Excellent bowling from Nathan Sowter, Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson sets up win for last QF place

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2024

Alex Lees works the ball leg side•Getty Images

Alex Lees and Colin Ackermann scored unbeaten half-centuries to take Durham to an eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast match at Derby.Lees made 72 off 60 balls and Ackermann 54 from 30 with the pair sharing an unbroken stand of 88 as Durham ended on 159 for 2 to claim the remaining quarter-final place in the North Group.Durham’s victory was set up by excellent bowling from Nathan Sowter, Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson, who took two wickets each to restrict Falcons to 155 for 8.Most of the Falcons got a start on a slow pitch but no one could go on with Wayne Madsen and Alex Thomson top scoring with 22.The home side fought hard to defend a modest total but Lees and Ackermann showed experience and nous to take Durham into the knock-out stages.Falcons had motored to 64 in the powerplay with Paul Coughlin leaking 33 from two overs but their adventure came at the cost of three wickets.Luis Reece went in the first over, bowled stepping across to Parkinson before David Lloyd cut Coughlin for four and six.Aneurin Donald drove Parkinson over the long off boundary but then top edged a sweep to backward square.Coughlin was cut over third man for six by Madsen but responded by having Lloyd caught behind for 20.Madsen made a brilliant century against Durham in the Blast two years ago so they were relieved when he mistimed a drive at Sowter and holed out to long off to leave the Falcons 65 for 4.Coughlin returned to have Brooke Guest caught behind and his next ball saw Ross Whiteley edge to slip where Ashton Turner spilled the chance.Samit Patel cut Matthew Potts over third man for six but Sowter was tying the Falcons down and he struck again when he trapped Patel lbw for 20.When Whiteley edged a drive at Raine, Falcons were 110 for 7 but Thomson pulled Coughlin for six before Mohammad Amir smashed Parkinson into the front of the media centre.Raine bowled Amir as he and Potts conceded only 15 from the last three overs to leave Durham chasing 156.Lees drilled Daryn Dupavillon for two fours but Amir was giving nothing away, conceding only five from his first two overs before taking a smart catch at short third off Pat Brown to remove Graham Clark.Lees pulled and drove Amir for two fours to take Durham to 45 for 1 at the end of the powerplay but they were being made to work hard by some disciplined bowling.Although David Bedingham pulled Thomson for six, he dragged the next ball to mid-wicket and after 10 overs, Durham were 75 for 2, needing another 81.Ackermann eased the pressure with two big sixes over midwicket off Thomson in the 13th over and drove Reece for another off the last ball of the 15th.Patel conceded only four off his final over but Lees and Ackermann took no risks to see Durham home with seven balls to spare.

After seeing their team fall short of the Championship playoff picture last season, West Bromwich Albion fans will be desperate for new manager Ryan Mason to be a success from the Hawthorns dugout.

It’s a very risky appointment, considering the 33-year-old has little to no experience as a manager outside of the comforts of Tottenham Hotspur. Still, it’s a bold and adventurous appointment that might well pay off, especially if promotion is reached.

He will surely want plenty of new signings to join him at the Baggies to try and put the West Midlands club back on the map, with a potent EFL goal-machine now reportedly on his shopping list.

West Brom ready to move for EFL ace

As per journalist Darren Witcoop via his X account, West Brom are among several clubs pursuing the services of Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Kelman this summer transfer window.

It’s even stated that the Baggies are ready to make a move for the recent winner of the League One Golden Boot, with his transfer valuation coming in at around the £850k mark, as per Football Transfers.

Witcoop hasn’t named the other clubs allegedly chasing after the former Leyton Orient loanee, so it will be interesting to see if West Brom do go on to land their desired target, with Sheffield United once looking at Kelman, according to other reports.

Ruben Selles’ Blades will no doubt be in the promotion race alongside Mason’s men, with a hope that West Brom come out on top to secure a deadly marksman for their new manager, winning him his own Josh Maja-style figure in the process.

How Kelman could be Mason's own Maja

Much like the lethal Nigerian, Kelman hasn’t had everything his way across his varied career to date, away from his goalscoring heroics last season for the O’s.

Indeed, before his majestic 27-goal heroics during the 2024/25 campaign, the 23-year-old unfortunately blew hot and cold for many of his other loan sides, with a paltry five strikes coming his way on the books of both Gillingham and Wigan Athletic, prior to everything clicking at Orient.

