Category Uncategorized

Chelsea are working to back Enzo Maresca with the signing of a centre-back in the January transfer window, and they’ve reportedly reached out to the representatives of a Premier League star this week.

Chelsea's defensive shortage laid bare after summer failure

Maresca went public with his desire to bring in a top defender during the summer, coming after Chelsea failed with a move for Dean Huijsen and Levi Colwill was sidelined for the majority of 2025/2026.

Despite looking at their options, Chelsea couldn’t find the right profile to come in and bolster Maresca’s backline (Simon Phillips), and BlueCo are now paying the price.

Chelsea were the summer’s second-biggest spenders behind Liverpool, according to the BBC, but despite their large investment in recruitment, they failed to address key areas defensively with Maresca left extremely short.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Colwill all missed Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League through injury, and with Trevoh Chalobah suspended for their crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool this weekend, Maresca has just three options to choose from.

Fofana and Tosin won’t return until after the October international break, with the former undergoing concussion protocol and the latter nursing a calf problem.

This leaves Maresca with Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Benoit Badiashile as his only central defensive choices, so it is likely the Italian will go for a pairing of Hato and Badiashile for Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge.

Hato is regarded by Chelsea as more of a left-back to support Marc Cucurella (Ben Jacobs), while Badiashile is himself only just coming back from a long-term injury — having made a first start in three months against Benfica on Tuesday night.

It is a dire situation, and one which will undoubtedly frustrate Maresca behind-the-scenes after he was clear that the club need more central defensive options.

According to reports, Chelsea and Maresca are in agreement that the signing of a centre-back should be prioritised for January, with the west Londoners now at work on finding the right profile (Pete O’Rourke).

Chelsea hold talks with Marc Guehi ahead of potential January deal

Now, as per journalist Simon Phillips, Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi is being discussed as an option for January.

The England international, who was on the verge of joining Liverpool in a summer deadline day move, could leave for a very cheap fee mid-season or for free next summer, and Chelsea are thinking about luring Guehi away from Selhurst as soon as the next window.

Phillips reports that Chelsea have reached out to Guehi’s camp for discussions this week as they make centre-back enquiries, and Palace would rather sell in January than lose him for nothing later in 2026.

The “sensational” defender, who left Cobham for Palace in 2021, would be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s defensive crisis.

January could be too soon for Marc Guehi's Palace exit

Guehi has established himself as an England regular and Premier League stalwart during his time at Palace, and he could be one of the snips of 2026 as his contract ticks down towards expiry at the end of this season.

However, it is very debatable whether Oliver Glasner would be happy with chairman Steve Parish selling his star defender midway through the campaign, and this would certainly threaten to cause a stir considering just how crucial Guehi is to Palace.

The Eagles are currently on an 18-game unbeaten run and Glasner really won’t be keen on losing a player who’s so vital to his set-up, unless Palace manage to source a quality replacement.

Reports in the summer even suggested that Glasner threatened to leave Palace if Guehi was sold to Liverpool, with the transfer later called off, but this has since been denied by the tactician.

Tottenham Hotspur waved goodbye to controversial chairman Daniel Levy after 24 years last week, in a move which sent shockwaves throughout the world of football.

Levy and ENIC’s running of the club during his tenure attracted large protests from supporters, mainly due to a lack of success on the field, with the Lilywhites winning just two major trophies over the ex-chair’s two-and-a half-decade-long spell.

However, away from the pitch, there is little denying that Levy transformed Spurs into a financial powerhouse.

Tottenham are now one of the world’s highest revenue-generating clubs, according to the Deloitte Money League, with Levy overseeing the move to their state of the art new stadium and training facilities.

Real Madrid

£1.2 billion

Man City

£727 million

PSG

£700 million

Man United

£668 million

Bayern Munich

£664 million

FC Barcelona

£659.5 million

Arsenal

£621.5 million

Liverpool

£620 million

Tottenham Hotspur

£533 million

Chelsea

£474 million

via Deloitte Money League

Speaking after the “big news” of Levy’s departure, CEO Vinai Vinkatesham moved to quash rumours of a potential takeover whilst explaining what this means to the club’s overall running.

Credible reports suggest that influential footballing figures were left “stunned” by Levy’s resignation (Miguel Delaney), which was ultimately taken out of the 63-year-old’s hands.

