Mikel Arteta provided a worrying update on Martin Odegaard's injury as he also revealed that Declan Rice has suffered a knock. Arsenal were dealt a huge blow on Saturday as Odegaard suffered another injury. The Gunners' captain had to be taken off in the 29th minute in their Premier League encounter against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium. Rice, too, was subbed off in the 80th minute.

• Odegaard's misery continues

  Odegaard suffered yet another injury after he had to be substituted in the 30th minute, with Martin Zubimendi replacing the Gunners captain. The Norway international became the first player in Premier League history to be withdrawn in the first half of three consecutive league matches. Against Leeds and Nottingham Forest, he was taken off after 38 and 18 minutes, respectively. 

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  'It's not looking very positive'

  While providing an update on Odegaard's condition, Arteta said: "With Martin, it was a clash knee to knee. It's not looking very positive at the moment."

  The Spaniard further told : "So unlucky again. He went knee to knee and felt straight away something was not right. Let's assess him and see how bad the injury is. He has been very, very unlucky."

• Arteta's update on Rice

  Declan Rice was called back to the dugout in the 79th minute as Mikel Merino replaced the English star. Arteta later confirmed that Rice was suffering from back pain, so he decided to limit his minutes on the pitch. The Spaniard added, "With Declan, he was struggling with back pain and he asked me to come off. Let's see what the doctor says now and what is best for him."

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  Odegaard will miss Norway's key World Cup qualifier

  Odegaard won't join his national team during the international break and will miss their key World Cup qualifier against Israel on October 11. Norway have won all of their first five group matches and are firm favourites to top the group and qualify for the World Cup next year in North America, Canada and Mexico.

It’s safe to say the last few weeks have been incredibly Spursy. From the lows of missing out on Eberechi Eze to the highs of defeating Manchester City and then announcing Xavi Simons on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been through the wringer.

That was capped off this weekend. In front of their new arrival, Thomas Frank’s side came unstuck for the first time this season, defeated by Bournemouth.

While Frank’s tenure at Spurs has so far been pretty smooth on the pitch, behind the scenes, the transfer business has been tricky.

They missed out on Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, two of the Premier League’s finest English talents, while a deal for Savinho has been in the works for a while now, but they are likely to miss out on him as well.

Spurs' Savinho alternative on deadline day

A number of weeks ago, it was revealed that Spurs had opened talks with Manchester City in an attempt to bring Savinho to north London.

A deal looked possible but the further we’ve got into the window, the less likely the chances of concluding a deal have become.

The Brazilian has missed the opening few weeks of the campaign with an injury but recent reports suggest that City aren’t too keen on losing the winger. Still, the Londoners are pressing on with their attempts to sign the player.

As a result, Spurs have to look elsewhere, and according to TEAMtalk, one alternative could be Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman.

Transfer Focus

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

The former Everton and Fulham man is enjoying a fine time of it in Italy but he wants out and has already moved back to London in a bid to force his way out of Bergamo for good.

One destination could well be Tottenham Hotspur. The report suggests that the Serie A side have been in talks with clubs across Europe to find him a new home and should the Lilywhites fail in their pursuit of Savinho, Lookman is likely to emerge as a prime target.

A deal could be done in the region of £35m-£40m in the dying embers of the transfer window.

How Lookman compares to Savinho

It’s been a transfer window fraught with hurdles for Spurs but if they can conclude a deal for another new forward before the window slams shut at 7pm on Monday, they’d be in a fabulous place to challenge for a top four berth come next May.

With Frank in need of finding more creativity, Savinho would certainly tick a lot of boxes.

Last season, the Brazil winger supplied 13 assists in all competitions and ranked among the top 13% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for assists, via FBRef.

However, despite his ability to create goal-scoring opportunities, his lack of goal threat must be outlined.

In 2024/25, Savinho found the net on just three occasions, only one of which came in the Premier League. This is a problem, particularly when comparing him with Lookman.

The Nigeria international has come a long way since that dire penalty miss in a Fulham shirt and is now “one of the best forwards in Europe”, as described by journalist Oma Akatugba.

Why? Well, he’s become a true superstar of Serie A, netting on 20 occasions in 40 games last season. During the 2023/24 term, he scored 17, seven of which came on the left wing and a further seven came as a centre-forward, highlighting his versatility.

So, unlike Savinho, he’s capable of playing in a plethora of positions and he’s a genuine goalscorer. He’s also capable of creating for his teammates, registering ten assists in 2023/24 and seven in 2024/25.

Analysing the data, it’s evident that Savinho is the better dribbler and carrier of possession.

