The New York Yankees lost another game in ugly fashion on Monday night that started with closer Devin Williams blowing a save in the ninth inning when he surrendered a game-tying home run to Joc Pederson and ended with Jake Bird giving up a walk-off home run in the tenth inning.

Williams had lost the closing job earlier this year, which is his first season with the Yankees, but embattled manager Aaron Boone has turned back to him recently. That move didn't pay off Monday night, as Williams served up a pitch right down the middle to Pederson, who hit 408 feet into the stands in right field.

After the game Williams made a brutal admission about his performance, saying he felt good but just one pitch cost him.

"Like I said, I felt great. It was the one pitch that hurt me," Williams said. "Other than that I thought I was executing pitches but the game has to end there with me."

That one pitch was pretty costly. If Williams were able to close out the game, the Yankees would have been able to put an end to their losing streak and would get some good vibes moving forward. Instead they dropped their fourth straight game.

"Things haven’t been going well for a while and I think everyone’s well aware of that," Williams said. "I would say I’m trying my best, sometimes that leads to the opposite outcome you’re trying to achieve but you know at the end of the day you’ve got to get it done."

Williams has had a rough season with the Yankees. While he has 17 saves, Williams has given up six runs in his last seven innings and has allowed 24 earned runs in 42.1 innings on the season. In his last two years with the Brewers he gave up a combined 13 earned runs.

The Yankees are now tied with the Mariners for the third wild-card spot in the American League and are just 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers in that race.

The pressure will only ramp up for New York on Tuesday night when they face the Rangers again. If they have a lead late, it will be interesting to see if Boone goes back to Williams, or if he opts to use someone else to close it out.

MatériaMais Notícias

Vitória e Bahia se enfrentaram neste domingo (21), pela terceira rodada do Brasileirão. Em jogo movimentado, a partida terminou empatada por 2 a 2, com gols de Matheusinho e Wagner Leonardo para o Vitória e Biel e Everaldo para o Bahia.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Com o resultado, o Bahia segue na nona posição, com nove quatro pontos. A equipe tem uma vitória, uma derrota e um empate na competição. O Vitória, por outro lado, somou seu primeiro ponto no Brasileirão, mas tem um jogo a menos.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
VITÓRIA X BAHIA
3ª RODADA – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 21 de abril de 2024, às 16h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Barradão, em Salavdor (BA);
📺 Onde assistir: Globo e Premiere;
🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus (FIFA-SP);
🚩 Assistentes: Alex Ang Ribeiro (FIFA-SP) e Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro da Costa (SP);
🖥️ VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (FIFA-SP).

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

VITÓRIA (Técnico: Léo Condé)
Lucas Arcanjo, Zeca, Bruno Uvini, Wagner Leonardo e Lucas Esteves; Willian Oliveira, Léo Naldi, Rodrigo Andrade e Matheuzinho; Osvaldo e Alerrandro.

BAHIA (Técnico: Rogério Ceni)
Marcos Felipe, Arias, Gabriel Xavier (Kanu), Cuesta e Luciano Juba (Rezende); Caio Alexandre, Jean Lucas, Everton Ribeiro e Cauly; Ademir (Biel) e Thaciano.

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Tudo sobre

BahiaBrasileirãoVitória

علّق المدير الفني لمنتخب بلجيكا، رودي جارسيا، على قرعة بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، والتي تم سحبها مساء يوم الجمعة في مركز “جون كينيدي” في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

وتستضيف كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات النسخة المقبلة من بطولة كأس العالم، في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو.

وتُعد تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم، بعد استحداث نظامها، حيث سيشارك فيها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، بالإضافة إلى أفضل 8 منتخبات في مركز ثالث.

اقرأ أيضًا | طريق فرنسا إلى نهائي كأس العالم 2026.. جنون مطلق

وحسبما كشفت القرعة، تواجدت بلجيكا في المجموعة السابعة والتي تضم كل من: مصر، إيران ونيوزيلندا.

وقال رودي جارسيا، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “sporza” البلجيكية: “كانت قرعة مثيرة للاهتمام، نحن نعرف مصر جيدًا كواحدة من أفضل المنتخبات الإفريقية، من الرائع مواجهة محمد صلاح، لأنني دربته في روما”.

