Tag Futebol

The dire draw with Denmark has cranked up the pressure again on the Three Lions to perform to the sum of their parts in Germany

There will be a distinct sense of deja vu for England at Euro 2024, as they find themselves in something of a quandary once again after two group stage games at a major tournament. Although they have all-but qualified for the last 16, their utterly uninspiring displays against both Serbia and Denmark have left belief in their ability to go all the way and lift the trophy at its lowest ebb.

Thursday evening's lacklustre 1-1 draw with Denmark in Frankfurt has only intensified the spotlight on manager Gareth Southgate, as his unchanged team failed to justify his perseverance and ultimately left him with more questions than answers.

"We’ve got to go and analyse that in-depth and find some solutions to addressing the issues that we have," the manager said in his post-match press conference. "Over the next few days we’ll spend a lot of time doing that. We know the level has to be higher, we know the level can be higher. Maybe the biggest thing is we have to accept the environment that we’re in and the expectations that are around us. We are going to have to walk towards that challenge."

There is plenty of work to do before England face Slovenia on Tuesday, but what are the main problems facing Southgate and his staff?

GettyKane on the fringes

Denmark deserve huge credit for the way they restricted England in attacking areas in the face of their plethora of creative talent, but the Three Lions' inability to get their captain Harry Kane involved was still alarming.

The No.9 did, of course, stick the ball into the back of the net early on courtesy of a horrible defensive error and a fortunate ricochet, but for the second game in a row he largely spent the match on the periphery of proceedings, coming looking for the ball rather than letting it reach him naturally.

The Bayern Munich hitman even gave the ball away in the lead-up to Denmark's stunning equaliser from Morten Hjulmand – a demonstration of just how far deep he was dropping. It was a performance that smacked of a player who hadn't been given clear tactical instructions and was instead trying to force things.

His display drew plenty of criticism, not least from England legend Gary Lineker: "He needs his manager to come to him and ask a little bit more of him," the BBC Sport presenter said. "I would have expected that if I'd put in that kind of performance. Against a back three he has to stretch the play, run one way and then come short so you don't have to come too far to receive it. He needs to make more space for the midfield players behind him to create chances. His movement was minimal. He didn't look to go behind and he doesn't often, but even when he comes short he's drifting short very lethargically, he's plodding short and that's not going to help."

AdvertisementGettyThe left-back problem

We all knew Kieran Trippier wasn't a left-back before Euro 2024 began, and his performances thus far have only served to highlight a serious problem position for England. Despite the fact he hasn't played since January, Southgate saw fit to include an injured and unfit Luke Shaw in his squad, alongside five centre-backs. The decision to leave Ben Chilwell at home means the Manchester United man is the only specialist left-sided full-back in the entire squad.

Southgate insists that Shaw is "on track" in his recovery, which begs the question of why he was selected in the first place having missed two games. It's still unclear when he will be ready to start, and he will surely not be match fit either way.

Through no fault of his own, Trippier looks inhibited at left-back – too afraid to take on his marker or play a forward pass with his weaker foot for fear of making a costly mistake, meaning England are seriously limited on their left side with Phil Foden always keen to tuck inside.

"We don't have our best left-back available so that denies you the opportunity for that balance," Southgate said in his post-match comments. "But I think Tripps [Trippier] has done an incredible job for the team. His spirit, his organisation, his desire have helped us get over the line in the last two games. That's in no way a criticism of him, but it's obviously going to be different with a right-footer there than a left."

Liverpool's Joe Gomez could offer a solution against Slovenia in England's final group game. A right-footed centre-back by trade, he was used regularly at left-back by Jurgen Klopp during the club season and showed on numerous occasions he is confident enough to get forward. It's time to throw caution to the wind, after all.

GettyBack to the drawing board

In midfield, it is surely time for Southgate to accept that his half-cooked Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment isn't ready for the world just yet. The Liverpool man was hooked early in the second half against Denmark having once again failed to influence a game from his deep-lying playmaker role.

Speaking after the game, the Three Lions boss bizarrely suggested England were missing defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips and that's what he has been attempting to mitigate for, seemingly ignoring the talent of two youngsters sat on the bench in the form of Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton – both of whom have earned their place in his squad.

"He's (Alexander-Arnold) had some moments where he's delivered what we thought he would," the manager said. "We know it's an experiment. We know we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Philips. We're trying different things and at the moment we're not flowing as we'd like."