Maja endured similar barren patches of form himself before finding a location that suited him well at the Hawthorns, with the injury-prone 26-year-old only finding the back of the net a matter of five times as well when lining up for both Stoke City and Fulham.

Now, however, the on-fire duo will have discarded any bad memories they have with those past clubs, knowing they have found their goalscoring mojo as strikers now that very rarely need a second invitation to hammer a glorious effort home.

Kelman’s league numbers vs Maja (24/25)

Stat (* =per game)

Kelman

Maja

Games played

46

26

Goals scored

21

12

Scoring frequency

162 mins

173 mins

Assists

5

2

Touches*

22.0

27.7

Accurate passes*

6.9 (67%)

13.5 (76%)

Shots*

2.4

1.8

Big chances missed

20

10

Stats by Sofascore

It’s clear when studying the table above that both centre-forwards in question are more content with peppering opposition ‘keepers with regular shots rather than getting involved with play outside of their fox-in-the-box approach, with Kelman only averaging a mere 6.9 accurate passes per League One clash last season, alongside Maja only making 13.5 of his own.

Therefore, Kelman could be well suited to the way West Brom feed their potent strikers, with assist king Tom Fellows perhaps tallying up even more than the 14 assists he managed all across the 2024/25 campaign if the 23-year-old were to don Baggies blue and white shortly.

He was even hailed as an “intelligent” forward player by journalist Josh Bunting last season, with Kelman just praying now that he can show off his goalscoring prowess up a division in the EFL.

He has never actually scored at the intimidating level, but West Brom took a gamble on Maja coming good with only three second-tier strikes next to his name on his arrival, meaning Kelman might just explode into life too as Mason’s very own version of the clinical 26-year-old.

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Having already welcomed Kepa Arrizabalaga and with Christian Norgaard on his way, Arsenal have now reportedly scheduled “club to club” talks to sign another top target.

Arsenal pushing on with summer spending

After missing out on the Premier League once again last season, Arsenal always needed to spend big this summer, and it looks as though they’re prepared to do exactly that. With deals agreed to sign Kepa, as well as reportedly Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi, the Gunners have turned their focus towards attacking reinforcements.

Ultimately, Mikel Arteta’s frontline has been his biggest problem for at least 12 months. It’s a large reason why his side were blown away by Liverpool in the title race and it’s why the likes of Rodrygo and Viktor Gyokeres have been linked with a move to the Emirates this summer.

But as incomings potentially arrive in their frontline, the North London club could yet suffer a shock departure in the near future. With one year left on his current deal, Ethan Nwaneri’s future has been thrown into doubt amid reports that he wants guarantees over playing time.

Losing the young winger would be a major blow for Arsenal, there’s no doubt about that, but losing him to a rival would only add salt to their wounds.

It’s a situation that sporting director Andrea Berta must consider when turning towards the transfer market, but if the new club chief lands the likes of Rodrygo and one other Premier League rival then question marks will arrive as to whether Arsenal can guarantee Nwaneri his desired game time.

Arsenal schedule Noni Madueke talks with Chelsea

What wouldn’t help Nwaneri is the arrival of another winger. According to Fabrizio Romano though, Arsenal have now scheduled “club to club” talks to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea, having already agreed personal terms with the England international.

In a deal that would see Madueke become the latest of a growing list of players to feature for both Chelsea and Arsenal, the Gunners could finally welcome backup for Bukayo Saka.

Whilst Madueke, valued at £50m, hasn’t always remained consistent with his output – scoring seven Premier League goals last season – he is still just 23 years old and represents the type of player who could realise his full potential in North London.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 5, 2025

Described as “fearless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Madueke looks increasingly likely to cross the divide in London and swap blue for the red of Arsenal this summer.

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.

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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

If Liverpool aren’t already favourites to retain their Premier League title after signing Florian Wirtz for a British record transfer fee of £116m, then they certainly would be if they signed Alexander Isak.

Plenty of teams around the globe have dreamed of bringing the Swede to their club and the Anfield outfit could well make that a reality this summer.

Boy, what a signing this would be. Isak scored 27 goals in all competitions last term. He netted 23 in the Premier League. The only man with more was Liverpool hero, Mo Salah.

So, the Newcastle United forward is a pretty special talent and it’s understandable that the Toon have no desire to let him depart St James’ Park this summer.

