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Arsenal have a busy summer transfer window ahead of them as the Gunners and Mikel Arteta look to win the Premier League after three successive second-place finishes.

New sporting director Andrea Berta is the man tasked with leading Arsenal’s transfer business, with midfielder Martin Zubimendi set to be the first through the door at the Emirates.

Signing from Real Sociedad in a transfer worth over £50m, Zubimendi should be followed by some attacking additions ahead of Arsenal’s 2025/26 opener at Old Trafford against Man Utd.

Arsenal’s first 5 Premier League games

Date

Man Utd vs Arsenal

August 17

Arsenal vs Leeds

August 23

Liverpool vs Arsenal

August 30

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

September 13

Arsenal vs Man City

September 20

AI have actually predicted Arsenal’s 25/26 line-up in a 4-3-3 formation, and if they are correct, the Gunners will have an exciting transfer window.

Related Berta spends £250m: AI predicts who Arsenal will sign in summer transfer window

It could be an eventful few months at the Emirates.

Posts 1 ByCharlie Smith Jun 14, 2025 AI predicts Arsenal’s 2025/26 starting line-up 1 GK: David Raya

There may not be much change in defence at the Emirates, with Arsenal having the best defensive record in the Premier League over the past two seasons.

David Raya’s Arsenal stats

Games

96

Clean sheets

39

Goals conceded

81

David Raya has been a regular during that time and has been backed to keep his spot in the side despite Kepa Arrizabalaga’s likely arrival.

2 RB: Jurrien Timber

Getting the nod at right-back is Jurrien Timber after the Dutchman played all across the backline in 24/25, making 48 appearances in all competitions.

They say Timber’s ‘versatility and recovery from injury make him a strong candidate to start at right-back’ as his ‘attacking flair fits Arteta’s system’.

3 CB: William Saliba

William Saliba has been a rock at the back for the Gunners in recent years, which has resulted in rumours of a move to Real Madrid.

Described as ‘a cornerstone of Arsenal’s defence’, Saliba still has two years left on his Emirates deal and looks set to play a key role once more.

4 CB: Gabriel

No shocks at centre-back from AI, with Gabriel expected to partner Saliba at the back after signing a new four-year deal this summer.

The Brazilian’s new deal reflects his status under Arteta, and his ‘aggressive defending and leadership underline his importance’.

5 LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly

Still just 18 years of age, Myles Lewis-Skelly is already an Arsenal regular at left-back and is also on course to agree a new Gunners contract.

AI have the Englishman ahead of Riccardo Calafiori and think he’ll start ahead of the Italian in 25/26.

6 CM: Martin Zubimendi

After spending more than £50m on new signing Martin Zubimendi, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that AI believe he’ll be straight in Arteta’s starting XI.

Martin Zubimendi’s Real Sociedad stats

Games

236

Goals

10

Assists

9

Yellow cards

47

They say the Spaniard ‘will anchor the midfield, allowing others to push forward’.

7 CM: Declan Rice

With Zubimendi in the No. 6 role, Declan Rice has been backed to ‘thrive as a No. 8’ at the Emirates, occupying a box-to-box role with the new signing in a deeper position.

AI states that Rice’s ‘leadership, stamina, and goal-scoring ability from midfield make him a guaranteed starter’ under Arteta, and it’s hard to argue against that.

8 CM: Martin Odegaard (c)

Completing the midfield is captain Martin Odegaard, who is actually approaching 200 appearances in a Gunners shirt.

Martin Odegaard’s PL 24/25 stats

Games

30

Goals

3

Assists

8

AI says that despite a dip in form which saw Odegaard score just three Premier League goals in 30 appearances last season, the Norway star’s ‘chance creation and work rate ensure his spot in the side’.

9 RW: Bukayo Saka

Arsenal missed Bukayo Saka’s goals and assists last season, with the winger out for large parts of the season through injury.

Now back fit, though, Saka’s ‘role on the right is undisputed’ and Ethan Nwaneri is named as a promising backup to Arsenal’s No. 7.

10 CF: Benjamin Sesko

A new striker is at the top of Arsenal’s to-do list before September 1, and one attacker who has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates is Benjamin Sesko.

