Tasmania were bundled out in a session on the fourth day as the hosts cemented their standing as a domestic powerhouse

Tristan Lavalette24-Mar-2024Cameron Gannon and Corey Rocchiccioli tore through Tasmania late on day four as Western Australia clinched a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles with a crushing victory at the WACA.Needing an implausible 538 runs on a tricky surface, Tasmania lasted just 40.5 overs and were bowled out for 160 as they lost 5 for 18.Related

• 'This means more to me than the other two' – Paris pushes his limits to help WA to a Shield hat-trick

• Rocchiccioli fights off flu to elevate his case to be Lyon's heir

• Sheffield Shield team of the season: Webster, Davies, McAndrew… and who else?

• 'It's a difficult job' – Gannon prepares for Shield final after a career on the fringe

• Live Report: Western Australia vs Tasmania, Sheffield Shield final: WA aiming for hat-trick

Gannon, a fringe bowler for most of his long career, starred with a five-wicket haul, while Rocchiccioli finished with 3 for 55.Tasmania imploded against a withering new-ball spell from Gannon and Joel Paris left them at 26 for 3 after the wickets of Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim and Caleb Jewell.Any chance of a miracle ended when Beau Webster, the Shield’s leading run-scorer, fell late in the day as Tasmania’s forlorn chase ended rather tamely. Needing an outright victory to end an 11-year drought, Tasmania played aggressively but they never really had a realistic shot against WA’s brilliant attack.WA cemented themselves as Australian domestic cricket’s powerhouse after an almost flawless performance. It was only the second three-peat over the past 20 years and WA’s first since the late 1980s. WA are the only team to have won three in a row concurrently in the Shield and Marsh Cup.WA completely dominated all facets of the match, while Tasmania appeared overmatched having missed their chance of hosting the final after a last round loss to South Australia.Resuming at 221 for 3, WA’s blueprint was to bat for the long haul in a bid to totally shut Tasmania out of the contest. Hilton Cartwright and Aaron Hardie appeared to be doing just that as they motored to a century partnership.Matthew Wade walks off after his last first-class innings•Getty Images

Tasmania appeared to be going through the motions until the second new ball, but Webster provided a much-needed tonic with a spectacular diving one-handed catch at leg-slip to dismiss Hardie for 47 off Jarrod Freeman.Webster was in the thick of the action and rode a rollercoaster of emotions. He dropped Cooper Connolly at slip and was left exasperated when the bail did not dislodge after bowling a cracker to Cartwright that hit the top of off stump. The WA players on the team’s balcony could not believe their eyes, with a few of them rushing into the room to watch a replay.Webster made amends by holding on to an edge from Connolly as he threw the ball high in the air in celebration. Tasmania bowled a much better length and produced the type of disciplined effort they lacked for much of WA’s first innings.But Cartwright, who made a half-century in the first innings, defied Tasmania and continued his knack for the big stage having made a match-winning half-century in last month’s Marsh Cup final. Cartwright was hoping to end a lean season with a century, but fell agonisingly short when Webster had the last laugh with a delivery that trapped him lbw on the stroke of lunch.Tasmania had hoped to be batting in the second session, but were left frustrated by WA’s more than capable lower order. Tasmania’s earlier spark eroded as they toiled under the sun as WA’s lead raced past 500.Charlie Stobo added to Western Australia’s inroads•Getty Images

But Tasmania were left spooked by the dismissals of Charlie Stobo, who was bowled by a delivery that crept low, and Paris that reared off the surface.Tasmania’s agony was finally over by tea, but they were soon reeling at the crease with Wade nicking off Gannon in the second over. The dismissal ended the red-ball career of Wade, who received a standing ovation from some of the WACA faithful.Gannon and Paris bowled menacingly with the new ball as Jewell and Wakim fell in successive overs. WA sniffed a victory before the close, but Silk and Doran steadied the ship with a 62-run partnership. They managed to blunt the spin of Rocchiccioli and scored relatively quickly with WA boasting an expectedly attacking field.But Silk and Doran succumbed as the sparse sprinkling of fans in the terraces – with many fans having earlier left for the AFL match at nearby Optus Stadium – suddenly were getting excited.They were at fever pitch when Webster and Freemon fell in the same over from the unwavering Gannon as the extra 30 minutes was taken.WA were not to be denied as Paris claimed a spectacular catch to seal a famous triumph.

da fezbet： The brutal reality of the latter stages of the Champions League hit Aston Villa like a brick when they travelled to Paris to take on PSG on Wednesday night.

da marjack bet： Villa, who did take the lead through Morgan Rogers, were beaten 3-1 by a dominant Paris Saint-Germain side, managed by Luis Enrique, who had some terrific individuals on display at the top end of the pitch.

