Liverpool reportedly want to complete the double signing of a £110m-valued pair of teammates in the summer transfer window, as Michael Edwards looks to make his presence felt immediately.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds bounced back in the Premier League on Sunday, securing a 3-1 win away to Fulham, with five matches separating them and potential title glory this season. It is also a reminder that Jurgen Klopp's time at the club is getting closer to ending all the time, with new signings being looked at for his replacement.

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim continues to stand out as the clear favourite to be the German's successor at Anfield, and it is only natural that some of his current players are being linked with moves to Liverpool in the summer window. Viktor Gyokeres is one of them, with the Swede on fire for the Primeira Liga leaders this season, scoring 24 goals in 29 appearances in the competition in 2023/24.

Away from Sporting, though, other targets are also emerging, with the Reds reportedly wanting to complete an early-summer signing of a top-quality midfielder. A specific name isn't mentioned, but it looks as though Edwards still feels further reinforcements are needed in the middle of the park, despite last year's rebuild there.

Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala is also believed to be an option for Liverpool, although Manchester City are considered strong suitors, too, and could be able to both bid more and offer him higher wages.

Liverpool want to complete huge double signing

According to a new update from Football Insider, Liverpool want to sign both Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande this summer, with the pair thriving under Amorim at Sporting currently.

It has been reported that Inacio could be available for £40m at the end of the season, and Diomande has been linked with a £70m switch to Arsenal, so a combined £110m could be needed to prise them away, with the report claiming FSG will be confident to secure "at least" one of them if Amorim signs.

It is hugely exciting to see Liverpool show such ambition by wanting to snap up both talents, considering they are arguably among the best young centre-backs around currently. The fact that Amorim knows them both inside out can only be a good thing, too, assuming the Portuguese does become Liverpool's next manager, and it would make the Reds' back-line even more formidable.

With Joel Matip set to leave in the summer, Ibrahima Konate injury-prone and Virgil van Dijk now 32, defence is an important area for Edwards, John Henry and Richard Hughes to focus on, and Inacio and Diomande could be perfect business, especially as the former can also do a job at left-back.

The duo have started 46 Primeira Liga games between them this season, often playing in a back-three alongside former Liverpool man Sebastian Coates, and they have played a big role in steering Sporting to the verge of title glory.

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At just 22 and 20 respectively, there is still so much more to come from Inacio and Diomande, and they could be viewed as the future of the Reds' back-line, maturing into world-class players over time.

Manchester United have intensified contacts in recent days to sign a new defender in a deal that could be worth more than £50m.

Ratcliffe lays out Man Utd transfer plans

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are preparing for their first transfer window as part owners and have full control over sporting decisions.

One of their toughest calls could be on manager Erik ten Hag, who's future is thought to be 50/50 at this stage. England boss Gareth Southgate, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou and Brentford’s Thomas Frank have all been linked with moves to Old Trafford in recent weeks.

Man Utd have made important offer to sign record-breaking teenager

He’s been catching the eye in England.

By
Charlie Smith

Mar 26, 2024

Whoever is in charge may need to shuffle their playing squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, but talking to the media recently, Ratcliffe hinted that the Red Devils may not splash the cash.

"I'd rather find the next Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success. It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."

Then asked if he’d like to sign Bellingham, he added:

"It's not where our focus is, the solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that over the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club and make sure we get recruitment right. It's such a vital part of running a football club today, finding new players.”

Man Utd make contact for Gleison Bremer

One man who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford is Juventus defender Gleison Bremer. There has been speculation that the Red Devils are ready to trigger the defender’s £50m release clause and are set to firm up their interest, and it looks as if that may have happened.

According to reports in Italy, Man Utd have now intensified contacts in recent days to sign Bremer, looking ‘to gain an advantageous position over their English competitors’, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham. Again, it is claimed that United have no problem paying Bremer’s £50m release clause, and they are also looking at Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.

The centre-back has actually been Juventus’ second-best performer in Serie A this season, as per WhoScored, behind another rumoured Man Utd target in Adrien Rabiot.

Bremer's best Juventus performances in 2023/24	WhoScored rating
Lecce 0-3 Juventus	8.19/10
Fiorentina 0-1 Juventus	7.79/10
Juventus 0-0 Genoa	7.73/10
Juventus 3-0 Sassuolo	7.60/10
Juventus 2-1 Cagliari	7.43/10

Bremer, called "world-class" by CBS commentator Matteo Bonetti, was also praised by former Brazil boss Tite, who said after calling him up to the 2022 World Cup squad: “Bremer had this opportunity to be called up thanks to his career and performances of a high level at Torino and Juventus. Perhaps we got it wrong and didn’t observe him closely enough, because he deserved more of our attention a lot earlier.

“When he arrived here, in the games and the training sessions we did together, he gave such a sense of certainty. He really is a player of great quality.”

No date has been set for the 2025 edition of the Finalissima between Euro 2024 winners Spain and Lionel Messi's Copa America champions Argentina.

Article continues below

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Finalissima not scheduled for 2025No dates currently availableGame between Argentina and SpainWHAT HAPPENED?

Argentine journalist Gaston Edul has reported that no decision has been made on when the 2025 Finalissima will be played due to failure to find a suitable space on the match calendar. Fixture congestion with World Cup qualifying and UEFA Nations League fixtures have made it a challenge to squeeze the extra game in.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After earlier editions in 1985 and 1993, the Finalissima was relaunched in 2022 as part of a working relationship between UEFA and CONMEBOL, pitting the champions of Europe and South America against each other. Argentina, as 2021 Copa America champions, beat Euro 2020 winners Italy at Wembley in the first men's iteration of the rebranded contest. But Argentina and Spain already have jam-packed schedule throughout 2025. Argentina are deep in 2026 World Cup qualifying in every international break between now and next September. For Spain, 2024-25 UEFA Nations League action begins next month and later makes way for Word Cup qualifying, ensuring they currently have no availability in any international break until 2026.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Finalissima was first established in 1985 but was discontinued in 1993. It was re-established in 2022, and was won by Argentina, as they beat Italy 3-0 at Wembley.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

If UEFA and CONMEBOL want the men's Finalissima to go ahead in 2025 and not risk the competition being a shortlived flash in the pan, they may have no choice but to try and force an extra game into an existing two-game international window. But that will only further exacerbate concerns over congestion and implications for player welfare.

Big picture

This was not the farewell that Vernon Philander would have hoped for. After rolling back the years with several pinpoint spells of nagging line-and-length seam bowling at Centurion, where he took 4 for 16 in 14.2 overs in the first innings, he has looked off the pace – to put it kindly – in consecutive defeats, and goes into his final international before joining Somerset with South Africa 2-1 down in the series.But there would be few grounds on which he would prefer to bow out. He has a superlative record at the Wanderers, with 39 wickets in seven Tests there at an average of just 15.69, and if he is fit enough to bowl for a sustained period, then he will surely cause England some problems as he hopes for one last hurrah.The outlook is still relatively bleak for South Africa. In the absence of Kagiso Rabada, their strike bowler and the leading wicket-taker in the series to date, and with their batting lineup looking increasingly brittle, Faf du Plessis desperately needs a response from his players after a lacklustre display at St George’s Park.Vernon Philander will play his final game for South Africa at the Wanderers•Gallo Images/Getty Images

For England, the turnaround since the Boxing Day Test has been dramatic. Set up by their top-order’s ability to blunt the new ball and bat for prolonged periods of time, their batsmen have finally found the knack of posting big totals; in Port Elizabeth, they were a run away from a first 500+ total away from home since November 2016.The reason for that is a clear change in approach introduced by new head coach Chris Silverwood, who has pushed the conversation away from ideas like positivity in defence and towards batting for hours at a time, worrying about crease occupation and survival rather than playing attacking shots against the new ball. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball database, England’s control percentage for the series is 85.13% with the bat in this series so far, their highest away from home since their last tour here in 2015-16 (86.73%) with the exception of the trip to New Zealand at the end of last year (88.89%).But for all the hard work done by Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Joe Denly, they have still relied on their middle order to help them press on. Their success on that front is in no small part thanks to the emergence of Ollie Pope, considered by many well-informed observers to be the best young batsman to break into the England team since Joe Root’s debut in 2012. After scores of 75 and 61* at Mount Maunganui and Newlands respectively, it seemed a matter of time before he made his first Test ton, and his unbeaten 135 in the third Test was compelling viewing. His late cuts and cover drives – plus his height and hair colour – have drawn predictable comparisons with Ian Bell, but there is a sense that the sky really is the limit for a man averaging over 60 in all first-class cricket.Their bowlers have stepped up to the plate too, with Mark Wood’s pace catching the eye at Port Elizabeth and Jofra Archer shining in the nets on Wednesday. But it was their unlikely spin duo of Dom Bess and Root who did most of the damage, sharing ten wickets between them as South Africa got stuck on the crease time and again facing the offspinners. England have suggested that they will consider fielding an all-seam attack for the third time this winter, with Root and Denly providing the part-time options, though it is possible any of the seamers could lose their spot.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LLWLL
England WWLDL

In the spotlight

Faf du Plessis‘ form has been a constant worry for South Africa since the start of their tour to India, and while he has maintained publicly that he intends to carry on as Test captain until the end of their West Indies series in July, he could do with a score to ease some of the pressure on him. At Port Elizabeth, he was South Africa’s most composed batsman in the second innings, and looked to take the attack to England’s spinners, and is generally good against the short ball.England look a surprisingly settled outfit given they are missing both an opening batsman (Rory Burns) and an opening bowler (James Anderson), but there is a cloud hanging over their wicketkeeper. Jos Buttler has averaged 22.17 since the start of last summer’s Ashes series, and after a difficult Test behind the stumps at Port Elizabeth, it looks increasingly likely that he will be given a chance to refresh and recharge during the tour of Sri Lanka with Ben Foakes the beneficiary. In fact, there is even an argument to suggest that a Buttler hundred at the Wanderers would complicate things; though he was given the public backing of assistant coach Graeme Thorpe two days out from the game.

Team news

It’s anyone’s guess as to how South Africa look to balance their side, not least given the absence of Rabada, banned after accumulating a fourth demerit point within a 24-month period. It seems certain that Temba Bavuma’s career-best 180 last week will be enough to win him a recall, with transformation targets an important consideration, and the left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks looks set to make his Test debut. Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo are contenders for the final spot in the XI, though there remains an outside chance Keegan Petersen could make his debut at No. 3 if the hosts decide to go with only four frontline bowlers. South Africa fielded an all-seam attack last time they played here, so it is possible that Dane Paterson could keep his spot ahead of Keshav Maharaj.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Pieter Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Dwaine Pretorius/Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj/Dane Paterson, 10 Beuran Hendricks, 11 Anrich NortjeJofra Archer’s return to fitness and his impressive performance in Wednesday’s nets session means that he is likely to come straight back into the side. The big question, though, is who will make way. England’s management described Mark Wood as “sore” on Wednesday, and it seems as though he may not be risked for back-to-back Tests for the first time since 2017. Dom Bess is the alternative fall guy, which would see Root and Denly providing the part-time spin options if required.England (probable): 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Dom Bess/Mark Wood, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Stuart Broad

Pitch and conditions

It’s been hot and humid in Johannesburg, and the forecast looked pretty mixed for the first three days of the game with some rain delays expected. If anything, that will only make conditions more favourable for seamers, and on a pitch with a reputation for bounce and carry, it should be a mouthwatering prospect for the quicks on both sides. Since 2010, seamers have averaged 25.63 at the venue compared to 40.82 for the spinners. Duanne Olivier was the destroyer in the most recent Test here, with short and back-of-a-length balls particularly effective as all but four wickets fell to seamers.

Stats and trivia

• England’s 186th run of this Test – assuming they get there – will be their 500,000th in the format. They’ll become the first side to reach that landmark, with Australia some way back on 432,706.
• A score in each innings should push Dean Elgar up towards the 4000-mark in Tests – he is currently 162 runs short – while he needs 110 more to reach 15,000 in first-class cricket.
• Keshav Maharaj is one of only four bowlers to have taken 10+ wickets in the series, but he has struggled badly against England’s best players. Joe Root has scored at 5.84 runs per over against him, with Ben Stokes close behind at 5.04 – those are the two highest scoring rates for a batsman-vs-bowler matchup in the series (min. 50 balls)
• Vernon Philander is currently second in South Africa’s bowling averages (min. 150 wickets) with 22.29, but a good final Test could see him squeeze past Allan Donald (22.29) into top spot. Unless he goes wicketless while conceding over 146 runs, he will end his career with a lower average than Dale Steyn.
• The last time England won three successive Tests on a single tour of South Africa was back in 1913-14.

Quotes

“The message is that he would like to see Vernon leave the game in the way he deserves. His last bowling performances here have been unbelievable. I want to see him get the storybook ending that he deserves. He has been such a great bowler for us for this Test team. Hopefully he can sign off on a high. He deserves respect. He has been one of the most skilful bowlers in the team.”
Du Plessis is hoping Philander can sign off with a win “It would be nice to see how Wood and Archer go together. It would be a relentless barrage of pace which is exciting especially on this surface you typically get here at the Wanderers.”
Root hints that England’s two fastest bowlers will both play1630 GMT – This story was updated to reflect the latest team news following England’s training session

A report this week has named the three "top signings" which Tottenham intend to make for manager Ange Postecoglou, following his positive debut campaign as head coach.

Spurs aiming to strengthen multiple key areas with new additions

The Lilywhites are firmly in the race for Champions League football next season, and their battle for fourth with Aston Villa looks set to be one of the real highlights of this final phase.

Tottenham teenager awaiting debut now tipped to be "one of the world's best"

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Barely anything separates Postecoglou and Unai Emery as the tacticians go head-to-head for a place in Europe's most prestigious competition, even if Tottenham's head coach has played down the importance of this on multiple occasions.

"I don’t think top four is the ambition. I get that top four means Champions League football, so there is a reward there, and that’s a significant reward and something you should strive for," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's Champions League hopes.

“My position on it is not so much, particularly this year, where we finish, it’s what kind of team we are, because if we finish fourth and we’re 25 points off the top, I’m not sure that’s the kind of trajectory we want to be on.

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

Arsenal (home)

April 28th

Chelsea (away)

May 2nd

Liverpool (away)

May 5th

Burnley (home)

May 11th

“It’s part of making sure that we’re all focussed on what the ultimate ambition is. If we finish fourth this year, what it does show is that we’re progressing and we’ve made improvements, but that’s not the end goal. That’s why, for me, it’s much more important how we play between now and the end of the year, and how we finish. Then, we assess things. If we finish fourth and I feel we’ve made some progress and we’re set up for next year, then I’ll be pleased with that.”

While Spurs' head coach is more concerned with the long-term project and how his side are performing overall, there is little denying the importance of securing a top four finish. Indeed, the added revenue stream may boost the club's finances, and allow them to invest more significantly in Postecoglou's squad.

Tottenham want to strengthen in multiple areas and will need the extra cash injection. Postecoglou has already admitted that Spurs are eyeing another centre-back, while reports suggest Johan Lange is eyeing more attackers as well.

Tottenham "intend" to sign Williams, Gimenez and Hincapie

Now, a claim from Spain has named the three players which Tottenham "intend" to bring in. It is believed Spurs want to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez and Bayer Leveruksen's Piero Hincapie ahead of what will be an interesting 2024/2025 season.

Williams has earned a glowing reputation as one of Spain's brightest prospects, while Gimenez has been prolific in the Eredivisie this season. Hincapie, who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has also featured regularly for Xabi Alonso's title-chasing Leverkusen side.

