing their next head coach after they decided to relieve Russell Martin of his duties before the start of the international break.
The Light Blues made the decision to part ways with the former Scotland international after a poor run of form that saw his side win five out of 17 matches.
Martin’s side, as illustrated in the graphic above, were simply not good enough across his time in charge of the Scottish giants, conceding a whopping 24 goals in 17 matches.
RangersReview reports that Kevin Muscat is close to finalising a deal to join the club from SH Port, and that an announcement could come this weekend.
The English-born tactician is set to see out the last three matches of the Chinese Super League season, with his team sat at the top of the table, before coming in as the long-term replacement for Martin next month.
Youth team coach Steven Smith will be in interim charge for the clash with Dundee United at Ibrox on Saturday, but it remains to be seen who will be in charge after that and before Muscat comes through the door.
What Rangers fans can expect from a Kevin Muscat team
Based on SH Port’s performances this season in the Chinese Super League, Rangers fans can expect a winning culture and entertainment from a Muscat team.
In the Super League, his side are top of the league with 60 points from 27 matches in a 30-game division, and have scored 67 goals in that time, eight more than any other team, per Sofascore.
Interim boss Steven Smith claimed that Rangers need a winner in the dugout in his pre-match media duties on Friday, which suggests that Muscat is the perfect man for the job.
The SH Port manager is on course to win a league title for the third time in his last four seasons as a manager, with his team sat four points clear with three games to go.
Kevin Muscat’s last five league seasons
Season (matches)
Points per game
Position
2025 (27)
2.22
1st
2024 (30)
2.60
1st
2023 (34)
1.88
2nd
2022 (34)
2.00
1st
2021 (18)
1.83
2nd
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Muscat is used to managing teams that are competing for league titles every season, and he has shown that he can coach a side to get over the line and win silverware.
However, supporters who were not too keen on the defensive set-up and record under Martin may not be too pleased to learn that SH Port have conceded 41 goals in 27 league games this season.
Muscat’s strengths are clearly in structuring a team to attack and score goals, rather than defend and cling on to 1-0 or 2-1 leads, and supporters will hope that that approach will be enough to turn the tide in Glasgow.
Whilst he may not officially link up with the team until next month, there are things that Steven Smith, or the next interim, could do to prepare the squad for Muscat.
Manager Focus
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For example, the SH Port manager typically deploys right-footed forward Ruofan Liu on the right wing to provide creativity at the top end of the pitch.
The 24-year-old has created nine ‘big chances’ and delivered five assists in 17 league starts in 2025, per Sofascore, and Smith must unleash Oliver Antman against Dundee United to be Muscat’s next Liu in the making.
Why Rangers must unleash Oliver Antman against Dundee United
Mikey Moore has started three of the last five Scottish Premiership matches for the Light Blues on the right wing, including the 1-1 draw with Falkirk last time out.
The 18-year-old attacker, however, has failed to provide much in the way of quality at the top end of the pitch for the Gers, with no goals and one assist in ten appearances, per Transfermarkt.
His only assist for the club to date was a short pass to Nedim Bajrami, who scored a screamer from distance against League One outfit Alloa Athletic, which suggests that he has yet to provide any moments of genuine quality in front of goal.
Antman, on the other hand, is a right-footed right winger who has shown glimpses of the creative quality that he can provide when he is at his best.
The Finland international has delivered three assists in 13 matches for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, since his summer move from Go Ahead Eagles, including one for James Tavernier in the Premiership in the clip below.
Antman, who reporter Chris Jack claimed has “feet like drumsticks”, also showcased his creativity in the Netherlands with Go Ahead Eagles in the 2024/25 campaign.
The 24-year-old wing wizard ended the season with a return of six goals and 15 assists in 32 Eredivisie appearances for the Dutch outfit before his move to Ibrox in the summer transfer window, per Sofascore.