The effervescent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, and Ousmane Dembele put on a masterclass in front of their home supporters, with all three of them involved in at least one of the three goals.

Because of the quality of the PSG attackers, several Aston Villa players endured a rough evening in France. One of those was Axel Disasi, after he was brought on at half-time.

Axel Disasi's awful performance against PSG

The versatile defender, who is a centre-back by trade, came on to replace Matty Cash at the break at right-back and was almost immediately sent to the shops for PSG’s second goal in the 49th minute.

Kvaratskhelia, who is a test for any full-back, showed unbelievable footwork to jink past the Frenchman before blasting a finish into the top corner of Emi Martinez’s near post.

In his 45 minutes on the pitch, Disasi managed two tackles, one interception, one block, and one key pass, whilst he also won half (2/4) of his ground duels, in what was a solid display outside of being brilliantly beaten by the Georgian magician.

The 27-year-old defender, who is on loan from Chelsea, was far from the worst player on the pitch for Unai Emery, though…

Aston Villa's worst player against PSG

While Disasi struggled, it was Matty Cash who was even worse than him in the first half.

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The Poland international was actually selected ahead of the Chelsea loanee to start at right-back against Kvaratskhelia and had to be withdrawn from the action at half-time after a dismal opening 45 minutes in Paris.

GOAL awarded him a player rating of just 4/10 and wrote that he was a ‘red card waiting to happen’, after his early yellow card for a foul on the former Napoli forward.

The English-born defender must be brutally binned from the starting XI by Emery after his poor showing in the opening 45 minutes, as Disasi outperformed him off the bench – despite his part in the second PSG goal.

Aston Villa’s right-back battle

Vs PSG

Matty Cash

Axel Disasi

Minutes

45

45

Pass accuracy

50%

69%

Key passes

0

1

Tackles + interceptions

3

3

Duels won

3/8

2/5

Possession lost

9x

5x

Fouls committed

4

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 4/10 full-back was incredibly wasteful with the ball at his feet and offered nothing at the top end of the pitch, whilst Disasi – at least – created one chance for the team in the second half.

As mentioned by GOAL, Cash was also walking a disciplinary tightrope with four fouls committed and a yellow card to his name in the first 45 minutes, as he was forced to foul Kvaratskhelia, who got the better of him, on several occasions.

With their respective performances in mind, Emery must drop the former Nottingham Forest star from the starting line-up to bring Disasi in at right-back from the start next time out.

Related Emery's own Saliba: Aston Villa will have bid accepted for £50m "monster"

Aston Villa could soon welcome in their very own William Saliba in this defensive monster.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 8, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet vitoria： Depois do empate entre Magallanes e Botafogo por 2 a 2 na Sul-Americana, Marçal e Luís Castro concederam uma entrevista coletiva para imprensa. O lateral reconheceu que houve um descuido da equipe alvinegra ao longo da partida e afirmou que foi um resultado justo.

-Acho que o resultado poderia ter sido positivo para a gente, até pelas estatísticas, mas futebol é assim. Teve um momento de descuido da nossa equipe e pronto. Também não foi um resultado injusto.

+ATUAÇÕES: Tchê Tchê, Gabriel Pires e Di Plácido vão mal em empate do Botafogo

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoCom a presença do filho de Loco Abreu, Botafogo divulga lista de inscritos para a Copa Sul-AmericanaBotafogo06/04/2023BotafogoConfira os novos benefícios dos planos de sócio do BotafogoBotafogo04/04/2023BotafogoCBF se manifesta sobre ausência de Júnior Santos no confronto do Botafogo com o MagallanesBotafogo05/04/2023

da realbet： + Eduardo lamenta empate sofrido: ‘Estávamos com um homem a mais’

O Glorioso entra em campo no próximo domingo, diante do Audax, às 16h, no Raulino de Oliveira (Volta Redonda) pelo segundo jogo da final da Taça Rio. Depois da vitória no duelo de ida por 2 a 1, os alvinegros precisam apenas de um empate para se sagrarem campeões.

