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John Aldridge says Trent Alexander-Arnold can expect plenty of criticism when he completes his expected move to Real Madrid.

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• Alexander-Arnold expected to join Madrid
• Right-back has confirmed Liverpool exit
• Aldridge warns he could get 'absolutely annihilated'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Alexander-Arnold has been warned he could face immense and "brutal" criticism should he underperform for Real Madrid once his expected free transfer to the Spanish giants is confirmed.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Alexander-Arnold has already confirmed he will leave Anfield at the end of the current campaign once his contract expires. The announcement provoked mixed reactions from fans and pundits, and while Liverpool great John Aldridge says he understands the England international's desire to try something new, the 66-year-old highlighted the strong criticism players can face from the Spanish media if they fall out of form.

• WHAT ALDRIDGE SAID

  Writing for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge said: "I've kind of known for a while that Trent Alexander-Arnold would be leaving Liverpool. You hear on the grapevine so I expected it, it's just the timing of it coming out.

  "So I'm not shocked at all. I know some supporters are angry with him, calling him all sorts, but it's over the top. Fans are fans. Some will see one side, some will see the other side. I'm in between really.

  "But it will be interesting to see how he gets on there. I played in Spain for a couple of years. Every day, football papers come out. One bad game you're going to get absolutely annihilated. It's brutal."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD AND LIVERPOOL?

  Alexander-Arnold has three games left in his Liverpool career, starting with an Anfield clash with former title rivals Arsenal on Sunday before further fixtures against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

After Chelsea’s horrendous defensive record last season, conceding 63 goals in 38 Premier League games (their worst defensive record in the past ten years), Enzo Maresca has been given the task of reducing that number this time around and asserting more control for the Blues.

Whilst it hasn’t been a huge turnaround, Chelsea have conceded 34 goals in 25 games this season, making their goals conceded per 90 metric 1.36. This would mean if the Blues continue on this trajectory, they will finish the season having conceded 52 goals (51.68 rounded up).

Averaging 58.6% possession so far this season, which is the second-highest in this metric and only averaging 11.3 shots conceded per game this season, the sixth fewest in the division, Chelsea have made strides to improve their overall defensive unit, but there are still a few major holes that continue to let them down.

Robert Sanchez's Chelsea form

Chelsea made the signing of Robert Sanchez in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, joining for a fee of around £25m. The 27-year-old has made 43 appearances for the Blues since joining, conceding 59 goals and keeping nine clean sheets, totalling 3,864 minutes played.

Sanchez has been a major culprit at Chelsea in their recent poor run of form, making some huge errors – including in the defeat to Manchester City – leading to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to state:

To further rubberstamp that point, the former Brighton man currently leads the way in the division – alongside Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric – with regard to most errors leading to a goal (five) in the top flight in 2024/25.

In recent weeks, Sanchez has been dropped to the Chelsea bench, with summer signing Filip Jorgensen being given the number one spot instead, but the Blues must reflect back to when they had one of the very best in the world in this position once upon a time.

Chelsea once had the "Messi of goalkeepers"

Chelsea sold Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid in 2018, with the Belgian leaving for a fee of around £35m. In his time at Chelsea, the shot-stopper made 154 appearances, conceding 152 goals, keeping 58 clean sheets and totalling 13,834 minutes played.

When comparing Courtois to the current Chelsea goalkeepers, your first thought may be that Jorgensen and Sanchez actually have higher save percentages and face more shots against them, which gives them better shot-stopping metrics.

However, when looking at “Post-Shot xG per Shot on Target”, you can see Courtois actually faces higher xG shots during a game, while also boasting a better clean sheet percentage.

Ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper, Santi Canizares, labelled Courtois “the Maradona, Messi, Cristiano of goalkeepers”. Canizares also stated he is “better than the rest and he performs every day”, which is shown in his Real Madrid numbers, making 268 appearances for the Spanish giants, conceding 254 goals, keeping 107 clean sheets and totalling 24,229 minutes played.

With many Chelsea fans continuing to bang the drum that they need a world-class goalkeeper between the sticks to challenge for major honours, had Courtois never left, the Blues would have been in a much stronger position.

Better than James & Gusto: Chelsea sold "exceptional" star for just £8m

Chelsea must rue sale of “exceptional” ace who’s been better than James & Gusto

By
Connor Holden

Feb 20, 2025

The Reds twice went ahead but were overpowered by the Seagulls

Liverpool twice surrendered the lead two suffer a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Monday, making it three games in a row without a win for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai put the Reds in the ascendancy in the first half, but the Seagulls fought back each time with Yasin Ayari and substitutes Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinselwood capitalising on the apparent hangover Arne Slot's men are struggling with.

A slick move from the Reds broke the deadlock just nine minutes in. It all started with a long pass from Dominik Szoboszlai to Mohamed Salah, who knocked it into Conor Bradley's path. The young full-back did an excellent job evading the Brighton defenders to get close to the goal before cutting back for Harvey Elliott to tap in.

Bradley had the opportunity to get a goal of his own in the 22nd minute when Federico Chiesa worked the ball to him in the box, though his shot missed the target.

Brighton came close to levelling just before the half-hour mark when a dangerous cross found Danny Welbeck deep in the Liverpool danger area, but he was unable to steer it past Alisson. The equaliser came shortly afterwards when Brajan Gruda knocked the through to Yasin Ayari to tuck into the net.

Just before the break, Szoboszlai had Liverpool in front again, pulling off a surprise free-kick routine with Elliott and then lashing in a beautiful effort from the side of the penalty area, much to the shock of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The visitors should have been 3-1 up shortly after half-time when Cody Gakpo broke through and squared to Mohamed Salah, but the Premier League's top scorer missed the target. Brighton almost punished them later on when Welbeck found his way through, only to see his shot was blocked by Alisson.

The punishment came in the 69th minute when Mitoma, four minutes after coming on the bench, fed Welbeck in the box and was there to pounce on the rebound after the English forward's shot was saved, with the Japan star blasting it into the ground and in.

It was another substitute who grabbed the winner for Brighton, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring from close range after a low cross from Matt O'Riley in the 85th minute.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Amex Stadium…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Alisson (7/10):

  Kept out a few dangerous efforts to keep Liverpool in the lead.

  Conor Bradley (7/10):

  A fine run and pass set up the opener and kept Simon Adingra at bay at the other end. Was late on Ayari for Brighton's goal, though.

  Jarell Quansah (5/10):

  Had some shaky moments but made some important interventions at the back.

  Ibrahima Konate (5/10):

  Let Brighton pose a few too many problems.

  Kostas Tsimikas (4/10):

  The weak link in the defence, he gave Brighton plenty of space down the left side.

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  Midfield

  Ryan Gravenberch (5/10):

  Sound in his passing but had a quiet one overall.

  Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):

  Started the move for the opening goal and scored a lovely goal – though it's unclear if he meant it!

  Harvey Elliott (7/10):

  Got into a dangerous position to tuck in the first goal

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Mohamed Salah (5/10):

  Should have got on the scoresheet but missed the open goal and had another shot saved by Verbruggen.

  Federico Chiesa (4/10):

  Teed up Bradley in the first half but kept silent until his substitution in the 63rd minute.

  Cody Gakpo (6/10):

  Missed the target with his only shot and gifted Salah a great chance.

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• Subs & Manager

  Luis Diaz (5/10):

  Had one shot blocked and could do little else.

  Darwin Nunez (5/10):

  Played over 25 minutes but had little impact.

  Curtis Jones (5/10):

  Unable to give much of a lift.

  Wataru Endo (5/10):

  Didn't have much of a chance of impacting after replacing Bradley.

  Arne Slot (6/10):

  His team's job is done and they managed two good goals against a strong team, but the weaknesses in their defence should be concerned.

Thomas Tuchel took Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and the rest of England's star players to the Spanish GP before their next set of World Cup qualifiers.

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• England players enjoying Barcelona
• Attended Spanish GP on Sunday
• Three Lions face Andorra on June 7

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Three Lions have reached Barcelona ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifying game against Andorra. The entire squad was spotted at the Spanish GP as stars like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Jordan Henderson and manager Tuchel were found in a relaxed mood at the venue.

