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Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to pull off a magnificent comeback at Anfield, losing 2-1 after going 2-0 down in the first half, but showing fight in the second half, grabbing one back through Matheus Cunha in the 67th minute, and fighting until the very end for that elusive equaliser.

Vitor Pereira’s side held their own against Arne Slot’s league leaders, holding 50% possession, taking 16 shots in the game, creating one “big chance” and generating 1.33 xG.

Sadly, the quality of Liverpool just squeezed by, taking fewer shots, but scoring two goals, with the prolific finishing of Mohamed Salah proving to be the decider once more.

Despite failing to complete the comeback, the performance of Cunha was absolutely excellent, not only scoring a brilliant goal, but contributing to all phases of play, and really being the driving force of Wolves from back to front.

Matheus Cunha's performance vs Liverpool

The 25-year-old has made 26 appearances for Wolves so far this season, scoring 13 goals, providing four assists and totalling 2,077 minutes played.

The Brazilian has played all over the place for his side, playing left-wing, right-wing, as an attacking midfielder and even through the middle as a centre-forward.

Cunha, as well as scoring the goal, took six shots in the game, attempted seven dribble attempts, completed three of them, took 84 touches, made one key pass, completed five of his eight long balls and won eight out of 12 ground duels.

Cunha was the heartbeat of everything Wolves did, dropping deep to link play and getting stuck in off the ball with his duels.

Whilst Cunha put in a brilliant display, one man in particular for Wolves did not, putting in a 5/10 display according to Birmingham’s World’s Charlie Haffenden.

Goncalo Guedes's performance in numbers

Goncalo Guedes was substituted at half-time against Liverpool, having struggled to make his mark in the game up against Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in the first half.

The 28-year-old has struggled for form, especially in recent weeks, now going eight Premier League games without a goal contribution.

Stat

Guedes

Minutes

45

Touches

10

Shots

0

Accurate Passes

7/7

Key Passes

1

Aerial Duels Won

0/1

Offsides

1

In the first half, Guedes failed to impact the game, managing fewer touches than Jose Sa – who finished on 33 – not taking a single shot and losing his only duel in the game. Of course, up against Van Dijk and Konate, it’s not going to be easy, but Wolves needed someone to make things stick and give them a chance on the break.

The man who came on in Guedes’s place, new signing Marshall Munetsi, generated 0.54 xG for himself with just 11 touches, managed two shots (one of which was a “big chance”) and won three out of four ground duels and one of his two aerial duels.

Munetsi could be the answer for Wolves going forward, offering more of a focal point through the middle, winning duels and allowing others such as Cunha to play off of him, perhaps even meaning Guedes can play in a more familiar wide position from the bench.

Whatever the case, the former Valencia man should find himself out of the starting lineup next time around.

Wolves now at threat of losing "important" star alongside Cunha this summer

A concern for Pereira…

ByTom Cunningham Feb 14, 2025

There is no denying it: this season has been nothing short of a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur, at least on the pitch.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been dreadful in the Premier League, and following last week’s double cup exit, the only hope of silverware rests on their Europa League campaign.

With all that said, there have been some positives, such as the young players coming through and stamping their authority on the first team.

Moreover, despite the poor results, some of the first-team squad have seen their valuations grow, including someone signed by Nuno Espírito Santo during his short spell in the hot seat.

Nuno's Spurs signings

While he’s currently flying with Nottingham Forest, Nuno’s time in North London was far less successful.

In fact, with seven losses and one draw in his first 17 games, the Portuguese coach was sacked in November 2021, just four months after getting the job, and while he didn’t have much time to impact the club, he was responsible for some good and some not so good signings.

One who certainly falls into the latter camp was Emerson Royal, who moved from Barcelona in August 2021 for a fee of around £26m, which, according to a later report from the Telegraph, was a fee the Catalan club couldn’t believe the North Londoners were willing to pay.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take too long for fans to understand Barça’s shock, as while the Brazilian full-back wasn’t dreadful, he was not up to scratch, as demonstrated by the fact he was limited to just 1335 minutes of action in his final campaign with the club before being sold to AC Milan for just £13m.

Fortunately, Nuno did make a couple of good additions to the squad, with Cristian Romero being one of them.

The Argentine joined the Lilywhites on a season-long loan with an option to buy for around £46.7m in August 2021. While he endured a somewhat slow start to life in London thanks to injuries, isolation and the team’s overall poor form, he has since become one of the best players at the club.

