Have you ever seen a Premier League season end in quite such fashion? After Liverpool dispatched Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the month, they were crowned champions, romping home to the title at a canter. No one was ever going to stop them, not even Ibiza. They partied hard between games, deservedly so, too.

They had to wait what felt like an age to actually get their hands on the trophy, though, but they lifted it aloft last Sunday in front of their own supporters for the first time in nearly 40 years.

The Reds may well have won the Premier League in 2019/20, but that ill-fated Covid-19 season meant that no fans were actually inside the ground to see Jordan Henderson get his mits on English football’s biggest piece of silverware.

So, there was understandably quite the party at Anfield over the weekend as Virgil van Dijk, leader supreme, danced for joy as he threw the red-ribonned trophy into the air.

Such an astonishing season, Arne Slot’s first at the helm, lest we forget, begs a question. Where do these Liverpool players stand among the pantheon of Merseyside greats?

Which Liverpool players have become legends of Anfield

A year ago, Jurgen Klopp waved farewell to Anfield a bonafide Liverpool legend. Yet, is legacy may well now be surpassed by Slot who has managed the unthinkable in his first campaign in England.

For winning the league alone, the Dutchman will now stand among the greatest Liverpool managers of all time.

He’s also helped to successfully cement Mo Salah’s legacy as an icon, a player surely worthy of a statue in Liverpool once his playing days come to an end.

Across a simply staggering campaign, the rampant Egyptian scored 34 goals in 52 games, posting 23 assists as well.

In the league, he netted 29 in 38 and also supplied 18 assists. He was two of Thierry Henry’s assist record but he did tie the record for the highest number of goals and assists in a single Premier League campaign.

Most G + A in a single PL season
Player (season)	Games	Goals	Assists
1. Mo Salah (2024/25)	38	29	18
2. Andy Cole (1993/94)	40	34	23
3. Alan Shearer (1994/95)	42	34	13
4. Erling Haaland (2022/23)	35	36	8
5. Thierry Henry (2002/03)	37	24	20
6. Mo Salah (2017/18)	36	32	10
7. Luis Suarez (2013/14)	33	31	11
Data via Stats Muse.

He is a certified legend, as too is captain Van Dijk. The pair of them signed new contracts a few months ago to cement their status as legends. Trent Alexander-Arnold may well have been up there too had he rejected advances from Real Madrid. Sadly, we all know how that story ended.

Is there anyone else up there? Well, Alisson is certainly a modern-day great, now up to 298 appearances for Liverpool and hailed as “the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history alongside Peter Schmeichel,” by Jamie Carragher.

That trio of players will certainly not be forgotten in a hurry, but whether they’ve matched the legacy of a certain Steven Gerrard remains to be seen.

How Liverpool struck gold on Steven Gerrard

The term ‘generational’ is often thrown about a bit too regularly in modern football but it’s safe to say that Gerrard, as far as English talents go, was generational.

He’s one of the best we’ve ever seen in the Premier League but how did he get there?

Well, it all started in November 1998, when aged 18 years, five months and 30 days, he made his Premier League debut for the Reds in a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.

Managed by Gerard Houllier at the time, it was rather poetic that perhaps the best player he ever managed shared a name.

It was the Frenchman who saw Gerrard’s obvious talent, notably handing him the Liverpool captaincy just five years later in 2003.

The rest, as they say, is history. Gerrard, capped a remarkable 114 times for England, would go on to feature 710 times for Liverpool. That places him third on the club’s all-time record appearance makers behind Carragher (737) and Ian Callaghan (855).

He never lifted the Premier League like Salah and Co, but he did win the Champions League on two occasions and among many other domestic honours, lifted the FA Cup twice. Who could forget that screamer in the final against West Ham? It was a bullet of a strike, something the midfielder became famed for during his illustrious career.

However, it could have been different for the now 44-year-old. Remember when Chelsea came calling? How could we forget?

In 2004, during the European Championships, Gerrard was distracted by transfer speculation. “Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson talked me up before the tournament, so I knew they fancied signing me,” he once noted.

It was Mourinho and Chelsea who followed up on that interest, reportedly tabling a British record bid for the iconic England international. Gerrard even allegedly handed in a transfer request.

Unlike Trent, a move to another of Europe’s biggest clubs never happened. The Liverpool academy graduate stayed at Anfield and became a legend, one of the greatest we’ve seen in this country.

