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Sheffield United are now done with their summer schedule of pre-season fixtures as the main event of Championship action kicks off this coming weekend.

Bristol City arrive at Bramall Lane as the first test for Ruben Selles’ new-look Blades side, with the former Hull City manager hopeful that his team can relive their playoff magic and thump the Robins again – much like they did over two legs last season in the playoff semi-finals – before Wembley heartbreak ensued.

Fresh recruit Dijbril Soumare will be hoping he’s a part of a team this upcoming season that can dust itself down and bounce back from this agonizing promotion near-miss.

More new signings will surely be needed for Selles and Co. to be seen as promotion contenders to fear, as a new loan target now appears on the Blades’ shopping list, who could look to replicate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s standout stint last season.

Rak-Sakyi's heroics at United

While Chris Wilder would ultimately lose his job as the Blades tripped up to Sunderland at Wembley, there were still plenty of entertaining performers who called Bramall Lane home last campaign.

Rak-Sakyi certainly fits into this bracket, as the Crystal Palace youngster took to his fresh EFL environment like a duck to water, with the tricky winger standing out as a useful impact player all season long.

In total, the England U21 international would fire home a hefty tally of seven goals across 34 second-tier contests, despite only being an out-and-out starter for 22 of those clashes.

Two assists would also come his way, as the “devastating” youngster – as he has been labelled by U23 scout Antonio Mango – now attempts to make a name for himself in the Eagles senior picture.

This potential new Blades signing will be hoping he can retreat to Bramall Lane and come out the other side far more confident in his own ability, too, with Selles able to land his very own Rak-Sakyi in the process.

United's "special" next Rak-Sakyi

Selles has already utilised the loan market well, with Louie Barry joining the building from Aston Villa on loan, having worked with the Spanish head coach at Hull.

Up next, Liverpool starlet Lewis Koumas could be thrown into the first-team mix in South Yorkshire, with the Mirror previously reporting this month that the promotion nearly-men are monitoring the 19-year-old’s situation at Anfield, amid further interest coming from second-tier big boys Birmingham City and Wrexham for his loan services.

Much like Rak-Sakyi, Koumas had been thrust into the spotlight from a very early age, having made a perfect lasting impression on the Anfield masses when scoring this delightful effort last year on his first-ever senior start on Merseyside.

Former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp would even go as far as to declare the 19-year-old as “special” off the back of this dream moment, with Koumas also delivering the goods away from his boyhood club last season while cutting his teeth on loan at Stoke City.

Playing with the same trickery and flair that the Palace attacker is known for, Koumas would go on to pick up a reasonable six goals and three assists in all competitions for the Potters, with his game potentially taken to that next level in a promotion-chasing camp, as opposed to a Stoke side languishing near the drop zone.

That hefty amount would still be collected despite the 19-year-old only starting 31 of his 49 contests, with Koumas perhaps ready to be the next blistering option United can depend on from the bench, much like Rak-Sakyi before him.

Further dubbed as being “fearless” by Welsh legend Craig Bellamy, there will be a hope that the promising Welshman takes to the pressures of Bramall Lane well, as Selles attempts to steer his side back up to the Premier League to rectify their playoff misery.

Once cost £20m: Sheffield United can land dream Moore replacement for free

Sheffield United could secure a dream replacement for Kieffer Moore by snapping up this free agent.

By
Kelan Sarson

Aug 4, 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix stole the show with braces as Al-Nassr put five past Al-Riyadh in a thumping Saudi Pro League win. The hosts barely needed to break sweat before tearing Al-Riyadh apart on Saturday night at Al-Awwal Park. Jorge Jesus' men fresh from thrashing Istiklol 5-0 in the AFC Champions League, carried that ruthless edge into the Saudi Pro League, and Felix set the tone within minutes.

