دافع المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، عن أحد لاعبيه بشكل قوي قبل مباراة يوم السبت ضد نظيره فريق إيفرتون، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستعد ليفربول لخوض مباراته في الجولة الخامسة من الدوري الإنجليزي ضد إيفرتون على ملعب “الأنفيلد”.

ويتعرض فلوريان فيرتز للكثير من الانتقادات كونه لم يثبت جودته حتى الآن، حيث لم يسجل أو يصنع رغم أن تكلفة انتقاله إلى ليفربول من باير ليفركوزن بلغت 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني كمبلغ ثابت، إلى جانب إضافات.

وقال سلوت، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية: “إن وصف فيرتز بالفنان فقط لا ينصفه، إنه فنان، ولكنه قد يكون شرسًا كذلك، وإلا فلن يصل إلى مستواه الحالي، إنه يبذل قصارى جهده هنا في النادي ليتطور أكثر فأكثر”.

وأضاف: “هذه هي العقلية التي يمتلكها، ويمكنك أن ترى هذه العقلية أيضًا عندما يفقد الكرة مرة أو مرتين، لن يختبئ، إنه يريد الكرة الثالثة والرابعة، في رأيي إنه يتأقلم بشكل جيد للغاية”.

وواصل: “يتحسن أداؤه مع كل مباراة، يحرص دائمًا على الاستحواذ على الكرة والاحتفاظ بها، ويحاول جاهدًا، ويتحسن مستواه باستمرار ويزداد معدل لياقته البدنية، لعل هذا هو الأهم لأننا لسنا مضطرين لتعليمه كيفية لعب كرة القدم، عليه فقط أن يتكيف مع مستويات اللعب الشاقة في الدوري الإنجليزي”.

وأردف: “لا نخوض نقاشات مطولة حول الرسوم المالية، أحيانًا ترى تصريحًا على سبيل المثال يخص فان دايك، وإذا قارنا سعره الآن بالتضخم الحالي، لقلنا أن قيمته باهظة للغاية، وهكذا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي.. والمعلق

واسترسل: “أرنولد كذلك، كان لديه شهر واحد فقط في عقده مع ليفربول ورحل إلى ريال مدريد مقابل 10 ملايين جنيه إسترليني، هذا هو واقعنا الحالي، ماذا لو قمنا ببيعه قبل عامين؟ كانت الصفقة حينها مقابل 240 مليون جنيه إسترليني، هذا هو الواقع الجديد”.

واستدرك: “سنواجه غدًا لاعبًا اشتراه مانشستر سيتي مقابل 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني (جاك جريليش) وهو الآن في إيفرتون، هذا هو العالم الذي نعيش فيه، ولا أعتقد أننا نتحدث عنه كثيرًا، ولكن أحيانًا على سبيل المزاح أو التعليق”.

وشدد: “ما يختلف بالنسبة لـ لوريان هو أنه انتقل إلى نادٍ جديد، حيث من المحتمل أن نتعامل مع الأمور بشكل مختلف تمامًا داخل الملعب وخارجه، إنه ليس الدوري الهولندي، وأعتقد أن الدوري الألماني يقع بين الدوري الهولندي والدوري الإنجليزي”.

واستأنف: “ربما يكون هذا أيضًا سبب حبه هو وإيكتيكي للقدوم إلى هنا، لأنهما يرغبان في اتخاذ الخطوة التالية في مسيرتهما، لدينا كل هؤلاء اللاعبين من الطراز الرفيع وعليهم أن يعتادوا على بعضهم، لا أعتقد أن الأمر يتعلق به أو بأي لاعب آخر يرى ما لا يراه الآخرون”.

واستدل قائلًا: “مهما بلغت مهارتك، عليك أن تعتاد على بعضكما، ماذا تريد؟ متى تظهر نفسك؟ كان ترينت أرنولد ومحمد صلاح مثالًا رائعًا على ذلك، إذا بدأ ترينت هجمة، كان مو يعرف بالفعل كيفية الركض في العمق لأن الآخر سيرسل كرة عرضية، هذه الأشياء تكتسبها من اللعب كثيرًا معًا”.

واختتم: “لذلك، على الرغم من تقديري لمدى جودته (فيرتز) كلاعب، لن أضعه في نفس المستوى مع البقية، هذا لن يكون منصفًا لبقية اللاعبين، ولن يكون منصفًا له أيضًا”.