AI says the towering centre-forward will be in the starting line up next season at a cost of £70m. Sesko will ‘offer the physicality and clinical edge Arteta seeks, edging out Viktor Gyokeres as the primary target’.

Following defeat in the Europa League final, Ruben Amorim is reportedly ready to sanction exits for as many as four Manchester United mainstays this summer, as he gets ruthless at Old Trafford.

Amorim "will not quit" at Man Utd

Nobody could have foreseen quite as disastrous as Amorim’s first six months in charge have gone at Manchester United. It was clear that he had quite the task on his hands, as all managers before him had. But to go from four points away from the top four to likely finishing as low as 16th would have been seen as an impossible reality. Yet, with one week to go in the Premier League, that’s exactly where the Red Devils find themselves.

The former Sporting Club boss is not ready to give up quite yet, however. As much as he’s been knocked down, he is seemingly not down and out even after losing the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Related Man Utd ready move for one of the most sought after young talents in Italy

He’s a man in demand.

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 22, 2025

Amorim told reporters in his post-match press conference: “I am confident that I am still the guy. More than [at] the beginning! I know that it’s going to be tough. I know that we lost against an English team. I know the patience of the fans is going to be really short in the next season.

“But I guarantee that I will not quit. I will not go away. I am really confident, because I know the club, I know what it means to coach this club. I understand what this team needs. I have more tools to do my job.”

Defeat in the final wouldn’t have revealed anything that Amorim didn’t already know about his side, either. Instead, it has seemingly doubled down just how badly Manchester United need to show several names the door this summer. And the manager is reportedly ready to get ruthless.

Amorim ready for ruthless Man Utd clear out

According to GiveMeSport, Amorim is now ready to ditch Luke Shaw, Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana this summer in an attempt to make room and fund the arrival of a number of improvements. In all cases, convincing arguments can be made for exit, but three of those represent just how poorly Manchester United have recruited in recent years.

When it comes to Onana, Hojlund and Casemiro, it’s clear as to why they’re set to be shown the door. Onana, despite initially starting the current campaign strongly, has rediscovered bad habits between the sticks. Meanwhile, there remains little sign that Hojlund is set to burst into life almost two years on from a hefty £72m arrival.

Casemiro is an interesting one. The midfielder has been somewhat revived in recent months, becoming an important member of United’s side again amid reports Amorim texted Sir Jim Ratcliffe to praise the Brazilian. Given that he’s now 33 years old, though, he is not someone that the Red Devils should be relying on.

Whilst those three come as little shock, Shaw’s departure would likely surprise a few. Alas, one look at his salary and it becomes clear. A talented defender, but ultimately one that is never fit to showcase those talents, Manchester United must clear his £150,000-a-week from their wage bill this summer.

Liverpool have a “superb” striker “high” in their thinking ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a key update from journalist Ben Jacobs.

Attackers Liverpool could sign this summer

The Reds have enjoyed a memorable season, winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first year in charge, but their strikers have largely struggled overall.

Darwin Nunez has continued to flatter to deceive, barring his late heroics away to Brentford back in January, with only five goals coming his way in the league. Meanwhile, injuries have hampered Diogo Jota once again, and he has looked well off the pace recently, with his fitness woes arguably catching up with him.

Newcastle United star Alexander Isak has been mentioned as a leading option to come in for Liverpool this summer, but the Magpies will demand an enormous amount for their best player, which may make him unattainable.

Eintracht Frankfurt ace Hugo Ekitike has also been linked with a move to the Reds numerous times, following an impressive season that has seen him score 15 times and register eight assists in the Bundesliga. Now, another exciting striker has been thrown into the mix as an option for Slot.

There is also the case of Florian Wirtz, with the Reds thought to be strongly interested in a £100m+ deal for the Bayer Leverkusen superstar, who would likely join to play off of a new number nine, rather than instead of.

A dream for Salah: Liverpool moving to sign "the world's best midfielder"

Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s season will be rewarded in the transfer market this summer.

2 ByAngus Sinclair May 15, 2025 Benjamin Sesko "high" up in Liverpool's thinking

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs claimed that RB Leipzig attacker Benjamin Sesko is “high” in Liverpool’s thinking this summer, as a possible alternative to Isak and Ekitike.