Yet, despite the City forward trumping Lookman for overall assists in 2024/25, the latter proved that he can be equally, if not more creative, registering a higher volume of key passes and thus, also registering a better rate of expected assists.

So, depending on where you were to field the Atalanta attacker, he could provide everything Savinho does, just with an incredibly greater goal threat.

At just £40m, this feels like a snip for Spurs if they enter the race at the last minute.

Bigger talent than Simons: Spurs in talks to sign a "£100m-plus footballer"

Tottenham Hotspur could land another top young prospect after the signing of Xavi Simons.

3

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 31, 2025

CSA on Klaasen: “Discussions regarding his future are ongoing and a final decision will be made in due course”

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2025Heinrich Klaasen’s international playing future could be over after he was not named in Cricket South Africa’s 18-player central contract list. Klaasen, who retired from Test cricket in January 2024, was on a white-ball only contract in the previous cycle and is understood to be prioritising his T20 league future. CSA said in a statement that “discussions regarding his future are ongoing and a final decision will be made in due course.”David Miller, who was also on a white-ball only deal last year and Rassie van der Dussen accepted hybrid contracts which will allow them to “participate in specific agreed-upon bilateral tours and ICC events.”ESPNcricinfo LtdBoth Klaasen and Miller are contracted to teams in the Hundred which will clash with South Africa’s white-ball tour to Australia that runs from August 10 to 24.The 18-player contract list included Lizaad Williams, who has been out of action after undergoing knee surgery this year, allrounder Senuran Muthusamy and 18-year-old left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka for the first time.David Bedingham, Wiaan Mulder and Kyle Verreynne, who were given what CSA called ‘contract upgrades” (in other words added to the central contract list midway through the season) were all retained, as was Nandre Burger though he hasn’t played a match all season as he recovers from a stress fracture.Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin and allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo were the only two players other than Klaasen who lost their deals. Tabraiz Shamsi, who opted out of his central contract last October, and Anrich Nortje, who did not sign a deal when the last contracts were drawn up, remained off the list.The contracted group included Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma and T20I skipper Aiden Markram along with all of the first-choice pace attack. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj were all on the list (but Test seamer Dane Paterson is not) alongside regular Test batters Tony de Zorzi, and David Bedingham. All-format batters Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton were also included with the playing group providing a clear indication of who South Africa will call on for the World Test Championship final (WTC) in June, as well as next year’s T20 World Cup, as they build towards the home ODI World Cup in 2027.”All of these players have been contracted with the importance of the next World Test Championship cycle and the 2027 Cricket World Cup on home soil in mind,” Enoch Nkwe, Director of National Teams and High Performance said. “The hybrid contracts take into consideration the dynamic nature of modern-day cricket and will provide David and Rassie with the opportunity to contribute to the team during specific bilateral tours and ICC events. An exciting season awaits as we compete for the WTC mace and look to take one step further in next year’s T20 World Cup.”South Africa last played international cricket at the Champions Trophy semi-final, which they lost to New Zealand, and will next play at the WTC final before beginning a lengthy program away from home. They will play Tests and a T20I series in Zimbabwe in July, white-ball matches in Australia and England, Tests in Pakistan and will close out the year with an all-format tour of India. They will also be under a new coach in white-ball cricket after Rob Walter resigned last week.Current Test coach Shukri Conrad is the frontrunner to take over. It was under Conrad that Klaasen retired from Tests after Conrad had initially picked him over Verreynne, then went back to Verreynne and hoped Klaasen would play on some of the slower surfaces later in the cycle. Klaasen’s retirement changed those plans.SA men’s contract listTemba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad WilliamsHybrid contracts: David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen

Glasgow Rangers are interested in bringing a “complete” player to Ibrox late in the transfer window.

More incomings and outgoings at Rangers before deadline

Russell Martin hasn’t had the start to life with the Gers he would’ve wanted, with new owners the 49ers Enterprises busy in the transfer window.

The deadline isn’t until Monday September 1, either, and with 10 new players already through the door, Martin is expecting more incomings and outgoings over the next week.

“There’ll be more players come in. There’ll be some players leave as well. There’s too many people here that are uncertain about their futures at the moment. It’s really difficult to be all in all the time when you have half an eye on what’s happening outside and it’s no fault of their own.

“There’s guys that have been really clear that their future’s not here are they’re slowly being resolved and they’re moving on and happy with what they’re going to do next and there are some guys who are sort of a bit in and a bit out, depending on what their agent tells them.

“The team would benefit from having some experienced players on the pitch that are used to the big occasion, that would be there to help their team-mates for sure.

“It’s something that we’ve been aware of since the start of the window. There was a guy were interested in really early on who would’ve bought fantastic leadership, who didn’t come here in the end so I think we’ve been looking for that type since then and now we have to find the right ones to add to the mix and help out the guys.”

Journalist reveals what he's heard about Russell Martin's Rangers future

Is the Gers boss already on his way out of Ibrox?

ByHenry Jackson Aug 22, 2025

In attack, Martin and the 49ers are yet to bring in a centre-forward, with wingers, Oliver Antman, Djeidi Gassama and Mikey Moore all moving to Glasgow.

Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane have remained at the club for now, and by the looks of things, a new striker is on the agenda at Ibrox.

Rangers keen on signing Bojan Miovski

According to Sky Sports on Saturday, Rangers are looking at a move for Girona striker Bojan Miovski.

It is claimed that Miovski is allowed to leave the La Liga club on loan, 12 months on after his £6.8m move to Spain from Aberdeen. Meanwhile, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph said on X:

Called a “complete number 9” in the media before, Miovski played against Rangers on nine occasions during his time with Aberdeen and scored four goals vs the Gers.

Now, the £6m+ North Macedonia international could be on his way back to Scotland, this time starring at Ibrox.

Unlike the team he inherited over five years ago, Mikel Arteta could point to a number of world-class players in his Arsenal squad.

From the centre-back partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães to the likes of Declan Rice and potentially Martin Zubimendi, this team is full of talent.

However, when it comes to the most essential player in the North Londoners’ squad, it’s impossible to look past Bukayo Saka.

At just 24 years old, the talismanic winger has already made 265 appearances for the side, in which he’s scored 71 goals and provided 71 assists.

Moreover, it appears that the club have already got another version of him coming up through the ranks, and despite his unreal performances over the last week, we are not talking about Noni Madueke.

How Madueke is impressing fans already

While we do not think Madueke is going to be Arsenal’s next Saka-esque star, that doesn’t mean we think he’s not going to be a success for the club.

After all, the last couple of weeks have more than shown the kind of impact he can have both at club and international level.

For example, even though he didn’t score at Anfield, the former Chelsea ace was undoubtedly the Gunners’ best attacker on the day, completing 100% of his dribbles, registering a shot on target and taking 29 touches on a day when both teams struggled for chances.

Then, over the last week, he has proven that he’s one of England’s most effective wingers by forcing an own goal against Andorra and scoring his first international goal against Serbia.

In all, the former Chelsea ace looks like a player ready to explode and play a crucial role in Arsenal’s title charge this season.

Yet, he’s still not the closest thing the club have to their next Saka, that accolade belongs to another star in the making.

Arsenal's next Saka

Some may point to Ethan Nwaneri as being the closest thing Arsenal have to another Saka in the side, and while that makes sense, it looks like he will be spending far more time in the middle of the park this season.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Instead, the youngster who looks set to battle it out with Madueke on the right is Max Dowman, and, for our money, he is the closest thing Arteta has to another Saka-esque star.

For example, unlike the former Chelsea ace, the teenage sensation is another product of the incredible Hale End academy, and therefore has that bit more of a connection to the team.

Moreover, despite being so young, he has already made himself impossible to ignore.

For example, even though there was talk of easing him in slowly this season, the manager has already given him his Premier League debut and given him minutes away to Liverpool.

Not only that, but he’s also been included in the club’s Champions League squad, and should he get any minutes before the turn of the year, he’ll become the youngest player in the competition’s history.

It also looks like he’s going to share the trait of being constantly fouled with Saka, as thanks to his incredible control of the ball and impressive agility, opposing players often have no option but to bring the youngster down.

We saw this in the pre-season friendly against Newcastle United and then in the league against Leeds United, where his quick movement won a spot kick for the side.

Finally, just as the Gunners’ mercurial number seven has become an output machine for them in recent seasons, the “insane” 15-year-old, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, looks like he could follow the same path.

Appearances

23

Minutes

1945′

Goals

19

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

Minutes per Goal Involvement

81.04′

For example, in just 23 appearances last season, totalling 1945 minutes, he scored 19 goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Ultimately, Saka is a world-class star, and while it is still early in his career, everything we have seen and know about Dowman suggests he has the potential to become world-class in time.

Their homegrown Isak: Arsenal may regret selling "special" Hale Ender

The talented goalscorer could have become something really special at Arsenal.