In all, the World Cup winner has made 112 appearances for the North Londoners, in which he’s managed to rack up a fairly impressive haul – for a centre-back – of seven goals and one assist while also being named one of the club’s co-vice-captains in 2023.

The 26-year-old’s commanding presence has been sorely missed for much of this season, which further indicates his importance to the team, but he still isn’t the Nuno signing whose valuation has soared in recent years.

Market Movers

Expand Collapse The Nuno signing whose valuation has soared

Aside from the likes of Archie Gray, Djed Spence, Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall and maybe Dejan Kulusevski, it would be hard to say anyone in the Spurs first team has had a particularly good season this year, so it’s hard to imagine anyone’s valuation skyrocketing.

However, a lacklustre campaign does not suddenly mean a talented player has no future or upside.

In Pape Matar Sarr’s case, there is clearly a belief that as he progresses, he’ll become a genuinely superb midfielder.

The Senegalese international signed for Tottenham from Ligue 1 side FC Metz for around £15m in August 2021 and, according to the CIES Football Observatory, is now worth an astounding €70.7m, which converts to about £59m.

That means that 22-year-old dynamo is now worth around 293% more than the fee paid by the club just three and a half years ago, and while that might sound like too much to some of you, it’s probably not.

Sarr’s senior career

Team

Spurs

FC Metz

Senegal

Appearances

86

59

24

Goals

8

5

1

Assists

6

3

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.16

0.13

0.12

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, despite still being relatively young, the “unplayable” midfielder, as dubbed by Spurs fan and podcaster Lee McQueen, has already racked up 86 appearances for the Lilywhites, in which he’s scored eight goals and provided six assists from central and defensive midfield positions.

Moreover, he has also won 24 senior caps for Senegal, so has plenty of experience marshalling the midfield domestically and internationally.

Ultimately, Nuno may not have left much of an impact on Spurs with his management, but he did at least sign two quality players in Romero and Sarr, the latter of whom could be set for a bright future in North London.

Related He's outscoring Solanke: Spurs almost signed unreal PL Golden Boot winner

The free-scoring forward would have been incredible for Spurs.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 12, 2025

Naseem Shah expected to return for hosts; Tom Helm or Olly Stone likely to replace Mark Wood

Danyal Rasool24-Sep-2022

Big picture The shapeshifting nature of a seven-match T20I series makes it difficult to capture the big picture in words that age well, so the first rule of doing this is accepting that.England, after all, have a seemingly bottomless pit of explosive T20 cricketers, and as Harry Brook and Will Jacks – who debuted on Friday – showed in the series, they’re nowhere near scraping the bottom of that barrel. Pakistan, who will be playing their 200th T20I, have the most consistent opening pair in the world, and a middle order that has so far been unable to live up to its vast potential. We all know this. We knew it three games ago, and we know some combination of these events will continue to define the final four games of this series, because that’s what you get with Pakistan and England. We didn’t need three T20Is on the best batting pitch in the world to figure that out.Related

