The 23-year-old midfielder could be on the move to Germany, as Leverkusen are reportedly ready to trigger his exit clause
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A Europa League club have held talks over a move to sign a Wolverhampton Wanderers player who Molineux chiefs are ready to sell, and it’s not Matheus Cunha.
Wolves could cash in on Cunha as numerous Premier League clubs circle
Despite signing a contract extension earlier this year, there has still been plenty of talk about Cunha leaving Wolves this summer.
The Brazilian penned new terms until 2029, however, importantly, the new contract to includes a release clause. Cunha, talking in recent weeks, admitted the “need to take the next step” and “fight for titles” in his career, hinting at a Molineux exit.
“I had a lot of offers but I wouldn’t feel well if I had done it (left Wolves). Some things you can’t control but I couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone. Now, we’re close to achieving our goal (of staying up). But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
There is plenty of interest in Cunha as well, with reports recently saying both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are ready to pay a huge £75m to sign the Wolves star over the coming months.
Both Villa and Forest could be able to offer Champions League football ahead of the new season, so Vitor Periera may soon lose his star striker.
£23m Wolves star is going to swiftly become more important than Cunha
Wolves could be set to lose Matheus Cunha this summer…
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However, another forward on the books at Molineux, Fabio Silva, could also be about to find a new club. Currently on loan in Spain at Las Palmas, recent reports have claimed that Wolves are ready to sell Silva for £25m.
That would be a loss for the Old Gold, and one club have made their move for the Portuguese attacker.
Wolves may sell Fabio Silva as Eintracht Frankfurt hold talks
According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Eintracht Frankfurt have held “initial talks” over a move for Wolves forward Silva.
Currently in the Europa League quarter finals, Frankfurt see Silva as a “very interesting option”, although there are more clubs keen on the 22-year-old.
Things haven’t gone to plan for Silva in England after signing for a then record €40m (£33.4m) from FC Porto in 2020.
He’s scored just five goals in 72 Old Gold appearances, whereas on loan at Las Palmas this season, Silva has already netted 10 times.
Therefore, it could make sense for Wolves to cash in on Silva, and who knows, with Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike linked with a move to the Premier League, the Wolves man could be seen as his replacement in Germany.
Somerset returned to the top of the South Group after knocking off their target with 45 balls to spare
ECB Reporters Network11-Jun-2024
Riley Meredith was playing his first match at Lord’s•Getty Images
Riley Meredith led the rout as Somerset bowled Middlesex out for 78 at Lord’s – their lowest ever score in the history of Vitality Blast cricket.The 27-year-old Tasmanian with six white-ball caps for his country took 4 for 12, while Craig Overton, Josh Davey and the competition’s leading wicket-taker Ben Green took two apiece in the nine-wicket romp.Middlesex only got within two runs of their previous worst score – 80 against Kent at Lord’s three years ago – thanks to as defiant 10th-wicket stand of 28 between Tom Helm and Noah Cornwell, who top scored with 15 apiece.Tom Banton, 49 not out and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 30 not out were both given lives as Somerset sealed a third win of the campaign. Middlesex remain bottom of the South Group.As well as Meredith and Overton bowled up top, Middlesex contributed to this debacle by batting with reckless abandon. Pinch-hitter Martin Andersson crashed two fours through the covers in the opening over after Middlesex were put in, but once he skied Meredith to mid-on in the next, the rot set in.Stephen Eskinazi fell to a cross-batted slog, before Meredith had Holden taken at mid-on to an even worse heave. Overton cranked up the pressure with a maiden to Ryan Higgins, during which the all-rounder failed to lay bat on ball and in the aftermath Joe Cracknell, back in the side for the sick Leus Du Plooy edged Meredith’s best ball of the match through to wicketkeeper Banton.Davies too had perished by the time the opening bowlers took their leave with the Lord’s tenants in tatters at 34 for 6.The competition’s leading wicket-taker Ben Green didn’t enter the fray until the score was 50 for 7 but made an instant impression taking the wickets of Luke Hollman and Blake Cullen with his first two balls.Cornwell saved the hat-trick before celebrating his call-up to the England U19s by clubbing Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory into the Grandstand but that was about the only cause for cheer for the beleaguered hosts.Will Smeed fell for only one caught on the fence off Helm and had Davies clung on to an inside edge from Kohler-Cadmore in the next over bowled by Cullen Middlesex might have made a fist of it, but the chance was grassed.Middlesex’s misery was compounded when Cornwell was forced from the field mid-over with a hand injury caused trying to take a return catch off one smashed back at him by Banton.Thereafter the Somerset duo settled down, both striking sixes into the Grandstand as the Cider-men romped home with 45 balls to spare.
Everton are “working” on a potential deal for an “outstanding” defender in the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Graeme Bailey.
Moyes eyeing new signings for Everton
The Toffees continue to be linked with possible new signings this summer, with Greece and Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis emerging as an exciting option to make David Moyes’ side more of an attacking force.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season, scoring a combined 21 goals in the Champions League and Primeira Liga, registering seven assists across those competitions.
Meanwhile, Everton have also been linked with a shock move for Liverpool winger Ben Doak at the end of the season, which would send shockwaves across Merseyside.
The Scot is on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough and there is no guarantee that he has a long-term future at Anfield, which could lead to Everton pouncing for one of their rivals’ most exciting young players.
Whether the Reds would allow him to join their arch-rivals is up for debate, though.
Everton want to sign "outstanding" left-back
Speaking to Everton News, Bailey said that Everton want to sign Sunderland left-back Dennis Cirkin at the end of the season, with other Black Cats players also mentioned:
“They are one of the teams who are looking at Dennis Cirkin, the left-back at Sunderland. We know Crystal Palace and Tottenham like him.
“Obviously, Everton are looking at Sunderland with Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg and Dan Neil. The Championship is a division which David Moyes knows very well.
“Cirkin is someone on their list, and they are doing work on the full-back position, I know that.”
Cirkin may be a Championship player, but he could be a great addition for Everton, having been such a consistent performer for Sunderland over an extended period.
Prior to this weekend’s action, the 23-year-old has scored three goals and bagged two assists in the league this season, highlighting the quality he can provide from left-back, which is five times the amount of goal contributions Vitalii Mykolenko had managed in the Premier League (zero goals and one assist).
Stat
Cirkin
Mykolenko
Appearances
34
29
Starts
29
29
Minutes played
2632
2544
Goals
3
0
Assists
2
1
Clearances per game
2.6
4
Tackles per game
2.5
1.8
Aerial duel wins per game
1.2
1.5
Cirkin is a player with plenty of admirers, including former striker Sam Parkin, who has described him as an “outstanding” footballer, saying:
“I think he has been one of the most outstanding players in the division this season. When you watch him live, he is a very good athlete. I think he gets up and down; it is eye-catching, the way he moves with the ball, but his decision-making on the ball and his ability on the ball have been top-class this season.”
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At 23, Cirkin still has lots to offer, and the lure of the Premier League could be great if Sunderland fail to earn promotion, so Everton should be looking at him as an excellent option.
In January, Manchester City made a handful of signings who could become the cornerstones of a team entering a new era under Pep Guardiola next season.
With only the FA Cup winnable this season, it has been one of transition for the Spaniard. He did sign a new deal last November, however, indicating that he is looking ahead to a new challenge starting this summer.
The likes of Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Abdukodir Khusanov have all proven over the previous few months that they have the required tools to perform for a club like City.
One player who will be departing the Etihad this summer is Kevin De Bruyne, who will end his ten-year association with City when his contract expires.
Guardiola has taken the club to new levels since he arrived in Manchester in 2016 after spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
It could also be argued that the main reason he led the team to such heights was having someone like De Bruyne in his squad to begin with.
The numbers behind De Bruyne's staggering Etihad career
Given what the Belgian has achieved with the club since moving to England from Wolfsburg ahead of the 2015/16 season, the playmaker might be one of the most important players in their history.
Think back to Paul Merson’s verdict on the midfielder in 2015, who said: “I like the signing of Fabian Delph, but I think Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne are pathetically overpriced. They have spent £54.5m on De Bruyne – and he’s a player they don’t really need.”
How wrong was he? At the time of writing, De Bruyne has played 415 matches for City, registering 284 goal contributions – 107 goals and 177 assists – in the process. This is a staggering number for the attacking midfielder, meaning he recorded a goal involvement once every 1.46 matches.
During that time, he helped City win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League in 2023. With City getting closer and closer to glory in the latter competition, De Bruyne took matters into his own hands that season, registering eight goal involvements, creating eight big chances and averaging 2.2 key passes per game as they eventually defeated Inter Milan in the final.
He may not have reached this sort of level over the previous two seasons, as injuries have begun to hamper his involvement. Indeed, the midfielder has missed 48 games since August 2023.
2023/24
26
6
18
2022/23
49
10
31
2021/22
45
19
15
2020/21
40
10
18
2019/20
48
16
22
2018/19
32
6
11
2017/18
52
12
21
2016/17
49
7
20
2015/16
41
16
13
Regardless, the 33-year-old is up there among the pantheon of City greats for his contribution over the previous decade.
The question now for Guardiola is, who comes in to replace him next season? And will the club have to pay a fortune for the privilege? Considering the recent news, they might just have found a perfect heir to the Belgian maestro.
Manchester City's perfect De Bruyne replacement
According to the Mirror, officials from Bayer Leverkusen made a visit to the Etihad last week in order to enquire about the availability of duo James McAtee and Stefan Ortega.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The German side are keen on landing both players during the summer transfer window. As a result, this may give Guardiola an advantage in their pursuit of Florian Wirtz with it being made known during those meetings that City would like to bring him to England.
He has been valued at around £100m by the club, who would prefer him to leave Germany if a deal was reached to sell him, rather than joining Bayern Munich, who are also keen.
City could use McAtee and Ortega as makeweights regarding any prospective deal and, given his success already on the continent, Wirtz could have the same sort of impact that De Bruyne made.
Wirtz has the same sort of qualities as another City legend – David Silva – and if he manages to make a quick impact upon a move to the Premier League, he has the potential to replicate Silva’s success with the club.
Why Florian Wirtz could be City's next David Silva
If De Bruyne took City to new levels during his career with the club, Silva was arguably the catalyst for their golden era.
The diminutive Spaniard may have taken a few months to properly settle into life in Manchester, but he ended his first season with 19 goal contributions as the club won the FA Cup.
From there on, Silva went from strength to strength. Not only did he have an eye for goal, scoring 77 times for the club, but the midfielder was at his best creating chances for others, as evidenced by his 130 assists in 436 matches for City.
Aided by his small centre of gravity, Silva used this to his advantage, getting into dangerous positions with ease. Wirtz could offer something similar to City should he make the move to England this summer.
Hailed as a “mastermind” by talent scout Jacek Kulig during Leverkusen’s stunning 2023/24 campaign, Wirtz has plenty of qualities that are similar to Silva.
Best in an attacking midfield role, just like the Spaniard, Wirtz has the capability to both score and create in equal measure.
Indeed, since making his Leverkusen debut back during the 2019/20 season, the German international has scored 56 goals and grabbed 63 assists in that time.
His club might not win any silverware this season, but the 21-year-old has still managed to create 15 assists in the Bundesliga, along with averaging 1.9 key passes and succeeding with 2.8 dribbles per game.
The transition from an incredible prospect to a genuine world-class talent is now complete. Like Silva before him, Wirtz can take the next step in his career by moving from the continent to England this summer. Just who knows what he might have achieved at this stage next term.
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da bet7： Leeds United want to sign an international forward in the summer who has been likened to former Newcastle United and Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to a new report.
Leeds latest transfer news
da fezbet： Despite a recent drop-off in form, Leeds United are still well in the race for a return to the Premier League, two seasons after they dropped out of the division.
With just eight games to play, Daniel Farke’s side lead the Championship table, ahead of second-placed Sheffield United only on goal difference and two points clear of Burnley in third.
Whether that’s in the Premier League or the Championship, the Whites seem to already be preparing for next season, with a number of transfer targets reportedly already on their radar.
Among those are Southampton striker Cameron Archer, who was a target for the club in January, while, according to reports from Africa Foot, the Yorkshire club are also keen on signing Almeria forward Ibrahima Kone in the summer.
The most talked-about of Leeds’ potential summer transfers, however, is the proposed return of Kalvin Phillips. A recent report from TEAMtalk revealed that Leeds already have a verbal agreement with Phillips, who is currently on loan at Ipswich Town from Manchester City, to return to Elland Road if Farke’s side secures promotion back to the Premier League.
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Phillips himself is also said to be keen on returning to his boyhood club and is pushing for a move, which he hopes will be able to help him revive his stalling career.
