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It’s now a widely held opinion that the first point of call for Arsenal in the transfer window this summer should be a new striker.

In fact, it seems to be an opinion held by the club as well, with what feels like an endless steam of reports linking them to every prolific forward going.

However, the name that appears to be popping up more than any other at the moment is Viktor Gyokeres, who has been on fire for Sporting CP over the last two seasons, racking up 95 goals and 28 assists in just 100 appearances.

The Swedish marksman would undoubtedly improve the Gunners’ first team, but based on recent reports, the club may also be looking to smash their transfer record on another attacker, someone even more exciting than Gyokeres.

Arsenal's hunt for a new forward

Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other exciting attackers linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Daizen Maeda and Rayan Cherki.

Transfer Focus

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

The former is said to be available for around £25m in the summer, and while he might not be the most exciting name around, his unreal output of 33 goals and 12 assists in 49 games this season more than makes up for that.

If the club would prefer to shop in a top-five league, then £30m for Cherki wouldn’t be the worst idea, as in just 43 games for Lyon this year, the Frenchman has scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists.

However, for a player to truly be more exciting than Gyokeres, they need to have been performing at a top level for quite some time, like Rafael Leao.

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in the AC Milan star.

The report has revealed that the Portuguese international has made it onto the North Londoners’ shortlist ahead of the summer and that new Sporting Director Andera Berta is a big fan of his.

However, on top of some stiff competition from the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona, there is a chance the Gunners would have to pay the player’s £150m release clause, which would blow their previous transfer record of £105m on Declan Rice out of the water.

With that said, if Arsenal can find a way to sign Leao this summer, they should do it, as he’d be an incredible asset to the team and an even more exciting acquisition than Gyokeres.

Why Leao is more exciting than Gyokeres

Okay, so the first thing to say here is that, in an ideal world, Arsenal would sign both of these players, and given the incredible number of goals Gyokeres is scoring, there is a strong argument that he is what they need more.

However, we are not here to argue about the most necessary transfer; we’re just considering who would be more exciting at the Emirates, and for our money, that would be Leao.

After all, what is it that really gets fans off their feet during a game of football? It’s moments of magic, technical brilliance and inventiveness, which the AC Milan star has in spades.

Fans want to see their star players take defenders on and win, which is exactly what they’d get from the former LOSC Lille star, as The Athletic’s Alex Barke’s claim that he’s “one of the best dribblers in the world” is more than backed up by the data.

According to FBref, the “world-class” winger, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, sits in the top 5% of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 6% for carries into the penalty area and the top 7% for attempted take-ons, all per 90.

If that’s not enough to convince you that the 25-year-old would have the Emirates crowd in the palm of his hands, then perhaps the description of him being like an “early Thierry Henry” from former Milan coach Stefano Pioli will.

Finally, while we are focussing on what the Almada-born entertainer is capable of doing in the build-up to goals, he’s no slouch when it comes to output either.

Appearances

259

Minutes

17698′

Goals

70

Assists

62

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

Minutes per Goal Involvement

134.07′

In 259 appearances for Milan, totalling 17698 minutes, the 39-capped superstar has scored 70 goals and provided 62 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.96 games, or every 134.07 minutes, which is unreal across a six-season period.

Ultimately, Arsenal should be looking to sign Gyokeres and Leao this summer, but when it comes down to pure entertainment value and their ability to excite the fans, we reckon Leao has an edge.

A sensational Havertz upgrade: Arsenal join race to sign £100m PL star

The talented goalscorer would add another string to Arsenal’s bow.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 15, 2025

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is personally keen on the north Londoners signing a star alternative to club captain Martin Odegaard this summer, and one who has been scoring for fun on the continent this season.

Mikel Arteta makes Andrea Berta claim amid Arsenal rift reports

The arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta has dominated headlines since it was announced in late March.

Arsenal offered "world class" Sesko and Gyokeres alternative by unique clause

Andrea Berta has a brand-new striker opportunity.

ByEmilio Galantini May 17, 2025

Berta, following 12 successful years working with Atlético Madrid, is set to have a key influence when it comes to Arsenal’s recruitment plans, but there have already been some reports of rifts between the Italian and Arteta.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

One example of this is their reported Arsenal dispute over whether to move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, but Arteta is adamant that the pair will have a productive working relationship.