24/25 Eredivisie
Oliver Antman per 90
Percentile rank vs wingers/AMs
xAG
0.34
Top 3%
xA
0.24
Top 16%
Assists
0.56
Top 1%
Key passes
1.87
Top 21%
Passes into the penalty area
1.42
Top 36%
Crosses into the penalty area
0.37
Top 32%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, Antman ranked as one of the most creative attacking midfielders or wingers in the league for Go Ahead Eagles last term.
This shows that he has the potential to be a Liu-type player for Muscat if he can unlock his best form in a Rangers shirt, as he has the creative potential to be a consistent threat as a right-footed right winger in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 system.
Therefore, Smith can warm him up for the next Gers head coach by playing him from the start against Dundee United this weekend, so that he can start to find his feet and gain confidence in Scottish football.
52 y/o who worked with Postecoglou now set to join Kevin Muscat at Rangers
The Gers have almost solved their manager problem.
كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن مقترح نقل مباراة منتخب مصر أمام جيبوتي في التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026، مؤكدًا أن هناك صعوبات مرتبطة بلوائح الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”.
وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأربعاء: “هناك مقترح بنقل المباراة إلى مصر، خاصة أن جيبوتي لا تلعب على ملعبها، وبالتالي سواء أقيمت في المغرب أو مصر أو أي مكان آخر فالأمر لا يختلف كثيرًا”.
وتابع: “المصادر تؤكد أن نقل المباراة يبدو صعبًا بسبب قواعد (فيفا) ومبدأ النزاهة والشفافية في المنافسة، وحتى إذا وافقت جيبوتي، فإن هناك احتمالًا كبيرًا بالرفض حفاظًا على مبدأ اللعب النظيف، الأمين العام لاتحاد جيبوتي صرّح بإمكانية إقامة المباراة في القاهرة، لكن يبقى القرار النهائي خاضعًا للوائح”.
طالع أيضًا | شوبير: كدت أجن مما حدث مع حسام حسن.. وبكاءهم بعد مباراة بوركينا فاسو معروف سببه
وأضاف: “من وجهة نظري لا توجد مشكلة في الأمر، فمنتخب بوركينا فاسو فاز على جيبوتي بسداسية في المباراة الأخيرة، وكان قد تغلب عليهم برباعية في لقاء الذهاب، بينما نحن أيضًا حققنا الفوز على جيبوتي بسداسية، وبالتالي لا أزمة إذا أُقيمت المباراة في المغرب كما هو معتاد”.
واختتم: “بالطبع إذا أُقيمت المباراة في مصر سيكون ذلك أفضل، لكن في جميع الأحوال لا توجد مشكلة، فالمغرب خاض مباريات في التصفيات أمام النيجر والكونغو على أرضه، سنرى شكل التحركات خلال الفترة المقبلة، لكن في النهاية سواء أُقيمت المباراة في القاهرة أو في المغرب، فكلتاهما بلدنا ولا توجد أي أزمة”.
ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر مع جيبوتي في الجولة التاسعة من منافسات المجموعة الأولى بالتصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم، حيث يتصدر الفراعنة الترتيب برصيد 20 نقطة من 6 انتصارات وتعادلين بعد مرور 8 جولات.
It seems like Everton are putting a real focus on reshaping their attack ahead of a historic season in 2025/26. The Toffees are set to move into the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and will be looking to build on the momentum they gathered under David Moyes at the back end of last season.
Thierno Barry will be one of their new attacking players in this new era. It has finally been confirmed that the Frenchman is now a new Everton player, following his £27m move from Villarreal. He replaces Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who left the club on a free transfer.
Thierno Barry celebrates scoring for Villarreal.
However, it appears that the 22-year-old will not be the only attacker to switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium this summer.
Everton targeting new winger
As well as looking to sign a striker, in the form of Barry, Moyes’ side seems set to sign a new winger this summer. It was reported earlier this week that Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo has emerged as a target, and they reportedly have someone else in their sights.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
A recent report from Turkey suggests that the Toffees are ‘following’ the movements of Benfica winger Kerem Akturkoglu, who is wanted by a couple of teams in the Premier League.
