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It would be an understatement to say that this season has already been a roller coaster for Manchester United fans.

The team started the campaign with a respectable win over Fulham, but cratering form in the Premier League and Europa League eventually saw Erik ten Hag relieved of his duties in the dugout.

Former Red Devil Ruud van Nistelrooy is in temporary charge, but it’s the highly-rated Ruben Amorim who will have the task of delivering glory to the Old Trafford faithful once more.

However, to do that, he’ll likely want and need to make several changes and additions to the first-team squad, and recent reports have linked the club to a striker who could be his new Viktor Gyokeres, and big trouble for summer signing Joshua Zirkzee.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report out of Spain, Manchester United are one of several ‘European giants’ interested in FC Porto star Samu Omorodion.

The story claims that following his sensational form for the Portuguese giants this season and the sky-high potential many believe him to have, the former Chelsea target has become a player of particular interest to the Red Devils.

However, there are two significant obstacles to completing this signing: Paris Saint-Germain’s interest and the striker’s lofty release clause, which stands at around €100m, which is about £84m.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but if Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co can find a way to lower the asking price, then Omorodion would be an excellent signing and could develop into Amorim’s new Gyokeres.

The Zirkzee upgrade who could be Amorim's new Gyokeres

So, before we get to how Omorodion compares to one of his potential rivals at United, Zirkzee, let’s examine his similarities to Gyokeres, starting with the biggest: where he plays.

Yes, like the Swedish powerhouse, the former Atlético Madrid prospect is currently plying his trade in Portugal’s top flight, and he’s doing so with almost as much success as the former Coventry City star, currently sitting two behind him in the league’s goalscoring charts.

Their two other similarities are that they’re both right-footed marksmen and come in at over 6 foot, with the Sporting star measuring 6 foot 2 and the Porto poacher a mammoth 6 foot 4, which should help him adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League.

With all that said, how does he stack up to the Red Devils Dutch summer signing? If he moves to Old Trafford in 2025, he’ll have to compete with the former Bologna star to establish himself as Rasmus Hojlund’s main rival for a place in the starting lineup.

Well, when it comes to output, the most important metric for a number nine, the Spanish “monster”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is the clear winner, racking up 11 goals in 11 games this year, compared to one goal and two assists in 15 matches for the Schiedam-born forward.

What about their underlying numbers? Is it just as one-sided when we take a look under the hood? Unfortunately for the former Bayern Munich prospect, it is.

For example, aside from shot-creating actions and progressive passes, Porto’s goalscoring “beast”, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, comes out ahead in every relevant metric, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes received, shots and shots on target, goal-creating actions and aerial duels, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.85

0.62

Actual Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

1.54

0.53

Progressive Passes

1.25

2.70

Progressive Passes Received

4.86

3.97

Shots

3.91

2.46

Shots on Target

1.96

1.07

Shot-Creating Actions

2.66

3.02

Goal-Creating Actions

0.42

0.32

Aerial Duels Won

2.64

1.90

Ultimately, Omorodion looks like he could develop into an elite centre-forward, and if United can convince Porto to accept a lower fee, then they should do what they can to bring him to Old Trafford, even if it could spell the end for Zirkzee.

Amorim setting sights on signing "cheeky" £90m Antony upgrade for Man Utd

The new manager isn’t wasting any time…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 3, 2024

Kent took a huge step away from the lower reaches of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division One with a thumping 177-run victory over struggling champions Warwickshire at Edgbaston.After resuming on 28 for 2, in pursuit of a target of 325, the home side folded to 147 all out before lunch. Matt Milnes led the demolition with a destructive burst of 6.5-1-11-4 but Kent’s quartet of seamers all played their part in building the pressure under which the Bears buckled.The result leaves Warwickshire, who visit leaders Surrey next week, in real jeopardy of following their title triumph in 2021 with relegation in 2022. Kent, meanwhile, spring into mid-table after an excellent performance by a team galvanised by the arrival of overseas pacemen Navdeep Saini and Matt Henry.Related