• AFP
  

  Nassr dominant

  Just six minutes were on the clock when Kingsley Coman darted down the left flank and whipped in a wicked low cross. Felix, calm as ice, stroked the ball past the keeper to break the deadlock. Al-Riyadh looked shell-shocked, struggling to find rhythm as Al-Nassr bossed possession. And when the visitors tried to play out from the back, disaster struck. A wayward pass dropped straight into Coman’s path just past the centre circle. The Frenchman didn’t hesitate. He sprinted forward with devastating pace before slotting the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper. From a gift-wrapped error to a world-class finish, Coman made it 2-0, and the home crowd erupted.

  By now, Al-Nassr smelled blood. Felix, buzzing with confidence, slid a delicious through ball that cut Al-Riyadh’s defence to ribbons. Waiting on the other end was Cristiano Ronaldo. One touch, one strike, and one inevitable roar: 3-0. With half-time looming, Al-Riyadh already looked like a side praying for the whistle.

  Any hopes of a fightback evaporated almost instantly after the restart. Within three minutes, Ronaldo turned provider with a delicate chipped pass over the top. Felix latched on to the ball, controlled, and dispatched with ruthless composure. It was his second of the evening and Al-Nassr’s fourth. The Felix-Ronaldo double act was pulling Al-Riyadh apart. 

  Against the run of play, Al-Riyadh finally had something to cheer. Teddy Okou swung in a pinpoint cross from the right, and Mamadou Sylla rose above his marker to glance a header beyond the goalkeeper. It was 4-1, and for a brief moment the away side thought they had a way back. But the joy lasted barely a heartbeat, because the hosts weren’t finished.

  The final nail was hammered in on the 76th minute. A drop-ball situation led to Felix launching a direct pass toward Coman, who cushioned it with elegance before squaring across goal. Ronaldo was waiting, unmarked and hungry, and smashed it home with trademark ruthlessness. That made it his 29th goal of the calendar year, a staggering tally for a man many thought was winding down.

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  MVP: Joao Felix steals Ronaldo's thunder

  While Ronaldo’s brace naturally drew headlines, Felix was the heartbeat of the performance. Two goals, one assist, and countless moments of flair marked him out as the clear MVP. Once derided as a misfit at Chelsea, Felix is relishing his rebirth in Riyadh, where his chemistry with Ronaldo looks frightening. 

• The loser: Mane frustrated

  Not everyone in yellow had a night to remember. Sadio Mane, usually so clinical, endured a frustrating evening. The Senegalese forward found himself in promising positions but lacked composure when it mattered most. His wastefulness was masked by the brilliance of Ronaldo and Felix, but the fans will expect sharper edges from him going forward.

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• What's next?

  This emphatic 5-1 triumph marked Al-Nassr’s fourth consecutive league win, keeping their perfect start intact as they chase down Saudi Pro League glory. Attention now swings to the King Cup of Champions, with Jeddah arriving on Tuesday. Momentum is firmly with Al-Nassr, who will aim to carry this five-star swagger into knockout football.

Savinho has reportedly agreed to a new contract at Manchester City, with Tottenham dealt a massive transfer blow. The north London club had tried to sign the forward in the summer and were thinking of returning for him in January but those hopes are now dead in the water. Spurs had tabled discussions confident that the 21-year-old winger's head could be turned, but City slammed the door shut, insisting the Brazilian was not for sale.

• Man City lock down their jewel until 2031

  According to City have secured Savinho on a new deal that ties him to the Etihad until 2031, killing off any lingering Spurs optimism. It’s a hammer blow to Thomas Frank’s rebuilding project, especially as Tottenham viewed Savinho as a ready-made star capable of bolstering their attack. 

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  Savinho back in form after injury

  Savinho missed the first three games of this campaign with injury, but he’s wasted no time making his mark since returning. The Brazilian grabbed his first goal of the season in City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield, reminding Pep Guardiola exactly why he fought to keep him. In his debut campaign at the Etihad, he clocked 48 appearances, chipped in with three goals and laid on 13 assists across competitions.