In fact, The Times have stated that Levy was told to resign just hours before Tottenham made it official.

Saudi backers major plan for Tottenham as Levy exit kickstarts restructure

According to TEAMtalk, Levy’s departure is the first domino kickstarting what is a broad restructure of Spurs.

It is also claimed that global investors, including backers from Saudi Arabia, harbor an ambitious plan for Spurs to build a “Premier League powerhouse”, and see the club as a “prime opportunity” to do so.

While making it crystal clear that Spurs is not for sale, the Lewis family are open to minority investments that could help to inject significant capital into the club, with Saudi parties also joined by potential investors from Qatar and the USA.

A new era for Thomas Frank’s side appears to be ushering in, with insiders saying that an “air of change” is brewing within the club and Levy’s exit may not be the big off-field announcement poised to come in the near future.

Chelsea's perfect start to the new Women's Super League season came to an end on Friday night, as the Blues were held to a stalemate by Manchester United in a 1-1 draw. Sonia Bompastor's side began their title defence in winning fashion through each of the first four weeks of the season but that run was stopped by the Red Devils, who avoided defeat for just the second time in 12 meetings with the London club.

It was United who started the better of the two on the night, with Ella Toone taking advantage of all the space afforded to her by the Chelsea midfield, until the Blues broke the deadlock with less than 10 minutes on the clock. It was a great team goal sparked into life and then finished by Wieke Kaptein, but Catarina Macario's backheeled pass which set the Netherlands international up to strike was the highlight of it all.

That lead didn't last long, with Anna Sandberg scoring her first Man Utd goal in style to cancel it out on just 20 minutes. From there, the two exchanged dominant spells, creating plenty of openings apiece. Chelsea's best fell to the scorer, but Kaptein was denied by a brilliant Phallon Tullis-Joyce save, while Melvine Malard really should've given the hosts the lead midway through the second half, only to drag her effort wide after finding herself through on goal. In the end, a point was probably the fair result and the Blues will likely be happy with it to some degree, given they were not at their best on the night.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Leigh Sports Village…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Hannah Hampton (6/10):

Distribution was good. Didn't have many saves to make.

Ellie Carpenter (6/10):

Kept a handle on Rolfo well overall and offered plenty going forward, both in possession and in her pressing.

Nathalie Bjorn (7/10):

Popped up with a couple of crucial interventions at the back and was very secure on the ball.

Millie Bright (5/10):

Was a little loose in possession at times and had a big lapse in the second half which gifted Malard a chance she should've converted.

Sandy Baltimore (6/10):

Had a tricky task marking Park, who so often drifted inside. Stuck to her task well, though.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Keira Walsh (5/10):

Good in possession but often found herself chasing shadows out of it, which was more due to the set-up of the XI than any of her own faults.

Erin Cuthbert (5/10):

Like Walsh, was part of a midfield that gave the opposition too much space in central areas, something that couldn't be solved by her insane work rate alone.

Wieke Kaptein (6/10):

Pressed well and carried a consistent attacking threat, as best highlighted by her goal, before being subbed off early in the second half as Bompastor switched things around.

Getty Images SportAttack

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (5/10):

Posed a real threat to United when she was able to get on the ball and drive down the right, but also had too many periods where she was quiet.

Catarina Macario (7/10):

Did so much hard work out of possession and in holding the ball up to kickstart Chelsea attacks. A fantastic assist for the opening goal, too.

Aggie Beever-Jones (6/10):

Wasn't as much of a goal threat in a wider role, though did have a great chance in the first half which she will want back. Offered other things to the attack there though, with some good drives on the ball especially to get the team forward.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Alyssa Thompson (6/10):

Another lively appearance for the deadline day signing, who did plenty of work on and off the ball down both flanks after being introduced early in the second half.

Sam Kerr (N/A):

Brought plenty of energy to the front line as Chelsea tried to find a late winner.

Sjoeke Nusken (N/A):

Had a little more joy in midfield than Cuthbert, albeit not much.

Guro Reiten (N/A):

A late sub as Bompastor rolled the dice once more and she did make an impact, but couldn't find the breakthrough.

Sonia Bompastor (5/10):

Set up her team in a way which so often gifted United space in midfield, allowing them to spring counter-attacks quickly and put Chelsea under some real pressure at times. Was a surprise that she didn't change that as the game progressed, instead making the midfield lighter with her subs.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has warned the Eagles they will be in “big trouble” if they lose captain Marc Guehi before making any further signings.