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Their seam attack possessed the cutting edge that the depleted Bears, without the injured Liam Norwell, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes, sorely lacked. Kent’s bowlers also were supported by fine work in the field, led by captain and wicketkeeper Sam Billings who took 12 catches in the match, surpassing the previous Kent record of ten (Fred Huish, 1911, and Jack Hubble, 1923).The final day had a helter-skelter start as Sam Hain hit his first three balls for four but then edged a fine delivery from Saini to Billings.Dom Sibley and Will Rhodes dug in to add 35 but then came a moment which summed up the old cricket truism that it’s when things are going against you that Lady Luck will give you another good kicking. Rhodes, having looked in decent nick and started to sow the seeds of a partnership with Sibley, was strangled down the leg side off Quinn.That’s always an infuriating way to get out – all the more so when it triggers a collapse of 61 for 7 in 91 balls.Kent seam depth in this game showed itself as, with spearheads Saini and Henry grazing, Matt Quinn and Milnes took up the attack and took five wickets in 30 balls.Quinn followed the wicket of Rhodes with that of Dan Mousley who edged behind. Milnes produced an unplayable lifter to take Michael Burgess’ edge and then forced Sibley to play on. Milnes had 3 for 7 after taking a return catch from Danny Briggs.With Warwickshire’s last two wickets needing to find 196, Kent turned to the spinners to improve their over-rate. Jack Leaning disposed of Craig Miles, caught and bowled, before Milnes returned to round off the rout when Olly Hannon-Dalby edged to first slip. Kent’s visit to Birmingham simply could not have gone any better.”The win is a product of all the things we talk about in the dressing room, how we are going to try to turn this around, and I think we saw all of it in this game,” Matt Walker, Kent’s coach, said. “You can’t just want to win and that’s enough, you have got to put the things in place and I was really impressed with the way the boys went about their work.”Our first day’s batting didn’t quite go to plan but our response after that over the next three days was outstanding. That felt like a Kent side of old. The quality through those two-and-a-half days was brilliant and it felt like a real team performance with some real key moments that we had to win and we did.””The league table doesn’t lie, what’s happening doesn’t lie,” Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s coach, said. “What people can’t see behind the scenes is all the thought and the effort that goes in and the hurt that the players are feeling. In both the last two games they have committed a lot to the games and it’s just not been enough.”

After making it six games without victory in the Championship, West Bromwich Albion were handed more bad news courtesy of Carlos Corberan’s update on Kyle Bartley’s injury.

West Brom injury news

The Baggies started the season in fine form but have lost their winning touch in recent weeks, losing twice and drawing three times in their last five games with their latest disappointing afternoon coming in a 0-0 draw against in-form Cardiff City, Dropping down to fifth and eight points adrift of surprise leaders Sunderland as a result, West Brom must get back to winning ways at their next chance.

With Luton Town up next, West Brom should see the trip to face the struggling Hatters as the perfect chance to flip the narrative and turn a winless run of five games into an unbeaten run of five with four draws and one victory. However, if they are going to do that then they’ll be forced to do so without Bartley once again after he missed the draw against Cardiff.

Sold for £4m: West Brom must regret losing PL star who's "box-office"

West Bromwich Albion once had this star on their books before getting rid.

1 ByKelan Sarson Oct 24, 2024

As confirmed by Coberan, Bartley will now be sidelined for the next four to six weeks in a major blow for West Brom. The Baggies boss updated reporters on the defender’s injury, saying via the Express and Star: “The only one I can offer is that Bartley will be four to six weeks out of the team, that is all I can confirm so far.”

West Brom games that Bartey will miss

Possibly missing up to six weeks, Bartley could return just as the festive fixtures begin to come thick and fast. Given that he’s featured in 10 of West Brom’s 12 Championship games before he was sidelined for both Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff, Bartley’s importance cannot be denied at a time when the Baggies must rediscover their best form under Corberan.

Luton Town vs West Brom

01/11/2024

Championship

West Brom vs Burnley

07/11/2024

Championship

Hull City vs West Brom

10/11/2024

Championship

West Brom vs Norwich City

23/11/2024

Championship

Sunderland vs West Brom

26/11/2024

Championship

Preston North End vs West Brom

30/11/2024

Championship

West Brom vs Sheffield United

08/12/2024

Championship

Potentially missing as many as seven Championship games, including those against promotion rivals Burnley, Sunderland and Sheffield United, Bartley’s injury may well prove to be a defining moment for West Brom’s campaign.

If he is to miss the next six weeks of action, then the defender should make his return against Coventry City on December 11 to begin a run of five games in 18 days for the Baggies. Without the £15,000-a-week star for now, however, Corberan must come up with a solution and get his side back on track, so it will be interesting to see what the Baggies boss decides to do.