In truth, a tournament setting is probably not the best place to carry out this experiment, and Southgate now has a big decision on his hands. If he does not stick with Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher is probably the safe option, but Mainoo and Wharton are only risks due to their age and lack of experience. They have shown in the Premier League that they can shine on the biggest stage.

GettyOver-reliance on their No.10

Alexander-Arnold doesn't provide the only conundrum in the middle of the park, however. After haring around the pitch like a man possessed in a match-winning display against Serbia on Sunday, Jude Bellingham was a shadow of that player in the draw with Denmark four days later.

Despite toiling throughout as he lost 10 duels, had just two touches in the Danish box and failed to have a single shot, the midfielder was left on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as his manager desperately sought a winner and some sort of sudden end to England's woes.

Foden, who had been arguably England's best attacking player, was taken off with 20 minutes still to play. It is early days, but this perhaps already reflects an over-reliance on the Real Madrid star to provide moments of inspiration, even when he has clearly run himself into the ground.

It's not like there wasn't other options available to the manager: Foden could have been shifted centrally, Eberechi Eze is at his best as an attacking midfielder, and Cole Palmer remained benched despite his extraordinary creative season at club level.

Mohammad Hafeez is free to bowl again after his bowling action passed an assessment test. The Pakistan allrounder, who has faced troubles with the legality of his bowling action throughout his career, was reported in a Vitality Blast game in August last year. An assessment at Loughborough University then concluded the bowler’s elbow extended beyond the permitted 15-degree threshold, and he was banned from bowling in the ECB competitions.However, after undergoing testing at LUMS university – also an ICC-accredited testing centre – in Lahore, an independent panel concluded his elbow did not exceed the maximum 15-degree mark, and therefore, the suspension was lifted.The ruling comes at a particularly beneficial time for Hafeez, with the PSL just around the corner. Due to agreements between international cricketing boards, the ECB ban meant he was prohibited from bowling in international games as well as competitions organised by other boards around the world, including at the PSL.Hafeez has been reported, suspended and subsequently cleared a number of times in the past six years when the ICC began to crack down on illegal bowling actions with greater frequency. But Hafeez’s problems with his bowling action go back a long way. He was first reported over 15 years ago during an ODI tri-series in Australia in 2005. In 2014, his action was reported during the Champions League T20, and then again following a Test match against New Zealand later that year. Having twice been found over the legal limit for elbow extension, Hafeez was banned from bowling for 12 months.After his ban ended, he returned to bowling after clearing a bowling test in 2016 but the issue arose again in October 2017, when he was reported during an ODI against Sri Lanka. He was suspending from bowling once more, before being cleared by Loughborough University in May 2018. A few months later, during an ODI against New Zealand, Ross Taylor implied Hafeez was bowling with a bent arm, leading then Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to slam Taylor’s gesture “disgraceful”.

Despite finishing the World Cup with back-to-back five-wicket hauls, Mustafizur Rahman is focused on improving his accuracy to become a more consistent bowler at the death. He claimed 5 for 75 against Pakistan, to follow his 5 for 59 against India, and ended the tournament with 20 wickets at 24.20 but among bowlers who have taken at least 15 wickets, he conceded the highest runs per over.After the Pakistan match, Mustafizur sat second to Mitchell Starc’s 24 wickets in eight matches, although Starc, Jofra Archer, Lockie Ferguson and Mark Wood would have more opportunities to get past him in the rest of the competition.WATCH on Hotstar (India only): Mustafizur’s five-wicket haulSignificantly, he has not taken a single wicket in the first 30 overs of a game, having taken all of his wickets in the last 20 overs; 12 have come in the last five overs, in which he has taken a wicket in this World Cup every 8.08 balls. Mustafizur said that he wants to further work on his yorkers and sees playing more T20s as an opportunity to hone that skill.”You always remember five-wicket hauls, especially if it comes during a World Cup,” Mustafizur said. “The one against India was definitely a special one, and while everyone said that I have been able to prove myself at the big stage, I think I could have done a lot better. I think I need to improve on my variations. I have a cutter but my yorker is 50/50. I want to improve the accuracy of my yorker, particularly for the death overs. I think playing more T20s will help accuracy while bowling in the last ten overs of a one-day game.”Among the bowlers in the World Cup, Ferguson, Archer, Sheldon Cottrell, Lasith Malinga and Mohammad Amir are the top five wicket-takers in the first 20 overs, but Mustafizur is head and shoulders above the rest in the last 10 overs, in which he averages 12.73 for his 15 wickets, and has taken a wicket every 10 balls, although Starc’s nine wickets in the final ten have come at just 7.77ALSO READ: Bowling and fielding a massive letdown – MashrafeSince his debut in 2015 he has the second most wickets (48) in the last 10 overs of an ODI innings, second only to Jasprit Bumrah, and better than Rashid Khan. But it is a huge contrast in the first 20 overs where he averages 41.33, and it has developed into a situation where Bangladesh have lacked wickets in this phase throughout the World Cup, in which Mashrafe Mortaza, their main wicket-taker with the new ball in the last two decades, have also struggled for form.Mustafizur said that he is comfortable bowling in the first 20 overs of the innings although he doesn’t see himself as an out-and-out pace bowler, but a slightly different variation of it. “I am ready to bowl at any stage in the match. I am a slightly different pace bowler. I average about 135kph, so I am not that quick. I am happy with my speed but I should be able to add a few more variations to my bowling.”