Eze to leave Crystal Palace for Arsenal

Despite winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, it has been a frustrating summer for those at Selhurst Park. Not much money has been spent, they have been demoted to the Europa Conference League from the Europa League and are now set to lose star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.

Eze, who was not involved in the 1-0 Conference League first-leg play-off victory over Fredrikstad, is expected to complete a £60million move to Arsenal.

Talking about Eze’s absence on Thursday evening, Glasner said he revealed he received a phone call from Eze, who said he was not feeling well enough to play.

“I’m responsible for Crystal Palace and I think he won’t play for us again,” said Glasner when asked to confirm whether Eze was heading to the Emirates Stadium. “So I have to prepare the team for Nottingham (Forest, in the Premier League on Sunday) and for the second leg against Fredrikstad, and I’m planning without Eberechi.”

Incomings	From	Fee
Walter Benitez	PSV Eindhoven	Free
Borna Sosa	Ajax	£3m

Quizzed as to whether Eze was feeling physically or mentally unwell, the Palace boss merely replied: “You have to ask him. Maybe in a few days (you can ask).”

As big a talent as Eze: Crystal Palace enter race to sign "magic" £40m star

Crystal Palace are on the hunt for a big-money Eze replacement.

By
Joe Nuttall

Aug 21, 2025

Glasner makes Guehi claim amid Liverpool links

Meanwhile, Guehi, who did play against Fredrikstad, has been linked with a move to Liverpool before the deadline closes. However, talking after the first leg victory, Glasner said Palace would be in “big trouble” if they sold Guehi before replacing him.

Asked if he was referring to just the return trip to Fredrikstad or the whole season, Glasner continued.

An insight into what India’s XI might look like for the first Test in Perth

Alagappan Muthu19-Nov-20242:21

Manjrekar’s XI: Abhimanyu to open, Jurel at No.3

The ball flew in the nets at Perth. There were four of them made available for training and even the one where R Ashwin was bowling his offspin gave a fair bit of kick. India’s XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins here on Friday, might be made up of those capable of providing pace and bounce with the ball and combating it with the bat. In such conditions, KL Rahul is set to return to the top of the order, Devdutt Padikkal is likely to be the No. 3, while Dhruv Jurel is a near certainty at No. 6.Here’s how India’s XI is shaping up for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.The top threeA full-strength side would have had Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in it, two players who are naturals on the back foot. This side will be missing them with the India captain recently becoming a father again and the No. 3 suffering a hand injury.Related

Kohli at the Optus Stadium: a full sensory experience

Morkel: Keep your eye on Nitish Kumar Reddy in the series

Why Australia vs India is Test cricket's premier rivalry

Rohit Sharma to miss first Test in Perth

Injured Gill to miss first Test in Perth with fractured thumb

Filling the vacant opener’s position shouldn’t be too much of a problem. For one, India knew Rohit might not make it and in Rahul, they have someone who has done the job before. Rahul kept himself pretty busy in the nets on Tuesday, focusing on his defence and yelling out loud when what he was trying to do occasionally wouldn’t come off.Gill’s injury, while fielding, was both unexpected and last minute. India had to adapt to it on the fly and they did so by asking Padikkal, who was in Australia with their A team, to stay behind. Padikkal batted with the first group on Tuesday morning. His height and his reach can present a problem to bowling attacks, with good length balls suddenly becoming drivable but that is in batting friendly conditions, which these are not.Like most of India’s batters in the three-hour session on Tuesday, he was a bit up and down, ending his session with a rasping cut shot against the spinners, his back and across movement so quick and fluid, but against the quicks he was largely reserved and his edges took a fair bit of damage. Padikkal did well against Australia A in Mackay, facing 276 balls across two innings at No. 4 and scoring 124 runs. He was down at No. 5 in the next unofficial Test on a very spicy MCG pitch but that didn’t go quite so well.India have another top order batter in their squad and he has scored loads of runs in domestic cricket but he has been unable to shake an initial expression of looking a little uncomfortable against the extra pace and bounce on offer on these pitches. Abhimanyu Easwaran only got his chance to bat in the nets alongside the bowlers. It is unlikely that he will be part of the Test match in two days time.2:04

