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O zagueiro Wellington fez uma verdadeira “convocação” aos torcedores do CSA para marcarem presença no Estádio Rei Pelé para o confronto diante do Cruzeiro, na próxima quarta-feira (20), às 19h (de Brasília), pela Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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>Pesquisa aponta as 26 maiores torcidas do Brasil; confira o ranking

Segundo o defensor, o Marujo necessita da conquista dos três pontos, atuando em casa, em marcador que pode ser determinante para a saída do CSA da tão temida zona do rebaixamento:

– O Cruzeiro é uma equipe que está na parte de cima da tabela e sabemos das suas qualidades, mas vamos estar em casa e temos que fazer o nosso jogo para buscar a vitória, que é a única coisa que nos interessa. Será uma grande partida e contamos com o apoio do torcedor durante os 90 minutos .

Com 19 pontos, o Azulão está na 17ª colocação da Série B. Na rodada anterior, a equipe de Wellington visitou o Vila Nova, em Goiânia, e venceu por 2 a 1 um confronto direto na tabela de classificação.

– Foi uma vitória importante demais contra o Vila Nova pra gente se manter vivo e sair dessa situação o mais rápido possível. Conseguimos competir bem, fazer o 2 a 0 e depois segurar o placar até o final. Trabalhamos forte diariamente para sair dessa situação incômoda e, se Deus quiser, vamos engatar uma sequência positiva – relatou.

As Manchester United ready themselves for the defining game of the campaign thus far, it would be no surprise if the Red Devils’ fortunes once again fall on the shoulders of captain fantastic, Bruno Fernandes.

It hasn’t been vintage Fernandes this season, far from it, but in recent weeks, in particular, the Portuguese playmaker has hit his stride, notching up a goal or assist in each of his last three Premier League games.

Now with a return of 25 goal involvements in all competitions – nine more than Amad Diallo in second (16) – the question should not be where would United be without him, but instead, where would the 30-year-old be with better players around him?

The former Sporting CP man is certainly not perfect – a fact indicated by his three red cards this season – but his quality is worthy of a place in a title-winning side, with five years at Old Trafford having thus far yielded ‘just’ a League Cup and FA Cup triumph.

Player

Chances created

Cole Palmer

71

Mohamed Salah

69

Dejan Kulusevski

63

Bruno Fernandes

60

Enzo Fernandez

57

Mikel Damsgaard

51

Trent Alexander-Arnold

51

Youri Tielemans

51

Leif Davis

50

Bryan Mbeumo

50

Whatever lies ahead for the £300k-per-week maestro in Manchester, his arrival from Lisbon back in January 2020 has certainly been an unequivocal success.

Man Utd's Portuguese connections

Fernandes – who has 170 goals and assists for the club in 275 games – made the £46m switch from Sporting just over five years ago, following in the footsteps of his idol and compatriot, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The now-veteran striker had been plucked from the Liga Portugal side as a teenager back in 2003, developing from scrawny trickster into a chiselled machine over the next six years under Sir Alex Ferguson’s watch.

The second spell may have ended in sour fashion, but the early version of Ronaldo was a joy to behold, bewitching defenders with his breathtaking speed and skill, while powering the club to three Premier League titles on the trot, alongside a Champions League success.

Away from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ferguson and co also raided Sporting to land Ronaldo 2.0 in the form of Nani, with the wing wizard contributing 105 goals and assists in 230 games for United, prior to joining Fenerbahce for just £4.3m in 2014.

The Euro 2016 champion arrived in the same summer as Anderson, with the Golden Boy winner signing from Porto and memorably scoring in the Moscow shootout triumph in the Champions League final.

As for more recent deals – ignoring the infamous 2011 signing of Bebe from Vitoria, and Marcos Rojo’s switch from Sporting – the Red Devils have been rewarded for their £19m investment in then-Porto teenager, Diogo Dalot, with the long-serving full-back notably ending the 2023/24 campaign as the club’s Players’ Player of the Year recipient.

Victor Lindelof – a £30m capture from Benfica – is approaching the end of an eight-year stay in Manchester, amid his expiring contract, although it looks like it is just the beginning of a fruitful journey for Manuel Ugarte.