Indeed, the winger, who has strong ties to Galatasaray and would ‘not consider’ playing for any other Turkish team, is wanted by Nottingham Forest, the first English top-flight team to contact Benfica, and newly promoted Sunderland.
If Everton are to win the race for Akturkoglu, they will need to spend £38m, which is Benfica’s asking price.
Why Akturkoglu would be a good signing
The 2024/25 campaign, Akturkoglu’s first as a Benfica player, was an incredibly impressive season. He lit up the Portuguese top flight, and it is not hard to see why Everton are looking to sign him this summer.
Benfica's Kerem Akturkoglu in action with FC Barcelona'sFrenkiedeJong
In 53 appearances for the Portuguese giants, Akturkoglu contributed to 16 goals and 13 assists. That included the very impressive tally of 11 goals and 11 assists in the Liga Portugal, and an assist in the final of the Taca de Portugal, helping his side lift the trophy by beating Sporting.
It is easy to see why football scout Antonio Mango described the Turkey international as a “talented” player, having previously hailed him as “unstoppable” back in Istanbul.
Galatasaray forward Kerem Akturkoglu.
Indeed, it is not just at Benfica that the winger, who can play on the left or right-hand side, has performed so well. He played 179 games for Galatasaray, finding the back of the net 46 times and grabbing 42 assists.
He scored twice in the Champions League for the club, with both of those strikes coming against Manchester United, including this stunning effort. It will surely please Everton that Akturkoglu can be so effective against elite English top-flight sides.
For Barry, seeing a player with the creative nous of Akturkoglu walk through the doors at Everton after him must be a thrilling prospect. The new Toffees striker, who was born in Lyon, was on fire for Villarreal last season, with 11 goals and four assists in 37 games.
He certainly left an impression last term, showing good striker’s instinct in the penalty box, as the goal below shows. Everton have certainly missed that, with just two players bagging ten or more goals in 2024/25.
Well, Akturkoglu will certainly bring the creativity to the Toffees side, which can help make Barry unstoppable. The stats on FBref highlight some of those creative talents, with a standout number being his 0.67 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Portugal.
Akturkoglu key stats and rank 2024/25
Stat (per 90)
Number
Percentile rank
Goals and assists
0.9
95th
Assists
0.4
94th
Expected assists
0.33xA
94th
Key passes
1.84
85th
Shot-creating actions
3.46
74th
Goal-creating actions
0.67
94th
Stats from FBref
It is stats like those which show Akturkoglu could be the man to help up the goalscoring levels of this Everton side. The 26-year-old could well become Barry’s dream winger, with the way he is able to fashion goalscoring opportunities out of nowhere.
Of course, £38m is a large asking price, but Everton have shown a willingness to invest big money into their attack, and Akturkoglu could be the man to help take that to the next level.
Ndiaye 2.0 for Moyes: £35m star 'would love' to sign for Everton
David Moyes is looking to sign another attacking player this summer at Everton.
