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Liverpool supporters are likely to be buoyed by some fresh remarks regarding the club’s January transfer business, as FSG line up a move for one of Europe’s brightest defensive talents.

Liverpool's centre-back issues under the spotlight

The Reds have looked flawed this season, with record signings Florian Wirtrz and Alexander Isak still bedding in and Mohamed Salah among those out of form, and they also look light on centre-back options.

Granted, Virgil van Dijk largely looks as good as ever, barring a recent dip, but he is 34 years of age and will need replacing eventually, while Ibrahima Konate has flattered to deceive and is injury-prone.

Joe Gomez is another player who is known for his fitness woes in his career, while highly-rated new signing Giovanni Leoni will cruelly miss the rest of the season after suffering ACL damage in the EFL Cup clash with Southampton.

Not only that, but Marc Guehi is now being linked with a move to Bayern Munich, and Liverpool’s failure to sign the Crystal Palace captain on deadline day is increasingly looking like a bitter blow.

The January window will give the Reds a chance to bolster their defensive options, with Bayern Munich’s Dayo Upamecano linked with a move recently, and now another Bundesliga player has been backed to come in.

Liverpool could sign another "phenomenal" England international with Guehi

He is having an outstanding period in his career.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 25, 2025 Liverpool "serious" about strengthening in January

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness, who is well connected on Merseyside and now reports for Football Insider, claims Liverpool could look to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck in January, with “serious movement” expected in the market.

“He’s proven to be the best defender so far this season in the Bundesliga. He looks to be a real talent and he’s the right age at 25. Look, there is no doubt Liverpool are working overtime right now trying to fix this defence. They’ve got to push the boat out in January.

“It doesn’t look as though it’s going to be Schlotterbeck now, but he could still be one of the targets, certainly. I do expect to see some serious movement in January from Liverpool, and they’re going to be spending where they probably hadn’t planned to because there’s some some cracks appearing. They’re going to have to get that defence shored up.”

A new centre-back does feel like a pressing matter for Liverpool, given the aforementioned options there, both in terms of form and fitness.

It often feels like a matter of time before Konate misses a chunk of action, and should Van Dijk pick up an injury, it would have the potential to completely derail the Reds’ season.

Appearances

4

8

Starts

4

8

Minutes played

360

720

Clearances per game

5.5

4.9

Tackles per game

1.8

2.0

Aerial duel wins per game

1.8

2.9

Goals

0

1

Assists

0

1

Schlotterbeck stands out as an impressive option alongside Guehi, but it remains to be seen if Dortmund let him go, and the likes of Arne Slot and Richard Hughes have a big decision to make when it comes to whether to wail until the end of the season for the ideal signing or not.

Ashwin, Jadeja and a group of quality fast bowlers have made India near-unbeatable in home Tests, but it won’t last forever

Sidharth Monga19-Jan-2024Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed cussedly saw off 50 of the 150 overs England needed to bat out to save the Visakhapatnam Test of 2016-17. England went into the final day needing to bat out 90 overs with eight wickets in hand. An hour of intense interrogation of technique and luck later, England were two wickets poorer and still looking at having to bat out another 90 overs, or possibly more, because India had bowled 21 overs in that one hour. And there wasn’t a cloud in sight.Just imagine how dispiriting it can be to take a brief break after 21 overs of breathless concentration and application, of trying to keep out two of the greatest spinners of all time, and finding out you have actually not moved anywhere in terms of bringing down your target. That’s Test cricket in India. Or, to be more precise, just one hour of Test cricket in India.Related

