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Pakistan international Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb, classy 159, his highest List A score to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road.Imam, 29, averages 47.04 across a 75-match ODI career, with nine hundreds, but has been overlooked for Pakistan’s three-match series against West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, which starts on Friday night. His 159 was a reminder of his talent to their selectors.His innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374 for 5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five short of their highest against any first-class county. It also helped inflict the highest ever home defeat on Northamptonshire by any team in List A cricket.Facing 130 balls, Imam hit 20 fours and two sixes, passing 5,000 career List A runs and beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019. It follows his half-century to steer Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.While Imam cashed in against a frequently wayward Northamptonshire seam attack, his innings was full of delicate timing, perfect placement and silky cover drives before growing more aggressive. He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from just 33 balls, his highest List A score. Liam Guthrie’s bowling figures suffered in the run-fest but he picked up 3 for 87.In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, a tight spell from Yorkshire opening bowlers Matt Milnes and Ben Cliff setting the tone. While the hosts will count themselves unlucky to have lost two early wickets, they scored at just 4.4 an over throughout the innings. While George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising partnership of 49 in eight overs, no-one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 38.Earlier, Guthrie struck quickly when Adam Lyth slashed straight to cover, but Northamptonshire’s seamers strayed in line and length, allowing Yorkshire to rattle along at over six runs an over, Luxton driving consecutive wide deliveries from Guthrie for boundaries.Imam played a beautiful straight drive and a couple of stylish backfoot punches, but Northamptonshire missed a chance to remove Luxton when Luke Procter dropped a sharp catch at point.Bowling in tandem, spinners Rob Keogh and Yuzvendra Chahal stemmed the flow of runs but the breakthrough came via a mix-up between the batters. Imam cut square and started to run before sending Luxton back, Bartlett and Keogh affecting the runout.Imam reached 50 off 58 balls before playing two silky cover drives off Dom Leech to take Yorkshire to 142 for 2 at the halfway stage. A pull off Leech perfectly bisected the field as he moved into the nineties before reaching 100 off 95 balls.Dan Moriarty (file photo) was the pick of the Yorkshire attack•Getty Images

At the other end Wharton grew becalmed, his first boundary not arriving until the 53rd ball he faced when he hooked Guthrie for six. Shackles released, he made up for lost time, powering Guthrie down the ground, while Imam went through the gears too, slog-sweeping Chahal for six. Chahal finally broke the stand, tossing one wide, Wharton reaching for it and slicing to cover.Imam targeted Leech, taking 15 off one over including six down the ground. Revis was severe on former Yorkshire bowler Leech too, garnering two legside boundaries off short balls and swinging Procter for six.Imam’s long innings finally ended thanks to a stunning bit of boundary fielding off Guthrie when Tim Robinson held a brilliant boundary catch, throwing it up before he crossed the rope and holding on as stepped back in.Revis tucked into Guthrie, smashing two sixes over the infield before carving square for six more. His wicket was scant consolation for Guthrie when he holed out in the deep.Northamptonshire’s first powerplay was positively sedate, just six boundaries shared equally between Ricardo Vasconcelos (23) and Lewis McManus (25) as they reached 41 after 10 overs.The hosts then lost two wickets in an over as McManus was adjudged caught behind off the inside edge off Ben Cliff, although the ball looked to have hit his pads. Next Aadi Sharma’s List A debut ended in a runout at the non-strikers’ end, Cliff deflecting the ball onto the stumps in his delivery stride.Yorkshire picked up a third when Moriarty beat Vasconcelos, bowling him as he advanced down the pitch, attempting to force the pace. George Hill then nipped one back sharply to knock back Robinson’s stumps.With the required rate above 10, Bartlett and Broad looked to score against the spinners, Bartlett striking a straight six off Dom Bess. But the drinks break brought two wickets, Broad chipping Bess to Revis at mid-on after the resumption, before Bartlett skied Moriarty to long-on.Rob Keogh and Luke Procter both made starts, but after Procter was bowled by Bess, Moriarty had both Leech and Guthrie caught in the deep, while Keogh (23) was bowled by Cliff.