“Very good, they’re two very completely different personalities, characters and backgrounds,” said Arteta on the difference between Berta and Edu.

“But he’s someone who’s very driven and very clear in his ideas, vision and how we want to achieve it, and very supportive of everything that’s been done here, with a lot of people who have contributed massively to the position that we are today as a club.

“The squad that we have, the players and the staff that we have, and he’s ready to add value and make us better. That’s the reason why we’ve chosen him to be here with us.”

When asked if the manager and Berta are working on the same page when it comes to Arsenal transfers, Arteta replied: “On what we have to do, yes.”

The Gunners boss will have his own ideas on how to improve his squad, and he is set to work in tandem with Berta ahead of a hopefully more fruitful Premier League title challenge next season.

Mikel Arteta keen on signing Oihan Sancet for Arsenal

According to reports from Spain, Athletic Bilbao’s attacking midfield sensation, Oihan Sancet, is attracting the tactician’s personal attention.

The Spaniard has marked himself out as one of Ernesto Valverde’s standout stars, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, and Arsenal are one of a few teams apparently looking at him as a serious option.

It is now believed that Arteta is personally keen on an Arsenal move for Sancet, who could leave Bilbao for the value of his £67 million release clause, and views the 25-year-old as an “ideal link” between his midfield and forward line.

Man United and Aston Villa are also interested in a move for the Spain midfielder, so a move to the Premier League appears to be an option.

Given Sancet’s exceptional form, not to mention reports they could lose Nico Williams this summer, we believe Bilbao will be highly unlikely to let Sancet leave for much less than the value of his clause.

Sheffield United head into the Championship’s latest round of fixtures later today keen to get back to winning ways and eager to ensure Burnley’s stay at the very summit is premature.

Indeed, the Blades fell to an unexpected 1-0 defeat at the weekend away at relegation-threatened Oxford United, with a Siriki Dembele strike for the U’s the difference between the two sides.

Now, it’s up to Chris Wilder to inspire his troops to a win back on home turf, with Scott Parker’s Clarets only one point ahead at the top.

Millwall will be a stern opponent in South Yorkshire, but the United boss will know if he can get the very best out of certain key individuals, a much-needed three points will be heading their way.

Best summer signings at Sheffield United

Wilder should be commended – regardless of what happens this season – with how quickly he’s got his team back believing in themselves, considering they dropped out of the Premier League bottom of the pile last campaign.

Of course, he was helped last summer by a whole host of positive new additions entering his camp, with the £2m signing of Michael Cooper in-between the sticks proving to be a particularly inspired pick-up.

The former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper has settled in swimmingly to his fresh South Yorkshire environment, with Cooper conceding just 28 goals from 38 Championship encounters, leading to a high 19 clean sheets piling up.

Moreover, away from how few goals are being conceded, Tyrese Campbell – who entered the building last summer on a free transfer – is ensuring there are plenty of strikes hitting the back of the opposing nets, with the ex-Stoke City attacker boasting ten Championship goals.

Whilst Campbell and Cooper are both undoubtedly transfer success stories, the South Yorkshire outfit have fallen foul to some blunders in this department, with one high earner often in the treatment room instead of playing on the Bramall Lane pitch.

The "outstanding" United striker who could be axed

Wilder would have expected this signing to be a rip-roaring success, considering the striker in question’s glittering goal record in the EFL.

Before joining the Blades, Welsh talisman Kieffer Moore had tallied up 56 career goals in the Championship alongside 33 League One strikes, but his time with the promotion chasers to date has been bumpy.

Games played

23

Goals scored

5

Assists

0

Games missed through injury

17

Days missed through injury

82

Wage per week

£25k-per-week

Looking at the table above, it’s clear to see that the ex-Cardiff City striker’s stay at Bramall Lane has been severely disrupted by injury, with Moore out of action for both club and country this season for a bumper 17 clashes.

Annoyingly, the experienced EFL head has shown spurts of his obvious quality when injury-free – with his five goals this campaign even seeing Wilder herald the 6 foot 5 attacker as “outstanding” – but Moore’s long absences from the side still fail to justify his steep £25k-per-week pay packet.

The United number nine’s wage looks even more extortionate when you consider both Campbell and Cooper earn less at £15k-per-week and £17.5k-per-week respectively, despite being concrete parts of Wilder’s starting XI during these last few crunch months in the tricky league.