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To travel to India and win a Test series is possibly the toughest challenge in competitive sport. In cricket it definitely is. It’s easier to win an ODI World Cup. There have been three of them since the last time a visiting team won a Test series in India. It’s easier to win a World Test Championship: the two WTC champions have not even come close to winning in India in their championship cycles.It has been more than 11 years since India lost a Test series at home, a period during which Australia have lost three at home, England two, New Zealand two and South Africa four. India’s domination has gone deeper than just winning series. There have been zero drawn series over this period, and only one has gone into its final Test still alive: against Australia in 2016-17, at the deep end of a long, exhausting season for India. In more than 11 years, India have lost just three home Tests, achieving a win-loss ratio of 12, nearly twice that of the next-best home team in this period, Australia.ESPNcricinfo LtdThis dominance is primarily down to two all-timers. It seems like an age ago when we questioned the future of India’s spin bowling in the aftermath of India’s last series defeat at home, against England in 2012-13. R Ashwin kept getting cut frequently, averaging 53 in that series. Ravindra Jadeja had just made his debut as a batting allrounder at No. 6. These were spinners who had already made themselves names in the IPL. We worried who would carry India’s proud spin legacy forward.More than a decade later, we are looking at two of Indian cricket’s greatest match-winners, who have shown the craft, the fitness, the longevity and the hunger for excellence to make India the most formidable force at home in the whole of Test history. Captains have changed – three full-time ones – and coaches – four of them – have come and gone, but these two have remained the constants.They have played 49 Tests together, taking exactly 500 wickets between them in those Tests at an average of a little over 20 and an economy rate of well under three. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh took 501 together.Forty of the 49 Ashwin-Jadeja Tests have come at home. In these matches a wicket has cost India nearly 19 runs less than it has the opposition. That’s only a little over half the story. The real cheat code is for bowlers of this ability to have averaged nearly 40 and 22 with the bat in these Tests, on consistently testing, result-oriented surfaces.ESPNcricinfo LtdOppositions have sometimes managed to compete to the extent of having India four or five down at a similar score to theirs, but that’s when the worms almost always start diverging. India’s spinners maintain the intensity for longer with the ball, and they make more runs with the bat.There have been duos more prolific (Vaas and Murali with 895 wickets together), more versatile (McGrath and Warne with 1001), more storied (Wasim and Waqar with 559), more intimidating (Ambrose and Walsh with 762), or more enduring (Broad and Anderson with 1039), but none of them have featured two allrounders helping free up an extra bowling position. Ashwin and Jadeja have been so good it should be illegal.It can be argued that these two have been so good that at least three of the countries they travel to have started preparing pitches that eliminate their whole discipline of bowling. In the recently concluded series in South Africa, the hosts didn’t bowl a single delivery of spin. New Zealand has historically been a tough place for spinners, and England is moving more and more towards pitches that hardly need spinners, especially when India are visiting.Because India have a good fast-bowling attack to go with these two great spinners, the pitches in India don’t eliminate the fast bowlers as drastically. Nearly a third of the 852 wickets India have taken at home during this dominant period belong to fast bowlers. No other venue offers so much to its team’s weaker suit.ESPNcricinfo LtdWeaker they might be compared to the spinners, but India’s fast bowlers have been far superior to the visiting pacers in these conditions. If India’s spinners have been roughly 20 runs per wicket better than those of the visitors, the fast bowlers are not far behind with a difference of 17 runs per wicket. This is what happened when, for once, Australia’s Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe matched India’s spinners in 2016-17. The fast bowlers proved to be the difference.Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have been phenomenal at home. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma have been more than serviceable when they’ve featured. Jasprit Bumrah has hardly played at home, which might be a relief to oppositions because he averages less than 16 here. Mohammed Siraj has the attributes that should make him a dangerous bowler at home.ESPNcricinfo LtdWe must celebrate and cherish this dominance because not long from now a team will come to India with two exceptional spinners and a sturdy pace attack, and will catch the hosts in transition and put an end to the greatest series-winning streak at home.There are already signs that the dominance is waning. India last clean-swept a series of more than two Tests back in 2019. They have lost two Tests over their last four home series, after going 12 series with just one Test defeat. They registered their narrowest win since 2013 – even if it was by six wickets – last year. In the last home series, the unimaginable happened when they won a toss on a square turner and still lost the Test.The bowlers England bring to India this season don’t have the pedigree that Australia’s did in 2022-23, but their new style of batting might pose a challenge to a great duo that is showing signs of wear and tear. Bangladesh and New Zealand will visit later in the year. India cannot take this year for granted, but we will have seen some enthralling cricket if they have stretched their series-winning streak at home to 19 by the end of it.

Chelsea's automatic Champions League last-16 qualification hopes were dealt a blow after a 2-1 defeat at Atalanta on Tuesday. Joao Pedro gave the Blues a first-half lead, but a weak second-half display, which was summed up by Wesley Fofana's costly cameo, proved their undoing as goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere extended the Chelsea's run without a win to four games in all competitions.

On a night when Chelsea needed a win to put them in a strong position to finish in the top eight of the league phase, the visitors had to withstand a barrage of early pressure from their Italian hosts. But against the run of play, Reece James fired a delightful pass across the six-yard box, and Pedro was on hand to tuck the ball home in the 25th minute following a VAR review. Ademola Lookman twice went close for the Serie A outfit, but the Blues managed to get to half-time with a slender lead. 

