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Arsenal are closing in on signing Sporting CP's star forward Viktor Gyokeres after agreeing personal terms with the player. The Gunners are now negotiating a deal for the 27-year-old and are reportedly in advanced talks with the Portuguese champions. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Gyokeres since the start of the summer and it now seems that the club will get their desired player.

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Arsenal close to signing Gyokeres Have agreed personal terms with playerArteta wants the transfer to be completed as soon as possibleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Gunners are now discussing the transfer for Gyokeres with Sporting CP but are confident of securing the transfer after agreeing personal terms with the forward. The English giants are reportedly offering a five-year contract, which the player has agreed.

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The report adds that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants the club to finalise the deal as soon as possible so that the player can join the squad for their pre-season from the beginning. The Gunners stars are expected to reconvene later this month before heading to Asia for pre-season.

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According to , Gyokeres may not turn up to pre-season at the club's Cristiano Ronaldo Academy HQ in a stunning turn of events as he attempts to force through a move from Sporting CP to Arsenal.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The North London side will jet off to Singapore first, where they are scheduled to play two pre-season friendlies against AC Milan and Newcastle on July 23 and 27, respectively. They will then travel to Hong Kong, where they face arch-rivals Tottenham.

Hampshire face just seven overs in reply as challengers are thwarted at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2023Matt Critchley fell one run short of his third LV= Insurance County Championship of the season before title-contenders Essex declared on a hefty 447 against Hampshire.Critchley had been strolling towards three figures and 1,000 runs for the season but stuttered on 99 before he slapped to short extra cover.Simon Harmer and Umesh Yadav, the latter in electrifying style, struck half-centuries as Essex continued to tot up the runs before a lunchtime declaration, before Hampshire scored 10 without loss in seven overs.Essex accrued three batting points in their quest to challenge Surrey for the title – which cancelled out the three bowling points Surrey picked up against Northamptonshire. The points difference remains 18.Having resumed on 310 for six, and just eight overs into the second new ball, Essex had the 350-run bonus point in their sights.Critchley was more watchful than he had been during his exciting 177-run partnership with centurion Adam Rossington.He went from 83 in 123 balls to 99 in 162 balls before getting stuck. He batted out a maiden from Liam Dawson – which included him getting dropped off a caught and bowled.Three more dots off Kyle Abbott followed as he struggled to find a gap in the field, before attempted to hit Dawson over the covers and was caught by Nick Gubbins at short extra cover.Critchley had never had the misfortune of falling for 99 before, while he now has 969 runs for the season.His departure sparked an up-turn in the tempo, as Harmer sparked into life and Yadav took a fancy to Dawson and fellow spinner Felix Organ.They scored 77 runs in seven and a half overs before the declaration came – their 70 stand coming in 69 balls.Harmer dominated his boundary hitting by rocking onto the backfoot and cutting behind point, although also pinged Dawson over long on after coming down the track.The South African’s half-century came in 76 balls as he moved past 500 runs in a profitable season from the lower-middle order.Yadav’s 51 off 45 was breathtaking. The Indian swung hard and far in his four sixes, and his three fours didn’t come from precision play either.Harmer and Yadav were both caught at long on going for a big shot, with the latter’s bringing the end of the innings and lunch.Sam Cook sent down three maidens in response, with Harmer’s sole over also runless.Toby Albert and Fletcha Middleton’s 10 runs all came off Jamie Porter before bad light took the two teams off.The forecast rain then battered the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford and saw play called off just before 16.30.

Manchester City have a “concrete interest” in signing a Premier League ace who is represented by the same agency as Ilkay Gundogan.

Man City eyeing more signings after busy January

Pep Guardiola’s were unusually busy during the recent January transfer window after a poor 2024/25 campaign. The Sky Blues are set to see their run of four successive top-flight titles come to an end at the hands of Liverpool, and in the Champions League, were knocked out by Real Madrid after squeezing through the new group phase format.

Omar Marmoush

Eintracht Frankfurt

€75m

Nico Gonzalez

FC Porto

€60m

Abdukodir Khusanov

Lens

€40m

Vitor Reis

Palmeiras

€37m

Juma Bah

Real Valladolid

€6m

City can still end the season with silverware in the FA Cup, but it looks as if the club are already looking at more signings after sealing deals for five new players at the beginning of 2025.

There were claims that Man City have already agreed to sign Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton and are readying a £70m offer to sign Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes.