INEOS have hit the jackpot on Man Utd's "warrior"

It hasn’t been a season to look back on positively, but the INEOS regime may be encouraged by the signings made over the summer, with Matthijs de Ligt beginning to come into his own at centre-back, while Noussair Mazraoui has arguably stood out as the club’s best signing since Fernandes, considering his minimal £13m fee.

Market Movers

As for Ugarte, the midfield “warrior” – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – looks like he could be a staple of the side for years to come, having previously thrived under Ruben Amorim’s tutelage.

Signed from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported initial fee of around £42m, the Uruguayan – much like Fernandes and Ronaldo before him – first rose to real prominence in a Sporting shirt, after joining from another Portuguese side, Famalicao, in 2021.

Since arriving in Manchester, via his solitary season in Paris, the 23-year-old initially struggled to force his way into Erik ten Hag’s plans, although under Amorim, his role has become clearer, shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 6% of Premier League midfielders for tackles made, and in the top 15% for pass completion per 90.

Neat and tidy on the ball and a machine out of possession, Ugarte certainly lives up to his motto, having stated that “when we have the ball, it’s a game and when we don’t, it’s a fight”.

That was certainly on show in January’s 2-2 draw away at Anfield, with club legend Paul Scholes outlining that the midfielder is “really growing in confidence”, having looked at ease up against the soon-to-be champions.

The summer signing also enjoyed his subsequent return to Merseyside to face Everton, after volleying in a delightful equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park, thus marking a fine way to open his account for the club.

Of course, injuries have hampered his involvement at times, yet Ugarte’s impact can be shown by the fact that he is now valued at around €60m (£51m), according to Football Transfers, the same value as another man with Sporting connections, Fernandes.

Not that Amorim or INEOS will be looking to cash in on the midfielder any time soon, considering his suitability to the 3-4-3 system, but it does show that perhaps things are beginning to change for the better on the recruitment front.

Hopefully, having returned to fitness, the £120k-per-week star can play his part in steering United past Real Sociedad this evening…

Better than Mateta: INEOS make "monster" CF their dream Man Utd target

Man Utd appear to be in the market for a new striker this summer

ByRobbie Walls Mar 12, 2025

With 11 games to go this season, Manchester City face a real fight to get into next season’s Champions League.

Having beaten Tottenham last time out, Erling Braut Håland the only scorer in North London, Pep Guardiola’s team sit fourth, but six clubs, down to Aston Villa in tenth, are five points or fewer behind.

Next up, on Saturday lunchtime, the Sky Blues will face the side one place and one point above them, namely Nottingham Forest, and if the Citizens are going to collect three points at the City Ground, it might be time for Guardiola to unleash his relentless attacking star.

Jack Grealish's continued underwhelming form

Jack Grealish started last weekend’s FA Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle, but has not started a Premier League fixture since before Christmas, and his statistics underline why.

Sam Lee of the Athletic has described his performances this season as ‘underwhelming’, caveating that by adding his campaign has been ‘hampered by injuries’.

Nevertheless, it’s now 448 days, and counting, since the 29-year-old’s most recent Premier League goal, having scored twice so far this season, converting a penalty during the 8-0 demolition of Salford, also on target in defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, both in January.

In total, Grealish has scored just 16 goals in 151 appearances for the Sky Blues, an underwhelming return for someone who cost £100m, at the time a British transfer record.

Grealish has himself admitted this has been the “most difficult year of my life”, with Richard Jolly of the Independent believing he is ‘wasting his talent’, while Oliver Kay in the Athletic labels him ‘beyond disappointing’.

Chalkboard

So, instead of starting Grealish, Guardiola should include Man City’s more recent big-money arrival in attack on Saturday.

Manchester City's perfect Grealish replacement

Manchester City signed Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported fee of £63m in January, but the Egyptian striker has already, in only eight appearances for the club, started to prove his worth.

The 26-year-old scored the first-ever senior hat-trick of his career against Newcastle last month, after which strike partner Håland labelled him “something special” and “a fantastic player”.