With Moore not getting any younger either, it could be time for the Blades manager to consider the Welshman’s long-term future, with the signing so far going down as a slight misfire, despite some promising early performances from the unlucky centre-forward.

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After reaching a seventh successive FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, Manchester City’s focus now turns back to ensuring they’ll be in next season’s Champions League.

With nine Premier League fixtures to go, Pep Guardiola’s team are fifth, thereby occupying the final Champions League position, but they’re far from guaranteed to stay there, given that five clubs are four points or fewer behind.

With a Manchester derby to come at Old Trafford on Sunday, it is imperative that the Sky Blues beat bottom-three dwellers Leicester at the Etihad on Wednesday night.

As Guardiola targets three points from that seeming home banker, he should unleash Man City’s “quality” youngster ahead of Abdukodir Khusanov.

How Abdukodir Khusanov has performed at Man City

As noted by Philip Buckingham of the Athletic, Manchester City outspent the other 19 Premier League clubs combined in January, splashing around £180m on five new recruits, including Khusanov, who arrived from Lens for a reported fee of £33.8m.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise, considering he was playing for Enerhetyk-BDU Minsk in the Belarusian top division as recently as July 2023, becoming the first Uzbek to feature in the Premier League 18 months later.

The defender debuted against Chelsea in January, ‘thrown in at the deep end’ according to Jordan Campbell of the Athletic, before making an almighty error less than three minutes in, his ‘undercooked’ back-header gifting the Blues an early opener.

Luckily for him, Man City roared back to win 3-1.

After a difficult start to life in Manchester, Khusanov was named the club’s Player of the Month for February, as voted for by fans, with the club’s official channels already believing he has ‘captured the hearts’ of supporters.

Nevertheless, this didn’t save him from being taken off at half time of the Citizens’ FA Cup tie at Bournemouth on Sunday, with Man City a goal down and Khusanov having been booked.

Chalkboard

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

So, it remains to be seen if he’ll keep his place in the starting lineup against Leicester, although we’re advocating for Pep Guardiola to unleash a home-grown youngster instead.

Man City's best replacement for Khusanov

Man City’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Bournemouth is largely credited to Guardiola’s decision to replace Khusanov with Nico O’Reilly at the interval in Dorset.

Within four minutes, O’Reilly had put the ball on a plate for Erling Haaland to equalise before also getting the assist for Omar Marmoush’s winner later on.

Speaking to Gabriel Clarke of ITV after full time, Guardiola praised the 20-year-old’s impact as “outstanding”, adding “he’s going to play in the semi-final for sure”, given his form in the FA Cup to date.

Emlyn Begley of BBC Sport notes that O’Reilly is an ‘attacking midfielder… by trade’, but he is certainly versatile and he’s been catching the eye for a number of months yet. Perhaps the best source of praise came from City content creator Steven Mcinerney, who stated that “Nico has that La Masia intelligence with the physicality of someone like Rice.”

Meantime, Ben Fisher of the Guardian emphasises that the introduction of the £2.9k-per-week earner ‘transformed’ Man City’s performance at Bournemouth, thanks to his ‘seemingly bottomless energy’, becoming the first substitute to register two assists for the Sky Blues since İlkay Gündoğan at Leeds in December 2021.

So, let’s assess his statistics for the club so far.

Appearances

10

Minutes

553

Goals

3

Assists

2

Chances created

8

Passing accuracy %

90.36%

Take-on success %

51.39%

% of ground duels won

63.7%

% of aerial duels won

60%

Interceptions

1

Clearances

7

Tackles

19

Ball Recoveries

34

Touches per 90

77.65

As the table outlines, O’Reilly is very much still the new kid on the block, playing little over 550 senior minutes so far, while four of his ten appearances have come as a substitute, debuting in the FA Community Shield back in August.

Nevertheless, he’s already shown his quality, and the fact he can play multiple different positions makes him an invaluable asset for Guardiola, so we’re sure the Man City faithful would love to see him handed a first-ever Premier League start when Leicester visit the Etihad on Wednesday.