With Mohamed Salah’s contract continuing to tick down, Liverpool are reportedly lining up a summer swoop to sign a potential replacement who knows exactly how to win a league title.

Liverpool transfer news

The Egyptian King was once again at the centre of the positives at Anfield against Southampton as Liverpool survived a first-half scare to eventually win 3-1, courtesy of Salah’s two penalties. Now the Reds’ third all-time top goalscorer, it becomes more and more surprising by the day that their history-maker is on course to leave as a free agent this summer.

If his goals weren’t impressive enough, Salah has had something for everyone this season and is closing in on Thierry Henry’s Premier League assists record with 17 to his name – four more are required to beat the Arsenal legend’s long-standing total.

With nine games to do it, the Liverpool star looks destined to create history once again.

However, as Anfield witnesses greatness, that new contract is yet to come, and those on Merseyside have seemingly been forced to think about potential summer replacements, as if truly replacing Salah is even possible.

Liverpool scouting new goalscorer to replace star who saved them vs Saints

He’s flying this season.

By
Barney Lane

Mar 8, 2025

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are now lining up a summer swoop to sign Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich, who value their winger at around €40m (£34m) which is ironically not too dissimilar from the price the Reds paid for Salah in 2017.

Unlike Salah, however, Coman would not be arriving at the peak of his powers. At 28 years old, the Frenchman has struggled for game time ahead of the likes of Michael Olise at Bayern Munich, and if Liverpool want to replace arguably the best player in the world, they need a consistent star.

"Incredible" Coman could receive impossible task

There was once a time when Coman was asked to step out of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben’s shadow to become Bayern’s star player, before doing exactly that.

Now, the Frenchman looks to have been returned to the shadows amid the arrival of Olise, who has stolen the spotlight in style since joining from Crystal Palace.

Having won eight Bundesliga titles and a Champions League during his time in Germany, it could easily be said that Coman has completed life at the Bavarians, making this summer an ideal time to move on.

If that is to be the case, he could receive an even tougher task than the one he was handed all those years ago in Germany. Instead of Robben and Ribery, it could be Salah who he is asked to replace as Liverpool desperately look to ease any potential blow caused by the Egyptian’s expiring contract.

Previously dubbed “incredible” by former manager Hansi Flick, it remains to be seen whether a summer departure would see the Frenchman get back to his best form or whether he’s simply past the peak of his powers.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Vinicius Jr is under pressure to perform with Brazil and claimed that the winger will succeed in Selecao colours.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ancelotti hailed Vini Jr as world-class
• Backed the winger to succeed for Brazil
• Brazil take on Ecuador in World Cup qualifier

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ancelotti hailed Vinicius Junior as 'one of the best in the world' as he claimed that the winger is under tremendous pressure to perform for the national team, as he cherishes playing for the Selecao. However, the ex-Real Madrid manager backed the player to bring success to the national team.

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• WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

  Speaking to Marca, Ancelotti said: "He's extraordinary, fantastic, hard-working, a fighter. The Brazilian player has a lot of affection for the national team, and that can affect his natural thinking. He's under a lot of pressure to perform well, which prevents him from making mistakes. I'm convinced he'll give his best for the national team. He's one of the best in the world. He's always there."

  He added: "He's a hard worker and a fighter like few others. His best version will soon emerge."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Vinicius Jr had an impressive outing with Los Blancos in the 2024-25 campaign as he scored 20 goals across all competitions and provided 17 assists. reported last month that the 24-year-old is on the verge of signing a new contract that will be valid until the summer of 2023. The player will earn €100 million (£84.6m) net over the five years.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CARLO ANCLELOTTI?

  Ancelotti will manage the five-time world champions for the first time on June 6 as they take on Ecuador in a World Cup qualifying game.

Josh Little returned the best-ever figures for an Ireland player in ODIs to help his team claim a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe with a four-wicket win.Little blew away the Zimbabwe top-order with four wickets – including three in an over – reducing the hosts to 19 for 4. Ryan Burl, Clive Madande and Wellington Masakadza all held fort for a bit as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 166 in 42.5 overs with Little claiming 6 for 36 in 10 overs. In reply, Curtis Campher struck a 71-ball 66 as Ireland completed a win in 40.1 overs.Sikandar Raza elected to bat under blue skies, but was in for a rude awakening. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe struck two fours off Mark Adair but failed to keep a Little short-of-a-length ball down pulling to George Dockrell who took a good catch diving forward. Two balls later Miton Shumba poked at an away-swinger only to offer Lorcan Tucker a simple catch behind the stumps. Little struck for the third time in the fourth over when Joylord Gumbie’s tough stay at the crease ended with him bottom-edging an in-decker back onto his stumps.Zimbabwe were reduced to 16 for 3 after four overs and Little added to their miseries by taking out their captain Raza the next over, who also chopped a length ball onto his off stump.Burl and Madande then staged a brief revival. The duo added 45 off 74 balls for the fifth wicket with Madande being the aggressor scoring a 42-ball 33. He did get a life on 5 when Harry Tector dropped a tough chance at backward point but grew in confidence. His innings was ended by Andy McBrine with deep midwicket moving excellently to his left.Brandon Mavuta came and went as Zimbabwe were reduced to 70 for 6 in 22 overs. But Burl and Masakadza stemmed the collapse through a 63-run stand for the seventh wicket.Masakadza came in and whacked Little for two fours before clobbering McBrine into the stands over deep midwicket. Burl, too, having been circumspect till then broke the shackles by depositing Graham Hume over mid-on.Tector then broke the promising stand by taking out Burl before Little came back to complete his first five-wicket haul in ODIs by removing Masakadza and then cleaned up Ngarava for 1. Mark Adair closed out the Zimbabwe innings in the 43rd over. Burl, who was ruffled by a Little short-ball in the 10th over was concussed out of the game and replaced by Tony Munyonga in the second innings.Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher put up a 43-run stand•Zimbabwe Cricket

The surface was not a belter for batters and Andy Balbirnie found that out straightaway when he saw his off pole take a walk first ball courtesy of a Richard Ngarava away-swinger. Paul Stirling got off the mark with a crisp drive but Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani kept things tight. Stirling was dropped by the keeper on 13 but failed to cash in, getting castled by Muzarabani soon after. Ireland could only manage 29 for 2 after the first powerplay with the two frontline seamers bowling unchanged.The first-change bowler Tanaka Chivanga, however, failed to keep up the pressure. He leaked 15 runs off his first over with Campher taking him for three successive fours. Muzarabani then went four two fours in his next as Ireland kept chugging away.Tector and Campher added 52 for the third wicket before the former was bowled by a peach of a legbreak by Mavuta. Campher, though made sure to keep going and found an ally in Lorcan Tucker.The two pushed Ireland closer to the target when rain interrupted play with the visitors on 101 for 3 after 25, needing 66 off 25 overs. Campher hobbled off into the changeroom holding his side at the rain break but made it back into the middle once play resumed.No overs were lost but Zimbabwe did strike a couple of blows to cause a few flutters in the Irish camp. Campher reached his fifty off 58 balls and then struck a couple of fours. But Mavuta soon had him clean bowled when he missed a sweep to a full-length ball. Muzarabani then saw the back of Tucker for 28 as he finished with excellent figures of 10-2-23-2.Adair and Dockrell, however, kept their composure adding 34 for the sixth wicket. Dockrell fell when just a run was needed for victory before Adair closed the game with a ramp over the wicketkeeper’s head.

The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill at the auction on December 19 in Dubai

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Dec-20231:07

Moody: Langer will want to retain stability around Lucknow Super Giants

Seven of Australia’s ODI World Cup winning squad – Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott – are among 25 players to enter the 2024 IPL player auction with a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately).The auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai, the first time it has been held outside India.New Zealand batting allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who scored 578 runs at a strike rate of 106 and took five wickets at the World Cup, has listed his base price at INR 50 lakhs (USD 60,000 approximately).Some of the other significant players in the highest base price band are fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, and England batter Harry Brook, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, along with Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Kedar Jadhav.Related

