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Newcastle United are “keeping a close eye” on a Premier League star this summer amid rival interest from Everton, with the player expected to leave his current club.

Newcastle pushing for attacking signings

The Magpies felt overly reliant on the goals of Alexander Isak at times last season, highlighting the need to bring in attacking reinforcements before the start of the 2025/26 campaign.

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga has been mentioned as an eye-catching option, with the former Manchester United youngster impressing at the City Ground last term, helping them seal a surprise return to European football.

Meanwhile, Celtic wide man Nicolas Kuhn is considered an alternative option to the Swede, should Newcastle miss out on him. The Hoops star bagged 13 goals and nine assists for the Scottish giants last season, but it also heavily linked with RB Leipzig.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has also been linked with a summer move to the Magpies, although the Serb would surely only come in if Isak departs, which is something many supporters will be dreading. Liverpool’s interest isn’t completely going away, but an enormous fee would be needed to prise him away.

Newcastle monitoring Premier League winner

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown claimed that Newcastle are “keeping a close eye” on Manchester City ace Jack Grealish.

“Newcastle are still keeping a close eye on Jack Grealish. There’s been a lot of talk about Everton, but I think they’re still very much in the mix. Of course, they’re not the only club interested because everybody knows about Jack’s qualities and what he can bring to the side when he’s at his best. The thing is for Newcastle, they have a lot of areas of the team where they want to improve.

“I don’t think Grealish is at the top of their list of priorities, but that’s a risk because somebody else might jump in quickly and get it done. If the opportunity comes up they’re going to be one of the clubs in for him. For now, they’ll look elsewhere but from what I hear they’re keeping a close eye on the situation. His main aim is playing regular football, he’d like to play in the Champions League but if he’s not going to be starting I expect him to look elswhere. It’s an interesting one to watch, that’s for sure.”

Grealish may have enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at City after joining for £100m on £300k-a-week from Aston Villa in 2021, but there is a feeling that he underperformed there, and that he needs to get his career back on track.

The Englishman turns 30 this year, so signing him would be a gamble by Newcastle, but he has the natural talent and maverick style to be a hit for a few years at St James’ Park.

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ByKelan Sarson Jun 23, 2025

Grealish may relish being given more attacking freedom by Eddie Howe, compared to arguably the more tactically rigid Pep Guardiola, and he has registered four assists against the Magpies in the past, never losing to them in seven appearances.

It could make more sense to signing a younger wide option instead, considering the City man may simply have peaked as a player at this point, but it is easy to see him enjoying a new challenge, having been called a “good leader” by Guardiola in the past.

Will Chelsea spend big again this summer?

Since being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago, the Blues have signed over 35 senior first-team players for in excess of £1bn, but are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Blues have already completed the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m, meaning he will be eligible to feature at the Club World Cup, with Enzo Maresca’s side kicking off their campaign against LAFC next Monday.

Before that match in Atlanta, could Chelsea sign another young attacker?

Chelsea's search for a new wide-attacker

BlueCo are incredibly busy trying to improve the squad before the Club World Cup gets underway with Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan reportedly closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge.

Yet, he’s not the only player who could arrive before Chelsea’s American adventure.

According to a report by RMC Sport, Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens on a whopping seven-year contract.

Transfer Focus

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

This comes after David Ornstein of the Athletic reported that the Blues have submitted an official bid, although Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland claims that Chelsea’s initial bid of €29.5m was “rejected”, with die Schwarzgelben “demanding” closer to £51m.

Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian has previously documented that adding a ‘right-footed left-winger’ to their squad, having previously assessed Nico Williams and Alejandro Garnacho, but Gittens has emerged as the first-choice target.

So, it appears to be just a matter of time until this deal gets done, although they only have until 7pm (BST) on Tuesday to finalise the transfer, if Gittens is going to feature at the Club World Cup.

How Jamie Gittens could unleash Liam Delap

Neel Shelat of Total Football Analysis outlines how Delap has all the attributes to be a top-class penalty box poacher, so why would Gittens’ arrival be the dream signing for him?

