As NWSL returns, league-leading Kansas City Current reportedly get stronger by adding USWNT star Sentnor
da roleta： Arsenal are in hot pursuit of fresh squad upgrades ahead of a crucial campaign for Mikel Arteta, with the pressure on for him to deliver major silverware.
Benjamin Sesko has now made "unusual" demand in Arsenal transfer talks
The Slovenia international wants something out of the ordinary.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 20, 2025
da betsson： It’s been five years since Arteta lifted his first major honour, which came at the end of his first season in charge of the Gunners. Since then, barring Community Shield wins, their trophy cabinet has remained barren, despite coming close on a number of occasions.
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)
Money on new signings
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
Man City edged Arsenal in each of the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 title races, with Arteta’s side battling Pep Guardiola until the very final day last year. However, it was close but no cigar, and Arsenal meekly surrendered the latest Premier League crown to Liverpool by a seismic 10 points.
After many seasons steadily building the project, Arteta has undoubtedly transformed the Gunners into an elite-level side, and this was evident in the Champions League last season when they put 15-time European champions Real Madrid to the sword.
The progress made has been clear, but Arteta has still come under fire for Arsenal’s lack of trophies over the last few years.
New sporting director Andrea Berta has been tasked with backing the Spaniard this summer, and Arsenal are set to sign both midfielder Martin Zubimendi and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (The Times) in what is a real boost.
However, their lack of a prolific striker is seen as a major elephant in the room. It is by far the position which supporters are most keen to see strengthened, with Berta working on deals for both Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Viktor Gyokeres convinced he's going to join Arsenal
The former has been central to a tense transfer saga, with Sporting publicly denying claims that Gyokeres can leave for £60 million and their president, Frederico Varandas, taking aim at the player’s agent.
The “underrated” striker’s 54-goal haul in all competitions last season helped the Primeira Liga giants lift their first domestic double in two decades, and Gyokeres won’t be leaving for Sporting until one of his suitors meets his asking price.
Arsenal do possess a trump card, namely reliable reports that Gyokeres is prioritising a switch to the Emirates Stadium (Fabrizio Romano).
Now, as per talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Gyokeres is apparently convinced that he’ll join Arsenal, and has even made this clear to his close circle.
“I had a message 24 hours or so ago suggesting that Viktor Gyokeres has told friends and family he expects to join Arsenal,” said Crook on talkSPORT Breakfast earlier this week.
“We know that Manchester United are interested in signing him as well, obviously there is that pre-existing relationship with Ruben Amorim.
“But Arsenal can offer Champions League football, maybe can offer a tilt at the title next season. Sporting are going to play hardball, there’s been a fallout between Gyokeres and the club because his agent has suggested that they had a gentleman’s agreement he could leave for £60million, I think they’re looking for nearer £80m.
“Arsenal are juggling both him and Benjamin Sesko, they’ve opened talks with Leipzig as well but at the moment, I would say Gyokeres looks the more likely.”
The player’s willingness is crystal clear at this point, but Sporting’s demands remain a major roadblock, so it will be very interesting to see how this consistently evolving story unfolds over the coming weeks.
As the Royal London Cup comes to Gosforth, it is a reminder of the strength of the club scene in England’s north east
Paul Edwards29-Apr-2019″I tell you what, there’s still a lot of passion for cricket in the north east,” says Steve Chapman. “We have three Saturday teams, an Academy team on Sundays, a midweek/senior team, a women’s team, an Under-14s girls team, two Under -15s teams, three Under-13s, three Under-11s, Under-9s softball and we’re starting a women’s softball team this year.”Chapman is the director of coaching at South Northumberland CC and Durham’s batting coach. He knows whereof he speaks. And another manifestation of commitment will be seen on Tuesday when South North hosts Durham’s Royal London Cup match against Lancashire. The ground can be found at the end of Roseworth Terrace and the two ends are named Grove and Park. This is no exercise in pastoral irony. The club’s home is in Gosforth, one of Newcastle’s more prosperous and most blossomed suburbs. Until he was made Durham’s director of cricket last year Marcus North was chief-executive at South North, whose first-teams have won five national competitions since 2006. The club has a powerful claim to be the strongest in the country.But the immediate validity of that claim will be tested in less than a fortnight when South North meet one of their great rivals, Chester-le-Street, in the next round of the Royal London Club Championship. The Durham club’s Ropery Lane home is a few hundred yards from the Riverside and its players are also well used to September’s great stages, when trophies beyond the ambition of most recreational cricketers are handed out.