Leeds United maintained their place in the top six in the Championship with a hard-fought 1-1 draw away against Norwich City on Tuesday night.

The Whites went 1-0 down in the first half, thanks to a penalty from Josh Sargent, and lost central midfielder Ilia Gruev to an injury, just days after captain Ethan Ampadu suffered a knee injury.

Daniel Farke’s side reacted well to that setback, though, and clawed it back to 1-1 in the 60th minute. Largie Ramazani raced onto a through ball from Wilfried Gnonto to find the bottom corner and his second goal for the club since joining from Almeria.

The West Yorkshire outfit are aiming to secure promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking, after they lost 1-0 in the play-off final against Southampton at Wembley last term.

Leeds finished third in the Championship during the regular season and that meant they missed out on automatic promotion to the top-flight, with Ipswich Town and Leicester City going straight up.

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League in 2023 after a string of poor signings, including Luis Sinisterra, left them struggling under Jesse Marsch.

Luis Sinisterra's time at Leeds

In the summer of 2022, former Leeds head coach Marsch wanted to bolster his attacking options and opted to swoop for Feyenoord winger Sinisterra.

It was reported that the West Yorkshire outfit splashed out a fee of £22.3m to sign the Colombia international, after he had produced 12 goals and seven assists in the Eredivisie and six goals and four assists in the Europa Conference League during the 2021/22 campaign.

Unfortunately, Sinisterra’s debut season with the Whites was full of injury issues and underwhelming performances on the pitch in the Premier League, as the team were relegated down to the Championship and had Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce in charge at various points.

Appearances

19

Goals

5

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Key passes per game

0.5

Duel success rate

47%

As you can see in the table above, the Colombian forward did score five goals in 19 matches, which was not a dismal return, but his lack of creativity is clear to see.

The winger did not do much to create for his teammates, with less than one key pass per game and zero ‘big chances’ created overall, to go alongside his goal threat.

Sinisterra also missed a whopping 16 matches through injury, with ankle, muscle, and foot issues, and that limited his involvement during the season.

The former Feyenoord star did not hang around for the Championship campaign, though, as he moved to Bournemouth on loan for the 2023/24 term, before joining them on a permanent deal for £20m.

This meant that Leeds made a loss, albeit of only £2m, on the 25-year-old whiz, who did not do enough to help them avoid relegation in the 2022/23 season.

Things could have been different, though, if Victor Orta had been able to sign one of his alternative targets for the left wing position that summer – Cody Gakpo.

Leeds' interest in Cody Gakpo

Marsch confirmed that Leeds wanted to sign the Netherlands international during the summer of 2022 and claimed that Orta had been to meet the family after agreeing personal terms.

The saga dragged on throughout the window, however, and the Whites moved to sign Sinisterra out wide in July, before continuing to pursue Gakpo, who was once described as a “towering” presence by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

Unfortunately, though, the West Yorkshire outfit were never able to get a deal over the line for the PSV star, and it was later revealed that it was because of a hat-trick from the Eredivisie sensation.

In his documentary, Gakpo revealed that he had three options on the table; stay at PSV, move to Southampton, or move to Leeds, on the eve of a clash with Volendam.

The impressive forward told himself that he would have signed for the Saints if he scored once or Leeds if he landed a brace. Instead, he scored a hat-trick to stay with the Dutch side.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

This means that, if the attacker was true to his word, the Whites were within one goal of him deciding to make the move to Elland Road in 2022. Instead, Sinisterra was the only left-sided forward added in the window and Gakpo went on to shine for PSV before joining Liverpool.

Cody Gakpo's current market value

At the time of writing (03/10/2024), the Reds winger now has a current market value of a whopping €55m (£46m) by Transfermarkt, having been in England since the start of last year.

Six months after Leeds were unable to secure a deal to sign the attacker from PSV at the end of the summer transfer window in 2022, Liverpool snapped him up for a fee of at least £35m in January 2023 to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s forward options.

Gakpo produced a staggering nine goals and 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches during the first half of that season and hit the ground running in England, with seven goals and three assists in 21 Premier League appearances.

This meant that the Dutchman racked up five more goal contributions than Sinisterra did for Leeds during the 2022/23 Premier League season, despite not moving to the country until the January transfer window.

He followed that up with 16 goals and six assists in all competitions last term for Liverpool, which included eight goals and five assists in the top-flight, which shows that the talented gem can be a reliable scorer in English football.

