Category Uncategorized

No. 7 continues lower-order fightback before India lose Vaibhav Suryavanshi cheaply at start of reply

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Jul-2025

India Under-19 51 for 1 trail England Under-19 309 (Ekansh 117, Pushpak 4-76) by 258 runsEkansh Singh completed a superb hundred on a second day of England’s Youth Test against India that was severely truncated by rain.Only 28-and-a-half overs were possible between the cloudbursts but that was long enough for Kent right-hander Singh to compile 117 sprinkled with three sixes and 14 fours. Singh was last out, as England’s youngsters totalled 309, having shared an eighth-wicket stand of exactly 100 with James Minto who made 46.Naman Pushpak finished with 4 for 76 for India who lost teenage starlet Vaibhav Suryavanshi for 20 in reaching 51 for 1 before a thunderstorm ended play shortly after 5pmOvernight and morning rain delayed the start until 12.30pm and the showers returned 22 minutes later to drive the players off again. The intervening period was long enough for Ekansh to treat the smattering of spectators to four boundaries, including two sumptuous cover drives.It was 2.15pm before the game resumed but Ekansh had lost none of his rhythm, twice driving the ball back past the stumps for four as he continued to deal exclusively in boundaries on the day until he moved into the 90s. His battle with strike bowler Aditya Rawat was an engaging one, the seamer producing two excellent yorkers both superbly dug out by the batter. There would be no nervous 90s, Ekansh raising his 100 in the grand manner with a huge six over long-on.Minto provided great support, an uppercut over the slips for six resulting in a lost ball, necessitating the third change of the cherry in the short afternoon session.The 100-stand was raised before Minto chipped one straight back to Pushpak after which the end came swiftly. Alex Green became Pushpak’s fourth victim, before Singh holed out on the long-on boundary.India’s reply began in explosive fashion with Suryavanshi and his skipper Ayush Mhatre playing almost a shot a ball. The latter top-edged one over the slips before being given a life by Ralphie Albert when he spilt him at cover, Alex French the unlucky bowler.Suryavanshi meanwhile took a heavy toll of Green, nonchalantly driving him over mid-off for six before slashing one backward of square for another maximum. However, youthful impetuosity got the better of him when he pulled Green’s next delivery down the throat of fine leg – something of a waste, especially given three balls later the rain returned, forcing an early tea.Only 15 minutes more play was possible – just long enough for India to raise their 50.

Celtic centre-forward Kelechi Iheanacho has had a mixed start to life at Parkhead after his move to the club on a free transfer the day after deadline day.

The Nigeria international was signed around 24 hours after Sevilla decided to terminate his contract before the end of the summer transfer window, after the Hoops failed to bring in a striker before the deadline.

Iheanacho has delivered three goals and one assist in six matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants since his move to Glasgow, which is a respectable return on paper.

However, two of his goals have come from the penalty spot and the former Manchester City marksman has missed four ‘big chances’ from open play, per Sofascore.

Brendan Rodgers may be hoping that there is more to come from the left-footed attacker from open play in the weeks and months to come, to avoid having to dip into the market in January to sign another first-choice striker.

The Hoops did sell their first-choice centre-forward in the January transfer window at the start of this year, Kyogo Furuhashi, but opted not to replace him.

Why Celtic did not replace Kyogo Furuhashi

Celtic decided to cash in on the Japan international midway through the 2024/25 campaign after Rennes came to the table with an offer of £10m to sign the attacker.

The Scottish Premiership giants sold him to the French side for £10m, despite him being the first-choice striker at the club, and ended the window without bringing a direct replacement through the door.

Celtic were reportedly in talks with Brondby over a deal to sign Danish centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden before the end of the window, but they were unable to get a move over the line. He then signed for Norwich City for £6.9m this summer.

Losing Kyogo was a blow on paper, because he scored 85 goals in 165 matches for the club (Transfermarkt), but his declining form suggests that they got a good deal for him.

Appearances

36

60

xG

20.55

32.73

Shots

88

164

Shots on target

42

69

Goals

27

24

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese forward was incredibly wasteful in front of goal in his last 18 months at the club, underperforming his xG by almost nine goals.

This is why his exit was not as big a blow as it would have been after the 2022/23 campaign, which may also be why the club felt that they did not have to directly replace him.

Celtic star is ready to leave the club

Moving forward to the present day, one of the players who was tasked with replacing Kyogo’s goals in-house is now looking to leave the club in the upcoming January transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, versatile Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda wants to move on from the Scottish giants ahead of the second half of the season.

Speaking to 67HailHail, the reporter said: “Maeda is ready to leave and I am told a move to England is very much on his radar, and he does have interest.

“Whether Celtic will let him out in January remains to be seen, but he will only have a year left come the summer and at that point he will go.”

This comes after Maeda revealed that a move away from Parkhead was blocked by the club during the summer window, which led Rodgers to claim that it has been a “difficult” situation for the forward to manage since the window closed.

Why losing Maeda would be a bigger blow than Kyogo's exit

It would be a bigger blow for Celtic to sell the Japan international in the upcoming January transfer window than it was to sell Kyogo to Rennes at the start of this year, for several reasons.

Firstly, the Hoops do not have the attacking options across their frontline that they did to soften the blow of losing Kyogo. They signed Jota from Rennes, Adam Idah scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, and they had Maeda.

Now, Jota is currently out with an ACL injury, Idah was sold to Swansea on deadline day, Sebastian Tounekti, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, James Forrest, and Hyun-jun Yang are all yet to score a league goal, and Iheanacho has scored one goal from open play.

Benjamin Nygren

4

Daizen Maeda

2

Kelechi Iheanacho

2

Johnny Kenny

1

Luke McCowan

1

Reo Hatate

1

This means that Rodgers may not have the confidence that he had when Kyogo left that the players he already has at his disposal can cover the goals that the team would lose if Maeda moved on.

Another reason why the winger’s exit from Parkhead would be a bigger blow than Kyogo’s move to Rennes is that his recent form for Celtic has been more impressive than the striker’s was at the end of his time in Glasgow.

Maeda won the Scottish Premiership Player of the Year award for the 2024/25 campaign just five months ago, after scoring 33 goals in all competitions last season, per Transfermarkt.

Kyogo did not make it into the Team of the Year, let alone the Player of the Year conversation, in the 2024/25 or 2023/24 campaigns, which shows that he left Celtic 18 months after his ‘prime’.

Maeda, who was lauded as “phenomenal” by former Rangers boss Barry Ferguson, is only a few months away from being crowned the best player in Scotland and is the team’s second-top scorer in the Premiership at the moment, having scored the winner against Motherwell last weekend.

This is why losing him in January would be an even bigger blow than losing Kyogo was, because he is more important to the team, because of his performances and because of the supporting cast, than his international teammate was at the start of the year.

As bad as Ralston: Celtic flop is in danger of becoming the next Forrest

One of Celtic’s players is in danger of becoming the next James Forrest at Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Oct 8, 2025

If Maeda does get his wish and moves on from Parkhead in January, Celtic and Rodgers may not be able to afford not to replace him with a new signing.

As rumours continue to surround Ruben Amorim’s future, Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to sign a much-needed midfield reinforcement in 2026.

Ruben Amorim sack update

Despite some reports suggesting that he has just three games to save his Man United job, Amorim reiterated that a meeting with club chiefs was nothing more than routine earlier this week.

Reports claimed that INEOS had already lined up the likes of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva as potential candidates to replace their struggling manager, but Amorim has since shut down any rumours that he could be on his way out of the club.

The former Sporting Club boss also reiterated that now is not the time to change his 3-4-2-1 system, telling reporters: “No, no, no. Not once [have I thought about changing]. Not even the Pope [can make me], it will not change.”

It’s a decision that continues to split opinion. Amorim’s win-rate suggests that things wouldn’t get worse with a change in system, but he looks unlikely to change things up in the face of yet more disappointing form.

Before the manager changes once again at Old Trafford, INEOS may decide to change the players. Ahead of 2026, Old Trafford chiefs have reportedly set their sights on beating Arsenal to a talented midfield target, who would be an instant upgrade on their current options.

Man Utd racing Arsenal to sign Agoume

As reported by Caught Offside, Man United are now racing Arsenal to sign Lucien Agoume from Sevilla in the January transfer window. The Gunners already made an approach to sign the talented Frenchman in the summer, but their failed move has now potentially left the door ajar for the Red Devils to move in.

Praised for his “amazing” profile by analyst Ben Mattinson, Agoume is the type of player that United should do everything to sign when the chance arrives.

The midfielder is still just 23 years old and about to enter the peak of his powers. If Amorim is looking to replace an ageing Casemiro, then he should look no further than the Sevilla star.

Man Utd keen to sign £70m Champions League star with same agent as Mainoo

He’s a man in-demand…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 20, 2025

Jumping ahead of Arsenal in the race for the midfielder won’t be easy, but United already proved their attraction by landing Benjamin Sesko in the summer.

It was the Ballon d’Or ceremony last night, but it was an underwhelming show from an Arsenal perspective – at least the men’s team.

Unlike last year, when four players from the club made it into the final 30, there was only one representative for the Gunners on the list last night: Declan Rice.

However, with the team’s development and the club’s long-term ambitions, there may well be more stars who make that list in the coming seasons.

Moreover, there is even a certain talent within the squad who could end up being Arsenal’s first winner of the award, and no, we aren’t talking about the incredible Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal stars at the Ballon d'Or

So to find the first Arsenal player to feature on a final Ballon d’Or list, we have to go back to 1979, when Liam Brady was nominated and finished seventh after helping the club win the FA Cup and becoming the first foreign player to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.

Things really began to pick up in the 1990s, with David Seaman, Marc Overmars, and Kanu all picking up won nomination each, while Dennis Bergkamp finished fourth in 1997 and eighth the following year.

Moving into the 2000s, we get to the man most would consider to be the Gunners’ greatest ever player: Thierry Henry.

Unsurprisingly, then, the Frenchman was a regular feature on Ballon d’Or lists during his pomp.

In fact, the multiple Premier League winner would feature on every list from 2000 to 2007 and came closest to winning the whole thing in 2003 when he finished second to Pavel Nedved.

Moreover, while the Juventus star was a brilliant player, many still believe it should have been the Les Ulis-born superstar who won the award that year.

It would be Cesc Fàbregas who’d be the club’s best representative in the competition when Henry left, earning five nominations between 2007 and 2011 before leaving for Barcelona himself.

Since 2012, only ten players have been nominated for the Gunners in the final, with four of those coming last year and two the year before.

In other words, Arsenal are finally starting to see their players recognised by the rest of the world again, and we have a feeling they may also have a future winner in their midst, and no, we are not talking about Saka.

Arsenal's future Ballon d'Or winner

So, it should be said that, given his performances over the last few years and the fact he still put up 26 goal involvements in an injury-riddled campaign last season, there is every chance Saka could find himself holding the Ballon d’Or one day.

Chalkboard

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

Expand Collapse

However, in this instance, the potential future winner we’re thinking of is none other than Max Dowman.

Yes, while it’s still absurdly early in the teenager’s career to be talking about such things, it remains true that it feels as if the sky is the limit for what he could achieve in the game.

After all, it’s hard to think of a 15-year-old ever being as highly rated as he is in the Premier League, and on top of that, he’s been compared to Lamine Yamal, who many predict to win at least one Ballon d’Or in his career.

For example, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig has made the bold claim that he is the “most exciting prospect” he has seen “since Lamine Yamal.”

It’s not hard to see why Kulig would say such a thing when you take a look at the Hale Ender’s numbers from last season.

In just 23 appearances across a number of youth teams, totalling 1945 minutes, he scored 19 times and provided five assists for good measure.

Dowman in 24/25

Appearances

23

Minutes

1945′

Goals

19

Assists

5

Goal Involvements per Match

1.04

Minutes per Goal Involvement

81.04′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In other words, the “ridiculous” phenomenon, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, averaged 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Moreover, he has already made several appearances for the first team, including two competitive ones, in which he earned an assist for winning a penalty when Leeds United couldn’t stop him without fouling him.

Finally, Arteta and Co. decided to include him in the Champions League squad this year, so if he makes an appearance before the turn of the year, he’ll be the youngest player to ever grace the competition – not even Yamal had that record.

Ultimately, while it is really too early to be talking about things like this, it genuinely feels like Arsenal have a world-class superstar in the making in Dowman, and therefore someone who could one day win the Ballon d’Or.