Man City tracking "world-class" keeper who will cost £5m more than Ederson

City are keeping a close eye on a player who they believe is the perfect signing for Guardiola.

ByBrett Worthington Mar 24, 2025

Those at the Etihad appear to be looking at players with Premier League experience despite none of their winter signings playing in the top flight. Now, it looks as if another Premier League gem is catching City’s eye.

Man City showing “concrete interest” in £55m Dibling

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Man City are eyeing a move to sign Southampton gem Tyler Dibling this summer.

City and rivals Tottenham are the two Premier League clubs showing the most “concrete interest” in the 19-year-old, who has impressed in what has been a struggling Saints side this season.

There have been suggestions that Southampton want £55m for their teenage star, with Plettenberg adding that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig have a chance of securing Dibling’s services.

Dibling has contributed to six goals in 30 appearances in all competitions this season, featuring as a right-winger, attacking midfielder and centre-forward on the south coast.

Southampton are set to be relegated back to the Championship after only being promoted last summer, and Dibling, who shares the same ROOF agency as Gundogan, looks set to be on the move.

He has been praised by Dion Dublin earlier this season, who compared Dibling to former Man City ace Cole Palmer. “Do you know what it is? I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but he plays his game like Cole Palmer, doesn’t he? He plays free and easy, and he gets himself into good positions, rolls players and takes the ball well.”

Meanwhile, Danny Murphy said: “It is the quality he has got – the belief in himself and the physical power. He just goes past people with ease. He has got a lovely left foot. He is very brave on the ball and his decision-making is good. It is difficult to get too over the top with these young players, because he has just come on to the scene, but he is going to be something special.”

Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Shakib al Hasan and Mohammad Rizwan are among some of the most prominent players drafted in for the third edition of the Global T20 Canada. The league, which returns for the first time in four seasons, will be played between July 20 and August 6 in Ontario.The league has gone through something of a revamp since its last edition. Winnipeg Hawks, who won the league last time it was held, no longer take part, while Edmonton Royals are also absent. Their place is taken by Surrey Jaguars and Mississauga Panthers. Each side will include two marquee players and three Canadian players from the national side, as well as three emerging Canadian players, with 25 matches to be played across the 18 days.This means there will be two high-profile North American T20 franchise-based leagues this summer, after dates for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket, set to be played in Texas in July, were announced last month.The GT20’s return adds further strain on a cricketing calendar already groaning under the weight of several T20 leagues. It will clash with Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka in July, with 14 Pakistan players picked up across the six franchises. The PCB has insisted that players chosen for the Test series will not go to the GC20.The first two seasons took place in 2018 and 2019, but following payment disputes and the Covid pandemic, a third edition wasn’t held in the next three years.Squads []:Surrey Jaguars: Alex Hales, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Behrendorff, Liton Das, Karim Janat, Mohammad Haris, Sandeep LamichaneMississauga Panthers: Shoaib Malik, Chris Gayle, Azam Khan, James Neesham, Cameron Delport, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tom CooperBrampton Wolves: Harbhajan Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Mark Chapman, Usama Mir, Hussain Talat, Usman Khan, Logan van Beek, Jan Nocolas Frylinck, Max O’DowdVancouver Knights: Mohammad Rizwan, Rassie van der Dussen, Naveen ul Haq, Reeze Hendricks, Corbin Bosch, Najibullah Zadran, Kartik Meiyappam, Ruben TrumpelmannMontreal Tigers: Shakib al Hasan, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Sherfane Rutherford, Carlos Brathwaite, Abbas Afridi, Zahir KhanToronto Nationals: Colin Munro, Shahid Afridi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zaman Khan, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Gerhard Erasmus

It’s set to be a vitally important summer for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

After a campaign that has been defined by an incredible number of injuries and the emergence of several incredible youngsters, Daniel Levy and Co have to make some big investments in the upcoming transfer window to ensure Ange Postecoglou, or whoever is in the hot seat, can take the club forward next season.

However, while sorting out the right incomings is going to be of paramount importance, it will be just as crucial to keep a hold of the team’s best players.

Unfortunately, this could be a problem for the North Londoners, as recent reports have touted one of their stars with a move to Real Madrid, a move reminiscent of Gareth Bale’s in 2013.

Tottenham Transfer news

According to a recent report from Spain, Cristian Romero could be on his way to Real Madrid this summer.