Manjrekar picks Washington ahead of Ashwin

Jurel favourite for No. 6Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are locked at No. 4 and 5 which leaves one more spot up for grabs in the middle order.The loudest sounds – laughter first and then some geeing up – of the day came when a slip catch coming fast and hard at Sarfaraz Khan went through his fingers. The second loudest was the sound of Jurel’s bat coming down to meet the ball. These are the two players contending for the No. 6 spot and their day couldn’t have been more different.Sarfaraz was in the periphery. He actually only ended up at slip when Rahul left it to practice close catching to the spinner along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jurel’s day began here as well, at third slip. Then the team moved out of the main ground into the nets and that’s where Jurel really stood out. He rose up on tiptoe and kept rising balls down like a pro, soft hands, bat face pointed down, the ball dropping dead in front of him. He played a gorgeous flick shot to a quick ball at the other end of the length spectrum too. His decision making and the time he had to get right behind the ball in Perth along with his performance in Melbourne – twin fifties in seaming conditions – earlier this month could very well have launched him into the XI on Friday.The bowling allroundersIndia’s bowling coach Morne Morkel spent most of his time looking after Nitish Kumar Reddy, whether it was standing where the umpire would be or walking back with Reddy to the top of his mark. He has the run up of an out and out fast bowler just not the pace. His work was geared towards making up for that as he tried to hold a line outside off stump and pin the batter to the crease.0:56

Perth Test: Who is Manjrekar’s pick for the third quick?

India seem to be looking to Reddy to lengthen their batting to No. 8 and give them a bowling option suited to these conditions – the role Shardul Thakur used to play on recent overseas tours. If Reddy could get through 6-10 overs a day without leaking too many runs, the frontline quicks could be rotated more efficiently.The spin bowling spot will probably go in Ashwin’s favour, given three of Australia’s key batters – Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Alex Carey – are left-handers. Ravindra Jadeja didn’t bowl in the nets at Optus Stadium but he did get through a fairly long batting session.No slip-ups: Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant look on as Virat Kohli takes a flying catch•Getty ImagesWho will partner Jasprit Bumrah?There is a bit of momentum gaining behind Harshit Rana after his work in match simulation settings at the WACA. He spent much of that bowling into the wicket and trying to catch his people on the hop. He is 22. He is strong. He doesn’t have a lot of first-class experience behind him. But he’s been impressing the right people and that can often be more important than simple stats. Rana didn’t bowl too much at the nets on Tuesday.It is unclear who might make way for him because Mohammed Siraj was one of India’s best performers on their last tour of Australia and Akash Deep is yet to put in a performance that has fallen flat. He also had a long shift in the Perth nets going after India’s frontline batters. Same with Prasidh Krishna, and at least on one occasion he knew he had his man. “I heard a noise,” he said gleefully as he exchanged notes with his net bowling partners. In between running in and letting the ball fly, Prasidh had a quick one-on-one with Virat Kohli whose gestures indicated how difficult it might be for a batter to cope with back of a length balls – not outright short ones – when they happen to kick up off the pitch.The Optus Stadium surface has the same clay as the WACA’s. It is going to offer pace and bounce though it would need to bake in the heat of the sun first and that was in short supply on Tuesday with rain forcing Australia’s practice session to be cancelled. India are trying to gear their XI to suit those conditions, and they have had to look past the inexperience of some of their players – Jurel, Reddy, Rana, Prasidh and Padikkal have played only seven Tests between them – and into their potential to make that happen.

Everton were one of the four sides involved in the Premier League Summer Series held in the United States. They ended up finishing bottom in the four-team competition, with Manchester United, West Ham United and Bournemouth the three sides who placed above them.

What might concern manager David Moyes is that they scored only three goals across the three games, fewer than any of their opponents. Two of those came in the final game against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United. That came after the Toffees boss said he was “disappointed” with striker Beto’s performances in the competition.

So, it seems like the Toffees need attackers to help end this drought in front of goal. They are reportedly targeting a Premier League attacker to help their cause.

Everton’s next attacking target after Dibling

Of course, with Everton needing to become more clinical, the likes of Beto must step up, with new signing Thierno Barry waiting in the wings. Yet, they also need more creativity in attack, and seem to be targeting a Premier League star to help solve their problem.

Transfer Focus

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

According to a recent report from talkSPORT, the Merseysiders are ‘set to step up their interest’ in signing Manchester City and England international attacker Jack Grealish.

They are said to have been interested in the 29-year-old ‘for much of the transfer window’, and could now accelerate a move.

That comes after Southampton asked for £50m to sign Tyler Dibling, after Moyes’ side ‘have seen multiple bids rejected’ for the winger. Thus, they will ‘turn their attention’ to signing Grealish this summer, with a loan swoop seemingly on the cards.

Why Grealish would be a good signing

It has been a tough 12 months at the Etihad Stadium for Grealish. The former Aston Villa star seemingly fell out of Pep Guardiola’s plans and was not even taken as part of the squad to the Club World Cup earlier in the summer.

He played just 32 times for the Citizens last season, chipping in with eight goals and assists. That included just 20 Premier League games, where the attacker scored and assisted one goal apiece. He played 715 minutes in total and completed a full game three times.

A fresh start is needed for Grealish, but if Everton can recapture his best form, then they have a “generational talent” on their hands, according to former Villans chief executive Christian Purslow. He made 213 appearances in that famous Claret and Blue shirt, scoring 32 times and assisting 43.

Perhaps signing the England international will be like bringing a more experienced version of Dibling to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The pair have been compared before, with Tony Cascarino explaining he has “elements” of Grealish’s game, and analyst Umir said on The Overlap: The Breakdown that “the way he carried” the ball is similar to the City man.

Of course, Dibling, at just 19 years of age, is far from the finished article. Last season, he scored two goals and assisted one in 33 Premier League games, including this well-taken effort against Ipswich Town.

Yet, the similarities are there to see, and there is a bit of Grealish in the way he took the ball on the half turn, evaded the defender and fired home. The numbers also back up the theory, and if Everton can help Grealish rediscover his best form from his Villa days, they’ll have a more refined version of Dibling who can have an impact now, rather than later down the line.

Using stats on FBref from Grealish’s last season at Villa, he averaged 2.67 completed take-ons and 4.03 carries into the final third per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Southampton forward averaged 2.16 successful take-ons and 2.4 carries into the final third each game.

Progressive passes

7.78

3.08

Take-ons completed

2.67

2.16

Progressive carries

7.08

3.32

Carries into final third

4.03

2.4

Carries into penalty area

3.25

1.25

The similarities between the two attackers are clear. Whilst Dibling can be a long-term addition for Everton, there is a strong case to make that Grealish would be a better signing for Moyes’ side this season.

He is far more experienced and closer to the finished product. The 29-year-old is almost guaranteed to have an instant impact if Moyes can help him rediscover the form he showed at Villa. This could be a genius move for Everton.

Imagine him & Dewsbury-Hall: Everton pushing to sign "world-class talent"

Everton manager David Moyes is pushing to wrap up his summer transfer plans.

ByAngus Sinclair Aug 6, 2025

West Ham United have set their sights on further reinforcements before the season gets underway and have now reportedly submitted an opening offer to boost their goalkeeper department.

West Ham set sights on new goalkeeper

In a relatively quiet summer by Premier League standards, West Ham have welcomed just three fresh faces in the form of Kyle Walker-Peters, El Hadji Malick Diouf and former Celtic youngster Daniel Cummings. It follows a busy window this time last year which ultimately failed to result in the progress that then-technical director Tim Steidten had in mind.

Now, with Mark Noble in the role of sporting director, the Hammers have taken a more cautious approach as Graham Potter aims to change his fortunes following a tough start to life in the West Ham technical area last season.

That’s not to say they don’t have targets in mind, however, and a new goalkeeper is seemingly among their priorities. According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, those at the London Stadium have launched a formal approach to sign Leicester City’s Mats Hermansen in a deal to bring the impressive goalkeeper straight back to the Premier League following relegation.

It certainly makes sense that West Ham have turned their focus towards welcoming another shot-stopper. After all, Alphonse Areola is now 32 years old and no longer has the competition of Lukasz Fabianski following the Pole’s departure at the end of last season.

Whether or not it’s Hermansen remains the question. The Leicester man is still just 25 and was one of few Leicester players who stood out in a campaign to forget last season.

However, it’s key to point out that he’s not the only name on West Ham’s shortlist.

West Ham submit "formal bid" to sign John Victor

According to Fabrizio Romano, West Ham have now submitted a “formal bid” to sign John Victor worth €8m (£7m) as they step up their search for a goalkeeper. The 6’5 Brazilian also has interest from Everton and Galatasaray, whilst Manchester United also monitored his progress in recent months, but it’s now the Hammers who are taking key steps towards his arrival.

Praised for a “phenomenal” tenure at Brazilian side Botafogo by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, Victor would be an impressive coup by West Ham.

At 29-years-old, the towering goalkeeper could finally have the chance to step into European football for the first time in his career and potentially take Areola’s starting place under Graham Potter.

Potter's new Bissouma: West Ham accelerate move for "outstanding" £20m star

West Ham want to sign at least one midfielder this summer

1 ByJoe Nuttall Aug 1, 2025

As an alternative option to Hermansen, the Botafogo would also bring experience at Club World Cup-level that the Leicester man would otherwise struggle to add to West Ham’s best side.

Arsenal have emerged as the dream destination for one player this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, with sporting director Andrea Berta continuing to carry out his extensive transfer window shopping ahead of 2025/2026.

£70m star wants to join Arsenal after Norgaard and Mosquera, talks ongoing

The north Londoners mean business this summer.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga are both poised to be announced as new Arsenal players shortly.

Kepa completed his Arsenal medical in the last few days as he closes in on a £5 million switch from Stamford Bridge (Sky Sports), while Zubimendi touched down in London last week to finalise his near-£56 million transfer to the Premier League.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

The Spaniards will be joined by Brentford captain Christian Norgaard, too, with Arsenal widely reported to have agreed a £15 million deal for the Denmark international, including add-ons.

The 31-year-old has been permitted to travel for his Arsenal medical (Fabrizio Romano), and ex-Tottenham director Frank Arnesen says Mikel Arteta may have just snapped up a bargain.

“If he can take a step up and come to Arsenal, it would be fantastic. Every dressing room would be thrilled to have him. He has the right mentality, is a team player and has the attitude,” said Arnsen to Tipsbladet earlier this week.

“Mikel Arteta was fantastic as a player, I think, and as a coach he has done absolutely superbly, both as an assistant at Manchester City and afterwards at Arsenal with the way he plays football.

“He doesn’t just take a player in without knowing exactly what he’s going to use him for. Maybe he won’t play 50 games, you don’t know, maybe it’ll only be 30, but it’s about the whole package. He gets the whole package with Christian.”

Berta has wasted no time in moving on to Arsenal’s next target after Norgaard, either.

The Gunners have opened talks with Valencia over signing versatile young defender Cristhian Mosquera, and there is real optimism that they’ll reach an agreement for their fourth signing of the summer, even if their opening bid of £16 million was rejected (The Guardian).

Cristhian Mosquera wants "perfect" move to Arsenal

While there’s still some way to go in club-to-club talks, Berta will not run into any trouble on the player’s side.

As per Romano, speaking on the ‘Here We Go’ YouTube channel, Mosquera thinks Arsenal are the “perfect” move for him, and the 21-year-old wants to challenge Arteta’s preferred centre-back pairing.

“My understanding is that the player wants to go to Arsenal. He sees Arsenal as the perfect opportunity for his career,” said Romano.

“Of course, you have to compete with Gabriel, with William Saliba, but what I’m hearing is that Mosquera is not scared. Obviously, he knows that these two defenders are probably the best in the world, but he wants to be there. He knows that Arsenal will have many games; with Mikel Arteta, young players develop very well. So Mosquera said yes to Arsenal.”

Able to play at both right-back and centre-back, the “magnificent” Mosquera could plug multiple gaps for Arteta, but his arrival surely spells the end of Jakub Kiwior – who’s been tipped to leave if they do sign the Spain Under-21 international.

Tottenham Hotspur have now submitted an enquiry over a deal for an “explosive” star, who is expected to cost in excess of £40m this summer, according to a report.

Tottenham eye new midfielder amid doubts over Bentancur's future

While Tottenham secured Champions League qualification via their Europa League triumph, their Premier League performances in the 2024-25 campaign left a lot to be desired, and new manager Thomas Frank will be hoping to oversee a major turnaround.