England's visit to cricket city

Wood focused on T20 World Cup readiness despite stellar display

Brook makes his mark with maiden international fifty

Babar and Rizwan raise the volume to drown out the noise

But that doesn’t mean there’s no value to be gained from this glut of games. Pakistan have seen the debates that are both furious in their intensity and tiresome in their repetitiveness around the top and middle order rage on, but that has shielded the bowlers from the scrutiny they deserve after two especially uninspiring performances. Shadab Khan’s return to fitness cannot come soon enough, with Usman Qadir having comprehensively failed to take the chances that have come his way. It might have been forgotten in the blur of boundaries that followed, but England hadn’t hit a six in the first half of the innings until Qadir landed a half-volley right in new batter Brook’s hitting arc and found himself dispatched over his head.The seamers, too, have repeatedly failed to find their lines and lengths at crucial points in overs, and evidence of match-up bowling has been scarce. The short-ball at pace was persisted with despite Brook’s prolific ability on the pull and behind the wicket, while rigidity with bowlers’ lines frequently allowed him to back away and open up cover, where deep protection often didn’t exist. The fielding hasn’t helped either, and in the ferocity of the culture war around batting intent, it escapes notice that the best way to limit the need for extreme risk-taking is by making sure you don’t need to chase down any more than necessary.England have problems, too, but of a much different kind. They have been the side happier to treat these games as experiments, tinkering around with both the batting and the bowling, even opting to set a total in one game, a modern T20 anathema. Alex Hales has shone on his England return, and Ben Duckett, Brook and Jacks have all enjoyed impressive starts to the series. Adil Rashid’s landed them with almost metronomic consistency, making him the most useful spinner from either side. And if you thought Luke Wood was a shot in England’s arm, what Mark Wood did on his return from injury on Friday – racking up a top speed in excess of 97 mph – becomes incomprehensible. All of this means there’s little England can complain about so far this tour.Form guide Pakistan: LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England: WLWLLMohammad Nawaz has conceded just 7.83 runs this series•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight When the opposition amasses huge scores for fun, don’t expect to get any credit as a bowler. Especially one who doesn’t pick up many wickets. And yet, Mohammad Nawaz, having conceded 94 in three games for just one wicket, is arguably Pakistan’s best T20 bowler. It is a selfless role of sorts he plays, operating as a left-arm spinner with only pace and line variations to rely on. He doesn’t possess the ability to turn it big, but it’s uncanny how often a slight slowing of an England innings tempo coincides with Nawaz’s introduction. He hasn’t been afraid to take on an over or two in the powerplay, either, and against an England side that’s scored 580 runs in just under 60 overs, Nawaz has found a way to concede just 7.83 in his dozen.In an England batting line-up so chock-full of natural power-hitters, Dawid Malan can stick out. He might have been the number one ranked T20I player fairly recently, but the big-hitting that comes so effortlessly to his team-mates is obviously not his forte in the same manner. Despite impressing as opener in the Hundred, it has been a tricky start to the series for him, his penchant for starting slowly offering Pakistan’s bowlers much-needed respite. The slow, low conditions haven’t helped – and, of course, won’t be a feature of surfaces in Australia at the upcoming T20 World Cup. But with his team-mates hitting sixes for fun, Malan might feel it’s about time he showed why he belongs in this glittering batting line-up.Pitch and conditionsEvening conditions have cooled down slightly in Karachi, though it remains fairly humid. A fresh pitch will be used for this game.Team newsNaseem Shah might return as Pakistan look to level the series, while the middle order could face a reshuffle as the hosts search for their best combination. Shadab will be expected to come in at some stage, and, if available, would slot straight in for Qadir.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt) 2 Mohammad Rizwan/Mohammad Haris (wk) 3 Haider Ali 4 Shan Masood 5 Iftikhar Ahmed 6 Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali 7 Mohammad Nawaz 8 Shadab Khan/Usman Qadir 9 Mohammad Hasnain 10 Naseem Shah 11 Haris RaufEngland didn’t train on Saturday and would be expected to make a couple of changes for the fourth T20I. Mark Wood will likely be rested after his explosive burst on Friday, with Tom Helm or Olly Stone the likeliest replacements. Hales may also return despite Jacks’ impressive debut. David Willey might come in if Sam Curran gets a rest.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Alex Hales/Will Jacks, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali (capt), 7 Sam Curran/David Willey, 8 Liam Dawson 9 Reece Topley, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Olly StoneStats and trivia Pakistan will be playing their 200th T20I on Sunday, the first team to this landmark. Babar is 97 away from 3,000 T20I career runs. Only four batters – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Martin Guptill and Paul Stirling have reached that mark. Malan hasn’t enjoyed playing against Pakistan. In nine T20Is, he averages 18.87 against them, down from a career average of 37.05, and strikes at 106.33, while his career strike rate is 137.61. Quotes”You tend to be a bit fresh after seven months out. It’s been a long time, and I felt very tired at the end. I know it’s only a T20, but it’s all the intensity of international cricket.”

Everything you need to know about Eder Militao's salary at Spanish giants Real Madrid

Eder Militao's time at Real Madrid has been topsy-turvy in recent times due to injury issues. The Brazilian centre-back sustained a devastating ACL injury to his left knee in 2023, sidelining him for the entire season. Not long after his return to the pitch, he suffered another ACL injury, this time to his other knee.

Despite his injury troubles, Militao has played a crucial role in Madrid's success in both Spain and Europe in recent years.

The Brazilian has been generously rewarded by the club for his loyalty and contributions, making him one of the top-earning defenders in the squad.