وأضاف: “لم نلعب ضد المنتخبين الآخرين بعد، لذلك لا نعرفهما جيدًا، لكننا نعرف ما ينتظرنا، كأس ​​العالم قد بدأت بالفعل الآن”.

وواصل: “سنبذل قصارى جهدنا لإنهاء المرحلة في المركز الأول، نريد حقًا ذلك لأن هذا هو السيناريو الأمثل لبقية البطولة، لم أدرس بقية البطولة جيدًا بعد، ولكن المتصدر سيلعب ضد فريق احتل المركز الثالث، سيكون ذلك مثيرًا للاهتمام”.

 

Manchester United are rivalling Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal for the signing of Bayern Munich and France winger Michael Olise.

The 23-year-old has arguably matured into one of the best wingers in world football, excelling in a Bayern shirt since joining from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2024.

Olise has six assists already in the Bundesliga this season, which is more than Bruno Fernandes (three) and Bryan Mbuemo (one) combined in the Premier League, with a half-dozen league goals also coming his way, outlining his end product.

The Frenchman is a hugely sought-after player, which is no great surprise, given his age and talent – Liverpool have been linked with a move – and Bayern will be desperate to fend off any interest in him.

United may have spent big on attackers in the summer transfer window, bringing in Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but they are likely to be on the lookout for further additions in 2026, in order to make competition for places as fierce as possible.

Man Utd in the mix to sign £123m-rated Michael Olise

According to Caught Offside‘s Mark Brus, Manchester United are showing “serious interest” in £123m-rated Bayern star Olise, but Liverpool and Arsenal are also in the race to snap him up.

Olise would be a spectacular addition for United, with Bayern centre-back and teammate Dayot Upamecano heaping praise on his brilliance in the past, saying: “He’s a magician. His technical level is very high. He can do everything. He can score, set up, and even defend.”

That said, the one confusing aspect of United potentially signing him is the fact that he plays a similar role to Mbeumo, in terms of being a left-footed right winger who cuts inside to wreak havoc.

It could be argued that the Red Devils don’t need both, especially with Amad Diallo continuing to grow as player in that role, with those funds being focused on other key positions, such as central midfield.

Man Utd have advantage over Chelsea in race for "midfield sensation" Assan Ouedraogo

He has a massive future in the game.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 25, 2025

That’s not to say that United should pass up the chance to bring in Olise, though, and beating Liverpool and Arsenal to him would be a massive statement, and he has the talent to light up Old Trafford for years to come.

Man Utd have advantage over Chelsea in race for "midfield sensation"

“Sometimes you need to do those sorts of things to get the balance right,” Smriti Mandhana says about Jemimah Rodrigues being dropped in favour of Renuka Singh

S Sudarshanan20-Oct-20253:45

Mandhana: ‘Emotions took over, I needed to be more patient’

Smriti Mandhana has taken the blame for India’s batting collapse against England on Sunday night at their women’s World Cup match in Indore, where they went from needing a-run-a-ball 57 with seven wickets in hand to a four-run defeat.Chasing 289 for a win, Mandhana was dismissed for 88 off 94 balls in the 42nd over, and from there they slipped to 262 for 6 by the 47th and just couldn’t get the final impetus with left-arm spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith bowling six of the last nine overs.”We could have done better with our shot selection,” a subdued-looking Mandhana said at the press conference. “It started from me, so I will take it on myself that the shot selection should have been better. We just needed six runs per over. Maybe we should have taken the game deeper. I’ll take it [upon] myself because the collapse started from me.”Related

• The biggest hurdle for India at the Women's World Cup

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• Knight and Smith stay cool in the heat of the battle

• England in semi-finals after India unravel in tense finish

Smith bowled to Mandhana from around the wicket with deep square-leg, deep midwicket, long-on and long-off in place. Mandhana looked to go inside out over the covers but the ball drifted away a little, making Mandhana mistime it straight down long-off’s throat.”I thought I could take her on, I was trying to aim more over covers,” Mandhana said. “I mistimed that shot. Maybe the shot wasn’t needed at that time. I just needed to be more patient because throughout the innings I was trying to tell myself to be patient and not to play aerial shots.”The emotions took over for that one, which never helps in cricket. But walking back, I was pretty confident that we’ll be able to get the win. But it’s cricket, you can’t ever think too far ahead. If you lose, I don’t think [a good innings] means anything. I had to be a little more patient than I’ve been in the last two-three months.”Four overs after Mandhana fell, Richa Ghosh tried to hit Nat Sciver-Brunt over the off-side infield but chipped a catch to Heather Knight at cover. In the next over, Deepti Sharma slog-swept Ecclestone straight to deep midwicket.3:15

Review: How did India lose this game?