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He was heralded left, right and centre, but perhaps most notably by the great Brazilian, Pele.

Speaking just months after the 2006 FA Cup final win over the Hammers, Pele said: “The fans, they look only for forwards, always a forward. Somebody who scores. Sometimes you have a player like Gerrard. For me, for the last five years Gerrard has been the best player in the world. He is a midfielder, he plays very good. People didn’t mention Gerrard, now they mention Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Messi because they are forwards.”

Fine words indeed from perhaps the greatest of all time. It’s safe to say Liverpool struck gold on Gerrard. They must be forever thankful that he didn’t head to Chelsea all those years ago.

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By
Angus Sinclair

May 27, 2025

Russell Martin is the 20th permanent manager in Rangers’ 153-year history, but he’s got plenty of work to do if he’s going to be a success at Ibrox.

Last season, the Gers finished second in the Premiership, a whopping 17 points adrift of the champions, and ended the campaign trophyless, most notably dumped out of the Scottish Cup having suffered their first-ever home defeat against lower-league opposition in the competition.

So, if the Light Blues are going to be ready for the start of Champions League qualifying next month, Martin is going to want to be very busy in the transfer market, so could he be reunited with a player for the third time?

Rangers targeting a new centre-back

According to a report by EFL Analysis, Rangers remain interested in signing centre-back Harry Darling, labelling this potential move to Glasgow a ‘very intriguing prospect’, with Norwich City also pursuing the defender.

The 25-year-old is a free agent, having left Swansea City, and has twice played for Martin before, first at Milton Keynes, before the new Rangers manager signed Darling three years ago when he was in charge of the Swans.

Recently-appointed Norwich boss Liam Manning, who replaced Martin at MK, described Darling as “outstanding”, adding that he is more than “capable” of playing at a high level, so could he turn down the Canaries and reunite with Martin once more?

How Harry Darling compares to Robin Pröpper

According to reports in the Netherlands, Robin Pröpper is set to re-join FC Twente this summer, with the Eredivisie side willing to pay around half of the £2.5m they received for the centre-back a mere 12 months ago.

The Dutchman made 43 appearances during his first, and potentially only, season at Rangers, scoring during victories over both Celtic and Dundee United, but more notably getting sent off just 13 minutes into the Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club.

Pröpper himself admitted that “maybe I underestimated” the level of competition one faces in the Scottish Premiership, with his performances often widely criticised, including by Aaron Nijjar of Football Insider, who noted that his ‘struggles continued’ following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in December.

Meantime, Ewan Paton of the Rangers Review believes that Scottish football is ‘too quick and physical for his capabilities’, suggesting that supporters would be pleased to see the back of him.

But, would Darling be an upgrade? Let’s assess the pair’s respective statistics to answer that question.

Appearances

39

43

Minutes

3,337

3,210

% of dribblers tackled

56.5%

55.6%

Tackles per 90

0.8

1.2

Interceptions per 90

0.6

0.9

Clearances per 90

5

3.8

Ball recoveries

152

36

% of aerial duels won

64.2%

54%

% of ground duels won

66%

53.25%

Average Sofascore Rating

7.23

6.69

As the table outlines, pretty much across the board, Darling comes out on top for the vast majority of defensive metrics included.

Worth considering that also, according to Global Football Rankings, the EFL Championship is the 11th strongest division in the world, with the Scottish Premiership down in 43rd, albeit 11 of Pröpper’s outings did come in either Champions League qualifying or the Europa League.

Writer Kai Watson believes that Darling would be ‘perfect’ for Martin’s system, labelling him ‘very comfortable on the ball and a brilliant passer’, underlining that this deal is a no-brainer for Rangers, especially considering he’s a free agent.

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ByDan Emery Jun 12, 2025

Rangers have made contact to sign a £20,000-a-week player who has been likened to full-back Jefte, according to a Sky Sports reporter.

Rangers window ramps up as Cameron unveiled as first signing

Russell Martin is currently preparing for his first Scottish Premiership season in charge at Ibrox, with players set to report back for pre-season on Monday ahead of an early Champions League qualifier in July.

However, in the transfer market, the 49ers are looking to back their new manager with additions in the window. One move that was agreed before Martin arrived and the 49ers officially took over was a pre-contract agreement for Lyall Cameron, with the midfielder joining Rangers from Dundee.