Related Sold for £1m: Arsenal thought they had Foden 2.0 in Hale End's "best ever"

The young talent was supposed to be Arsenal’s next superstar.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 23, 2025

Despite defeat at Anfield before the international break, Arsenal return to action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime to much excitement.

However, Mikel Arteta will be without key figures William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, the latter facing a race against time to be available for next Sunday’s huge clash with Manchester City in North London.

In the past, injuries have derailed the Gunners’ title hopes and dreams, because they’ve simply not had the squad depth to cope with key absences.

Now though, after spending over £250m in the summer transfer market, that has changed, so Arteta must unleash a few of his summer signings, one who some are forecasting could become even better than Saka.

Eberechi Eze's home debut

Ahead of Arsenal’s first home game of the season, a 5-0 demolition of Leeds United, Eberechi Eze was presented to the Emirates crowd.

It was a genuinely spine-tingling moment, with Eze himself taken aback by the welcome home he received, 14 years after being released as a child, thinking his dream was dead.

Now though, after he was given a mere brief cameo at Anfield, Eze is ready to take centre stage, with those attending Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest doing so in anticipation of witnessing a home debut to remember.

As noted by Match of the Day, Arsenal have the second-lowest expected goals from open-play in the Premier League this season, their figure of 1.57 above only that of newly-promoted Sunderland, continuing a problem that has hampered Arteta’s team for a while.

This underlines why Eze has been signed, adding that much-needed creativity, but he may not be the only summer signing Arsenal will be hoping can shine this weekend and beyond.

More than just Arsenal's Bukayo Saka back-up

When Noni Madueke was recruited from Chelsea for £52m in the summer, plenty of eyebrows were raised, but the early signs are that this could be a shrewd piece of business.

In defeat to Liverpool, the 23-year-old was the Gunners’ most dangerous attacker throughout, always giving Miloš Kerkez something to think about, even if the end product was lacking.

Nevertheless, based on what he has produced so far, speaking on the Arscast, Philippe Auclair believes Madueke is simply far too good to merely be considered a Saka back-up, and his statistics last season support this argument.

Shots

80

14th

Shots per 90

3.54

4th

Big chances missed

14

18th

Progressive carries

154

3rd

Carries into the box

93

3rd

Attempted take-ons

102

25th

Touches in the box

184

5th

As the table notes, Madueke ranked behind only Jérémy Doku and Mohamed Salah when it came to progressive carries last season, also ranked in the top five in terms of shots per 90 and touches in the opposition’s penalty area.

He has certainly impressed Thomas Tuchel, starting three of England’s last four World Cup qualifiers, including both this month, scoring his first-ever international goal against Serbia at Stadion Rajko Mitić in Belgrade on Tuesday.

During the international break, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker was so impressed with Madueke that he exclaimed “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka”, praising his frightening pace and ability to strike fear into defenders.

Given that Saka has been consistently excellent since first breaking into the Arsenal team in early-2020, this is a bold claim.

However, this competition for places can only be a good thing for Arteta, given that his star man is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, having sat out more than three months last season due to the same issue, missing 19 games, unquestionably derailing the Gunners’ title aspirations.

On Saturday specifically, it is tough to forecast who Ange Postecoglou will deploy at full-back, given that Ola Aina is set to spend three months on the sidelines, after sustaining a serious hamstring injury during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

It won’t be Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back, he’s ineligible to face his parent club, but whoever it is will not relish coming up against Madueke, who will surely start in Saka’s place, looking to score his first Arsenal goal.

Arsenal's first Dowman: Meet the best player to ever come through Hale End

The talented Hale Ender just wasn’t good enough to make it at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 11, 2025

Aaqib Javed gives his vote of confidence to Pakistan’s quicks, but Urooj Mumtaz and Anil Kumble feel the team, on the whole, lack firepower

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-20251:39

Has Pakistan’s pace unit lost its bite?

Pakistan have won only 14 of the 28 matches – across ODIs and T20Is – they have played with all three of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf in the XI. That could be because, as Sanjay Manjrekar put it, some of the quicks “have seen better days”, even though Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s coach, says the three remind him of “the ’90s troika”.Out of Pakistan’s four losses in ODIs featuring all three of Afridi, Naseem and Rauf, two have come in multi-team events – against India at the Asia Cup 2023 and against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener. In both those matches, Pakistan conceded 300-plus scores bowling first.That begs the obvious question: Has Pakistan’s fast bowling, their biggest strength for years, lost its bite and the ability to intimidate oppositions?Related

At the Champions Trophy, Afridi sees a chance to make history

Aaqib Javed plays down Ind-Pak hype

India vs Pakistan is sci-fi vs fantasy – but will it be box office?

“It was a kind of revelation for us in Sri Lanka when we had an encounter with Pakistan in the Asia Cup before the 2023 World Cup. We saw Shaheen Shah Afridi live up to expectations in the first game, which was rain affected, but as the tournament went on, we also got to see that Shaheen Shah Afridi wasn’t the same bowler that he was before. The speed in the air had completely disappeared,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “”So, all the trickery that he had was not the same without the speed in the air. Haris Rauf had the pace but was not quite able to lead [the attack] like [Jasprit] Bumrah does with his fast bowling. Naseem Shah has emerged as the best bowler on form. Yes, fast bowling is their main strength. There is almost nothing in the spin department. But even in the fast bowling, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have seen better days.”Aaqib, though, expressed confidence in the trio and said they reminded him of the Pakistan attack from the 1990s.”Teams play their game on their own strength,” he said ahead of the match against India in Dubai. “We have three one of the best pace-bowling options in today’s game with Shaheen, Naseem and Haris. It reminds me of the ’90s troika [Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and himself]. They have time to reach that level but have all the ability to repeat those performances.”Pakistan’s loss to New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening Group A fixture has left them precariously placed with a net run-rate of -1.200. A defeat to India could push them out of a tournament they are hosting. Fast bowling aside, lack of leadership has pushed Pakistan cricket back, felt Urooj Mumtaz, former captain of Pakistan’s women’s team.”Even now when you tell them to talk up an India-Pakistan game, it’s a very mellow approach,” Mumtaz said on ESPNcricinfo Runorder. “It is more fan-centric and I don’t feel there’s enough push there. We’ve lacked massive leadership in the past six-seven years. You put Imran Khan in this group of players, and I can vouch for the fact that the attitude on the field would be far different.”Anil Kumble agreed with Mumtaz, saying, “I don’t think this Pakistan line-up has that quality. When it comes to having that, not intimidation, [but] you had that respect of playing Pakistan, knowing that you had the quality. Now it’s the other way round. I don’t see how Pakistan can look India in the eye in terms of their ability to put a batting line-up that can intimidate the Indian bowlers.”

The leading wicket-taker of the Test series has also bowled the most overs among seamers across both teams

Alagappan Muthu30-Dec-2024

India have had Jasprit Bumrah bowling like few ever have in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. The rest have 36 wickets at 41.33. Soon after India lost the Melbourne Test, where the 31-year-old fast bowler picked up a five-for, and went 1-2 down with one Test to play, Rohit Sharma, the captain, was asked if there is a risk of over-bowling Bumrah.”Yeah, there is,” Rohit said. “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind. You know, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximise that form how much ever you can. And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah.”But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So, yeah. Those things should be managed carefully. And I’m trying to do that on the field.”Related

Bumrah leaves SCG for scans after experiencing back spasms

Rohit: Pant needs to figure out the risk-reward game himself

Jaiswal dismissed as third umpire sees 'conclusive evidence' to overturn not-out decision

No Gabba 2021 at MCG 2024 as India lose a Test they needn't have

Bumrah’s 53.2 overs at the MCG are the most he’s ever bowled in a Test match. That’s taken his tally for the series to 141.2 which puts his workloads ahead of Pat Cummins (136.4) and Mitchell Starc (131.2) and Mohammed Siraj (129.1).India gave up one big, match-turning century in Adelaide, two in Brisbane and another one in Melbourne, not to mention a whirlwind fifty to a 19-year-old debutant on Boxing Day. Would India have posed more of a threat if they’d gone in with another frontline bowling option instead of packing the back-end of the XI with allrounders?”Look, Akash Deep (five wickets at 54) and Mohammed Siraj (16 wickets at 31) are the frontline seamers,” Rohit said. “It’s just that they’ve been very unfortunate not to be seen on the wicket column.”Siraj, especially, is bowling his heart out. I don’t think there’s anything else that he can do. Obviously, there are technical aspects of his game that he’s looking into. But other than that, in terms of his effort, his attitude, bowling those long spells, he’s always up there. It’s just that the wicket column doesn’t show how well he’s bowled.”So is Akash. In Brisbane and here, in both the games, he’s bowled really well. It’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t get the wickets under his name. It’s just everyone’s job to make sure that whoever plays needs to get the job done for the team. It’s not about one or two individuals.”India’s other seamer is Nitish Kumar Reddy and he admitted on Sunday that as well as his batting is going – he scored a maiden Test century which helped India recover from 191 for 6 in the first innings – he wanted to do more with the ball. Reddy has contributed only 35 of India’s 542.2 overs in their last four Tests.”When we saw him [Reddy] for the first time, we saw there’s a lot of potential, which is why he came here in the first place,” Rohit said. “And he’s come and shown here what he’s capable of. You know, with the bat, he was brilliant.”He understood the situation pretty well, read the situation pretty well. And he’s got solid technique as well. And superb mind, not to forget.””Right now it’s very hard to say the growth part because it’s only been four test matches for him but I hope that he plays for long enough for India in all forms.”

Disgraced former Premier League David Coote has pleaded not guilty on the charge of making an indecent video of a child.

• Appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court
• Granted conditional bail
• Currently banned by the Premier League & UEFA

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 43-year-old appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on September 11, confirming his full name and address, as reported by the Mirror. After entering a not guilty plea, he was granted conditional bail. He was told: "You will next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on October 9 for a plea and case management hearing.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Coote stands accused of having made one indecent video of a child of category A on January 2, 2020 – which is the most serious category as it typically relates to young children being sexually abused by adults.

  District Judge Gilliam Young handed Coote bail conditions that stipulate he must have no contact with any child under the age of 18 or reside at an address where a person under the age of 18 is present.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Prosecutor Ben Payne stated that police became involved in the case after an independent company examined two mobile phones and allegedly found "two conversations of concern". A laptop is also said to have been seized from the address where Coote was arrested – with the category A image being discovered on that device.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT?

  Coote was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) in December 2024 after a video emerged online showing him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. He was charged by the FA in June 2025 over those comments.

  In February 2025, Coote was banned by UEFA following the release of a video that appeared to show him snorting a white powder at Euro 2024. He had come out as gay a month earlier.

West Bromwich Albion are broadening their horizons in the transfer market and have now received a reply to a bid for a talent from overseas, according to Ben Jacobs.

West Bromwich Albion step up hunt for new arrivals

The Baggies are hard at work in the window and have already brought Aune Heggebo, Nat Phillips and George Campbell in at The Hawthorns, though there are more additions set to come in the weeks to follow.

However, recent West Brom loan target Mikey Moore won’t be signing on the dotted line, with the Tottenham Hotspur man now closing in on a switch to Rangers for the season.

Following their defeat to Lincoln City in pre-season, Ryan Mason has urged his side to fix their teething problems in time for the new Championship campaign.

He stated: “It was disappointing, and not just the result, but I also understand there’s a lot to do. It’s our third game this week, which was good from some aspects, but I don’ think any of us were happy with the start we made to the game.

“This is something we need to fix quickly because the first Championship game is two weeks away. There’s positives from a physical side, and there’s the pre-season aspect, which says a lot at this stage. But, ultimately, we need to try and accelerate this process as quickly as possible.”

West Brom’s first five fixtures in the Championship

Blackburn Rovers (H)

Hawthorns

Derby County (H)

Hawthorns

Wrexham (A)

Racecourse Ground

Portsmouth (H)

Hawthorns

Stoke City (A)

bet365 Stadium

New additions will be key to implementing the improvement Mason is keen to deliver, and Northern Ireland international Jamal Lewis could strengthen the Baggies’ defensive line.

Now, they have received a reply for a bid submitted to try and land another defender who originates from much further afield.

West Brom receive outcome of bid for Luca Bombino

Taking to social media platform X, journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed that West Brom have saw a bid turned down for FC San Diego defender Luca Bombino, who is actually on loan from Major League Soccer outfit LAFC.

Regardless, San Diego will trigger an option to buy the 19-year-old left-back upon the expiry of his temporary agreement. The Baggies are said to be well below their valuation of the United States Under-20 international.

While his club are in no rush to sell, reports of their rejected offer and interest in Lewis do indicate that West Brom are in the market for a new left-back.

Across the current season, Bombino has registered a goal and two assists in 19 MLS appearances, and he has previously been labelled a “talented young player with a bright future” by San Diego sporting director Tyler Heaps.

It remains to be determined whether West Brom will force a deal over the line, but they are seemingly looking at all avenues to source new additions.

Leeds United had a problem between the posts last season. First-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier had an inconsistent campaign, despite keeping 21 clean sheets and conceding just 27 goals in 39 Championship games. As per Sofascore, he had a save percentage of 70.1%.

However, he made constant errors throughout the season. One of those came against Sunderland, where he failed to catch a ball slowly bouncing towards him in the penalty box, allowing the ball to shoot through his hands and into the back of the net. Former Leeds player Aidy White told BBC Radio Leeds that his old club have “got to drop” the Frenchman.

So, it might not come as a surprise that Daniel Farke’s side are after a new goalkeeper this summer, with a couple of names seemingly on their shortlist.

Leeds target new goalkeeper

So, it seems the Whites are definitely in the market for a new shot stopper this summer. After some poor mistakes from Meslier last term, Farke appears to want a new number one. According to a recent report from TEAMTalk, Yahia Fofana of Ligue 1 side Angers is an option.

However, he is not the only goalkeeper from the French top flight that Leeds are targeting. The same report suggests that the Yorkshire side’s number one target is Lyon’s Brazilian shot-stopper Lucas Perri. He has been described as a ‘prime target’ for the Whites.

TEAMTalk clarify that ‘contact has been made’ with the Brazilian’s camp already, having ‘caught the attention of Leeds’ recruitment team’ after impressing for Lyon. A fee of around £20m could be enough to secure his services this summer.

Why Perri would be a good signing

27-year-old Perri got a big move to Europe back in 2024, after impressing in the Brazilian top flight, most recently with Botafogo. He has since gone on to perform well in a Lyon shirt, which seems to have certainly piqued Leeds’ interest.

Last term for Les Gones, Perri, who was born in Valinhos, just outside of Sao Paulo, made 45 appearances across all competitions in 2024/25. In that time, he conceded 60 goals and kept 13 clean sheets.

Looking at Ligue 1 specifically, his numbers are impressive. He played 33 top-flight games, conceding 44 times and keeping ten clean sheets. Football analyst Ben Mattinson described him as “one of the best” in his position when he was at Botafogo, and it is not hard to see why, looking at those numbers.

Of course, Leeds have a good history when it comes to buying Brazilian talents from Ligue 1. Former winger Raphinha, who is now tearing things up in La Liga with Barcelona, is “ahead” in the race for the Ballon d’Or, according to the legendary Thierry Henry.

Leeds fans will never forget the contributions he put in at Elland Road before his move to Barca. In two seasons at the club, he scored 17 goals and grabbed 12 assists.

That included one last vital goal, a penalty away to Brentford in his final game for the club, which helped Leeds stay in the Premier League.

The Elland Road faithful would surely love to find the second coming of Raphinha in Perri. The track record of newly-promoted clubs staying in the top flight is not good recently, with all six sides going straight back down in the last two years.

However, the stats from Squawka suggest he is a goalkeeper who can help keep them in the Premier League. Perri had a 72.5% save percentage, higher than Meslier’s last season, and averaged 3.6 saves per 90 minutes in 2024/25.

Perrin key stats in 2024/25 Ligue 1 season

Stat

Total

Per 90 mins

Save percentage

72.5%

72.5%

Clean sheets

10

0.4

Long passes completed

122

3.7

Goals conceded

44

1.4

Saves made

116

3.6

Stats from Squawka

Raphinha was the hero for Leeds at one end of the pitch during his spell at the club. If Farke’s side can secure the services of another Brazilian star from Ligue 1 in Perri, perhaps he could have the same impact as his countryman at the other end.

For just £20m, this could be a fantastic addition for Leeds. The “undervalued” talent – as described by Mattinson – would represent an upgrade on Meslier and could be a key part in their survival.

Related Kalvin Phillips 2.0: Leeds have held talks to sign "incredible" £17m star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a star who would be their next Kalvin Phillips.

Posts ByDan Emery Jul 14, 2025