Manchester United are now targeting a record-breaking goalkeeper who’s “good with his feet”, and there are signs he could rival Senne Lammens for a starting spot.

Man Utd looking to sign new goalkeeper to rival Lammens

After arriving from Club Brugge at the end of the summer transfer window, Lammens’ introduction to the Man United starting XI has been gradual, with the Belgian making his first start in the 2-0 victory over Sunderland prior to the international break.

Having kept a clean sheet in his opening game, the 23-year-old is off to a solid start, making two saves from inside the box to keep Sunderland at bay, which resulted in a 7.8 SofaScore match rating, the highest of any player.

The Stretford End were clearly left impressed by their new goalkeeper’s performance, chating ‘Are you Schmeichel in disguise’, but it is still very early days, with a difficult trip to Anfield to come on Sunday.

Having struggled to find a suitable no.1 since the departure of David de Gea, Ruben Amorim will be hoping Lammens is the long-term solution between the sticks, but The Red Devils have now joined the race for another goalkeeper.

That is according to a report from The Boot Room, which reveals SC Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has emerged as a genuine target for Man United, having watched him in action multiple times already this season.

Graeme Bailey adds that United want to bring in a new goalkeeper regardless of how Lammens performs, with the journalist also hinting that a deal for Atubolu could be possible.

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Bailey said: “United are doing their due diligence on goalkeepers, even if [Senne] Lammens comes in and does well, they still want and need another, as [Andre] Onana and [Altay] Bayindir won’t be hanging around in the long-term.

“They are well-versed on options, but I am told that Atubolu is one who has impressed United’s scouts this season. He is emerging as one of the very best in the Bundesliga, and Freiburg are expecting to sell in 2026.”

Record-breaking Atubolo could be instant Lammens upgrade

Lammens is off to a fantastic start at Old Trafford, but there are signs the Freiburg shot-stopper could be an instant upgrade, having already proven himself at a higher level than the former Club Brugge man.

In the 2024-25 season, the 23-year-old broke a Freiburg club record by going 576 minutes without conceding a goal, and he has since gone on to break a Bundesliga record by saving five penalties on the spin.

Not only has the German goalkeeper established himself as a top Bundesliga goalkeeper, but he is also better with his feet than Lammens, placing in the top 1% for touches per 90 over the past year.

Statistic

Noah Atubolu

Senne Lammens

Save % (penalty kicks)

100%

75%

Clean sheet %

34.5%

12.5%

Touches per game

47.99

42.58

Freiburg manager Julian Schuster has praised Atubolu in the past too, saying: “He has good reflexes. He makes good saves and is also good with his feet. We’re very happy to have him.”

It is always difficult to keep two goalkeepers happy, so it would be a risk to sign the Freiburg star, but there are clear signs he could challenge Lammens for a starting spot.

Manchester United went into the summer in desperate need of a squad overhaul following their record-low Premier League finish last season.

The main area that needed improvement was the attack, with players like Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund being pushed out of the club. The deals to sign Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko seemed like the easiest ones that the club completed in the summer, as they were both completed in a matter of days.

However, not every deal was as smooth. United spent a significant portion of the transfer window locked in transfer negotiations with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo. They also appeared to have a protracted back and forth with Brighton about the signing of Carlos Baleba, but that deal did not materialise due to the south coast club’s reluctance to drop their asking price below the £100 million mark.

With limited time left in the transfer window, United still wanted a goalkeeper and a midfielder, with only the former being recruited in time. A former Arsenal star who played a significant role in the goalkeeper signing has now shared how the deal unfolded and how his club acted differently to Brentford and Brighton.

How the Lammens deal unfolded

The last signing that United managed to complete in the summer was that of Royal Antwerp keeper Senne Lammens. The 23-year-old cost United just over £18 million on deadline day.

One of the key figures at Royal Antwerp is Director of Football Marc Overmars, who spent three seasons playing for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Reports from the Netherlands via Sports Witness have seen Overmars share that Antwerp’s approach to transfers is a more amicable one than United would have experienced dealing with some of the Premier League teams.

Going into deadline day, it seemed certain that United would sign a keeper, but it was unclear whether that would be Lammens or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.

If Martinez were to join United, then Villa would have signed Lammens instead, but as the day progressed, it became clear that United favoured the younger of the two and actually had an offer accepted lower than Villa’s, hijacking a transfer in the process.

Man Utd's plan for Lammens

Lammens is yet to make his debut for United, with Altay Bayindir currently retaining the number one spot. However, with Andre Onana’s departure to Trabzonspor, it looks likely that Lammens will be given a chance between the sticks this season.

One reason why Lammens may not have started yet is that the first games he was eligible for were against Manchester City and Chelsea, which could have been daunting opening games. United’s next games are against Brentford and Sunderland, and despite strong starts to the season, they were both teams in the relegation conversation and are the perfect opportunity for Lammens to find his feet.

It’s hard to argue that even with his Premier League experience, Martinez would have walked straight into the first team, as he has only featured twice this season, with Unai Emery opting for Marco Bizot in goal on a number of occasions.

Only time will tell whether or not United came to the correct decision on deadline day, but with Lammens being the younger player by 10 years, he does look like the better option in the long term.

West Ham United boss Nuno Espírito Santo is already having a major say on the club’s incomings and outgoings, with the tactician making his mark yet again following a key transfer decision.

Nuno set to spearhead West Ham overhaul in East London

Almost immediately after replacing Graham Potter in late September, Nuno wasted no time at all in dropping his predecessor’s vice-captain, James Ward-Prowse, from the Portuguese’s first ever Hammers matchday squad to face Everton.

Nuno’s decision to exclude Ward-Prowse from West Ham’s first-team raised eyebrows, but it was clear that the midfielder, despite being a mainstay figure in Potter’s engine room, wasn’t part of his long-term plans.

The 51-year-old had already axed Ward-Prowse once before, during the Englishman’s loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, where he sent him back to Rush Green midway through the campaign.

While the exact reasons behind his exclusion remain a mystery, it’s claimed that Nuno wants to prioritise energetic midfielders who can get about the pitch more tenaciously, with summer arrival Soungoutou Magassa immediately jumping into Ward-Prowse’s place.

More key calls that Nuno will be forced to make surround the long-term future of Niclas Füllkrug and West Ham’s striker options.

Fullkrug’s recently sustained thigh problem is expected to keep him out for several weeks, and the German’s injury woes are nothing new.

Estimated games Niclas Füllkrug could miss for West Ham

Date

Brentford (home)

October 20

Leeds United (away)

October 24

Newcastle United (home)

November 2

Burnley (home)

November 8

Since joining West Ham, he has struggled with recurring fitness problems — missing 28 games for West Ham and Germany combined last season alone. His return to the treatment table piles pressure on Nuno’s available attacking options, but January could come as a lifeline.

In light of Fullkrug’s latest absence, there is growing speculation that West Ham will look to bring in a new striker during the winter window, and it is believed that the Hammers are targeting Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee as a potential option.

Interestingly, it is reported that Nuno could even solve their centre-forward crisis before the window reopens.

West Ham have apparently been offered the chance to sign former Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis by representatives (Hammers News), and according to The Mail, there’s been tentative interest from their side too.

Nuno makes final decision on signing Emmanuel Dennis for West Ham

However, the outlet also reports that Nuno has blocked any West Ham move for Dennis, with the manager personally stepping in to stop the Nigerian from sealing a free transfer to the London Stadium.

The 27-year-old, who bagged 10 goals and six assists in 33 Premier League outings for Watford in 2021/2022, has failed to recapture that form ever since.

Dennis was on the books during Nuno’s tenure at Forest, but was never used — instead being sent out on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir, Watford and Blackburn Rovers until his contract was terminated by mutual consent in August.

Orel Mangala called his ex-City Ground teammate a “magician” during their time together at the City Ground, but this opinion definitely isn’t shared by Nuno, who’d rather wait until January to bring in a more elite-level number nine.

This is definitely the right call, and Irons supporters would arguably much rather see highly-promising young striker Callum Marshall get a good run out.

The Northern Irishman, who’s made just two senior appearances for West Ham, scored for fun at youth level and already boasts 13 senior caps for his country.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Huddersfield, where he bagged 10 goals in all competitions, and now could be Marshall’s baptism of fire.

Manchester City made it five Premier League games unbeaten yesterday, as Pep Guardiola’s men secured a 2-0 triumph over Everton at the Etihad.

The result keeps the Citizens just a couple of points off current leaders Arsenal, even moving ahead of Liverpool ahead of their clash with Manchester United tomorrow.

However, it was yet another superb showing in England’s top-flight, with Guardiola’s men limiting the opposition to minimal chances whilst taking advantage of the ones that fell their way.

Stats such as 71% possession with seven shots on target further highlight the dominance in the North West – something which has been extremely common during the manager’s tenure.

He will certainly have one player to thank for the success against the Toffees, with his performance against David Moyes’ men nothing short of breathtaking.

Erling Haaland’s excellence against Everton

When you think of a clinical goalscorer, the first name that springs to mind is Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian taking his career to new heights after joining Man City in 2022.

He’s now featured 155 times for the Citizens, scoring a staggering 136 times – subsequently adding multiple to his tally during the win at the Etihad yesterday.

The 25-year-old netted his two efforts within just five second-half minutes – taking his tally to 11 despite featuring in just eight league outings throughout 2025/26.

He was also the most fouled player on the pitch during the triumph, whilst also registering 38% of his entire touches in the game within the opposition box.

Haaland also won 75% of the ground duels he entered, along with a staggering four shots on target – once again being Guardiola’s most threatening option in attacking areas.

Despite the showing of the centre-forward, one other first-team member showcased his worth and is rapidly becoming as undroppable as the City talisman.

The City star who’s becoming as undroppable as Haaland

After missing out on the Premier League title last season, Guardiola and City dipped into the transfer market to try and bolster numerous key areas of the squad.

The goalkeeping department has had a huge overhaul in recent times, with James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma both making the move to the Etihad, with Ederson moving on to join Galatasaray.

The latter of the new duo has cemented his place within the starting eleven, already keeping three clean sheets within his first five league outings for the Citizens.

However, it wasn’t the only area of the pitch that was bolstered, with the hierarchy spending big money on Tijjani Reijnders from Serie A side AC Milan.

The Dutchman made an immediate impact on his debut, registering a goal and an assist in the 4-0 battering of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

He’s since started every game for the club in the Premier League, with his showing against the Toffees evidence of the quality that he possesses in the middle of the park.

The 27-year-old may have been unable to register a goal or an assist, but his underlying stats from the victory are evidence of the star quality he has in his arsenal.

Minutes played

59

Touches

41

Passes completed

93%

Dribbles completed

100%

Tackles won

100%

Recoveries made

1

Ground duels won

3

Chances created

2

Reijnders may have only featured for 59 minutes at the Etihad, but he still managed to thrive at both ends of the pitch – undoubtedly playing a key role in the triumph.

He completed 93% of the passes he attempted, whilst also achieving a 100% dribble success rate – highlighting the threat he posed when having the ball at his feet.

However, without the ball, the Dutch star also managed to thrive, as seen by his superb tallies of 100% tackles won, one recovery made and three ground duels won.

Other stats, such as two chances created and 100% long balls completed, further showcase his all-round quality – which is rapidly making him one of the club’s most crucial players.

As a result of his performance, Reijnders was handed an impressive 7/10 match rating by One Football – further highlighting his superb showing at the Etihad.

After such a showing, Guardiola simply can’t drop the midfielder from his starting eleven, with his addition already looking like an excellent one just eight games into the campaign.

There’s little disputing that Haaland is the club’s most important player at present, but there’s no reason why Reijnders can’t join him in such a category in the months or years ahead.

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فاز فريق الاتحاد السعودي على الشارقة الإماراتي، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في المواجهة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.

والتقى فريقا الاتحاد والشارقة، في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة من عمر مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة.

وسجل أهداف فوز الاتحاد السعودي، ستيفن بيرجوين وكريم بنزيما وروجر فيرنانديز في الدقائق 8 و67 و90+4، ذلك من عمر المباراة، ليحصد عميد الأندية السعودية فوزه الثاني، في بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للموسم الحالي. أهداف مباراة الاتحاد والشارقة اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا

شوف الأهداف |
الاتحاد السعودي يفوز 3-0 على الشارقة الإماراتي في دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة#دوري_أبطال_آسيا_للنخبة
#قنوات_الكاس || #منصة_شوف pic.twitter.com/sby6XGvVlj — قنوات الكاس (@AlkassTVSports) November 4, 2025

بفوز اليوم، يرتقي بفريق الاتحاد إلى المركز السادس في ترتيب جدول أندية غرب آسيا ببطولة دوري أبطال آسيا، برصيد 6 نقاط، حيث فاز في مباراتين وخسر في مثلهما.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، فريق الشارقة الإماراتي، يتواجد في المركز الثامن بترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 4 نقاط.

طالع | ترتيب دوري أبطال آسيا 

بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة، تقام بنظام مرحلة الدوري من 24 فريقًا مقسمة إلى 12 لأندية الشرق ومثلهما لأندية الغرب (التي تمثل المنطقة العربية).

ويخوض كل فريق 4 مباريات على أرضه و4 مباريات خارج ملعبه، في مواجهة ثمانية أندية مختلفة، وتتأهل 8 أندية من كل منطقة (شرق وغرب) إلى دور الـ16، والذي تقام مبارياته من ذهاب وإياب، لتتأهل الأندية الفائزة إلى ربع النهائي.

واعتبارًا من دور الثمانية (ربع النهائي) تلعب مباريات البطولة بنظام التجمع (التأهل من مباراة واحدة) في دولة واحدة تم اختيار دولة السعودية لاستضافة تلك المباريات.

James Trafford found himself in the bizarre situation where he was both bought and replaced by Manchester City during the same transfer window this past summer, starting the 2025-26 season as the main man between the sticks but promptly dropped. Pep Guardiola is still an admirer, though, ultimately tipping the goalkeeper for a big role with England in the future.

• Trafford quickly replaced by Man City

  City committed up to £31 million ($41m) during the summer to re-sign Trafford from Burnley, having let him go for a fraction of that price in 2023 without making a first-team appearance. But after a patchy start to the season, including a high profile error in the Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Trafford lost his place to fellow new arrival Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose availability on the market at all had been unexpected given his world class status. City remarkably had to pay less money for the Italian, around £26m ($34.5m), who quickly went on to land his second career Yashin Trophy.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Guardiola concedes goalkeeper situation is 'special'

  Guardiola has chosen to fight Trafford's corner, defending him in public and insisting City are very happy with him. The Spanish coach has also implied there could be opportunities for rotation in goal, with the club hoping to compete on four fronts this season: Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup. Chances for Trafford may come in the latter two competitions, and if Donnarumma suffers an injury or gets suspended at any point.

  "The keeper is a special situation because the keeper plays, normally one, and the second one doesn't. All I can say is we are delighted with his behaviour in training," Guardiola said of Trafford ahead of City facing Swansea in the Carabao Cup fourth round this week. "One of the reasons why we want to go through in this competition is because they all have to be ready in case we need in the Premier League and the Champions League."

• England's No.1 sooner rather than later

  It's no pressure, but Guardiola believes Trafford has the ability to be a starting goalkeeper for England. He is uncapped by the senior side for now, having made 34 appearances across various age-restricted England teams from Under-17 level through to Under-21. Having been cut from the provisional Euro 2024 list, he has also been selected for every senior England squad for the past year, remaining an unused substitute for each game.

  "We have an incredible keeper. For England, sooner or later, he will be the one," Guardiola predicted. "I am pretty sure Gigi learns from James and James learns from Gigi. The goalkeepers are always connected."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Trafford fighting two of the best ever

  If Trafford wants to command regular minutes for either club or country, he has a monumental job on his hands. Donnarumma is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world right now, having only been improving ever since becoming AC Milan's No.1 from the age of 16 a decade ago. He has two Yashin Trophies to his name under the Ballon d'Or banner and is nailed on favourite to collect a career first Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award in the coming weeks. As much as PSG wanted to move on and play with a different focus, they likely wouldn’t have won the Champions League last season without him.

  England's Jordan Pickford is also a mountain to try and move. The Everton stopper has never enjoyed much success during a club career that has often seen him fighting at the wrong end of the Premier League table, but he is easily England's best goalkeeper of the 21st century and also one of the national team’s all-time greats, given his achievements in the role. He's played in two European Championship finals and currently presides over a record of nine consecutive clean sheets.

  Moving clubs for 23-year-old Trafford, even so soon after returning 'home', might be the only real solution for him to make good on the potential Guardiola is convinced of.

Hampshire unable to hold off visitors’ chase in six-over contest on south coast

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Jun-2025

Max Holden stole the limelight from Lhuan-dre Pretorius’s exhilarating debut as Hampshire Hawks and Middlesex tied a DLS thriller in the Men’s Vitality Blast.South African wunderkind Pretorius hammered a 22-ball 44 as Hawks struck 63 either side of the rain delays.Middlesex needed 76 to win after DLS recalculated the score, and after Chris Wood began with a maiden, Hawks were heavy favourites. But Holden whacked 38 in 18, before Kane Williamson’s 23 and Ben Geddes’ 10 took Middlesex to the brink but both sides had to share two points.It was Hampshire’s eighth T20 tie, and Middlesex’s fourth.Pretorius only arrived in the UK on Thursday having finished an unofficial Test for South Africa A in Saint Lucia on Wednesday. Jetlag seemingly didn’t have any impact on Pretorius as he rocketed a front-foot pull to the boundary off the first ball of the match, after Middlesex had chosen to bowl first.He continued with a well-timed clip off the pads and a wristy thrash through the covers to take two further boundaries off the opening over.Hawks fans had been made to wait for Pretorius – who arrived with high expectations after leading the scoring charts in the SA20 in his homeland over the winter, including a debut unbeaten 97.Dewald Brevis’ immediate impact only whetted the appetite for the second gun Proteas’ entrance, although it was somewhat dampened by the revelation that the pair would only be available until June 20 after being called up to the Test squad to face Zimbabwe.After striking 15 off the first over, runs continued to flow off Pretorius’ bat to reach 29 off 14 balls – although James Vince was caught at cover point off Zafar Gohar.Persistent rain hit after four overs and begun a two hour and 20-minute delay. Play was almost restarted for an 11 over-a-side match but another shower forced another delay. Eventually, a six-over-a-side game was started and Pretorius got going again.In two overs, Pretorius whizzed to 44 not out from 22 deliveries, including a bullet six over deep midwicket, with Toby Albert happy to just rotate the strike. It took Hampshire to 63 for 1, with DLS turning that into a 76-run target for the visitors.Their hopes of chasing that were dented as Wood begun with a maiden over – with just a leg bye on the total.James Fuller started with another dot and leg bye before Middlesex finally kicked into gear. Holden got away with an inside edge before carting over extra cover for four, over square for six and another inside edge for four boundaries in a row to take 19 off the second over.Another 18 runs off the following over got Middlesex closer to the rate but just as Holden reached 38 off 18 balls he skied straight up in the air.A Williamson blast for six made sure the DLS par was level going into the final over, with 13 required. Scott Currie went one, two, two with a dropped catch, two, a Ben Geddes four down the ground before a final ball bye to the wicketkeeper meant the game was tied.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após a queda de Vanderlei Luxemburgo, a diretoria do Corinthians voltou seus olhares para o técnico Tite, ídolo do clube. No Alvinegro, o treinador foi campeão da Libertadores e do Mundial em 2012, títulos que o alçaram ao posto de ídolo da torcida. No entanto, o ex-técncico da Seleção Brasileira estava em negociação com o Flamengo. Será que o Corinthians vai atravessar o negócio? O influenciador Thigu Soares deu a sua opinião sobre o caso:

RelacionadasFlamengoEntenda quais são as funções de Juan e Fabinho no FlamengoFlamengo27/09/2023FlamengoSampaoli segue no cargo e comanda treino do FlamengoFlamengo27/09/2023Fora de CampoTite no Flamengo? Torcedores vão à loucura na web, veja reaçõesFora de Campo27/09/2023

– O Corinthians promete atravessar a negociação do Flamengo, para corara mais uma vez a incompetência da direção de futebol do Flamengo. Eu não tenho mais palavras para explicar o que é essa diretoria do Flamengo – disparou Thigu.

Veja a opinião completa no vídeo acima.

+ Condição especial para matrícula no curso Gestor de Futebol, aprovado por Dante, Petković, Léo Moura e outros craques. Saiba mais!

The Blaze 169 for 9 (Elwiss 61, Kelly 46) beat Surrey 152 (Wyatt-Hodge 60, Gordon 3-35) by 17 runsPowerplay heroics with bat and ball from The Blaze helped end host Surrey’s unbeaten start to the 2025 Vitality Blast women’s competition.Cassidy McCarthy and Kirstie Gordon doused the flames of the previous unstoppable host batting line-up, reducing them to 1 for 3 in pursuit of 170 to win.Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s blistering 60 from 33 balls, including three sixes and seven fours, briefly raised home hopes but they were bowled out in the last over 17 runs short.Earlier, Georgia Elwiss (61 from 46) and Marie Kelly (46 from 29) shared an opening stand of 92 in 57 balls and despite a collapse in which Tash Farrant and Grace Harris got two wickets apiece, their total of 169 proved more than enough.Ryana MacDonald-Gay’s five wides in the opening over gave The Blaze early impetus on which they were quick to build.Kelly was the first aggressor, clearing the ropes off first Farrant and then Tilly Corteen-Coleman. Elwiss then drove and swept Kalea Moore for three successive fours as the visitors reached 63 for nought at the end of the powerplay.A lofted drive and a streaky edge for four by Kelly kept up the pressure, but with a 50 in sight, poor calling left her stranded at the same end as Elwiss.From there, wickets tumbled. In-form Kathryn Brice lofted Corteen-Coleman to Harris at mid-off, the first time she’d been dismissed in the tournament, and her sister Sarah made only 1 before nicking MacDonald-Gay through to Kira Chathli.A suicidal second run saw the end of Heather Graham and neither Ella Claridge or Michaela Kirk stayed long.Elwiss, who’d surveyed the slide from the other end, reached 50 from 40 balls, but after she lobbed a catch to short third, only a few late blows from Josie Groves got The Blaze to 169.Surrey made the worst possible start losing skipper Bryony Smith for nought, part of a wicket-maiden for McCarthy.Chathli also went without scoring courtesy of a fabulous running catch by Kirk and when in-form Paige Schofield was bowled first ball for nought by Gordon Surrey were 1 for 3.Phoebe Franklin blocked out Gordon’s hat-trick ball, but would have been run out soon afterwards were it not for a wild throw with both batters at the same end. Reprieved, Franklin swept Gordon for six, while Wyatt-Hodge caressed one through the covers as a 50-stand came up in 39 balls.The England opener cleared the ropes at midwicket and again behind square to race to 50 in 27 balls, but Groves bowled Franklin to end the stand at 69.When Wyatt-Hodge’s bold effort was ended by McCarthy’s sharp catch at backward point, hopes rested on big-hitting Harris for a late rescue act.The powerful Australian hit Groves back over her head for six, but perished later in the over trying to repeat the shot and despite some brief fireworks from Macdonald-Gay, Surrey were destined to fall short.