Still, Liverpool are trying and they’re willing to put a lot of money on the table to bring him further south to Merseyside.

The latest on Alexander Isak to Liverpool

While Liverpool have dreamt of signing Isak all summer long, they haven’t made their intentions clear until this week.

Indeed, the Athletic’s David Ornstein dropped a seismic piece of news earlier in the week that the league winners have made an approach, but no formal offer just yet, to sign Isak. The Magpies have reiterated that he is not for sale, that’s despite Liverpool suggesting they are willing to pay around £120m for his services.

That being said, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has suggested that “every player has their price” and Newcastle could be brought to the negotiating table if a £150m bid is made.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Whether the Reds have what it takes to put that sort of money out there after breaking their transfer record once this summer already remains to be seen.

With such money involved, a move does feel unlikely. It’s why they are courting alternatives.

Liverpool's two best Isak alternatives

The main striker on the radar of the recruitment team at the moment is Hugo Ekitike. However, like the Isak situation, it’s a tricky situation. That’s because Newcastle are embroiled in this saga as well.

News broke at the beginning of the week that Newcastle are working on a deal to sign the Frenchman from Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Yet, he’s also a player that Liverpool like.

Ornstein again revealed on Wednesday that the Merseysiders have made contact with the Bundesliga club regarding a move.

Fabrizio Romano has already indicated that if Newcastle don’t sell Isak then they will aim to steal the Toon’s number one target away from them. Well, the wheels are in motion on that move already, with Romano revealing on Thursday that a bid has now been submitted to sign the Frankfurt striker.

Liverpool have other players on their radar, perhaps most notably Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. The most exciting name is Julian Alvarez.

A report from Spain earlier in the window indicated that Liverpool were prepared to pay around £142m for the Atletico Madrid forward and now Anfield Watch reporter Bence Bocsak has revealed that the Argentine is still on their ‘radar’.

He suggests that Alvarez is a ‘dream option’, but like Isak, it’s unlikely Atleti will sanction a sale just one year after bringing him to Spain from Manchester City.

How Alvarez compares to Isak and Ekitike

Isak would be a remarkable coup for Liverpool if they could get a deal over the line. He’s one of the best strikers around the globe and has proven over the last two campaigns that he can score goals at a regular rate in the Premier League.

Ekitike, by comparison, clearly has lots of potential. He’s already been described as “the next Mbappe” in some quarters but rather like Darwin Nunez, he’s a raw talent, someone who still needs to refine his game.

What’s Alvarez like? Well, he’s proven, not just on the continent now with Atleti but also in the Premier League, where he won trophy after trophy with Manchester City.

He’s also the complete package, cut from a similar cloth as Roberto Firmino. This is not just a goalscorer. He’s a creator, a facilitator, and someone who could thrive just as Firmino did with the likes of Salah and Cody Gakpo either side. Dare we say, it could even be with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo to one side? Liverpool are currently leading the race for the Brazilian, according to reports, but that’s a story for another day.

Described as a “monster” by Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez and remarkably as “the best forward in the world” by reporter Roy Nemer, he ended his debut campaign in the Spanish capital having scored 29 goals, two more than Isak, and he also registered eight assists.

Let’s also cast your mind back to his final term at the Eithad. During 2023/24, he was prolific in front of goal, bagging 19 goals and registering 14 assists. This is a player who does a lot of things right.

Alvarez vs Isak since 2023/24 (league only)

Stat (per 90 mins)

Alvarez

Isak

Goals

0.49

0.79

Assists

0.21

0.14

Shots

2.90

3.00

Pass success %

78%

77%

Key passes

1.88

1.22

Progressive passes

3.40

2.85

Shot-creating actions

3.94

2.94

Progressive carries

2.50

2.71

Stats via FBRef.

Analysing the numbers deeper across the last two seasons, we get a sense for what Isak and Alvarez do well, but primarily from the metrics assessed, where the Argentine superstar thrives in comparison.

The Swede is clearly more prolific per 90 minutes as far as goals are concerned but Alvarez offers the ability to create, registering more key passes, progressive passes and producing an extra shot-creating action every 90 minutes.

That means that even if he doesn’t score quite as many goals, he’s remaining a big threat in the final third and would provide that Firmino-like ability to make things happen in Slot’s attack.

