Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry has become the latest pundit to weigh in on Mohamed Salah's remarks after being left on the Liverpool bench for the 3-3 draw against Leeds United. Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and was subsequently left out of Arne Slot's squad for the 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Salah left out of Liverpool squad for Inter win

In the wake of his outburst, Salah was omitted from Slot's squad for the trip to Inter on Tuesday night. The Reds managed to put the drama to one side and delivered a crucial win for their under-pressure manager, claiming a 1-0 victory thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai's late penalty which was awarded after Alessandro Bastoni pulled Florian Wirtz's shirt in the penalty area. The Egyptian's absence was still a major talking point in the aftermath of the victory, with Slot indicating he needs the legendary forward to make the first move and show some contrition before he can be reintegrated into the matchday squad. Captain Virgil van Dijk struck a similar tone, indicating he will talk to Salah ahead of Saturday's clash with Brighton, which would be the last chance Liverpool fans get to see the 33-year-old in action before he leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHenry insists Salah criticism was 'wrong'

Henry is widely regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest ever players, having won the league title twice during his time at Arsenal. He has since held managerial positions with Monaco, the Montreal Impact and France's Under-21s side and their team for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The former striker also enjoyed assistant roles with Belgium and has now entered the discourse surrounding Salah, insisting the forward should have known his position would be under threat following a series of below-par performances in comparison to his incredible showings in 2024-25.

Henry told CBS Sports: "You need to protect your team at all costs, all the time. I can understand you want to speak. I can understand the frustration. I don't [understand] the how and the when. That doesn't make sense to me. That was wrong and when people talk about relationships, the only relationship a coach wants to have with a player is for him to perform. 

"If you're not performing, then your position is in danger. It's not [your] due to have a position, especially at a club like Liverpool…It has nothing to do, again, with what he has achieved. I repeat – I love Mo Salah. I love what he has done in the game. That's a different topic. There, that's not how you go about stuff."

Pundits continue Salah criticism

Henry is the latest pundit to give his take on the controversial situation currently engulfing Salah. He was labelled a "disgrace" by Jamie Carragher in the immediate aftermath, being criticised for causing "maximum damage" with the timing of his remarks. The former Reds defender then took another pop at the former Roma star after Salah posted a selfie of himself training in Liverpool's gym alone, having been left at home as the rest of the squad jetted across Europe to Italy.

Danny Murphy also wasn't too happy with Salah's antics, insisting the claim he was "thrown under the bus" after another starting XI omission "doesn't stack up". Michael Owen was similarly unimpressed, insisting the star forward should have "bitten his lip" instead of going to the media with his complaints.

Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Salah and Liverpool?

The next few days will be critical in whether Salah is brought back into the squad for the game against Brighton on Saturday. It seems Slot is keen for Salah to apologise first but he has been open to welcoming Salah back into the squad, though whether that happens before he leaves for the AFCON remains to be seen. Right now, it's unlikely that he will be gifted a starting XI place barely a week after his outburst, but a position on the bench could give the attacker the opportunity to wave goodbye – either temporarily or permanently – before he leaves for international duty.

Newcastle United were unable to make it three Premier League wins in a row last night, as Eddie Howe’s men secured a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

After a drab first half with little to shout about for both sides, Bruno Guimaraes’ second-half strike put the Magpies ahead with just under 20 minutes remaining.

Anthony Gordon’s penalty with just a handful of minutes remaining put the hosts ahead once again, but for the second time in the contest, Cristian Romero managed to find a leveller.

The point takes Howe’s men up a place to 13th in the Premier League, but it could have been a whole lot better had his side managed to hold on for all three points.

Despite numerous positive showings, a handful of the players selected to start the game failed to impress, which could lead to numerous changes ahead of the weekend.

Newcastle’s poor performers against Spurs

For the third game in a row, Joelinton was handed a start at the heart of the Newcastle side, this time partnering Lewis Miley and Sandi Tonali, with the latter coming into the starting eleven.

However, the Brazilian was unable to repay the faith shown in him by the manager, with such a showing one to forget for the Magpies’ number seven on Tyneside.

He featured for the entirety of the contest, but only managed to come out on top in just 27% of the duels he entered, whilst being dribbled past on three occasions.

Joelinton wasn’t alone in struggling to deliver at St James’, with winger Jacob Murphy also struggling to provide his usual impact off the right-hand side of the attack.

The Englishman was largely unable to deliver in the final third, as seen by his measly tally of just three crosses completed, doing so at an accuracy rate of just 30%.

He also only managed to complete 50% of his attempted dribbles and completed just 16 passes before being substituted for Anthony Elanga with just over 20 minutes remaining.