Skipper James slashed a big chance just wide of the post shortly after the break, before Lookman had a goal ruled out for offside. But 10 minutes after half-time, Chelsea couldn't hold back the blue and black onslaught as Scamacca headed in De Ketelaere's pinpoint cross into the area.

And seven minutes before time, De Ketelaere completed the comeback when his deflected effort squirmed under Robert Sanchez after Chelsea backed off the Belgian. Pedro nearly grabbed an equaliser at the death, but the defeat saw the west London team drop to 10th in the table, two places outside the round-of-16 automatic qualification spots. 

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from New Balance Arena…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Robert Sanchez (5/10):

While he made some nice-looking stops, his parries or punches didn't really clear the danger. Perhaps could have done better for Atalanta's second, despite the deflection.

Trevoh Chalobah (6/10):

The makeshift right-back picked up a first-half yellow card, and as a result, he was withdrawn at the interval. Didn't do much wrong, though.

Josh Acheampong (7/10):

Pulled off a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny what would have been a certain goal from Lookman from close range and then timed a wonderful sliding tackle to frustrate the former Fulham man again in a first half full of maturity.

Benoit Badiashile (5/10):

Seemed to be doing a decent job, but he was part of a defence that conceded two soft goals as he stood off De Ketelaere for Atalanta's second.

Marc Cucurella (5/10):

The Spain international covered so much ground for his side and was often seen high up the pitch even when Chelsea didn't have the ball. But he didn't close down De Ketelaere quickly enough and paid the price.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Reece James (7/10):

The captain led by example in the first half, showing that he is more than capable as a midfielder yet again. He grabbed a great assist and worked his socks off in the centre of the park. Some of his shooting could have been better, though.

Moises Caicedo (6/10):

Wasn't quite at his usual excellent level, which could partly be down to missing his side's last two Premier League games due to suspension.

Enzo Fernandez (5/10):

The Argentine got into dangerous positions, but some of his finishing and touches in the final third were below the required level.

Getty Images SportAttack

Pedro Neto (7/10):

When he gets his head down and runs at defenders, he is a force to be reckoned with. Frequently caused problems and was unfortunate to be taken off just after the hour mark.

Joao Pedro (7/10):

After scoring just twice in his last 18 games for club and country, the Brazilian showed his poacher's instincts with his first Champions League goal. But other than that, didn't do a great deal.

Jamie Gittens (5/10):

The former Borussia Dortmund flyer has plenty of pace but isn't showing much outside of that. He was brushed off the ball too easily as well.

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Wesley Fofana (5/10):

Didn't track the run of Scamacca for Atalanta's equaliser and then took a stray boot to the face, leading to him being replaced himself.

Alejandro Garnacho (7/10):

Was more effective in his short display than Gittens was over the whole game.

Malo Gusto (5/10):

Got forward a lot, but didn't do much when in the final third.

Tosin Adarabioyo (N/A):

Didn't have much time to make an impact.

Enzo Maresca (5/10):

His substitutes didn't do a great deal and the Italian will not be happy with the way his side conceded their two goals. A big missed opportunity.

Kyle Schwarber is currently set to become one of the top free agents available this offseason. Schwarber, who is entering the final months of his four-year deal with the Phillies, made his third All-Star Game and leads the National League in both home runs and RBIs this season.

If Schwarber doesn't re-sign with the Phillies and instead enters free agency, could he join his hometown team, the Reds? Schwarber grew up within an hour drive of Cincinnati and rooted for the team as a kid.

"There's so many different aspects that go into free agency, everything like that," Schwarber said on Monday before the Phillies defeated the Reds 4–1. "Especially where you're playing at now and you feel like you wanna just keep winning with the group here. There's unknowns, there's a business, and whatever happens happens, but if you asked the childhood Kyle that, yeah, you know, why wouldn't you want to play for your hometown team."

Schwarber's future after this season appears to be up in the air, but it looks like he hasn't ruled out joining the Reds if he doesn't return to Philly. Schwarber did notably offer some positive thoughts on the team the Reds have been building.

"I think they're young," Schwarber said. "I know that they made some moves at the deadline. Made some trades for some pieces that will be here for a while. I think that there's a lot of things Cincinnati should be happy about. I think the future here will be bright for them. … I think there are a lot of things that are looking up here in Cincinnati."