Barbados’ Kensington Oval will host the CPL final for the first ever time, in 2026. Guyana, meanwhile, will host the final in 2025, marking the fourth straight year that the CPL final will be held at the Providence Stadium.In a press release on Friday, the CPL announced that it had agreed one-year deals with the two venues to host the final for the next two years.”I want to take this opportunity to wish Guyana Amazon Warriors all success on behalf of all Guyanese as we try to make it two in a row,” Mohammed Irfan Ali, the president of Guyana, said just before Amazon Warriors, the defending CPL champions, booked their berth in Sunday’s final. “To all the other teams we wish you well as we play together in unity. I am also very delighted to announce that Guyana will be hosting CPL 2025 finals.”Barbados Royals are two-time CPL winners, having last lifted the trophy in 2019.”Guyana and Barbados have been amazing partners for CPL over the last 12 years and it is really exciting to be able to announce that they will be hosts for the finals in 2025 and 2026 respectively,” Pete Russell, the CPL CEO, said. “We would like to thank the governments of both Guyana and Barbados who have agreed to play host to the conclusion of CPL.”Amazon Warriors beat Royals in the second qualifier, as quickfire knocks from Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Shai Hope helped them chase down 149 inside 15 overs. Warriors will now play St Lucia Kings for the title, on October 6.

Manchester United are looking to shape their future under Ruben Amorim and could now have a chance to offload one of their high earners, according to a report.

Manchester United pushing Mbeumo deal over the line

Matheus Cunha’s arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers came early in the window for the Red Devils. However, they are now all-systems-go in their attempts to land Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo.

The Bees have rejected two seperate bids for Mbuemo and are said to be holding out for a fee of £70 million. With the Cameroon international keen to link up with Ruben Amorim, it feels like only a matter of time before Manchester United break through on that front.

That could mean one or two of the Red Devils’ wide options are moved on, and former defender David May believes Alejandro Garnacho could be axed by Amorim alongside teammates Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford after leaving last term on a sour note.

He explained: “I want all the good players to stay at Manchester United but it comes down to whether they themselves want to play here. If you want to go and play somewhere else, you know where the door is.

“The manager will make the decision on Garnacho, on Rashford, on Sancho. If you don’t want to play for this club, you shouldn’t be at the club. These fans will back you 100%, but as soon as you start drifting, well, I wish you well.”

Manchester United’s first five Premier League fixtures

Arsenal (H)

Old Trafford

Fulham (A)

Craven Cottage

Burnley (H)

Old Trafford

Manchester City (A)

Etihad Stadium

Chelsea (H)

Old Trafford

Ollie Watkins has crept onto Manchester United’s hunt for striker. Again, it feels like any move to land the Aston Villa man could be contingent on outgoings, something the Red Devils may now have a chance to conduct if reports are to be believed.

Barcelona set to accelerate Marcus Rashford pursuit

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona have held personal talks to sign Manchester United star Marcus Rashford and the Catalan giants’ top brass believe he would be a marquee signing after missing out on Nico Williams.

The Athletic Club star has signed a new long-term deal at San Mames, leading Joan Laporta, Hansi Flick and company to a mindset where they believe pushing a deal through to sign £300,000 per week earner Rashford would go some way to restoring their reputation on the market.

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Despite leaving Old Trafford under a cloud in January, the England international thrived at Aston Villa by scoring four times and laying on six assists in 17 appearances across all competitions.

Although it won’t be an easy deal to conduct for Barcelona, their desire to reshape the ‘narrative’ of their summer window could be critical over the coming weeks.

Manchester United need sales to fund a rebuild, so there is scope for a handy deal to occur here between all parties.

Arsenal’s centre-forward problems can be traced back a number of years. Not since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was in his free-scoring pomp have the Gunners had a top-class central marksman.

Sure, Kai Havertz is a technically sharp and dynamic player, but he’s not an out-and-out striker, and Gabriel Jesus has never quite reached the pinnacle, for one reason or another.

This issue, Mikel Arteta’s most pressing concern, was illustrated across the 2024/25 campaign, with the lack of a prolific focal point proving fatal in the Premier League title race for a third successive season.