The 25-year-old, who has been capped 32 times by the Netherlands, was valued at €30m (£22m) by Transfermarkt in 2022 when Leeds were interested in him.

This shows that he has soared in value since the Whites missed out on him, as the forward is now worth over twice as much, and that is why he is one that got away for Orta and Marsch.

Sinisterra was the only left winger they landed instead and the club ultimately made a loss on the Colombian, who was outperformed by Gakpo in the Premier League that season.

80% duels lost: Farke must drop Leeds star to unleash teen titan instead

The Whites central defender endured a difficult night against Norwich City.

1 ByDan Emery Oct 2, 2024

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي فوزًا مثيرًا على حساب نظيره بتروجيت بنتيجة 3-2، في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين مساء اليوم على استاد الكلية الحربية، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من المرحلة الثانية لمسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز “دوري النيل” موسم 2024-2025.

المباراة شهدت أول ظهور للجهاز الفني المؤقت بقيادة عماد النحاس، الذي تولى المهمة عقب رحيل المدرب السويسري مارسيل كولر، حيث نجح النحاس في قيادة الأحمر لتحقيق انتصار مهم في توقيت حساس.

جاءت بداية اللقاء سريعة من جانب الأهلي، الذي ترجم تفوقه المبكر بتسجيل هدف أول في الدقيقة 10 عن طريق وسام أبو علي، بعدما قابل عرضية إمام عاشور الأرضية بتسديدة مباشرة في المرمى.

ولم تمر سوى خمس دقائق حتى ضاعف عمرو السولية النتيجة بهدف ثانٍ من تسديدة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

ورغم التقدم المريح، فإن بتروجيت انتفض في الدقائق الأخيرة من الشوط الأول، حيث قلص الفارق في الدقيقة 45 من ركلة جزاء، قبل أن يدرك التعادل عبر إيمانويل لاكي في الدقيقة الخامسة من الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع، لينتهي الشوط الأول بالتعادل 2-2 في سيناريو مثير.

في الشوط الثاني، أجرى عماد النحاس عدة تغييرات أبرزها الدفع باللاعب جيراديشار، الذي احتاج لثوانٍ فقط ليمنح فريقه التقدم مجددًا، بتسجيل الهدف الثالث للأهلي في الدقيقة 63 بطريقة رائعة بعد كرة هوائية متقنة.

وشهد اللقاء إصابة المدافع المغربي أشرف داري الذي غادر الملعب بعد تعرضه لشد عضلي، ودخل ياسر إبراهيم مكانه في الدقيقة 62.

“بطولات” يكشف تفاصيل إصابة أشرف داري في مباراة الأهلي وبتروجيت

كما ألغى الحكم محمد معروف هدفًا رابعًا للأهلي في الدقيقة 72 أحرزه إمام عاشور، بعد العودة لتقنية الفيديو التي أثبتت وجود مخالفة.

بهذا الفوز، رفع الأهلي رصيده إلى 43 نقطة من 12 فوزًا و7 تعادلات وخسارة واحدة، ليحتل المركز الثاني في جدول مجموعة حسم اللقب، مواصلًا مطاردة بيراميدز المتصدر برصيد 47 نقطة.

ويتجمد رصيد فريق بتروجيت عند 25 نقطة، ليواصل تراجعه في جدول الترتيب، حيث يحتل المركز قبل الأخير في مجموعة حسم لقب الدوري، والثامن في الترتيب العام لمنافسات الدوري المصري.

ويمثل هذا الانتصار دفعة قوية للجهاز الفني المؤقت بقيادة عماد النحاس، الذي بدأ مشواره مع الأهلي بانتصار ثمين يعكس شخصية الفريق، ويمنحه الثقة قبل المواجهات القادمة الحاسمة في مشوار الدوري، وتعيين مدير فني جديد. أهداف مباراة الأهلي وبتروجيت اليوم في الدوري

Lewis Dunk has slammed "embarrassing" Brighton and admitted that they "let themselves down" after Nottingham Forest put seven past them.

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Ruthless Forest put Brighton to the swordChris Wood led the charge with a hat-trickDunk scored an own-goal in the matchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Seagulls endured a humiliating evening at the City Ground, with Dunk inadvertently turning the ball into his own net to hand Forest the opening goal. From there, the afternoon went from bad to worse for the Seagulls as the hosts, recorded their biggest-ever Premier League victory. Chris Wood led the charge with a clinical hat-trick, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, and Jota Silva also found the net in a rampant display by Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT DUNK SAID

Speaking to after the game, Dunk delivered a scathing analysis of Brighton’s performance, admitting that the team had completely fallen apart.