“With Darwin Nunez expected to leave, a new striker is expected to come in. I still keep hearing Hugo Ekitike. And in addition to that, we know that Liverpool are one of the clubs that think Alexander Isak, if he genuinely is available, would be a perfect fit.

“In theory, he would be their top target, but again, if he’s not genuinely available, they’re not the kind of club to waste their time. And in addition to that, Benjamin Sesko has become high in Liverpool’s thinking as well.”

It’s no surprise that Sesko is a rumoured target for Liverpool, considering what a huge prospect he is, already becoming a key man for club and country at the age of just 21.

The £92,000-a-week attacker has netted 16 times in 41 caps for Slovenia, while at club level, he has scored a combined 68 goals for Leipzig and RB Salzburg, coming in 166 appearances. Meanwhile, scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “superb” player.

With Isak unlikely to come in except for a monumental fee, Ekitike or Sesko do feel like the leading choices to come in and bolster Liverpool’s attack this summer. In the latter, they would be signing a player with massive potential who could also hit the ground running from the off, combining pace, physicality and ruthless finishing.

In recent years, West Ham have been looking to increase their level of recruitment, aiming to improve their squad year upon year which has become even more possible since the big-money sale of Declan Rice.

The England midfielder was sold to Arsenal for a fee of around £105m, allowing the Hammers to invest plenty in the past two years.

In West Ham’s top ten most expensive transfers, four of the ten have been signed since Rice left the club, £123.5m being spent in the 2023/24 campaign and spending a further £123.4m in the 2024/25 season.

Sebastien Haller

£42.7m

Maximilian Kilman

£40.6m

Mohammed Kudus

£36.8m

Lucas Paqueta

£36.7m

Gianluca Scamacca

£33m

Edson Alvarez

£32.5m

Felipe Anderson

£32.5m

Kurt Zouma

£29.9m

Nayef Aguerd

£29.9m

James Ward-Prowse

£29.7m

But away from this list of their top ten most expensive transfers, the Hammers have had some bargains over the years, including one of their best-ever players who ranks 29th in the club’s most expensive transfer fees.

Dimitri Payet's incredible spell at West Ham

West Ham made the signing of Dimitri Payet from Marseille in 2015, with the Frenchman joining the Hammers for a fee of around £10m, which would turn out to be an absolute bargain.

West Ham co-chairman, David Sullivan, labeled Payet a “world-class” player who would be worth triple what they paid had he been in his “prime”. It’s easy to see why.

For the Irons, Payet made 60 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals and providing 22 assists in 4,981 minutes.

Capable of the magical and the extraordinary, his best moment was the extraordinary free-kick goal against Crystal Palace, a goal which finds itself on repeat to this day.

Unfortunately, Payet decided he wanted to return to France in 2017, heading back to Marseille for a fee of around £25m.

To this day, they arguably still lack that magic man, Jarrod Bowen aside, but they may well have the next Payet brewing at the London Stadium.

West Ham's "future icon" could be the next Payet

Bowen has been incredible since signing for West Ham from Hull, notably scoring the winner in the Conference League final, but he’s not the player in question here, it’s Mohammed Kudus.

Signed from Ajax in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, the 24-year-old forward joined for a fee of around £38m and has been a revelation since.

Indeed, Kudus has made 73 appearances for the club since arriving, scoring 17 goals and providing nine assists in his 5,718 minutes played. He may not have hit the dizzy heights of last term but he’s still a cracking player on his day.

Goals

0.37

0.12

Assists

0.17

0.12

xG

0.23

0.26

xAG

0.14

0.10

Progressive Carries

3.99

3.51

Progressive Passes

2.96

2.77

Shots Total

2.52

2.54

Key Passes

1.14

1.13

Shot-Creating Actions

3.52

3.68

Successful Take-Ons

3.93

3.16

When comparing the underlying metrics between Kudus’s first season at the club and this season (his second season) you can see how similar the metrics are. Despite this year being much tougher for the Hammers and the Ghana international struggling for output, the underlying metrics still look very strong, ranking highly for things like successful take-ons and shot-creating actions.