There is a legacy of the mining villages each having a football team and a cricket team and largely those clubs are still the focus of the communityJohn Windows, Durham academy manager
Yet when debates take place about the strongest club cricket in England how many people mention the north east of England? And how many of those are aware that while South North and Chester may currently be at the apex of the pyramid, there are a host of other clubs, some relatively small, who sustain the game in an area usually associated with the mania of its football supporters?”It’s a strong community,” says John Windows, the manager of Durham’s academy and a former Northumberland player. “There is a legacy of the mining villages each having a football team and a cricket team and largely those clubs are still the focus of the community. The pits have gone, the banks have closed but the clubs are still there and I think cricket in the north east is based in them. There are a lot of small clubs that give more opportunities to youngsters than might be the case elsewhere in the country. Durham’s been fortunate to reap the rewards of that talent and that system.”England, too, of course. Both Steve Harmison and Mark Wood learned their cricket at Ashington while a young Paul Collingwood quickly established his second home at Shotley Bridge. “I think it’s the biggest factor,” he said when asked by Stuart Rayner to identify what part league cricket played in the success of Durham’s academy. “My life was at Shotley Bridge…literally seven days a week. I’d come home from school, put down my bags and walk to Shotley, whether to help my dad on the roller, or to get into the nets.”Paul Collingwood grew up playing at Shotley Bridge CC•Getty ImagesRayner’s fine recent book painstakingly chronicles the building and rebuilding of Durham following their “rescue” by the ECB in 2016, It is littered with mentions of local clubs in the north east where Durham’s many home-grown cricketers learned their skills. However, this is not to say there is no distinction between Northumberland and Durham. Such carelessness could endanger one’s health in an area renowned for its deep allegiances. After all, Northumberland remains, in cricketing terms, a minor, although soon to be “national”, county as part of an ECB revamp, and when presented with a choice between representing their club in a national competition or their county, most players choose the former.”Wearing my Northumberland hat, I think we would have the right to say that if you decline to play for the minor county, you aren’t allowed to play for your club side,” says Gordon Halliday, who manages to combine being secretary of South North with chairmanship of Northumberland. “But in practice we’ve never enforced that. We encourage clubs to release their players and some are better at it than others. In two weeks’ time South North are playing Chester-le-Street, and I would expect that two lads won’t be available for Northumberland’s game against Cheshire. We do have some clubs whose main priority is to win national competitions.”It is not difficult to recognise South Northumberland as one the relatively limited number of sides in England who enter national competitions with a realistic chance of winning them. Roseworth Terrace boasts a five-lane indoor school which would be the envy of some counties. Chapman attests that over 30 clubs use the facility each winter and points out that the site effectively houses two businesses: the cricket club and the cricket centre. And he is quick to deny any suggestion that any players disrespect minor counties cricket.”South North, like every Northumberland club, is proud of the minor county and we try to support them as much as possible,” he said. “We are unique in the facilities we can offer and we extend the county as much respect and courtesy as we can. We look up to the county rather than look down on it.”Roseworth Terrace hosting an England U19s game•Getty ImagesPerhaps it is also fair to say that some clubs in the north east also look up to South North. Chapman, who was born in Crook, County Durham, identifies it as the establishment club, although its status has been earned by excellence rather than privilege. “We have four or five lads in our first team that would walk into North East Premier League first teams but they like to play at South North, they like what the club’s about,” he says. “It’s a bit old school because people think I’ll play in the second team and if I’m good enough for the first team, I’ll get picked for it.”Of course, it might be argued that old school is out of fashion and that changing leisure habits mean it’s less easy for captains of, say, third teams to put out competitive sides. The north east is not immune from those pressures but one is still impressed by the vibrancy of the club game in this area. And it is not absurd to think that when Roseworth Terrace welcomes Lancashire’s cricketers, the game will, in its way, symbolise the strength of cricket in a region paid too little attention by national media.That strength has a rich heritage; Halliday does not need too much prompting to talk of the era when Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop played for Tynedale. But the introduction of Premier Leagues has helped clubs in the north east to compete with the best that London, Yorkshire and the rest can put out. And if you want to be reassured that Durham will complete its recovery from the great duffing-up of 2016, you might do worse than visit Ashington, Hetton Lyons, Shotley Bridge. Or there is Gateshead Fell, Sacriston, Blaydon, Benwell Hill, Percy Main, Boldon. The collieries once associated with one or two of these places are gone but the cricket clubs remain. Their survival is a cause for celebration as we greet another glad season.