Prior to his move to Manchester, Marmoush had been on fire for Frankfurt this season, scoring 20 goals in just 26 appearances, averaging a goal every 103 minutes, leading to analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as “relentless”.

So, let’s see how his numbers compare to Grealish.

Statistics

Jack Grealish

Omar Marmoush

Appearances

26

34

Minutes

1,319

2,630

Goals

2

23

Assists

5

14

Goals – xG

-0.8

+7.7

Shots on target per 90

1.92

4.31

Shots on target %

30.8%

44.8%

Take on success %

52%

42.9%

Shot-creating actions per 90

5.9

5.21

Touches per 90

64.56

41.73

Unsurprisingly, Marmoush comes out on top for most attacking metrics, albeit Grealish ranks higher for creative statistics per 90, namely take-on success percentage, touches per 90 and shot-creating actions per 90.

Nevertheless, the Egyptian is far superior in terms of shots, shot accuracy, assists and goals, with Marmoush massively overperforming his xG this season, racking up a figure of +7.7; for comparison, the player in the Premier League this season with the highest figure is Chris Wood on +7.4, who he’ll be facing on Saturday.

So, up against a Forest team who rank fourth in the Premier League this season for both goals conceded and xG allowed, as well as second for clean sheets, goals will not be easy to come by, hence why Guardiola must start his superstar new attacker.

Sold for just £750k: Man City could regret losing the next Morgan Rogers

Man City may have cashed in on another rising English star on the cheap

ByRobbie Walls Mar 6, 2025

England complete first win in New Zealand since 2008 after claiming five wickets in session

Andrew Miller19-Feb-2023England 325 for 9 dec (Brook 89, Duckett 84, Wagner 4-82) and 374 (Root 57, Brook 54, Foakes 51, Tickner 3-55) beat New Zealand 306 (Blundell 138, Conway 77, Robinson 4-54) and 126 (Mitchell 57*, Anderson 4-18, Broad 4-49) by 267 runsJames Anderson provided the fourth-day mop-up after Stuart Broad’s third-evening blitz, as England put the seal on a crushing 267-run victory in the first Test at Mount Maunganui. Though Daryl Mitchell saved some face for New Zealand with a fighting half-century, victory was sealed with 15 minutes remaining of the first session.Anderson’s surging burst of 4 for 18 in 7.3 overs dovetailed with Broad’s overnight 4 for 21, to provide a fitting denouement to a match of many milestones for the veteran seam pairing – 15 years and now 1009 wickets after their partnership was launched in this very country on England’s 2008 tour.Those first two matches together, at Wellington and Napier in 2008, also happened to be England’s last two victories in New Zealand. But after this latest display of poise and dominance, Ben Stokes’ men can head back to the Basin Reserve next week with their sights set on another series victory, having now won 10 of their 11 Tests since the start of his tenure last June, and claimed ten wickets in every one of their 21 fielding stints in that period.Despite Broad’s heroics on the third evening, Stokes opted to turn to the spin of Jack Leach for the day’s first over, and it took just three balls of his second for Leach to make the first dent in New Zealand’s remaining resistance. Faced with a hint of turn into the body from over the wicket, the left-handed Michael Bracewell flicked limply off his pads for Harry Brook to pocket the simplest of chances at short midwicket.Nine balls later, the match was as good as over, thanks to an Anderson double-whammy. First in his sights was the debutant Scott Kuggeleijn, a nuggetty presence in the first innings, but a deer in the headlights second time out, as Anderson pinned him on the knee-roll with an inch-perfect nipbacker to claim his 250th wicket in overseas Tests.One ball later, Tim Southee was gone as well – caught on the crease as Anderson dragged his length back, and opening the face on impact to offer catching practice to Joe Root at first slip. That dismissal will have provided Anderson with an additional measure of satisfaction, for it took his average in overseas Tests below 30, a further debunking of the long-disproved notion that he loses his impact when removed from English conditions.Mitchell, New Zealand’s form player from last summer’s tour of England, did his best to shore up his side, and the second of his two straight sixes off Leach at least guided them past the ignominy of a double-figure total – a fate that befell England in their last pink-ball Test in this country, at Auckland in 2017-18.By then, however, Anderson had claimed his third and New Zealand’s ninth wicket. Neil Wagner hung around with some determination for 22 balls, including a flamboyant slap for four, but when Anderson pitched it up shortly after he could only snick a high edge into the cordon, where Ben Foakes leapt to his left to grab. That wicket also meant that, after 178 Tests and for the first time since his debut series against Zimbabwe, 20 long years ago, Anderson’s overall average had dropped below 26.Broad duly returned with a five-for up for grabs, but neither Mitchell nor Blair Tickner, fresh from his tail-end heroics in the first innings, was ready to go down without a fight. Mitchell duly launched Broad through midwicket to reach his fifty from 94 balls, while at the other end, the debutant Tickner hung around for 8 from 29, adding another tenth-wicket stand of 35 to the 59 he had contributed with Tom Blundell in the first innings. Anderson, however, returned for another burst in the second hour, and fired a match-winning inswinger through his defences.