Phillies managing partner John Middleton did express last month that they want to retain Schwarber. Staying in Philadelphia would make sense for Schwarber, who has helped the Phillies make three consecutive postseason appearances since joining the team in 2022. The Phillies lead the National League East by 5.5 games, and are in the thick of World Series contention.

If returning to Philadelphia doesn't work out though, joining a rising Reds team seems like a good option for Schwarber.

Tottenham were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a superior Newcastle United side at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night, and pundit Jamie O’Hara was quick to point out one player during the 90.

Newcastle 2-0 Tottenham

Spurs fell behind with 24 minutes gone when Fabian Schar met Sandro Tonali’s corner – which was delayed by Djed Spence re-tying his bootlaces – with a firm downward header, prompting ultimately-futile protests from the visitors that the defender had not been allowed to get back into position.

Thomas Frank’s side might have been level through their most fluent attack of the half 13 minutes before the break when Brennan Johnson headed the ball into the path of the unmarked Lucas Bergvall, but his cross fell behind Richarlison and the midfielder only just failed to reach Johnson’s driven ball at the far post two minutes later.

Aaron Ramsdale fielded Kevin Danso’s speculative effort and Richarlison’s header, but in the meantime, Harvey Barnes had fired against the crossbar after Thiaw had played a Tonali cross back across goal and his side headed in at the break with the slimmest of advantages.

Joe Willock should have extended Newcastle’s lead within two minutes of the restart, only to mistime and misdirect his header from Barnes’ cross, but he soon made amends after Malick Thiaw picked off Danso’s ball forward.

Willock crossed for Nick Woltemade to head past Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was stuck in two minds coming out to parry, with the Magpies doubling their advantage.

As Spurs pushed men forward in the search of a foothold, the hosts prospered on the counter, but they needed a superb one-handed save from Aaron Ramsdale to keep out Pape Sarr’s curling attempt on the hour and another to repel Richarlison’s clever flick from a Pedro Porro cross.

However, there was no way back for Frank’s men in the end, as Spurs went back down south with nothing to show for their efforts.

Jamie O'Hara slams "non league" Antonin Kinsky for Tottenham goalkeeping

Given what was a questionable bit of goalkeeping at best from Kinsky, with the Czech ace at fault for being in no mans land for Woltemade’s goal, O’Hara was among the many critics to take aim on social media.

This moment sealed Tottenham’s fate as Frank’s side went crashing out of the cup, and there is a serious case to be made that Kinsky’s fatal error of judgement cost the Lilywhites a place in the quarter-finals.

O’Hara, taking to X, blasted the 22-year-old’s “non league” goalkeeping standards right after Woltemade’s first and Newcastle’s second of the game.

There have been doubts surrounding number one Guglielmo VIcario’s ability to command his area this season, but the Italian’s exceptional shot-stopping against Monaco and Everton all but seals his place as Frank’s first choice keeper for now.

Going by his display against Newcastle, the young Kinsky could still have some way to go, though it is important to remember that the ex-Slavia Prague sensation is still in his infancy when it comes to goalkeeping years.

India’s wicketkeeper-batter has been remarkably good at what is less remarked on

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Nov-20231:58

Kumble: KL Rahul looks like he’s back to his original self

Someone to help you move your books to a new apartment, an ear to vent to about your battles at work, a pick-up from the side of the highway when your vehicle breaks down, an arm around your shoulder after a break-up. For these and other wholesome acts of friendship, call KL Rahul.Not seriously, because obviously he doesn’t have time for the likes of you. Although, you sense, perhaps he’d like to.It’s been that sort of World Cup for Rahul – a player who even at his strokemaking finest has the bearing of someone producing the sweetest and most thoughtful support act. In the match against England, as Rohit Sharma took the lead on raising India from 40 for 3, Rahul was massaging his way to a 39 off 58 as the two produced the most consequential stand of the match. Their 91 together was more than the scores of England’s top seven combined.Related