Liverpool have entered the fray to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, potentially disrupting Newcastle United's long-standing pursuit of the 22-year-old striker having made their interest known in the Magpies' Alexander Isak. The Merseyside giants have initiated contact with the Bundesliga club, seeking to open negotiations.
Liverpool set sights on FrankfurtNewcastle are also vying for his servicesThe Reds are tracking Alexander Isak as wellFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Newcastle, who have tried on two previous occasions to bring Ekitike to St. James’ Park, had a recent offer believed to be worth around €75 million (£65m/$87m) rebuffed by Frankfurt, according to . With the Magpies’ attempts again facing resistance, Liverpool have moved swiftly to explore their own interest.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Liverpool's renewed focus on strengthening their attacking options has gained urgency after their attempt to sign Newcastle's Isak met resistance. They have seemingly made public their willingness to offer up to £120m ($161m) for the Swedish forward, but Newcastle’s firm stance that the striker is not available has complicated matters. Moreover, the player himself has not communicated his desire to leave the club, but if Liverpool continue to push, there might be a change in the scenario, as revealed by The report also claims that the Geordies are determined to make their own statement by landing Ekitike, having held positive talks.
DID YOU KNOW?
With both Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz potentially on their way out, Liverpool have made acquiring a top-tier centre-forward a priority. Ekitike fits the bill after his impressive output last season – 22 goals and 12 assists across 48 appearances in all competitions – played a key role in Frankfurt securing a third-place finish in the Bundesliga.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
Having already brought in Florian Wirtz and promising talents like Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and Armin Pecsi, spending a combined £185m ($247m), Liverpool are still prepared to invest further. With financial expert Kieran Maguire confirming Liverpool's healthy PSR standing and revenue streams, the Reds are well-positioned to fund another marquee signing without regulatory issues. While Isak remains their top priority, Ekitike is increasingly seen as a realistic, high-upside alternative who could flourish under Arne Slot’s guidance.
Captain’s 76 not enough as Gloucestershire defend 251 at York
ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2024
Ollie Price added a half-century•Getty Images
Ollie Price’s watchful 98 off 118 balls plus a feverish bowling display led by three-wicket quick Matt Taylor led Gloucestershire to an entertaining win over Yorkshire at York as they successfully defended a 252-target to triumph by 36 runs.Price had underpinned Gloucestershire’s 251 for 9, while opener Miles Hammond leant support with 54. But the visitors added only 85 runs in a damaging final 15 overs which saw seven wickets fall.The Vikings responded on a challenging batting pitch, with new-ball seamer Ben Coad (2 for 27 from 10 overs) particularly impressive as one of four bowlers who struck twice.Shan Masood and James Wharton hit 76 and 56 respectively to leave Yorkshire well placed, but they slumped from 137 for 2 to 215 all out inside 48 overs. Left-armer Taylor finished with 3 for 35 off 10. Both counties have now won two, lost two in Group B.Gloucestershire elected to bat on the same hybrid pitch used for Yorkshire’s Wednesday win over Sussex, and they showed early caution against accurate bowling. After Cameron Bancroft’s early departure, caught behind off Coad, Hammond and Price advanced impressively as extra bounce was evident without extra pace.They rotated strike amidst an 88-run partnership, and a feature of Price’s innings was his sweeping and reverse-sweeping against spin. But the reverse against Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin was Hammond’s undoing, bowled shortly after reaching his 84-ball fifty. By then, Price had also reached 50 off 65.Price beautifully drove two boundaries almost arrow straight off Ben Cliff’s seam in the 34th over before, at the start of his next, James Bracey hoisted the same bowler over long-on for one of only two sixes in the entire innings. However, Gloucestershire’s acceleration was shackled, as four wickets fell for 19 from 172 for 2 in 36th over to 191 for 6 in the 41st.Cliff struck twice in an action-packed 36th as Bracey played on and Ben Charlesworth was caught behind. Coad then forced Jack Taylor to play on, as did Moriarty to Graeme van Buuren. Tom Smith added a useful 27, but Price was yorked by George Hill as the visitors only just crept over 250.Wickets continued to fall as Yorkshire replied. Fin Bean was bowled off the inside-edge as he left Matt Taylor alone before Ajeet Singh Dale bowled Will Luxton shortly afterwards, the Vikings 24 for 2 in the seventh over.Masood and Wharton set about a no-frills recovery, sharing a third-wicket 113. Masood hit 63 in Wednesday’s Sussex win, and by the time his latest half-century arrived off 52 balls, Yorkshire