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Captain’s poor form with bat typified off-colour display and leaves questions to be answered before Lord’s

Matt Roller06-Jul-20251:46

Harmison: England’s top-order returns a worry

Ben Stokes was surrounded. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed convinced that he had edged Washington Sundar down the leg side in the over before lunch, and Indian fielders converged on England’s captain. Ravindra Jadeja pointed to Stokes’ thigh pad. Shubman Gill decided against using his final review. Stokes chewed his gum, hand on hip, and glared.One ball later, India’s fielders went up in appeal again. Stokes was dumbfounded when umpire Sharfuddoula raised his finger, and held out his left hand in bemusement before reviewing. But the decision was spot on: DRS confirmed that Washington’s in-drifter had hit his pad before his bat. He shook his head as he walked off, past a fan waving an India flag in Edgbaston’s South Stand.Stokes’ innings was a grimly compelling watch, a public disavowal of his previous stance that he was “not interested” in drawing Test matches as captain. With every high-elbow defence and exaggerated leave off the seamers, he made ever more clear the extent to which his team had been backed into a corner by India. After three years, the option of last resort had finally arrived.Related

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The trouble for Stokes was that Gill knew he could attack him with spin. Stokes never settled in England’s run chase in Leeds, compulsively reverse-sweeping – he played the shot 16 times in 51 balls, the last of which brought about his dismissal. He has always been a stronger player against pace but his numbers against spinners have fallen off a cliff.Here, Stokes put his reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, but was never in control. He shifted his guard, batting across his stumps, and was caught between stools when confronted with a rough patch outside off. He lunged forward to sweep, missing as many as he hit, and gloved one ball just short of Gill at leg slip as he looked to defend.Just briefly, Stokes had started to look like his old self when back-cutting, driving and pulling Mohammed Siraj for boundaries, finally exerting his dominance on a bowler. But his dismissal to Washington felt almost inevitable: 16 of his 25 Test dismissals since the start of last year have been to spinners, and he is averaging 18.43 against spin in that time. It has been a barren run, and it was telling that Gill pushed his fielders back at the end of overs, allowing Stokes singles that would keep him on strike.

“The task today was batting out the 80 overs. The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be”

Stokes has had a bad week in Birmingham. He took five wickets in the first Test at Headingley but admitted that bowling 35 overs left him as “a shadow of my normal self”, and after 15 more on day one at Edgbaston, managed only 11 overs thereafter. Uncharacteristically, he seemed to run out of ideas in India’s second innings as the game drifted away from him slowly.His decision to bowl first at the toss backfired, with India enjoying the best batting conditions and grinding England into the ground. “As the game got deeper and deeper, it was pretty obvious that [the pitch] was not playing the way that we thought it was going to,” Stokes said. Brendon McCullum was clearer, saying: “We probably got it slightly wrong.”India’s relentlessness with the bat left England facing an unprecedented situation under Stokes’ captaincy, attempting to bat out the final day to secure a draw with a win off the table. “The task today was batting out the 80 overs,” he said. “The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be.”4:11

Stokes: We weren’t able to deliver our skills when needed

His team now faces a quick turnaround to Thursday’s third Test at Lord’s. Stokes does not expect the 336-run margin of defeat to affect their performance next week, but he needs to step up with the bat. Gill, his opposite number, does not look a natural leader in the field, but his runs have bought him scope to make mistakes that Stokes is not giving himself.The opening day of this match marked the two-year anniversary of Stokes’ most recent Test hundred, a rage-fuelled 155 in defeat to Australia at Lord’s, and he has not scored a century in any format of the game since the 2023 World Cup. He declined the opportunity to play for Durham or England Lions ahead of this series to manage his body, but his batting has suffered.Since the start of last year, Stokes has faced only 1280 balls in professional cricket, limited heavily by knee and hamstring injuries; the next fewest among England’s top seven is Zak Crawley with 2414, while Joe Root has faced 4523. If batting is a skill that relies on rhythm and tempo, then Stokes has been dancing to a very different tune.Stokes shrugged off a post-match question about his own form with the bat but his five Test scores this year read 9, 20, 33, 0 and 33, and his career batting average has dipped to its lowest mark (35.31) since the 2019 Ashes. He has been an inspirational and tactically astute captain, but Stokes’ leadership alone cannot mask his struggles with the bat.