India captain dismisses talks of complacency in the wake of India’s 2-0 series loss
Shashank Kishore07-Aug-20245:39
India’s batting (except Rohit’s) against spin a sign of concern
“We need to talk about it.”That was India captain Rohit Sharma when asked if being spun out on dry Colombo surfaces to lose the ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-0 was a result of their lack of application against the turning ball. India lost 27 wickets to spin, the most by any team against this variety in a three-match series.”I don’t think it’s a concern,” Rohit said after India’s first ODI series loss to Sri Lanka since 1997. “But it’s something we need to look at seriously, into our individual game plans. We were definitely put under pressure throughout the series. We need to look into it, do something differently, need to talk about it and come back with different plans.”Rohit struck two half-centuries and was comfortably India’s best batter in the series. He provided barnstorming starts to every run-chase, but once the field spread, the ball got older and began to take turn, it became difficult for batters to maintain that tempo. Especially new ones. India’s middle-order were unable to find a way past this problem.In the series opener, India lost 5 for 57 after racing to 75 without loss chasing 231. On Sunday, they collapsed from 97 for 0 to 147 for 6 in a chase of 241. On Wednesday, Rohit struck 31 of the 37 runs for the first wicket before they lost 6 for 45.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Were India complacent?”It’s a joke,” Rohit responded. “When you’re playing for India, there’s no complacency as long as I am here captaining the team. It’s not going to be the case. You come here trying to win every game, give your best and find answers, but yes, we were outplayed. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due, Sri Lanka played better cricket than us.”India lost all three tosses and ended up chasing. In all the games, the amount of turn on offer under lights made batting progressively tougher. On Wednesday, with the series on the line, India strengthened their batting by including Riyan Parag in place of a second fast bowler in Arshdeep Singh.Related
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This meant Shivam Dube had to share the new ball with Mohammed Siraj. Rohit explained the shake-up in the bowling was dictated largely by the conditions, but also to an extent borne by the need to give some of the younger players opportunities. Parag, who impressed in the T20I leg of the tour with his assortment of legspin and offspin, was the pick of India’s bowlers with 3 for 54 on ODI debut.”We looked at the conditions and thought taking pace off is an ideal combination,” Rohit said. “Having said that, we also have a lot of players waiting in the wings. We have to look at some of the guys who haven’t got an opportunity. All in all, we didn’t play good cricket throughout the series, hence we stand here.”Were there any positives?”A few, like how our spinners bowled,” Rohit said. “But even though you want to look at the positives, I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. We will go back, chat about what we need to do when we come up in conditions like this.”India don’t play an ODI series until January against England leading into the next major global event, the Champions Trophy in 2025. They also have a longish break and don’t play international cricket until late September, when the home Test season kicks off with a series against Bangladesh.”A series loss doesn’t mean the end of the world,” Rohit said. “These guys have been playing good cricket for the past few years. Yes, we will lose a one-off series here and there, what’s important is how we move on from this and how we can come back.”
توقع كيليان مبابي، نجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، أن يفشل ليفربول في الفوز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لكرة القدم على الرغم من الانتقالات المذهلة التي أجراها هذا الصيف.
وشهد ميركاتو ليفربول نشاطًا هائلًا، بالتعاقد مع جيريمي فريمبونج وفلوريان فيرتز من باير ليفركوزن، وميلوس كيركيز من بورنموث، والحارس فريدي وودمان في صفقة انتقال حر، والحارس أرمين بيتشي، وأخيرًا هوجو إيكيتيكي من فرانكفورت، وألكسندر إيزاك من نيوكاسل يونايتد.
وقال نجم ريال مدريد لصحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية عن رأيه في تتويج ليفربول ببطولة الدوري مرة أخرى: “بالطبع، يجب ذكر ليفربول في المقام الأول لأنهم مصممون على الفوز بلقب تلو الآخر”.
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وأكمل: “لكن لدي أيضًا آمال كبيرة في آرسنال لأن لاعبي الفريق الأساسيين يعرفون بعضهم البعض منذ فترة طويلة وهذا عامل حاسم في كرة القدم”.
وأردف: “ومانشستر سيتي أيضًا دائمًا في المقدمة على أي حال مع بيب جوارديولا وإيرلينج هالاند”.
وبسؤاله عن توقعه للفريق المرشح للفوز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أتم: “الأمر صعب، ربما آرسنال، ربما يكون هذا موسمهم، من الأسهل علينا بالتأكيد أن نقول الأقرب هو مانشستر سيتي أو ليفربول”.
Liverpool are set to be in the market to add a new central defender to their squad after adding Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez to the group.
Wirtz and Frimpong have already been confirmed as new signings, both joining from Bayer Leverkusen, whilst Kerkez is reportedly on the verge of a move to Anfield.
Florian Wirtz
The Premier League champions will then need to find another centre-back to compete for a place in the team, because Jarell Quansah is set to move on from Merseyside.
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Bayer Leverkusen have agreed a deal worth an initial £30m to sign the England U21 international from the Reds this summer.
Quansah was the third centre-back for Arne Slot during the 2024/25 campaign, behind Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, which means that the club will need to find another player to fill that slot.