Isak is the dream but here us out, Alvarez has his perks too. His overall game is certainly better, that’s for sure.

Related He's better than Ekitike: Liverpool chasing "monster" £60m Isak alternative

Liverpool are looking to sign a new number nine in the summer transfer window.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jul 15, 2025

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin will be concerned over the future of some of his key players during the summer transfer window.

It remains to be seen whether or not the likes of Nicolas Raskin, Hamza Igamane, Mohamed Diomande, and Cyriel Dessers will still be at Ibrox when the window slams shut at the start of September.

According to the Daily Record, Rangers are currently waiting on a club in France to present them with an offer that is tempting enough to accept.

The report claims that Lille are preparing an initial offer of up to £15m to sign the Gers forward, although it is unclear if that will be enough for Rangers to cash in on him.

It adds that the Ligue 1 side are expected to up their pursuit of the forward in the coming days, and that they have already agreed on personal terms with the player’s representatives.

This latest report shows that there is genuine interest in the 22-year-old sensation, which means that there is a real chance that he will not be a Rangers player next season.

Why selling Igamane would be a big blow for Rangers

Losing Igamane before the end of the summer transfer window would be a big blow for Martin because of the quality that he can provide in the final third.

After joining in the summer of 2024, the versatile Light Blues forward enjoyed a fantastic first season in Glasgow, becoming a reliable attacking threat for the Ibrox giants.

Igamane, who played out wide on the left and through the middle as a centre-forward, ended the campaign with a return of 16 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions for the club.

The right-footed magician scored 12 goals in the Scottish Premiership for Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson combined, and proved his worth by scoring some big goals for the team.

Hamza Igamane’s 24/25 Premiership form
Match	Goal contributions	Score
Kilmarnock (H)	Goal	6-0 win
Ross County (A)	Goal	3-0 win
Motherwell (A)	2 goals	2-2 draw
Hibernian (A)	3 goals	3-3 draw
Dundee (A)	Assist	1-1 draw
St Johnstone (H)	Goal	3-1 win
Aberdeen (H)	Goal	3-0 win
Celtic (A)	Goal	3-2 win
Aberdeen (A)	Goal	2-2 draw
Aberdeen (H)	Goal	4-0 win
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Igamane’s quality in front of goal bailed the Gers out of four defeats in the league, particularly in the games away at Motherwell and Hibernian, with five goals in those two draws.

The striker also produced a stunning finish to secure a win for the Light Blues at Parkhead back in March, with a thumping strike from distance to put his side 3-2 up.

Igamane is, therefore, clearly an important player for Rangers. That is why they must ensure that they have a great replacement lined up if he joins Lille, and that is what they appear to have.

Rangers working on deal for new striker

According to the Daily Record, covering a report from Israel, the Scottish giants will be in the market to sign a new striker if they cash in on Igamane or Dessers before the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

The report claims that the Gers are ‘working’ on a deal to sign Maccabi Tel Aviv centre-forward Dor Turgeman to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

It adds that the 21-year-old attacker is interested in a move to Ibrox this summer, which suggests that personal terms would not prove to be a stumbling block in any potential move.

The outlet also reveals that a fee of £5m would be required for the Premiership giants to seal a deal for the Israel international, who could arrive in Glasgow as a dream replacement for Igamane.

Why Turgeman would be a dream replacement for Igamane

Although it would be a shame to see the Morocco international move on from Ibrox this summer, Rangers could find themselves in a good spot with their forward options if they sign Turgeman to replace their current star.

Like Igamane, the Maccabi Tel Aviv starlet is a young centre-forward, who can also play off the left flank, with the potential to improve with more experience gained on the pitch.

Turgeman could, therefore, be a fantastic long-term signing for the Gers as a player with room to grow in value, potentially making a future profit on the £5m that they may pay for him this summer.

However, the £5m-rated striker also has the quality to make an instant impact at Rangers if he can translate his performances for Maccabi Tel Aviv over to Scottish football.

Turgeman ended the campaign with a haul of 20 goals and six assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for his club, including one goal and one assist in the Europa League.

It was his form in the Israeli Premier League, in particular, though, that may have caught Rangers’ attention, as it suggests that he has the quality to be a fantastic replacement for Igamane.