The PSL game between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators will take place on schedule in Karachi on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2023

Paramilitary soldiers stand guard outside the police headquarters in Karachi•Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The PSL is set to continue uninterrupted despite a major terror attack in Karachi on Friday. Both Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, who will face-off at Karachi’s National Stadium on Saturday, will field full-strength sides for the game, the PCB said.Terrorists from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched an attack on the Karachi Police office near one of the city’s main thoroughfares, Shara-e-Faisal, on Friday evening. The combat lasted over three hours. All three terrorists were killed, as well as four others. It was the first major attack in Karachi in a number of years, though it came close on the heels of an attack on a mosque in Peshawar, on January 30.Gladiators were practicing at the National Stadium at that time of the attack, and were delayed getting back to their hotel. But the PCB said it remained confident in the security it has provided the teams.”The HBL PSL 8 will continue as planned after it has been established and confirmed that Friday’s incident was an isolated one, which was unrelated to cricket,” PCB head Najam Sethi said in a statement. “We have been working very closely with all stakeholders, including the local and foreign security experts, who have provided assurances and comfort that the event can proceed as there was no threat to cricket.”The PCB takes the safety and security of all those involved in the HBL PSL 8 very seriously. To ensure no stone is left unturned, Presidential-level security has been provided to the teams and officials. These unprecedented arrangements are similar to what were in place for international matches that have been highly praised and appreciated by the visiting teams and officials.”The PCB remains committed to providing complete safety and security to all the participants and, as always, will continue to work very closely with the security experts and law enforcing agencies to ensure the players and officials are comfortable and being well looked after so that they can enjoy their stay in Pakistan and continue to entertain the fans and followers with their cricketing skills and talent.”Pakistan has hosted an increasing number of teams in recent years for full tours. Over the last year, Australia, England and New Zealand have had successful tours, travelling to the country after a gap of nearly 20 years. That has meant all Full Members other than India, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe have toured Pakistan over the last four years.The country has also hosted entire seasons of the PSL without incident, other than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the second half of the 2020-21 season was played in the UAE. The UAE was Pakistan cricket’s home for nearly a decade earlier, after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009 brought a halt to international cricket in the country.

Top-tier clubs can find themselves a bargain by identifying the best talent from England's second division

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

There's no denying the gap between the Premier League and the Championship is widening. You only need to look at the fact all three promoted teams have come straight back down again in each of the last two seasons to realise that.

Nevertheless, there's still a fine talent supply coming from the second tier and that shouldn't be ignored by those settled in the top-flight. Best of all, you don't need to do too much overthinking to pick out and find the best of the bunch.

Of course, Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland have taken most of the talent up with them after securing promotion, but there are still some gems waiting to be snapped up. GOAL have picked out seven players to keep an eye out for this transfer window:

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportGustavo Hamer (Sheffield Utd)

The last three seasons have been gloriously agonising for Gustavo Hamer. He was the star player of a Coventry City side featuring the much sought-after Viktor Gyokeres when they were beaten on penalties by Luton Town in the 2022-23 play-off final. Nevertheless, he earned a move to Sheffield United, who had secured automatic promotion, only for them to finish bottom of the 2023-24 Premier League by a considerable distance. The Blades accrued 90 points this term but could only finish third, and despite being heavy favourites to win the play-offs, they were agonisingly beaten in the final by Sunderland in second-half stoppage time.