were on a healthy 94 for 2 in the 21st.Acceleration came when they hit three leg-side sixes off the spin of Price and van Buuren, taking the score to 117 for 2 in the 23rd. It was now Yorkshire’s game to lose. But that’s exactly what happened.Matt Taylor had Masood caught behind and bowled Hill in successive overs before Harry Duke pulled Dom Goodman’s seam to midwicket – 147 for 5 in the 33rd.Wharton reached his fifty off 78 balls, but him crawling through the 40s heightened home nerves. It was, therefore, no great surprise when he miscued Smith’s left-arm spin to backward point, leaving the Vikings six down at 163.That became 176 for 7 in the 39th when Singh Dale trapped Dom Bess lbw. Now it was Gloucestershire’s game, and they didn’t let things slip.Coad was run out before Matthew Revis, for 41, and Moriarty were caught in the deep off Goodman and van Buuren.
Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes wants to use funds from Florian Wirtz’s mega sale to create a title-winning team.
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Bayer Leverkusen's new recruitment strategy revealedSporting director Rolfes wants stellar teamBundesliga club could add more playersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Leverkusen want to use the £116 million ($158m) generated from Wirtz’s transfer to Liverpool to fund potential player recruitment and build a side that would fight for major accolades and challenge Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, who have established a near-monopoly when it comes to the domestic league. The club’s current recruitment strategy is to buy quality players who can deliver immediate results and have the potential to develop themselves.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Liverpool pulled off perhaps the biggest summer deal in recent times by agreeing to pay the aforementioned hefty sum to sign German midfielder Wirtz and bolster their attack. Leverkusen, who have sold players like Kai Havertz and Moussa Diaby in the past, cashed in on not only Wirtz but also Jeremie Frimpong this summer, generating a lot of revenue which could bolster their transfers in the coming weeks.
WHAT ROLFES SAID
Rolfes told Sports Bild (via Sky Sports): “Now it is our aim to use the transfer fee for Florian to build the next title-winning team. Our goal is to always be among the top four in the league and to be able to win titles.”
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LEVERKUSEN?
After the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag, Leverkusen have completed five signings so far in the form of Mark Flekken, Abdoulaye Faye, Ibrahim Maza, Tim Oermann, and Axel Tape, and would like to add more players to prepare their team for yet another title tilt, after winning the league in 2024.
The former Australia opener has confirmed his brother passed away earlier this year
ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2024
Joe Burns was left off Queensland’s contract list for next season•Getty Images
Former Australia batter Joe Burns has revealed a tribute to his brother who passed away earlier this year as he embarks on a new chapter to his career by playing for Italy.Burns, 34, was dropped by Queensland last season and did not earn a place on their 2024-25 contract list. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Burns went public about the death of his brother, which occurred in February, alongside an image of his Italy shirt bearing the number 85 which was his brother’s in club cricket.”This isn’t just a number and this isn’t just a jersey. This is for the people who I know will be looking down proudly from above,” he wrote.”In February of this year my brother sadly passed away. 85 was his number in the last team he played (and his birth year) for the mighty Northern Federals in sub-districts.”The days, weeks and months since my brother’s death have been the toughest I could ever imagine. I’m not too proud to admit that it’s been a daily battle that I often lose.”While a part of my soul feels like it will always be missing, I know this shirt will carry on his spirit and give me strength.”It’s the hours playing as kids and connection with him that taught me to love this game.” Burns qualifies for Italy through his mother’s heritage and is now set to feature in the sub regional qualifiers as part of the pathway to the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup. Italy are grouped with France, Isle of Man, Luxembourg and Turkey in group one with matches to take place between June 9-16 in Rome.”I often reflect on the bravery and commitment it must have taken my Grandparents when they left Italy to start a new life in Australia,” he wrote. “They found a way to make it work through adversity and this has always given me solace through life’s lessons. I’m so proud to represent Italy on our path to the 2026 World Cup.”Burns was averaging 37.16 in the Sheffield Shield when he was dropped by Queensland – in what overall was a challenging season for batters – but is now without any professional deals in Australia with his Melbourne Stars contract having also expired.In 23 Tests he made four centuries, averaging 36.97, with his last appearance coming against India in late 2020.