Well, Felix Johnston describes the 20-year-old winger as “electric”, praising his “variation with crosses” and ability to make threatening “back post” runs.

Meantime, Lebohang Mwamuka of Breaking the Lines believes Gittens has the ability to become a ‘regular creator from wide areas’, given that he is “strong with both feet… dynamic” and possesses “remarkable dribbling’.

Jacek Kulig of Talent Football Scout agrees, believing Gittens’ ‘potential is extremely high’, noting that his primary strengths are dribbling, ‘decision-making and movement’.

So, let’s analyse Gittens’ statistics in the Bundesliga this season.

As the table outlines, there are few better dribblers in the Bundesliga than Gittens, ranked first for attempted take-ons and carries into the opposition penalty area, behind only Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz for successful take-ons.

In fact, across Europe’s big five leagues, the Englishman ranks seventh for attempted take-ons as well as seventh in the Champions League for the same metric. Thus, Gittens’ dribbling and creative abilities would surely get the best out of centre-forward Delap.

The duo have actually played together on nine occasions before, seven of which have been with England’s U21s, while they were briefly teammates in Manchester City’s academy too, with Delap assisting Gittens for a goal against Liverpool’s U18s in September 2019.

Thus, if the pair are reunited in West London later this summer, they could form quite the devastating attacking duo.

Talks ongoing: Chelsea mainstay could be forced out if they sign "elite" player

There is set to be real shake-ups at Stamford Bridge this summer.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 8, 2025

If Arsenal needed any more motivation to get over the finishing line next season, Tottenham Hotspur have just provided them with it.

With second place in the Premier League now practically secured, the board and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta can turn their attention to the summer transfer window and the hunt for a new striker.

Two of the strikers most heavily linked with a move to the Emirates over the last few months have been Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, although, with the former lacking experience in a top-five league and the latter potentially costing upwards of £150m, other options have also been floated.

In fact, if recent reports are to be believed, Mikel Arteta and Co are now interested in an ideal Gyokeres alternative who has won comparisons to the Toon star.

Arsenal's striker search

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth going over some of the other strikers who have been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap.

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 has enjoyed another impressive season with RB Leipzig, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 games, although such a rate of return has reportedly seen his release clause increase to around £75m.

Delap, on the other hand, has a release clause worth just £30m in his current contract, although, with 12 goals and two assists to his name in 36 Premier League games this season, he’d represent more of a gamble.

Moreover, if Arteta and Co really want someone who’d be a genuine alternative to Gyokeres, they’d have to be a proven goalscorer, such as Julián Alvarez.

According to a recent report from journalist Matías Palacios via the Spanish football program El Chiringuito, Arsenal are one of several teams very interested in the Atletico Madrid star.

In fact, the journalist claims that the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all “want” the Argentine this summer and that “meetings with the interested clubs will begin” next week.

A potential price tag for the striker is not mentioned, but as he cost the La Liga giants around £82m only last summer, we wouldn’t be surprised to see his valuation hit nine figures, especially as the CIES Football Observatory price him at €125m, which is about £105m.

With that said, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Alvarez, as not only could he be an ideal alternative to Gyokeres, but he’s also won comparisons to Isak.

How Alvarez compares Isak

So, before we look at some of the other reasons Arsenal should be looking to sign Alvarez this summer, we should examine this comparison to Isak and where it comes from.

Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and concluded that the Swede is the tenth most similar forward to the Argentine across the last 365 days.

We can better understand their similarities by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including, but not limited to, expected assisted goals, progressive carries, shots on target and goals per shot, key passes, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Expected Assisted Goals

0.17

0.15

Progressive Carries

2.79

2.77

Shots on Target

1.23

1.32

Goals per Shot

0.19

0.21

Passing Accuracy

74.6%

74.7%

Key Passes

1.45

1.39

Goal-Creating Actions

0.45

0.47

On top of the clear statistical similarities, the former Manchester City star has also scored a similar number of goals as the Newcastle ace this season.

For example, in 53 appearances, the “world-class” forward, as dubbed by City content creator It’s LB, has scored 29 goals and provided six assists.