For Hamer, the reigning Championship Player of the Year, he shouldn’t feel consigned to another season in the second tier. He’s proven again and again he has quality beyond this division, and should be able to find a Premier League buyer this summer. A midfielder with his sort of final-third production won't hang around in the second tier again, and he has already been heavily linked with Everton and Leeds.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportJack Rudoni (Coventry City)

Coventry were a different beast after Frank Lampard took over from club legend Mark Robins in November 2024, going from relegation candidates to the play-offs. The ex-Chelsea boss claimed that one of his remits was to get more out of a talented but underperforming squad, and he squeezed every last bit of juice out of Jack Rudoni.

An attacking midfielder who can play deeper much like Lampard in his former playing days, Rudoni came in clutch during the final few weeks of the Sky Blues' season, most notably scoring both goals in their 2-0 win against Middlesbrough on the final day to secure their place in the top six. That ensured he finished the year with nine goals and 12 assists in the Championship alone, while he was also on target during their play-off defeat to Sunderland.

"Rudi has been amazing," Lampard has said of the 23-year-old. "He's so engaging, he wants to train, he wants to ask questions. He's an absolute dream to work with, and I was delighted that he was the main man."

Given Coventry only signed Rudoni from Huddersfield Town last summer, they will probably want to keep him for at least one more season, but they'd be remiss to overlook an offer from any of the big boys.

Getty Images SportJosh Sargent (Norwich City)

United States star Josh Sargent wasn't quite ready to take the Premier League by storm when he touched down at Norwich City in 2021, with the Canaries sent straight back to the Championship. Since then, the American has spread his wings and grown into one of the second division's most reliable scorers, hitting double figures in each of the last three years and being voted into the Team of the Season, while also taking home the Canaries' in-club Player of the Year award too.

"I think when I first got here it was a difficult situation, you know I was playing out on the right wing and I'm never going to say no to playing that position in the Prem," Sargent said. "I think I was also young and not as developed as I am now. Still obviously have a long way to go but for sure I think I'm a different player now compared to when I first came here."

Amid speculation that Sargent could leave, Norwich have been urged to give him the captaincy and pull out all the stops to make him feel like it's worth his while remaining at Carrow Road. Good luck to them with that…

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Getty Images SportBorja Sainz (Norwich City)

Sargent was actually outscored by fellow Norwich attacker Borja Sainz across the season, with the Spaniard ousting him 18 goals to 16. Still only 24, the winger is expected to be the subject of transfer interest from above too. At least that's according to Sainz's barber, who has wished his client the best of luck in whatever he does next.

There have been question marks over Sainz's attitude after he received a six-match ban for spitting at an opponent in January, but his ability and output could be enough alone for suitors to look past that in negotiations with Norwich.

فجر رالف رانجنيك، مدرب منتخب النمسا، مفاجأة من العيار الثقيل، بكشفه عن رغبة بايرن ميونخ الجادة في استعادة مدافعه السابق ديفيد ألابا قبل نهاية عام 2023.

وكان ألابا قد رحل عن بايرن ميونخ في صيف 2021 بعد مسيرة حافلة بالمجان، لينتقل إلى ريال مدريد حيث توج بعدة ألقاب أبرزها دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا | إنزاجي: تفاجأت من لاعبي الهلال.. وهناك خسارة مؤثرة أمام ريال مدريد

وقال رانجنيك في تصريحات لقناة “ServusTV”: “أعلم من مصدر موثوق أن بايرن ميونخ كان يخطط بجدية للتعاقد معه قبل تعرضه للإصابة”.

وكان ألابا، لاعب ريال مدريد الحالي، على رادار إدارة النادي البافاري للعودة إلى ملعب أليانز أرينا، إلا أن إصابته في الركبة نهاية ديسمبر 2023 أفسدت الصفقة.

المدرب الألماني الذي يعرف ألابا جيدًا من عمله مع منتخب النمسا، أشار إلى أن اللاعب لا يزال ملتزمًا بعقده مع ريال مدريد، والممتد حتى يونيو 2026.

وفي نهاية أبريل الماضي، خضع المدافع البالغ من العمر 32 عامًا لجراحة جديدة في غضروف الركبة، مما أجل أي عودة محتملة إلى الملاعب.

ورغم سلسلة الإصابات، أبدى رانجنيك تفاؤله بمستقبل قائده قائلاً: “إذا كان هناك من يستطيع العودة، فهو ديفيد، لديه العقلية والطموح بدون أدنى شك”.

وأضاف بثقة في النهاية: “إذا صمدت ركبته، فأنا مقتنع بأنه قادر على اللعب مرة أخرى في أعلى المستويات”.

Krunal Pandya says he has put a lot of work into his bowling action in the last four to five months, trying to get taller at the crease and bowl with a higher arm.The Lucknow Super Giants allrounder, who primarily plays the white-ball formats for Baroda, last played competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in November 2022. And the work he put into his bowling during the break bore fruit on Friday, on a slowish Lucknow surface where he put in an excellent shift of 3 for 18 off his four overs, stifling the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters and restricting them to 121 for 8.”In the last four-five months, I took a break from cricket, where I was not playing. I just wanted to work on my skills, especially bowling,” Krunal said at the post-match presentation. “I was just playing the white-ball format and what happened in the last two-three years, I just went wider and wider [with my release]. So I just wanted to work on my action, wanted to get tall so that I can get that turn and get that arm ball going as well.”Krunal was introduced into the attack in the third over, and he immediately struck, drawing Mayank Agarwal into an uppish drive. His next two wickets may have given even more satisfaction. He first sent back Anmolpreet Singh with a trademark quicker one that skidded through and pinned the batter in front of the stumps.Related

• Super Giants look to build on momentum against Royal Challengers as Rahul returns home

• Tom Moody: Sunrisers' right-handedness a glaring issue

• Amit Mishra, 40 and looking it, brings Lucknow the warm and fuzzy

• Krunal's all-round display helps LSG brush Sunrisers aside

The very next ball, he lured Aiden Markram forward with one that was a touch slow in the air. The Sunrisers captain prodded half-forward but failed to reach the pitch of the ball that spun just a touch to beat his outstretched defences and cannon into the off stump.”Very good day at the office,” Krunal said. “Having more right-handers [to bowl at], I knew I will be bowling four overs today and I was prepared for it. Overall, this year I am in a good headspace, I have much more clarity about how I want to go about my game, whether it’s bat and ball.”Everything, I guess, once you have clarity up there, things automatically fall in place. I am someone who is very process-driven, doesn’t think that much about result, and it is coming out really well.”Krunal wasn’t done after his three-wicket haul. Coming out to bat at No.4, the left-hander scored a crucial 23-ball 34, adding 55 with his captain KL Rahul to help Lucknow Super Giants get closer to their target.It was the third time in three matches this season that Super Giants had slotted Krunal at No. 4. He was pleased to be batting in that position. In 72 innings with his previous franchise, Mumbai Indians, he had batted 27 times in the top five.”I am trying to recollect how I played my first four-five years of IPL where I was batting at No.4 consistently for Mumbai [Indians],” Krunal said. “In the last three years, for MI when I batted, my role was completely changed, I was batting at No.7.”So again, I am trying to find my rhythm and trying to find that consistency in how I would play at that number. Having clarity just helps you to go out there and execute your skills.”

Manchester United have now made a proposal of Rasmus Hojlund plus cash to sign “the best striker in the world”, and his club would be open to a deal of that nature, according to a journalist.

Hojlund struggling in the Premier League

Hojlund has regularly found himself on the scoresheet in the Europa League, netting five times in the league phase, but the majority of the Dane’s goals came against relatively weak opposition in Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen.

The 22-year-old has struggled against tougher teams in the Premier League, netting just two goals in 23 appearances this term and failing to find the back of the net since scoring in the 3-2 defeat against Nottingham Forest back in December.

Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has also been an unreliable source of goals, scoring six in 42 games in all competitions, so it is little wonder Man United are looking to bring in a new striker when summer comes around.

Related Man Utd could now move for "outstanding" £84m striker instead of Osimhen

The Red Devils have identified a potential alternative to the Nigerian.

Posts ByDominic Lund Mar 11, 2025

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has emerged as a target for the Red Devils, and journalist Luca Cerchione has now dropped an interesting update on their pursuit of the Nigerian, suggesting a proposal has already been made.

Cerchione said: “Keep an eye on the Rasmus Højlund trail, which was reported to me last week.

“United have proposed Højlund to Napoli as part of the deal that could bring Victor Osimhen to Manchester United. In order for Osimhen’s price tag to drop, they will also talk about Højlund, who Conte likes a lot. We’ll see, we’ll follow this lead. €40m, plus Højlund, would be a deal in favour of Napoli.”

Osimhen is known to have a £62m release clause in his Napoli contract, but United are seemingly keen on a deal of a different nature, which would allow them to get an underperforming striker off the books.

Osimhen could be "the best striker in the world"

It would be a shame to see Hojlund leave United so soon, considering he is still young at 22 and may go on to become a top striker, but Ruben Amorim’s side cannot pass up the opportunity to sign the Nigeria international, should Napoli be keen on a swap deal.

The 26-year-old was lauded as “the best striker in the world” by members of the media during his time with Napoli, and he has since gone on to impress on loan at Galatasaray this season, netting 23 goals in 29 games in all competitions.

There are also signs of interest on the player’s end, with previous reports suggesting the Galatasaray star is open to talks over a move to Old Trafford this summer, indicating a move could be a real possibility.

It is imperative Man United sign a striker this summer, given their current options’ struggles in front of goal this season, so it is exciting news they have now made a proposal for one of the world’s best.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved in with a transfer offer to one “skilful” player behind-the-scenes, following failed talks with his teammate, as chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange attempt an astute pre-summer move.

Tottenham prepare for Ipswich after back-to-back Premier League wins

Spurs are fresh off the back of two consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since September, which funnily enough also came against Brentford and Man United, as manager Ange Postecoglou seeks to resurrect their dwindling season.

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The Australian is now aiming for Spurs’ first hat-trick of consecutive wins this season, as he prepares the Tottenham squad for a tough trip to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town, who’ll be aiming to take advantage of Postecoglou’s weakened squad.

Spurs welcomed back Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson against United last Sunday, with left-back Destiny Udogie also fit enough for an appearance on the bench.

Ipswich Town (away)

February 22nd

Man City (home)

February 26th

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

However, at the time of writing, Postecoglou still remains without star striker Dominic Solanke, alongside centre-back trio Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero due to injury.

“It does make a massive difference,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s returning players from injury. “Getting guys like Vic and Madders contributing straight away, you can see the quality they have and the presence they have.

“As you said I can put guys on and for guys like Brennan and Wilson, Vic, Madders to a certain extent, it might take them one or two games to get up to speed, but the fact we have them available, yeah, it’s an enormous boost for us.

“It was an important game for us and an important week. We needed to put in a performance today to get us the result and I think we did that. That coupled with the fact that we’ve got some significant players back, and they got through the game.

“They got through unscathed and really contributed, it was important for us. It signals a little bit of an opportunity for us to push on from here.”

In the background, Levy, Lange and the Lilywhites recruitment team will be mindful of making sure they’re less likely to be plunged into a player-selection crisis next season.

Tottenham make offer to Lille midfielder Angel Gomes

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Lille midfielder Angel Gomes is a summer target for the club.

The England international is out of contract at the end of 2024/2025 and available as a free agent, piquing interest from north London. It is believed that Tottenham have already made a transfer offer to Gomes after holding talks, following failed negotiations with his teammate at Lille, Jonathan David.

Spurs are seriously pushing for the midfield technician, with a return to the Premier League described as possible, while David appears most likely to head to Barcelona despite some discussions with Postecoglou’s side.

However, that being said, Man United are still in the picture, and Gomes’ former club could well tempt him with a return to Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old has impressed over the last two seasons for Lille, earning a call-up to the Three Lions squad in that time, with former interim boss Lee Carsley describing Gomes as a “very skilful” player.