• Guardiola has a vision for Savinho

  Guardiola has never hidden his admiration for Savinho. Back in August, the City boss made it clear he wanted the winger to be part of his long-term plans, brushing aside any transfer plans. 

  "I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many years because at 21, with the potential he has, he is an extraordinary player," said Guardiola.

  "Otherwise, he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season. At the end, the desire of the players is above everything but then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don’t take an agreement, the player will be here."

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  From Belo Horizonte to Brazil’s new starboy

  Savinho made his senior debut for Atletico Mineiro at just 16 years old before joining Troyes in 2022. Spells at PSV and Girona hardened his game, and now he’s flourishing on the biggest stage at the Etihad. Already capped 13 times by Brazil, with one goal to his name, Savinho is being tipped as one of the Selecao’s next great wingers. His next assignment is Premier League showdown against Burnley this Saturday.

As they close in on Jacob Ramsey, Newcastle United are now reportedly ready to match the price tag of another Premier League rival who Eddie Howe has become convinced by.

Newcastle closing in on Ramsey deal

It’s been a disastrous summer for Newcastle and one that looked unlikely to turn around up until the last few days. They’ve missed out on several top targets, faced the ultimate fight to keep Alexander Isak, who is doing everything to leave the club, and have a matter of days before their Premier League campaign kicks off. But, at long last, things are finally looking up.

The arrival of Malick Thiaw from AC Milan finally put an end to their transfer drought and should solve Howe’s centre-back problem just in time for the new campaign. In a week of good news, however, he’s unlikely to be the final name through the door.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have now reached a verbal agreement to sign Ramsey from Aston Villa in an imminent £40m deal. The midfielder looks set to arrive to replace Sean Longstaff in the Magpies’ midfield following his move to Leeds United earlier this summer.

Whether Ramsey officially arrives in time to face his former club in a dramatic debut remains to be seen, but Howe will certainly welcome the midfield star with open arms at St James’ Park.

That said, although they’ve now solved their midfield and centre-back problem, Newcastle remain without a striker. It’s been a summer-long search, but ultimately one that PIF have been unable to conclude. Now, with just two weeks until the transfer window slams shut, they may be forced to turn towards a Premier League rival.

Newcastle ready to spend big on Nicolas Jackson

According to TeamTalk, Newcastle are now ready to match Nicolas Jackson’s £60m price tag to end their search for a striker. The forward has been shown the door by Chelsea, who have reportedly lowered their valuation from £80m by around 25 per cent to a far more affordable £60m fee, which the Magpies are now reportedly willing to reach.

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2

By
Will Miller

Aug 14, 2025

What’s more, Howe is also reportedly becoming increasingly convinced that Jackson has the qualities to replace Isak should the Swede get his desired move to Liverpool this month. The immediate numbers suggest that the Chelsea man would need to step things up if he was tasked with doing exactly that, however.

What should instantly concern Newcastle is how Jackson failed to match or outperform his expected goals last season – instead underperforming by just over two goals.

Whilst their options are now few and far between, Newcastle can’t afford to get things wrong when replacing Isak this month. Jackson has plenty of Premier League experience to his name, but the stats highlight how he is a step below the Swede’s world-class level.

Nuno Espírito Santo publicly expressed his disappointment about the lack of new signings Nottingham Forest had made and, well, this appears to have had the desired effect.

In the last week, they have signed Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee, both presented to the City Ground crowd before Sunday’s demolition of Brentford, before Arnaud Kalimuendo then also joined on Monday.

Nevertheless, as the Garibaldi Reds prepare for a first European campaign in 30 years, eagerly awaiting next Friday’s Europa League draw, they are far from finished in the transfer market yet, so will two familiar faces soon arrive at the City Ground?

Nottingham Forest's busy transfer activity

Confirmed by the club on Thursday evening, Nottingham Forest have now signed Douglas Luiz from Juventus.

The deal is a season-long loan containing a €30m (around £26m) option to buy, which becomes an obligation should he feature in a certain number of Premier League fixtures.