24/25 season	Turgeman (Israeli Premier League)	Igamane (Scottish Premiership)
Appearances	31	33
Goals	15	12
Goals per game	0.5	0.4
Big chances missed	4	6
Big chances created	10	10
Assists	3	1
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Turgeman produced 15 goals and ten ‘big chances’ created in 31 outings in the division, which was three more goals than Igamane managed in the Premiership.

The Israel international, who was hailed as “lethal” inside the box by analyst Kai Watson, has shown that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis, whilst also being able to create high-quality opportunities for his teammates, as the Moroccan whiz did for the Gers last season.

Turgeman and Igamane’s respective statistics in the 2024/25 campaign suggest that there are a lot of similarities in the kind of quality that they can provide in the final third, whilst they are both versatile attackers who can play centrally or on the left.

Therefore, signing the Maccabi Tel Aviv star for a fee of £5m, whilst potentially pocketing £15m or more for Igamane, could be a fantastic bit of business for the Scottish giants ahead of next season.

Kamara 2.0 at Ibrox: £15k-p/w "baller" has now chosen to sign for Rangers

This £30k-per-week star has decided to join Rangers over a move to a major European league.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 1, 2025

Nottingham Forest have now made a £5m bid for the “hardest defender” Lionel Messi has ever faced, having struck an agreement with his entourage on personal terms, according to a report.

Forest looking to kick on after impressive 2024-25 campaign

Although they will be disappointed to have missed out on the Champions League, Forest defied all expectations by finishing seventh in the Premier League last season, but Simon Jordan believes it will be very difficult to build on a remarkable 2024-25 campaign.

The talkSPORT presenter said: “They’ve got the resources in the fella (Marinakis), but he can’t introduce the money because it’s not allowed because of the governance. So unless there’s going to be a governance change, it’s very difficult to see lightning striking twice.”

Given that Europa Conference League football will be on offer next season, however, a move to the City Ground should be appealing this summer, and the Tricky Trees have set their sights on a new winger, with Juventus’ Timothy Weah and FC Porto’s Pepe emerging as targets.

Nottingham Forest join race for one of the rising stars of U21 Euros

Anderson already knows all about his quality…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 26, 2025

Despite already having Ola Aina at his disposal, Nuno is also interested in signing a new right-back this summer, and an offer has now been made for Mallorca’s Pablo Maffeo, with Forest submitting a €6m (£5m) bid for the defender’s services.

That is according to a report from El Chiringuito (via Sport Witness), which states Nuno’s side are now pushing to secure a deal for Maffeo, having already struck an agreement with his entourage on personal terms.

Mallorca don’t have a pressing need to cash-in on the defender, as he remains contracted until the summer of 2027, but they are now set to weigh up Forest’s offer, which would allow them to double their money, having signed him from Stuttgart for €3m (£2.5m) back in 2022.

Maffeo leaves lasting impression on Messi

Very few full-backs have been able to cope with Messi throughout the Argentinian’s illustrious career, with the 38-year-old widely regarded as the greatest player in history, but the Spaniard once gave the Barcelona legend a very tough time during his spell with Girona.

Although Barca ultimately triumphed 3-0, Messi was unable to get on the scoresheet, and the forward went on to say: “Pablo Maffeo, when he was at Girona, was the hardest defender I’ve ever faced.

“I’ve never been one to complain. I believe that physical contact is part of football.”

Since then, the full-back has remained a key player for Mallorca, although he has developed a reputation for being one of La Liga’s more physical players, with Real Madrid columnist Kiyan Sobhani describing the 27-year-old as a “thug” last season.

However, Maffeo could be a bargain addition to Nuno’s squad at just £5m, and his experience coming up against the likes of Messi and Vinicus Jr in La Liga should stand the right-back in good stead to be a success at the City Ground.