Allrounder Wiaan Mulder has been called up to the South Africa Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, which starts next week. Mulder is the only addition to the Test squad that scored a 3-0 clean sweep over Pakistan earlier this season, as Cricket South Africa decided not to rush fast bowler Lungi Ngidi back into action despite his recovery from a knee injury picked up during South Africa’s trip to Australia in November last year.The 20-year-old Mulder has been on CSA’s radar radar for some time, having made his international debut in an ODI against Bangladesh in October 2017. He was subsequently included in the squad for the Tests against Australia last year but did not make it into a starting XI. He then picked up an Achilles injury in his left ankle during Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour earlier this season.”Wiaan has been part of our strategic thinking in developing a batting all-rounder for the Test squad for some time,” said Cricket South Africa selection convener Linda Zondi. “His injury in the white-ball series against Zimbabwe last year came at an unfortunate time and we are gradually working him back into the Proteas set-up.”Mulder made a comeback on the domestic circuit, playing three matches for the Lions in the 4-Day Franchise Series. Those games brought him 10 wickets, as well as a career-best first-class score of 146 against Knights in Bloemfontein. Drafted back into South Africa’s one-day squad, Mulder played in the series decider against Pakistan at Newlands last week and was also part of South Africa’s squad for the T20I series against Pakistan, although he didn’t play a game.”We never want to rush players back from injury because that can be counter-productive, but he has now had a couple of good weeks of action in the 4-Day Domestic Series,” said Zondi. “For the same reason we are not going to rush Lungi Ngidi back into international action until he has had the time to gain full match fitness.”After the convincing victory against Pakistan the selectors are looking to exercise consistency in the squad and at the same time to strengthen it through the inclusion of Mulder.”South Africa Test squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn

Jurgen Klopp had an awkward conversation with a journalist after Jordan Henderson's uncomfortable interview.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp confronted a journalist
• Was unhappy with Henderson's interview in March
• Liverpool take on Atalanta in Europa League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ex-Liverpool captain Henderson, who is currently playing for Ajax, was put on the spot during a post-game interview after the Dutch giants' 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard back in March, and was asked if he had turned in his "worst performance" for the club since his arrival. Klopp, who watched that interview, was left unimpressed with how his former player was grilled on live television.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  During the pre-match press conference ahead of the Reds' Europa League clash against Atalanta, the German manager confronted a journalist and shared an awkward conversation regarding Henderson's uncomfortable interview, asking if it was him, or a colleague, who asked his former player the tough questions.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Klopp started the conversation by throwing a question towards the media personnel as he asked, "You are not the one who interviewed Jordan Henderson, are you?" To which the reporter replied, "No."

  The manager then continued, "Good. That was your colleague? Your friend? That was uncomfortable, eh? What a horrible interview that was."

  The reporter then threw a counter-question as he asked, "You didn’t like it?" To which Klopp replied, "Do you know anybody who liked it?"

  The reporter then said, "I spoke to him and he said ‘I regret the interview, I was a bit too hard’ and he also said it on television."

  Klopp concluded the conversation by saying, "Did he? Wow, ok. I can take that apology on behalf of Hendo."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  After facing the Serie A side in the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, the Merseyside club will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they host Crystal Palace at Anfield.

Kieran Powell and Chandrapaul Hemraj are no Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, but they haven’t even gone past the mandatory Powerplay unscathed in this series

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu31-Oct-20183:30

Dasgupta: Spin-friendly surface might prompt tactical changes for India

Big PictureWest Indies did deny Virat Kohli a hundred but a familiar Indian script unfolded at the CCI’s Brabourne Stadium: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan provided the launchpad for a tall total. In a rather unfamiliar instance, though, an India No. 4 (Ambati Rayudu) cracked a century, as the side moves closer towards solving the middle-order jigsaw.After coming close to matching the hosts’ firepower with the bat in the ODI series opener, tying with them and later toppling them, West Indies stretched back to the stragglers, again, in Mumbai. They to win on Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram if they are to claim a share of the ODI series.For that their flimsy top order needs some stability. Kieran Powell and Chandrapaul Hemraj are no Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, but they haven’t even gone past the mandatory Powerplay unscathed in this series. This has applied further pressure on an inexperienced middle order, which folded under relentless scoreboard pressure on Monday. And the clock keeps ticking on the 37-year-old Marlon Samuels.The 37-year old from India – MS Dhoni – seems to be fading away as well, with the bat. While his tactical nous and wicketkeeping skills are still indispensable, Hardik Pandya-less India want Dhoni to find a higher gear, which he briefly did in the IPL earlier this year.Form guideIndia WLTWW
West Indies LWTLLIn the spotlightIn the fourth ODI, Khaleel Ahmed showed why he had been fast-tracked into India’s World Cup plans. He consistently swung the white ball – with and against his left-arm angle – lending more spice to an already varied attack that has been bolstered by the returns of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The way he dismissed Samuels in Mumbai was particularly delightful. After breaching the defences of Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell with inswingers, he moved one away to catch the outside edge of Samuels.Rovman Powell is a Jr Andre Russell. He has a Mr T hairstyle like Russell, he can tonk the ball high and far, and can pitch in with handy medium-pace. He has also swiftly established himself as a T20 globetrotter. However, he has struggled against spin here, falling twice to left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and once to Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox in four innings. All told, he has managed only 45 runs in four innings at an average of 11.25 and strike-rate of 68.18. Among West Indies batsmen, only Samuels had fared worse than him.1:44

For the first time we have a good fast bowling quartet – B Arun

Team newsIndia had left out one of their gun bowlers Yuzvendra Chahal for batting insurance in Jadeja in the absence of the injured Pandya in the previous game. They might stick with the same combination, considering Dhoni’s form – or the lack of it.India (Probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Khaleel Ahmed, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahThe visitors might consider bringing in Sunil Ambris – a dasher like Jermaine Blackwood – at the top of the order in place of either Powell or Hemraj. On the bowling front, they might swap left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Fabien Allen with the more experienced Devendra Bishoo.West Indies (Probable) 1 Chandrapaul Hemraj/Sunil Ambris, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmeyer, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Devendra Bishoo/Fabien Allen 11 Kemar RoachPitch and conditionsThe Greenfield Stadium is set to host its first ODI, having made its international debut last year by hosting New Zealand in a T20I. This could be the most humid venue in this series, and the pitch appeared flat and dry on the eve of the match.Stats and triviaNo side has beaten India twice in a home ODI series since October 2016. Dhoni needs one run to become the fifth player to score 10,000 ODI runs for India after Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli. Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs two wickets to 100 scalps in ODIs.Quotes”Khaleel looks a very exciting prospect. He is sharp and has the skills to do well at the international level.”
“I like heat, especially from the point of view that I could be in the UK, where it starts to get cold. The humidity’s is what you will expect. We’re not very far from Sri Lanka, so the weather is pretty similar. This is an amazing ground. Certainly we’re very excited to be playing here tomorrow. The wicket looks good, but it’s a phenomenal ground.”

Two sensational efforts from Pakistan pace bowlers, a blitz from a Netherlands batter and a stunning performance in a World Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2022 • Updated on 18-Oct-2022Voting for these match-ups has ended. Carlos Brathwaite’s 3-23 & 34* and Umar Gul’s 5-6 move to the quarter-finals.Stephan Myburgh’s 63 vs Carlos Brathwaite’s 3-23 & 34*63 (23) vs IRE | Stephan Myburgh | Sylhet, 2014
To qualify for the Super 10, Netherlands needed to vault from No. 3 to No. 1 in the group on net run-rate, which left them having to score 190 runs in 14.2 overs against Ireland – odds most teams might think would rule them out. But Stephan Myburgh was the master mathematician. He took three sixes off offspinner Andy McBrine’s first over and three more off Alex Cusack to bring up the team fifty in 3.1 overs. They got to 91 by the time the powerplay ended with Myburgh bringing up his own fifty in only 17 balls, which at the time was the second-fastest in the format. Not long after that, he was toasting a victory that even now seems unbelievable.Related