During his first interview as Spurs boss, Frank singled out James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dominic Solanke as three players he is excited to work with, indicating the Dane is happy with the attacking midfield options at his disposal.

However, should Bentancur refuse to sign a new contract, the Uruguayan could be moved on this summer, with a move to Atletico Madrid deemed a possibility, meaning Frank may be tasked with bringing in a replacement.

Levy now ready to smash Tottenham record by signing "unbelievable" £68m star

Spurs are willing to make a huge bid for a player who has been identified as a prime target for Thomas Frank.

ByDominic Lund Jun 29, 2025

As such, according to a report from The Boot Room, Daniel Levy and Co could look to raid one of their Premier League rivals, having now submitted an enquiry over a deal for Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who is expected to cost in excess of £40m this summer.

Elliott is ready to leave the Reds, given a lack of game time last season, and first-team opportunities are likely to be even more limited in the upcoming campaign, considering Florian Wirtz’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

There is widespread interest in the 22-year-old, however, which could pose a problem for Spurs, with nearly half the Premier League submitting enquiries of their own, while Jurgen Klopp is also looking to take his former player to RB Leipzig.

"Explosive" Elliott leads England U21s to glory in Slovakia

England U21s secured a second consecutive European Championships title with a 3-2 victory over Germany on Saturday, and manager Lee Carsley has the Liverpool midfielder to thank, given that he played a major role in the triumph.

The 22-year-old picked up the Player of the Tournament award, courtesy of scoring five goals en-route to glory in Slovakia, while he has also impressed Arne Slot in the past, with the Dutchman saying: “He’s so explosive with the way that he moves and with his end product. We are very lucky to have him.”

Not only that, but the former Fulham man places ranks in the top 1% for non-penalty goals per 90 by players in his position over the past year, and the 86th percentile for assists, showcasing the attacking threat he poses.

Elliott is now at an age where he needs to be playing regular football, and his exploits for England U21s indicate he could flourish at Tottenham, so a fee of around £40m seems very reasonable.

Hoping to get one over on Chelsea, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive Ligue 1 midfielder in a deal worth £25m this summer.

Nottingham Forest face encouraging Premier League start

It was Nottingham Forest’s stunning start that saw them rise to as high as third in the Premier League last season, before dropping off to finish seventh. And one year on, they could enjoy a similarly fast start with the fixtures officially announced.

The Midlands club will open their campaign against Brentford at the City Ground before travelling to Crystal Palace and playing host to West Ham United to end August. Things don’t get much tougher from there, either. In fact, Arsenal aside, games against Sunderland and Burnley to follow should hand Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at least five very winnable games to get their season off to a flying start.

Those at the City Ground will also have European football to be excited about next season. Just which competition they’ll be in remains an important question, however.

With UEFA still deliberating whether to give Crystal Palace the boot after the Eagles breached multi-club ownership rules, Evangelos Marinakis has reportedly written to the governing body perhaps in the hope of helping to sway a decision which would see Forest move up to the Europa League.

It’s a letter which won’t win the Greek owner many friends in the Premier League, but it could help to ensure that Forest receive an unexpected boost out of the Europa Conference League.

Nottingham Forest receive green light to complete move for 17-goal striker

They’ve already made their first approach.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 18, 2025

Whether it’s the Europa Conference League or Europa League, however, Forest will need some much-needed depth if they are to compete on all fronts. The pending arrival of Brazilian trio Igo Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha should hand them that in part, but a move to sign one particular Ligue 1 star would provide Nuno with his biggest boost this summer.

Nottingham Forest join Habib Diarra race

According to Caught Offside, Nottingham Forest have now joined the race to sign Habib Diarra from Strasbourg this summer. They’re far from the only club interested in the midfielder though. Joining the Tricky Trees, Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Everton, Aston Villa and Leeds United are all reportedly eyeing the talented 21-year-old.

The amount of interest in Diarra should come as little shock following the season that he and the rest of his Strasbourg teammates enjoyed to take the club into the top-half of Ligue 1. What has likely also helped increase that interest are the reports that the midfielder could be available for as little as €30m (£25m) in the coming months.

Minutes

2,352

2,728

Goals

4

2

Progressive Passes

116

143

Assists

5

6

Described as a “complete midfielder” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Diarra kept up with Elliot Anderson’s excellent debut season last time out and would instantly offer Forest the quality in depth they need to navigate European football.