Leeds want new 23 y/o forward likened to Mitrovic
Another player reportedly on Leeds and the 49ers Enterprises radar ahead of the summer is Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat. The 23-year-old, who has been capped 10 times by Ukraine, has scored 16 goals in 34 appearances this term, helping put Kyiv in pole position to land the Ukrainian Premier League title.
According to TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, Leeds are one of a number of clubs, alongside West Ham United and Fulham, who are now keeping tabs ahead of a potential swoop in a few months’ time.
Vanat has been described by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig as a “complete forward” who boasts excellent “pace, finishing, shot power, movement, link-up play, ambidexterity”.
According to Football Transfers, Vanat has a similar style of play to former Fulham star Mitrovic, who now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Hilal.
Leeds know all too well about the Serbian striker’s talents, with him having netted five goals and produced three assists in nine games against the Whites during his career, including twice in a thrilling Premier League game in September 2020, which Leeds won 4-3, and by the looks of things, a move for Vanat could be one to watch.
أعلن اتحاد الكرة المصري، إجراء تعديل على طاقم تحكيم مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت والتي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري.
وتقام مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت على أرضية استاد هيئة قناة السويس، في الجولة الثالثة من بطولة الدوري المصري.
طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت اليوم في الدوري المصري
ويتواجد الزمالك في المركز السادس برصيد 4 نقاط، بينما يحتل مودرن سبورت المركز السابع برصيد نقطة واحدة بعد مرور جولتين.
وقررت لجنة الحكام بالاتحاد إجراء تغيير اضطراري على طاقم إدارة المباراة بين الزمالك ومودرن سبورت، بتعيين أحمد حسام طه مساعدا للحكم بدلاً من عمر فتحي الذي توفي والده مساء أمس.
وفي هذا الظرف تقدم الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم ولجنة الحكام بخالص العزاء للكابتن عمر فتحي سائلين المولى عز وجل أن يتغمد والده بواسع رحمته ويلهمه وأسرته الصبر الجميل وإنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون.
da pixbet： The one thing you can be guaranteed of when watching Tottenham Hotspur is goals.
da realbet： Ange Postecoglou has created one of the most entertaining sides in Europe, let alone in England, and while those goals include the ones they conceded, the North Londoners still score more than they let in.
In fact, while their defensive numbers are mediocre at best, the Lilywhites are the joint second-top scorers in the Premier League despite being down in 12th.
Moreover, the goals come from all over the team, although a former player, who’s been compared to the incredible Alexander Isak, is currently outscoring some of their biggest stars.
Tottenham's top scorers
Topping the list for Spurs is Brennan Johnson, who, despite enduring a slow start to the season and a recent injury problem, has managed to rack up a reasonable tally of 14 goals in 35 games.
That means the Welsh international puts the ball in the back of the net on average every 2.5 appearances.
Just behind the former Nottingham Forest ace is the North Londoners’ record signing, Dominic Solanke.
After going through his own slow start to the campaign, the £65m man has now scored 11 goals in 29 appearances, which comes out to one every 2.63 games, and with his return imminent, we expect that average to come down.
Coming in as the club’s joint-third top scorers so far are Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and James Maddison, who all have ten goals to their names, reaching that figure in 42, 36 and 34 games, respectively.
Spurs’ top scorers in 24/25
Player
Games
Goals
Goals per Game
Johnson
35
14
0.40
Solanke
29
11
0.37
Kulusevski
42
10
0.23
Son
36
10
0.27
Maddison
34
10
0.29
All Stats via Transfermarkt
While things haven’t gone their way this season, it’s impressive for five players to have reached double digits for goals when the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have just one, three and two, respectively.
With that said, we imagine Spurs would love to have one of their old forwards back in the team this term, a forward who’s outscoring everyone in the squad and has been compared to Isak.
Where Are They Now
The former Spurs star compared to Isak
So, when it comes to former Spurs players who could be outscoring the entire club this season and winning comparisons to players like Isak, it could only be one man: Harry Kane.
The comparison itself stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Swede is the second most similar forward to the Englishman.
The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, goals per shot, expected assists, key passes, shot-creating actions, shots blocked, interceptions and more, all per 90.