Cameron was unveiled as a new Rangers player on Tuesday after a stellar 2024/25 campaign which saw him score 14 goals and provide nine assists. Speaking on his recent performances, Cameron said:

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Alongside the midfielder, there have also been strong links to AFC Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons, with claims even suggesting a verbal agreement was done and a loan move was close for the Englishman.

However, there has been a new update on a move for the full-back who has been likened to Jefte.

Rangers in contact to sign Aarons as Bournemouth stance shared

Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam provided an update on Rangers’ attempts to sign Aarons on Tuesday.

He stated that contact has been made by Rangers for the 25-year-old, however, while the Gers are looking at doing a loan deal for the £20,000-a-week defender, Bournemouth would prefer a permanent transfer.

Aarons appears to be out of favour at the Vitality Stadium under Andoni Iraola but is still under contract on the south coast until 2029. Therefore, a move could be complicated as the Cherries are looking to recoup as much of the £7m they paid for Aarons, whereas Rangers want him on a temporary basis.

Milan van Ewijk

Coventry City

Jefte

Rangers

Isaac Schmidt

Leeds United

Jordi Alba

Inter Miami

Alistair Johnston

Celtic

One way the clubs could get around negotiations could be to include an option or obligation to buy Aarons next summer, but at this moment in time, a deal doesn’t appear to be as advanced as previously suggested.

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed revelling in the triumph of lifting the Europa League and restoring their place among Europe’s elite next term, but Daniel Levy’s decision to fire Ange Postecoglou highlights the hunger to sustain an even loftier level of success over the coming years.

With Thomas Frank snatched from Brentford to lead from the dugout, Spurs are in a good position to challenge at the top end of the Premier League once more, though summer signings will be needed to inject fresh quality within a tired squad, whose success has papered over what was a most difficult year indeed.

Antoine Semenyo’s name has been bandied about, but there’s one man above all others who Tottenham’s new manager would like to welcome to the fold.

Spurs make contact for statement signing

Earlier this week, Sky Sports revealed that Tottenham have been growing in confidence that they could sign Bryan Mbeumo this summer after initial discussions, having made contact with Brentford, despite the player’s preference to join Man United.

This is because the Londoners have appointed Frank, who has led Mbeumo to such impressive individual heights over the past couple of years.

And now, as per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, the Lilywhites believe that Champions League football and the chance for the 25-year-old to stay in London could play into their favour.

Mbeumo won’t come cheap after his exceptional season, with the Bees looking to bank around £60m for the right-sided forward.

What Bryan Mbeumo would bring to Spurs

Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland. Perhaps the Premier League’s three finest goalscorers. They were the only players to outscore Mbeumo last season, with Ipswich Town writer Alex Osborn hailing him as “one of the best wingers in the league.”

1.

Mohamed Salah

38

29

2.

Alexander Isak

34

23

3.

Erling Haaland

31

22

4.

Chris Wood

36

20

5.

Bryan Mbeumo

38

20

Not only has Mbeumo dazzled in front of goal, but he’s performed well across underlying areas. As per Sofascore, the Cameroon international averaged 1.8 key passes, 1.4 dribbles, and 4.7 successful duels last term, underscoring a roundedness that most goalscorers don’t boast.

His prolific style surely makes him a better pick than Semenyo, who is a fantastic player but would cost Tottenham in excess of £50m and only scored 11 goals in the Premier League last year, also racking up six assists across his 37 appearances.

Make no mistake, Semenyo is a talented winger who would have a big effect on reorienting Tottenham’s domestic form and fluency, but can he compete with Mbeumo, who is objectively one of the classiest stars in front of goal?

The Bournemouth man ranked among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the English top flight last year for shots taken, as per FBref, but only among the top 27% for goals scored per 90, with his efforts leading the data-driven site to draw up Mbeumo as one of his most comparable players.

If that is the case (and there are similarities: both players are physical and dynamic and potent across different positions), then surely the best track to go down would be to sign the more reliable and menacing player in front of goal.

Therefore, Mbeumo is surely the better pick to go for, especially when considering the kind of money that Bournemouth are looking to part with Semenyo.

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1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 13, 2025

Sunderland are back by popular demand and could now look to make a statement signing to kick off their latest Premier League era in style, according to a report.