The Newcastle star who needs to be dropped after Spurs

Home games against Spurs have often been a formality for Newcastle, as seen by the club’s recent record against the Lilywhites over the past couple of seasons.

Howe’s men had won four in a row against the North London outfit at St James’, but his men were unable to add to such a record during their lacklustre showing last night.

The inability to secure all three points was no doubt down to the disappointing showings from numerous players, with the aforementioned duo just two of the stars who failed to deliver.

However, they weren’t alone in struggling to match the expectations of the supporters, with winger Harvey Barnes unable to replicate his recent showings in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old has now started four league games in a row, with his two-goal game against Manchester City undoubtedly keeping his place in the starting eleven.

He’s now failed to score in each of the last two outings, including against Spurs, with winger Gordon now deserving of a start after his goal off the bench.

However, Barnes’ performance before his teammate’s arrival onto the pitch was certainly below par, which will no doubt contribute to the manager’s thinking.

The winger featured for 66 minutes on Tyneside last night, but could only muster 30 touches of the ball and made just ten passes, six fewer than Aaron Ramsdale, as he struggled to make the desired impact on proceedings.

He also only managed to complete one of his attempted dribbles and one of his crosses, which further highlights his struggles within the final third of the pitch.

Harvey Barnes – stats against Spurs
Statistics	Tally
Minutes played	66
Touches	30
Shots taken	2
Dribbles completed	1
Crosses completed	1
Possession lost	12x
Duels lost	75%
Passes into final third	2
Stats via FotMob

Barnes massively struggled to find any of his teammates during the draw, as seen by his tally of 12 times possession lost – ultimately being wasteful when in possession.

The attacker was just as poor without the ball, often being dominated by the opposition, subsequently losing 75% of the ground duels he entered against Thomas Frank’s side.

As a result of his performance, Barnes was handed a measly 6/10 match rating by The Express journalist Lee Ryder – further showcasing his struggles against Spurs.

After such a showing, Howe will no doubt want to shuffle his pack on Saturday against Burnley to attempt to get their recent winning run in the Premier League back on track.

Gordon will no doubt be chomping at the bit after his goal, which could result in his compatriot being dropped after his recent flurry of starts in the North East.

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1

By
Angus Sinclair

Dec 2, 2025

There has been an obscene amount of cash flying to and from Premier League bank accounts over the last few years, with transfer records tumbling all the time, even in a post-pandemic world and the era of PSR.

Four Premier League clubs received record transfer fees in the summer of 2025.

So which players have gone for club-record sums?

Rank

Club

Player

Sold to

Fee

Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona

£142m

Newcastle

Alexander Isak

Liverpool

£125m

Brighton

Moises Caicedo

Chelsea

£115m

West Ham

Declan Rice

Arsenal

£105m

Aston Villa

Jack Grealish

Man City

£100m

Everton

Romelu Lukaku

Man Utd

£90m

Chelsea

Eden Hazard

Real Madrid

£89m

Tottenham

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid

£85.3m

Man City

Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid

£81.5m

Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

£80m

Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

£71m

Bournemouth

Dominic Solanke

Tottenham

£65m

Wolves

Matheus Cunha

Man Utd

£62.5m

Crystal Palace

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

£50m

Fulham

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Al-Hilal

£50m

Nottingham Forest

Brennan Johnson

Tottenham

£45m

Leeds United

Georginio Rutter

Brighton

£40m

Arsenal

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool

£35m

Sunderland

Jordan Pickford

Everton

£30m

Burnley

James Trafford

Man City

£27m

All 20 Premier League clubs' record signings

From Manchester City to Ipswich Town, here’s a look at each Premier League club’s most expensive signing.

ByBrogan Clasper Sep 4, 2024 Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £35m to Liverpool, 2017

Given the amount of cash Arsenal have splashed in more recent years, it is perhaps a surprise that their record sale dates as far back as this.

However, the Gunners have been perennially poor sellers, particularly under Arsene Wenger, though he received a pretty cool £35m when Liverpool came calling for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017, just months after the midfielder helped Arsenal to the FA Cup.

Considering Oxlade-Chamberlain only shone in brief glimpses at Anfield, Arsenal can put this down as a fine piece of business.

Aston Villa: Jack Grealish £100m to Man City, 2021

After guiding Aston Villa to promotion and then Premier League survival, it had seemed just a matter of time before Jack Grealish would take the next step in his career.

To the Villans’ credit, they kept hold of the Englishman’s services for a further year, but could not say no to champions Manchester City, who came forward with a British-record nine-figure bid in the summer of 2021.

