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Celtic’s pre-season plans are starting to take shape.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Brendan Rodgers’ side will be heading to Northern Italy in late-July for a pre-season tournament between 23 and 27 July, with hosts Como, Dutch giants Ajax and recently crowned Asian champions Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia also taking part.

The Hoops also have friendlies against Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Newcastle United at Parkhead in the diary beforehand, with Rodgers hoping to bolster his squad ahead of pre-season getting underway.

A new striker has been the priority ever since Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais in January, so are the Scottish Premiership champions about to land their man, a move reminiscent of that for a recent fans’ favourite; Giorgos Giakoumakis?

Giorgos Giakoumakis's Celtic career

Giakoumakis was not a Celtic player for a very long time, but he certainly made his mark in Glasgow.

During his 18-month stint at Parkhead, the Greece international scored 26 goals in just 57 appearances for the Hoops, thereby averaging a goal every 97 minutes, winning the Premiership golden boot during his only full season at the club.

However, after never being able to properly cement himself as the first-choice centre-forward, Giakoumakis departed for Atlanta United in February 2023 for a reported £4.3m fee.

A year later, he was sold to Mexican club Cruz Azul in a record-breaking £7.5m deal, part of the los Celestes squad that won the CONCACAF Champions Cup last Sunday, smashing Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 in the final.

So now, four years after Giakoumakis first arrived in Glasgow, could the Celts finalise a very similar deal?

Celtic's striker search

As has been previously reported by ESPN Netherlands, Celtic are interested in signing striker Youssef El Kachati this summer.

The 25 year old was on fire for Dutch club Telstar this season, scoring 25 goals in all competitions, helping them gain promotion back to the Eredivisie for the first time since 1978, going up via the play-offs, in which El Kachati scored five goals in six appearances, dumping out ADO Den Haag, Den Bosch and then Willem II as recently as last weekend.

However, the Moroccan youth international will not be around for de Witte Leeuwen’s top division return in August, given that his contract expires this month, and he is not going to renew.

On top of this, as noted by Martin McMillan of the Glasgow Times, El Kachati has rejected the chance to join Zweite Bundesliga side Hannover 96, stating “I will make a fantastic step this summer”, with Anthony Evans of the Daily Record claiming the Celts are ‘supremely confident’ of securing his signature.

So, why would this move evoke memories of Giakoumakis’ arrival?

Well, the Greek centre-forward arrived in Glasgow for £2.5m in the summer of 2021 from VVV-Venlo, with whom he’d won the Eredivisie golden boot during his final season in the Netherlands, scoring 26 league goals, despite the fact the Yellow and Black Army were actually relegated.

Lorihanna Balabanova of Total Football Analysis praised Giakoumakis’ exceptional “positioning” and movement, outlining how he uses his physicality to his advantage.

Well, similarly, writer Martin Bjerke believes that El Kachati “combines physical presence with dynamic movement”, labelling him “technically gifted” as well as a “reliable offensive outlet”, which sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

So, let’s analyse how the two centre-forwards compare.

Appearances

33

45

Minutes

2,875

3,517

Goals

29

25

Assists

2

6

Shots on target %

43%

40.5%

Shots per 90

3

3.86

Shots on target per 90

1.29

1.56

Goals per shot

0.21

0.14

Worth stating first and foremost that, of course, Giakoumakis was plying his trade in the Eredivisie, while El Kachati did so in the Eerste Divisie last season.

According to Global Football Rankings, the Netherlands’ top division is the 12th strongest league in the world, while the Dutch second-tier comes in at 70th; for comparison, the Scottish Premiership is 43rd, while the SPFL Championship is actually 75th.

That caveat aside, El Kachati’s statistics are impressive, scoring more goals while also registering more shots as well as more shots on target per 90.

So, as Celtic search for centre-forward reinforcements this summer, the 25-year-old is surely worth a punt, given that he’s available for free.

After Bain: Rodgers must ruthlessly axe Celtic flop who's a "bit soft"

Celtic must ruthlessly move on from this flop after they already let go of Scott Bain.

ByDan Emery Jun 4, 2025

With the transfer window now open, Vitor Pereira has reportedly asked Wolverhampton Wanderers chiefs to sign a Brazilian defender who has a release clause worth £22m.

Matt Hobbs leaves the club

Whilst Wolves will be keen to get their summer business underway as soon as possible, especially after losing Matheus Cunha and watching on as Rayan Ait-Nouri attracts interest from Manchester City, the departure of Matt Hobbs may delay things. Without their sporting director, the Midlands club are set to restructure behind the scenes ahead of Pereira’s first summer in charge.

The club released a statement on Hobbs’ exit, which read: “Wolves can confirm that sporting director Matt Hobbs has left the club by mutual consent as part of a wider restructure of the football department.

Wolves now keeping tabs on £25m winger who is similar to Antonio Valencia

The Old Gold are looking to add some attacking flair this summer.

BySean Markus Clifford Jun 5, 2025

“Hobbs, who joined Wolves in 2015, has spent the past decade working across a number of key football roles at the club, including chief scout, head of recruitment and most recently as sporting director.

“The club extends its sincere thanks to Matt for his contributions throughout his time at Wolves and wishes him the very best for the future. Further updates on the new football leadership structure will follow.”

Of course, it’s not the only change taking place in the Midlands. Having already lost Cunha to Manchester United, reports are now indicating that Wolves are likely to lose Ait-Nouri to Manchester City in the coming weeks.

Losing arguably their two best players in the same summer, Wolves must now get things right on the incomings front. Pereira will be desperate to see his first season in charge build on the progress that he’s already made at Molineux and that means a mid-table finish instead of another nervy relegation battle.

The one positive is that Wolves should have money to spend and money that Pereira is already reportedly keen to put to good use.

Pereira asks Wolves to sign Renan

According to UOL, as relayed by Molineux News, Pereira has now directly asked Wolves to sign Robert Renan, who he worked with during his time in Saudi Arabia and at Corinthians. The 21-year-old defender now reportedly has a release clause worth £22m at Zenit St. Petersburg and, after spending the season on loan at Al-Shabab, could yet be on his way to the Premier League.

Games

25

Wins

13

Draws

5

Defeats

7

Still just 21 years old, Renan has found himself at the centre of impressive praise for how he’s risen through the ranks in recent seasons. That includes from U23 scout Antonio Mango, who praised the defender for his “great mobility and acceleration” in 2023.

Two years on from that praise, the young centre-back has only upped his game, which could leave him in line for his biggest opportunity yet. Pereira knows him well and Wolves have money to spend, which means that Renan’s arrival could make perfect sense for all parties this summer.

Having reportedly requested the Brazilian’s arrival, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Pereira gets his wish at Wolves in the coming months.

One of the most interesting transfer sagas that will develop this summer regards Aston Villa’s former loanee Marcus Rashford. His future is up in the air at Old Trafford, and it does seem likely that he will depart Manchester United after a decade at the highest level for his boyhood club.

He went on loan to Villa Park in January, but it remains to be seen if he will stay at the club. The Villans have a £40m buy option for the winger, but BBC Sport reported that ‘there have been no negotiations over a permanent transfer’, and Rashford thinks United ‘would be prepared to sell him for £40m to anyone this summer’.

So, if they do not keep hold of the England superstar, it means Villa will need to sign a new winger. Perhaps that player could be Rashford’s international teammate.

Aston Villa’s potential Rashford replacement

It will be fascinating to see if Rashford stays at Villa Park beyond this season. However, if that is not to be the case, then it seems as though Unai Emery’s side have done due diligence on alternative options.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to a report from TEAMTalk, the Villans are a ‘team to watch in the race’ to sign their former attacker Jack Grealish. The Manchester City star seems destined to leave this summer, and could now launch a move for their ex-captain, who was a superstar at Villa Park.

Emery is said to be ‘a big admirer’ of the forward, and could push for a deal to be done. However, they will face competition from Everton and Newcastle United, as well as Scudetto winners Napoli.

Grealish is valued at £40m by Football Transfers, and could cost upwards of that price.

Why Grealish would be a good signing

If Villa are to bring Grealish back to his boyhood club this summer, it would be a sensational return for a true maverick of the Premier League. Despite a tough season for City, the England international is still a player capable of magical moments.

He has only played 20 games in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola this season. In that time, the 29-year-old scored and assisted one apiece. Despite four goal involvements in five games in City’s run to the FA Cup final, he was snubbed of an appearance at Wembley, with Guardiola choosing to bring Claudio Echeverri on for his debut, instead.

Should Grealish get to call Villa Park home again next season, he would surely love to reignite the exceptional form that earned him the £100m move to City in the first place. In 213 games for the Villans, he scored 32 times and created 43 goals.

So, how does that stack up to Rashford’s form at Villa Park? Well, the Wythenshawe-born superstar was sensational during his 17-game stint in Claret and Blue, leaving a huge impression in such a short time.

During his brief career as a Villa player, Rashford found the back of the net four times and grabbed six assists. He played 940 minutes, the equivalent of 10.4 games, leaving him with a goals per game ratio of almost one.

With that being said, Grealish could be the perfect Rashford replacement. The numbers from the 2020/21 campaign, his final season at Villa, compared to the United star’s stats from the same season, show exactly what he can do in a Villa shirt.

According to FBref, the former Villa skipper averaged 3.33 key passes and 7.08 progressive carries per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Red Devils’ number 10 averaged 1.33 key passes and 4.14 progressive carries each game.

Goals and assists

0.66

0.62

Key passes

3.33

1.33

Goal-creating actions

0.82

0.62

Take-ons completed

2.67

2.53

Progressive carries

7.08

4.14

If Villa get that version of Grealish, or even a player half as good, they have an excellent replacement for Rashford. Both players were sensational that season, with 16 goals and assists for Grealish and 20 for Rashford.

To bring back a player to his boyhood club who can be one of the best attackers in the country, as the stats show, might be a genius move for Villa.

As Statman Dave once called him, he is a “menace”. If Emery can bring the best out of Grealish, it will be a fantastic deal for the club and player.

Emery's new Duran: Aston Villa lead chase for "frightening" £40m sensation

Unai Emery is aiming to bolster his attacking options this summer

1 ByRoss Kilvington Jun 7, 2025

Arsenal have many targets on their radar for the coming months, in keeping with Andrea Berta’s transfer philosophy, with the sporting director known to spin many plates at any given time in pursuit of signings.

He's more exciting than Zubimendi: Arsenal looking to sign £70m "superstar"

Arsenal could make an even more exciting signing than Martin Zubimendi.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 24, 2025

The Italian has already held “numerous” talks with certain players’ representatives, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently, and they’ve been “very active” behind-the-scenes.

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

Berta is still currently working on simultaneous deals for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko (Miguel Delaney), which comes as his most high-profile work right now by far, with Arsenal supporters extremely keen for their club to finally sign a proven goalscorer.

Unfortunately, the potential departure of veteran star midfielder Thomas Partey is now increasingly more likely with new contract talks at a stalemate, so Mikel Arteta might find himself requiring another man for the engine room after Martin Zubimendi, who’s put the finishing touches on a move to Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano).

Arsenal are actively discussing alternatives to Partey behind-the-scenes, but it is a tricky situation, as the north Londoners may not have a big enough transfer kitty to bring in another premium midfielder with Zubimendi (The Athletic).

Nevertheless, internal conversations are happening about a replacement for Partey, with Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume high on Arsenal’s list of targets in that regard.

Arsenal tipped to make "shock" move for Brentford captain Christian Norgaard

Now, as per “very well-connected” former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown, Brentford captain Christian Norgaard is an option for Arteta’s side as well.

The Dane has been a mainstay for Brentford, and pivotal for ex-Bees boss Thomas Frank. Norgaard started 34 top-flight games last season, chipping in with five goals and four assists in the league over that time, with the 31-year-old boasting proven top-level experience.

Brown, speaking to Football Insider, claims that Arsenal are considering a “shock” move for Norgaard amid reports that Partey could call time on his Emirates Stadium career.

“Norgaard is a better player than a lot of people give him credit for,” he said.

“So interest from clubs like Arsenal might come as a shock, but he would be a good option for them. He’s a very consistent performer who goes under the radar a lot of the time, and that’s what these clubs are looking for, a solid, consistent player.

“Arsenal have been keeping an eye on him because they want to strengthen their midfield options.

“They have to decide where he would fit in their team and what his role would be. But he’s certainly a player they feel would strengthen their squad because he’s a good player, he’s a leader and he’s got plenty of experience.

“It looks like a lot of players could be leaving Brentford because the manager is gone. That will be a blow to them, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see people like Norgaard tempted to move on.”

Derby County are on the lookout for additions after escaping relegation last term and John Eustace could now be set to swoop for a star he has previously worked with, according to a recent report.

Derby County make strong start to the summer window

There is plenty of excitement at Pride Park ahead of the new season, and a common theme has emerged within the Rams’ summer recruitment that may paint an intriguing picture.

Andreas Weimann and Danny Batth have both arrived from Blackburn. Richard O’Donnell, alongside Carlton Morris, come in from Blackpool and Luton Town, respectively.

John Eustace took over at Derby from Rovers in a surprise turn of events earlier this year, and new signing Batth has pointed out why the Rams boss is the man he wanted to work for, above all.

He explained: “We have got a good relationship. We speak about football and get on well generally. I like the way the manager works with his team and obviously I know what I am getting into coming here.

“I am sure he will be really pushing forward with the team this season, and to be a part of that is a great privilege.”

Offer submitted: Derby make £5m+ bid to sign "great" new player for Eustace

He wants to join the Rams.

2 ByBrett Worthington Jul 2, 2025

Determined to keep building on what has been an encouraging start to the window, Derby are in talks to sign free agent midfielder John Swift and he has already met Eustace amid rumours that he could be set for Pride Park.

Three other clubs in the EFL will provide competition for his signature, but there can be no doubt that the Rams are on the right track when profiling where to add fresh blood. Now, Eustace could be set to repeat his trick of raiding Blackburn for new additions by reuniting with a star he rates highly from his time in Lancashire.

Derby plotting move for Callum Brittain

According to Football Insider, Derby are plotting a move for Blackburn full-back Callum Brittain amid an impasse in talks over a new deal for the 27-year-old at Ewood Park.

Eustace is said to be a huge fan of the defender and previously labelled him “one of the best full-backs in the league” alongside talking up his qualities as a ‘real leader’ on and off the pitch.

Callum Brittain in 2024/25 – EFL Championship (Fotmob)

Successful dribbles

32

Touches in opposition box

51

Tackles won

34

Recoveries

110

Aerial duels won

40

Enjoying a productive time of things last term, Brittain registered two goals and five assists in 35 appearances across all competitions, predominantly featuring on the right-hand side of their backline.

However, he is also capable of featuring further up the flank when needed. He may be set for a new challenge under a familiar face if reports are to materialise into something more concrete.

Derby avoided relegation by a solitary point in 2024/25 and seem determined to avoid a similar fate this time around. Their pursuit of Brittain could be a statement of intent on that front.

The summer usually only means one thing in football: the transfer window. Whether your team is looking to right the wrongs of the previous campaign or hoping to enter a new era of success, all 20 Premier League clubs will be doing all they can to bolster their sides for the 2025/26 season.

For some, the transfer window came with an added distraction this year, with Chelsea lifting the Club World Cup title in the United States.

AI predicts the 2025/26 Premier League table

Who are the winners and losers from AI’s table?

1 ByCharlie Smith Jun 7, 2025

With all the teams sure to be scrambling for deals right up until September, you can keep track of everything right here.

Arsenal Total spent: £267m

Arsenal have had a big summer, with Mikel Arteta’s side hoping to end three years of finishing second by finally lifting the Premier League title. A striker was the most important area of the pitch to bolster, with the Gunners finally sealing a move for Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

Midfielder Martin Zubimendi also sealed a move from Real Sociedad, whereas Noni Madueke followed Kepa by swapping Chelsea for the Emirates. The most high-profile deal saw the Gunners swoop in and sign Eberechi Eze ahead of rivals Tottenham.

Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace

£67.5m

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting CP

£63.5m

Martin Zubimendi

Real Sociedad

£55m

Noni Madueke

Chelsea

£48m

Christian Norgaard

Brentford

£15m

Cristhian Mosquera

Valencia

£13m

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea

£5m

Piero Hincapie

Bayer Leverkusen

Loan

Kieran Tierney

Celtic

Free

Jorginho

Flamengo

Free

Nuno Tavares

Lazio

Undisclosed

Marquinhos

Cruzerio

Undisclosed

Takehiro Tomiyasu

N/A

Released

Karl Hein

Werder Bremen

Loan

Ismeal Kabia

Shrewsbury Town

Loan

Jakub Kiwior

FC Porto

Loan

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Nottingham Forest

Loan

Reiss Nelson

Brentford

Loan

Aston Villa Total spent: £39.9m

Aston Villa suffered final-day disappointment as their Champions League dream was ended by a defeat at Old Trafford amid some refereeing controversy.

Looking to put that heartbreak behind them as they prepare for the Europa League, Villa welcomed new arrivals in the form of Nice striker Evann Guessand, Turkish youngster Yasin Ozcan and teenage striker Zepiqueno Redmond from Feyenoord. They also had a busy final few days of the window with Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott all moving to the Midlands.

Elsewhere, backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen joined Malmo, with Marco Bizot since arriving as his replacement.

Evann Guessand

Nice

£30m

Yasin Ozcan

Kasimpasa

£5.9m

Zepiqueno Redmond

Feyenoord

Free

Marco Bizot

Brest

Undisclosed

Modou Keba Cisse

LASK

£4m

Victor Lindelof

N/A

Free

Jadon Sancho

Manchester United

Loan

Harvey Elliott

Liverpool

Loan

Jacob Ramsey

Newcastle

£40m

Kaine Kesler-Hayden

Coventry City

£3.5m

Robin Olsen

Malmo

Free

Enzo Barrenechea

Benfica

Loan

Josh Feeney

Huddersfield Town

Loan

Rico Richards

Port Vale

Undisclosed

Philippe Coutinho

Vasco da Gama

Undisclosed

Kortney Hause

N/A

Released

Kyrie Pierre

Brentford

Free

Louie Barry

Sheffield United

Loan

Filip Marschall

Stevenage

Undisclosed

Yasin Ozcan

Anderlecht

Loan

Joe Gauci

Port Vale

Loan

Leander Dendoncker

Real Oviedo

Undisclosed

Leon Bailey

AS Roma

Loan

Lewis Dobbin

Preston

Loan

Alex Moreno

Girona

Undisclosed

Samuel Iling Jr

West Brom

Loan

Zepiqueno Redmond

Huddersfield Town

Loan

Tristan Rowe

Annecy

Loan

Bournemouth Total spent: £129.7m

Bournemouth were arguably been involved in two of the deals of the summer, with centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi moving for big money to join Real Madrid and PSG, whereas left-back Milos Kerkez headed to Liverpool.

Andoni Iraola had cash to play with as he looks to take his side into Europe after an impressive campaign last time out, and he has that on full-back Adrien Tuffert from Rennes, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea, centre-back Bafode Diakite from Lille, winger Ben Gannon Doak from Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen’s Amine Adli.

Bafode Diakite

Lille

£30.3m

Ben Gannon Doak

Liverpool

£25m

Amine Adli

Bayer Leverkusen

£25m

Djordje Petrovic

Chelsea

£25m

Veljko Milosavljevic

Red Star Belgrade

£13m

Adrien Tuffert

Rennes

£11.4m

Illia Zabarnyi

PSG

£54.5m

Dean Huijsen

Real Madrid

£50m

Dango Ouattara

Brentford

£42.5m

Milos Kerkez

Liverpool

£40m

Jaidon Anthony

Burnley

£8m

Philip Billing

Midtjylland

£5m

Mark Travers

Everton

£4m

Daniel Jebbison

Preston

Loan

Max Aarons

Rangers

Loan

Joe Rothwell

Rangers

Undisclosed

Neto

Botafogo

Free

Luis Sinisterra

Cruzerio

Loan

Philip Billing

Midtjylland

£5m

Brentford Total spent: £91.2m

Brentford missed out on a European place last season, but the Bees continue to impress in the top flight – and are now under a new manager in Keith Andrews. They have even broken their transfer record on Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth, who has cost more than £40m.

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was one of the early deals of the summer, joining for £18m, whereas Jordan Henderson is arguably the most high profile name through the door. Brentford also made Michael Kayode’s loan deal from Fiorentina permanent, and midfielder Antoni Milambo cost an initial £16m from Feyenoord.

Dango Ouattara

Bournemouth

£42.5m

Caoimhin Kelleher

Liverpool

£18m

Antoni Milambo

Feyenoord

£16m

Michael Kayode

Fiorentina

£14.7m

Romelle Donovan

Birmingham

Undisclosed

Jordan Henderson

Ajax

Free

Kyrie Pierre

Aston Villa

Free

Reiss Nelson

Arsenal

Loan

Mark Flekken

Bayer Leverkusen

£8m

Ethan Brierley

Exeter City

Loan

Ben Mee

N/A

Released

Christian Norgaard

Arsenal

£15m

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

£71m

Jayden Meghoma

Rangers

Loan

Mads Roerslev

Southampton

Undisclosed

Yoane Wissa

Newcastle

£55m

Brighton & Hove Albion Total spent: £70.8m

Brighton were busy adding to their squad as they seek an improvement on last season’s eighth-place finish, with Charalompos Kostulas their most expensive signing.

Sunderland’s play-off hero, Tom Watson, has joined in a £10m switch, while a deal has also been announced for Hellas Verona defender Diego Coppola. The Seagulls cashed in on Joao Pedro, selling him to Chelsea, whereas Valentin Barco has left on a permanent basis as well.

Charalampos Kostoulas

Olympiacos

£31.7m

Maxim De Cuyper

Club Brugge

£17.3m

Tom Watson

Sunderland

£10m

Diego Coppola

Hellas Verona

£9.4m

Yoon Do-young

Daejeon Hana Citizen

£1.7m

Nils Ramming

Eintracht Frankfurt

£730,000

Olivier Boscagli

PSV Eindhoven

Free

Sean Keogh

Dundalk

Undisclosed

Kofi Shaw

Bristol Rovers

Undisclosed

Joao Pedro

Chelsea

£60m

Simon Adingra

Sunderland

£21m

Pervis Estupinan

AC Milan

£17m

Valentin Barco

Strasbourg

£8.5m

Kjell Scherpen

Union Saint-Gilloise

Undisclosed

Abdallah Sima

Lens

Undisclosed

Tariq Lamptey

Fiorentina

Undisclosed

Julio Enciso

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Mark O’Mahony

Reading

Loan

Amario Cozier-Duberry

Bolton

Loan

Yoon Doyoung

Rotterdam

Loan

Evan Ferguson

Roma

Loan

Carl Rushworth

Coventry City

Loan

Eiran Cashin

Birmingham City

Loan

Andrew Moran

LAFC

Loan

Facundo Buonanotte

Chelsea

Loan

Jeremy Sarmiento

Cremonese

Loan

Igor Julio

West Ham

Loan

Matt O’Riley

Marseille

Loan

Burnley Total spent: £107.45m

Burnley kick-started their summer business with the permanent signings of four loanees, including Sporting CP’s Marcus Edwards and Chelsea’s Bashir Humphreys. Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming also joined, as have Axel Tuanzebe, Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman as Scott Parker aims to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

The Clarets’ most expensive addition of the window this summer are Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja from Chelsea. Heading in the other direction are Nathan Redmond and Jonjo Shelvey, who have both been released, whereas star centre-back CJ Egan-Riley snubbed a new deal at Turf Moor to join Marseille, and James Trafford re-joined Man City.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Chelsea

£20m

Armando Broja

Chelsea

£20m

Loum Tchaouna

Lazio

£13m

Bashir Humphreys

Chelsea

£11.75m

Quilindschy Hartman

Feyenoord

£10m

Marcus Edwards

Sporting CP

£8.4m

Jaidon Anthony

Bournemouth

£8m

Zian Flemming

Millwall

£7m

Kyle Walker

Man City

£5m

Max Weiss

Karlsruher SC

£4.3m

Axel Tuanzebe

Ipswich

Free

Jacob Bruun Larsen

Stuttgart

Undisclosed

Martin Dubravka

Newcastle

Undisclosed

Florentino Luis

Benfica

Loan

CJ Egan-Riley

Marseille

Free

Nathan Redmond

N/A

Released

Jonjo Shelvey

N/A

Released

James Trafford

Man City

£27m

Han-Noah Massengo

Augsburg

£2.6m

Oluwaseun Adewumi

Cercle Brugge

Loan

Shurandy Sambo

Sparta Rotterdam

Loan

Luca Koleosho

Espanyol

Loan

Michael Obafemi

VfL Bochum

Loan

Aaron Ramsey

Leicester City

Loan

Manuel Benson

Swansea City

Loan

Chelsea Total spent: £292.2m

As can be expected these days, Chelsea splashed the cash in the summer transfer window, with their marquee additions being Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Jorrel Hato and Liam Delap.

Palmeiras winger Estevao Willian is the latest South American talent to head to west London, while Ecuadorian Kendry Paez will also join the Club World Cup winners now that he has turned 18.

Joao Pedro

Brighton

£60m

Jamie Gittens

Borussia Dortmund

£48.5m

Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United

£40m

Jorrel Hato

Ajax

£37m

Liam Delap

Ipswich

£30m

Estevao Willian

Palmeiras

£29m

Dario Essugo

Sporting CP

£18.4m

Kendry Paez

Independiente

£17.3m

Mamadou Sarr

Strasbourg

£12m

Jesse Derry

Crystal Palace

Undisclosed

Facundo Buonanotte

Brighton

Loan

Noni Madueke

Arsenal

£48m

Joao Felix

Chelsea

£26.2m

Renato Veiga

Villarreal

£26m

Djordje Petrovic

Bournemouth

£25m

Carney Chukwuemeka

Borussia Dortmund

£24m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Everton

£24m

Lesley Ugochukwu

Burnley

£20m

Armando Broja

Burnley

£20m

Bashir Humphreys

Burnley

£11.75m

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Arsenal

£5m

Marcus Bettinelli

Man City

Undisclosed

Mathis Amougou

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Ben Chilwell

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Mike Penders

Strasbourg

Loan

Aaron Anselmino

Borussia Dortmund

Loan

Nicolas Jackson

Bayern Munich

Loan

Ishe Samuels-Smith

Swansea City

Loan

Crystal Palace Total spent: £45.6m

FA Cup winners Crystal Palace made Walter Benitez their first signing of the summer, joining on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven and also spent £3m on defender Borna Sosa from Ajax.

After losing Eberechi Eze to Arsena, the Eagles then spent some of that money on Yeremy Pino from Villarreal, with Jaydee Canvot and Christantus Uche the deadline day additions.

Yeremy Pino

Villarreal

£21.6m

Jaydee Canvot

Toulouse

£21m

Walter Benitez

PSV Eindhoven

Free

Borna Sosa

Ajax

£3m

Christantus Uche

Getafe

Loan

Eberechi Eze

Arsenal

£67.5m

Joel Ward

N/A

Released

Jeffrey Schlupp

Norwich

Free

Owen Goodman

Huddersfield

Loan

David Ozoh

Derby

Loan

Hindolo Mustapha

Nurnberg

Loan

Jesse Derry

Chelsea

Undisclosed

Malcolm Ebiowei

Blackpool

Undisclosed

Odsonne Edouard

RC Lens

Undisclosed

Everton Total spent: £117.6m

It will be a season of immense change on the blue half of Merseyside – and not just on the personnel side of things.

Of course, 2025/26 marks Everton’s first at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and with plenty of players already heading out the exit door, we can perhaps expect plenty of new faces for David Moyes’ side, with the most high-profile arrival being Jack Grealish.

The Toffees welcomed back Carlos Alcaraz by turning his loan move from Flamengo permanent. Elsewhere, Thierno Barry has cost £27m and looks set to replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack. Mark Travers arrives to provide competition to Jordan Pickford and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has cost £24m from Chelsea, with Tyler Dibling the most expensive signing at more than £40m.

Tyler Dibling

Southampton

£42m

Thierno Barry

Villarreal

£27m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Chelsea

£24m

Carlos Alcaraz

Flamengo

£12.6m

Adam Aznou

Bayern Munich

£8m

Mark Travers

Bournemouth

£4m

Jack Grealish

Man City

Loan

Merlin Rohl

Freiburg

Loan

Tom King

Wolves

Undisclosed

Neal Maupay

Marseille

£3.4m

Youssef Chermiti

Rangers

Undisclosed

Asmir Begovic

N/A

Released

Abdoulaye Doucoure

N/A

Released

Joao Virginia

N/A

Released

Ashley Young

N/A

Released

Mason Holgate

N/A

Released

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Leeds

Free

Harrison Armstrong

Preston

Loan

Fulham Total spent: £35m

There wasn’t a great deal happening at Fulham until deadline day, with the arrival of experienced goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomt the only incoming before then.

Marco Silva’s side then broke their transfer record by signing Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk, with another attacker in Samuel Chukwueze also joining on loan.

Kevin

Shakhtar Donetsk

£34.6m

Benjamin Lecomt

Montpellier

£430,000

Samuel Chukwueze

AC Milan

Loan

Carlos Vinicius

N/A

Released

Willian

N/A

Released

Callum Osmand

Celtic

Undisclosed

Martial Godo

Strasbourg

£7m

Leeds United Total spent: £101.3m

Leeds United’s first Premier League campaign for two years will see Daniel Farke looking to break his personal hoodoo of going straight back down after promotion.

The first official arrival at Elland Road this summer was Lukas Nmecha, with the forward returning to England on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. He has since been joined by centre-backs Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw and full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, who cost the Whites a combined £30m.

Meanwhile, Sean Longstaff swapped St James’ Park and Newcastle for Elland Road and fellow midfielder Anton Stach has cost Leeds over £17m, with goalkeeper Lucas Perri arriving from Lyon. One of the most high-profile additions has been forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer, and he was quickly joined by Leeds’ most expensive signing of the window in Noah Okafor.

Noah Okafor

AC Milan

£18m

Anton Stach

Hoffenheim

£17.4m

Jaka Bijol

Udinese

£15m

Lucas Perri

Lyon

£13.9m

Sean Longstaff

Newcastle

£12m

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Lille

£10m

James Justin

Leicester City

£10m

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Wolfsburg

£5m

Louis Enahoro-Marcus

Liverpool

Undisclosed

Lukas Nmecha

Wolfsburg

Free

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton

Free

Rasmus Kristensen

Frankfurt

£5m

Sam Greenwood

Pogon Szczecin

£3.4m

Max Wober

Werder Bremen

Loan

Mateo Joseph

Mallorca

Loan

Joe Gelhardt

Hull City

Loan

Joe Snowdon

Swindon

Free

Josuha Guilavogui

N/A

Released

Junior Firpo

Real Betis

Free

Isaac Schmidt

Werder Bremen

Loan

Largie Ramazani

Valencia

Loan

Patrick Bamford

N/A

Released

Darko Gyabi

Hull City

Undisclosed

Liverpool Total spent: £407.2m

With a quiet summer last time around before becoming Premier League champions, it was a chaotic window for Arne Slot and Liverpool this time around, with Alexander Isak’s British record £125m transfer going through on deadline day.

Giorgi Mamardashvili’s arrival as a challenger to Allison was confirmed last year, whereas Trent Alexander-Arnold left early to join Real Madrid at the Club World Cup for a €10m (£8.4m) fee.

Florian Wirtz initially became Liverpool’s all-time record signing for £116m before Isak’s arrival, whereas Jeremie Frimpong replaced Alexander-Arnold and Milos Kerkez arrived at left-back. Having already tied Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to longer deals, the Reds have also splashed the cash on a new striker in Hugo Ekitike, spending more than £250m.

Alexander Isak

Newcastle United

£125m

Florian Wirtz

Bayer Leverkusen

£116m

Hugo Ekitike

Frankfurt

£69m

Milos Kerkez

Bournemouth

£40m

Jeremie Frimpong

Bayer Leverkusen

£29.5m

Giovanni Leoni

Parma

£26m

Armin Pecsi

Puskas Akademia

£1.5m

Freddie Woodman

Preston North End

Free

Will Wright

Salford City

£200k

Luis Diaz

Bayern Munich

£65.5m

Darwin Nunez

Al-Hilal

£46.2m

Jarell Quansah

Bayer Leverkusen

£35m

Ben Gannon Doak

Bournemouth

£25m

Caoimhin Kelleher

Brentford

£18m

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Real Madrid

£8.4m

Nathaniel Phillips

West Brom

£3m

Louis Enahoro-Marcus

Leeds

Undisclosed

Owen Beck

Derby County

Loan

Lewis Koumas

Birmingham City

Loan

Harvey Elliott

Aston Villa

Loan

Kostas Tsimikas

Roma

Loan

Manchester City Total spent: £182m

Despite having spent heavily in January to ensure they made the Champions League, Manchester City splashed the cash in the summer on the likes of Rayan Ait Nouri and Rayan Cherki, with Tijjani Reijnders their most expensive addition from AC Milan.

City also brought back James Trafford from Burnley before signing another goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG on deadline day.

Tijjani Reijnders

AC Milan

£46.5m

Rayan Ait Nouri

Wolves

£36m

Rayan Cherki

Lyon

£34m

James Trafford

Burnley

£27m

Gianluigi Donnarumma

PSG

£26m

Sverre Nypan

Rosenborg

£12.5m

Marcus Bettinelli

Chelsea

Undisclosed

James McAtee

Nottingham Forest

£30m

Yan Couto

Borussia Dortmund

£21m

Ederson

Fenerbache

£12m

Maximo Perrone

Como

£11.3m

Kayky

Bahia

£9m

Kyle Walker

Burnley

£5m

Jacob Wright

Norwich City

£2.3m

Kevin De Bruyne

Napoli

Free

Scott Carson

N/A

Released

Divin Mubama

Stoke City

Loan

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Celtic

Loan

Vitor Reis

Girona

Loan

Jack Grealish

Everton

Loan

Sverre Nypan

Middlesbrough

Loan

Claudio Echeverri

Bayer Leverkusen

Loan

Manuel Akanji

Inter Milan

Loan

Ilkay Gundogan

Galatasaray

Free

Manchester United Total spent: £225.3m

After a dismal 2024/25, Ruben Amorim and Manchester United have plenty of wrongs to right over the coming months and beyond.

Part of their mammoth task to return United to the upper regions of the Premier League is clearing out the deadwood, but there were also some major additions.

Matheus Cunha’s big-money switch from Wolves, Bryan Mbeumo’s £71m arrival from Brentford and £66.4m striker Benjamin Sesko will hand United a new look to their attack for 2025/26, whereas another new goalkeeper has arrived in Senne Lammens.

Bryan Mbeumo

Brentford

£71m

Benjamin Sesko

RB Leipzig

£66.4m

Matheus Cunha

Wolves

£62.5m

Senne Lammens

Royal Antwerp

£18.2m

Diego Leon

Cerro Porteno

£7m

Alejandro Garnacho

Chelsea

£40m

Antony

Real Betis

£21.7m

Christian Eriksen

N/A

Released

Jonny Evans

N/A

Released

Victor Lindelof

N/A

Released

Marcus Rashford

Barcelona

Loan

Toby Collyer

West Brom

Loan

Rasmus Hojlund

Napoli

Loan

Jadon Sancho

Aston Villa

Loan

Harry Amass

Sheffield Wednesday

Loan

Newcastle United Total spent: £249m

Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League hasn’t resulted in a straightforward transfer window, although the Magpies have broken their transfer record on German attacker Nick Woltemade. The Magpies finally sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day, with Yoane Wissa coming the other way from Brentford.

Other new players are Anthony Elanga’s arrival from Nottingham Forest, Jacob Ramsey’s £40m transfer from Aston Villa and Malick Thiaw’s £30m signing from AC Milan. The Magpies also won the race to sign teenage winger Antonio Cordero from Malaga and brought in Aaron Ramsdale on loan.

Nick Woltemade

Stuttgart

£69m

Anthony Elanga

Nottingham Forest

£55m

Yoane Wissa

Brentford

£55m

Jacob Ramsey

Aston Villa

£40m

Malick Thiaw

AC Milan

£30m

Aaron Ramsdale

Southampton

Loan

Antonio Cordero

Malaga

Free

Park Seung-soo

Suwon Bluewings

Undisclosed

Alexander Isak

Liverpool

£125m

Lloyd Kelly

Juventus

£14.5m

Sean Longstaff

Leeds

£12m

Martin Dubravka

Burnley

Undisclosed

Garang Kuol

Sparta Prague

Undisclosed

Matt Targett

Middlesbrough

Loan

Jamal Lewis

N/A

Released

Isaac Hayden

N/A

Released

Nottingham Forest Total spent: £192.7m

While Nottingham Forest have been used to spending in previous windows, they may not be used to a window like this with European football on the horizon.

Deals for Botafogo duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha were sealed early, whereas winger Dan Ndoye cost £34m. After their Europa League place was confirmed ahead of Crystal Palace, Forest have since splashed the cash on England U21 stars James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson, with Dilane Bakwa also costing big money on deadline day from Strasbourg.

Omari Hutchinson

Ipswich Town

£37.5m

Dilane Bakwa

Strasbourg

£35m

Dan Ndoye

Bologna

£34m

James McAtee

Manchester City

£30m

Arnaud Kalimuendo

Rennes

£25m

Nicolo Savona

Juventus

£11.2m

Igor Jesus

Botafogo

£10m

Jair Cunha

Botafogo

£10m

Angus Gunn

Norwich City

Free

Douglas Luiz

Juventus

Loan

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Arsenal

Loan

Cuiabano

Botafogo

Undisclosed

Matthew Orr

Linfield

Undisclosed

Anthony Elanga

Newcastle

£55m

Andrew Omobamidele

Strasbourg

£6.8m

Harry Toffolo

N/A

Released

Jack Perkins

Northampton

Undisclosed

Tyler Bindon

Sheffield United

Loan

Ramon Sosa

Palmeiras

£10m

Lewis O’Brien

Wrexham

Undisclosed

Matt Turner

Lyon

£7m

Dale Taylor

Blackpool

Undisclosed

Marko Stamenic

Swansea City

Undisclosed

Carlos Miguel

Palmeiras

£4.6m

Sunderland Total spent: £168.7m

Following Sunderland’s incredible comeback victory in the Championship play-off final, the Black Cats were extrenely busy in the market, spending just under £170m.

Promotion saw Enzo Le Fee’s loan move become permanent, however, Jobe Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund, following in the footsteps of his older brother, with Habib Diarra becoming his replacement in a club record deal.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£30.5m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.4m

Brian Brobbey

Ajax

£17.3m

Noah Sadiki

Union Saint-Gilloise

£15m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£13m

Nordi Mukiele

PSG

£12m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£10m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

Free

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£18m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Bertrand Traore

Ajax

£2.5m

Arthur Masuaku

N/A

Free

Jobe Bellingham

Borussia Dortmund

£32m

Tom Watson

Brighton

£10m

Adil Aouchiche

Aberdeen

Loan

Nazariy Rusyn

Arka

Loan

Pierre Ekwah

Saint Etienne

Undisclosed

Tottenham Hotspur Total spent: £169.8m

Fresh from securing Europa League glory, Tottenham Hotspur are heading from a season finishing fourth-bottom in the Premier League to the Champions League.

They have some prior business adding to this summer’s outlays, with Kevin Danso’s switch from Lens becoming permanent, while youngster Luka Vuskovic will join from Hajduk Split following a deal agreed in September 2023.

New manager Thomas Frank has also signed Mathys Tel on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich and Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, whereas Joao Palhinha joined on loan from the Bundesliga champions. After missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Spurs then hijacked Chelsea’s move for Xavi Simons and signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG.

The most high-profile exit was Heung-min Son’s departure to MLS side LAFC for £20m.

Mohammed Kudus

West Ham

£55m

Xavi Simons

RB Leipzig

£51.8m

Mathys Tel

Bayern Munich

£30m

Kevin Danso

Lens

£21m

Luka Vuskovic

Hajduk Split

£12m

Kota Taka

Kawasaki Frontale

£5m

Joao Palhinha

Bayern Munich

Loan

Randal Kolo Muani

PSG

Loan

Heung-min Son

LAFC

£20m

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Marseille

£17m

Bryan Gi

Girona

£8.6m

Alejo Veliz

Rosario Central

Loan

Fraser Forster

N/A

Released

Sergio Reguilon

N/A

Released

Alfie Whiteman

N/A

Released

Alfie Dorrington

Aberdeen

Loan

Ashley Phillips

Stoke City

Loan

Mikey Moore

Rangers

Loan

Will Lankshear

Oxford United

Loan

Jamie Donley

Stoke City

Loan

Alfie Devine

Preston

Loan

Yang Min-Hyeok

Portsmouth

Loan

Manor Solomon

Villarreal

Loan

West Ham United Total spent: £134m

After an underwhelming season that failed to match the excitement of last summer’s transfer dealings, results will matter far more to the West Ham United faithful than whatever ensues over the next couple of months.

Graham Potter has some work to do to inspire his team to improve after Julen Lopetegui’s project fell flat, and the Hammers’ obligation to buy Jean-Clair Todibo has become active for £36m. When it comes to fresh faces, left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague, Mads Hermansen from Leicester City and Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson join after leaving Southampton and Newcastle.

Late in the summer, the Hammers have also spent big on midfielders Mateus Fernandes from Southampton and Soungoutou Magassa from AS Moncao.

Mateus Fernandes

Southampton

£42m

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

£36m

Mads Hermansen

Leicester

£20m

El Hadji Malick Diouf

Slavia Prague

£19m

Soungoutou Magassa

AS Monaco

£17m

Daniel Cummings

Celtic

£250,000

Kyle Walker-Peters

Southampton

Free

Callum Wilson

Newcastle

Free

Igor Julio

Brighton

Loan

Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham

£55m

Nayef Aguerd

Marseille

£20m

Emerson Palmieri

Marseille

Undisclosed

Aaron Cresswell

Stoke City

Free

Vladimir Coufal

N/A

Released

Lukasz Fabianski

N/A

Released

Danny Ings

N/A

Released

Kurt Zouma

N/A

Released

Michail Antonio

N/A

Released

Luizao

N/A

Released

Edson Alvarez

Fenerbahce

Loan

Gideon Kodua

Luton

Loan

Maxwel Cornet

Genoa

Loan

Wolverhampton Wanderers Total spent: £101.4m

Vitor Pereira’s superb job of keeping Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League will surely give supporters hope that the upcoming season will be free of relegation fears.

However, they’ll have to do without Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait Nouri, who joined Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, although they brought in attacker Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo, while Jorgen Strand Larsen’s loan move from the La Liga club also became permanent.

Tolu Arokodare

Genk

£24m

Jorgen Strand Larsen

Celta Vigo

£23m

Fer Lopez

Celta Vigo

£19m

Jhon Arias

Fluminense

£15m

Jackson Tchatchoua

Hellas Verona

£10.4m

David Moller Wolfe

AZ Alkmaar

£10m

Ladislav Krejci

Girona

Loan

Matheus Cunha

Man Utd

£62.5m

Rayan Ait Nouri

Man City

£36m

Fabio Silva

Borussia Dortmund

Undisclosed

Goncalo Guedes

Real Sociedad

£3.5m

Pablo Sarabia

Al-Arabi

Released

Craig Dawson

N/A

Released

Nelson Semedo

N/A

Released

Tommy Doyle

Birmingham City

Loan

Chiquinho

Alverca

Undisclosed

Nasser Djiga

Rangers

Loan

Nigel Lonwijk

Luton Town

Loan

Boubacar Traore

Metz

Loan

Tom King

Everton

Undisclosed

Pedro Lima

FC Porto

Loan

Fair to say, West Ham United supporters are not coming into the new season with sky-high optimism.

Last time round, the Hammers finished 14th, only just above the disastrous duo that was Manchester United and Tottenham, while their tally of nine home league defeats was the most they’ve endured since being relegated in 2010/11.

Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in January, but this did not lead to an upturn in results, winning just five of his 19 matches in charge.

Thus, Potter will be under pressure to make a fast start to this season, but will need some new recruits if he’s to achieve this, potentially with his eye on an attacker reminiscent of a West Ham fans’ favourite of yesteryear.

West Ham's search for a new attacker

So far this summer, in a very unpopular move amongst the Hammers’ support, star winger Mohammed Kudus has departed to join fierce rivals Tottenham for a reported fee of £55m, becoming the first player to make such a move since Scott Parker in 2011.

Meantime, left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague for around £19m, but this has done little to get supporters back on side.

Well, that could change because, according to a report by Jack Johnson for talkSPORT, West Ham have made contact with Leicester City over the possibility of signing Bilal El Khannouss.

They add that Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Monaco also ‘hold a concrete interest’, while adding that the Moroccan international’s contract contains a £22.5m release clause, activated following the Foxes’ relegation to the EFL Championship.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Loïc Tanzi of L’Équipe claims that El Khannouss has no intention of playing in England’s second-tier, prioritising a return to the Premier League, so could he soon swap the East Midlands for the East End of London?

How Bilal El Khannouss would improve West Ham

After arriving from Genk for £21m last summer, El Khannouss managed to impress during his debut campaign in the Premier League, despite plying his trade in a generally hopeless Leicester side, who infamously failed to score in nine successive home league matches, an unwanted new top division record.

The table below outlines the Moroccan’s importance to the Foxes last season.

Minutes

2,182

7th

Appearances

32

4th

Goals

2

5th

Assists

3

3rd

Shots

30

4th

Goals – xG

+0.7

4th

Progressive passes

128

1st

Key passes

42

1st

Passes into the box

31

1st

Shot-creating actions

78

1st

Successful take-ons

34

2nd

Take-on success %

56.7%

2nd*

Progressive carries

73

2nd

Carries into the final third

45

1st

*minimum 13 attempted.

As the table outlines, El Khannouss was very much Leicester’s creator in chief last season, ranked first for a variety of passing, chances created and dribbling statistics.

Ben Mattinson of Breaking the Lines notes that he ‘boasts the vision to spot impossible passes’, adding that he ‘oozes composure’ and is capable of a match-winning moment at any time, asserting that it’s only a matter of time before he is plying his trade for one of ‘Europe’s biggest outfits’. Writing on X, Mattinson has described him as “a player made for the big stage”.

Well, that last part sounds just like arguably West Ham’s greatest player of the modern era, does it not?

When Dimitri Payet joined the Hammers from Olympique de Marseille for just £11m in the summer of 2015, no one could’ve forecast what would happen next.

In 60 appearances in claret and blue, the France international scored 15 goals and registered 22 assists, with Josh Fordham of talkSPORT asserting that he is ‘easily the most talented player’ of the club’s modern history.

Meantime, Roshane Thomas of The Athletic outlines how the “world-class” Payet “entertained supporters” with countless jaw-dropping moments, before forcing through an acrimonious return to Marseille just 18 months after arriving.

So, could El Khannouss be the next Payet? Let’s compare the pair to find out.

Goals

2

9

Assists

3

12

Shots per 90

0.9

2.3

Big chances created

8

16

Key passes per 90

1.3

4

Successful dribbles per 90

1.1

2.2

Dribble success %

59.6%

57%

Average SofaScore rating

6.91

7.68

Of course, Payet’s statistics are more impressive, but this should not come as much of a surprise, given that, as noted by Harry Sherlock of Goal, he was one of the best players in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season, so much so that he was on the Ballon d’Or nominees list.

El Khannouss is certainly yet to hit those heights, but his numbers are comparable, especially when it comes to chances created and dribbling, so he too has the potential to light up the London Stadium.

He’d be amazing with Bowen: West Ham in contact for "sensational" £34m star

West Ham are looking to add goals to their side this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Jul 17, 2025

Manchester United are in the hunt for a new striker and could now be set to intensify their efforts to ensure a new attacker arrives at Old Trafford, according to reports.

Manchester United's striker chase won't lead to Alexander Isak

The Red Devils have already brought in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this window, and their next priority is now bringing a striker into the fold as Ruben Amorim aims to offer competition to Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

However, Ben Jacobs has confirmed Manchester United won’t sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United despite the Sweden international showing a willingness to leave the North East in search of a new challenge this summer.

He stated: “Manchester United never in the race for Alexander Isak and no plans to bid. Natural appreciation for the Newcastle striker but MUFC have different targets due to overall cost of the deal. Chelsea also not exploring a deal despite suggestions as their focus on Xavi Simons.”

With that thought now put to bed, the Red Devils have held fresh talks to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, though they aren’t willing to pay the Villans’ £60 million price-tag for the England international.

Fiorentina’s Moise Kean is another name on the radar at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, there is a similar sense that they may need to pay over the odds after his £44 million summer release clause expired.

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Attacking reinforcements are paramount for Manchester United to fix their scoring issues in the Premier League. Cunha and Mbeumo will help with the creativity side of things, but they may now have found someone who could move the needle throught the middle.

Manchester United intensify talks to sign Metz striker Idrissa Gueye

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, Manchester United have intensified their efforts to land Metz striker Idrissa Gueye as he fits their strategy of signing youth that can develop over the coming years at Old Trafford.

He stated on X: “Man United are intensifying talks to sign Metz striker Idrissa Gueye for £17m as part of their youth-focused strategy. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have shut the door on a potential Ollie Watkins exit despite initial contact.”

Idrissa Gueye in all competitions last season

Appearances

22

Goals

6

Assists

1

Likened to compatriot Sadio Mane, the 18-year-old has also been targeted by West Ham United and Southampton of late, illustrating that he is viewed as one for the future by key players in English football.

Tapping into potential has to be the mantra for Manchester United. One game a week will offer Amorim the chance to build a side that won’t be jaded by the prospect of a tight schedule, allowing fringe players and youngsters a healthy chance to stake a claim for minutes.

Gueye may well be in the infancy of his career, though he would likely relish filling the striker void at Old Trafford if a move were to materialise.

Manchester City have now made contact over the signing of an £87m “superstar”, as manager Pep Guardiola is obsessed with him, according to a report.

Man City eyeing new forward amid Grealish uncertainty

Jack Grealish played a major role in Man City’s famous 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, but it would be fair to say the winger has otherwise failed to justify his astronomical price tag, and he is now set to exit the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Former scout Mick Brown believes it is a near-certainty the Englishman will leave City, saying: “I know he’s going to move from Man City, there’s no question about that, so the opportunity is there.”

Brown names Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur as potential suitors for Grealish, while there have also been widespread links to Everton over the past few days, so there is certainly no shortage of interest from rival Premier League clubs.

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As a result, despite already signing Rayan Cherki this summer, Guardiola may want to bring in another new forward this summer, and an approach has now been made over a La Liga star.

That is according to a report from Spain (via TEAMtalk), which states Man City have made contact over a deal for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, who has become Guardiola’s ‘big obsession’ to bolster his frontline.

City may have to break the bank to get a deal over the line, however, with Madrid set to hold out for a fee of £87m, amid rival interest from the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Should the Blues be able to sign the Brazilian, they would be ‘fulfilling’ Guardiola’s dream, but formal negotiations are yet to get underway.

"Superstar" Rodrygo could be huge upgrade on Grealish

Grealish has remained a fan favourite, despite flattering to deceive over the past few seasons, and the love is very much reciprocated, with the 29-year-old praising the City faithful at an Oasis concert in Heaton Park.

However, after scoring just one Premier League goal last season, it is clearly best for all parties if the winger is moved on, and there are plenty of signs that Rodrygo could be an exciting replacement.

Luka Modric has dubbed his former teammate a “world-class superstar”, and he remained a consistent source of goals and assists for Real Madrid across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

La Liga

30

6

6

Champions League

12

5

2

Copa del Rey

5

0

2

Supercopa

2

2

0

It will be a shame to see Grealish leave City, given his connection with the club, but Rodrygo is much younger than the winger at 24-years-old, and he could be the perfect long-term replacement.

Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign is upon us. This weekend, Arne Slot will lead his troops out for the first time this term, looking to claim the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, who won the FA Cup in May.

The curtain-raiser is little more than a prelude to the campaign, but for the Premier League champions, it’s an opportunity to showcase the new quality added to the ranks, and to set the tone for the years ahead.

The likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike will be gunning for starts up top, while full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong will hope to kick off a long and fruitful partnership on the flanks. Giorgi Mamardashvili may make his debut following Alisson Becker’s departure from pre-season due to a personal issue. The Brazilian has since returned to training.

One player who will not feature for the Reds is Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, who desperately wants to sign for the Merseysiders and has already been the subject of a rejected £110m bid.

But will sporting director Richard Hughes manage to pull it off?

The latest on Alexander Isak to Liverpool

Newcastle’s struggle to sign a new centre-forward has inhibited Liverpool in their quest for “the best striker in the Premier League”, as Isak has been described by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.

Isak’s position at Newcastle appears untenable, for he was not included in the club’s recent barbecue, a get-together involving the squad, staff and family members, and he has also been ordered to train alone.

With the Magpies actively searching for a new number nine, it feels like Isak will be granted the chance to move at some stage this summer, albeit that is hardly a certainty. For their part, Liverpool are said to be readying a fresh approach, according to reports.

24/25

42 (41)

27

6

23/24

40 (36)

25

2

22/23

27 (18)

10

3

Should Liverpool fail to capture their quarry, FSG have earmarked several alternatives, with one in particular appearing a curious choice.

Liverpool open talks for Isak alternative

According to Empire of the Kop, Liverpool are interested in signing Yoane Wissa from Brentford this summer, should they fail to prise Isak away from St. James’ Park. It’s understood that initial enquiries have been made.

Wissa, 28, was one of the Premier League’s most prolific forwards last season and is valued at £50m. Suitors will hope to pay less. Newcastle have led the race over recent weeks, but Tottenham Hotspur and Al-Nassr have also expressed a desire to snap him up.

The DR Congo international has now returned to training after previously going on strike, though he still targets a move away from the Gtech Community Stadium.

That said, if Liverpool were to bump up the intensity of their intrigue, there’s perhaps a sense that Hughes might inadvertently add to the Magpies’ woes, for Wissa would surely be enticed by a one-way trip to Anfield.

Why Liverpool are interested in Yoane Wissa

Wissa might not be the flashiest name on the market, but he’s a clinical goalscorer and he’s proven in the Premier League. Last season, he scored 20 goals across all competitions, including 19 in the Premier League.

Hailed by Sky Sports’ Mark McAdam for his “absolutely sensational” finishing, Wissa might not have Isak’s dynamism or staggering technical ability, but he’s rather good at what he does, and would provide the perfect counterpoint to Ekitike.

Last season, Ekitike ranked among the top 10% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, and the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

He does, however, mirror Isak’s ready-made clinical nature, and that’s something that could prove important given that Ekitike is not the finished product.

There’s a partnership there, for sure. Wissa and Ekitike might not be stylistically similar as number nines – and that bodes well for Liverpool’s long-term fluency – but the Bees star could become the Reds’ next version of the former Eintracht Frankfurt man all the same.

That’s because Newcastle have a vested interest in the £25k-per-week talent, with their interest longer-standing too (the Tyneside outfit first bid for Ekitike in 2022, before ultimately signing Isak).

For Liverpool to steal ahead and pile more misery onto the Carabao Cup champions would be a cruel blow to those of a Toon persuasion, but the argument for signing Wissa is strong.

Forking out another British-record fee on Isak is understandable, but that doesn’t mean Liverpool should spend a ridiculous amount on an alternative just to tick a box. In Wissa, an astute purchase could be made, and one which would enhance and progress the team all the same.

With Darwin Nunez on the cusp of completing a permanent transfer to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, this would be a necessary move to make, and one which would see Wissa establish himself as Liverpool’s next version of Ekitike.

Wissa might not have Isak’s show-stopping name, but there’s no question that the DR Congo star boasts a wealth of Premier League experience and would serve as a welcome counterpoint to the expansive Ekitike.

Liverpool have already stolen one centre-forward target from Newcastle this summer, and they could do the same again by completing a shrewd move for Wissa, should a deal for Isak fall through.

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