RP Singh or Yuvraj, Malinga or Herath – vote for the greatest T20 World Cup performance

RP Singh or Kohli, Watson or Herath – vote for the greatest T20 World Cup performance

The greatest T20 World Cup performance – how the fans voted

Hussey or Samuels, Afridi or Hales – vote for the greatest T20 World Cup performance

Yuvraj or Mitchell, Malinga or Buttler – vote for the greatest T20 World Cup performance

3-23 & 34*(10) vs ENG | Carlos Brathwaite | Kolkata, 2016
Nineteen to win in the final over. Four balls, four sixes. “Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name”. Those hits at Eden Gardens will forever remain part of cricketing folklore. What gets forgotten is that Brathwaite was effective with the ball too: he picked up the key wickets of Jos Buttler and Joe Root to finish with figures of 4-0-23-3. He then came in at No. 8 with West Indies 107 for 6 in 15.3 chasing 156, and took West Indies to their second title in the company of Marlon Samuels.ESPNcricinfo LtdUmar Gul’s 5-6 vs Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 3-315-6 vs NZ | Umar Gul | The Oval, 2009
New Zealand were 72 for 4 when Umar Gul, Pakistan’s death-overs specialist, came on in the 13th over, and took five of the next six wickets to knock out the opposition for 99. Gul’s impact was instantaneous and devastating: he dismissed Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan with his third and fourth deliveries, sent Nathan McCullum’s leg stump cartwheeling in his next over, and ended with the dismissals of James Franklin and Kyle Mills – again off consecutive balls – in his third.3-31 vs IND | Shaheen Shah Afridi | Dubai, 2021
Shaheen Shah Afridi removed India’s top three batters in a sensational performance that set up their maiden win over India in men’s World Cups. Afridi, with a reputation for striking in the first over, welcomed Rohit Sharma with a yorker that swung into his pads and trapped him lbw. With the first ball of his second over, KL Rahul was bowled when he tried to play one to leg with the angle as it came in to him. And later in the 19th over, Afridi got Virat Kohli to top-edge a slow bouncer to the keeper.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has dismissed calls from Gunners legend Tony Adams to replace Martin Odegaard as captain with Declan Rice, revealing the Norwegian was the unanimous choice in a fresh squad vote. The north London side's boss insisted there is 'no question' over Odegaard’s leadership, with players and staff fully backing him ahead of the new season.

Adams backed Rice to be made Arsenal captain

Arteta confirms Odegaard easily won Arsenal captaincy vote 

Begin new season away to Man Utd on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Adams had earlier urged Arteta to hand the armband to Declan Rice, claiming the Gunners needed a “winner” to finally secure the Premier League title. The Basque coach rejected that view, stating the decision reflected the overwhelming confidence the squad has in Odegaard. Arteta revealed that Arsenal conducted a new vote to decide their captain ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, with Odegaard winning comfortably.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT ARTETA SAID

Speaking to the media, Arteta said: “My opinion is clear. It’s not just my opinion, it’s all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote the captain and I got the result yesterday. And by a mile, by a big, big 100 marks, everybody’s choosing the same person, which is Martin Odegaard. That’s the clearest sign you can have of how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win.”

Arteta explained the vote was part of a wider refresh of the squad’s leadership group. He added: “We change a lot and we change all the leadership groups because a lot of the players that were there, they are gone. So we need to re-establish that, and it gives you so much information, how they feel about themselves and who they see as a leader. It was really interesting to analyse all the data and gather that information.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Odegaard has been Arsenal captain since 2022, overseeing three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League. His leadership has drawn praise for composure and professionalism, though some critics – like Adams – believe the role should go to a more vocal figure. With the Gunners aiming to finally secure the league title under Arteta, the captaincy debate has added extra intrigue before the season kicks off.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Odegaard will lead Arsenal out at Old Trafford in their opening match against Manchester United on Sunday. Rice, meanwhile, will remain a key figure in midfield as the Gunners chase domestic and European glory.

Sunderland are back in the Premier League and have now engaged in talks over a signing that would send out a signal of intent to their competitors, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Sunderland find out the latest in pursuit of Clement Bischoff

In the modern day, club chiefs speaking out on the availability of a player or their current situation isn’t an uncommon practice at this time of year.