Bairstow carting a protester back to the Grand Stand the only time an Englishman extolled domination

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Jun-2023An over into the opening day at Lord’s, two protestors from Just Stop Oil ran onto the field armed with orange paint powder. Their aim was to disperse as much of it as possible on the pitch, only to be halted in their tracks by Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and David Warner. Honestly, could you think of three worse cricketers to be confronted by?Apart from Bairstow hot-footing it into the home dressing room to change out of a now stained white shirt, there was no real impediment on proceedings. The auxiliary pitch – sat two to the left of the main strip as you look out from the press box – did not have to be used. As it turned out, Bairstow’s carry of one of the protesters back to the Grand Stand from where he emerged was the only time an Englishman extolled domination on day one.Whatever debris on the field was removed with a petrol-fuelled blower, just to really hammer home the futility of the protest. A worthy one considering the debilitating effects of fossil fuels on the climate. But like many things we need to change about the world around us, there was a nagging sense it’s all too far gone. Even for believers, there’s enough doubt in the productivity of such acts to let the nuisance of inconvenience, however minor, prevail as the dominant emotion.”They have consistently shown complete disregard for the people who pay to attend events,” said CEO Guy Lavender in an MCC press release about the protest that dropped an hour later. A line far more instructive than he would have intended 24 hours after the institution had to confront a chastening from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket for being woefully out of step with “contemporary Britan”.Jonny Bairstow removes a ‘Just Stop Oil’ pitch invader from the field•Getty ImagesThe home of cricket is only a home for those who look a certain way and, principally, can afford the entry fee. A fee which MCC felt entitled those who can afford it to an uninterrupted day’s play without being reminded the ground’s main sponsor JP Morgan is the world’s worst fossil fuel financing bank.It also entitles them to, well, not watch the cricket. Just as celebrated as the members rushing for seats in the Pavilion before the start of play is the afternoon meander to the various greens of the Nursery Ground, Coronation and Harris Gardens. A point in the day when they think, you know, all this cricket is getting in the way of our conversing.On this occasion, you could understand the motivation of those punters, however strong their ties to this England team are. This was not good viewing, by any means. Overly full bowling at a worryingly docile pace. Nuts so nude you could see the birthmarks.No one in England garb looked like they really wanted to be there, save Josh Tongue in his second Test, which is damning in its own way. They had flunked the best conditions you could ever ask for at this ground. Even Stokes seemed to be devoid of the usual funk, fiddling intermittently when testing Travis Head out with the short ball, but otherwise sticking to by-the-book fields featured in many of the paintings adorning the walls of the closed-off Long Room.As England went through the back end of 83 overs of toil, they probably looked upon the now vacant spaces in the stands with some jealousy. If only they could saunter off and chill out, rather than pointlessly address Australia’s screw-turning.At another time, players would think nothing of it. They all know this is a ground those not really into cricket come to be seen at rather than actually do any seeing. But given all the success coming into this summer, all the Bazball buzz heading into an Ashes, even the way the Edgbaston opener played out day to day, something about these empty white seats created far more of a stain than any orange pigment.There was a sense of lost hope. Of a team who pride themselves on entertaining whether they win or lose, simply losing the thread of their most vaunted – and thus, most watched – series to date, in quite unwatchable fashion. Whether you watched all of the 339 runs and five wickets, or just the first session, you were left with the same mundane conclusions. Australia are quite good. England might not be as good as they thought.Related

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There is a point be made that this is the worst ground for this particular England Test side. It’s as much the pitch – devoid of meaningful bounce today from the Nursery End – as the tradition hanging over this joint, cruelly over-emphasising the grandeur of an Ashes to a group whose best cricket over the last year has come through not taking the game and their part in it too seriously.They also need those watching them to invest emotionally in what they do, which doesn’t happen here. Perhaps Wednesday was when they found out the hard way that this Lord’s crowd need a bit more than vibes and the wrong kind of jaunty hats to buy into what you’re selling. And it’s not so much the ones who wander off, more those who remain. They’ve seen far more than most, and they care not for golfing anecdotes other than their own.There’s no Hollies Stand or Western Terrace here. Other than the occasional sponsored brass band on the outfield, no instruments are allowed. All the beer snakes are killed at birth. Try and sneak in an extra can at your peril. Oh and revelry? Just try and get that past a thorough pat-down. Whatever noise to be made has to come from the middle, and but for the cracks off the middle of the bats of David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Head and Steve Smith (with plenty to come from him), England couldn’t produce the infectious music that has scored the last 14 months.Expect all or some of the above to get fashioned into some excuse behind closed doors, and pray to whoever you pray to it’s not uttered publicly. There has been enough talk for a life time. Six days into this series, England’s worst by some distance has an entire narrative they built shifting against them. Previous lauders are now doubters. Their most high-profile celebrators now their harshest critics.Now, only actions matter. And at a time when English cricket and the world at large step up to fight harder in unending battles for betterment, those on the field (who are meant to be there) now find themselves rallying in similar fashion. They must hope like hell these are not equally futile circumstances.