“Richa has been good for us, but I wouldn’t say that it’s only dependent on her,” Mandhana said. “We just needed 6.5 runs per over; it’s not like we needed nine per over that the finishing part was a lot to ask. We have seen Aman [Amanjot Kaur] do that in WPL and Sneh [Rana] has been brilliant in the last four-five overs with the bat for us in the first three-four matches. So, I wouldn’t say that, especially this one, that it was only dependent on one player. We’ll take it upon ourselves that we could have actually done better in the last six-odd overs.”

Was leaving Jemimah Rodrigues out the right call?

India had played each of the previous four matches with five bowlers, and they ended up having to defend targets on each occasion, failing twice, against South Africa and Australia. Against England, they benched Jemimah Rodrigues for an extra bowler in Renuka Singh. As it happened, India were asked to chase and the move to change the team balance came under the spotlight.Renuka, though, was India’s least expensive bowler, conceding runs at 4.62 in her eight overs. In fact, the bowling unit pulled their weight, conceding just 36 runs in the last five overs to stop England at 288 when 300 looked on the cards. But the batting later came unstuck despite half-centuries from Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti.Deepti Sharma’s dismissal was the last nail in India’s coffin•Getty Images

“In the last two matches, we thought that five bowling options were not good enough, especially on a flat track like Indore or [the way] the second game in Visakhapatnam played out,” Mandhana said. “We are not privileged enough to have batters who could bowl a few overs, which a lot of other teams can do. So on a flatter track, we thought that five bowling options could cost us, especially if one bowler has a bad day.”It was definitely a very tough call to drop a player like Jemi. But sometimes you need to do those sorts of things to get the balance right. It is not like this [combination] is going to be there [for the rest of the tournament]. We’ll have to see how the situation is, how the wicket will play and then we’ll take a call.”Mandhana heaped praise on Deepti, who returned 4 for 51, her best at World Cups, and triggered a collapse of 6 for 77. In the process, Deepti also became only the second India woman to take 150 ODI wickets after Jhulan Goswami.”Deepti has been brilliant for us in the last ten-odd years she has played. Today was her 150th ODI wicket. It’s becoming a habit for her to play every match and break some records,” Mandhana said. “Her all-round capacity, especially in one-day cricket, the way she can bat and also bowl, and read the situation has been amazing. I feel she’s done a good job for us in the World Cup and I hope it keeps continuing.”

West Ham United have a proud history of developing and promoting some brilliant youngsters from their academy system.

The most recent one to really make his mark on the team and then be sold on for a massive fee was Declan Rice.

Freddie Potts looks like he could be the Hammers’ next homegrown superstar after his sensational Premier League displays before the international break.

However, while the club try their best to keep hold of their most promising talents, they aren’t always able to, and one youngster they may rue losing more than any other looks like he could be a bigger prospect than Potts and a future England star.

West Ham's next academy star

While Potts is the current academy product getting the attention and adulation from fans and pundits alike – justifiably so – he could soon be joined in the first team by another of Rush Green’s best: George Earthy.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Now, the 21-year-old has made four appearances for the first team and even scored a brilliant goal against Luton Town in the Premier League a couple of years ago, but due to loan moves and injury, those four appearances have amounted to only 36 minutes.

In other words, most fans aren’t really thinking about the youngster, and those that occasionally do aren’t sure what sort of player they’ll be getting when he returns from his hamstring injury.

Well, firstly, even though his primary position is attacking midfield, the Havering-born gem has and can play in several positions across the pitch.

Second, he’s as comfortable scoring goals as he is providing assists, and has a seriously impressive record from his time in the academy.

For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.

Appearances

60

55

Minutes

4804′

3618′

Goals

25

18

Assists

18

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.71

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

111.72′

113.06′

Then, during his time with the u21s, he scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3618 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 113.06 minutes.

Finally, while he’s not played much for the Hammers, he has gained a decent amount of first-team experience from his time on loan with Bristol City last season, where he was named Young Player of the Season.

In all, so long as he can remain fit, West Ham have another superb homegrown talent on their hands in Earthy, which should help make up for them losing another, arguably more promising talent last year.

The Academy gem West Ham will rue losing

One of the most exciting talents to come through West Ham’s academy in the last five years or so was undoubtedly Divin Mubama.

During his time in West London, the Englishman was utterly unstoppable for the junior sides, racking up a staggering tally of 40 goals and five assists for the u18s and then 18 goals and two assists for the u21s.

This brilliant output saw him get a chance with the first team, and over the 22/23 and 23/24 seasons, he made 18 senior appearances, totalling 431 minutes.

West Ham

18

1

1

WH U21s

34

18

2

WH U18s

57

40

5

Man City

2

1

0

Man City U21s

9

8

4

Stoke City

15

5

1

However, in August 2024, then Premier League champions Manchester City came knocking, and despite their best efforts to keep him, Julen Lopetegui and Co had to make do with a measly £1.2m as he joined the Citizens.

To nobody’s surprise, the goalscoring machine continued his fine form in the North West, and ended the 24/25 campaign with 16 goals and four assists in 14 appearances for City’s u21s.

Moreover, Pep Guardiola gave him two run-outsrun-outs in the first team, and on his debut in an FA Cup game against Salford, he scored his first senior goal for the club.

Coming into this season, it was crystal clear that the 21-year-old is too good to play in the youth sides, and so he was sent out on loan to Stoke City in the Championship, where he has done a reasonable enough job.

For example, even though it’s his first season of regular first-team football, the “powerful” strike, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored five goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances.

In addition to making his way in the club game, the Newham-born monster has also been in incredible form for England’s u21s.

In five caps, the game-changing marksman has already scored five goals and provided one assist.

Ultimately, it’s not West Ham’s fault, but if Mubama continues to develop in the way he has over the last year or so, they could really come to rue losing him.

West Ham given January greenlight to sign forward who Nuno called "unique"

The Hammers boss is a big fan.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 20, 2025

Stats highlights from the opening day at the Oval, where India lost yet another toss

Sampath Bandarupalli31-Jul-2025

Karun Nair crossed fifty for the first time since 2016•Getty Images

3393 – India’s aggregate in the series against England so far, their highest for any Test series, surpassing the 3270 in a six-match series against West Indies during the 1978-79 home season.India’s series tally so far is also the highest for any team in a Test series since 1995.3149 – Days between Karun Nair’s two 50-plus scores in Test cricket – 303* against England in December 2016 and 52* on Thursday. It is the second-longest gap for an India batter between two 50-plus scores in men’s Tests (excluding the gap owing to World War II).Related

• Series of unfortunate events tests India's resolve

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Parthiv Patel has the longest gap, 4426 days, between his fourth (54 vs Australia in October 2004) and his fifth (67* vs England in November 2016). 743 – Runs Shubman Gill has scored in this series so far, the highest by an India captain in a Test series, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s 732 against West Indies in 1978-79. This is also the third-highest runs scored by a captain in a Test series.Gill’s series tally is also the second-highest for India, only behind that of Gavaskar’s 774 against West Indies in 1971.Shubman Gill’s bad luck at the toss continued•Getty Images15 – Consecutive tosses lost by India across formats since the the win in January this year against England in Rajkot. It is the longest streak of tosses lost by any team in men’s internationals – the next longest is 12 by West Indies in 1999. The probability of losing 15 consecutive coin tosses is 0.003%.5 – India lost the toss in all five matches in this Test series against England. Only one other team has lost all tosses in a five-match Test series since 2000 – also India against England, on their tour of 2018. India have won the toss only once in 15 matches across their last three Test series against England in England.This was the fourth instance of India losing all tosses in a Test series of five (or more) matches, having lost all tosses against West Indies in 1948-49 and 1983 earlier.4 – England and India made four changes each for the fifth Test at The Oval. This is only the second instance of both teams making four (or more) changes during a Test series since 2003. Sri Lanka and Pakistan made four changes apiece going into the third Test in Kandy in 2015.

Despite a few poor results, this season is starting to shape up nicely for Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s side are currently second in the Premier League and have the chance to cut the gap to Arsenal to just three points when they play them on Sunday.

However, for the West Londoners to have any chance of beating the high-flying Gunners, they’ll need to have their shooting boots on, and Liam Delap will have to show why the club signed him in the summer.

However, Chelsea might already be having second thoughts about the Englishman, as reports are linking them to another exciting young striker, someone with shades of Didier Drogba in their game.

Chelsea target Delap upgrade

Given Chelsea’s propensity to spend big in the transfer window, it’s not been much of a surprise to see reports already linking them with a host of talented players ahead of the January window.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, Athletic Bilbao’s incredibly exciting Nico Williams has been touted for a £62m move to Stamford Bridge, and Nottingham Forest’s Murillo has also been heavily linked.

However, as talented as these two internationals are, neither can be compared to Drogba, nor would they be a threat to Delap’s place in the team, unlike Robinio Vaz.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Chelsea are one of a few teams interested in the exciting French talent.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Blues have already established contact with Marseille over a possible move that could cost as much as €30m, about £26m.

However, sides like Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Napoli are also said to be interested in the youngster.

It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Vaz’s ability and potential, it’s one Chelsea should fight for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Delap and has shades of Drogba in his game.

How Vaz compares to Delap and Drogba

Okay, so before looking at how Vaz compares to Delap, let’s examine the shades of Drogba in his game and this potential move.

The first and most significant would be that, so long as this transfer happens, the youngster would be following in the legendary striker’s footsteps, who moved from Marseille to Chelsea in 2004.

Another trait he appears to share with the iconic centre-forward is that he’s more than a goalscorer.

While he certainly can put the ball in the back of the net, the teenage sensation is also someone who can create chances for his teammates through, in the words of respected analyst Ben Mattinson, an ability to “hold up the ball.”

With all that said, how does his output stack up to that of Delap’s this season?

Appearances

14

7

Minutes

331′

294′

Goals

4

0

Assists

2

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.42

N/A

Minutes per Goal Involvement

55.16′

N/A

Well, despite still being just 18 years old, the “lethal” number nine, as one analyst dubbed him, has scored four goals and provided two assists in 14 appearances, totalling just 331 minutes this season.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.33 games, or far more crucially, one every 55.16 minutes.

In contrast, the West Londoners’ summer signing has failed to score a single goal or provide a single assist in seven appearances across all competitions, totalling 294 minutes.

Granted, he has been out injured, but the Englishman has almost played as many minutes as the youngster and arguably for a far better team.

UltimatelyUltimately, it’s still early in his career, but as one analyst puts it, Vaz looks like he’s “going straight to the top,” and therefore Chelsea should sign him, even if it’s bad news for Delap.

Bad news for Garnacho: Chelsea submit bid to sign £62m "level-raiser"

The game-changing forward could be brilliant for Chelsea but bad news for Garnacho.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 24, 2025

Tottenham are reportedly looking at signing a new centre-forward ahead of the January transfer window, which opens in just over a month’s time.

It’s been a promising start to the season for new manager Thomas Frank on paper, with his new-look Spurs side remaining undefeated in the Champions League and fifth in the Premier League table. However, it is worth nothing that a few of their on-field performances have left a lot to be desired so far.

The north Londoners were booed off following an abject 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in the London derby recently, finishing the 90 minutes with just one shot on target all game as Frank’s side continued their atrocious home form.

Spurs have won just three of their last 20 Premier League matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Frank’s only top flight victory on home turf remains that 3-1 win at home to league newcomers Burnley on the opening weekend.

The Dane has attracted some criticism over Tottenham’s ‘one-dimensional’ style and serious lack of creativity in open play, but he hasn’t been helped by a plethora of injuries to key attacking players.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Playmaker James Maddison will miss practically all the 2025/2026 season after rupturing his ACL in pre-season, while last season’s second top scorer and club-record signing, Dominic Solanke, continues his slow recovery from what was a ‘minor’ ankle problem.

Solanke is apparently ‘unlikely’ to return for this weekend’s pivotal North London derby as well, leaving Frank to once again call on either the out-of-form Richarlison or Mathys Tel to lead the line.

Reports suggest that Frank views Richarlison and Solanke as ‘expendable’ members of his Spurs squad, and Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport believes that Tel is ‘unhappy’ at Tottenham with a potential loan move to Roma on the cards in January.

These claims will fuel other reports that Tottenham are prioritising the signing of another centre-forward.

Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who’s been in red-hot form for Al-Ahli since his 2024 move to the Middle East, is believed to be on both Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange’s radar ahead of January.

Tottenham hold 'preliminary talks' to sign Ivan Toney

While the England international outcast has bagged 41 goals in 59 appearances for the Saudi Pro League side, he’s largely been excluded from Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad, bar the one call-up earlier this year.

With the 2026 World Cup looming, it is believed that Toney could instigate a return home to increase his chances of returning to the England fold.

According to TEAMtalk, the 29-year-old has already informed Al-Ahli of his desire to leave in January, and Spurs have taken the lead in the race for his signature.

Frank views him as the ‘clinical’ striker that Spurs need to propel them towards major silverware, with Tottenham holding ‘preliminary talks’ over signing Toney, who’s also willing to take a seismic 50 per cent pay cut on his rumoured £427,000-per-week wages to make a move happen.

Appearances

59

Goals

41

Assists

8

Bookings

7

Red cards

0

Minutes played

4,796

Toney bagged 20 Premier League goals in his best season at Brentford under Frank, with the tactician labelling him England’s second-best striker behind Harry Kane at the time.

Other reports claim that Al-Ahli value him at around £30 million for a permanent deal and Toney has already ‘directly’ spoken to Frank about a move to Tottenham.

However, a loan deal may be more feasible due to complications surrounding what would be a very large tax bill if Toney comes back to England permanently so soon after arriving in the Gulf.

Jurgen Klopp has already delivered his verdict on completing a return to Liverpool, who endured yet another disastrous afternoon in the Premier League as Nottingham Forest secured a dominant victory.

It’s hard to believe that the Reds were Premier League champions in May, and impressive ones at that. Arne Slot arrived and quickly conquered to shock the rest of English football. It looked like Michael Edwards had performed another act of recruitment genius, but now uncomfortable questions are beginning to emerge.

Liverpool have lost five of their last eight games and now sit in the bottom-half after 12 league games, all but ending their title defence before January has even arrived. After breaking their transfer record twice to welcome Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, it is a run of form that no one saw coming.

It’s now up to Slot to prove his credentials in a crisis. Victory over Real Madrid and Aston Villa proved that there is still plenty of quality in this Liverpool side, it’s just a question of when that quality will be on show.

Just how long Slot will have to turn things around is also a big question. Liverpool have never rushed managerial decisions and Slot has much more credit in the bank than others have done in the past, but the current run of results needs to end – especially if they come at Anfield.

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The Reds know all about his quality.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Nov 21, 2025

With the pressure building, Liverpool are set to play host to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday. Defeat there would certainly do further damage to the credit that Slot banked last season and perhaps send a timely reminder about Klopp’s answer about if he’d ever make a shock return.

Klopp's seven-word answer when asked if he was returning to Liverpool

Just before leaving the club, Klopp was asked if he’d ever make a return to the Anfield dugout if Liverpool needed him.

At the time and certainly for the entirety of last season, it was simply a throw-away answer and one that looked unlikely to rear its head again. Now, however, those at Anfield could do with their iconic manager’s energy more than ever.

They won’t and shouldn’t panic about Slot’s current run, but Liverpool should ensure that the Dutchman channels his very own version of Klopp. When Klopp’s sides were up against it, he had that unique ability to pull off what many still deem miracles to this day. He turned doubters to believers to champions. Slot must now remind his very own champions just who they are in similar fashion.

Meanwhile, if the manager’s run continues then Edwards could yet turn back towards one of the best managers in the club’s history for a stunning second stint.

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