Kane & Isak
Statistics per 90
Kane
Isak
Non-Penalty G+As
0.99
1.00
Goals per Shot
0.16
0.26
Expected Assists
0.22
0.14
Key Passes
1.35
1.60
Shot-Creating Actions
3.33
3.42
Shots Blocked
0.10
0.09
Interceptions
0.10
0.09
Successful Take-On %
45.5%
45.9%
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
On top of being incredibly similar to arguably the most exciting striker in the Premier League, the former Lilywhites ace has been in sensational goalscoring form this season – as he always is.
In just 33 appearances, totalling 2575 minutes, the “world-class” centre-forward, as dubbed by Harry Maguire, has scored 29 goals and provided ten assists – more than anyone in Postecoglou’s squad.
That means he’s averaging a goal every 1.13 games or a goal involvement every 66.02 minutes.
Ultimately, Spurs had to sell Kane in the summer of 2023, but we can’t help but imagine how ridiculous his goal tally would be under a manager like Ange.
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Coach Gary Stead expects Southee to play New Zealand’s “first or second game” of the World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2023
Kane Williamson was continuing his rehab with the New Zealand team in England recently•Getty Images
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson plans “to have some involvement in the warm-up games” ahead of the World Cup, as he gradually makes his way back from a six-month lay-off.Williamson is returning to action after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the opening game of the IPL in March. He was continuing his rehab with the New Zealand team in England recently and said he was “progressing well”, though some amount of pain continues to linger.”It’s [about] working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can – personally and as a team – without sort of bothering too much,” Williamson said on Wednesday before the team’s departure for India. “There is a strong desire to basically be involved in those as much as I can; we’ve got two of them before our first competition game. And basically it’s just wanting to progress [with] what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, and also time in the middle with the bat.”The load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks, [I’m] hoping it continues to feel like that. But we’re definitely looking to touch on more stuff, [and] introducing myself into the game mode, which is something which we haven’t had the opportunity to do.”Related
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Williamson highlighted that he still felt certain difficulties as he races against time to be fit to play England in the World Cup opening game in Ahmedabad on October 5. But before that, New Zealand face Pakistan on September 29, and South Africa on October 2 in their two warm-up fixtures.”Not so much the sprinting; more the slowing actually,” Williamson said of the challenges in recovery. “From sprinting to braking, and a little bit of change of direction. But it’s all been part of the plan, introducing it towards the end of the recovery. Having said that, there’s still obviously time to go with the overall part of it, and keep trying to bank on good days because the rule’s pretty much helpful in terms of just moving forward with it.”The injury has also forced Williamson to consider his fielding position and he has all but ruled out fielding at slip.”We will definitely consider some of that,” he said. “Where I field is usually at mid-off, which will probably remain the case. Probably slightly better suited to it than square of the wicket. Potentially some slip, but I won’t be standing there if we don’t require one.”Tim Southee dislocated and fractured his thumb against England•Getty Images
Southee will be ‘ready around first or second game’ – SteadFast bowler Tim Southee, who dislocated and fractured his thumb during the fourth ODI against England nearly two weeks ago, is on track to play in the early stages of the World Cup.Southee had surgery on returning home and New Zealand head coach Gary Stead was content with his “quick recovery”. Stead said Southee will not leave for India with the rest of the squad on Wednesday, and will instead join the team on Saturday.”Tim’s seen a hand specialist yesterday, and the key thing for him is really making sure the wound heals. We’re still really hopeful that he’ll be available early on in the tournament for selection,” Stead said. “He’s had five pins put in his thumb… He’s comfortable, and he’ll be ready somewhere around that first or second game.”So, it’s all gone really well. He’s had a check in with the surgeon and a hand therapist. They think there might be a little bit of pain still, but he’s a tough and resilient character. So we are fortunate to have him with our squad still.”New Zealand have brought in fast bowler Kyle Jamieson as cover and since he hasn’t been officially added to the squad of 15, he will not be available to take part in any of the warm-up matches.”Tim hasn’t been ruled out of the tournament,” Stead said. “The rules state that you can only get 15 players in your squad, so we’ve kept Kyle there as cover right now. And that’s really just to make sure that if another bowler goes down right before the first game – or if Tim doesn’t heal as quickly. If there’s some sort of setback, then we have someone there as a ready replacement.”New Zealand have already had Michael Bracewell ruled out of the World Cup with an Achilles injury, while Mitchell Santner had jarred his knee while fielding during the second ODI against England on September 10. But scans revealed no serious damage, and he is expected to be fit for New Zealand’s World Cup opener.