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أعلن الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك بقيادة البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، عن القائمة التي ستخوض مباراة ديكاداها الصومالي في ذهاب دور الـ32 لبطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة ديكاداها في السادسة مساء غدٍ السبت، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في ذهاب دور الـ32 لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

طالع.. الزمالك يبحث عن استعادة نغمة الانتصارات أمام ديكاداها في الكونفدرالية

وشهدت القائمة استبعاد عبد الله السعيد صانع ألعاب الفريق، والمغربي محمود بنتايج الظهير الأيسر. قائمة الزمالك لمباراة ديكاداها الصومالي 

حراسة المرمى: محمد صبحي – محمد عواد – محمود الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: عمر جابر – بارون أوشينج – محمود حمدي “الونش” – حسام عبد المجيد – محمد إسماعيل – صلاح مصدق – أحمد فتوح.

خط الوسط: أحمد ربيع – محمود جهاد – محمد السيد – سيف جعفر – ناصر ماهر – أحمد حمدي – عبد الحميد معالي – أحمد شريف – شيكو بانزا – خوان بيزيرا.

خط الهجوم: سيف الجزيري – عمرو ناصر.

Antoine Griezmann created history for Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League during their 5-1 drubbing of Eintracht Frankfurt. After the game, head coach Diego Simeone was delighted with his performance and reserved special praise for the former France international. The Argentine expressed his gratitude to Griezmann and said that "talent has no age."

Griezmann creates history with Atletico Madrid

Griezmann created further history with Atletico on Tuesday as the "ageless" Frenchman brought up his 200th goal for the Spanish side, becoming the first player in Los Rojiblancos' history to reach the milestone. Simeone spoke highly of Griezmann after his team beat Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday to continue their red-hot winning streak. 

AdvertisementAFPSimeone in awe of Griezmann

"I'm grateful to Antoine and his time at Atletico Madrid," Simeone told reporters after the game. "He's scored 200 goals, which is crazy. I remember when he arrived. He was a short winger on the left, and we invited him to play one-on-one and as an attacking midfielder, and he grew to become a world champion. He's always been a role model for his effort and work, and today he's received the thanks he deserves. We're grateful for everything he has given us and for everything he gives us and will continue to give us, because talent has no age."

Griezmann's reduced role after renewal

At the end of last season, there were rumours indicating that Griezmann's time at the Metropolitano was coming to an end. Despite not being an indispensable member of the starting XI, the 34-year-old decided to prolong his stay in the Spanish capital until 2027 after reports that he was leaning towards to a move to MLS side Los Angeles FC. This season, he has only managed 416 minutes in nine games so far. Indeed, Simeone has handed Griezmann a starting berth just four times, twice in the Champions League and as many times in La Liga. 

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Getty Images SportMore history on its way to Griezmann?

It is clear that Griezmann will be used majorly in an impact role off the bench this season, with Simeone placing his bets on the likes of Julian Alvarez, Giacomo Raspadori and Alexander Sorloth in attack. However, the French playmaker will have a chance to create more history with Los Colchoneros this season. Indeed, he is currently seventh of the list of most appearances for Atleti. By the end of the season, he could become just the fourth player in Atleti history to play 500 games for the club, after legend Adelardo and current team-mates Koke and Jan Oblak.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogoreoganizou sua rota na busca por um lateral-direito no mercado. De acordo com o “ge”, o português Wilson Manafá, que atuou no Porto e era cotado no Alvinegro, passou a ficar distante de um acordo.

A expectativa no Glorioso é para contratar um jogador que tenha características defensivas, com o intuito de equilibrar mais o elenco. O reforço será uma alternativa a Di Plácido e suprirá tanto a baixa de Rafael, que se recupera de lesão grave, quanto a saída de Daniel Borges para o América-MG.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Líder!

Manafá tem como característica mais forte ser um jogador mais ofensivo e chegou a atuar como ponta em alguns momentos quanto defendeu o Porto. No entanto, como o Alvinegro tem um lateral-direito que também avança com frequência ao ataque como Di Plácido, o clube o descartou.

A diretoria também se assustou com os valores pedidos pelo atleta e sequer formalizou a proposta. O Lance! confirmou esta informação com o empresário de Manafá.

O Botafogo é cauteloso na busca por jogadores para a posição. Outro jogador na mira é Mateo Ponte, do Danubio, que também não chegou a receber uma proposta do clube alvinegro.

Considering their disastrous campaign last season, it would be fair to say that it’s been a pretty good summer of business for Manchester United and for director of football, Jason Wilcox.