But exactly how much does Militao earn playing at the Bernabeu?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

*

• Eder Militao's wages at Real Madrid in numbers

  Under his current contract at the club, Militao earns £234,472 ($306,940) on a weekly basis.

  Meanwhile, his annual wages scale up to £12.2 million ($15.9m), making him the highest-paid defender at the club after David Alaba – on par with Antonio Rudiger.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Eder Militao	Brazilian	£234,472	$306,940	£12,192,559	$15,960,881

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Top earners at Real Madrid

  Despite his high wages, Militao misses out on a spot in the top five in the Real Madrid wage bill.

  Acquiring the top spot is French forward Kylian Mbappe, with David Alaba surprisingly following in second place.

  Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. take the third and fourth spots with identical wages, while Federico Valverde rounds off the list at fifth.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Kylian Mbappe	French	£502,556	$657,879	£26,132,886	$34,209,706
  David Alaba	Austrian	£361,840	$473,673	£18,815,678	$24,630,988
  Jude Bellingham	English	£334,983	$438,516	£17,419,136	$22,802,822
  Vinicius Jr.	Brazilian	£334,983	$438,516	£17,419,136	$22,802,822
  Fede Valverde	Uruguayan	£268,083	$350,939	£13,940,327	$18,248,826

• Top earners in La Liga

  When it comes to the top earners in LaLiga, we have Barcelona's veteran striker Robert Lewandowski as the highest-paid player.

  Mbappe makes his appearance at second position, once again followed by Alaba.

  Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid's only entrant in the list is goalkeeper Jan Oblak, followed by Bellingham who is on equal wages with Vinicius at number five.

  Nationality	Nationality	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual Wages USD
  Robert Lewandowski	Polish	£536,006	$701,667	£27,872,290	$36,486,704
  Kylian Mbappe	French	£502,556	$657,879	£26,132,886	$34,209,706
  David Alaba	Austrian	£361,840	$473,673	£18,815,678	$24,630,988
  Jan Oblak	Slovenian	£334,983	$438,516	£17,419,136	$22,802,822
  Jude Bellingham	English	£334,983	$438,516	£17,419,136	$22,802,822

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• AFP
  

  Highest paid players in the world

  Despite the impressive wages on offer in the league, none of the top LaLiga earners make it to the top-five earners list globally.

  Saudi Pro League players heavily dominate the list, with former Real Madrid forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema at first and second spot, respectively.

  Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez comes in at number three, followed by Senegalese internationals Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,216,155	$4,210,425	£167,250,468	$218,942,120
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,608,178	$2,105,213	£83,625,234	$109,471,060
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£839,469	$1,098,921	£45,652,372	$57,43,893
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£643,271	$842,085	£33,450,094	$43,788,424
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£558,038	$730,509	£29,017,956	$37,986,458

The visitors are likely to test their bench strength as they target a 3-0 win in the ODI series