Ollie Pope has pledged to “block out” criticism of his batting, as the scrutiny on him mounts following 30 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka. England may have a perfect record under his captaincy, but Pope has come under fire after failing to reach 20 across two Tests standing in for the injured Ben Stokes.Pope managed scores of 1 and 17 during England’s 190-run win at Lord’s, and the manner of his dismissals suggested that his bid to “compartmentalise” the captaincy had failed. In the first innings, he top-edged a wild pull to square leg; in the second, with England setting up a declaration, he was caught at deep point (the only man back on the off-side) when top-edging an uppercut.”I’m not going to put down my average shot to the fact that I was captain,” Pope said. “I’ll learn from it and move on, but I think I’ve managed my own game better throughout this match… The second innings was slightly different, because we were really trying to push the game forward, but I was very disappointed with the shot I played in the first innings so early on.”I’m not going to hide behind the fact that I’ve had two poor games with the bat. That’s the way cricket is sometimes and form comes and goes. But I think the best players are the ones who can draw a line under it and have a fresh start next week. Hopefully, I can put a score together.”Pope has long had a reputation as being frenetic early in his innings. Steve James of has labelled him “the worst starter since prawn cocktail”, and Pope has now been dismissed within his first 20 balls 32 times in 85 Test innings. Despite coming into the series in a decent vein of form, following a century and two fifties against West Indies, he conceded that his nervous starts are an issue that he is trying to address.Related

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“The last two games I’ve had, they’re learning games for me,” he said. “It definitely is something that I’m still trying to improve in my game, and obviously the way that I start my innings especially is something that I want to keep on improving – and then when I do get in, it’s trying to cash in as well.”Michael Vaughan has been particularly critical, labelling Pope “an insecure human being” and “not the kind of personality” that should be England captain. Pope said that had expected to find himself under more scrutiny while in temporary charge, and that his primary aim was to avoid “overthinking” ahead of Friday’s third Test at The Oval.”I’m not surprised,” he said. “Chatting to Stokesy before this series, when you’re captain as well, you’re going to attract a lot more [criticism]. To be honest, it is just important to block it out and keep staying close with the people around you. There’s a lot of voices, a lot of guys who want to have their say – some past cricketers as well – and that’s completely fine.”Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but it’s important for us as a team and me to stay and keep trusting the people in the four walls, because that’s not going to help me get back into my best form. Sometimes, when you have two bad games, it can feel a lot worse than it is because of the noise that’s surrounding it.””For me, it’s just trying to stay as level as I can and keep on trusting the people around me, putting my work in, and not really overthinking it, to be honest. When I went and made good runs in that West Indies series, that’s exactly what I was playing like, so there’s no real need for me to get too involved in what people are saying.”Pope has sought advice from Joe Root, whose twin hundreds set up England’s series-clinching win at Lord’s, since taking on the captaincy. “Any batter in England can learn a fair bit off him,” he said. “Form is something that comes and goes… for me, it’s not overthinking it, keep training hard, and going into the next game, it’s a completely fresh week, a fresh start.”It will be Pope’s first Test at his home ground – where he has scored 11 first-class hundreds for Surrey – since 2022. “Obviously it’s a great place to bat,” he said. “It’s always special getting back to The Oval, where I’ve played all my county cricket, so hopefully there will be a great crowd in. Everyone will be excited to get to The Oval.”England have not won every Test in a home season since 2004, and will be pushing for a summer sweep. “It would be a pretty cool thing to look back on,” Pope said. “We’ve played some really good cricket throughout this summer, and obviously had a tough winter away in India where the results weren’t what we wanted on the return trip. So to get used to winning games back-to-back is really pleasing for us.”

Lord’s will host two men’s Tests this summer, with England’s third Test against India slotted for the venue as well

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2024

Pat Cummins poses with the Test mace after winning the previous edition of the WTC•ICC/Getty Images

The final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 will be played at Lord’s from June 11.India and Australia are currently the top two teams on the points table with 68.52 and 62.50 percentage points respectively, but the identity of the finalists will not be known till next year. For India, who were the losing finalists in both the previous WTCs, there are ten Tests left to play in the cycle – two at home against Bangladesh, three at home against New Zealand, and five away in Australia; Australia, the defending champions, also have an away series of two Tests in Sri Lanka.”Winning the World Test Championship was, and still is, a big goal for this team,” Pat Cummins, Australia’s Test captain, said in a statement. “It is the culmination of hard work and consistency over the two-year cycle for all teams. So hopefully we will be there again, there’s a lot of cricket still to be played between now and then, and the fans can get a chance to watch us defend the title.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

New Zealand (50.00) are currently at No. 3 on the nine-team table and, after their historic 2-0 series win in Pakistan, Bangladesh (45.83) are at No. 4. They are followed by England (45.00) and South Africa (38.89). Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies are the bottom three teams at the moment.England has been picked as the venue for all three WTC finals so far, the first having been in Southampton and the second at The Oval.”We’re delighted to be working with the ICC to bring the World Test Championship final to Lord’s for the first time,” Guy Lavender, the MCC chief executive and secretary, said. “It is our great privilege to be asked to host a final of any kind but to welcome the two best men’s sides in Test cricket – our most cherished format – is a singular honour. It will be an experience not to be missed, adding to the storied 140-year history of Lord’s Tests.”Lord’s will host two Tests next summer, the other being the England vs India Test from July 10 to 14. That is the third Test of that tour, which will start at Headingley on June 20, followed by Tests at Edgbaston (from July 2), Lord’s, Old Trafford (from July 23) and The Oval (from July 31). If India make the final of the WTC, it will mean six Tests in a row for them in England.