Subsequently, it will come as no surprise to hear that Brondby sporting director Benjamin Schmedes has addressed rumours surrounding Sunderland target Clement Bischoff amid links between both parties.

He stated: “Clement has one year left on his contract, and that puts us in a situation where we’ve had strong discussions for a long time. But nothing is official yet, so there’s no agreement.

“We’re in dialogue, and we’ll see where it ends. Noah has two years left, so it’s a different case.”

Making strides ahead of their official Premier League return, Clermont Foot midfielder Habib Kieta is also on Sunderland’s radar and QPR, Stoke City and Crystal Palace are also believed to be in the running for his signature.

Sunderland in advanced talks to sell "fantastic" 22 y/o in permanent deal

Would moving him on be the right decision?

ByHenry Jackson Jun 22, 2025

Inevitably, beating the drop will be the immediate priority for Sunderland in 2025/26. While Jobe Bellingham’s sale will enable money to be spent, they will need to invest wisely to compete with other financially secure competitors in the grand scheme of things.

Nevertheless, Sunderland hold a pull that is rare for a promoted side due to their rich history in the English top-flight, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see someone like Jordan Henderson return to the North East if a deal were right for all parties.

Letting their presence be known to others, the Black Cats are now reportedly plotting a swoop for an international goalkeeper that would make headlines.

Romano: Sunderland in active talks to sign Marcin Bulka

Taking to social media platform X, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Sunderland are in ‘active talks’ to sign OGC Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka as part of their ambitious project to stay in the Premier League.

Despite being ‘approached’ by several other clubs, the Black Cats are the only side mentioned in the conversation and it remains to be seen whether further developments will occur down the line.

Labelled “superb” by PSG boss Luis Enrique, the Poland international kept eight clean sheets in 40 appearances last term and recorded a save percentage rate of 75.8% in Ligue 1.

Admittedly, Sunderland will need to rely on their goalkeeper next campaign to have a realistic chance of staying in the top-flight, so bringing someone of Bulka’s calibre in would certainly help, even if that puts Anthony Patterson’s future as number one in doubt.

da roleta： Liverpool find themselves in the hunt for reinforcements and could look to swoop under the nose of rivals Everton to land an attacking target, according to a report.

Liverpool set to trigger more business after Kerkez announcement

da realbet： After Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz were confirmed by the Reds, Milos Kerkez is also now set to join in a £40 million move from Bournemouth. The Hungary international joins Arne Slot’s revolution and signs on after weeks of negotiations by all parties to find agreement, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.

Moving on, Liverpool have turned their attention to Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and an agreement over personal terms is said to be close as he enters the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park.

Talking up a potential deal, Keith Wyness believes Guehi moving to the red half of Merseyside would suit all parties as Oliver Glasner will be keen to cash in before losing the England international on a free becomes a distinct possibility.

He stated: “It would be a no-brainer for them (Liverpool) if they can get hold of him, and all the noises coming out of the Marc Guehi camp are that he’s keen to go.

“I think it’s a fantastic deal. I think Palace also recognise that I think he’s got just another year left on his contract. So they’d like to cash in as well. All parties could be very happy.”

While Liverpool’s summer business is bubbling away, they could now bid for a midfielder who has already been firmly on the radar of their closest rivals.

Liverpool could hijack Everton to sign Merlin Rohl

According to reports in Germany via Sport Witness, Liverpool could move for SC Freiburg midfielder Merlin Rohl this summer despite Everton having already made two bids to sign the Germany Under-21 international in January.

Newcastle United and Crystal Palace are also in the frame to sign the Berlin-born star, who registered a solitary assist in 20 appearances over the course of last season.

Related A Salah repeat: Liverpool close to agreeing move to sign £50m "monster"

Liverpool are moving at breakneck pace in the summer transfer market.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jun 24, 2025

Labelled “very dangerous” by Antonio Di Salvo, Rohl managed to create nine chances in action for Freiburg on Bundesliga duty and also completed 12 dribbles despite suffering a ligament tear that limited his scope to make a lasting impact.

Nevertheless, he is now back fit and firing and has even scored at the UEFA Under-21 European Championships in a 3-2 win for Germany against Italy.

Admittedly, Liverpool have strong competition for places currently in the middle of the park, though it would be intriguing to see who could make way if Rohl were to arrive at Anfield, potentially at the expense of arch-rivals Everton.