First-wicket pair put on 99 inside eight overs, including Hughes’ 32 off six balls
ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2024Sussex 181 for 2 (Ward 68, Hughes 47, Simpson 45*) beat Essex 178 for 9 (Elgar 54, Pepper 51, McAndrew 3-33) by eight wicketsA masterful exhibition of stunning hitting from openers Harrison Ward and Daniel Hughes gave Sussex the platform to an eight-wicket victory with 26 balls to spare against an Essex team who had axed their Vitality Blast captain Simon Harmer.The first-wicket pair put on 99 inside eight overs – including 32 from a Daniel Sams over – as 10 sixes rained down all around the Chelmsford ground. The Australian Hughes claimed four of them in his 18-ball 47, and Ward chipped in with three in his 68 from 36.However, it was left to John Simpson to hit Luc Benkenstein for 10 off two balls in the 16th over to complete Sussex’s fourth success in five Blast matches this season.In turn, Essex, put in, failed to post the sort of score that might have been expected after Dean Elgar anchored two fifty-run stands with stand-in captain Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper. However, when Pepper was dismissed for a 26-ball 51, it precipitated a clatter of eight Essex wickets for 54 runs in 43 balls. They finished on a decidedly below-par 178 for 9.Ward and Hughes went off like trains as they hammered eight fours in 11 balls from Shane Snater and Aaron Beard. It did not stop there. After Ben Allison arrested the onslaught with just five conceded off the fourth over, Sams was dumped for 644666 in an incredible over of power hitting from Hughes. At one stage the pair had hit 50 from nine balls.Hughes had raced to 47 when he swept Matt Critchley into deep square-leg’s hands. By the halfway point, Sussex required just 50 runs more for a facile win, but they lost Ward, caught behind off Allison, the one bright spark with the ball on a dismal evening for the home team.However, the pre-match news that Harmer – who would have been playing his 100th T20 game for Essex – had been omitted from the team, rested or dropped depending on who you asked, was almost as seismic as the on-field carnage if not totally surprising: he had not taken a wicket in Essex’s first five Blast games and contributed just 17 runs with the bat.Rossington helped Elgar put on 50 for the first wicket inside six overs, though the captain’s contribution was 16 from 11 balls before he got an inside edge as he attempted to swipe Ollie Robinson out of the ground.Elgar had survived a drop at slip by Tom Alsop on nought, but while he outscored Rossington, he was comprehensively outgunned by Pepper for the second fifty stand of the innings. Pepper hammered 40 of those runs, including four sixes to different parts of the ground off the Sussex spin pair, Danny Lamb and James Coles.Pepper reached his half-century from 24 but two balls later he lofted Nathan McAndrew to backward square leg to precipitate the collapse. McAndrew struck again when his next delivery had a bemused Jordan Cox bowled.Paul Walter became a third wicket in five balls as he advanced down the wicket against Jack Carson and was stumped. Elgar reached his fifty with a straight six, but again fell almost immediately, lobbing Coles tamely to mid-on.The earlier onslaught became a distant memory as Matt Critchley swished at Coles and was bowled, Sams departed to a catch at deep square leg, giving McAndrew another wicket, and Benkenstein attempted a reverse sweep and lost his off-stump the ball after hitting Robinson for six over midwicket. Carson took a third catch in the match, dismissing Snater at deep mid-on.
أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لفريق بيراميدز، قائمة لاعبيه لمباراة أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي، التي ستجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال.
ويستضيف بيراميدز نظيره أوكلاند سيتي بطل أوقيانوسيا، على استاد الدفاع الجوي في إطار الدور الأول من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال.