24/25

Kai Havertz

9

23/24

Bukayo Saka

16

22/23

Martin Odegaard

15

21/22

Bukayo Saka

11

20/21

Alexandre Lacazette

13

19/20

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

22

Viktor Gyokeres is expected to solve that problem and pose an insoluble question back to the club’s title rivals.

Arsenal's centre-forward plans

An official announcement is not yet upon us, but Arsenal have all but sealed the signing of Sporting Lisbon’s Gyokeres, who is expected to join the Emirates clan in a package worth £64m.

However, fans and indeed the powers that be in north London will no doubt have been rocked by the revelations over on Tyneside, with Alexander Isak informing Newcastle United that he would like to explore his options in the transfer market this summer.

Liverpool are the frontrunners, but BBC Sport have confirmed that Arsenal’s long-standing interest remains intact, and that the Gunners are one of the few outfits who are reported to have the budget to pull off a statement signing such as the Swede.

Newcastle aren’t going to roll over and allow their all-important number nine to leave without earning their due, and have priced him at £130m, which would eclipse the British-record fee Liverpool paid for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

Isak vs Gyokeres

Whether Arsenal manage to pull off deals for both Isak and Gyokeres remains to be seen, but there’s little question that it’s the man over at St. James’ Park who 99% of a Gunners persuasion would prefer.

Isak, indeed, joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in a £63m deal three years ago (the same ballpark as Arsenal have just paid for Gyokeres), and he has gone on to post 62 goals and 11 assists across just 109 outings for Eddie Howe’s burgeoning team.

Gyokeres, 27, has the statistical analysis on his side, from a goalscoring standpoint, at least. Indeed, the Sweden star scored 97 goals and supplied 28 assists across just 102 Sporting appearances over two years.

It’s certainly nothing to be sniffed at, but Isak is a “world-class” goalscorer himself, as has been said by pundit Alan Shearer, and he’s doing it week in, week out in the Premier League, surely a higher level of competition than the Liga Portugal.

Analyst Raj Chohan has even claimed that the Newcastle talisman is “the best striker in the world”, with his completeness and athleticism capable of rivalling even that of Gyokeres, who is his countryman and a physical machine.

The difference is that Isak is tried and tested, having led Newcastle to an extraordinary Carabao Cup triumph last year, beating off Arsenal in a double-legged semi-final before dispatching Liverpool at Wembley. He took centre stage at both events.

It’s a climactic point of the window for a number of Premier League teams, it feels like. Should Arsenal truly have the financial means to strike a deal for the £120k-per-week Isak, should they not pounce on it?

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Ecclestone, Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge turn in the command performances to order

Valkerie Baynes07-Oct-2024

When the going got tough, three of England’s most senior players stepped up to preserve their unbeaten start to the T20 World Cup.Sophie Ecclestone – the spearhead of England’s four-woman spin attack – contained a threatening South Africa with her 2 for 15 from four overs, despite their 124 for 6 making them the first side to pass 120 in Sharjah’s run-scoring desert. Then came Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt, two vastly experienced batters who shared a 64-run stand for the third wicket to see England home by seven wickets with four balls to spare, and give them two wins from as many games.Ecclestone has been at the top of the world T20I rankings for four-and-a-half-years, yet went wicketless in England’s tournament opener against Bangladesh.On Monday, South Africa were looking strong at 37 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, then Ecclestone entered in the seventh over and straight away enticed a thick edge from Laura Wolvaardt, although wicketkeeper Amy Jones couldn’t hold a difficult chance.Ecclestone returned in the 11th over and conceded just two runs while threatening the top of a struggling Anneke Bosch’s middle stump. Then, crucially, Ecclestone removed South Africa’s two most dangerous batters, Wolvaardt swiping across the line as the ball crashed into middle and leg and Marizanne Kapp, who was ominously poised on 26 from 17 balls when she charged and missed to hear the death rattle behind her.Sciver-Brunt said that England’s opening match against Bangladesh had taught them the best way to deploy Ecclestone in Sharjah, where the pitch has been slow and the boundaries are vast.”She’s a bowler that can bowl wherever in the innings,” Sciver-Brunt said. “Saving her for a couple overs for when batters really want to get after her, having had a go on that wicket already, we learned pretty well that’s what would be really difficult, and she executed that really well.”Both sides were left to rue chances and half-chances, and England’s run-chase spluttered early on before the senior pair hit their stride.When Maia Bouchier strode down the pitch and lofted Kapp down the ground for a one-bounce four, it was England’s first shot in anger, as they reached 8 for 0 after three overs.After the powerplay, England were 28 for 1, Alice Capsey having arrived when Bouchier was out lbw to Kapp and trying to get things moving with two boundaries off one Chloe Tryon over.Related

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Capsey’s soft return catch to Nadine de Klerk prompted Wyatt-Hodge to get creative. She lapped Nonkululeko Mlaba, though the shot only went for two, and tried a couple of times to launch Sune Luus down the ground before latching onto one over the bowler’s head for four.Her 41 from 40 deliveries had been the standout performance of England’s victory over Bangladesh, and her run-a-ball 43 kept England in a close contest against South Africa while being more patient than usual.”It’s funny because she’s been very frustrated for both of the innings,” Sciver-Brunt said. “She’s probably used to being 70 off 40, but the innings that she’s playing for us are so important, and just being able to hit it in areas that only she can [find] probably makes her quite difficult to bowl at, even in these conditions. Hopefully she can continue doing that and not get too frustrated.”Sciver-Brunt, by contrast, is characteristically unflappable, and she moved up a gear in the 15th over with twin leg-side fours off Kapp’s fourth.By the time Wyatt-Hodge was stumped off Mlaba, England needed 11 off the last two overs and two more boundaries from Sciver-Brunt, including the winning runs clubbed over extra cover off Ayabonga Khaka saw them home.”When I came to the middle, obviously we were a little bit behind the rate,” Sciver-Brunt said. “But I knew that [would change] if me and Danni stayed together, put a partnership together, ran really well. I think that from the first game, that’s something we really wanted to do, run really well between the wickets, knowing that boundaries are quite hard to hit on that wicket. The importance of running twos and then maneuvering fielders out the way so that you can hit into a gap a bit easier. That was the plan.”England’s next match is against Scotland on Sunday, meaning an extended period of down-time before they return to Sharjah again with qualification very much in their own hands.”Two wins out of two, we’re pretty happy,” Sciver-Brunt said. “We’ve got about a five-day gap now until our next game so we’ll be taking that time to reset, have a couple of days off and then go again. We’re really happy to get over the line today and I’ll just be celebrating that.”

Liverpool won the Premier League last season, and they are acting like it. Arne Slot’s side have spent a lot this summer, and there is more still to come, with FSG recognising the importance of consolidating this position of power.

With Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike on the cusp of sealing his £79m move to Merseyside, Liverpool have the Darwin Nunez upgrade they crave.

Though much work has been plied in the summer market, there is more to be done. Luis Diaz is slated to move to Bayern Munich, after all.

Should he leave, there’s no question that the Reds will need to find themselves a replacement.

Liverpool's shortlist of Diaz replacements

With Diaz looking more and more likely to leave Liverpool this summer, the likes of Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon have been touted as potential replacements.

The problem with such targets is that they would cost a steep amount of money. Perhaps too steep. While Liverpool could pull such deals off and remain within profit and sustainability good books, would it not be more worthwhile to target an up-and-comer for a shrewder figure, with so much quality already within Slot’s squad?

That’s why the Reds are seemingly ready to lodge a bid for Lyon’s Malick Fofana, who has been making waves in Ligue 1 over the past 18 months.

According to reports, the sale of Chiesa will advance FSG’s transfer plans, with the Belgium winger having been on Liverpool’s radar for many months. The Merseysiders are “expected to move for the Belgian” once the Italian departs.

Lyon value the 20-year-old as high as £51m, but Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes will be set on securing his signature for a cheaper fee, chopped into instalments.

Why Liverpool should sign Malick Fofana

Fofana is a top talent, but he’s not yet even sighted the horizon on which his full potential is surmounted. Still, across 62 appearances with Lyon (whom he joined from Belgium club Genk in January 2024), he’s scored 15 goals and supplied seven assists.

Last term, the versatile winger hit 17 goal contributions despite only starting 23 matches across all competitions.

There’s a long way to go, but Fofana might even emerge as an even bigger talent than Ekitike in the long run, who is at a further stage in their development right now, true, but with Fofana already doing as well as he has over the past few years, there’s little question that he could be among the finest wideman in football in just a few years.