In comparison, the former Real Sociedad star has scored 27 goals and provided six assists in 41 games for the Magpies this term.

Finally, on top of the goals and similarities to one of the best strikers in the world, the Gunners should seriously consider signing Alveraz because he’s a proven winner, having won the treble with City in the 22/23 season.

Therefore, whatever it costs, Arsenal should look to bring the World Cup winner to N5 this summer, even if that means not signing Gyokeres.

Viktor Gyokeres' message to close circle amid Arsenal agreement claims

The Portugal has admitted something to teammates.

1 ByEmilio Galantini May 22, 2025

Arsenal’s season now rests on 90 minutes in Paris next week.

Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to win the Premier League for a third campaign on the bounce, but as things stand, they still have a genuine chance of overturning Paris Saint-Germain’s one-nil lead at the Parc des Princes and making it to their first Champions League final in 19 years.

However, to do that, they’ll have to play substantially better than they did on Tuesday night, and more specifically, club captain Martin Odegaard will have to step up in a big way following his dismal showing at home.

With just 15 goal improvements in 40 appearances, the Norwegian international has been a massive disappointment this season, so it’s excellent news that recent reports have linked the club with a striker who should be able to revive his fortunes next year.

Arsenal's striker search

Ask any Arsenal fan what they desperately need in the summer, and we’d hazard a guess that almost all of them will say a striker. After all, despite being just one place ahead of them in the Premier League, Liverpool have scored 17 more goals this season.

Transfer Focus

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

Fortunately, the board clearly agrees with this sentiment, as there have been a whole host of centre-forwards touted for moves to the Emirates in recent weeks, one of the more recent being Jonathan David.

Thanks to his contract expiring at the end of next month, the Canadian international will be available for nothing in the summer, and as he’s already scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists in 46 games this year, he’d undoubtedly be an incredible addition to Arteta’s squad.

A little closer to home, the Gunners have once again been linked with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in recent weeks.

The Englishman was the subject of a failed £45m bid from the North Londoners in the winter window, and while it’s unclear just how much he’d cost in the summer, it’s clear that with 29 goal involvements in 50 games this season, he’d be a brilliant signing.

However, to really propel the club to the title next year and get the likes of Odegaard firing again, Arteta and Co need to sign a goalscoring machine, which is where Viktor Gyokeres comes in.

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal remain incredibly keen on bringing the Swedish international to N5 this summer.

A potential price tag is not mentioned in the story, but other reports from this week claim that the striker could be available for up to £70m.

It’s certainly a lot to spend on one player, but given his immense ability and the effect he could have on the likes of Odegaard, it’s a transfer worth doing for Arsenal.

How Gyokeres would revive Odegaard

While there might be several small reasons here and there why Gyokeres would be able to get more out of Odegaard, like his application in training sessions and his attitude during games, his raw output is what matters more than anything.

After all, it doesn’t matter how hard he works if he can’t finish the chances the Norwegian creates for him.

Fortunately, when it comes to being a pure out-and-out goalscorer, it’s hard to think of anyone better than the former Coventry City star in Europe at the moment.

For example, in 48 appearances for Sporting CP, totalling 3858 minutes, the 6 foot 2 “powerhouse,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored a simply staggering 52 goals and provided 12 assists for good measure.

In other words, the 26-capped monster is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements every game, or one every 60.28 minutes, which is undoubtedly a world-class rate of return.

Just imagine a striker as unrelentingly efficient as that in front of the Gunners’ captain – he’d almost instantly see his assist tally skyrocket.

Moreover, if opposition defenders had to spend more time worrying about the North Londoners’ new monstrous forward as well as Bukayo Saka off the right, there would be more room for the former Real Madrid prospect to operate in, and as a result, his own goal tally would likely increase as well.

Ultimately, while it’s a lot of money, Arsenal should be doing all they can to bring Gyokeres to the Emirates this summer, as not only could he fire them to the title next year, but he could be just the man to get Odegaard back to his mercurial best as well.

He's becoming their new Ozil: Arteta must axe "frustrating" Arsenal ace

The impressive Arsenal star has fallen off a cliff this season.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 1, 2025

The 180-run stand between Greaves and Kemar Roach was the highest for the seventh wicket in the fourth innings of a Test

Namooh Shah06-Dec-2025202* Justin Greaves became the fourth West Indies player, and the seventh overall, to score a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test, which he did against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test.Greaves is also the first visiting batter to score a fourth-innings double-hundred in New Zealand.388 Balls faced by Greaves is the most by a West Indies batter in the fourth innings of a Test. George Headley held the record previously, when he faced 385 balls against England in Kingston in 1930.457 for 6 West Indies’ total while chasing against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test is the second-highest team score in the fourth innings of a Test. The highest such score is 654 for 5 by England in the timeless Test in Durban in 1939.923 Runs scored across the last two innings of the Christchurch Test is the fourth-highest runs in the last two innings of a Test, and the highest since 1969.163.3 Overs batted by West Indies in the second innings is the second-most overs they have faced in the fourth innings of a Test, just behind the 164.3 overs they faced against England in Kingston in 1930. It is also the most overs New Zealand have ever bowled in the fourth innings, going past the 146.4 overs against England in 1997.The number of overs West Indies batted in the second innings in Christchurch is also the first time that a team faced more than 150 overs in the last innings of a Test in New Zealand.385 runs added by West Indies batters after the fall of the fourth wicket is the highest ever in the last innings of a Test, going past the previous best of 310 runs by New Zealand against England in 1973.West Indies’ effort in Christchurch included a 196-run partnership between Shai Hope and Greaves, followed by a stand of 180* between Greaves and Kemar Roach. That made it only the third instance of two 150-plus partnerships in the last innings of a Test, and the first since 1979.180* runs scored and 409 balls faced in the partnership for the seventh wicket between Greaves and Roach is also the highest ever in the fourth innings of a Test for the seventh wicket or lower (where balls faced data is available).233 Balls faced by Roach for his career-best first-class score of 58*. That makes him the first batter to face 200-plus balls batting at No. 8 or lower in the last innings of a Test.138 Innings taken by Roach to score his maiden Test fifty is the most by a batter. The previous highest was 131 innings by James Anderson.72 Number of consecutive dot balls Roach played in his innings between the 128th and 200th ball, which is the third-most in a Test innings. Peter Nevill with 90 dot balls and Steve O’Keefe with 76, both in the second innings of the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka in 2016, are ahead of Roach.

The legspinner has played just two ODIs this year, and there’s an Asia Cup and World Cup looming

Vishal Dikshit06-Aug-2023Yuzvendra Chahal hasn’t played an ODI since January 2023. He’s been a regular in India’s ODIs squads over the last year or so but doesn’t get much game time at the moment because of the preferred team combination.When playing away from home, India usually field only two spinners – Ravindra Jadeja as the spin allrounder and Kuldeep Yadav as the wristspinner.India are almost certainly going to pick one spin allrounder – Jadeja is first choice with Axar Patel as back-up – in the starting XI for the Asia Cup and World Cup. And with seven wickets in three ODIs in the West Indies, Kuldeep is staying ahead of Chahal in the pecking order for wristspinners.Related

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“The team combination is the most important thing for us,” Chahal said ahead of the second T20I against West Indies. “And it’s not just now. If you see, at No. 7 either Jadeja or Axar [Patel] plays. So depending on the wicket we play three spinners. Right now Kuldeep is bowling well, his rhythm is good, so he is getting to play. I just keep practising in the nets so that whenever I get a chance I can grab it.”Since his last ODI, against New Zealand in January 2023, India have played two ODI series – against Australia at home before the IPL and in the recent West Indies. Chahal was part of both squads but did not play a game. The first T20I against West Indies in Tarouba was his first international in over two months.”Firstly, I’m very happy I get to wear the blue jersey every day and I’m not sitting at home, I’m part of the team,” Chahal said. “It’s not an individual game, it’s a team game so only when 15 players work together you win matches. Only 11 can play at a time. I haven’t played two-three series. You have to see the team combination, and where you’re playing. Like if there’s a turning track, you can play three spinners as well, instead of one or two.