ويشارك بيراميدز في نسخته الأولى من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال التي ينظمها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، بصفته بطل إفريقيا حامل لقب النسخة الأخيرة من دوري الأبطال.
طالع أيضاً.. يورتشيتش: طموح بيراميدز بلا حدود في كأس إنتركونتيننتال.. وأرفض التقليل من أوكلاند
يذكر أن الفريق المتأهل من مواجهة بيراميدز وأوكلاند سيتي سيواجه نظيره الأهلي السعودي بطل آسيا في مدينة جدة يوم ٢٣ سبتمبر الجاري في المرحلة الثانية، على لقب كأس القارات الثلاث.
وتنص لائحة كأس إنتركونتيننتال على أن تضم قائمة كل فريق في المباراة 23 لاعبًا حيث سيجلس 12 لاعبًا على دكة البدلاء خلال اللقاء. قائمة بيراميدز لمباراة أوكلاند سيتي في كأس إنتركونتيننتال
حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي – محمود جاد – شريف إكرامي.
خط الدفاع: علي جبر – أحمد سامي – أسامة جلال – كريم حافظ – محمد الشيبي – محمد حمدي.
خط الوسط: أحمد توفيق – محمود دونجا – مهند لاشين – عبد الرحمن مجدي – أحمد عاطف قطة – مصطفى زيكو – إيفرتون داسيلفا – محمد رضا بوبو – محمود زلاكة – محمد بلاتي توريه – وليد الكرتي – رمضان صبحي.
خط الهجوم: دودو الجباس – يوسف أوباما – فيستون ماييلي – مروان حمدي.
Nottingham Forest are having a brilliant campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo and there is every chance their progress could secure Champions League football, which is bound to appeal to prospective summer targets.
Nottingham Forest could enjoy a transformational summer window
At the beginning of the season, there wouldn’t have been too many Premier League fans who would’ve had Nottingham Forest on their bingo card to finish in the Champions League slots.
Nevertheless, the Tricky Trees have put themselves in a remarkable position with nine matches left to play, potentially paving the way for an exciting market period at the City Ground.
Pushing their level of ambition to the limit, Nottingham Forest have made contact with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres’s representatives. The Sweden international is viewed as an ideal long-term replacement for prolific marksman Chris Wood.
Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham is also of interest to the East Midlands-based outfit. Securing a mercurial return to Europe’s top table doesn’t seem to be enough for Espirito Santo, so it is no surprise he is aiming to cement their status as one of the most exciting sides in the English pyramid.
While their efforts in the Premier League could reap significant rewards, Nottingham Forest still find themselves in contention for the FA Cup and evidence that silverware is achievable at the City Ground is only likely to further their scope for savvy recruitment.
Nottingham Forest in ongoing talks over signing record £60m+ star for Nuno
He could be a fantastic addition this summer.
ByHenry Jackson Mar 23, 2025
Undoubtedly, the temptation to shell out big fees for premium talent will be on the mind of Evangelos Marinakis. However, value for money appears to be king under Espirito Santo’s reign if their latest target’s contract situation is anything to go by.
Nottingham Forest position themselves for cut-price Yoane Wissa deal
According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are set to reignite their attempts to sign Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and could land the in-form frontman for a ‘reduced price’ of between £15-20 million, as per Pete O’Rourke.
The Democratic Republic of Congo international will enter the final year of his deal at the Gtech Community Stadium this summer and is viewed internally as ‘smart business’ should the Tricky Trees manage to push an agreement over the line.
Yoane Wissa’s excellent season for Brentford
Appearances
30
Goals
15
Assists
2
Shot-creating actions (Premier League)
49
Non-penalty Expected Goals (Premier League)
13.6 XG value
Labelled “remarkable” by Bees boss Thomas Frank, he has also managed to create 17 chances and take 117 touches in the opposition’s penalty area this campaign on league duty, illustrating his capacity to bring others into play.
Stepping forward to fill the void left by Ivan Toney’s departure, Wissa has proven himself as a Premier League starter and may be cashed in on by Brentford to avoid the scenario where he departs on a free transfer in 2026.
Seizing their opportunity, Nottingham Forest will now hope to convince the 28-year-old that committing his future at the City Ground is the best course of action in light of the club’s upward trajectory.