Transfer Focus

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

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The report has revealed that the Argentinian international has not hidden his interest in playing for the Spanish giants and that should they come in for him at the end of the season, he’d ‘be willing to take the step.’

The one piece of good news to come from the report is the claim that while Los Blancos like the player, he is only seen as one of a few options at the moment, although the fact his contract expires in two years makes a move for him more realistic than some of their other targets.

While Romero has been out of action for much of this season, his importance to Spurs cannot be underestimated, so losing him to Real would be a disaster, similar to the loss of Bale over a decade ago.

Why Romero's exit would be a Bale repeat

So, there are a couple of reasons why losing Romero this summer would be very reminiscent of Bale’s departure in 2013, with the most straightforward being that both players would have gone to Real Madrid.

The second similarity would be their respective importance to the North Londoners.

For example, in his final campaign for the Lilywhites, the Cardiff-born phenomenon was a force of nature, scoring 26 goals and providing ten assists in just 44 appearances, which came out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games.

Now, it’s probably fair to say that the former Atalanta star does not have quite the same impact on the team as the Welsh icon did, but that doesn’t mean he’s not incredibly important, and if Lionel Messi thinks he’s “the best defender in the world,” he’s got to be up there with some of the best in the league.

For example, he’s one of the club’s co-vice captains, and across his 115 appearances for the team, he’s scored seven goals, provided one assist and averaged 1.69 points per game, which is an average significantly reduced by the limited appearances he’s made across this dismal campaign.

Romero’s Spurs career

Appearances

115

Goals

7

Assists

1

Yellow Cards

29

Second Yellows

3

Red Cards

1

Points per Game

1.69

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In fact, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the team have struggled so dramatically in defence during the season he and Micky van de Ven have been out of action for significant amounts of time.

Finally, while Levy and Co would likely receive a sizable fee for the World Cup-winning “monster,” as dubbed by journalist Charlie Eccleshare, it seems unlikely that they’d be able to sign a defender as good as him and could end up wasting the money on several players as they did in 2013.

Ultimately, Romero is obviously not on the same level as Bale, but were he to leave Spurs for Real Madrid this summer, his move would certainly mirror the Welshman’s.

Related Ange has found a "generational" talent at Spurs who's the new Mousa Dembele

Spurs may well have found their new Mousa Dembele this season.

Posts 3 ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 19, 2025

Super Over Ish Sodhi’s last-ball six tied the game after Dasun Shanaka looked to have almost won it for the visitors defending 12 off the final over, but Maheesh Theekshana held his nerve in the Super Over before Charith Asalanka chased down the nine-run target, to give Sri Lanka their first win of the tour.It was fitting that Asalanka was the man left at the end after his 41-ball 67 had helped propel Sri Lanka to a challenging 196 for 5 at Eden Park. Kusal Perera, back in the limited-overs side for the first time in over a year, also made a triumphant return batting through the innings for a 45-ball 53. With his thirteenth half-century in T20Is, he equalled Tillakaratne Dilshan’s record for the most fifties in the format for Sri Lanka.While that would normally be an imposing total, Eden Park with its odd dimensions and especially short boundaries straight down the ground, meant Sri Lanka could never relax in their defence of it. And so it proved.Despite some early wickets in their chase, New Zealand’s batters – particularly Daryl Mitchell, who struck five fours and three sixes in his 44-ball 66 – found boundaries with regularity to keep up with the near 10-an-over required rate.But even if keeping the scoring down was proving difficult, especially later on with a bit of drizzle wetting the ball, Sri Lanka did well to keep picking up wickets at crucial junctures, and in the end did better in the key moments to secure a much-needed win.Kusal Mendis scoops one behind for a six•Getty Images

Mendis lays the platform

When Pathum Nissanka nicked one through first ball, the hosts might have had allusions towards repeating the collapse from the first ODI, but Kusal Mendis quickly put paid to any such notions. In a nine-ball cameo the diminutive right-hand batter plundered 25 runs, 24 of which came in boundaries. Adam Milne took the brunt of Mendis’ wrath in a 22-run third over, inclusive of two sixes, one an impetuous flick over the shoulder. By the time Mendis departed, holing out at short fine leg after attempting another cheeky ramp, Sri Lanka had raced to 47 off just 3.2 overs.

Perera and Asalanka keep up the momentum

Sri Lanka lost three wickets inside the powerplay, but their scoring rate never dipped. Following Mendis’ early onslaught, Dhananjaya de Silva stepped in for a 10-ball 15, before Asalanka and Perera took hold of proceedings. Perera had earlier smoked three consecutive boundaries through the off side, ranging from the arc behind point to straight of mid-off, but once Asalanka joined in, he took a back seat. Unsurprisingly, Asalanka favoured the short straight boundaries, walloping five of his six sixes in the arc in front of the pitch. New Zealand would pull things back after Asalanka’s departure, allowing just 11 runs from overs 17 to 19, but such was the platform set by the two half-centurions, an 18-run last over, courtesy Wanindu Hasaranga, was enough to put some gloss on the innings at the death.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mitchell shows his might

Sri Lanka looked to have orchestrated a dream start to the defence of their total, getting rid of Tim Seifert and Chad Bowes inside the first two overs, but then entered Mitchell. Off just the third delivery he faced, Mitchell showed his intent, sending a high-elbow lofted drive sailing over the short straight boundary, before repeating the trick in Dilshan Madushanka’s next over as well. At the other end, Tom Latham kept the required rate in control, ensuring at least a boundary each over. Together the pair added 63 off 39 deliveries. After Latham fell, Mitchell carried on, putting on a 40-ball 66-run stand with Mark Chapman. The two also memorably combined for an almost game-changing 24-run 12th over off Madushanka.

Sri Lanka hold their nerve

In a game where runs came easy, it was always going to be small periods that shifted momentum either way, and it was in these periods that Sri Lanka won the game. First there was the counterattack following Nissanka’s early dismissal, and then Wanindu’s last over flourish. Then with the ball after Mitchell had struck with a counter of his own, captain Shanaka brought himself on to dismiss the danger man. In the final over too, Shanaka took out the equally dangerous Rachin Ravindra, whose 13-ball 26 had brought the hosts within a whisker. And then finally, the excellent Theekshana bowled a Super Over of immense quality to ensure his batters had only a minimal chase on their hands.

Rob McElhenney and wife Kaitlin Olson have joined the Las Vegas promotion party that Wrexham's Hollywood co-owner is helping to fund.

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Back-to-back-to-back promotionsThree successive trips to Sin CityPlayers mingling with co-chairmanFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

For the third successive year, the Red Dragons find themselves in Sin City. Celebrations that have quickly become an annual tradition first took place back in 2023 after Phil Parkinson’s side claimed the National League trophy in record-breaking style.

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They returned to Nevada in 2024 after claiming a runners-up finish in League Two, and are now back in the United States after spending just one season in the third tier of English football – with plans being drawn up for life in the Championship.

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McElhenney has made a point of joining jubilant players for a five-star soiree in the desert, with Olson brought along to act as a motherly figure to those that may need the odd reminder to apply sunscreen and rein in the festivities a little.

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THE GOSSIP

McElhenney is back in the swing of things for 2025, with Wrexham’s co-chairman happy to pose shirtless with the likes of Elliot Lee – who Olson has admitted to being a big fan of, with the all-action midfielder forming part of back-to-back-to-back promotion campaigns.

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Manchester United staff are rebelling against INEOS after seeing more job cuts announced, with CEO Omar Berrada asked: "Why don’t you take a £1m cut?"

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• Controversial cost-cutting measures put in place
• More redundancies on the cards at Old Trafford
• Players and board members told to cut their pay

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Controversial money-saving measures have been put in place since Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Britain’s richest man – completed his purchase of a 27.7 per cent stake in the Red Devils back in February 2024.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Results on the field have remained disappointing, despite reaching the Europa League semi-finals, and questions continue to be asked of what those pulling the strings are doing in order to deliver a reversal in fortune.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ratcliffe and Co remain focused on cost-cutting behind the scenes, with a further 200 positions set to go. Staff at United’s Carrington training complex have been informed that they will form part of that redundancy wave.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT A SOURCE SAID

  Berrada was charged with the task of delivering that news and found himself in the firing line. A source has told : "Everything has changed since INEOS came in – and not for the better.

  "Berrada stood in front of everybody at the academy and said we had to do it. But someone stood up and told him 'you said six months ago that we had to lose 250 jobs but this would be it.

  "Now six months later we’re losing another 200 people. What’s to say in six months’ time it won’t be happening again?’ A couple of months ago we got the email about lunches being ended and Berrarda told us it would save £1m a year.

  "But someone piped up ‘hang on a minute – that’s one month’s wages for Casemiro; you’re on £4m a year, so why don’t you take a £1m cut?’ The mood is really not good. It’s got to the point where people are choosing not to go to the training ground unless they have to be there."

Left-arm spinner Sophie Day took five wickets as Tasmania’s chase fell away after a strong start

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2022

Sophie Molineux’s maiden WNCL hundred and a five-wicket haul for Sophie Day took Victoria to their first win of the season with a 46-run victory over Tasmania.Molineux’s 113 off 116 balls, the latest in a long list of centuries in the tournament this season, was the cornerstone of a strong batting display. She formed a 129-run stand for the third wicket with Annabel Sutherland who continued her own impressive form with 68 off 76 balls to follow two hundreds.That followed a second-wicket partnership of 92 in 16 overs with Ellyse Perry which laid the foundation for the innings.Molineux brought up her hundred from 102 balls before becoming one of Sasha Moloney’s four wickets as she finished with outstanding figures in a sizeable total.Victoria’s didn’t close particularly well with the bat, losing 7 for 38 in the final seven overs but it did not end up proving costly.However, it looked like it could do when Tasmania reached 1 for 127 in the 25th over with Elyse Villani and Nicola Carey, who scored a century in the previous match, forging a good partnership.But Day, the left-arm spinner, changed things when she removed Villani and did considerable damage to the middle order. When she had Carey caught in the deep it was a massive dent in Tasmania’s chances although Emma Manix-Geeves and Moloney kept some hope alive before Day claimed her fifth wicket.The WNCL now breaks for the WBBL which begins next week and resumes in December.

While there is a lot of understandable doom and gloom surrounding Arsenal this season, there is still a lot to play for.

Liverpool dropped more points in the Premier League last season, and Mikel Arteta’s side sit third in the Champions League table, primed to sail into the next round without the hassle of a play-off.

However, to give themselves the best chance of turning things around and ending the year with another trophy in the cabinet, the Gunners must bring in some more attacking reinforcements, especially given their injury situation and the likelihood that Bukayo Saka will remain out for most of the campaign.

Fortunately, recent reports have once again linked the club with an incredibly exciting winger who not only has the ability to change games but also won comparisons to Saka just last year.

Arsenal chase European champion

Reports in the last 24 hours have suggested that Arsenal are closing in on a move to sign Real Sociedad midfielder, Martin Zubimendi.

That being said, he’s not the only Euro 2024 winner and LaLiga star on the Gunners’ wishlist in 2025.

Indeed, according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano via GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal have maintained their strong interest in Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams.

Romano explains that the talented winger ”is one of the most appreciated players on Arsenal’s list’ and that ‘Arteta and the management love his skills and potential.’

However, he also claims that the financial package required to sign him is ‘very expensive’ and that with wages of £169k-per-week, it could be difficult for Arsenal to bring him to the club this window, especially as other reports this month have confirmed that his £50m release clause would need to be paid upfront.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Williams’ immense ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he was compared to the sensational Saka last year.

How Nico Williams compares to Saka

So, before we get to some of the other reasons why Arsenal should be looking to go all out and break the bank for Williams this month, let’s examine this comparison to Saka and where it comes from.

There are a few apparent similarities between the pair, such as them both being brilliantly entertaining wingers who take on much of the attacking responsibility of their respective teams, but in this case, the comparison primarily stemmed from FBref.

It compared players in similar positions in last year’s European Championships, then created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and concluded that the Englishman was the ninth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Spaniard.

We can better understand how this conclusion was reached by looking at the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual assists, progressive passes and carries, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

Lastly, and this links in with the above comparison, both wingers have taken a leading role in their national team, showing that they share a similar maturity beyond their years and an undeniable determination to win.

With that said, aside from the comparisons to their brilliant number seven, why would the Gunners want to spend so much money on the “relentless” Bilbao star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson?

Well, the simple answer is his ability to make something out of nothing and his output.

For example, since the start of last season, the 22-year-old “nightmare,” as dubbed by Mattinson, has produced a whopping 34 goal involvements in just 62 appearances, which comes out to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.82 games.

Ultimately, Arsenal desperately need attacking reinforcements this month, and while he will cost an arm and a leg, Williams looks like the perfect player to add to Arteta’s squad.

Arsenal submit bid for "world-class" ace who could become their own Kane

The impressive number nine could be just what Arsenal need this month.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 15, 2025