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  Kane, Bellingham, and Cole Palmer are all set to take part in the Club World Cup later this month, however, they won't be released from the squad until the Three Lions play their final match of the June internationals – a friendly against Senegal on June 10. Tuchel had earlier addressed the issue and said: "We start the camp with 26 and finish the camp with 26. I could see the value in letting the players leave earlier with Club World Cup players – we discussed not having Club World Cup players, but we understood it is important as one of only five camps that we need to cherish it."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Kane and Co are set to face Andorra in World Cup qualifying at the RCDE Stadium on June 7 before coming up against Senegal in a friendly encounter three days later.

Looking to boost their attacking options even further, Aston Villa have now reportedly made their first move to sign an attacking midfielder who’s had a hand in 23 goals so far this season.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans were as bold as ever during the January transfer window, selling Jhon Duran for a reported £65m before welcoming Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. That bravery has been to no avail in the Premier League, however, with Unai Emery’s side taking one step forward and two steps back in recent weeks, culminating in a 10th place position.

Grealish 2.0: NSWE should regret selling Aston Villa's "next big thing"

Aston Villa are on course to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, but would they be even stronger had they not sold their “next big thing”?

1

By
Ben Gray

Mar 6, 2025

In the Champions League, meanwhile, the Midlands club have enjoyed opposite fortunes. Defeating Club Brugge 3-1 last time out, Aston Villa are now just one second leg win away from a Champions League quarter-final in what would be a sensational achievement.

Despite sitting 10th in the Premier League, the Villans have certainly remained ambitious in their pursuit of reinforcements too. According to Efotbal.cz, as relayed by Sports Witness, Aston Villa have now made their first enquiry over signing Pavel Sulc from Viktoria Plzen this summer, but face competition from Manchester City and Leeds United.

Such interest in the attacking midfielder should come as little surprise. Sulc has enjoyed another excellent campaign in the Czech Republic, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further 11, including one in a 2-1 defeat against Manchester United in the Europa League.

If ever a player was ready for a big move, it is the 24-year-old at the peak of his powers.

"Incredible" Sulc would add depth of quality

Whilst Aston Villa’s attack is currently filled to the brim with quality, it remains to be seen whether they’ll be in a position to welcome both Rashford and Asensio on a permanent basis following their loan moves this summer. And that could leave room for the likes of Sulc to arrive. A younger option than the duo who are 27 and 29 years old respectively, the attacking midfielder would prove to be a worthwhile investment.

Earning plenty of praise in the last year or so, including from Jacek Kulig. The football talent scout described the 24-year-old’s 23/24 campaign as “incredible” and has since watched on as he’s enjoyed another excellent season almost a year on.

When the summer arrives, Sulc looks destined to finally get his big move. Whether that means a trip to Villa Park is pending remains to be seen, however.

As the summer transfer window approaches, Atletico Madrid have already reportedly reached a verbal agreement with a Manchester United star who could now leave in a deal worth £42m.

Man Utd transfer news

In what has been a trend spanning over 10 years, Manchester United are once again in need of a major overhaul under a new manager.

This time, it’s Ruben Amorim who needs to welcome several fresh faces if he is to stamp his mark on the struggling side that Erik ten Hag left behind. However, unlike in previous tenures, the Red Devils are not in a position to splash the cash so easily.

As INEOS continue their cost-cutting measures, which have not come without controversy, the first thing they must do when the summer arrives is sell any players Amorim does not deem fit to feature in his strongest side – and that could see one star man depart.

According to reports in Spain, Atletico Madrid have now reached a verbal agreement with Alejandro Garnacho and could complete a summer deal worth €50m (£42m).

Man Utd open talks to sign £40m star outscoring Zirkzee & Hojlund combined

He’d be an instant upgrade…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 9, 2025

The Argentinian winger looked destined to follow in Marcus Rashford’s footsteps by departing in the January transfer window amid links to the likes of Chelsea, but eventually stayed put and has since crept back into Amorim’s side.

Nonetheless, he could still decide to leave a sinking ship and a manager whose system simply does not accommodate wingers when the summer arrives. United, meanwhile, could commence a summer of sales by showing Garnacho the door.

"Brave" Garnacho needs Man Utd exit

There was once a time when leaving Old Trafford seemed an absurd idea, but those days are long gone. Recent history instead tells a damning story of how players can benefit from leaving Manchester United – whether it’s been Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku or more recently, Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Now, Garnacho can become the latest to steal the headlines away from a club drowning in failure.

Under Ten Hag, the young winger looked destined to become the star of the team, having earned regular praise from the Dutchman, who told reporters: “I love to work with Garnacho.

“He’s a player who needs a challenge, he likes a challenge, he is very brave, he’s very confident, our job is to push him to high levels. He has high potential and now we have to get the potential out, therefore you have to work day by day.”

Now, under Amorim, he has been surplus to requirements at times, in what has been the harshest reality check possible for a player who has strayed from a path towards Old Trafford greatness.

Like others in the past, Garnacho should take hold of an opportunity to leave Manchester United behind this summer.

Raphinha has won La Liga's Player of the Season award, after an incredible campaign, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.

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• Raphinha enjoyed stunning season at Camp Nou
• Mbappe and Yamal pipped to prize
• Brazilian develops into one of Barca's best

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  La Liga have confirmed that Raphinha has won the Player of the Season prize for the 2024/25 campaign, beating out the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The Real Madrid superstar scored 31 goals in 34 games and provided three assists, while Yamal, Raphinha's team-mate, scored nine and registered 15 assists.

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  Raphinha, by comparison, scored 18 goals and registered 11 assists as Barca stormed to La Liga glory. Having been heavily linked with a move away last summer, the prize marks a significant milestone in his journey in Catalonia.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Raphinha won the Player of the Month award just once throughout the season but has now been honoured for his contribution across the season. His final goal involvements in 2024/25 came in El Clasico, scoring twice in their 4-3 win over Real Madrid.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Raphinha missed Brazil's clash with Ecuador due to suspension but is available to play against Paraguay on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier.

Florian Wirtz is set to become one of the top earners at Liverpool after his stunning £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen.

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• 22-year-old's base salary a whopping £195k-a-week
• Bonuses could bump total pay packet to £13m per year
• Wirtz will be third highest-paid star at Anfield

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Accoridng to Sky Sports, the 22-year-old will earn a base salary of £195,000 a week. That could rise to more than £245,000 based on individual and team bonuses, representing a potential annual pay packet of almost £13m. Wirtz completed his switch to Merseyside earlier this week for an initial fee of £100m, which could rise to £116m should Wirtz play a key role in Liverpool winning the Premier League and Champions League.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The deal makes Wirtz the third highest paid player at Liverpool, but he still lags far behind numbers one and two. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah's contracts were a constant story during the 2024/25 season, with both stars signing a new deal in the run-in of the Reds' title-winning campaign. Captain Van Dijk is reportedly earning £400,000 per week, while Salah is bringing home £380,000 per week.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  While the deal to bring Wirtz to Merseyside is essentially a done deal, the young star has yet to complete his medical. The 22-year-old was viewed as one of Europe's hottest properties in this summer window, with Liverpool beating Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to his signature.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FLORIAN WIRTZ?

  Wirtz returns from holiday in the next few days, and will begin the move across to England. The player has already held talks with his new manager, and has viewed properties in Cheshire ahead of his start in English football.

They say the best defence is a good offence, and in Tottenham Hotspur’s case, that may well be true.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have had to deal with injury after injury to their backline this year, which has seen them concede the seventh most goals in the Premier League this season.

Fortunately, the North Londoners have also scored the joint second-most goals in the competition, which has kept them from falling below 14th place and into a genuine relegation scrap – it’s the small things.

It now appears as if Daniel Levy and Co are keen to further improve the attack this summer, as recent reports have touted one of the best strikers in Europe with a move to N17, a forward who’d be an upgrade on club-record signing Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham Hotspur's striker search

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several clubs weighing up a summer move for LOSC Lille star Jonathan David.

Transfer Focus

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

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that fellow Premier League sides Arsenal, West Ham United, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are keen on the Canadian, while European giants Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus are all ‘considering moves’.

While the level of competition for the prolific number nine is far from ideal, the good news is that this would not be an expensive deal to get over the line due to his contract expiring in the summer.

In all, it could be an incredibly complicated transfer to get done for Spurs, but given David’s immense ability, one well worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on the already talented Solanke.

How David compares to Solanke

The first thing to say is that, so far this season, Solanke has shown himself to be more than capable of leading the line for this Tottenham side, but just because he’s impressed thus far does not mean he cannot be improved upon, which is where David comes into the picture.

The first thing to compare is their raw output, as when it really comes down to it, that is what matters more than anything else for a number nine, and in this metric, it’s an easy win for the Lille star.

For example, in his 41 appearances this term, totalling 3284 minutes, the 25-year-old star, whom journalist Tony Marinaro dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world,” has scored 23 goals and provided ten assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.24 games, or every 99.51 minutes.

For his part, the Lilywhites forward has scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances, totalling 2536 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 133.47 minutes.

Unfortunately for the former Bournemouth man, he also comes out on the losing side, albeit to a lesser degree, when we take a look under the hood and compare their underlying numbers.

For example, in most relevant metrics, the New York-born dynamo comes out ahead, including but not limited to expected and actual goals plus assists, progressive and key passes, shot-creating actions, goals per shot and shot on target, passes into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

Finally, while the Basingstoke-born marksman is yet to score a senior goal for England, the former Gent star has won 59 caps for Canada, in which he’s racked up a phenomenal haul of 31 goals and 18 assists.

That means he averages a goal involvement every 1.20 games and can handle the pressure of being a talisman for club and country.

Ultimately, Solanke is a great player and someone who could go on to have a brilliant career with Spurs, but when it comes down to what matters most, goals, it’s clear that David is in another league entirely.

Therefore, if Levy and Co want the first team to pack even more of a punch next season, they should be doing all they can to convince the Canadian star to move to the white side of North London when his contract ends.

Leading candidate to replace Ange: Spurs want "special" Iraola alternative

The experienced manager could be just what Spurs need.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 19, 2025

Newcastle United will be doing all they can to keep hold of Alexander Isak this summer, with a new update outlining the efforts they are going to, in order to retain his services.

Isak stars for Newcastle in Wembley win

Magpies supporters will still be buzzing after their EFL Cup final victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, on one of the most memorable days in the club’s history, as they ended their long 70-year wait for domestic glory.

Unsurprisingly, Isak played a huge part in the 2-1 win at Wembley, burying a finish to put Newcastle 2-0 up, having only recently seen another effort ruled out for offside. He was a menace all afternoon, and as was the case at St James’ Park in the Premier League back in December, the Reds struggled to contain him.

It has been a sensational season for the 25-year-old, who has stood out as arguably the best striker in the world, even above someone like Erling Haaland. He has scored 23 goals in total, leading the line superbly and standing out as one of the Magpies’ biggest attacking heroes in years.

Guimaraes replacement: Newcastle make first move to sign Man City target

Guimaraes could be on his way out of Newcastle…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 17, 2025

There is plenty of concern from Newcastle fans about losing their most prized asset in the summer transfer window, however, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal seeing him as the perfect addition to their respective attacks.

Newcastle pulling out all the stops to keep Isak

According to a new report from The Boot Room, PIF are “ready to break their wage structure” to keep hold of Newcastle star Isak at the end of the season and make him their highest earner in club history, as they look to fend off interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.

The Magpies are “going to have to go way above” Bruno Guimaraes’ current £160,000-a-week wages if they want to tie down the Swede, who currently earns £120,000 per week. The update goes on to state that the striker “will wait to see where Eddie Howe’s side finish in the Premier League before deciding whether to commit to the club”, and if they finish in the top four, could offer Isak more than £200,000 per week.

Keeping hold of Isak is more important than any signing that arrives at St James’ this summer, with the Sweden international an irreplaceable figure.

He is still a relatively young player, so there is no reason why he can’t be at his best for another six or seven years for the Magpies, while Alan Shearer is a huge admirer, saying of him last year:

“He is just a constant threat all the time. His finishing is excellent and his penalty taking is as good as they come. He is confident and cool and believes in everything he is doing. We know that once he gets away over the top, he is going to cause you an absolute nightmare. His ability to link up and his understanding [is brilliant].”

This should act as a massive incentive for Eddie Howe, in terms of securing Champions League football and making Isak believe Newcastle can go on to bigger and better things. To lose him at this point would be so hard to take, but the appeal of Liverpool and Arsenal is obvious if the Magpies miss out on Europe’s biggest competition.