No IPL 2024 for Archer as ECB looks to manage his workload

Players released and retained ahead of the auction

Mumbai Indians get Hardik from Titans

Gill appointed captain of Gujarat Titans

'Green is the ideal fit for us' – RCB's Mo Bobat

The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill, of which 30 can be overseas players. Based on skillset and performance at the recent ODI World Cup, Starc, Head and Ravindra are being tipped to spark fierce bidding among the franchises. If Starc gets bought, he will be returning to the IPL after eight years, having last played the 2015 season for RCB. He did enter the 2018 auction, where he was bought for INR 9.4 crore by KKR, but missed the season because of injury. This time, however, Starc is keen to utilise the IPL as preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.Head was the Player of the Match in the semis and finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup last month. He hasn’t played the IPL since 2017, when he was part of RCB and played ten games across two seasons, scoring 205 runs at a strike rate of 138.51.Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc: will they go for big bucks at the 2024 IPL player auction?•ICC/Getty ImagesOn Friday, the IPL shared with the franchises a long list of 1166 players who had registered for the auction. The final pool, however, will be much smaller after the teams submit the names of players they are interested in to the IPL. The long list includes 45 players from Associate nations, 909 uncapped players of which 812 are Indian, and 18 capped Indian players.The likes of Harshal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Brook, Thakur along with uncapped Indian batter Shahrukh Khan will once again remain confident of attracting strong interest from more than one franchise. Both Harshal and Hasaranga, who were bought for the same price – 10.75 crore – were released by Royal Challengers, mainly because of their weak numbers at M Chinnaswamy stadium, the franchise’s home base.Brook was bought by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore, making him the most expensive overseas buy at a mini auction by the franchise. Brook, though, failed to make any impact barring a century early on last IPL, forcing Sunrisers to re-think their investment.Thakur, too, was bought for 10.75 cr in a trade before the 2023 auction from Delhi Capitals. However, Thakur managed just seven wickets in 10 matches at an economy of nearly 11 and an average of 31.42. Thakur failed to make any impact with the bat, too, scoring 113 runs in 10 innings.Shahrukh, who plays for Tamil Nadu, made his IPL debut in 2021 when Punjab bought him for 5.25 cr. A year later he was released ahead of the mega auction but bought back for 9 crore. However, just one Player-of-the-Match award proved disappointing for the player and franchise, who finally released him. Shahrukh has put his base price at 40 lakhs and would be keen to see his hometown franchise, Chennai Super Kings, interested in bagging him.Base Price INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately): Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Mustafizur Rahman, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson, Gerald Coetzee, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, Angelo MathewsBase price INR 1.5 CR (USD 180,000 approximately): Mohammad Nabi, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, Tom Curran, Marchant de Lange, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Phil Salt, Corey Anderson, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Southee, Colin Ingram, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jason Holder, Sherfane RutherfordBase price INR 1 CR (USD 120,000 approximately): Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith, D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Michael Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Alzarri Joseph, Rovman Powell, David WieseESPNcricinfo Ltd

Fantasy baseball auction leagues have grown in popularity over the last decade. Five-time high-stakes national champion, Shawn Childs, provides SI Fantasy users with his fantasy baseball 15-team mixed league auction values positional cheat sheet. 

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Contracts have been the talking point around Liverpool football club in recent months, with three of Arne Slot’s key players out of contract at the end of the season.

Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah have all been regular starters this campaign, but all three of the stars’ current deals are set to expire in June.

However, there has been progress with the Dutchman and Egyptian, with the pair both set to sign new deals until the summer of 2027 – undoubtedly a huge boost to their ambitions for Premier League glory next season.

As for Trent, he looks set to depart and join Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season, ending his 20-year affiliation with his boyhood club, to the disappointment of the fanbase.

Such a departure could leave a huge hole in the first-team backline, but it appears the hierarchy have wasted no time in landing a player who could potentially fill any void next campaign.

Liverpool set to make £85m bid for defensive star

According to one Spanish outlet, Liverpool are set to make a €100m (£85m) summer bid for Barcelona star Ronald Araujo in an attempt to strengthen the defensive department.

The 26-year-old has made 16 appearances across all competitions, notching four combined goals and assists, being able to feature in a centre-back or right-back role.

The Uruguayan international has had an injury-hit campaign, but has still managed to impress, as seen by the Reds’ willingness to fork out big-money for his signature.

The report claims that the opportunity to play in England’s top flight could be too good to turn down, but that it will be up to the LaLiga outfit whether they want to part ways with Araujo.

It may be a huge investment from the hierarchy, but it would be a worthwhile one for Slot’s side – especially if his figures from the current campaign are anything to go by.