Described as a “future icon” of Ghanaian football by scout Jacek Kulig, he could also become this at West Ham, following in the steps of another magician in Payet. However, Kudus is already subject to plenty of interest from other clubs, and therefore, his decision to stay or leave could prove vital.

If Kudus decides to stay, he could go down as a legend over time, depending on the uplift of performances under Graham Potter.

However, if he does choose to leave, the fee that would be obtained would be very substantial, and it would be tough for Hammers fans to feel too aggrieved.

Best signing since Bowen: West Ham struck gold on £90k-p/w "game-changer"

West Ham have struck gold on their “game-changer” who is easily their best signing since Bowen.

ByConnor Holden Mar 31, 2025

Now 35, former captain remains at peak of his powers, and England ought to cash in while they can

Matt Roller18-Sep-2025Jos Buttler turned 35 last week, an age that marks him out as the clear veteran of the young batting line-up that England have taken to Dublin. He was the only man in the top seven picked in Wednesday’s series opener in his 30s, and the contrast with two 21-year-olds at No. 3 and 4 – Jacob Bethell, on captaincy debut, and Rehan Ahmed – was stark.It begs a question that England will be understandably reluctant to confront: could next year’s T20 World Cup, Buttler’s seventh, also be his last? Perhaps it is premature to ask at a time when his output remains so consistent – only Nicholas Pooran has scored more T20 runs this year – but Buttler is now the same age that Eoin Morgan was when he called it quits in 2022.Buttler remains as destructive as ever, as evidenced by his 30-ball 83 against South Africa in Manchester and his cold-blooded takedown of Ireland’s Graham Hume in Malahide, but the fundamental truth of sporting careers is that they cannot last forever. Next year’s 50-over World Cup in South Africa looms as the natural endpoint of Buttler’s for England.It is why England must keep Buttler at the top of their batting order, enabling him and Phil Salt to continue the dominant partnership that they resumed almost by default last week. Until this month, Buttler had spent a year batting at No. 3 in T20Is, the IPL, the Blast and the Hundred, but has clearly relished his return to opening in the last week.”It’s been good fun,” Buttler said. “To be honest, I think I’m at that stage [of my career] where I don’t really mind too much; I’m quite happy to bat anywhere. I’ve batted in those positions quite a bit now, so a change is quite refreshing sometimes. Having been at No. 3 for a little bit… I quite like those little subtle changes, and it gives you something new each time.”Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have continued their fine partnership in Dublin•Getty ImagesWhile batting at No. 3 protects Buttler from the swinging new ball – his only real vulnerability as a T20 player – it also means that he does not always have access to the fielding restrictions in the first six overs. “Going out at 0 for 0, you’ve got that full Powerplay,” he said, asked what he had enjoyed about returning to the top of the order.He has shown over the past week just how clinical he can be when there are only two fielders outside of the 30-yard circle: when he opens for England, Buttler averages 53.58 in the Powerplay, while striking at 155.31. He remains England’s best batter, and their first question when constructing their batting line-up must be how to maximise his chances of success.This block of T20 cricket has also served a reminder of Buttler and Salt’s remarkable combination as an opening pair. After their 126-run stand off 47 balls last Friday, they added 74 in 28 on Wednesday and became the first England openers to score 1,000 T20I runs in partnership in the process.”We bounce off each other,” Salt said. “I’m always the one looking to be aggressive early on, to throw the first punch. Jos, more often than not, comes in and does his own thing straight after. It’s a bit of a one-two in that regard. But then there’s been times when I’ve not started quickly, and have given the strike over to Jos… The more you bat with one person, the easier it gets.”Related

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Buttler’s own view is similar. “We’ve batted together quite a bit together at the top,” he said. “We don’t go out there with any set plan, to be honest. Obviously Salty’s brilliant at getting going straightaway, and can take the pressure off [me] if needed. But we certainly try to bounce off each other, and just keep encouraging each other to play the way we do.”They have now opened the batting together 46 times across short-form cricket for England, Lancashire and Manchester Originals, and only five opening pairs in T20 history have scored more runs in partnership. Harry Brook said last week that England faced some “headaches” in selection but leaving a world-class opening pair together should act as a painkiller.It means that Ben Duckett may have to shuffle down to No. 3, where he should be well equipped to take on spin through the middle overs, while Jamie Smith might have to wait his turn. In any case, recent history suggests that it would be a misstep for England to rely too heavily on Test players at the T20 World Cup, given its proximity to an Ashes series in Australia.The fixtures have still not been published but England are expecting to spend most of next year’s World Cup in India, a country that Buttler knows as well as anyone thanks to a decade of IPL experience. He remains one of the few players who could win his country the tournament almost single-handedly: England must give him the best chance to do so.

So early in his Test career, Yashasvi Jaiswal has already shown incredible and effortless range in his batting – a product of the Bombay school of batting but also the IPL

Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Feb-2024A belief pervades many cultures that showering someone with praise summons the evil eye.Rohit Sharma seemed to be in the grip of just such a belief on Sunday evening, when he was asked about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s run-scoring feats in this series against England. He was asked first at the presentation ceremony in Rajkot.”I’ve spoken a lot about him,” he said. “I’m sure people outside the changing room have also been talking about him. I want to be calm about him, not talk a lot about him.”Related

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He was asked again at his post-match press conference.”I won’t say anything on Jaiswal. Everyone is talking about him. Let him play. He is playing well, it’s good for us and he is in good form. I am not going to say much more than that. [this is enough for now].”At these moments Rohit seemed not so much the captain of a cricket team as the anxious parent of a gifted child fretting about the inadvertent curse of excessive praise. You could imagine him nailing a string of chillies and lime to India’s dressing-room doorframe, and getting a member of the coaching staff to circle Jaiswal’s head three times clockwise and three times anticlockwise with a fistful of rock salt.You could empathise with Rohit, because Jaiswal is that kind of player. So good, so early in his career, that it seems wrong to talk about him. Let the boy be. Let him get on with it. Just watch and enjoy, no?This feeling – no doubt shared by many others apart from Rohit – is perhaps also a product of the names Jaiswal’s recent achievements have twinned him with, Don Bradman and Vinod Kambli: a career so productive that no one will ever be expected to match it, and a sad and curiously truncated career of whys and what-ifs. Kambli, of course, is a Mumbai left-hander who came from humble beginnings and brought to Test cricket both a precocious appetite for runs and a love for hitting sixes.Bradman and Kambli. A bright start, then, is just a start.The Indian camp rises as one to welcome Yashasvi Jaiswal back after his Visakhapatnam epic•BCCIBut what a start Jaiswal has had. He has played seven Tests now, and scored 861 runs at an average of 71.75. He’s already made three hundreds, each of them big, each bigger than the previous one – 171, 209, 214* – and each different to the other too.The debut effort in Dominica was remarkable for how unremarkable it appeared on the surface. On a slow Dominica pitch where India’s batters struggled for timing though not for survival against a limited West Indies attack, he batted time, with only as much fluency as the conditions would allow, and checked off one milestone after another, each appearing more inevitable than the last one. It was an innings you might have expected from Virat Kohli – who, to put the conditions in perspective, took 80 balls to hit his first boundary – but perhaps not from a 21-year-old debutant.Then, over the last two weeks, he’s made two double-hundreds: one that held together a first innings that could have otherwise fallen apart – he made just under 53% of India’s total of 396 – and one that set the tone for a jubilant third-innings surge.Perhaps nothing illustrates how different these two double-hundreds were than the methods he adopted against England’s fast bowlers in both innings. In Visakhapatnam, he faced 67 balls from James Anderson, England’s only quick, and scored 17 runs. In Rajkot, he faced 39 balls from Anderson and Mark Wood and scored 61. In strike-rate terms, he went from 25.37 in one innings to 156.41 in the other.

You could imagine Pant leaving five balls in a row if he really, really had to, but by the fourth leave you’d be off your chair and pacing the floor. When Jaiswal left five in a row from Jason Holder in his debut innings, you were probably fixing yourself a snack while the cricket played in the background.

The shots Jaiswal unleashed on the fourth day in Rajkot were always present in his kitbag: the falling scoop, the bent-knee slap over the massed off-side field, the club down the ground off the good-length ball. But where even the most subdued innings from Rishabh Pant – to take the example of the previous extravagantly gifted India left-hander to treat Anderson with cheerful disrespect in a home Test – is likely to include one or two shots of that type, it feels like Jaiswal could comfortably get through a full series without needing to demonstrate his full range.You could imagine Pant leaving five balls in a row if he really, really to, but by the fourth leave you’d be off your chair and pacing the floor. When Jaiswal left five in a row from Jason Holder in his debut innings, you were probably fixing yourself a snack while the cricket played in the background.Some players are so good that you can’t take your eyes off them. Some are so good that you frequently do, with the certainty that they’ll still be batting when you’ve returned from your fridge-foraging.Jaiswal can be both kinds of batter, but he’s more often the second kind. He’s a product of the Bombay school the Rajasthan Royals school, and while that education has given him a vast skillset, it has seemingly spared him the effects of its inherent contradictions. At this stage, it feels like you could send him out in any situation and expect that he’d make sound choices without having to think too hard about it.That clarity and certainty, of course, is partly a product of the form he’s in, and the fact that he hasn’t yet met a real setback as a batter at the highest level. That will come in its course. Watching him, it’s hard to think he wouldn’t find a way to overcome it.For now, though, it’s perhaps wisest to just let him be. Watch and enjoy. And keep your amulets and rabbit’s feet handy, just in case.

He has upped his six-hitting game to wreak havoc on bowlers this season

Mathew Varghese, ESPNcricinfo stats, Illustration by Kshiraja K11-May-2022ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Reddy has been suspended from playing and has 14 days to respond to the charges against him

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2025

Akhilesh Reddy had made his USA debut earlier this year•Getty Images

USA cricketer Akhilesh Reddy has been charged by the ICC with three violations of the Anti-Corruption Code and is suspended from playing effective immediately.The charges stem from alleged misconduct during the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, where Reddy is playing for Aspin Stallions and has featured in two matches so far.He has been booked under the following sections of the anti-corruption code:Article 2.1.1 – Attempting to fix, contrive, or improperly influence, or being party to an agreement or effort to improperly influence, the result, progress, conduct, or any other aspect of matches in the ADT10 2025.Article 2.1.4 – Soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging, or intentionally facilitating (or attempting to do so) another Participant to breach Article 2.1.1 during one or more matches in the ADT10 2025.Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing the investigation by deleting data and messages from a mobile device that may have been relevant to the inquiry.Reddy, 25, had only made his international debut earlier this year, when he played four T20Is for USA in the North America T20 Cup. He has 14 days to respond to the charges.

تحدث مدرب برشلونة هانز فليك، عقب فوز فريقه على ريال بيتيس في منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني، حيث التقى الفريقان مساء اليوم السبت.

وتمكن برشلونة من تحقيق الفوز على ريال بيتيس بنتيجة 5-3، وذلك في إطار مباريات الجولة الخامسة عشر لليجا.

وقال فليك في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “كان الشوط الأول جيدًا جدًا، كنا متعبين للغاية مع اقترابنا من نهاية المباراة، في مباريات عديدة لم نتمكن فيها من تغيير مجرى اللعب دفاعيًا”.

وأضاف: “لكنني أريد أن أكون إيجابيًا في تقييمي، مع أننا سنحلل ذلك، المهم هو أننا فزنا، أنا سعيد جدًا بالفريق، أحترم كيف قاتلنا وعدنا، كان اللاعبون منهكين في النهاية، قاتلوا لمدة 90 دقيقة، أقدر حقًا ما قدمناه اليوم”.

وأردف: “من المهم دائمًا تسجيل هدفين في وقتين متقاربين والفوز، وهذا ليس بالأمر السهل ضد فريق مثل بيتيس، الذي يتمتع بقدرات فنية عالية وجودة عالية، ويملك لاعبين رائعين”.

وعن لاعبه لامين يامال، في مركز خط وسط مهاجم، أشار فليك: “لقد رأيته يؤدي بشكل جيد، دفاعيًا أيضًا، إنه خيار متاح لدينا، ولم ندربه من قبل على هذا المركز”.