Grealish was part of City’s treble-winning side in 2022/23, while Villa have gone from strength to strength in his absence, and took part in the Champions League alongside Man City in 2024/25. Grealish’s departure may have been bittersweet, but things have worked out pretty well for the Midlands outfit.

Bournemouth: Dominic Solanke £65m to Tottenham, 2024

Bournemouth broke their own transfer record in 2024, but not before receiving the largest sum in the club’s history for one of their players.

Dominic Solanke’s move to Tottenham Hotspur cost the north Londoners £65m – eclipsing the £40m they received from Manchester City for Nathan Ake in 2020.

The Cherries responded to Solanke’s departure by signing Evanilson for just over £40m from FC Porto.

Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo £71m to Manchester United, 2025

Brentford have been pillaged in recent years with Ivan Toney heading to Saudi, Yoane Wissa making his move to Newcastle and Bryan Mbeumo – the biggest of the lot – heading to Manchester United in a colossal £71m deal in the summer of 2025.

Mbeumo was one of the Premier League’s standout players in 2024/25, scoring 20 top-flight goals. That tally of goals richly deserved a move and he duly got one.

Brighton: Moises Caicedo £115m to Chelsea, 2023

Moises Caicedo was subject to interest from Chelsea and Liverpool in the summer of 2023, with the Ecuadorian selecting the Blues as his next destination after Brighton & Hove Albion accepted mammoth bids from both clubs.

Despite approving a £111m transfer to the Reds, Chelsea decided to go one further by structuring a deal that could yet rise to £115m.

It was reported that £15m of that total is in appearance-related add-ons.

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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024 Burnley: James Trafford £27m to Manchester City, 2025

James Trafford enjoyed a remarkable campaign with the Clarets during their promotion-winning season in 2024/25.

The goalkeeper kept a whopping 29 clean sheets. Quickly becoming one of the best English stoppers around, Man City paid a £27m fee to bring him back to the club where he grew up.

Sadly for Trafford, he was quickly displaced when the Citizens brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Chelsea: Eden Hazard £89m to Real Madrid, 2019

Chelsea have had a history of receiving handsome transfer sums for players in recent years, and while Eden Hazard is undoubtedly one of their better stars within the last decade or so, the £89m they received upfront from Real Madrid turned out to be a terrific steal.

The deal to send the Belgian to the Santiago Bernabeu – which came off the back of Hazard guiding Chelsea to Europa League glory – could have reached over £150m. However, given the Blues legend only featured 76 times in an injury-ridden four-year spell in Madrid before retiring, we highly doubt many of the add-ons were ever activated.

Still, it is comfortably the highest fee Chelsea have received – it is most closely rivalled by Kai Havertz’s move to Arsenal for £65m.

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ByFreddie Taylor Oct 13, 2023 Crystal Palace: Aaron Wan-Bissaka £50m to Man Utd, 2019

Manchester United’s spending spree in 2019 features multiple times in this list as they parted with nearly £150m that summer alone. A decent chunk of that went on bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50m.

The six years that have followed have not been too rosy for the club nor the player, with the Red Devils making a significant loss on the full-back when selling him to West Ham United ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Eagles have often been resolute when it comes to high-profile interest in their players, and recently had their resolve tested once more in 2024 as Newcastle threatened to eclipse the sum received for Wan-Bissaka while seeking to add Marc Guehi to their squad.

Everton: Romelu Lukaku £90m to Man Utd, 2017

It has all been downhill for Everton since selling Romelu Lukaku in 2017, when he linked up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

However, Everton did manage to secure a princely sum for the striker, with United paying the Toffees an initial £75m in a deal that included a further £15m in add-ons.

It is unclear how much of these were activated, but Everton have struggled on and off the pitch since, finishing in the top half just once since the turn of the decade and remaining out of Europe since the year of the Belgian’s departure – all while being under scrutiny for their finances amid a number of transfer flops.

Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic £50m to Al-Hilal, 2023

Fulham were one of the many victims of the Saudi Pro League’s raid on European-based footballers. Their riches were too much for Aleksandar Mitrovic to ignore in the summer of 2023 – and they nearly took manager Marco Silva along with them.

However, Fulham have remained a solid top-flight club after comfortably surviving in their first season back with Mitrovic in 2022/23.

They have invested the reported £50m fee paid by Saudi champions Al-Hilal for the Serbian’s services wisely, with Rodrigo Muniz among those to shine at Craven Cottage.

Former Premier League boss Gus Poyet has quit his post at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors days after his assistant manager departed amid a racism scandal. Poyet, who guided Jeonbuk to both the K League 1 title and the Korea Cup this season, informed the club he wished to terminate his contract after Mauricio Taricco was handed a severe punishment for what league officials deemed a racist gesture towards referee Kim Woo-seong.