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Against New Zealand, his 27 off 35 had helped arrest a potential slide, against Pakistan he made a perfectly adequate 19 not out in a small chase. Memorably, against Bangladesh, he had partnered Virat Kohli in the late stages of a chase. When Kohli was nearing a 48th ODI hundred, and only a few runs were remaining to complete the chase, Rahul convinced Kohli that they shouldn’t take singles off his own bat, to leave Kohli with enough remaining runs to get to 100.Kohli, we’re told, had refused at first. But how could you say no to Rahul? “I said, I mean it’s not won but still I think we’ll win quite easily. So if you can get to the milestone, why not? You must try it,” this is what Rahul told soon after the match ended. “I wasn’t going to run the singles anyway.”Sometimes it’s not enough to just offer buddies your support. Occasionally, you must insist that they need you. You got your hundred in the end, didn’t you, big guy? See? Knew you had it in you.With gloves on, Rahul has occasionally been memorably spectacular, but mostly spectacularly unmemorable. The former when he dived down leg to pouch in the tips of his left glove’s webbing, a catch off the inside half of Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s bat that had been travelling especially rapidly. The latter, pretty much anytime else, gobbling the remaining five catches that have come his way, plus effecting a straightforward stumping against England.KL Rahul has stepped up with the bat in crucial times in India’s World Cup campaign•AFP/Getty ImagesPerhaps you could point to the six byes across six matches, or the missed half-chance off the bat of Daryl Mitchell off Ravindra Jadeja in the 30th over of New Zealand’s innings in Dharamsala. But that was a catch beyond the reflexes of all but the wicketkeeping geniuses.Rahul has instead willed himself to excel at the the dull stuff: keeping low, reading from the hand, getting himself into strong positions by making footwork the foundation of his keeping. When you keep this way, you dive only occasionally, draw little attention, but generally end up with the ball inside your mitts.In that Dharamsala match, he had also fired in an excellent under-arm throw to run out Lockie Ferguson, as New Zealand attempted a bye. Typically this came after Mohammed Shami had already completed his five-wicket haul earlier that over. Don’t steal your bro’s thunder; never leave ’em hanging.If Rahul’s keeping has not made major splashes elsewhere, it has certainly had recognition within the team. He has twice been the recipient of the “best fielder of the match” medal, for which India have had increasingly elaborate presentation ceremonies. It has also allowed India to strengthen their batting against spin, Suryakumar Yadav coming in following the injury to Hardik Pandya, with India happy enough with Rahul’s keeping to keep Ishan Kishan – who keeps wicket more often than Rahul at the lower levels – not required in the XI.Rahul is much more than just a support player of course; his 97 not out off 115 against Australia had been among the first rumblings of India’s campaign, which has since become an avalanche. In fact, this year the guy averages 74.70, with a strike rate of 84.69 – not beta numbers. There was also the hundred that came against Pakistan, in the Asia Cup.But when team-mates have bossed the limelight, and all that was required of Rahul was to do the little things that keep a team ticking, he has been remarkably good at what is less remarked on.

Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Tom Brady have been praised by Alan Shearer for "making a statement" with Wrexham and Birmingham in the EFL.

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'Hollywood derby' a massive hitAmerican owners bringing EFL more exposureShearer excited to see "great stories" in League OneWHAT HAPPENED?

The 'Hollywood derby' was a blockbuster hit as NFL legend Brady flew across the Atlantic to watch the Birmingham side he has invested in come out on top against McElhenney and Reynold's Wrexham by a 3-1 margin. It was a stand full of stars as David Beckham and Gary Neville were also present at St. Andrew's on Monday evening.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

It was a packed house and the series of tweet exchanges among the owners ensured that the hype continued to surge long after the final whistle. Shearer is excited to see the terrific buzz around this fixture and hailed the owners for their investment and interest in lower-tier English football.

WHAT SHEARER SAID

In an interview with former England and Newcastle striker Shearer said: "Staying in the EFL, when you've got high profile owners who are determined to make a statement, and when you look at what Birmingham have spent, and where Wrexham have come from to where they are now, they're both great stories. You're getting David Beckham sitting next to Tom Brady, with Rob McElhenney also in Birmingham on the same night, and the pictures of the three of them have been beamed all over the world, so it's great for the EFL."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM & BIRMINGHAM?

Chris Davies' side will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Rotherham in League One. Whereas, Wrexham will host Crawley Town on the same day at the Racecourse Ground.

Samson, who was traded in, is understood to open the innings for the team

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-20256:53

Samson-Mhatre CSK’s new opening pair?

Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to be Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) captain for IPL 2026. In a social-media post, the franchise wrote, “Lead the way, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad,” ending the speculations that Sanju Samson could be the captain.CSK had traded in Samson from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. He comes with plenty of captaincy experience in the IPL but will not lead the franchise. It is understood, though, that he will open the innings.

LEAD THE WAY, CAPTAIN RUTURAJ GAIKWAD!#WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/EawvX5k2yI

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) November 15, 2025