Celtic’s hectic pre-season schedule continues.

First, Brendan Rodgers’ side enjoyed victories over both Queen’s Park and Cork City, with Johnny Kenny the only scorer at Lesser Hampden, before young defender Colby Donovan was the late match-winner at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday.

After that, the Hoops travelled to Portugal, defeated 3-2 by Estrela da Amadora in Seixal, just outside Lisbon, on Saturday; Reo Hatate and Adam Idah the goalscorers.

So, before facing Portuguese champions Sporting CP at Estádio Algarve on Wednesday, could the Celts add another Portuguese player to their squad?

Celtic's latest transfer target

Somewhat surprisingly, just three Portuguese players have ever played for Celtic and, as the table below notes, two are in the current squad.

Jorge Cadete

Sporting CP

1996-97

49

Jota

Benfica

2021-23 & 25-present

99

Paulo Bernardo

Benfica

2023-present

77

Jorge Cadete made an enormous impact at Celtic in the late-90s, scoring 38 goals in 49 appearances for the club, before being sold to Celta de Vigo.

Meantime, Jota and Paulo Bernardo remain key figures in the current Celtic side, even if the former is sidelined long-term due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, so could another Portuguese youngster be about to arrive?

Well, according to a report by Portuguese newspaper Record, Celtic are ‘fighting’ to sign Flávio Nazinho this summer, with Roma and Real Sociedad amongst those also interested.

Nazinho is a 21-year-old left-back who began his senior career at Sporting CP, his debut coming against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in November 2021.

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However, after only accumulating 11 appearances for the Green and Whites, totalling 383 minutes, he joined Cercle Brugge, initially on loan, before the deal was made permanent for €1m (£860k) last summer.

Well, since then, according to Football Transfers, his value has increased exponentially, now worth around £3.2m, so could he join yet another side whose home kit prominently features green?

Why Flávio Nazinho would be a success at Celtic

The young defender’s career has really taken off since moving to Cercle Brugge, making 62 appearances for the Green and Blacks, a key figure as they qualified for a UEFA group stage for the very first time.

One content creator labelled him a “very exciting” full-back who is “quick” and “doesn’t shy away from a tackle”.

Meantime, Ross Pilcher of the Daily Record believes he would be the perfect deputy to Kieran Tierney at left-back, given the returning hero’s injury record, with Rodgers searching for a reliable back-up, following Greg Taylor’s move to PAOK.

Could Nazinho be just that? Well, let’s assess his statistics in last season’s Jupiler Pro League to find out.

Minutes

1,172

185th

Progressive passes

25

37th

Shot-creating actions

53

66th

Goal-creating actions

7

34th

Tackles

36

87th

% of dribblers tackled

68.8%

17th

Take-on success %

57.7%

29th

The table outlines that Nazinho is a well-rounded player, ranking generally highly in terms of passing, chances created, tackling and take-ons.

This is despite his limited minutes due to a hamstring injury, as well as the fact that he was playing for the team that ultimately finished third-bottom, only retaining their top-flight status by beating Patro Eisden Maasmechelen in a play-off; Nazhino scoring during the second leg at Jan Breydelstadion.

​​​​​​

When Jota arrived at Celtic, he had failed to make the breakthrough at Benfica and then endured a miserable loan spell at Real Valladolid, before only flourishing once he was signed by Ange Postecoglou.

Well, Nazinho has a lot more senior experience right now than Jota did when he first joined four years ago, suggesting the full-back could be the next young player to burst onto the scene in Glasgow’s East End.

Celtic could land better winger than Balikwisha in "electric" £3.5m star

Celtic could land an even better signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha by swooping for this star.

1 ByDan Emery Jul 11, 2025