Liverpool have already missed out on one centre-back they were reportedly interested in, though, as Real Madrid snapped up Dean Huijsen earlier this summer.
Why missing out on Dean Huijsen was a blow for Liverpool
It was reported in May that Liverpool were preparing to make a bid to sign the Spain international from Bournemouth, but Real Madrid swooped in to sign him for a reported fee of £50m.
AFC Bournemouth's DeanHuijsen
Missing out on a deal for the 20-year-old defender was a blow for the Reds because he is a proven Premier League performer who could have hit the ground running at Anfield, having already showcased his quality in the division for the Cherries.
Huijsen started 26 of his 32 appearances for Bournemouth in the top-flight during the 2024/25 campaign, and his performances were impressive enough to earn a £50m transfer to the Bernabeu.
24/25 Premier League
Dean Huijsen p90
Percentile rank vs CBs
Progressive passes
4.89
Top 15%
Progressive carries
1.52
Top 9%
Interceptions
1.89
Top 4%
Blocks
1.48
Top 31%
Clearances
7.34
Top 4%
Aerial duels won
2.52
Top 23%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, the Spanish titan combined progressive play in possession with solid defensive work, as shown by how highly he ranked against his positional peers.
This further emphasises how much of a blow it was to miss out on the young centre-back, as he could have been a standout performer for Liverpool if he could carry that form over to Anfield.
Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen.
The Reds could, however, land an even bigger talent than Huijsen as they are now eyeing up a very talented teenage central defender as a potential signing.
Liverpool eyeing up Ajax star
According to the Athletic, the Premier League champions are mainly interested in a deal to sign Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi to replace Quansah before the end of the summer transfer window.
However, the report claims that the Reds will only press ahead with a move for the England international if the Eagles, who won the FA Cup this season, quote a reasonable asking price for him.
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The Athletic, therefore, adds that Liverpool are looking at alternative options to Guehi, and Ajax central defender Jorrel Hato has emerged as a target for the club.
It was previously reported by FootballTransfers that Ajax value the centre-back at a fee of around £43m, and that fellow Premier League side Arsenal are also keen on the Dutchman.
Slot should, now, push for Liverpool to secure a deal to sign Hato this summer because he is an even bigger centre-back talent than both Guehi and Huijsen.
Why Hato is a bigger talent than Guehi and Huijsen
The 19-year-old star’s progress with Ajax at an incredibly young age suggests that he has huge potential and could go on to be a top centre-back in the future.
Hato, despite not turning 20 until March 2026, has played a staggering 111 first-team matches for the Dutch giants. Huijsen, for reference, has only played 53 career games at the age of 20, whilst Guehi had played just 26 matches by the age of 19, and 71 games by the age of 20.
This suggests that the Dutch starlet is a bigger talent at his age than Huijsen and Guehi were, because he played more than twice as many games as the Spaniard and over four times as many matches as the Englishman at the same age.
Hato has also captained Ajax several times, at the ages of just 17 and 18, which suggests that he can bring leadership qualities at a very young age, just as Guehi, who is Palace’s captain, can.
24/25 season
Hato (Eredivisie)
Guehi (Premier League)
Appearances
31
34
Goals
2
3
Assists
6
2
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.6
2.6
Dribbled past per game
0.3x
0.5x
Ground duel success rate
51%
63%
Aerial duel success rate
55%
54%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old starlet also matched up well against Guehi at league level this season, despite being five years younger than the Eagles star, as he won a higher percentage of his ground duels and was dribbled past less frequently.
Hato, who was hailed as “immense” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also provides positional flexibility, as he has played 70 games or more as both a centre-back and a left-back.
Whereas Guehi has never played more than two matches away from a centre-back role, and Huijsen has never played any other position other than centre-back in his career.
This means that the Ajax titan would offer far more versatility to Slot, due to his ability to play at left-back, as well as the defensive and leadership qualities that he can offer.
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Overall, Liverpool could land an even bigger talent than Guehi and Huijsen because of what Hato has already achieved in his career at such a young age, and the quality that he can provide in the here and now.