And looking at how Slot succeeds at coaching young talents to incredible levels, this is underscored further. Journalist Antonio Mango has drawn attention to Fofana’s “game-changing potential”, while journalist Dev Bajwa has praised his “electric” pace.

Should Liverpool sell Diaz, this is the man to go for. And that’s without even shining a light on Cody Gakpo, who played with regularity off the left flank for Slot’s team last term and thus would ease the burden that a youngster like Fofana would shoulder when making their way onto the senior Premier League stage.

You need only look at Ekitike’s growth in recent years. The 23-year-old left Reims for Paris Saint-Germain in a £30m deal in 2022 (rejecting Newcastle United) where he got lost in the crowd and jumped over to the Bundesliga, with Frankfurt.

Ekitike’s final term in Ligue 1 was with PSG in 2022/23, and from that peripheral campaign you perhaps don’t get the most accurate gauge on his skill set during that youthful stage in his homeland.

But the season before, with Reims, makes a firmer comment. From that, we can examine the teenage Frenchman’s quality and see how he compares to Fofana, who turned 20 in March.

Matches (starts)

29 (16)

24 (15)

Goals

5

10

Assists

4

3

Shots (on target)*

1.1 (0.5)

1.3 (0.8)

Big chances missed

4

6

Pass completion

84%

71%

Big chances created

6

3

Key passes*

0.9

0.7

Dribbles*

0.8

1.0

Tackles*

1.1

0.8

Duels won*

2.9

4.1

Ekitike is a centre-forward, but he’s mobile and athletically dynamic. At that point in his journey, the soon-to-be Liverpool star was fielded out on the left, arcing inwards in a showing of that natural predilection for goalscoring.

Both, furthermore, are firm defensive presences, tackling at a rate that bespeaks their quality as their side’s first line of defence.

But goals are Fofana’s forte, and his innate clinical edge could see him become an even more dangerous force than Ekitike, who is three years his senior.

Fofana ranked among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for non-penalty goals scored and the top 2% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, perfectly illustrating that whipped blend of pace and potency.

It goes without saying that there would be a period of transition in which Fofana would not perform with the smooth completeness of Diaz, not look on the same level as Ekitike (who might himself require a bit of time to adapt to the pace of the English game).

But, nonetheless, Liverpool could strike gold by opting against spending something in the £100m ballpark on one of Gordon or Rodrygo and instead spending a more astute figure on Fofana, who is young and talented and hungry to prove himself.

It would be a better deal in the long run, and one which would see Liverpool enjoy the fruits of their labour which will have grown the wide forward into one of Europe’s most feared players all the same.

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He was Player of the Series against Australia and led England to victory in Cardiff

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2024Liam Livingstone has become the No.1-ranked men’s T20I allrounder following his Player of the Series performances against Australia.He has toppled Marcus Stoinis by climbing seven places on the back of 124 runs and five wickets in the two matches which took place with the decider at Old Trafford washed out.Related

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The series saw Livingstone move up England’s order to No. 4 having been used as a finisher during the T20 World Cup earlier this year and he enjoyed the chance to build an innings, leading England to a series-levelling victory with a powerful 87 off 47 balls in Cardiff.”It’s up to me to make sure I try to do as well as I can and give them a bit of a headache for the next series,” he said after the first T20I where he made 37 and took 3 for 22 in defeat. “I don’t think you’ll see anybody that wants to bat lower down the order.”I want that responsibility. I want to try to win games of cricket for England, and the higher up the order, the more chance you have of doing that. There’s less people that can play that role [at No. 6] and sometimes you’ve got to take it on the chin… [but] this is a chance for me to stake my claim.”His bowling proved equally important as he formed a key spin pairing with Adil Rashid which twice saw England claw back rapid Australia starts.Livingstone’s form has seen him earn a recall to the ODI squad for the five-match series against Australia as a replacement for the injured Jos Buttler.Elsewhere Travis Head cemented his spot at No. 1 in the batting rankings with 90 runs off just 37 balls across two innings in the series. Adam Zampa moved up one spot in the bowling rankings meaning the top six places are filled by spinners.Click here for the full ICC player rankings or the ICC team rankings