During his time at Aston Villa, the Brazilian international became one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but endured a nightmare year at Juventus, accumulating a miserly 877 minutes in a Bianconeri shirt; that’s only 17.6% of their total minutes!

Transfer Focus

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

However, he is not the only player on his way to Nottingham because, according to a report by the Guardian, Forest are ‘working on a deal’ to re-sign Matty Cash from Aston Villa.

The right-back joined the Tricky Trees’ academy as a 17-year-old, making 141 first-team appearances, before being sold to Aston Villa for £14m in 2020, the Villans’ first-choice in that position from the day he arrived until now.

The aforementioned Guardian report notes that, due to PSR concerns, Villa will sell ‘if his valuation is met’, while The Athletic add that the Poland international is now Forest’s primary target, having failed in the pursuit of Rico Lewis from Manchester City.

Thus, could Aston Villa cash in, so to speak, with Matty, potentially, nearing a return to the River Trent?

What Matty Cash would bring to Nottingham Forest

Cash has been a key figure during Aston Villa’s rise in recent seasons, making 181 appearances for the Claret and Blue Army to date, including starting their Premier League opener against Newcastle last weekend.

Manager Unai Emery labelled him “versatile”, adding that he is continuing to improve both going forward and defensively, while Gregg Evans of the Athletic claims that he is ‘one of the Premier League’s best right-backs’, so let’s test that assertion.

As the table outlines, Cash ranked highly for a wide variety of metrics in the Premier League last season, despite seeing only a little over 2,000 minutes, out of a possible 3,420.

The most eye-catching statistic is his percentage of dribblers tackled, with Toti of Wolverhampton Wanderers the only player to attempt 30 or more tackles who boasted a better figure.

So, why would he be such a shrewd addition for Forest?

Well, simply, they need full-back depth. Ola Aina and Neco Williams are the first-choice duo but beyond them, there isn’t much else.

Àlex Moreno provided left-back cover last season, but his loan from, coincidentally, Aston Villa is now over, while Nuno had such a scarcity of options that teenager Zach Abbott, a centre-back by trade, started the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley in April, just his second-ever senior start.

Going forward, as the Tricky Trees attempt to balance both domestic and Europa League commitments, Cash would get plenty of minutes, even if full-back is not an obvious position of weakness.

In midfield meanwhile, Luiz is going to have to work hard to earn his place.

The always impressive Elliot Anderson partnered Ibrahim Sangaré at the weekend, while Forest also have club captain Ryan Yates and Nicolás Domínguez in their squad.

During his final season at Villa, Luiz really flourished when deployed further forward, but that surely isn’t going to happen at the City Ground, considering they kept hold of talisman Morgan Gibbs-White, despite Tottenham triggering his £60m release clause, and have just signed Hutchinson and McAtee for a combined £67.5m.

So, while Luiz is an excellent player, he faces plenty of competition for minutes, while Cash fills a need for greater full-back depth.

More prolific than Wood: Nottingham Forest chasing £25m "physical beast"

As Nottingham Forest seek to add even more attacking firepower, could they sign a “physical beast” worth £25m who outscored Chris Wood last season?

By
Ben Gray

Aug 19, 2025

Manchester United are once again dipping into the South American talent pool, this time with the capture of Colombian prodigy Cristian Orozco. Reports in Colombia suggest the Red Devils have thrashed out a deal with Fortaleza CEIF, the teenager’s current side, as Ruben Amorim continues a long-term rebuild at Old Trafford.

• Orozco will head to Old Trafford

  Colombian journalist reported that a preliminary agreement is already in place between United and Fortaleza CEIF, setting the wheels in motion for Orozco’s move once he turns 18 in July next year. The teenager will become the latest addition to United’s growing roster of South American recruits.

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  Teen titan on the rise

  Orozco, just 17 years old, has already made waves at the international youth level despite never featuring in the Colombian top flight. Operating primarily as a defensive midfielder, the youngster has impressed with his leadership and maturity. He captained Colombia’s U17 side to the final of the South American Championships, earning rave reviews for his composure and ball-winning ability.