They’ve dramatically improved Ruben Amorim’s frontline with the additions of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko, and overseen a few much-needed departures.

For example, while they’ve been unable to sell Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford is out of the squad, Rasmus Hojlund is close to joining Napoli, and, arguably most importantly, the disruptive Alejandro Garnacho joined Chelsea for a fairly sizable £40m plus a 10% sell-on clause.

And now, in even more good news, the Red Devils are being linked with a deadline-day move for someone who could be the perfect upgrade.

Manchester United eye deadline-day move for Garnacho upgrade

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Manchester United are one of several top-flight teams interested in Fermin Lopez.

Transfer Focus

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

Alongside the Red Devils, the report claims Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen on the Spanish gem.

In addition to facing considerable competition, United will have to pay a substantial amount to secure their target, with Barcelona reportedly seeking offers of up to €90m, equivalent to approximately £78m.

With that said, Lopez would likely be worth the effort to sign, as not only is he an extraordinary talent in his own right, but a significant upgrade on Garnacho as well.

How Lopez compares to Garnacho

So, comparing Lopez to Garnacho to determine who is the bigger talent is actually relatively straightforward, as, like the Argentine, the Spaniard is a versatile attacker who primarily plays in attacking midfield and off the left wing.

In other words, we can take a look at their output and underlying numbers from last season and directly compare them to one another, and when it comes to the former, the Barça gem comes out on top.

In 46 appearances, totalling just 2039 minutes, the “creative” star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored eight goals and provided ten assists.

That means he managed to average a goal involvement every 2.55 games, or every 113.27 minutes, which is undeniably impressive for someone his age.

In contrast, the Red Devils’ former troublemaker scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 58 appearances last season, totalling 3568 minutes, which comes out to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Madrid-born ace, the comparison is just as one-sided when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, the “spectacular” Spaniard, as dubbed by former manager Xavi, comes out ahead in most relevant metrics such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, key passes, passes into the penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions, and more, all per 90.

These numbers help to show that the El Campillo-born dynamo is a far more dangerous goalscorer, a considerably more accomplished creator, and an attacker who is also a more effective dribbler.

In other words, Lopez is simply a far better player than Garnacho and would therefore be a significant upgrade for United.

Therefore, Wilcox and the Red Devils should be doing all they can to sign him before the window slams shut at 7pm.

West Ham in shock talks for "one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United's history"

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By
Callum Kemp

Aug 27, 2025

Sheffield United have made a terrible start to the Championship campaign and may now be about to enact a seismic managerial change at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United on end of rout at Ipswich Town

Truthfully, the Blades were hammered against Ipswich Town on Friday night, and pressure on Ruben Selles has reached fever pitch after a 5-0 scoreline at Portman Road.

Prolonging their hapless start to the campaign, Sheffield United are now on a run of six straight defeats, scoring only one goal during that time and shipping 14 times, painting a bleak picture at both ends of the pitch.

Clearly, any thought of positive synergy between Selles and his players is far from reality at this moment in time, though he has maintained that he will continue to try and turn things around at Bramall Lane.

He stated in his post-match press conference: “It doesn’t matter what I believe (about my future), but I will keep working until the last moment. I have to take the pain and analyse what we want for the next game to try to beat the next opponent.”

Controversially, Danny Rohl was briefly linked with the Sheffield United job before reports were shot down, something that would’ve made for interesting reading amid his recent stint in charge at rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

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From the outside looking in, change is necessary before the campaign begins to provoke grave possibilities for the Blades, who find themselves a sizeable margin adrift of the playoff places even at an early stage.

With supporters holding out for a hero, they may now be set to find out the identity of their potential new manager, with Selles on the brink.

Sheffield United make stunning Chris Wilder approach

According to Sheffield Star journalist Danny Hall on X, Sheffield United have approached Chris Wilder over returning to the club for a third time as patience wears thin following their run of defeats under Selles.

Separately, the Blades are also looking to change things around upstairs by installing a football representative in a technical role, or perhaps even a director of football to help steady the ship.

Wilder, who has 384 wins across his managerial career, including 140 at Sheffield United, has been out of work since being dismissed at Bramall Lane during the summer following a near miss in last term’s playoff final defeat to Sunderland.

Incredibly, he could now be drafted back into the dugout for a third spell in charge, with his best achievements being earning promotion to the Championship in 2016/17, taking the Blades to the Premier League two years later and finishing in the top-half circa 2019/20.

Becoming an immensely popular figure among supporters, Sheffield United could be set to enact a change that nobody saw coming given the recent history between all parties mentioned.