Mohammad Isam15-Jul-2022Big pictureBangladesh may have won the ODI series with an unassailable 2-0 lead, but Tamim Iqbal’s men will be determined to end a tough tour of the Caribbean – they lost the Tests and the T20Is – with a clean sweep in the 50-over format. For West Indies, the third ODI is an opportunity to break a ten-match losing streak against Bangladesh in the 50-over format.The visitors were precise in their planning and execution in the first two games. Tamim won both tosses and put West Indies in, after which his bowlers piled on the pressure by bowling a large number of dot balls in the first 20 overs. It forced the West Indies batters into playing big shots in the middle overs, and Bangladesh caught most of their chances to restrict the hosts to low totals.While they had allowed a late flurry of runs in the first game, Bangladesh shut down West Indies for 108 in 35 overs in the second ODI. Bangladesh’s bowlers have been clinical in the series so far: Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nasum Ahmed led the attack with superb spells, while Shoriful Islam took a four-wicket haul in the first game. Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed have also supported the unit well, and so has Mosaddek Hossain who opened the bowling in the second game.The Bangladesh batting hasn’t been tested like it was in the Tests and T20Is. Tamim provided quick starts in both games, while Najmul Hossain Shanto also contributed with runs. They haven’t had to set a target yet in this series, and the challenge of batting first is one to watch out for.West Indies, on the other hand, struggled twice while batting first. Shai Hope, who has a particularly great record against Bangladesh, looked out of sorts, and that has hurt the hosts. Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks, Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran have also been unable to contribute, despite having made runs in the Tests and T20Is earlier on this tour.Captain Pooran has a fight on his hands. West Indies have lost 10 out of 14 ODIs this year, and they haven’t beaten Bangladesh in this format since December 2018.Form guideWest Indies LLLLL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Bangladesh WWWLWIn the spotlightShai Hope’s ODI average against Bangladesh dropped from 94.75 to less than 80 after his low scores in the first two ODIs. Hope was the backbone of the West Indies batting in the previous two series against Pakistan and the Netherlands, and the hosts will hope that he returns to form to help them avoid a 3-0 drubbing.Shai Hope is bowled•AFP/Getty ImagesOffspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been the leader of Bangladesh’s bowling attack in this series. Ranked No. 6 in the world with an average of 19.00, Mehidy is Bangladesh’s top ODI wicket-taker since 2020. He’s Tamim’s go-to bowler in tight situations, and he’s also a handy batter and a gun fielder.Team newsThere could be an opening for 25-year-old batter Keacy Carty, who played against Pakistan recently, in the West Indies middle order.West Indies (probable): 1 Kyle Mayers, 2 Shai Hope, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Brandon King, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Akeal Hosein, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh MotieTamim Iqbal said that Bangladesh would look to give the players on their bench some game time, so Taskin Ahmed, Anamul Haque and Ebadot Hossain are likely to get their chances.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Litton Das, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Afif Hossain, 6 Nurul Hasan (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Mosaddek Hossain, 9 Nasum Ahmed, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Ebadot HossainPitch and conditionsA pitch in Providence is expected to offer turn for the spinners once again, like in the first two ODIs, and there is the threat of rain as well.Stats and triviaBangladesh’s only nine-wicket wins in away ODIs have both come this year: the first was against South Africa in Centurion in March and the second was against West Indies in the second match of this series. Bangladesh have won their previous ten ODIs against West Indies, dating back to December 2018.West Indies played a total of 177 dot balls in the first 20 overs of the first two ODIs in this series.Quotes “The most important thing is to test our bench strength. We don’t do it often in the Bangladesh team. I think it is completely fine for me to miss a match. If we don’t test our bench strength now, then when will we do it?”
“We are very disappointed. We can’t make any excuses. We have to find a way to counteract these spinners. The boys are trying, but it is very important to find a way to go forward. We got one more game to play, we continue to learn.”

David Moyes spoke earnestly of his delight in returning to the Goodison Park helm, nearly 12 years after leaving to take the reins at Manchester United.

The 61-year-old had enjoyed an 11-year spell at Everton, reaching the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2005 and recording nine top-eight finishes in the Premier League.

Sean Dyche deserves credit for leading Everton through a tumultuous time, comfortably avoiding relegation last season despite the club being hit with an eight-point deduction for PSR breaches. But he took Everton as far as he could.

Moyes is back on a two-and-a-half-year deal and has been tasked with restoring integrity and focus, with dysfunction ruling supreme over the past however many interminable years.

It’s never quite been the same. For old – and, to be fair, new – time’s sake, let’s have a look a the lay of the land when he last led the Toffees out on the Premier League turf.

Moyes' best Everton XI from first spell

It’s been a long time since Moyes kept Everton solid and comparatively successful in the Premier League. Fans will be itching to see whether he can repeat the feat now that he has been anointed once more, but based on his previous squad-sculpting at the club, there’s just cause for optimism.

GK – Tim Howard

RB – Tony Hibbert

CB – Phil Jagielka

CB – Joleon Lescott

LB – Leighton Baines

CM – Marouane Fellaini

CM – Thomas Gravesen

RM – Mikel Arteta

AM – Tim Cahill

LM – Steven Pienaar

CF – Wayne Rooney

There are some iconic names in there. Tim Howard is one of the best goalkeepers in Everton’s modern history, and Leighton Baines is probably their finest left-back ever. Tony Hibbert just pips Seamus Coleman at right-back, though the Irishman is unquestionably one of Everton’s shrewdest signings at just £60k.

How could we exclude Marouane Fellaini? Tomas Soucek was something of a retelling over in east London, and Moyes will be keen on landing a monstrous new midfielder now that he’s back on Merseyside.

Wayne Rooney only scored 17 goals across 77 appearances for the Scotland tactician, but it was indeed Moyes who birthed one of England’s greatest-ever players onto the professional scene.

Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar and many, many more besides who failed to quite make the 11-man cut. There are so many fond memories with Moyes at the helm – and perhaps the best is yet to come.

However, there’s no hiding from the fact that Moyes has a gigantic task on his hands, and must strengthen with haste if he is to be successful in his endeavour.

Everton transfer news

You’d think that Everton will be focused on bolstering up top this winter, for Moyes is sure to recognise Everton’s deficiencies in the final third.

Ernest Nuamah could be the man for the job at right wing, a position of concern for the outfit. Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom have both fallen flat and with their loan moves up at the end of the season it’s unlikely their stay will be extended under Moyes’ wing.

Defensively, Goodison Park is solid. Moyes knows his stuff at the rearguard and should be able to maintain the defensive authority that has seen them concede just 25 goals in the Premier League this season – the fewest across any side outside the top seven.

Foot Africa have also confirmed since the new year that Everton are looking at signing Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra, with the progressive midfielder exactly what Moyes needs to charge his engine room.

Let’s piece this together and have a look-see at how the Toffees might line up under Moyes.

Everton's dream XI under Moyes

Jordan Pickford will keep his place between the sticks, hailed as he is as “monster” of a goalkeeper by content creator Josh Wright.

The defence shouldn’t receive any work this winter, though Nathan Patterson could find himself going from strength to strength with Moyes in the dugout. As you were for Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski.

Transfer target Diarra’s progressiveness should see him make waves in midfield, perhaps even assuming the role that Declan Rice played under Moyes at West Ham.

Diarra has completed 87% of his passes in Ligue 1 this term while averaging 0.8 key passes and 3.7 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore. It’s also been recorded by FBref that the Senegal star ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries per 90, certainly in the same vein as the box-crashing Rice, who ranks among the top 9% himself.

We’ve already had a look at Nuamah, whose pace and potency make him the perfect electric option to add some dynamism and fizz to an Everton attack crying out for inspiration in that regard.

Iliman Ndiaye will keep his place on the left flank, to be sure, while Dwight McNeil’s playmaking expertise will come in handy in the new system – Lucas Paqueta Regen, anyone?

Then, last but not least, there’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign. Will Everton target a striker this month? Who knows. The funding might not be there given that Nuamah is being pursued.

However, with Armando Broja and Beto endowed with more athleticism than the England international, who has gone 15 straight Premier League fixtures without a single goal contribution, Moyes might be tempted to show some ruthlessness and throw him in the bin.

Moyes’ dream Everton XI after January – GK – Pickford; RB – Patterson, CB – Tarkowski, CB – Branthwaite, LB – Mykolenko; CM – Diarra, CM – Garner; RM – Nuamah, CAM – McNeil, LM – Ndiaye; ST – Broja

Ditch Calvert-Lewin: Moyes could instantly sign his next Bowen at Everton

Everton need to strengthen up front in January as they battle against relegation.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 11, 2025

Liverpool have reportedly “gathered information” about an “interesting” player they could sign in January, according to a Sky Sports reporter.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds might be top of the Premier League and Champions League, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill circling about potential reinforcements manager Arne Slot could be looking to bring in after the New Year.

Among those being touted for a potential move to Anfield are Fulham’s American full-back Antonee Robinson, Sporting star Geovany Quenda and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro.

Prior to his provisional ban for doping, Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk was even linked with a shock move to Merseyside – though that is no doubt now out of the question.

Perhaps the most high-profile star to be linked with Liverpool, however, is RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.

According to a recent report from Sport Bild, the Reds are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Simons, who is on loan at the Bundesliga outfit from Paris Saint-Germain.

Bild claim that Leipzig are exploring the possibility of making Simon’s move permanent following an impressive season-and-a-half at the Red Bull Arena, but that the 21-year-old would prefer to move to a club that can guarantee him Champions League football next season. Leipzig are currently fourth in the Bundesliga after 15 games played.

Liverpool gather information on Randal Kolo Muani

Another player who could soon find himself stepping out in the famous Red shirt is Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani.

On Christmas Day, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg took to X, the platform previously known as Twitter, to reveal that Kolo Muani is “set to leave” PSG in January after a difficult start to the 2024/25 season in the French capital.

The 26-year-old striker, who joined the Ligue 1 giants in 2023 from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth £76.4 million, is out of favour with PSG boss Luis Enrique, who has handed him just two league starts all term.

Plettenberg said that there is a “strong chance” Kolo Muani will move to the Premier League after the New Year, with “concrete talks with potential teams about a loan deal” ongoing.

The Sky reporter added that Liverpool and by extension, Michael Edwards have “gathered information, but nothing further has happened yet,” and that Manchester United, Tottenham, and Leipzig are also interested.

Despite his recent struggles at PSG, Kolo Muani still remains a regular for the France national team.

To date, he’s made 27 appearances for Les Bleus, scoring eight goals. Speaking about Kolo Muani earlier this year, France boss Didier Deschamps said: “He’s interesting, he’s radiant, He is confident and has a very specific profile where in his runs with the ball there is presence. He is a good header and with us he is very often successful.”

Southampton are rock bottom of the Premier League currently and look to be sinking straight back to the Championship in a sorry fashion.

Indeed, the depressed Saints find themselves on just five points at the very foot of the difficult division with only one win next to their name and an alarming 12 defeats tallied up.

Looking back, Russell Martin must wonder if the transfer window in the summer could have been approached differently, with various new faces at St. Mary’s failing to settle.

Southampton's 2024 summer transfer window

Not every purchase can be written off as an outright failure, with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Taylor Harwood-Bellis standing out in defence for their side, even in spite of their lowly position in the league standings.

Ramsdale has been calm and collected when playing out from the back while Harwood-Bellis’ form has been rewarded with an England debut, a match he just so happened to score in too.

Moreover, the relegation-threatened Saints bringing in the likes of foreign imports Mateus Fernandes and Yukinari Sugawara as transfer gambles have worked somewhat too, with the promising Portuguese midfielder in particular standing out, who is now up to 14 first-team appearances in the Premier League.

Of course, other risks such as bringing in Ben Brereton-Diaz haven’t paid off at all, as the ex-Blackburn Rovers star continues to misfire up top in his new kit with zero goals registered from ten top-flight appearances.

There have also been buys that have underwhelmed to date, with Flynn Downes falling into his category after penning a permanent Saints deal in the summer.

The former West Ham United face was key in the centre of the park for Martin’s men during their unbelievable promotion journey – having been a silky operator with a stunning 93% pass accuracy averaged per Championship clash – but he hasn’t been as noticeably bright for his South Coast side as they battle against the drop.

It likely hasn’t helped the 25-year-old’s situation that he has lacked a consistent partner centrally, with Southampton now left to just curse the fact one ex-Saints star isn’t around to line up next to Downes to give the basement club a sterner figure in the middle.

Former Southampton star perfect for Downes

Southampton supporters would have been rightfully aggrieved when Oriel Romeu walked away from St. Mary’s in the summer of 2022, having been a loyal servant to the Saints for seven whole years after signing for £5m.

In that time, Romeu would notch up a mightily impressive 256 appearances in total, with eight goals and six assists coming his way, alongside praise from ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel in 2017 that boldly compared his game as a holding midfielder to that of Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

Alongside always putting in above-average performances – much like the Frenchman was renowned for at Stamford Bridge – Romeu was also capable of firing home a stunning strike from nothing like the one below against West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton would grow to rely on their “fantastic” number 6, as he was once labelled by Ralph Hassenhuttl when he was manager on the South Coast, to deliver top displays week in week out, with his exit two years ago then understandably hurting.

Romeu during his final Saints season

Stat (* = per game)

Romeu

Games played

36

Goals scored

2

Assists

2

Big chances created

4

Touches*

58.6

Accurate passes*

38.1 (82%)

Total duels won*

5.5

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the above table from his swansong season in England, it’s evident that Romeu would complement the likes of Downes well if he was still on the books, with the Spaniard equally as calm and composed on the ball as the ex-West Ham man whilst also offering more grit and bite with 5.5 duels won on average.

He hasn’t relented since leaving Southampton either, with Romeu going on to be a hit in his native country for Girona with 11 first-team appearances under his belt this season in La Liga, after also donning a Barcelona strip briefly.

Whilst Romeu gets to enjoy the glitz and glamour of the Champions League with his current employers, Downes will be hoping he can guide his team to safety somehow, with that task looking more and more tricky as defeats begin to stack up.

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Tottenham have now tabled an offer to sign a young star who has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi as they look to hand Ange Postecoglou more firepower in 2025, it has been reported.

Tottenham looking for attacking midfielders

Dejan Kulusevski has emerged as a key man for Postecoglou in the early stages of the new Premier League season, but James Maddison has blown hot and cold in north London, while there is a lack of alternatives for Postecoglou to turn to.

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Ange Postecoglou is keen to bolster his attacking options.

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The Australian coach has experimented with his midfield, using Pape Sarr as a box-to-box option, but is yet to settle on a true first choice trio.

The club have been linked with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White in recent windows, but they have managed to land neither and still look a creative midfielder light for Postecoglou’s attacking style of football, part of the reason that they have been unable to sustain any sort of form in the first quarter of the campaign.

Now, they could be set to try and change that by snapping up a young talent turning heads in the top flight.

Tottenham target teenage talent

That comes as a fresh report from Spain claims that Tottenham have tabled a £20m+ offer to sign impressive teenage talent Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton in 2025. The Argentine broke through at CA Rosario Central under the management of former Man City striker Carlos Tevez, and he revealed that the teenager reminded him of his one-time teammate Messi.

“I watch football and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone play who gives me as much pleasure as Buonanotte. When he brakes and accelerates, he reminds me of [Lionel] Messi. He is at a very high level.”

Bought by Brighton, he was sent on loan to Leicester City for the 2024-25 campaign and has already played a starring role for his new side, grabbing four goals and two assists in the first stage of the Premier League season.

Appearances

11

Goals

4

Assists

2

Minutes per goal/assist

133

% of club goals involved in

37.5%

His form has seen him dubbed a “magician” by Rising Stars XI on X, who claimed that the Argentine is “impressing everyone” by shining in a struggling Foxes side.

Still just 19-years-old, his form has turned heads and the report reveals that Tottenham have already made a big step towards trying to secure his signature. The Lilywhites have reportedly “put an offer of 25 million euros [£20.7m] on the table” plus potential add ons, though this is below Brighton’s asking price of 30m euros (£24m).

Any move would not take place until the summer given Buonanotte’s current loan spell in the Midlands, by which time his value could have soared yet further should he manage to reach double figures in either goals or assists for the Foxes, a possibility that doesn’t appear unreasonable given his current form.

As a result, Tottenham may want to get an agreement set sooner rather than later, while Brighton could find themselves better off holding out until the summer.

تمكن فريق بيراميدز من تحقيق فوز كبير على منافسه الجيش الملكي، بنتيجة 4-1، في المباراة التي انتهت منذ قليل ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الجيش الملكي حل ضيفاً على بيراميدز في استاد الدفاع الجوي، في ذهاب دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتقدم فيستون مايلي بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة الثانية من عمر الشوط الأول، بعد تلقيه عرضية من مصطفى فتحي داخل منطقة الجزاء.

طالع أيضاً.. وائل جمعة ينتقد أداء الأهلي في الشوط الأول أمام الهلال السوداني.. ويصرح: مهاجم الفريق بعيد عن رتم المباريات

وأحرز فيستون مايلي الهدف الثاني لبيراميدز في الدقيقة 12 بعد تمريرة من إبراهيم عادل قابلها مايلي بتسديدة داخل الشباك.

وأحرز إبراهيم عادل الهدف الثالث لفريق بيراميدز أمام الجيش الملكي، مستغلًا تمريرة رمضان صبحي ومعززًا تقدم فريقه بثلاثية نظيفة، في الدقيقة 38 من عمر الشوط الأول.

وسجل هدف فريق الجيش الملكي الأول، اللاعب عبد الفتاح حدراف بالدقيقة 45 لتصبح النتيجة 3-1 لصالح أصحاب الأرض.

وعاد بيراميدز للتسجيل من جديد وأضاف إبراهيم عادل الهدف الرابع في الدقيقة 68، بعد تمريرة من بلاتي توريه إلى إبراهيم عادل الذي راوغ وتوغل ووضع الكرة داخل الشباك.

ويتأهل الفائز من بيراميدز والجيش الملكي، لمواجهة المتأهل من لقاء أورلاندو بايرتس ضد مولودية الجزائر (بمجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب)، في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا. أهداف مباراة بيراميدز والجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا