The veteran striker set to join MLS's surprise playoff outfit, will onboard at the start of the 2025 season

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Choupo-Moting joins RBNY on two-year dealHas scored 108 overall goalsLast played at Bayern Munich until the end of '23-24Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The New York Red Bulls will add some much-needed firepower up top next season as they have reportedly signed Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting on a two-year deal that starts in January 2025.

Choupo-Moting, 35, has had a well-traveled career in Europe, having played for seven clubs on the continent. The Cameroonian international is a bit of late bloomer, with his career taking off in the past five years with notable stops at Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The striker scored 46 of his 108 overall career goals with those two clubs during that span.

It is unclear whether Choupo-Moting will be one of the Red Bulls' designated players next season.

Sky Sports Germany were first to report the signing.

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The Red Bulls are MLS's surprise contender this postseason as they stand two wins away from winning the Cup. Yet, despite their success, striker has been an inconsistent position for Sandro Schwarz throughout the campaign.

Dante Vanzeir and Lewis Morgan have both played the position during the year, but both are better suited on the wing. With Choupo-Moting's reported arrival, he would give the Red Bulls a forward with good size at 6-3 who is adept at triggering the press from up top. All Red Bulls teams are renown for their pressing style of play, so on paper, it's an ideal fit — even if Moting is in the latter half of his 30s.

DID YOU KNOW?

Choupo-Moting has largely had a solid career as a striker, but his first year at PSG left some legitimate questions over his quality.

That's all because of an EPIC missed attempt at goal that would ultimately cost Paris the Ligue 1 title in a match against Strasburg. BBC has dubbed the worst miss in the history of football.

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE RED BULLS?

New York travels to face Orlando City SC Saturday in the MLS Eastern Conference final.

Nearing the end of a frantic summer transfer window for all the right reasons in the Midlands, Aston Villa are now preparing to round things off by submitting a big-money offer to steal the headlines one last time.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have been one of the busiest sides in Europe, welcoming the likes of Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley whilst bidding farewell to Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby. Complying with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules and adding plenty of reinforcements, those at Villa Park can deem the summer transfer window a great success – but they may not be done there.

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Recent reports have linked those in the Midlands with further arrivals before the transfer window slams shut, with Semih Kilicsoy one of the names mentioned. The 18-year-old Besiktas forward is someone who could replace Jhon Duran if the West Ham-linked striker completes a move away from Aston Villa this summer. However, before that happens, Villa have reportedly turned their attention towards a La Liga star.

According to CaughtOffside, Aston Villa are preparing to launch a €60m (£52m) move to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid this summer. The former Chelsea loanee reportedly wants out of the La Liga club with Aston Villa seemingly ready to offer him the exit route that he so desperately desires before the end of the month.

In what would arguably be their most impressive move yet, Villa could land a player who could do more than simply replace Duran. They'd be getting a player who could partner Ollie Watkins to form one of the most interesting duos in the Premier League. That said, given that Atleti signed Felix for a reported £113m back in 2019, it remains to be seen whether they would sanction a sale for under half that price.

"Special" Felix would partner Watkins

As if Watkins isn't impressive enough on his own, Felix could now emerge to take the England international up another level. The Portugal star may well have Premier League redemption on his mind, too, given how he struggled to make his mark at Chelsea in the 2022/23 campaign.

Goals

7

19

Assists

3

13

Expected goals

8.7

16.8

Key passes

19

45

Earning a reported £97,000 a week, whilst Felix's output didn't exactly stand out last season on loan at Barcelona, the fact that he was almost in line with his expected goals total suggests that, when given the chance, he's rarely wasteful.

Even though he is seemingly destined for the exit door, it's worth noting that Felix earned plenty of praise during his time at Atletico Madrid, with former teammate Alvaro Morata saying via Goal: "The truth is that Joao has a special talent, that last pass. Although also Correa, Lemar, Marcos, Koke… the people behind put up great balls and we have to keep working and run into space."

With a matter of weeks left until the summer transfer window slams shut, there's no doubt that Villa's pursuit of Felix will be one to watch.

Carlo Ancelotti has pledged that Real Madrid will reach the Champions League final despite an alarming dip in form.

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• Real lost 2-0 to Liverpool in midweek
• Kylian Mbappe struggling in Spain
• Ancelotti remains defiant

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ancelotti's Real Madrid have endured a dip in form in recent weeks, culminating in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League. While Real have won their last two La Liga games, that came after two humbling defeats, a 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona and a 3-1 loss to AC Milan.

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  Real's dismal Champions League form – they have won just two of their five games – has left them 24th in the league phase table, the final position from which a team can reach the knockout round play-off phase. Now, Ancelotti has relayed a message to Spanish news outlet , insisting that Los Blancos will reach the final.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Ancelotti is close friends with Italian journalist Alberto Cerrutti, who said: "I sent him a message this afternoon and I spoke to him. I told him that was going to call me and he told me to tell you that Real Madrid will be present in Munich for the Champions League final."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Real are back in action against Getafe in La Liga on Sunday. Their next European fixture comes on December 10, when Los Blancos face Atalanta in Italy. They also have games against Red Bull Salzburg and Brest to come.

Arsenal kickstarted their Premier League campaign in the best way possible last weekend with a relatively comfortable 2-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mikel Arteta's side weren't at their very best, but a brilliant header from Kai Havertz in the first half and a spectacular strike from Bukayo Saka in the second was enough to see them pick up all three points.

However, while there is much to be optimistic about heading into the next ten months, some fans are still hesitant to get too carried away, as Edu Gaspar and Co have yet to make an attacking addition to the first team this summer, despite finishing last season with five goals fewer than Manchester City.

The good news is that recent reports have revealed that the Gunners are looking to reinforce the frontline in the next eight days, and the latest star touted for a move to the Emirates could even challenge Havertz for a place in the team.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Italy, Arsenal are now preparing a bid for Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.

The report has revealed that the North Londoners are planning to make an offer of €50m, which is £42m, plus defender Jakub Kiwior to the Serie A side for their incredibly talented attacker.

However, the report also claims that the Bergamo-based outfit currently value the Nigerian superstar at between €65m to €70m, which would convert to between £55m and £59m.

Whether Atalanta are willing to accept the Gunners' cash plus player deal remains to be seen, but following his stellar campaign last season, Lookman would be a brilliant signing and might be able to challenge Havertz for a place in the lineup.

How Lookman compares to Havertz

So, the first thing to say is that one of the most significant benefits of signing Lookman this summer would be that he can play in any position across the frontline, including second striker.

However, considering that he started 15 matches in the centre-forward position last season and that there is still a belief that the Gunners need to strengthen there, he could move to the Emirates with the intention of operating at the top of the pitch.

If that ends up happening, then one of his biggest rivals for a place in the lineup would be Havertz, but how do the pair stack up to one another?

When it comes to their pure output from last season, it's advantage to the Atalanta man, well, sort of. In his 45 appearances, he scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.66 games.

In contrast, the German's haul of 21 goals and assists in 51 appearances comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.42 games, but when we look at the games in which the pair played up top, things get much closer.

Appearances

45

15

51

18

Goals

17

7

14

8

Games

10

6

7

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.60

0.86

0.41

0.83

For example, the former Chelsea ace's haul of 15 goals and assists in 18 appearances equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.2 games, while the former Everton star's 13 goals and assists in 15 matches comes to a slightly better average of a goal involvement every 1.15 games.

So, while the "unbelievable" Wandsworth-born ace, as dubbed by former Arsenal player Sead Kolasinac, does still maintain a slightly better average than the Gunners' number 29, it's not enough to draw conclusions about who would come out on top were they competing for a spot in Arteta's team.

This is a good thing, though, as if Lookman does end up joining Arsenal in the coming days, he'd have to compete with the likes of Havertz for a chance to be the team's starting nine, which in turn would hopefully see both players strive to be the best they can be, while also giving the manager another attacking option when the team are struggling to break down a stubborn defence.

Therefore, Edu and Co should do what they can to get this transfer sewn up as soon as possible.

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The two premier spinners in Australia will go head-to-head during the Sheffield Shield final in what could be a key contest

Daniel Brettig13-Apr-2021Among the many things Covid-19 did to Australian cricket was finally provide an answer to questions about how state teams might perform if asked to depart from the formulas they have honed over generations of playing games on extremely familiar home ground pitches.For some, it was not so well: deprived of Bellerive Oval’s seaming surface, for instance, Tasmania failed to win any of their four games in the Adelaide hub, and were twice defeated outright. But for Queensland, the move away from similarly helpful pitches for pace was revelatory, both in terms of the burgeoning talents of the wristspinner Mitchell Swepson and the way the Bulls figured out how to use him.Put simply, Swepson has been the most dominant bowling force of the Sheffield Shield this season, despite playing just four matches. In two of those, against Tasmania and South Australia, he was the reason Queensland were able to emerge with victory on the final day on slow but deteriorating surfaces. In the other two, he took the Bulls to within a wicket of beating New South Wales, also in Adelaide, and last week after returning from a neck injury he was shaping as the Blues’ major threat on the final day before rain intervened.Related

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Swepson’s tally of 29 victims at an average of 22.44, an economy rate of 2.51 runs an over and a strike rate of 53.5 balls per wicket would be excellent going for a paceman; for a wristspinner in Australia, it is close to miraculous.It also represents a similar sort of quantum leap in performance, given the opportunity to hone his craft away from the pace-friendly Gabba, to the one famously made by Marnus Labuschagne when he went to Glamorgan in the first half of 2019. Prior to this season, Swepson had only been able to bowl 20 overs or more in a fourth innings three times in his life. This summer he has more than doubled his experience of such scenarios, and the results are telling.Just ask Jimmy Peirson, Swepson’s wicketkeeper and sometimes captain. “People ask me what the difference is and honestly I just think it’s his control,” Peirson told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s been able to land all six balls in a row where he wants them for long periods of time. I think about Shane Warne when he was bowling at his best, and it’s a massive call, but he was bowling with such great control there and I think Sweppo is bowling with equally as much control.It looked as though a neck injury had ended Mitchell Swepson’s season•Getty Images

“He’s certainly putting us in situations where we’re winning games on day four, where in the past our bowlers couldn’t get the breakthrough because of flat conditions or whatever it is. But he’s just providing a fantastic attacking option. He’ll bowl at the Gabba next year, he obviously hasn’t got much of an opportunity there because we weren’t there that much, but I think no matter what conditions he’s bowling in, he’s getting the job done for us. I’m so pleased for him. I think it’s a matter of time to when he gets his baggy green cap.”The Warne call is, as Peirson puts it, a massive one, but the fact is that Swepson is actually doing better at Shield level than Warne was ever asked to before playing for Australia. Part of this is the fact that Nathan Lyon has been such a longstanding fixture in the Australia team, but also the hope that Swepson would, in time, evolve into a genuinely match-winning spin bowler who also had the control to keep a cap on the scoring of opponents when required. Though he had shown signs in 2019-20, Peirson is adamant that Adelaide was the Rubicon.”It was this season in Adelaide. He bowled us to victory over Tasmania out at Park 25, and that was certainly the day I thought ‘oh okay, it’s starting to work for him, he’s starting to get it and it’s all coming together’,” Peirson said. “It was a perfect storm in terms of now tactically he’s switched on and knows what he’s trying to do. Skill-wise he’s bowling his best ball every time with control, and you could just see the intensity in his work and what he was doing. It was a coming of age for him and continued all the way through.”He bowled beautifully against New South Wales in that game in Adelaide where we didn’t quite get the win but he almost got us to victory, then he bowled us to victory against South Australia at Glenelg on a deteriorating wicket. So that trip was where we felt ‘he’s starting to really get this’ and then he had his injury, he’s got through that and in Wollongong where it was a draw but he was well on the way to bowling us to victory there again. He’s not far away from cracking into the Australian team.”Peirson has witnessed this transformation and at the same time evolved himself as a gloveman. He no longer frets over a few byes here and there when he knows that Swepson, by spinning the ball vast distances with the help of footmarks and ageing pitches, is giving Queensland the chance to win games that in years gone by would have petered out into high scoring stalemates.”I can remember thinking last game in Wollongong, Sweppo was bowling into the footmarks to the left-handers and bowled a couple of absolute peaches, I let one go that I couldn’t do anything about and thinking ‘that’s the way it is’, and I was able to get a couple of great catches up to the stumps to Sweppo and really enjoyed the challenge,” he said. “Not many keepers get the opportunity to have a gun legspinner in their team who’s bowling with such control and spinning the ball so much.”When someone comes to you and says ‘look, I want the ball, I want to do this job’, that as a captain makes you go ‘righto, you’re the man for it’. Sweppo’s at that point now where he’s really asserting his dominance on the game he’s playing in and I think it’s fantastic. Having more guys like that in the side is only going to breed a winning culture, and I think we’re starting to get that here in Queensland and we’re seeing that through the guys who are performing and it’s so exciting for us. It’s fantastic to be part of.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

That mentality, actively wanting to be the bowler at the centre of things in the fourth innings of a game, is easier to talk about than to live. Even Warne, with all his prodigious gifts, had struggles with the concept, and Lyon’s are exceedingly well chronicled. Something for the Australian selectors to consider, at the end of a season in which India twice thwarted the hosts in the fourth innings of Test matches on surfaces offering spin but not much else, is whether Swepson’s wristspin would have posed a greater threat than Lyon’s off-breaks.Certainly the numbers offer some clue as to the fact that Swepson is now deserving of a chance to be tried, not just as a second spinner overseas, but as the first-choice tweaker on fifth-day surfaces at home. One of Lyon’s strongest qualities – both a strength and a weakness – is consistency across a game. Essentially he poses almost as much of a threat in the first innings (105 Test wickets at 32.61) as the fourth (85 at 30.4) despite changing conditions.Should Mitchell Swepson be considered instead of Nathan Lyon?•Getty Images

By contrast, albeit at a lower level, Swepson is developing into a genuine strike bowler at the back ends of matches. The anecdotal evidence of huge turning deliveries like the ones he sliced through Daniel Hughes and Lachlan Hearne in Wollongong last week are backed up by the fact that over the last two seasons his bowling average across a game drops from around 46 (strike rate of 94.5) in the first innings to 20 (52.4) in the fourth. Swepson may offer something more to opponents early in a game, but as the hour of decision arrives, he is increasingly deadly.What should also give pause to all those pondering Australia’s spin bowling options is how Swepson’s trend across a game follows that of R Ashwin, arguably the world’s pre-eminent spin bowler in the same era Lyon has occupied. Ashwin averages 28.90 and strikes every 62.4 balls in the first innings of a game, but by the fourth innings he becomes something far more dangerous, nailing an opponent every 45.3 balls at a cost of 19.13 runs apiece.Australia, blessed with the extreme consistency of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in particular, should be able to afford thinking about a spin bowling option who can grow into a game when the seam and bounce the fast men thrive upon is starting to wane. All this is to say that when Swepson and Lyon face each other once more in this week’s Sheffield Shield final at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, there should be consideration of what there is to be gained from wristspin, now that it is clear the selectors have one of the requisite quality to be tried.But a bit like how Covid forced the early rounds of the Shield to Adelaide and Swepson into the strike bowler’s role, it will take either some selection courage, or a drastic change of circumstances, to find out.

As the transfer window approaches the deadline, Manchester United are still looking to round off an excellent summer and have reportedly tabled an offer worth over £40m to sign a Europa League winner.

Man Utd transfer news

Welcoming Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, the Red Devils, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth have so far enjoyed a solid transfer window, bolstering Erik ten Hag's backline and offensive options. Those at Old Trafford were instantly rewarded for their business on the opening day of their Premier League campaign too, when Zirkzee scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Fulham.

Yet, even after welcoming such reinforcements, Manchester United remain without a potential long-term replacement for Casemiro, who struggled to keep up with the pace of the Premier League last season.

Of course, the main name mentioned on that front has been Manuel Ugarte. The Red Devils are reportedly advancing with talks to sign the midfielder, having already agreed personal terms. But whilst they remain without an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, those at Old Trafford have reportedly explored another option.

According to reports, which have been relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester United submitted an offer worth €50m (£43m) to sign Ederson from Atalanta after talks, however, the Serie A side instantly turned the bid down.

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The offer came Atalanta's way during a meeting with Manchester United chiefs in Italy, which was initially meant to be about sorting paperwork regarding Rasmus Hoijlund's move to Old Trafford last summer before the subject and subsequent bid for Ederson was reportedly brought up.

A recent Europa League winner, the Brazilian could certainly solve Ten Hag's Casemiro problem, but as things stand, he remains an Atalanta player.

"Machine" Ederson is arguably better than Casemiro and Ugarte

If Manchester United saw their chase to sign Ugarte fall apart and leave them with no choice but to go all out for Ederson, then it could arguably be a blessing in disguise. The Brazilian played a pivotal part in Atalanta's Europa League campaign, including in impressive victories over Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, as the Italians became the only side to defeat Xabi Alonso's side last season.

League stats 23/24 (via FBref)

Ederson

Ugarte

Casemiro

Progressive Carries

32

16

12

Progressive Passes

214

87

112

Tackles Won

49

57

56

Ball Recoveries

188

181

133

What instantly stands out is Ederson's ability to progress play, with an impressive 214 progressive passes to his name last season, over 100 more than both Ugarte and Casemiro managed. As United look to step on the front foot every week, that ability would quickly prove to be vital.

Dubbed a "machine" by Football Transfers' Carlo Garganese following his display against Leverkusen in the Europa League final, Ederson could slot straight into Ten Hag's side. Alas, with just over a week left until the transfer window slams shut for the summer, he is currently on course to remain an Atalanta player.

Ange Postecoglou confronted angry Tottenham supporters after Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth saw them drop to 10th in the Premier League table.

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• Tottenham beaten by Bournemouth
• Supporters clashed with Postecoglou at full-time
• Spurs fans called out for behaviour

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham suffered their sixth defeat of the 2024-25 Premier League season on Thursday against Bournemouth. After the frustrating loss at the Vitality Stadium, a section of Spurs fans hurled abuse at head coach Postecoglou, who walked across the pitch to confront the angry supporters in the away end and exchanged a heated conversation. One of the insults from the fans was 'Poste-no-clue'.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Spurs supporters' behaviour towards their own manager did not go down well with some X users, who called the fanbase 'spoilt' and 'classless'.

  @NjokuOTR wrote on X, "Posto No Clue. Classless fans."

  @nragavan3011 found humour in Spurs fans' behaviour as he wrote, "Postenoclue is objectively funny."

  A user with the handle @g9muskan slammed those digging out Postecoglou and wrote, "Blaming the managers while the club hasn’t won anything since 2008 is comedy gold."

  @lthfcg wrote, "Embarrassing spoilt fans. Not even 18 months in, clear gaps in the squad, & an injury crisis making us even worse. Brain dead fans, all of them."

  Meanwhile, @matthayesthfc wrote, "This is an absolute disgrace. Anyone directing any abuse at this man should be ashamed. Think what you want about his tactics and ability, but he has represented this football club with passion, dignity and respect. The game would be a lot better with more men like him."

  And @iaind93 claimed, "Said it at the time Tottenham was a bad fit for him, never going to win anything there."

• Getty Images Sport
  

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  The former Celtic boss addressed the issue in his post-match press conference: "They're disappointed and rightly so. They gave me some direct feedback, which I've taken on board. I didn't like what was being said because I'm a human being but you've got to cop it.

  "I've been around long enough to know that when things don't go well you've got to understand the frustration and disappointment. And they're rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that's OK. I'm OK with all that. All I can say is I'm really disappointed and I'm determined to get it right and will keep fighting until we do."

  He added: "It comes down to us as a collective being a lot more determined to control a game of football and not let the opposition take control."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Spurs, who have not won a single game since their 4-0 demolition of reigning champions Manchester City, will aim to get back to winning ways on Sunday as they take on an in-form Chelsea side at home.

The attacking midfielder left the game in the first half after taking a knock on the calf, and his side went on to lose 2-1

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Christian Pulisic subbed off with injuryLeads Milan with nine goal contributions in Serie A this seasonAtalanta won 2-1 thanks to late Ademola Lookman goalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Milan and the USMNT might have an injury concern after Christian Pulisic was forced off with a knock in Serie A clash with Atalanta. The attacking midfielder took a blow to his left calf 32 minutes into the contest, and after playing on for five minutes, limped off. He went straight down the tunnel.

The struggled without him, and went on to lose 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Lookman. They are now seventh in Serie A, three points behind sixth-placed Juventus, who occupy the final European spot.

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The injury seems to have come an at inopportune time for Milan. were locked at 1-1 against Atalanta when he was removed, and were looking for a result against the reigning Europa League Champions to stay in contention for a European spot next season. Pulisic has been crucial for Paulo Fonseca's side this season, leading the team in goals and assists. Fellow U.S. teammate Yunus Musah also started the contest, and failed to have an impact before being subbed for Samuel Chukwueze late on.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pulisic has remained relatively injury free for the last year. He missed six games at the start of the 2023-24 season, but enjoyed a run of fitness since then.

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DAZNWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

The USMNT star will now await injury evaluation, and there is no immediate update on his status. The Rossoneri play FK Crvena zvezda in the Champions League midweek.

Rajasthan Royals’ Andrew Tye was the first Australian to leave the IPL, on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2021The Australian pair of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa, both of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, have left the IPL and will be returning to Australia. A statement by the franchise put their decision down to “personal reasons”.

Official Announcment:

Adam Zampa & Kane Richardson are returning to Australia for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of #IPL2021. Royal Challengers Bangalore management respects their decision and offers them complete support.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/NfzIOW5Pwl

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 26, 2021

Richardson and Zampa became the second and third Australians to leave the IPL following the Rajasthan Royals’ Andrew Tye’s departure on Sunday. Tye has flown back to Australia to avoid the risk of not being able to return home because of the prevailing Covid-19 situation.

“Everyone’s sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there’ll be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia”David Hussey

“There was a number of reasons [for leaving], but the main one was with the situation that has started to happen back home in Perth with a lot of cases in hotel quarantine coming out of India,” Tye told SEN radio from Doha on Monday as he transited on to a flight to Sydney. “Now there’s been a community case in Perth, governments are trying to restrict numbers coming back in, especially Western Australia.”Related

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Englishman Liam Livingstone, also of the Royals, had left for home last week citing “bubble fatigue”, while R Ashwin left the Delhi Capitals team set-up on Sunday to return home to be with his family as India grappled with a vicious second wave of the pandemic.David Hussey, an assistant coach with the Kolkata Knight Riders, has opened up on the subject to the , saying, “Everyone’s sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there’ll be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia.”Richardson played one game for the Royal Challengers in IPL 2021, returning figures of 1 for 29 in three overs against the Royals in Mumbai. Zampa hasn’t featured in the playing XI for RCB at all this season despite spin-friendly conditions in Chennai. He had earlier missed the first game of RCB’s season because of his marriage.With Richardson and Zampa leaving, the Royal Challengers’ overseas contingent has been reduced to six players: Finn Allen, Dan Christian, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson and Daniel Sams.

The winds of change have blown for Liverpool this year, with Arne Slot's budding project seemingly heading in the right direction. Pre-season results must be taken with a pinch of salt but the smoothness of the Dutchman's style's inculcation is promising to say the least.

Having defeated Arsenal 2-1 in an entertaining friendly in Philadelphia, the Reds are starting to prove their ball-playing faculty, and while fans hope to see some activity this summer in the centre of the park, signing a build-up specialist to orchestrate from the base of the midfield and offer competition to Wataru Endo, treatment is needed elsewhere.

Central defence has long been considered an area in need of revamping at Anfield, especially after Joel Matip's contract expired in June, but Jarell Quansah's emergence has eased the need for immediate investment.

The attacking flanks are similarly in need of some added firepower, especially as the lionised Mohamed Salah steps into his final year, and since sporting director Richard Hughes suggested Liverpool could see a "crescendo" in August, FSG seem set to accelerate their interest in the coming weeks.

Liverpool ready to pounce

As per Football Transfers, Liverpool are among the top Premier League clubs interested in signing Pedro Neto this summer, though Tottenham Hotspur currently have the lead in the race.

Title favourites Arsenal and Manchester City are also interested in signing the 24-year-old, who has suffered his share of injury problems in recent years but remains one of the most coveted wingers in English football.

Valued at £60m by Wolverhampton Wanderers, it's generally accepted at Molineux that the Portuguese winger will be sold this summer, and given he is highly effective across both flanks, he could be the perfect addition to a Liverpool side stepping back into the Champions League and indeed a new era.

Why Liverpool could sign Pedro Neto

Neto has been a prominent figure in the Premier League for a number of years now, having signed for Wolves from Serie A side Lazio in an £8m double swoop with Bruno Jordao back in 2019.

He was only 19. Now, a fully-fledged sensation, Neto has established himself as one of Wolves' most talented players in modern history, described as an "incredibly talented and physically very gifted player" by boss Gary O'Neil at the start of the 2023/24 season.

Injuries might have been his enemy but Neto succeeded in levelling up to an elite-level quality last term, notching three goals and 11 assists across 24 fixtures in all competitions, albeit missing two large portions with hamstring injuries.

Pedro Neto: Premier League Stats by Season
Season	Apps	Starts	Goals	Assists
2023/24	20	18	2	9
2022/23	18	13	0	0
2021/22	13	5	1	1
2020/21	31	30	5	6
2019/20	29	9	3	3
Stats via Transfermarkt

Slot, like Jurgen Klopp, implements an intense style of football that is birthed from high-octane training sessions, though, unlike his predecessor, the 46-year-old has an exemplary fitness record across his past two clubs: Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Neto, moreover, has a lot of experience on the right flank, with his left-footed preference allowing him to drift inside and wreak havoc, evidenced by his ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for assists and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

The Portugal international would be a dynamic and versatile option for a healthy attacking fold on Merseyside, and while supporters crave the signing of Anthony Gordon, this might actually be the one to go for.

How Pedro Neto compares to Anthony Gordon

Hailed as a "pace monster" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Neto would add a dimension to Slot's wide play and enhance the overall fluency of a Liverpool side that is already tantalising a successful season.

Gordon was deservedly crowned Newcastle's Player of the Year for 2023/24 after his prolific campaign, scoring 12 goals and supplying 11 assists across all competitions and being praised for taking "it up a level" by pundit Jamie Carragher.

The former Everton player has also hit a career goal contribution rate of 0.28 while on the right, as opposed to 0.40 on the left, so he wouldn't be able to sort out Liverpool's Salah conundrum with the same success as the protean-performing Neto.

Given that Liverpool already yield one of the Premier League's finest left-wingers in Luis Diaz, who has been linked with a move away this summer but seems unlikely to be going anywhere, with no contact pointed Liverpool's way.

And as a further point, while Gordon offered far greater striking output than the Old Gold phenom last season, the underlying numbers suggest that Neto could offer more to the Liverpool first team.

Premier League 23/24: Pedro Neto vs Anthony Gordon
Statistics	Pedro Neto	Anthony Gordon
Matches played	20	35
Matches started	18	34
Goals	2	11
Assists	9	10
Big chances created	7	16
Pass completion	83%	82%
Shots per game	1.8	2.3
Key passes per game	1.9	1.6
Dribbles per game	1.9	1.5
Ball recoveries per game	4.0	3.6
Duels won per game	3.5	5.3
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see from the table above, Neto is a more creative and more progressive player than Gordon, at least, he performed as such last term. His goalscoring wasn't at the same standard but he also played in a goal-shy Wolves team, tasked as the architect of the playmaking.

And a move to Slot's Liverpool could alter that considerably, for the Anfield outfit created more big chances in the Premier League last year than any of their rivals (with 102).

Wolves, conversely, ranked 16th (with 54), making a telling comment on the importance of Neto's creative input. Newcastle, as an addendum, ranked joint-second with 97 big chances created – one can only imagine the chaos Neto would have wreaked if placed in either of the northern sides.

Liverpool must sign Neto this summer; that is by no means meant to discredit Gordon's exciting skillset, but the Portuguese, when fit and firing, is a force to be reckoned with and would make a marked improvement on the Reds.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 1, 2024