Neither had a guaranteed T20 role six months ago but once again they gave England an early stranglehold

Deivarayan Muthu27-Oct-2021Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes weren’t quite nailed on for the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Moeen didn’t get a single game when a full-strength England squad had visited India in March for a five-match T20I series, which was essentially a dry run for the World Cup. Heck, Woakes wasn’t even part of that touring squad, flying back home after the Test leg. Seven months later, both Moeen and Woakes are at the forefront of England’s T20 success. Who woulda thunk it?In England’s opener against the West Indies, the defending champions, in Dubai, Moeen and Woakes set up the game beautifully for their side in the powerplay. England moved to Abu Dhabi for this game, facing Bangladesh for the first time ever in T20 cricket, but it was just the same drill for Moeen and Woakes.The very first delivery from Moeen gripped and turned. The right-handed Liton Das then tried to throw Moeen off his length by dashing out of the crease and drilling him for back-to-back fours in the first over. The Bangladeshi fans in the little picket fence enclosures beyond the boundary were bouncing in joy, with the DJ belting out “Char Chokka Hoi Hoi”.

Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of Bangladesh vs England is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Moeen, however, silenced them in his next over, when he extracted just enough turn and dip to have Liton sky a slog-sweep. Next ball, Mohammad Naim stepped out to him – but he didn’t meet the pitch of the ball either, plopping a simple catch to mid-on. Moeen punched his fist in triumph.At the other end, Woakes, the other Birmingham boy, kept slamming the Abu Dhabi track with the heavy lengths and control that has been his calling card in 50-over cricket. No width, no loose balls, just immaculate line-and-length bowling to deny the batters access to the shorter boundary.When Woakes bounded in and dug one into the pitch, he found sharp lift from a back of a length to ping Mushfiqur Rahim’s glove. Woakes then attacked Shakib Al Hasan’s ribs in the last over of the powerplay and had him flapping a weak pull to short fine leg, where Adil Rashid completed a sprawling catch.Bangladesh had fallen to 26 for 3 in the sixth over, and despite some late blows from Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan, they wound up scrounging only 124 for 9. Woakes and Moeen had dominated the powerplay so much that England even had the cushion of experimenting at the death with Rashid, who was their powerplay spinner in India.Moeen didn’t return to the attack after the powerplay salvo, but Woakes did for the 12th over, in which he let rip a Mark Wood-esque lifter and had Afif Hossain falling over in clumsy fashion. Ironically, Woakes would’ve been less likely to play on Wednesday had Wood recovered sufficiently from his ankle strain. Figures of 4-0-12-1, without giving up a single boundary, on a scorching afternoon in Abu Dhabi was some shift from Woakes. Since his return to England’s T20I side after six years in June 2021, Woakes has figures of 13-0-47-3 in four matches at a believe-it-or-not economy rate of 3.61.At the innings break, Woakes acknowledged that the recent game-time has benefitted him. “The warm-up games I didn’t feel too good, but coming in the last couple of games have gone nicely. In this format sometimes it’s just a matter of the luck of the draw, but I’m feeling better the more I play, but as a unit we’ve really gone well today so happy with that.Related

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• Moeen steps up as England make emphatic start

“The [Abu Dhbai] wicket is a little bit two-paced, the IPL was before and the wickets are probably a little bit tired occasionally. If you hit the length hard, you get that little bit of variable bounce. And batters obviously can’t guess what’s happening off the surface.”Both Woakes and Moeen kept banging it away on that length, and according to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, they didn’t float a single ball on the fuller side. Their stints in the IPL have also helped their game and confidence. Moeen’s all-round brilliance was central to Chennai Super Kings winning the title earlier this month, also in the Emirates, while Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has always rated Woakes highly, even when he wasn’t so by England in T20Is.Liam Livingstone and Tymal Mills, who also weren’t part of England’s T20 World Cup plans not too long ago, contributed handsomely with the ball as Eoin Morgan’s men asserted themselves as bona fide title contenders along with Pakistan. Just in case anyone needed reminding: beware of this England white-ball side.

After setting a soft deadline of December 5, former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has reportedly emerged as one of the final candidates to buy Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls have not rushed into anything since entering administration and will be well aware that they must ensure that their next owner can make the guarantees that Dejphon Chansiri could not, financially speaking.

A number of candidates have shown proof of funds worth around £50m, but it has also been reported that a consortium from the Middle East has dropped out of contention due to the cost of completing a takeover. It is expected that, whilst the reserve price could be £30m, the actual cost of buying Sheffield Wednesday could rise to £100m over the next three years when considering a number of investments around the club.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, the Owls have the smaller matter of the Steel City derby to play against Sheffield United this weekend. They square off against the Blades looking to drag their rivals down with them in the Championship’s dropzone.

Previewing the crucial clash, Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen admitted that he expects to face an “organised side” in a tough challenge for his side this weekend.

With a soft deadline of 5 December for their takeover, victory over Sheffield United would certainly be a fine way to start what is a crucial two-week period.

Mike Ashley now a serious contender to buy Sheffield Wednesday

As reported by the i Paper, Ashley is now among the serious candidates to buy Sheffield Wednesday ahead of their December 5 deadline. The Owls are expected to narrow their search down to three or four options by the time that it’s time for offers to arrive and the former Newcastle United chief could yet be among those.

Whilst some will be quick to point out Ashley’s flaws from his time at St James’ Park, he could arguably be what Sheffield Wednesday need at present. He was unambitious at Newcastle when it came to signings, which left fans frustrated, but in terms of finances he was safe.

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The 61-year-old cleared the Magpies’ debt with an interest-free loan and may well steady the ship at Sheffield Wednesday. Whether he’d ensure that they become an established Championship side again after what seems to be inevitable relegation is another question, however.

There’s no denying that Ashley didn’t exactly jump at the chance to invest in the squad during his time at Newcastle, as they suffered relegation from the Premier League twice.

Latest Sheffield Wednesday takeover news

تحدث طارق الجلاهمة، محلل شبكة قنوات “بي إن سبورتس” القطرية عن الوضع الحالي للنجم المصري محمد صلاح داخل أورقة نادي ليفربول، بعد الأزمة التي اندلعت قبل أسبوع بسبب تصريحاته.

وشارك محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وبرايتون أمس السبت، في الجولة السادسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث دخل كبديل في الدقيقة 25، ولعب دورًا في الفوز بهدفين دون رد.

جاءت مشاركة محمد صلاح بعد أسبوع من تصريحاته العنيفة التي هاجم خلالها إدارة ليفربول والمدرب آرني سلوت، حيث اتهم إياهم بالتخلي عنه.

وقال طارق الجلاهمة، عبر أستوديو شبكة “بي إن سبورتس” القطرية: “أعتقد أن هذه مرحلة وداع ورحيل أحد الأطراف، سلوت أو محمد صلاح، ومن وجهة نظري أعتقد أنه بالنظر إلى وداع صلاح بهذه الطريقة في ملعب أنفيلد، قد تكون هذه المباراة الأخيرة له مع ليفربول”.

وأضاف: “قد أكون مخطئًا، لكن المعطيات التي حدثت قبل المباراة والأحداث كلها تُنبئ بأن موعد رحيل محمد صلاح عن ليفربول قد اقترب، الحملة التي قامت ضده في الأسبوع الماضي من أساطير ولاعبين في ليفربول لم أتوقعها بكل تأكيد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ليفربول يعلن رحيل محمد صلاح بعد مباراة برايتون

وواصل: “يمكن للجميع أن ينتقد لاعبين، هذا طبيعي، لكن أن يصل الموضوع إلي (شخصنة) من كاراجر، هنا يجب أن نقول له يجب أن تعي أنك يا كاراجر أمام هرم من عالم كرة القدم، مهما كان التقليل من قيمة محمد صلاح، أعتقد أنك لن تصل إلى مراحل بعيدة، محمد صلاح قدم كرة جميلة وحطم أرقامًا كبيرة ولا نقبل التجريح”.