Several of Leeds United’s summer signings have hit the ground running in the Premier League for Daniel Farke this season, which is a credit to the recruitment team.

Sean Longstaff delivered a goal and an assist in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Elland Road last weekend, whilst Anton Stach scored a stunning free-kick in the 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

One of the most impressive signings of the summer transfer window, though, has been left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, who arrived from Lille for a fee of around £10m.

What Gudmundsson has brought to Leeds

The Sweden international has brought tenacious and dynamic play to the left flank for the Whites with his eye-catching performances in the Premier League at left-back.

TEAMtalk editor James Marshment claimed that he has been “up there with the best LBs in the PL so far this season” and described the defender as an “absolute bargain” for the £10m fee that was splashed on him.

Gudmundsson ranks within the top 37% of full-backs in the league for xA (0.37), the top 30% for chances created (four), and the top 17% for dribbles completed (five), per FotMob, which shows how effective he has been in possession for the Whites so far.

Barring his unfortunate own goal against Fulham last month, the 26-year-old star, who also ranks within the top 22% of full-backs for duels won (28), has been an impressive performer at the back for Leeds with his play on and off the ball.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

Whilst the Swedish ace looks to be an excellent signing for Leeds, the West Yorkshire outfit did once have a star who was their original Gudmundsson, only to sell him for £1m.

The star who was Leeds United's original Gabriel Gudmundsson

The Whites swooped to sign Leif Davis from Morecambe’s U18 side in the summer of 2018, and he went on to play 14 times for the first-team in total, per Transfermarkt.

In the summer of 2022, after a short loan spell with Bournemouth, the English defender completed a move to then-League One side Ipswich Town for a fee of £1m.

Leeds may rue allowing him to leave for such a small fee because his form for the Tractor Boys since his switch to Suffolk suggests that the club had the original Gabriel Gudmundsson, and they did not know it.

25/26 (Championship)

2

1

24/25 (Premier League)

12

2

23/24 (Championship)

15

18

22/23 (League One)

12

14

As you can see in the table above, Davis has consistently been a huge creative threat for Ipswich throughout his time at Portman Road, in League One, the Championship, and the Premier League.

The left-footed star, who was once described as an “animal” by Scott Parker, has proven himself at the top three levels of English football, which suggests that he could have made the breakthrough at Elland Road if he had been given more time to impress.

Now, per Transfermarkt, Davis is valued at £19m. That is 19 times what Leeds sold him to Ipswich for in 2022, which is another reason why they must regret cashing in on him at the time.

It is a shame that he did not get more than 14 scattered appearances in the first-team before the club decided to sell him to the Blues, because his form since moving on suggests that they had their own Gudmundsson in the making as another dynamic and creative left-back.

Bigger bargain than Longstaff: Leeds star is now "one of the best in the PL"

This Leeds United signing was an even bigger bargain than Sean Longstaff.

ByDan Emery Sep 30, 2025

Are Aston Villa starting to build some serious momentum?

Having failed to win any of their first six matches this season, scoring only two goals, the Villans have since won four on the spin, beating Bologna and Feyenoord in the Europa League, as well as Fulham and Burnley at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, chance creation remains a concern for Unai Emery, considering his team sit second-bottom of the Premier League when it comes to expected goals, above only Burnley, while only Fulham, Sunderland and Burnley have mustered fewer shots on target.

Back in January, the Claret and Blue Army addressed this by signing both Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan; the Spaniard scored eight goals and registered one assist, while the England international netted four times and notched six assists.

However, both moved on to pastures new over the summer, so who could be this season’s Asensio, and why will he help unlock Villa’s primary star attacker?

Ollie Watkins' struggles for confidence

As the graphic documents, ever since he arrived from Brentford, Ollie Watkins has been a reliable goalscorer in a claret and blue shirt.

However, this season, the England international is seemingly struggling for confidence, seeing a very tame penalty saved by Bologna’s Łukasz Skorupski, before, to great relief, getting off the mark three days later against Fulham.

Nevertheless, when compared to last season, pretty much all of his statistics are down, as the table below outlines.

Goals

0.6

0.2

Shots

2.4

1.3

Shots on target

1.4

0.5

Shooting accuracy

59.7%

37.5%

Chances Created

0.9

0.7

Duels Contested

10

8.6

Touches

27.1

25.3

Touches in the box

6.3

4.5

As documented, every available metric for Watkins this season has plateaued, with the decrease in his shooting statistics the most stark drop off.

Of course, seven matches into the Premier League season, it is only a small sample size, while the fact Watkins’ touches as well as touches in the opposition penalty area have both decreased suggests that it is as much a service issue as a Watkins problem.

Last season, Watkins and the aforementioned Asensio formed an effective partnership, the former setting up the latter to score his second goal against Cardiff City in an FA Cup tie in February, but who is most likely candidate to break into the Villa team now and add that much-needed creativity?

Aston Villa's forgotten summer signing

After a summer of very little activity, restricted by Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules, Aston Villa were certainly busy on deadline day.

Chalkboard

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

Victor Lindelöf arrived as a free agent, Harvey Elliott joined from Liverpool, on loan with a £35m option to buy, so the move many missed was Jadon Sancho’s loan move, rescued from the Chelsea bomb squad at the 11th hour.

Still only 25 years old, it is now four years since the England international joined Manchester United for around £73m, and his career certainly has not panned out as hoped since.

Upon his arrival at Old Trafford, then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær praised his “tremendous pace, flair and creativity”, noting that he had “already achieved a great deal” for such a young player.

Well, after scoring only 12 goals in 83 appearances for the Red Devils, he has been loaned back to Borussia Dortmund and then Chelsea, spending last season at Stamford Bridge.

While he may not have been the world-beater he once was, Sancho was effective for the Blues, scoring five goals and accumulating ten assists across all competitions, including netting at Tottenham in the Premier League and then against Real Betis in the Conference League Final in Wrocław.

Given how little he has done since 2021, his most recent England cap coming against Andorra almost exactly four years ago, it is easy to forget just how exciting Sancho was when he first burst onto the scene at the Westfalenstadion.

Raj Chohan of BBC Sport praised his ‘incredibly mature decision-making’ in the final third, while Nick Wright of Sky Sports asserted that the ‘extraordinary talent’ was one of the very best young players in Europe.

During his best season in the Bundesliga, 2019/20, Sancho ranked third for goals, second for assists, first in terms of goals – xG, first for goal-creating actions, second for attempted take-ons and second when it came to carries into the final third.

Put succinctly, the Englishman was truly a phenomenon so, with Emery’s coaching, will Aston Villa get him back to that level?

Well, if they can, during that aforementioned 2019/20 Bundesliga season, Sancho created 19 big chances, thereby ranked behind only Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry.

For comparison, in the Premier League last season, the Villa players who created the most big chances were Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, both reaching 16.

Thus, getting Sancho back to his exhilarating best could be exactly what this team needs to unlock talisman Watkins. Like Asensio – and Rashford – before him, he could be the club’s new loan success story and revive his floundering career.

​​​​​​​

Forget McGinn: Aston Villa's "jewel" looks like the modern day Gareth Barry

Man in the middle of the park is Aston Villa’s modern Gareth Barry, key to their revival

ByWill Miller Oct 5, 2025

It’s been a pretty good start to the season for Arsenal so far this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have lost to Liverpool before the international break, but they did so due to a freak free-kick.

Moreover, they’ve won their other three Premier League games without conceding a goal and came out 2-0 winners from their Champions League opener last night.

Moreover, the team was seriously strengthened over the summer, with stars like Eberechi Eze coming in, although he ended up costing more than three other stars of the squad did combined.

Eze's start to life at Arsenal

While his £67.5m price tag means he is still some distance away from being Arsenal’s most expensive signing, there was still an expectation that Eze would be able to make a quick impact at the club this season.

After all, he’s Premier League proven and racked up a brilliant tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season.

Unfortunately, although he did a couple of good things on his debut away to Liverpool, he was only given 20 minutes of action; therefore, it’s hard to take anything from that game.

However, he was handed his first start on the weekend, and considering he received an 8/10 match rating from Sam Tabuteau, it would be fair to say he made quite the impression.

His standout contribution came when he provided a brilliant assist for Viktor Gyokeres in the first minute of the second half, but he did so much more than that.

For example, he completed three dribbles, was accurate in 100% of his long balls, won two fouls and was generally a threat and positive outlet whenever he had the ball at his feet.

He wasn’t quite able to replicate this in Bilbao, though, as even though he didn’t put in a bad performance, he did struggle to have as much of an impact on the game.

In fact, in his 71 minutes of action, the Greenwich-born ace amassed a paltry combined expected goals and assist figure of 0.14, didn’t take a single shot on target and failed to create a big chance.

In short, we’ve seen what Eze can do at his best in the game against Forest, but we’ve also seen how starting out wide can sometimes cause him to fade out of games.

Arteta will be hoping to see more of the former for the price the Englishman cost, although the price of players doesn’t always reflect their ability, as a trio of Arsenal stars somehow cost the club less than Eze combined.

The Arsenal trio who cost less than Eze

Arsenal have made more than their fair share of bargain signings over the years, from Gabriel Martinelli to David Raya and even arguably Jurrien Timber.

Chalkboard

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

However, in this instance, we are talking about the defensive trio of William Saliba, who cost around £27m, Gabriel Maghalese, who cost £23m and Cristhian Mosquera, who cost just £13m.

In other words, the Gunners formed one of the best centre-back pairings in world football and signed an incredibly exciting prospect for a combined price of just £63m.

Let’s start with Saliba and Gabriel, as even though the North Londoners team is full of important players, an argument could be made that they are the most important.

They’ve now played 118 games together, winning 77 of them, drawing 18, losing 23 and averaging 2.11 points per game.

Appearances

118

Minutes

9819′

Wins

77

Draws

18

Losses

23

Points per Game

2.11

Goals Conceded

113

Moreover, the outrageously impressive pairing has only conceded 113 goals in that time, and it feels like they could let in even fewer this season.

Moving on to the young Spaniard, and while it is early, he’s already shown enough to convince some fans that he is going to be a superstar.

For example, in the game against Bilbao, the defensive “monster,” as dubbed by one analyst, made six clearances, took 93 touches, made one tackle and was accurate in 75 of 79 passes.

Moreover, FBref already rank him in the top 7% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, meaning he can be relied upon to put out fires.

Ultimately, Arsenal have managed to sign two of the best defenders in the world and one of the most exciting up-and-coming defenders for less than Eze’s transfer fee, which is business that should be applauded.

Fewer touches than Raya: Arteta must drop 4/10 Arsenal star after Bilbao

Arsenal came through a tough clash with Athletic Club in the Champions League.

6 ByMatt Dawson Sep 17, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos foi goleado pelo Fortaleza, por 4 a 0, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. Diante do fim do primeiro turno dentro da zona de rebaixamento, o zagueiro João Basso deu uma declaração forte sobre o desempenho do time e se desculpou com o torcedor.

– Primeiro a gente precisa pedir desculpas para o nosso torcedor. Não apenas por esse jogo, mas pelo turno inteiro, porque até o momento nós não estamos sendo dignos de vestir a camisa do Santos, uma camisa com história. A única coisa que temos que tirar desse jogo e de todos que ficaram para trás nesse primeiro turno são lições. Temos que corrigir aquilo que foi feito de mau. Agora temos mais um turno pela frente e temos que dignificar essa camisa, porque quando nós vestimos isso, nós carregamos história, nós carregamos títulos, carregamos tudo. No momento, não estamos sendo dignos disso – desabafou o zagueiro.

+ Já atualizou sua camisa de 2023? Confira os novos uniformes do Peixe!

Responsável por fazer um gol contra na partida, o defensor pontuou os problemas do Peixe para seguir sem conquistar bons resultados e projetou uma melhora no segundo turno do Brasileirão.

– Nós temos que trabalhar, se estamos dando 100%, temos que dar mais ainda, porque não está sendo suficiente. Nós fizemos uma primeira parte defensivamente compactos, sem sofrer gols, mas sem bola, não jogamos, tínhamos que ter jogado mais. O Santos não tem que vir para um jogo para empatar, para conquistar um ponto fora de casa, nós temos que entrar em campo e vencer. Nós temos que melhorar e parar de cometer erros infantis, como foi hoje, porque o jogo se descarrilhou por isso, erros infantis que não podem ser cometidos. Temos 19 jogos pela frente, tem que ser dada uma volta, e nós vamos dar uma volta todos juntos e no final do campeonato estaremos comemorando todos juntos – concluiu João Basso.

+ ATUAÇÕES: Jean Lucas se salva em derrota por goleada do Santos para o Fortaleza no Brasileirão

O COMEÇO DO SEGUNDO TURNO!

Diante do Grêmio, com a volta do seu torcedor para a Vila Belmiro, o Peixe tenta reencontrar o bom desempenho na liga nacional. A partida da 20ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro acontecerá no domingo (20), às 16 horas (de Brasília).

As their poor start continues in the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly opened talks to sign a midfield star who already has a big-money offer on the table.

Latest on Wolves' Arokodare pursuit

Things may not have been much better on the pitch this weekend, with Vitor Pereira’s side suffering a 3-2 defeat against Everton, but there is an improvement on the way thanks to Wolves’ dealings away from the action. According to Fabrizio Romano, Tolu Arokodare has arrived in England and is set to complete his move to the Midlands club before the deadline.

The forward will add plenty of firepower to Pereira’s side, who were without Jorgen Strand Larsen against Everton amid an untimely injury as speculation continues to surround his future.

In an ideal world for Molineux chiefs, the Norwegian will be back fit and firing in a Wolves shirt after the international break and doing so next to new strike partner Arokodare.

If both players hit top form in the Premier League, then Wolves will have two strikers capable of hitting double figures for goals and that could be the difference between relegation and survival.

Meanwhile, Wolves’ business may not be done after Arokodare’s arrival. They’re still on the hunt for a midfielder and have reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, whilst also opening talks to land a bargain deal for another impressive option ahead of the deadline.

Wolves open talks to sign Brownhill

According to Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, Wolves have opened talks to sign Josh Brownhill, who is still a free agent after leaving Burnley at the end of last season. The midfielder already reportedly has an offer worth around £100,000-a-week from Saudi Pro Leagie side Al-Shabab and is considering the big-money move, but Wolves could yet persuade him to stay put in English football.

Done deal: Wolves reach agreement to sign "great" £20m+ star for Pereira

They’re set to complete a late swoop.

By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 30, 2025

Given his free agent status, Wolves would be landing an excellent bargain. The 29-year-old was excellent for Burnley as they secured historic promotion last season and is more than talented enough to thrive in the Premier League.

Scott Parker didn’t shy away from recognising Brownhill’s influence last season, either. The Burnley boss told reporters: “There are not enough words to compliment Browny.

“He’s a driving force in this team, he’s got brilliant box habits and he’s always in and around the right areas. He’s got huge quality and he’s now got nine for the season, so he’s been fundamental for us.”

Aston Villa haven’t had it easy across the summer transfer window, but there’s no doubt that Unai Emery’s squad have what it takes to tackle the new Premier League and continental campaign with fervour.

Emery has returned to his favourite competition, the Europa League, after all.

Signings have been made, even if obstacles had to be circumvented. Still, the club, the owners, the manager, the fans, all are ambitious, and all are in concert that one or two more deals could be struck before the closure of the transfer window, should Villa hope to go from strength to strength.

Villa planning late-window deals

Aston Villa have been hamstrung by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules this summer, no doubt, but they have spent shrewdly and may yet welcome one or two more fresh faces.

But one or two signings might be made before the end of the term, with Villa still in the race to sign Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson at this late hour, though they face stiff competition from Bayern Munich.

However, Emi Buendia is currently weighing up an exit, with German club Stuttgart keen, and so a replacement could be found in Marco Asensio.

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Villa are ready to bring the Spaniard back to the club after his successful half-season loan, and they have agreed personal terms with the 29-year-old.

Monchi is currently locked in talks with Paris Saint-Germain, and it’s been suggested that a £13m package could do the trick.

Why Villa should sign Asensio

When Aston Villa welcomed Asensio to the fold at the season’s midpoint last year, they perhaps didn’t expect him to revel in the prolific heights he reached, scoring five goals across his opening seven matches for the English outfit.

Once hailed by his Mallorca youth coach, Juan Pericas, for his “magical” ability on the ball, Asensio has led a storied career amongst some of Europe’s heaviest hitters, but his spell with Villa last term showcased his potential for success in a system such as Emery’s, still challenging for the top but perhaps a rung below.

In this way, his potential arrival offers shades of Jack Grealish’s recent move to Everton, with Asensio perhaps set up to become Villa’s own version of the England international, once a superstar at Villa Park.

Aston Villa’s boyhood sensation completed 213 appearances for the Lions before leaving in 2021, and while he has since won the lot under Pep Guardiola’s wing at Manchester City, a recent loan move to Everton has seemingly reignited his career, having placed two assists against Brighton in the Premier League last week.

The difference, of course, is that Asensio has already proven himself for Emery’s squad, with his prolific touch and capacity to play across the frontline seeing him complete his sojourn with eight goals scored and one assist placed across 21 matches in all competitions.

Asensio differs from Grealish in that he’s more of a focal contributor in the final third, although he completed 71% of his dribbles in the Premier League last year to showcase some degree of ball-carrying similarity to the one-time Villa Park talisman.

Matches (starts)

13 (9)

Goals

3

Assists

1

Shots (on target)*

1.8 (0.8)

Big chances missed

4

Pass completion

86%

Big chances created

1

Key passes*

1.2

Dribbles (success)*

0.9 (71%)

Tackles + interceptions*

0.7

Duels won*

2.1

Grealish set the Premier League alight during his two-year performance at the highest level with his boyhood club, and he then earned himself a record-breaking £100m move to Manchester City.

While the experienced Asensio doesn’t fit that same narrative, he could emulate the modern-day Grealish in stepping down a notch to rekindle his decorated career.

The new Barry: Everton chasing late move for another "special" English star

Everton are interested in signing an England U21 star.

1 ByWill Miller Aug 29, 2025

Bruno Guimaraes has called for Newcastle to avoid the heartbreak of losing key players like Alexander Isak in the future, following the £125 million sale of the Swedish striker to Liverpool this summer. Speaking ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, the Brazilian star and Magpies captain made it clear that the dressing room does not want to see any more prized assets depart St James' Park.

Isak's exit shocked the dressing room

Isak’s controversial move to Liverpool left a sour taste in many mouths within the Newcastle camp. Now, Guimares has made it clear that although he’s not blind to the challenges that come with financial fair play regulations, he believes that the board must show more ambition to keep the best players at Tyneside.  

AdvertisementAFPGuimaraes makes his feelings clear

Guimaraes, believed to have been one of the players who was unhappy with Isak’s decision to go on strike, didn’t mince words when addressing the matter.

"You have the financial fair play and I don’t know if this affects things or not – I’m not under the table to see the circumstance to see what was going on. Football is business," he said.

"As a player, we don’t want to lose our best players, if you want to be successful. We have to improve our squad, and I think we did this very well in this summer, we look forward to go again. I want to win things. I have never changed my mind and I still look to make history at this club. We have been in the Champions League two times in the last three years, that is unbelievable for us. We have to keep that going. There is a big job for us to do here and I want to be part of this team."

Newcastle's future is now

The squad’s focus is firmly on the present, and Guimaraes made it clear that despite the setbacks, the players are ready to embrace their future together. With Isak now in Liverpool’s colours, there’s a fresh determination within the camp to push forward and build a legacy that lasts.

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Getty Images SportBarcelona come calling

Newcastle’s match against Barcelona in the Champions League on Thursday isn’t just another game; it’s a statement. The Magpies are eager to show that their place among Europe’s elite isn’t just a flash in the pan but a sign of things to come.

The England star faces plenty of competition at the Gunners from Chloe Kelly, Olivia Smith and Caitlin Foord, but still has a big part to play

One can only imagine what Jocelyn Precheur, head coach of London City Lionesses, was thinking when Beth Mead came off the Arsenal bench last weekend and killed any chance of his team getting anything out of their first game in the Women's Super League. Just a few weeks prior, Precheur had spoken with the England forward about a potential move. Now, having decided to stay with the Gunners, here she was showing just why the club was interested, producing two assists within just 83 seconds of each other to put victory at the Emirates beyond doubt.

London City made a bigger splash in the summer transfer window than perhaps any other side in Europe – and certainly within England – by signing Grace Geyoro for a world-record fee on deadline day to cap several months of impressive business which had brought established names like Nikita Parris, Katie Zelem and Danielle van de Donk to the newly-promoted club. For a while, it looked like Mead would be added to that list, with the ambitious outfit, backed by the billions of Michele Kang, offering her a move that would surely bring with it more game time.

Off the back of a summer in which she largely played the role of substitute as England retained their European Championship crown, having also found herself on the Arsenal bench more often than not in the second half of last season, few would've questioned Mead's decision had she opted for a switch. But her incredibly impactful cameo on Saturday was evidence that she still has plenty to give in north London, as well as for England.

Getty ImagesCompetition for places

In some ways, Saturday's performance encapsulated Mead's 2025. Since Chloe Kelly's arrival at Arsenal at the end of the January transfer window, in a loan deal that would be made permanent this summer, the 30-year-old has struggled for consistent starts at club level.

Indeed, since Kelly's second Arsenal debut, Mead has started just six times for her club and has appeared as a substitute on eight further occasions. Kelly, meanwhile, has made 10 starts and three sub appearances. Only twice have the pair started together, with head coach Renee Slegers preferring to combine the two with the other wide options in her squad, rather than with each other.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMaking the most of minutes

Yet, despite her opportunities becoming more limited than she is used to, Mead has remained effective. She scored three goals and provided three assists in that period after Kelly's arrival last season, for an average of one direct goal contribution every 102 minutes, with the biggest of that half-dozen being her classy assist in the Champions League final, setting Stina Blackstenius up for the goal that made Arsenal champions of Europe.

Getty Images SportChanging roles

It was a similar story at Euro 2025. Mead went into that tournament with England as a starter, having featured from the get-go in each of the Lionesses' last five outings before the competition got underway in Switzerland. She'd justified her place, too, despite reduced minutes at Arsenal, producing three goals and two assists in that spell. When Sarina Wiegman picked her first XI of the tournament against France, Mead was in.

But it quickly became apparent that a change was needed to balance the England team out. After a flattering 2-1 loss in that opener, Wiegman moved Lauren James from the No.10 role to the right wing, meaning Mead dropped to the bench. Despite that, she would still play a crucial role in the Lionesses' second-successive continental triumph via impressive cameos off the bench throughout the knockout stages.

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Getty Images'Tough club to walk away from'

No senior player ever really wants to be a super-sub, especially not one with Mead's pedigree. It thus made total sense for London City to try and prise her away from Arsenal this summer, with more minutes sure to give her a greater shot of returning to that England XI. But it was always going to be hard for her part ways with the club she has grown into a superstar with over the last eight years, especially when she didn't have to.

"It’s a tough club to walk away from," Mead told last week. "When you’ve been somewhere this long it holds a very precious place in your heart. I have another year left on my contract, I still think I’m more than good enough to compete and be able to play in this team and I know I bring something different."

West Ham United’s pre-season schedule is now underway.

On Saturday, in a behind-closed-doors fixture in Zürich, the Hammers beat Grasshoppers 3-1; Andy Irving, Callum Marshall and Lucas Paquetá the scorers.

Next up for Graham Potter’s team, they’ve travelled stateside for the Premier League Summer Series, facing Manchester United in New Jersey this weekend, before games against Everton in Chicago and then Bournemouth in Atlanta.

With the start of the proper season fast approaching, will the Irons get their hands on a new attacking midfielder?

Latest on West Ham's transfer activity

Fair to say, West Ham supporters were not best pleased about the news that star winger Mohammed Kudus had joined fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur for £55m, the first player to make the controversial move since Scott Parker 14 years ago.

In terms of arrivals, the Hammers have bolstered their full-back options, signing El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of £19m, while Kyle Walker-Peters has joined from Southampton on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, Kudus’ departure means Potter will be demanding new signings in forward areas, hence why Sébastien Vidal of Weekend Sports is reporting that West Ham “have opened initial talks” to sign Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk.

They add that the “creative midfielder” is valued at around £30m by the 15-time Ukrainian champions, with the Hammers “looking to accelerate the deal” and finalise the move as soon as possible.

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So, could he soon become the third Ukrainian to represent West Ham United, after current national team head coach Serhii Rebrov and the country’s second-highest goalscorer of all time, Andriy Yarmolenko?

How Georgiy Sudakov would improve West Ham

After spending three years in Metalist Kharkiv’s academy, Sudakov joined Shakhtar Donetsk as a 15-year-old, before making his senior debut in 2020, this coming off the bench during a famous Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano no less.

Subsequently, the 22-year-old has accumulated 140 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 35 goals and registering 24 assists, including netting against Barcelona, Young Boys and Stade Brestois in Champions League ties.

Despite being linked with a move away, Sudakov featured in both legs of his team’s Europa League qualifying victory over Ilves earlier this month, starting the first leg, a 6-0 demolition in Ljubljana; it’ll therefore be interesting to see if he’s involved in Thursday night’s second qualifying round match against Beşiktaş in İstanbul.

Having also already won 29 international caps, starting all three of Ukraine’s fixtures at Euro 2024, Sudakov has earned plenty of high praise.

Andy Jones of the Athletic labels him one of the ‘most exciting prospects’ and ‘brightest young talents’ in Eastern Europe, adding that he is a ‘versatile midfielder’ who operates best as a number ten, given that he is ‘technically gifted’ and poses ‘creative threat’.

Meantime, Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Serhiy Palkin stated back in April that his star man “will definitely move to a top European club this summer”, with aforementioned national team manager Rebrov asserting that he has “a bright future”.

On top of this, analyst Ben Mattinson describes him as “exciting” and “unpredictable”, tipping him to replace Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. The 22-year-old German has just joined Liverpool for £116m, a Premier League record fee, so let’s assess how the duo compare.

Of course, Wirtz does come out on top for the vast majority of statistics included, but this shouldn’t be too surprising, given that he is the one making a record-breaking move to the Premier League champions.

The caveat for the table above is of course the fact that Sudakov was playing for a Shakhtar Donetsk side who finished 27th in the gigantic Champions League table, winning only two matches, while Bayer Leverkusen ended up sixth with five victories to their name.

Nevertheless, Sudakov does have the edge when it comes to forward passes and take-on success %, and his numbers are pretty comparable to those of Wirtz across the board, especially in terms of chances created.

Thus, it is clear that the Ukrainian international is a player of vast potential and one West Ham should do everything in their power to get their hands on, before an even bigger European juggernaut comes calling.

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