Why Araujo is the perfect Van Dijk & Trent hybrid for Liverpool

The Reds’ backline is in need of investment with Trent’s pending departure and Andy Robertson’s decline in recent months, making this summer vital for Slot.

Van Dijk has often been the shining light within the back four over the last few years, with his performances helping the side win five major honours since his move in January 2018.

However, he’s often lacked that partner at the heart of the defence, with Ibrahima Konate prone to a mistake, as seen during last weekend’s defeat against Fulham.

Araujo could provide that fellow world-class option the club have been searching for, with current boss Hansi Flick labelling the Uruguayan international as “one of the best in the world”.

His ability to feature at right-back too could make him an option to cover should Trent leave, producing figures better than the aforementioned pair in numerous key areas.

Defensively, Araujo has outperformed the current Reds stars, winning more tackles per 90, whilst also coming out on top in more aerials – offering that added solidity they’ve been hunting for as of late.

Games played

16

28

31

Goals & assists

4

8

2

Pass accuracy

93%

74%

92%

Tackles won

1.3

1

0.5

Aerials won

3.9

0.2

3.2

Shot-on-target accuracy

67%

18%

32%

Passes completed per game

90

63

74

In possession, he’s been just as impressive, completing more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst also achieving a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate – highlighting the quality he possesses at both ends of the pitch.

Whilst it may be another huge fee to spend on a new signing, it’s one that could provide added quality into the backline, further strengthening Slot’s chances of winning trophies on Merseyside.

It’s unclear whether Barça would be open to selling one of their key players, but it’s evident that from the stats he’s produced in 2024/25, he would be a superb addition – partnering Van Dijk and softening the blow of Trent’s pending departure.

£70m PL star wants to sign for Liverpool & he'd be a better move than Isak

Liverpool may decide to make a move for a player who would be a better addition than Alexander Isak.

1 ByEthan Lamb Apr 9, 2025

Arsenal’s main focus for now is securing Champions League qualification alongside their run in the latter stages of the competition, but Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are already eyeing potential summer arrivals.

Arsenal's summer search for attacking reinforcements

Despite their best efforts, the Gunners look set to come up short in their hunt for a first Premier League title since 2004 after a frustrating campaign that hasn’t lived up to expectation.

Mikel Arteta has a right to bemoan Arsenal’s lengthy list of injury problems, which have left key men such as Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined for the last few months. This has led the Spaniard to cultivate makeshift solutions in certain positions, including Mikel Merino’s emergence as an auxiliary striker.

The former Real Sociedad man has had his moments through the middle. Still, attacking reinforcements across the front four positions are necesarry if the north Londoners are to become long-term title contenders moving forward.

Finding the right blend of youth and experience has to be the priority – Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane has become an Arsenal target to help bolster competition within the ranks come the summer.

Financially, they will also need to adhere to FFP regulations like everyone else. The Germany international could be available on a free transfer, though his track record will likely attract plenty of interest from other clubs should his contract at the Allianz Arena run down without renewal.

On a positive note, Ethan Nwaneri has become a shining light on the right-hand side. However, strength in depth is the aim for Arsenal to overcome their shortcomings, so it will come as no surprise that Arteta and company have set their sights on another winger.

Arsenal set sights on summer move for Lyon star Malick Fofana

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have set their sights on Lyon’s Malick Fofana as Arteta looks to spruce up the wide areas despite competition from Liverpool for the Belgium international, with scouts returning positive reports after watching him in action.

Reportedly open to taking on a new challenge, the report says ‘it’s hard to imagine him staying at Lyon for much longer’, but the Gunners may need to pay a fee in the region of £42 million to sanction his arrival. Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are also receptive to his form.

He's playing like Harry Kane: Arsenal must rue losing "goal machine" for £0

The incredible striker would solve Arsenal’s current problems.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 15, 2025

Labelled an “energetic dynamo” by French journalist Walid Acherchour, the 19-year-old has registered nine goals and five assists in 34 appearances this campaign.

Likely to be one for the future, Fofana’s engenuity has allowed for 18 successful dribbles and 12 crosses delivered across the season alongside his 74 touches in the opposition area.

Arsenal will have faith in their ability to nurture his talent, but will need to decide whether they want to spend a large chunk of their budget on an upcoming star as opposed to someone in their peak years.