• Taricco incident sparks crisis of trust

  The storm erupted during a league match last month when, deep into stoppage time, Jeonbuk were leading 2-1 and protesting a handball not initially given by the referee. Tempers flared as VAR intervened and awarded a penalty, prompting Taricco to continue his protests after being booked. Moments later, he was shown a second yellow card, during which he placed his fingers near the corners of his eyes, a gesture the referee interpreted as a racial insult. Referee Kim immediately reported the act to league authorities. The K League’s disciplinary committee reviewed the footage and issued a damning verdict, declaring Taricco guilty of making a universally recognised “slanted-eye” gesture mocking people of Asian descent. In their statement, the panel emphasised that the gesture had been penalised multiple times by FIFA and was unequivocally regarded as ethnic mockery. Taricco was banned for five matches and fined 20 million won ($13,600).

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Poyet's breaking point in Korea

  Rumours of a split between former Sunderland boss Poyet and the club surfaced at the K League Awards on December 1, where he hinted that Taricco’s departure might force his hand.

  "Touching my coaching staff is the same as touching me," Poyet allegedly said, as reported by

  Jeonbuk officials attempted to convince him to stay, offering reassurances about next season and support for Taricco, but the 58-year-old insisted he could not continue under the circumstances. According to sources, the episode created "psychological pressure" for Poyet, who was concerned that the depleted think tank would not be able to give the best results in the future. 

  In a message to fans, he said: “I’m sorry to leave without properly saying goodbye. The passion of our supporters will stay in my heart. I’ll keep cheering for Jeonbuk from afar and hope to return to Korea one day.”

• Taricco has defended himself

  In his response, Taricco said he had only intended to ask the referee whether he had clearly seen the disputed handball incident, claiming cultural context had been ignored.

  "I have worked with many people in many countries and have lived and socialised with them without any problems related to their culture or race, and I have considered this a blessing," he wrote in a statement. "However, I have now been branded a racist by ‘self-proclaimed’ authorities due to a single misunderstanding where the context, cultural expressions, and meanings of all situations I continuously explained were ignored. I merely covered my eyes to emphasise that the referee should have directly seen the handball foul.

  "My life, regardless of nationality and race, must continue in a place where there is safety, respect, peace, and equality before the law as a football person, so with a heavy heart, I have decided to leave this place after the end of this season. I would like to express my gratitude to the club and players with whom I could share success and history, and I am truly grateful to the fans who have given me unwavering support. I will not forget you."

  Jeonbuk also showed support for their assistant manager and wrote: "It would be unreasonable to view [Taricco’s behaviour] as an intention of racial discrimination. The club expects a more objective and balanced judgment to be made through the appeal process and will do its best until the end so that coach Tano [Taricco] can quickly get out of this dishonourable situation and his memory of the K League and Korean football does not remain as a bitter pain."

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  What comes next?

  Poyet’s departure marks a sudden and bittersweet ending to a campaign that had otherwise transformed Jeonbuk’s fortunes. He is expected to return to the UK in the coming days, drawing another chapter in a colourful career to a close. Before embarking on his coaching career, Poyet was a dynamic midfield presence in English football. He scored 45 goals in 145 games for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Super Cup and the FA Cup. His later spell at Tottenham was more controversial but equally memorable, featuring 18 goals in 82 appearances. As a manager, he guided Brighton to the Championship play-offs, kept Sunderland afloat in the Premier League and later served as head coach of Greece. 

Perth Scorchers 159 for 4 (Devine 49*, Scholfield 46*) beat Adelaide Strikers 158 (Edgar 4-25, Ainsworth 3-22) by one runAs if there hadn’t been enough drama in Perth on Saturday, Scorchers clung on for a thrilling one-run victory against Adelaide Strikers to secure their third win of the season.Strikers began the final over needing 13 runs, and with one wicket in hand, but fell an agonising two runs short of victory when Darcie Brown top-edged a sweep off the penultimate ball.Scorchers wicketkeeper Beth Mooney and non-striker Megan Schutt almost collided but Mooney was able to take evasive action and pouch the catch to clinch victory.Earlier, Sophie Devine joined Mooney and Ellyse Perry as the only players with 4000 runs in the WBBL as she top-scored for Scorchers. Brown was the pick of the bowlers for Strikers.When Strikers batted, Scorchers took 4 for 6 in the two-over power surge, including a team hat-trick in an Amy Edgar over (the second a run out) with Strikers on 121. Edgar finished with 4 for 25.Opener Laura Wolvaardt made a rapid 41 off 36 balls, and Madeline Penna chipped in with 36.