"Everything [went wrong]. It was embarrassing," he stated. "We let ourselves down. We let the travelling fans down. We let the fans at home down. We have to take it on ourselves. It was us out there that performed like that. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and bounce back next week."
Dunk criticized the team's lack of effort and added: "I don't think we played with enough intensity or wanted it enough. It's not nice to say as a football player but we weren't good enough today. As a whole team, we didn't deserve [anything]. It could have been even more.

"We knew that we were coming here for a tough game. They are flying in the league and it is always a tough place to come. That tough? Probably not. And that is on ourselves. We have to work hard now and make sure we don't let ourselves or the fans down like that again.

"It is doing it on the training field. Working hard every day, wanting it every day. It starts on the training pitch. Three games ago we were on top of the world again weren't we after two wins in a row? Now we're rock bottom again."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

For Dunk, the night was even more painful on a personal level. His own goal was the seventh of his Premier League career, putting him behind only Richard Dunne (10) for the most own goals in the competition’s history.

"This season has been a rollercoaster," he said. "The manager speaks about consistency all the time and that is a prime example of not showing any. We have to work at it. There's a lot of work to do to get to where we want to get to. There wasn't much to say [for Fabian Hurzeler]. We let ourselves down, let the fans down, let him down. There was nothing to say."

DID YOU KNOW?

Forest’s emphatic win was their biggest league victory since a 7-0 demolition of Chelsea in April 1991. Meanwhile, Brighton suffered their heaviest league defeat in more than six decades—their worst since a crushing 9-0 loss to Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 1958-59 season. Additionally, Brighton have now scored more own goals (19) than any other club since the 2017-18 Premier League season.

Napoli are interested in signing Marcus Rashford on loan to 'appease angry fans' ahead of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's switch to Paris Saint-Germain.

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Rashford links with Man Utd exitPSG set to sign Napoli's KvaratskheliaItalian team eye Rashford loanFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Napoli boss Antonio Conte is a 'huge admirer' of Rashford and the Italian club think signing him could 'appease fans' who are angry about Kvaratskhelia's impending transfer to PSG. The report adds the 27-year-old is up for a switch to Italy and Naples specifically.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford has spent his entire career at United but that seems to be drawing to a close after he said he wanted a "new challenge" last month. The England international – who has also been linked with Barcelona, Inter, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and more – may have played his last game for his boyhood club.

DID YOU KNOW?

Napoli boss Conte spoke about the impending exit of winger Kvaratskhelia, a move that has dismayed the Serie A team's fans.

The Italian said: "He asked the club to be sold, without mincing his words. This is what was said to me, the player has confirmed his decision to me. Personally I feel very disappointed, because I spent six months trying to make Kvara feel at the centre of the project, working with him, showing him that we could do something great and also working with the club for six months on the renewal."

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

United take on Premier League basement side Southampton on Thursday night. It remains to be seen if Rashford will feature in that league encounter, but it seems highly unlikely.

A Kevin Pietersen special

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013The number of consecutive final Tests in home series against South Africa that England have won. The Proteas have lost every single final Test they have played in England since readmission – twice to draw a series they had been winning (1994 and 2003), once to lose a series they should have won and would have won but for almost superhuman tactical negativity (1998), and once to concede a consolation defeat (2008), when they cleverly hoodwinked England into thinking the Kevin Pietersen captaincy experiment was a strategic masterstroke.Whether or not this sequence becomes a five-pronged one will decide whether this series constitutes England’s second significant failure of 2012 ‒ the series when England finally, after 108 years, were summarily overthrown as Olympic cricket champions ‒ or further proof of their resilience as a team, and their ability to alchemise victories from the apparent components of defeat. Was England’s startling 2011 a team at its peak, performing consistently close to the limits of its collective and individual abilities? Or is 2012 the anomaly?4 is also: The number of people in Britain who gave the second Test their full, undivided attention. The match gave hints that England might be re-establishing parity, or at least near-parity, with the Proteas after the tourists demolished them like a cheap birthday grapefruit in a fistfight on the . The Test was played to the noisy backdrop of a nation becoming wildly excited at finding out that it is good at sports of which it had barely even heard a couple of weeks ago. Kevin Pietersen’s eye-watering innings and end-of-match strop-out added some intrigue, but a British person being able to make a horse breakdance captured more of the public’s imagination.4 is also: The number of cricket fans in the world who have no opinion on Kevin Pietersen. Three of those four misheard the question and thought it was referring to the former bespectacled 1980s Kent batsman Derek Aslett.I have written more often about Kevin Pietersen than any other player in the four years I have been writing this blog. That is because he is more worth writing about than any other player – not better, but endlessly interesting, baffling, arresting, exhilarating, inconsistent, and frustrating, on and off the field. He wears his brilliance and his frailties quite openly, in his cricket, his words, and his behaviour. I have no idea what he is like as a man, but he has been a cricketer of ceaseless fascination, through his cricketing peaks and troughs, and his moods, which have swung so much there have been unsubstantiated rumours that someone had been picking at his moods with a bottle top and smearing one side with Vaseline. Please don’t retire.

Mohamed Salah has appeared to confirm that he will leave Liverpool in the summer as he bids to sign off with a Premier League title.

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Salah's contract expires in summerSays this will be his 'last year' at AnfieldOutlines desire to win Premier League againFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In an interview with , Salah has appeared to confirm that he will leave Liverpool in the summer when his contract expires. The Egypt international has said this is his "last year" at Anfield, and he has outlined his need to sign off with another Premier League trophy. He has been in electric form this term, scoring 17 goals in 18 league games, while also registering 13 assists.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Salah has said that he is learning Spanish, hinting at a potential move to La Liga, while he has also been linked with a stunning move to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and a lucrative spell in Saudi Arabia. Liverpool have not given up on keeping him, but his latest interview appears to be the latest suggestion he will move on.

WHAT SALAH SAID

Salah said: "The first thing that was on the list was to win the Premier League with Liverpool.

"In my interviews over the last seven or eight years, I always say [I want to win the] Champions League. But this is the first time I'm saying I really want to win the Premier League with Liverpool."

Asked why he was so focused on winning the title, he added:  "I have no idea. It's probably because we didn't celebrate the one we won in the way we wanted and also, coming back here too, it's my last year in the club so you want to do something special for the city.

"That was the thing in my head.

"We waited for that title for 30 years or so. So, to win it and it was the pandemic at that time, we didn't really have time to celebrate it in the right way. It's not a nice thing to do, so hopefully we can do it this year."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Liverpool face Manchester United this weekend as they bid to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to nine points.

Mohammad Yousuf, meanwhile, has been roped in as batting coach for the home series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2022

Saqlain Mushtaq was appointed as Pakistan’s interim coach in September last year•Getty Images

Saqlain Mushtaq is set to continue as Pakistan’s head coach on an interim basis for another 12 months, while the PCB has also named former Australia quick Shaun Tait as fast-bowling coach for 12 months. Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf, meanwhile, has been roped in as batting coach for the Australia series which is scheduled to begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi.Saqlain, along with Abdul Razzaq, was appointed as interim coach following Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis’ exit in September last year.The PCB had given an advertisement for five coaching positions – national high performance, batting, bowling, power-hitting and fielding – in December last year and had set a deadline for application as late January.Tait is the only one to have taken up the position via this process for now; the other appointments were made on the basis of internal arrangements – instead of hiring new coaches based on the advertisement, the PCB promoted coaches from the high performance centre to the national set-up on an interim basis. ESPNcricinfo understands there were at least 12 applications for the various coaching roles overall but only the individuals who had applied for the role of bowling coach were shortlisted and interviewed, out of which Tait was finalised.Since Ramiz Raja’s appointment as the chairman of PCB, there have been many changes in the set-up starting with Misbah and Waqar leaving their roles ahead of home series against New Zealand. Saqlain, who was the head of international players’ development at the high performance centre in Lahore at that time, was promoted as head coach but his initial tenure ended with the Bangladesh tour in December.ESPNcricinfo understands that Saqlain had submitted his resignation following the tour but Ramiz persuaded him to continue in the role for another year, with at least eight assignments including the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup coming up. While Yousuf and Abdul Majeed (fielding coach) have been appointed just for the upcoming series, it is understood the PCB will make assessments during the Australia series before appointing anyone on a full-time basis.The position of power-hitting coach is yet to be filled.Pakistan’s support personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (trainer/strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach)