Newcastle United will hand a key player the “highest contract” in the club’s history, according to an exciting claim from football finance expert Stefan Borson.

Newcastle prepare for Arsenal after quiet January

In the end, it was a January transfer window to forget at St James’ Park, with the Magpies not spending a single penny throughout the whole month, much to the chagrin of some fans.

There was a feeling that Newcastle needed reinforcements in some areas of the pitch, including centre-back, but the likes of Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe were seemingly content enough with the squad, as well as having to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules at the same time.

It is now a case of the Magpies knuckling down and looking to enjoy a memorable second half to the season, not only looking to finish in the top four in the Premier League, but also winning the EFL Cup, although they may first have to get past Arsenal without Joelinton in the squad.

While new signings will clearly be looked at when the summer window arrives at the end of the campaign, there are also a host of current players who are indispensable figures and need to be tied down to new deals. Now, a promising update has emerged regarding one such figure.

Newcastle backed to hand "highest contract" to star

Speaking to Football Insider, Borson claimed that Newcastle will offer Alexander Isak a new contract that will smash their previous record deal, which is Bruno Guimaraes’ £8.32m-a-year contract.

“I am sure it will be the highest contract they have offered. The reason they have held onto their big players is because it would be very expensive to sign Guimaraes or Isak. There are very few teams that can play that game and compete for signings over £100million.

“I think Arsenal could do it if they really wanted to. If it wasn’t Arsenal, who is going to buy Isak and who can afford him? Basically nobody and I include basically everybody. Bayern Munich have got Harry Kane, PSG seem to be in a new world, where their acquisitions seem to be in that £70million range, so they are not going to pay £100million. Nobody in Italy can do it. Man City don’t need Isak as a priority. You always want quality players, but City won’t buy Isak, so there are no buyers.

“The bottom line is, there are not many places he can actually go. They will offer him a new contract. He’s already got quite a lot left on his contract, but he’s clearly one of the best players in the Premier League right now and I don’t see him going anywhere.”

Isak is Newcastle’s star player currently, enjoying an outstanding season that has seen him score 17 goals in 22 appearances in the Premier League. In this form, there arguably isn’t a better striker in Europe, and for Magpies supporters, losing him to another club in the summer doesn’t bear thinking about.

Isak clearly needs to see Newcastle as an ambitious side who can match his dreams in the coming years, and offering him such a lucrative contract would be a good place to start.

Premier League Table: Latest EPL standings for 2024/25 season

Stay up to date with the English Premier League standings after matchday 33.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

At 25, there is still an enormous amount to come from the £120,000-a-week Swede, and if the Magpies can retain him for the foreseeable future, he could be one of the greatest strikers in the club’s history.

MatériaMais Notícias

O contrato de empréstimo do atacante Léo Natel com o Apoel, do Chipre, se encerará neste domingo (5), e o clube europeu não deve fazer investida para contar em definitivo com o atleta, que pertence ao Corinthians.

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> GALERIA – Veja os garotos da base que tiveram chances com VP
> TABELA – Confira e simule os jogos do Campeonato Brasileiro

O jogador até agradou a equipe da cidade de Nicósia e existia o desejo interno de compra em definitivo mas o time vive momento de estruturação financeira por conta da desvalorização do euro, principalmente após o início da guerra entre Rússia e Ucrânia, no fim de fevereiro.

A moeda da União Europeia vive o seu menor patamar em frente ao dólar em quase dois anos, quando iniciou a pandemia do novo coronavírus. Inclusive, há indicativos de paridade de valores com o dinheiro americano.

Para contar com Natel após o empréstimo, o Apoel teria que desembolsar 2,5 milhões de euros (R$ 12,8 mi, na cotação), por 70% dos direitos do atleta, valor fixado pelo Timão ao firmar o contrato, em agosto do ano passado.

De acordo com informações obtidas pelo LANCE!, o Timão estaria disposto a negociar o atacante por até 1,5 milhão (R$ 7,7 mi, na cotação atual), mas, ainda assim, o valor é maior do que a equipe cipriota está disposta a pagar, principalmente após uma temporada de muito investimento e pouco retorno em campo.

Os Tytilos ficaram apenas na terceira colocação na liga nacional e caiu nas oitavas de final da copa na última temporada, fora que não disputou competições internacionais.

O planejamento da diretoria do Apoel para o próximo ano esportivo é montar um elenco competitivo sem muito investimento, incluindo diminuindo a folha salarial.

Com contrato com o Corinthians até dezembro de 2024, o jogador não faz parte dos planos do clube alvinegro, e, com isso, os representantes do atleta buscam uma alternativa de mercado para o atacante, de preferência fora do Brasil.

Na última temporada, pelo Apoel, Natel fez 29 jogos, todos como titular, e marcou seis gols.

Tottenham Hotspur starlet Mathys Tel was introduced off the bench in their crushing Carabao Cup defeat away to Liverpool on Thursday evening, but the Frenchman was one of very few who showed flashes of quality at Anfield.

Mathys Tel impresses as Tottenham crash out of Carabao Cup

Ange Postecoglou’s biggest game of the season so far couldn’t have gone any worse on paper, with Arne Slot’s side swiftly and ruthlessly overturning their 1-0 first leg deficit to reign 4-1 victors on aggregate.

Related "Alarm bells" – Pundit shares Kevin Danso "concern" for Tottenham

The Austrian comes in as much-needed centre-back cover.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Feb 6, 2025

Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk handed Liverpool a comfortable 4-0 win and booked their place in the final at Wembley against Newcastle United, all while dealing a seismic blow to Postecoglou, who was just two games away from a piece of major silverware at Spurs before kick-off.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Man United (home)

February 16th

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22nd

Man City (home)

February 26th

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

One small silver lining for the Lilywhites was Tel’s flashes of brilliance and overall positive performance, after coming off the bench to replace Richarlison, who was forced off with yet another injury.

Tel was spotted waving his Tottenham teammates on against Liverpool and encouraging them to get forward, while there were also glimpses of his real tidyness on the half-turn and attacking flair at times.

The 19-year-old, going off this cameo alone, could be crucial in helping to ressurrect Postecoglou’s stuttering campaign. Beyond 2024/2025, the question remains – will Tel still be a Spurs player next season?

Journalist shares what Tottenham are actually planning for Mathys Tel

Tottenham are convinced they’ve signed a “generational talent” in Tel, with journalist Dean Jones now sharing what the future holds in store for him after Spurs signed the attacker on loan with an option to buy.

According to Jones, speaking on the Ranks FC Ultras Podcast, Tottenham fully intend to sign Tel permanently, but the reporter personally doubts whether Postecoglou’s newest recruit wants the same thing.

“At the end of the day, even if it was a dry loan, which it was going to be, in that moment, I spoke to Tottenham and I wrote a story about it. It was like Tottenham still, I think I tweeted it, I think, rather than wrote about it, it was like, Tottenham still intend to make this a permanent signing,” said Jones.

“Like, this isn’t what they want, like they’ll do it. If this is the way to do it, then all they’ll do over the following months is try to convince him that this is the place for him.

“I still feel like the player doesn’t fully want to leave Bayern Munich, and even if he does really well here at Tottenham, he might see it as, well, if I do really well, I can play for Bayern Munich again. So maybe I’m being cynical about that, but I get that impression. He didn’t really want this transfer to happen, did he?

“It was only when Man United pulled out that it came back on the table because he wanted to go there.

“Yeah, I mean, there is an element, I imagine, that he really did want to go out and get minutes, whether that meant he wanted to depart Bayern permanently or not, it is a different question. But I’m quite interested with this whole Ange Postecoglou getting on the phone and basically being like, look, this is how I see you fitting into my system. This is where I foresee you getting minutes.”

Cheteshwar Pujara to turn out for Saurashtra in the fixture in Rajkot from October 1-5

Shashank Kishore27-Sep-2022After a century on debut in both the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy, Delhi batter Yash Dhull will have an opportunity to enhance his red-ball credentials at the Irani Cup. He has been selected as part of a strong 15-member Rest of India squad, led by Hanuma Vihari, for one-off fixture against Saurashtra in Rajkot from October 1-5.Dhull, India’s 2022 Under-19 World Cup winning captain, has already racked up 770 runs in nine first-class innings, with four centuries, including a best of 200 not out. He will pitch for a berth in a strong middle order, consisting of Vihari, the in-form Sarfaraz Khan and KS Bharat, the first-choice wicketkeeper.The Rest of India squad also consists of four openers – Mayank Agarwal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal. Among them, Jaiswal, Easwaran and Panchal have been in excellent nick in red-ball cricket recently.Jaiswal will be heading into the game fresh off a career-best 265 for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone last week. Like Dhull, Jaiswal has also had a roaring start to his first-class career. In fact he became the joint-fastest Indian to 1000 runs in the format, getting there in only 13 innings at an average of 84.58, with five hundreds and a half-century.Easwaran and Panchal, meanwhile, were among the runs for India A during their 1-0 home series win over New Zealand A. Both batters have been India A regulars for the past three years and have been on the fringes of the national team.Easwaran, who captains Bengal in first-class cricket, was part of the Test squad in England last year as a reserve opener, alongside Agarwal, who will be itching to hit top form after slipping under the radar following a string of low scores leading to his omission from the fifth Test against England earlier this year. He showed a semblance of good form in the Duleep Trophy, with scores of 49 and 64 in the semi-final against North Zone.The pace attack, meanwhile, is raw. All of five first-class matches old, tearaway quick Umran Malik has continued to receive the backing of the selectors despite an underwhelming start to his red-ball career; he’s picked up all of eight wickets so far. He will be part of a four-man pace attack, alongside Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Sen and Arzan Nagwaswalla. Jayant Yadav and Saurabh Kumar are the two frontline spinners.Among the bowlers, Mukesh, Bengal’s pace spearhead, has been the most impressive in recent times. Last month, he picked up his fourth first-class five-for against New Zealand A in Bengaluru. Nagwaswalla, meanwhile, has been a regular feature in the Indian team as a net bowler over the past two seasons.The match is belatedly being held after being postponed due to Covid-19. Played between the Ranji champions and Rest of India, the match was to be a follow-up to Saurashtra’s maiden Ranji Trophy win in March 2020 but was postponed indefinitely owing to a national lockdown in the week following their win.The Rest of India squad will be coached by Sitanshu Kotak, the former Saurashtra captain, who is currently part of VVS Laxman’s larger coaching group at the National Cricket Academy. Kotak, who was with the senior Indian team as assistant coach on their tour of Ireland earlier this summer, has just finished a stint with India A, who he coached to a 3-0 sweep in the white-ball leg of the New Zealand series at home.Pujara named in Saurashtra squad
Saurashtra, meanwhile, have named Cheteshwar Pujara in their squad, which has ten of the 15 members who were part of their maiden Ranji title win in March 2020.The squad, led by Jaydev Unadkat, includes established names such as Sheldon Jackson, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Chirag Jani and Chetan Sakariya. The team will be without Avi Barot, who starred in that campaign. Barot died of cardiac arrest last October. They will be coached by former player Niraj Odedra, who was assistant to Karsan Ghavri during that memorable 2019-2020 season.Rest of India squad: Hanuma Vihari (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KS Bharat (wk), Upendra Yadav (wk), Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, R Sai Kishore, Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen, Arzan NagwaswallaSaurashtra squad: Jaydev Unadkat (capt), Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Prerak Mankad, Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Chetan Sakariya, Parth Bhut, Snell Patel (wk), Harvik Desai, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Kamlesh Makvana, Kushang Patel, Kishan Parmar

Hansi Flick has criticised Real Madrid for their behaviour towards Copa del Rey final referee Ricardo de Burgos Benegoechea.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Flick claims behaviour is 'not fair play'
• Madrid request the official be changed
• Ref's son bullied due to situation

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Flick used his Friday press conference to defend referees, saying the game must show them more respect. The ex-Bayern boss also indirectly pointed at Madrid's antics by saying: "It's not fair play not to look after them [referees]."

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Los Blancos started the controversy on Thursday after releasing a video on their club TV channel, accusing Bengoechea of bias against the club. The package cited Barca's superior winning percentage in matches officiated by the veteran ref as cause for suspicion. The club requested to replace the officiating team, though have tempered talk of a boycott. Bengoechea responded to the video in a press conference, and revealed his son had been subjected to bullying due to the situation.

• WHAT HANSI FLICK SAID

  Flick said: "For me, it’s just sport, it’s just football. We have to protect everyone involved in the game. The fans, they all want to see the players, how they play. We need the referees, and we have to look after them and be careful. It’s not fair play not to look after them, it’s not showing them respect."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Hopefully, an exciting Copa del Rey final with no major refereeing controversy, where the best team wins. But then again, this is El Clasico, so a contentious decision or two is almost guaranteed.

Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli’s partner in the century stand that rescued India and set them up for their grandstand finish against Pakistan at the MCG, knows first hand why Kohli’s epic role in that finish was “so special”. It was because of all the hard graft the pair had to do to get the innings back on track from the depths of 31 for 4 in a chase of 160.Speaking with Kohli on the BCCI’s website after the game, Hardik said Kohli’s two sixes to finish the 19th over against Haris Rauf was something only he could do, given the situation and given the conditions. “Those two shots – I knew how important those two shots were. Let’s be honest, even if you [looking at Kohli] had missed one, they were running ahead of us.”I’ve hit a lot of sixes but those are special, special, and really special in my heart now because of what [it] meant for both of us. I’ve played cricket, so much cricket, but I don’t think anyone could’ve played those two shots except Kohli.”The best part about what I loved about him [doing that] is we struggled, bro. Why it was so special was we struggled together. This would’ve been not this special if we had just cruised through. You would have played exceptional shots, I would have been [in the flow]… This was special because we knew we’d struggled.”Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya soak in the atmosphere at the MCG•ICC via Getty Images

When Hardik walked in in the seventh over, India had lost KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel. They needed 129 runs from 83 balls – asking rate over nine. There was only Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin and the fast bowlers to follow. The asking rate would rise to over 11 as the partnership went the next 24 balls without a boundary.In the 11th over, the tempo briefly changed. It started with a Hardik straight drive off legspinner Shadab Khan, before the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz was dispatched for three sixes in six balls, two by Hardik, one by Kohli. But again, India managed only three fours off the next five overs, and it was 48 off 18 and then 28 off eight before Kohli went bang, bang against Rauf.Related

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Hardik was out one ball later, for 40 off 37, before Kohli and Ashwin got the job done. Coming into the game and the innings, Hardik said he could sense tension all around, but he was just “happy to be here”, having struggled with injury issues over the past couple of years, and overcome questions of whether he would ever bowl again following back surgery.”I sensed a lot of pressure in the group,” he said. “With all due respect, a lot of people in big games [feel pressure] and [know] how important it is. We all have worked every hard as a collective, and people are happy for each other.”But for me, I don’t know, I was very numb today. Even when I came on the ground, I was very happy and I was speaking to Rahul [Dravid] sir as well initially, I wouldn’t say he was tense but he told me: ‘you have done a lot of things’, and ‘be calm’ and all that. I had to tell him: ‘sir, please understand I’m happy to be here. Ten months back, I was working in my space and I had no idea and this is where I wanted to be, irrelevant of what happens. Just happy to be here, playing with all the best cricketers in the world, and they are my brothers.”The quality of relationship that I have with this group is something I cherish and always cherish. When I was coming inside [to bat], I would have taken a bullet for you [Kohli] at that point of time, I would not have let you get out at that point of time. My goal was simple: whatever I can to make your life easy [do it], because you have done this over the years in crucial games. No one is better than handling pressure than you.”

To conduct an open trial in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit, and offer 22 women a one-year developmental contract

Umar Farooq15-Oct-2022

The pathway to the national women’s team in Pakistan is slowly but surely becoming clearer•Asian Cricket Council

Lahore Qalandars has expanded its Player Development Programme (PDP) to include women cricketers, in a bid to expand the playing base in Pakistan. The franchise is set to launch an open trial on October 18 in Lahore, with stints in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit as well, to pick a team of 22 women who will be offered a year-long contract with the aim of nurturing their talent.The model is similar to Qalandars’ men’s PDP, which has been in place since 2016, and has helped to create a production line of players for the PSL and the national circuit, with fast bowler Haris Rauf its biggest success story. For the women’s programme, the Sports Board of Punjab will work in partnership with Qalandars, providing boarding and lodging for the women based in Lahore.Related

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The non-Lahore venues for the trials have been picked specifically to tap into areas beyond the big cities, and areas where women might not easily be able to venture to another city for trials because of the often conservative cultural backgrounds they come from. Gilgit is known for producing Diana Baig a double-international, capped in both cricket and football for Pakistan.The players who are selected will get a one-year scholarship with access to Qalandars’ high-performance programme that takes in physical fitness, nutrition, and awareness of their rights, besides developing cricketing skills. Qalandars have a partnership with Australia’s Big Bash League that sees players who develop well enough through to the league, apart from helping build a player base for Pakistan’s own women’s league which will be inaugurated next March.The women’s game in Pakistan remains by and large in the developmental phase, although over the last few years a few more colleges and universities with grounds have started to play women’s teams. Acceptance for women cricketers has grown in the bigger cities like Lahore and Karachi, but in general there is a still a wider reluctance to let women play the game professionally.For women, the pathway to Pakistan’s senior women’s team had till recently now been unclear, with no lines going down to the grassroots level, meaning a pool of only 30-35 competitive cricketers at the senior level. Women cricketers had two tournaments: three teams each playing the National T20 and ODI Challenge Cups. But the PCB recently launched and conducted a successful Under-19 tournament, with an on the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa next year.

أشاد رود كرول، المدير الفني الأسبق لنادي الزمالك، بالتنظيم الذي يتمتع به النادي الأهلي، معتبرًا إياه العامل الأساسي وراء تفوق الأحمر في السنوات الأخيرة، مؤكدًا في الوقت نفسه أن الأبيض نادٍ كبير وعريق لكن تنقصه إدارة الأزمات بشكل هادئ وداخلي.

وقال كرول، في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “MBC Masr”: “ما هو سر تفوق الأهلي على الزمالك؟ أعتقد أنه بسبب التنظيم الجيد، في النادي الأهلي بشكل عام التنظيم رائع، الزمالك أيضًا يملك تاريخًا طويلًا من الانتصارات، وهو نادٍ عريق، لكن الأهلي منظم بشكل أفضل في عدة جوانب”.

وأضاف: “الأهلي يُحسن التعامل مع مشاكله داخليًا، بينما في الزمالك كثيرًا ما تخرج الأمور إلى العلن، وهو ما يُؤثر على الاستقرار العام داخل الفريق”.

وحول حظوظ الأهلي في كأس العالم للأندية، أكد كرول أن التوقعات إيجابية، لكنه حذر من الضغوط البدنية: “نعم، أتوقع أن يُحقق الأهلي نتائج جيدة في كأس العالم للأندية، لكن بعد موسم طويل ومجهد في مصر ودوري الأبطال، عليه أن يُحافظ على مستواه أو حتى يرفع من الأداء، وهذا ليس سهلًا على أي فريق مشارك في البطولة”.

طالع أيضًا | “ازعلوا مش فارق معايا”.. شوبير يوجه رسالة لإدارة الزمالك بشأن جوميز

وفي حديثه عن مستقبله التدريبي، قال المدرب الهولندي: “لا أدرب أي فريق حاليًا، لكنني كنت أمتلك عرضًا مثيرًا للعودة إلى مصر، وأتمنى أن أُقدم شيئًا لها حيث أحبها كثيرًا”.

وحول النصيحة التي يوجهها لنادي الزمالك، قال كرول: “كرة القدم تعتمد على التنظيم، على المدى القريب والبعيد، الزمالك يمتلك دائمًا قاعدة مميزة من اللاعبين الشباب، ولكن الأهم هو الحفاظ على الاستقرار الداخلي، وألا تخرج المشاكل للإعلام، مع ضرورة وجود اتساق وتفاهم بين جميع عناصر النادي لاحتواء الأزمات قبل أن تتفاقم”.

واختتم كرول تصريحاته برسالة للإدارة: “إذا أراد الزمالك العودة للصدارة، فعلى رئيس النادي أن يكون حاضرًا بقوة في الإدارة، لا في الواجهة دائمًا، يجب أن يمنح المدرب صلاحياته الكاملة، لا أن يصنع له الأزمات عند كل خسارة، الخسارة جزء من اللعبة، والمهم أن تؤمن بأن المدير الفني يملك الإمكانيات، وتمنحه الوقت والثقة”.

Sunderland fans must have been praying that the managerial appointment of Regis Le Bris last year would be the spark their beloved side needed to push back into the Championship promotion spots.

The decision to bring in a left-field option looks to be working a treat so far, with the ex-Lorient manager dreaming that a push up into the automatic promotion spaces can still be achieved as a playoff finish looks to be nailed on.

The Frenchman will also hope he can continue to utilise the transfer window to his high-flying team’s advantage, having made headlines recently for bringing in Enzo Le Fee.

Why Sunderland signed Enzo Le Fee

In an alternate reality, Le Fee could be currently lining up for Arsenal with the Gunners once linked with a move for the 24-year-old before his surprising Black Cats loan move was clinched.

In need of breathing life back into this playing days after a choppy time at parent club AS Roma, Le Fee will hope he can demonstrate his class on Wearside to steer his new team to promotion, having previously picked up eight goals and 15 assists under Le Bris’ wing at Lorient.

He certainly showed off his class in spurts during Sunderland’s recent away win at Derby County with two key passes tallied up, whilst his debut against Burnley the match prior saw him complete three successful dribbles as a stylish operator from the middle of the park.

Whilst having a player of Le Fee’s stature in the team is a big bonus – with the Frenchman’s value coming in at a weighty £15m according to Transfemarkt – Le Bris did already have a top performer in central areas of the pitch before the grand unveiling of the new number 28.

The Sunderland star who's worth as much as Le Fee

The player in question here is Sunderland captain Dan Neil who arguably slips slightly under the radar as one of the Championship club’s top assets, with Jobe Bellingham’s name often dominating conversation when it comes to potential big sales in the midfield.

Now, however, Neil could soon leave his boyhood employers for pastures new at Everton, with reports suggesting that David Moyes and Co could be prepared to offer the Black Cats in excess of £15m to land the 23-year-old.

Indeed, former Mackems boss, David Moyes, has been a keen admirer of the midfielder since working at Sunderland himself, with Neil just a wide-eyed starlet in the academy when the Scotsman was at the helm.

Since then, he has turned himself into a consistent starter in the senior fold by notching up a hefty 178 first-team appearances and counting, with the strike above against Swansea City showing off his ability to hammer a fierce effort home away from being known as a brave battler.

Neil’s increasing transfer value at Sunderland
Date	Value
January 2025	£15m
May 2024	£3.7m
March 2023	£2.1m
June 2022	£674k
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Year on year, Neil has seen his value drastically increase, with the 23-year-old worth just £674k when first making substantial waves in the Sunderland first team picture back in 2022.

He has since been able to establish himself as a “fantastic” talent in the eyes of many, including journalist James Copley, as a move up to the Premier League now potentially beckons.

The Black Cats will be clinging onto a crumb of comfort that Neil will want to stay put with his boyhood club to make promotion a reality though, with Neil remaining meaning Sunderland’s midfield options are stacked with some unbelievable quality for the level.

2025 winter transfer window: Every done deal from the Championship

Every winter transfer from the second tier can be found here.

By
Stephan Georgiou

Feb 3, 2025

The January transfer window is set to slam shut at the start of next week and Liverpool are yet to make a splash in the market to bolster their squad.

Arne Slot has not made wholesale changes to his playing group since his move to Anfeld from Feyenoord last summer, with just one first-team addition to date.

The signing of Federico Chiesa on a permanent deal last summer is his only bit of inwards business and that makes the Dutchman’s achievements, being top of the Premier League and the Champions League, all the more impressive.

Liverpool smashed Ipswich Town 4-1 at Anfield at the weekend to ensure that their six-point lead at the top of the table remains, as they go in search of a second Premier League title in their history.

Whilst the Reds may not want to make any rash decisions by panicking and signing a player midway through the season in an attempt to improve the squad, they can still identify targets ahead of the summer.

The Merseyside giants are, in fact, reportedly looking at a potential signing to arrive at Anfield at the end of the season to bolster their squad for the 2025/26 campaign.

Will he be a replacement for Mo Salah at Anfield or will they play alongside him? Only time will tell…

Why Liverpool must agree new Salah deal

The Egypt international has been in staggering form for the Reds this season in the Premier League and the Champions League, and keeping him on an extended contract should be a priority for FSG.

TEAMtalk reported last week that Salah’s preference remains to be stay at Liverpool beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in the summer, but all parties must find a middle ground in negotiations.

The outlet claimed that the forward would like a three-year extension on £400k-per-week and that his age, 33, may be why the club have not immediately placed that offer on the table.

Salah, who scored his 200th goal for Liverpool more than a year ago, currently tops the Premier League for goals (19) and assists (13), which speaks to how influential he has been for the club in their pursuit of the title.

The Reds legend has also scored three goals and provided four assists in seven appearances in the Champions League this term, which shows that he has been consistently prolific in the final third domestically and in Europe.

Perhaps the addition of this new face could prevent him from leaving…

Liverpool eyeing perfect Salah teammate in the transfer window

According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool are one of a number of clubs that lining up a possible swoop to sign Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki.

The report claims that the Reds, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur are just three of a host of English sides keeping tabs on the French ace’s situation with the Ligue 1 side.

It states that his representatives are trying to find him a move away from the French outfit and that he could be available for a fee as little as €21m (£18m), as they are ‘actively’ looking for a transfer for him.

CaughtOffside adds that Manchester United and Liverpool have both enquired about the possibility of a swoop for the France U21 international, but reveals that a move this month is unlikely, due to the window closing next week.

The report states that the Red Devils and the Premier League leaders would prefer to wait until the summer to sign the 21-year-old magician to bolster their respective squads.

Transfer Focus

It also adds that there is set to be competition from abroad as the likes of Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the Ligue 1 starlet, although it remains to be seen whether or not Leverkusen’s swoop for Emi Buendia from Aston Villa alters their stance on Cherki.

Whilst Liverpool fans may have to wait until next season to see the French wizard in a Liverpool shirt, if they win the race for his services in the summer, it could be worth the wait to see him alongside Salah at Anfield.

Why Rayan Cherki would be a dream for Mo Salah

If the club manage to keep hold of the Egypt international heading into the 2025/26 campaign, Slot could land a dream signing for the winger by bringing Cherki to Anfield in the summer transfer window.

As aforementioned, Salah is an incredibly lethal goalscorer who has the ability to consistently find the back of the net from a right wing position for Liverpool, both in the Premier League and in the Champions League.

Cherki, who was described as “outrageous” by journalist Dean Jones, is a creative midfielder who could help to supply the left-footed marksman with an ample supply of chances to find the back of the net.

The chart above shows that the Frenchman ranks within the top 1% of midfielders in the Men’s Big 5 Leagues and European competitions in almost every meaningful final third statistic per 90 over the last 365 days of action for Lyon.

This shows that he is one of the best players in his position in Europe at creating high-quality opportunities for his teammates, whilst also being able to chip in with goals of his own.

Appearances (starts)

15 (10)

6 (5)

Goals

3

2

Big chances created

8

8

Key passes per game

2.5

3.7

Assists

3

4

Dribbles completed per game

2.1

3.0

As you can see in the table above, Cherki has caught the eye in Ligue 1 and the Europa League this season with his ability to create ‘big chances’, with 16 created in 15 starts.

These statistics show that the 21-year-old magician has the ability to consistently split open opposition defences with his creative quality at the top end of the pitch, which means that he could be a dream partner for Salah in the final third next season.

If the Egypt international puts pen to paper on a new deal, he could benefit from Cherki’s key passes and the ‘big chances’ he creates to continue to score goals week-in-week-out for Liverpool in the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.

Their own Marmoush: Liverpool could sign “pure difference-maker” for £84m

Liverpool are one of a number of clubs reportedly interested in the Bundesliga forward.

2 ByDan Emery Jan 27, 2025