Next summer will be an extremely important period for Tottenham Hotspur, with the challenge of competing in the Champions League looking increasingly likely.

Luckily, Spurs have the perfect model to follow, having smashed the previous transfer window, bringing in the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and, of course, Ange Postecoglou.

However, one new signing that has particularly stood out in recent weeks is Brennan Johnson, who’s developed brilliantly throughout the campaign.

Despite his upturn in form, the Lilywhites are still keen to improve their wide areas at the end of the season, with one target potentially being an even bigger talent than the Welsh forward.

Spurs are keen to sign another winger

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Tottenham are “keeping an eye” on exciting attacker Nico Williams.

The Spaniard plays for Athletic Bilbao, where he has developed into a key player despite being just 21 years of age.

The report states that there is a £42.8m buyout clause in his contract at the La Liga club, which makes him relatively affordable for all top sides.

Therefore, the competition for his signature is expected to be “intense,” with Chelsea being another Premier League club monitoring the ace.

Spurs interested in signing their own Ben White to rival Porro

The £60m ace is an extremely versatile defender.

By
Tom Lever

Apr 10, 2024

Why Williams is a bigger prospect than Johnson

The former Nottingham Forest ace has been fantastic since joining in the summer, scoring five goals and providing seven Premier League assists in 28 appearances.

The attacker has played on both flanks, but he’s settled on the right wing in recent weeks, displacing Dejan Kulusevski in the team.

Johnson’s best attribute is his direct approach to attacking, often driving at defenders with the intention to either shoot or fire a dangerous cross into the box.

This sounds very similar to Williams, who can comfortably thrive on both wings just like the 22-year-old, which could make them a dangerous duo for years to come.

However, their respective league statistics from this season indicate that the Spain international could be even more talented than Spurs’ number 22.

Williams vs Johnson League Stats
Stats (per 90)	Williams	Johnson
Assists	0.43	0.36
Shot-creating actions	5.21	3.01
Key passes	2.07	1.66
Successful take-ons	3.29	1.14
Touches (Att third)	28.96	23.19
Carries into final third	3.29	1.40
Via FBref

As you can see by the table above, it’s instantly clear that Williams is an absolutely frightening winger who’s a “dazzling” dribbler, as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

On every single statistic, the 21-year-old has a better score than Johnson, which just gives an indication of how dangerous he truly is.

In the current Tottenham squad, they don’t currently have an attacker in the side who looks to take players on continuously, with Timo Werner, Kulusevski, and Johnson offering alternative traits.

The pacy forward's biggest strength is the fact that he causes chaos against any defence and that he can simply create something out of nothing, as shown by his extremely high shot-creating actions, assists, and successful take-ons.

With Johnson and the Spaniard on either flank, Spurs would be deadly on the counter-attack in particular, with the duo having blistering pace and excellent ball-carrying ability.

Williams is already a star, but his potential is huge, which does make the £43m seem quite the bargain, especially considering Johnson cost £47.5m.

MatériaMais Notícias

Lionel Messi pode deixar o Barcelona após 20 anos. O contrato do craque argentino com o clube catalão se encerra em 1° de Julho. Além de gigantes europeus como Manchester City e Paris Saint-Germain, um clube piauiense é um dos ‘cotados’ para anunciar a contratação do gênio argentino. Brincadeiras a parte, o 4 de Julho aproveitou a véspera do marco para divulgar o camisa 10 como ‘novo acerto do clube’.
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Antes de ‘anunciar’ Messi, o perfil Colorado – que se tornou febre nas redes sociais após os confrontos diante do São Paulo pela Copa do Brasil- chegou até mesmo a fazer o tradicional mistério para provocar torcedores.

O contrato do Messi com o Barcelona encerra amanhã. Eu não queria dizer nada não, mas…

✍️🇦🇷

— 4 de Julho EC⁴ᴰᴶ🇮🇩 (@4dejulhopi) June 30, 2021

Com contrato no Barcelona chegando ao fim, Messi chega para ser o novo reforço do 4 de Julho. Bem-vindo! 🇦🇷🤝🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/1xGI5R8QS6

— 4 de Julho EC⁴ᴰᴶ🇮🇩 (@4dejulhopi) June 30, 2021

A brincadeira repercutiu e gerou comentários em tom bem-humorado sobre a ‘contratação’.

Com esse elenco ele vem p ser banco

— É a máquina de toco🏀🙅🏽‍♂️ (@madeinbonfim) June 30, 2021

Até que enfim foi pra time grande 👏

— ands (@andezonkkkjj) June 30, 2021

Ouvi dizer que ele já tava fechado com o Botafogo. Vem chapéu aí?

— Gustavo Freua (@GuFreua) June 30, 2021

كشف أشرف عبد العزيز محامي محمود كهربا لاعب الأهلي تفاصيل الأزمة الخاصة بـ المستحقات المالية الخاصة لـ نادي الزمالك ضد اللاعب.

 وكان نادي الزمالك، قد حرر محضرًا رسميًا ضد كهربا، بسبب شيك بدون رصيد، خاص بالمستحقات المالية المتبقية من العقوبة المالية الموقعة ضده.

وقال أشرف عبد العزيز في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة ام بي سي مصر: “أنا لم أكن محامي كهربا لدى فيفا كنت أساعده إعلاميًا ومع المحامي الدولي، ولكني لم أحضر مع اللاعب في الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم”.

طالع | مدرب فريق تيم إف سي: استفدنا من مواجهة الأهلي.. ويشيد بـ كهربا

وتابع: “كهربا سدد 70 مليون جنيه من الغرامة، وعندما تواجدت الأموال معه دفعها، لكن يتبقى عليه جزء بسيط حوالي 7 ملايين جنيه، وسأتواصل بنفسي مع مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، وأنا أريد مهلة لكي أعرف كهربا معه كام وسيدفع كام”.

وأردف: “أحمد يحيى وكيل كهربا سيتواصل مع إدارة الزمالك غدًا وسيبلغني بالذي حدث، المبلغ المتبقي سيتم دفعه خلال شهر”.

واستطرد: “حاليًا اللاعب يمتلك اثنين أو ثلاثة ملايين جنيه سيدفعهم وبعد ذلك سيدفع المبلغ المتبقي لنادي الزمالك، كل ذلك سيكون برضاء نادي الزمالك ولن نفرض شيء عليهم”. وأتم: “محمد الشيبي حتى وقتنا هذا لم يتصالح مع حسين الشحات”.

Jofra Archer says he is keeping his “fingers crossed” for an comeback with Rajasthan Royals this season, after making good progress with his rehab following a stress fracture of the elbow.Archer, who has agreed a two-year extension to his contract with Sussex, was omitted from England’s ongoing Test tour of Sri Lanka. However, he hasn’t given up hope of being fit for at least some of the IPL, which begins on March 29.”The elbow is fine,” he told Sussex’s website. “I haven’t felt it for the last few weeks now so I think it’s making good progress.”I’m not targeting anything. I’ve played a lot of cricket so I don’t think I’ll forget how to play cricket even if I don’t do anything for the next couple of months.”It’s actually nice to just take a break. I’m not happy that it’s come at this time but I’m also grateful that I’m getting the chance to relax and take a step back for a bit.””You never know, fingers crossed. I’ll probably have some more information when I get it re-scanned. It could be a bit longer, I might have to wait, it could be a bit shorter.”Though hugely in demand in all formats of the game, at international level and in T20 leagues, Archer says he retains a special bond with Sussex, the club where he first put down roots in England after arriving from his native Barbados in 2016 and where he will now be staying at least until the end of 2022.”Sussex gave me my opportunity right at the beginning of my career, so I am very happy to commit long term to the club,” Archer told Sussex’s website.”I really do enjoy playing with everyone here at Sussex and it was really nice to come back down last year to play a few games with the lads.”It’s the same club that I left it as and it’s nice to know nothing has changed. Sometimes people sit in my space in the dressing room now, but that’s fine!”It most definitely still feels special to pull on the Sussex shirt.”Jason Gillespie, Sussex’s head coach, added: “We’re delighted that Jofra will continue to be with us at Sussex.”I’m really looking forward to having him play for us when his England commitments allows. He loves playing for Sussex – he’s like a kid in a candy store!”We all love having him around, and seeing his improvements as a player has been great. Hopefully we can play a role in helping him continue to get better.”Archer made his first-team debut for Sussex in July 2016, and has claimed 196 wickets in 97 appearances across all three formats. In first-class cricket for the county, he has taken 131 wickets in 28 matches.He made his England debut in May 2019, after the ECB’s residency rules were changed from seven to three years. He has since claimed 30 wickets in seven Tests, as well as playing a pivotal role in England’s World Cup triumph last summer, with 22 wickets in the tournament before delivering the decisive Super Over at Lord’s.

According to a fresh report, Chelsea are looking to replace Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Chelsea eye Mauricio Pochettino replacements

When Pochettino took the reins at Stamford Bridge last summer, big things were expected of the Argentine. The Blues' mammoth spending continued in 2023 with around £500m paid out to sign big names such as Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. However, it is fair to say things have not gone to plan for the west Londoners this term.

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How does Pochettino rate among his predecessors?

Posts ByAlex Roberts May 21, 2024

Chelsea lost the League Cup final to a weakened Liverpool side who ended the tie with what was essentially an under-23 team plus Virgil van Dijk. With any hopes of a trophy dashed, Chelsea's focus then turned to the Premier League, where they are eyeing some form of European football after missing out completely last season.

However, given the amount of money spent on the squad in the last several transfer windows, Pochettino and co. have underperformed in this department as well.

Following their win over West Ham, Chelsea sit 7th in the table, meaning they can still secure a Europa League or Europa Conference League spot. However, the fact they are 13 points off the Champions League places clearly has not gone down well with the higher-ups at Stamford Bridge, as Pochettino's days at the club look to be numbered. Reports earlier this week even claimed Chelsea paid for a plane to bring Sporting boss Ruben Amorim to England for talks, which the club denied.

Elsewhere, the Blues were said to be targeting Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Hansi Flick as possible replacements for Pochettino. Somewhat surprisingly, another candidate for the Chelsea job is former boss Antonio Conte. The Italian won the Premier League during his previous stint with the Blues, so it easy to see why the new owners may be interested in him. But Conte is not the only former coach being tipped to make a return to west London.

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Posts ByAlex Caple May 5, 2025 Chelsea moving for £10.5m-per-season Tuchel

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb (via Sport Witness), Chelsea are making a move to bring Thomas Tuchel back to the club to replace Pochettino this summer.

It is unclear if Tuchel, who currently earns £10.5m per season with Bayern Munich, would be interested in returning, though Sport Witness states numerous reports in recent months have hinted the German would love a second chance in the Premier League.

While Chelsea have signed a number of new players since Tuchel's departure, there is still a core group who remain at the club from when he was at the helm. One such player is Ben Chilwell, who previously labelled Tuchel as an "unbelievable manager":

"[Tuchel's continuity] can only be a good thing. As players we have full confidence in the manager – we know we’re not going to get a better manager here. I’m not just saying it. He’s an unbelievable manager in all aspects and I think he has a lot of trust in us as well," Chilwell said.

"This is Chelsea, we want to win the big trophies. And of course, we're positive going into this season, like we are every season. We've got a strong team. Hopefully, we can add to that strength with some good players. We've got a great manager. New ownership. A great training ground. Good backroom staff. So everything's in place to have a good season."

Last five permanent Chelsea managers

Manager

Tenure

Mauricio Pochettino

2023-present

Graham Potter

2022-2023

Thomas Tuchel

2021-2022

Frank Lampard

2019-2021

Maurizio Sarri

2018-2019

Tuchel won the Champions League during his first spell at the club. Could he repeat that feat under the new ownership? There is clearly more rebuilding to do at Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel may feel he has unfinished business at Chelsea.