وبشأن ثنائية لامين يامال وباردجي، أفاد: “تحدثتُ مع لامين وسألناه إن كان يرغب باللعب كصانع ألعاب، فأجابني بالموافقة، وأنا سعيدٌ جدًا بذلك، هذا يمنحنا خياراتٍ أوسع، وهذا أمرٌ جيد، كل ما رأيته منه أعجبني، ينسجم بشكلٍ رائع، يتراجع للخلف، ويبذل جهدًا دفاعيًا كبيرًا، إنه يتطور ويتحسن، إنه لاعبٌ رائع”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد فوز برشلونة على ريال بيتيس

وأشاد بـ فيران توريس قائلاً: “فيران لاعب ذكي للغاية، يجيد قراءة المساحات، وقد تألق اليوم بشكل لافت، يتمتع بالعقلية والثقة اللازمتين، هذا هو الطريق للمضي قدمًا”.

وأكمل: “يستحق أن يكون ضمن التشكيلة الأساسية، إنه دائمًا حاضر عند الحاجة، هذا الملعب هو ملعب فيران توريس، حتى عندما يلعب مع المنتخب الوطني، حيث سجل أيضًا ثلاثية”.

وعن الدقائق الأخيرة في المباراة، حيث أحرز ريال بيتيس هدفين في شباك برشلونة، علّق: “إذا أردتم التفكير في الجانب السلبي، فافعلوا، لكنني لا أفعل، أنا سعيد جدًا بلاعبيّ، بيتيس فريق رائع، وإذا لم يكن لاعبو فريقي في كامل لياقتهم في النهاية، فهذا طبيعي، أداء اليوم إيجابي”.

وسُئل عن رد الفعل بعد الهزيمة أمام تشيلسي، وأجاب: “أركز على التدريب وجودة اللاعبين، نلعب بالمستوى الذي نتدرب عليه، والآن نتدرب بكثافة عالية جدًا، ما رأيته رائع، أؤمن بهذا الفريق، بما أراه”.

وأتم: “أنا سعيد جدًا، نتقدم خطوة بخطوة، نحن على الطريق الصحيح، قدمنا ​​أداءً جيدًا، وعلينا الفوز على آينتراخت يوم الثلاثاء (في دوري أبطال أوروبا)”.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing the signing of AZ Alkmaar youngster Kees Smit, with the Dutchman expected to have a huge future in the game.

The Reds’ midfield is full of quality and depth, so from the outside looking in, there isn’t a great need to bring in new signings in the middle of the park for the time being.

That said, Alexis Mac Allister’s form has been a concern for Liverpool so far this season, and while the Argentine is still only 26 years of age, years of relentless football at club and international level may be taking its toll.

Not only that, but Mac Allister has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai could also be the subject of interest from other clubs, so the Premier League champions need to keep an eye out on potential additions.

Signing young players with a huge amount of promise is an avenue that Liverpool could go down at the end of this season, which is where Smit comes into play.

Liverpool eyeing signing of Kees Smit

According to Soccer News [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are interested in signing Smit from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, with the 19-year-old midfielder considered a massive young talent.

The Reds and Arne Slot are “seriously considering” tabling a bid for him, with Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, Barcelona and Real Madrid all mentioned as potential suitors, too. It is added that Slot is a fan of the teenager and that he was ‘charmed by him’ when he was a youngster at AZ Alkmaar.

Smit is a player with so much to admire about him, with scout Jacek Kulig hailing him as “fantastic” and Ronald Koeman comparing him to Barca star Pedri, which is high praise.

“I almost regret mentioning his name again (Pedri), but he’s a guy who plays in the same position. The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness—I saw that in Pedri too. If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands.”

At 19, he could be eased in at Liverpool, arriving as a squad player who can mature at his own pace, before eventually becoming more of a fixture in Slot’s starting lineup.

Netherlands Under-21s

3

0

Netherlands Under-19s

16

4

Netherlands Under-18s

3

0

Netherlands Under-17s

7

0

Netherlands Under-16s

6

0

The teenager is already delivering impressive numbers, despite his tender years, with four goals and six assists coming his way in 50 appearances for Alkmaar.

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He has also represented the Netherlands at five different youth levels, including the Under-21s, and it feels like a matter of time until he received a senior call-up, with the 2026 World Cup around the corner.

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