• United’s South American gamble

  Just months ago, full-back Diego Leon was prised away from Paraguayan outfit Cerro Porteno in a £3 million move. Leon, already a U20 international for Paraguay, joined United’s pre-season tour of the United States and has been named in senior matchday squads this term. Orozco’s arrival fits the same mould: raw, hungry, and bursting with potential.

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  United’s youth revolution rolls on

  From Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi to Diego Leon and now Orozco, United’s youth department is aggressively stockpiling talent. Old Trafford has always prided itself on developing stars of tomorrow, and with Amorim at the helm, that tradition shows no signs of slowing down. The Colombian starlet’s name might not yet be familiar to Premier League fans, but if the hype is anything to go by, Orozco could soon be one of the brightest jewels in United’s crown.

Graham Potter already has his work cut out to get a disgruntled West Ham United fanbase back on his side.

Two games down in the brand new Premier League season, and the Hammers find themselves in a miserable rock bottom position, having just shipped five goals to Potter’s ex-employers Chelsea in a humiliating 5-1 home defeat.

With just five wins from 21 games in charge now, the worry will be that the 50-year-old boss is already under significant pressure to turn matters around, or face the earliest boot of the season.

He will surely hope that more transfers in through the door can give him the best possible chance at hanging onto his job post, as the premature relegation candidates continue to be linked with a whole host of exciting names.

West Ham lodge £17.5m bid for new midfielder

The dark clouds hanging over proceedings at the London Stadium could be lifted by a positive incoming or two.

The basement side isare tipped to be in the race to land Raheem Sterling as he navigates a Chelsea exit this summer, while they are also deep in the battle to snap up promising AS Monaco midfielder Soungoutou Magassa, having even submitted a bid for his services.

Another bid has also been lodged by the Hammers to snap up Torino’s midfield ace Ivan Ilic, with Hammers News revealing that the same £17.5m package that was put forward for Magassa – before Nottingham Forest raced ahead of Potter and Co. for the 21-year-old – has now been placed on the table for the Serbian.

The report does state there is no concrete update on whether Ilic would welcome a move to East London, but he is seen as an alternative to the in-demand Magassa.

The 24-year-old might actually be deemed as the better option to pursue, with Potter perhaps winning another Tomas Soucek-style figure by landing the impressive Serbia international.

How Ilic can become Potter's new Soucek

Soucek might well have been subject to interest from the likes of Everton and Leeds United earlier in the transfer window, but it looks as if the towering midfield presence will remain at West Ham, even as they likely prepare for a tough battle against the drop.

Coming in at 247 games now for the Hammers, it would have been a real shame if the long-standing servant decided he had enough this summer, with a stunning 41 goals and 13 assists also on his side, away from completing his usual forceful midfield duties.

Losing such a much-loved body would have been disastrous, therefore, but Potter will feel more at ease with his midfield options – away from relying on Soucek – if he can snap up Ilic just in time before September’s cut-off, with his well-rounded game drawing some similarities to the Czech icon.

Indeed, from 68 games for current employers Torino, Ilic has displayed a similar strength to Soucek in chipping with goals and assists, with seven strikes and six assists tallied up from those clashes.

His former Slavia Prague counterpart does have the boost of scoring 27 more career strikes for West Ham, compared to Ilic’s lesser nine goals in the Serie A, but the correlations between the two don’t end here.

When the 24-year-old was at the peak of his powers in the Italian top-flight, he would forcefully win duels for fun, as seen in his average of 4.6 won per Serie A clash during the 2021/22 campaign for Hellas Verona.

Soucek won five per game last season during 30 Premier League contests, with the duo together perhaps giving the Hammers some well-needed grit centrally to toughen up after a disastrous run of defeats, on top of also being able to offer the likes of Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen further up the pitch a helping hand.

After all, football analyst Ben Mattinson has previously heralded Ilic as a “complete” midfielder, while also further waxing lyrical about how “underrated” of a presence he is, strutting his stuff in Serie A.

Soucek has also been showered with the same level of praise, having been once lauded as having “absolutely everything” you need in a midfielder by ex-Irons player David Connolly back in 2021.

Potter will hope he has uncovered this next Soucek by Ilic entering through the door, with the Serbian also being another feel-good presence to steer the club away from relegation doom.

West Ham submit opening offer to sign "exciting" 6'2 Alvarez replacement

The Hammers have made their first move…

By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 23, 2025

Antonio Conte has warned Kevin De Bruyne that he will not escape punishment if he has another angry reaction to being substituted after the Napoli playmaker was taken off in the weekend's 2-1 loss to AC Milan. The Italian coach insists the issue has been resolved as he insisted his sentiments were aimed at the entire squad.

• The Substitution and loss to Milan

  De Bruyne scored Napoli’s only goal in their 2-1 defeat to Milan on Sunday. With Milan reduced to 10 men following Pervis Estupinan’s red card, Napoli were expected to push for an equaliser, with De Bruyne’s experience potentially proving crucial. However, in a surprising decision, Conte substituted De Bruyne for Eljero Elmas in the 72nd minute, leaving the Belgian visibly frustrated as he appeared to express his dissatisfaction toward Conte from the dugout. The player's reaction earned a warning from the Italian coach

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  Conte's clarification to Sky Sport

  In an interview with , Conte said that corrective measures were taken and mistakes once made will not be repeated: “It's not a question of a specific player's situation. Those who know me know very well what my views are on management, on certain behaviours that should be adopted. Sometimes those who don't know me make mistakes. It's up to me to correct the situation, to reiterate certain concepts to the entire group, so that once you give it a try, the second time you don't.”

• Conte's message to the group

  According to , Conte did not address De Bruyne privately but spoke to him as part of the group of players present at training on Monday. He reiterated that the team is always bigger than any individual and that certain behaviours will not be tolerated twice. Conte emphasised that a player of De Bruyne’s experience should serve as a model for others in the dressing room, and that incidents like this, which happen in the heat of the moment, should remain isolated.

  Conte faced a similar situation during his time at Inter when Lautaro Martinez showed displeasure after being substituted. In that case, the squad acted as peacemakers, even organising a mock boxing match between Conte and Lautaro to humorously resolve their differences.

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  Napoli's next challenge

  Conte and De Bruyne will look to return to winning ways when Napoli will host Sporting CP on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Ethan Nwaneri produced a scintillating performance to help England Under-21s secure an impressive 4-0 victory over Moldova in a European Championship qualifier. The Arsenal attacking midfielder recorded two assists on the night, including setting up a stunning effort from Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens, as the Three Lions maintained their perfect record in qualifying after two matches.

• Nwaneri sets up Gittens' stunning first-half strike

  Operating with plenty of freedom as a number 10, Nwaneri played a crucial role as England broke the deadlock after 28 minutes. The 18-year-old attracted two Moldova players as he made a brilliant run before offloading the ball to Gittens, who cut inside and found the bottom corner with a fantastic strike. It was Gittens’ first U21s goal since scoring in his side’s 7-0 thrashing of Luxembourg back in March 2024.

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• Arsenal youngster plays key role in England's next two goals

  And Nwaneri picked up where he left off after the half-time interval, playing a delightful pass through to Manchester City striker Divin Mubama who doubled England’s lead after 68 minutes. Nwaneri was involved yet again moments later as another clever through ball found Fulham midfielder Josh King, who was brought down inside the area for a penalty. Mubama was given the responsibility for the spot-kick and he coolly slotted the ball home to make it 3-0 to the visitors, who then added a fourth late on through City defender Rico Lewis.

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  Victory over Moldova sees England maintain perfect record

  The victory over Moldova ensured England kept up their perfect record in qualification for the European Championship, having beaten Kazakhstan U21s 2-0 in their opening fixture in September. Lee Carsley’s side briefly topped Group D following the win over Moldova but the 2-2 draw between the Republic of Ireland and Slovakia saw both sides move above them. They have played one game more than England, however.

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• Nwaneri hoping England form leads to more Arsenal minutes

  Nwaneri will be hoping his fine form during the international break will help him secure more first-team minutes at Arsenal. The youngster has found opportunities hard to come by in 2025-26, having been an unused substitute in five of Arsenal’s 10 fixtures in all competitions this season. However, with Martin Odegaard having sustained a knee injury in the Gunners’ 2-0 Premier League victory over West Ham before the international break, manager Mikel Arteta will be considering who is best placed to replace his captain when his side return to action against Fulham on Saturday, 18 October. And Nwaneri has done his chances no harm after starring in a midfield role in England U21s’ win over Moldova, with many believing he is better when deployed in the middle of the park rather than out wide.

After losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer over the summer, Everton will be hoping that Beto and new signing Thierno Barry can provide them with a rich source of goals. Already, Beto is off the mark this season, having bagged in the 3-2 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

As for Barry, he is only a young player, so there should be far less pressure put on him. Yet, the Frenchman is a talented centre-forward who scored 11 goals in 35 La Liga games for Villarreal last term. He can certainly become a top-level striker in the future.

David Moyes would surely love for the strikers to have the same impact at Everton as Romelu Lukaku did.

The numbers behind Lukaku’s Everton success

Initially a loan move before the Toffees made it permanent, Lukaku’s time at Everton was excellent. He lit up Goodison Park for four seasons before joining Manchester United after the stellar performances he put in.

In 166 games for the Merseysiders, he found the back of the net 87 times and chipped in with 27 assists. His minutes-per-goal ratio was strong, too. The Belgian scored once every 160 minutes in an Everton shirt.

Although the weight of goals he scored only increased the further into his career at Goodison Park, it was that initial loan spell in 2013/14 that really showed how much of a success he could be at the club.

In his first campaign as a Toffee, Lukaku bagged 15 Premier League goals and assisted seven more in 31 games, and also scored in his only FA Cup appearance that season.

Averaging 0.7 goal involvements per game was certainly a strong start to life on Merseyside.

Whilst, overall, Moyes would love his two centre-forwards to recreate Lukaku’s impact at Everton, there might be another loan star who could add similar firepower to the Belgian in his debut season over a decade ago.

Why Jack Grealish is Everton’s new Lukaku

It was a hectic summer transfer window for Everton, who secured several new signings to bolster Moyes’ squad. Of course, they brought Barry to the club and permanently signed the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

However, the marquee signing this summer for the Toffees was surely Jack Grealish. The England international signed on loan from Manchester City and has made an incredible start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

In his two Premier League starts so far, the 30-year-old has already assisted four goals.

Two of those came in the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, with the other couple away to Wolves, including a pass that set Beto up.

Well, Everton’s supporters have certainly taken to Grealish well, although given the start he has made, that isn’t much of a surprise. Toffees supporter and tactical analyst Matt Smith said he has been a “game changer” so far.

Looking at the match stats from the games against Brighton and Wolves highlights Grealish’s impact so far. In both matches, he created three chances apiece, and away to the Old Gold, his off-the-ball work was clear to see. The 30-year-old won 13 duels at Molineux.

Just a handful of games into his Everton career, it is easy to see how Grealish can replicate Lukaku’s impact on loan as the Toffees’ newest talisman. The Belgian striker added firepower in attacking areas through goals and assists, and already, Grealish is doing the same thing.

The fact that Moyes has potentially uncovered Everton’s new Lukaku, in that sense, will be a huge benefit for the club. Life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium could not have started any better for Grealish, and he’d surely love to continue this form.

Friedkin must sell "really poor" Everton star who earns more than Ndiaye

Everton might be better off cutting their losses with one high earner…

By
Joe Nuttall

Sep 10, 2025