وأردف: “محمد صلاح من أفضل اللاعبين علي مستوى الدوري الإنجليزي وأحد أساطير ليفربول، بكل تأكيد هذا شيء أزعجني، الأمور الشخصية يجب إبعادها لأن عالم كرة القدم مليء بالمفاجآت”.

واعترف: “على الجانب الآخر، لم يعجبني تصرف فان دايك وهو القائد لـ ليفربول، القائد يجب أن يكون آخر من يرحل من المعركة، ليس من يبتعد مع أول اهتزاز، لقد وقف بشكل محايد”.

وشدد: “لولا الله سبحانه وتعالى ومحمد صلاح يا فان دايك، لم تكن لتتوج بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي، فان دايك لاعب انتهى فنيًا، يستطيع الانتقال إلى دوري آخر يؤدي فيه، لكن في الدوري الإنجليزي من الصعب استمراره مع الفريق”.

واستأنف: “كان على فان دايك أن يحمي زملائه وألا يقف محايدًا في هذه الأزمة، أريد توجيه رسالة إلى محمد صلاح، أنت لاعب فنان لا يختلف عليك اثنين، لكن للرحيل فن وكانت لديك فرصة للرحيل في الصيف الماضي وأنت بطل واسمك مُخلد في الأنفيلد، لقد قدمت كل ما عليك، كان يجب عليك تبحث عن تجربة مختلفة”.

واختتم: “لا ليفربول سيقف على محمد صلاح ولا محمد صلاح سيقف على ليفربول، كرة القدم دائمًا مستمرة، سواء في وجود النجوم أو رحيلهم، لذالك كان يجب عليك الرحيل في الصيف الماضي، لكن الله وحده أعلم بما سيحدث فيما بعد”.

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Thomas Frank amid the mounting pressure surrounding his position as Tottenham boss.

Thomas Frank facing sack calls after underwhelming Spurs start

The north Londoners have failed to impress under Frank lately and are winless across their last five games in all competitions.

Much has been made of their lack of creative spark going forward too, not to mention their dire home form.

Tottenham have lost 10 home games in the Premier League alone this calendar year, their joint-worst record in club history, with Spurs also losing 10 in 1994 and 2003 respectively.

Only bottom-side Wolves, who appear destined for relegation to the Championship, have a worse record on their own patch this season.

Premier League home form table
Team					Wins	Draws	Losses	Points	GD
16. Burnley					2	1	4	7	-2
17. Nottingham Forest					2	1	4	7	-5
18. West Ham					2	0	5	6	-9
19. Tottenham					1	2	4	5	-1
20. Wolves					0	1	6	1	-11

Granted, their problems at home this year stretch back to Ange Postecoglou’s final half a season in charge, but the Australian notably had fewer options to play with during one of the worst injury crisis’ Spurs had ever seen.

Frank was backed with a £171 million transfer war chest in the summer window, including a deal for highly-rated young playmaker Xavi Simons, yet Tottenham’s head coach has relegated him to the bench in each of their last four outings.

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Frank’s constant tinkering has also drawn criticism, with ex-Lilywhites defender Ramon Vega recently telling talkSPORT that this will be affecting the players’ rhythm.

Vega went on to suggest that Frank doesn’t have the bottle to manage a club like Spurs, while sections of the fanbase also call for his dismissal early doors.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has already been linked with the Tottenham job, but Romano has now provided his own update on Frank’s future at N17.

Fabrizio Romano shares Thomas Frank update out of Tottenham

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano says that Spurs are monitoring Frank closely amid the growing fan unrest, but there are no immediate plans to replace him as yet.

Frank is poised to take on former club Brentford this weekend, and nothing but a win will do at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to convince some supporters that he is indeed the right man for the job.

Spurs have another crucial home game just a few days later when they face off against Slavia Prague in the Champions League, two very winnable games that could seriously help to change the mood.

They also travel to Nottingham Forest on December 14 before their final match pre-Christmas against Liverpool in north London, with Frank hoping for a vital points swing to get them nearer the Champions League places.

January is right around the corner as well, and reports suggest that Tottenham are intent on signing a new attacker to provide that much-needed extra threat going forward.