Sunderland look to establish themselves in the Premier League

The Black Cats are a recognisable force in the top-flight, albeit their lengthy absence from competing against the elite may mean consolidation will be needed before thoughts of further progress under Regis Le Bris.

Unfortunately, Jobe Bellingham’s move to Borussia Dortmund has created a sizeable void in midfield, something that has left ex-Sunderland man Darren Williams feeling a tinge of regret.

He stated: “We brought him in at a low cost and two years later we’re making a good amount on him – I’d have love to see him play for us in the Premier League and test himself.”

Later, he added: “I wish him all the best. It’s fantastic money. The club has made good money from the last four players sold.”

It can’t be disputed, an initial £27 million sale is good business for Sunderland, but who do they bring in to replicate his impact? Reports suggest Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra could be on his way to the Black Cats to strengthen their engine room.

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On the same token, Sunderland want to complete a transfer for Tommy Doyle from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Cherry-picking targets from familiar environnments will be important to ensure the North East giants are ready for the top-flight, though they will want to balance that with finding value for money on the market.

Speaking of which, the newly-promoted side have now put their hat in the ring for a defender who has won four back-to-back titles and featured in the Champions League.

Sunderland looking to sign Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers

According to journalist Graeme Bailey in conversation with 67 Hail Hail, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is a target for Sunderland and could be on the move for a fee between £25 million to £30 million this summer.

He explained: “As we know, every player has his price in this Celtic squad. And I think there’s a real danger that Carter-Vickers leaves.

“That won’t go down well, but Celtic could probably get good money for him. What would he cost, £25-30m to sell him?

Cameron Carter-Vickers for Celtic in 2024/25 – Scottish Premiership (Fotmob)

Duels won

170

Aerial duels won

125

Tackles won

20

Recoveries

131

Accurate long balls

62

“That’s a lot of money for a centre-half at the moment. And I think there’s a real chance that he’s not at Celtic come the start of September. Leeds like him a lot, and Sunderland. I know that he was on West Ham’s radar as well. To be fair, he’s got three, four, even five (clubs interested).”

Lauded for his ‘exceptional’ few years by Bailey, Carter-Vickers is Celtic’s joint-highest earner on £37,000 per week and definitely wouldn’t come cheap given he has four years left on his deal at Parkhead.

Nevertheless, Sunderland, alongside Leeds United, have faith that they can land him, so it remains to be seen how this one plays out.

Glasgow Rangers are still in the process of finding a new head coach to lead them into the next era at Ibrox under the new ownership that is set to come in.

Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell are tasked with finding a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February, after Barry Ferguson’s interim stint came to an end.

The former Scotland international only won five of his 16 matches in charge of the Gers during his time in the dugout, and it was then confirmed that he would not be offered the job on a full-time basis.

Then, rather bizarrely, the Daily Record reported that Ferguson was planning to get rid of Nils Koppen, the technical director, if he had been given the job, despite the Belgian chief being in a position above his.

The focus is now on finding an external candidate who can come in to bring success back to Ibrox after a season without any major trophies.

One coach who has been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer is former Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, who has been working with his father Carlo Ancelotti.

Why Rangers should avoid Davide Ancelotti

It is first worth acknowledging that there are reasons why the Gers are right to have taken an interest in the Italian coach, because he is vastly experienced at the top level of European football.

As you can see in the graphic above, his father has won the Champions League five times and lifted a league title in all five of the major European leagues.

Davide has not worked with Carlo for all of those achievements, of course, but he has been either a fitness coach or an assistant manager to the legendary manager in his last six jobs.

Real Madrid (Assistant manager)

Carlo Ancelotti

233

Everton (Assistant manager)

Carlo Ancelotti

67

Napoli (Assistant manager)

Carlo Ancelotti

73

Bayern Munich (Assistant manager)

Carlo Ancelotti

60

Real Madrid (Fitness coach)

Carlo Ancelotti

119

PSG (Fitness coach)

Carlo Ancelotti

77

As you can see in the table above, the Rangers target has plenty of experience coaching at the top level under his father, at massive clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

However, Davide Ancelotti has not managed a single game as a first-team head coach or manager in his own right, which means that he would also arrive at Ibrox as an incredibly inexperienced boss in that respect.

This means that appointing him would be a huge gamble for Rangers because he is yet to prove that he can successfully coach a winning team on his own, which is why it may come as good news that there is a fresh report detailing the club’s plans to speak with another candidate.

Rangers set for talks with Davide Ancelotti alternative

According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are set to hold talks with former Scotland international Russell Martin over a deal to be the next head coach at Ibrox.

The report claims that the ex-Southampton manager will meet with Gers chiefs at some point this week to discuss a potential move to Glasgow ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

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It states that Ancelotti, Steven Gerrard, and Brian Priske are also in the running, as Stewart and Thelwell have a shortlist of candidates that they are working through to find the new Rangers head coach.

The Scottish Sun claims that there have already been initial talks held with Martin, but they are set for further discussions when they will allow him to outline how he would bring success back to Ibrox as a coach.

However, the outlet adds that he is also a strong contender for the Leicester City job in the English Championship, which could mean that the Light Blues need to move quickly if they want him as their next boss.

Martin should, with this in mind, be a strong candidate for the role because he could be an even better option than Ancelotti and Priske this summer.

Why Russell Martin would be a good appointment for Rangers

On paper, Priske looks to be an excellent option for the job because he has won two titles with Sparta Prague and one title with Midtjylland in Denmark, which shows that he can coach a winning team.

However, the Danish tactician has typically favoured a 3-4-3 shape throughout his career, which worked in Czechia and Denmark to win titles, but he had to adapt at Feyenoord and switched between 4-4-2, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1 formations, with little success, before being sacked shortly after losing 6-1 to Lille in the Champions League.

With Rangers typically playing against teams sitting in a low block, a 3-4-3 formation that is more suited to transitional games and playing on the counter with wing-backs bombing on may not suit a tilt at the Scottish Premiership title, and his Feyenoord performance suggests that he is not successful at coaching four at the back formations.

This is one key reason why Martin could be better than him for this job, because he plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation that is well-suited to dominating and breaking down low blocks, as evidenced by his side’s performance in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign when they won the play-offs to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Pass accuracy

87.7%

1st

Passes into the penalty area

594

1st

Progressive passes

2556

1st

Shot-creating actions

1255

1st

xG

79.8

2nd

Points per game

1.89

4th

As you can see in the table above, the former Rangers loanee successfully deployed a team that dominated the ball whilst creating high-quality chances at an exceptional rate.

Analyst John Walker described Martin’s style as “exciting” and “total football” and those statistics back that up, as the manager has proven that he can coach a team to be incredibly dominant and creative when he has the players to do so.

Of course, he was sacked by Southampton earlier this season after a dismal run of 13 losses in 16 Premier League games, but the Saints went on to lose 30 times in 38 matches, suggesting that Martin was not the only problem there.

The Scottish tactician also showcased his coaching ability in the lower leagues in England with MK Dons, helping to coach this incredible goal below.

Martin could bring an enjoyable and successful style of play to Rangers that could help them compete for trophies again, and could be a better option than Priske, due to his stylistic issues, and Ancelotti, who is an unknown quantity.

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ByRoss Kilvington May 24, 2025

Birmingham City’s recent seasons in the Championship have involved the Blues just attempting to keep their heads above water.

This all came to a depressing close at the end of the 2023/24 campaign when the West Midlands giants finally fell through the relegation trapdoor, after their three finishes leading up to his dismal season saw them slump to 17th, 18th, and 20th before they were put out of their misery.

Looking back, this was just the reset needed for the Blues to believe again, with this relegation also coming at around the same time the mega-rich Tom Wagner became owner of the fallen titans.

Now, after a record-breaking title success in League One, Birmingham will be aiming to swim and not sink on their second-tier return.

But, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Kwame Poku will line up for Chris Davies’ men when making this journey, irrespective of their long-term interest.

The Kwame Poku saga at Birmingham

It was first speculated back in the middle of April that Birmingham were keen on landing the Peterborough United ace, with journalist Graeme Bailey even suggesting that talks had already taken place for Poku to relocate to St. Andrew’s.

There has been no movement since, however, regardless of Poku’s name continuing to come up in Blues-related conversations, with GIVEMESPORT adding more fuel to the fire last month by stating Birmingham were one of a colossal 26 sides keeping tabs on the League One superstar.

With the calendar now reading June, Davies and Co. must be getting restless over whether a move to bring the 23-year-old to St. Andrew’s is actually feasible, especially with Premier League-bound Sunderland now allegedly in the intense race for his signature.

This could result in Birmingham switching up their priorities to land an equally as exciting attacker instead, with a bold argument to be made that their newer target is even better than the much-talked-about Ghanaian.

Birmingham's outstanding Poku alternative

After all, much like Poku, this new face being linked with a move to the on-the-rise giants has torn League One to shreds in recent times.

Indeed, GIVEMESPORT has recently revealed that Birmingham could be about to land Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry on a loan deal, regardless of any well-known hostilities between the two fierce rivals.

Any cross-city allegiances would be swiftly put to one side if Barry were to come in and take the Championship by storm like he managed in the league below with fellow loan employers Stoke City, with the audacious effort above just one of the many stunning strikes he registered donning Hatters blue.

He also shone for Stockport during their League Two promotion success the season before his third-tier explosion, meaning he is surely worthy of a shot in the second-tier now, with Barry a tricky customer to handle down either flank, much like Poku.

Barry’s L1 numbers for Stockport vs Poku (24/25)
Stat	Barry	Poku
Games played	23	27
Goals scored	15	12
Scoring frequency	120 mins	172 mins
Assists	2	8
Shots per game	3.1	2.4
Shots on target per game	1.6	0.9
Big chances missed	6	3
Big chances created	5	9
Stats by Sofascore

Staggeringly, despite all the hype and frenzy around Poku’s name at the moment, Barry would actually better the 23-year-old’s goal count this season in League One, even when playing five league games less.

On top of that, the “outstanding” Aston Villa youngster – as he’s been previously lauded by Villans great Gabby Agbonlahor – also lined up four times for Hull City last season in the Championship after his Edgeley Park spell was up, meaning he has had a more recent, yet brief crash course as to what the daunting level entails.

Unai Emery’s men won’t be writing off Barry as a future Villa Park star, but he needs to be handed more game time now as he just isn’t ready for the higher reaches of the Premier League.

Therefore, even if it’s Birmingham, this could be the best next destination for the spellbinding 21-year-old, with Davies’ men not turning their noses up at the prospect of landing the attacker whatsoever if a move for Poku remains stagnant.

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By
Kelan Sarson

May 30, 2025

Chelsea are showing absolutely zero sign of slowing down after their deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, with trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing more transfer news out of Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea set for busy transfer week ahead of Club World Cup

Having already sealed a £30 million deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, it is also believed that Chelsea would ideally like to get one or two more signings through the door in time for this month’s Club World Cup (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea inform £170k-a-week star they're ready to pay his £50m release clause

The Euro 2024 winner is a serious target for Enzo Maresca’s side.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 3, 2025

Chelsea have another six days to register players in time for the tournament, with a mini-transfer window now open until June 10. The window will reopen on June 16, right the way through till September 1, but BlueCo have every intention of using the small ‘pre-summer’ window to acquire some desired targets.

Rank

Team

Points

GD

3

Man City

71

+28

4

Chelsea

69

+21

5

Newcastle

66

+21

6

Aston Villa

66

+7

7

Nottingham Forest

65

+12

With Delap completing his medical in a £30 million switch from Ipswich, Chelsea are also in the market for a new centre-back, winger and potentially other positions as we head into a very busy summer for Enzo Maresca’s side (Simon Phillips).

Interestingly, there could also be some major reshuffling in Chelsea’s goalkeeping department.

It’s been reported that Chelsea could green-light exits for as many as three shot-stoppers. Mike Penders is expected to head out on loan, while it is believed that BlueCo are open to offers for all three of Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, and Djordje Petrovic (Simon Phillips).

“Chelsea have been compiling a list of potential new goalkeepers for some time, and it is highly likely that they still bring one in this summer,” wrote journalist Simon Phillips in a recent Substack update.

“Chelsea want to upgrade what they have but will also be looking at the stoppers they do have at the CWC. The issue is that the likes of Petrovic and Penders do not want to be backup choices, and I can’t see Sanchez being happy with that either to be honest at his age.”

Chelsea in talks for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan

According to Romano, Chelsea are now moving for a top goalkeeping target ahead of the CWC – AC Milan’s Mike Maignan.

The 29-year-old France international’s contract expires next summer, meaning he could be sold for as little as £30 million, according to reports in Italy. Romano claims that this situation has alerted the Blues, with Chelsea now in talks with Milan over signing Maignan.

Maignan has been linked with Chelsea for a while, and it now appears they’re attempting to formalise their interest.

He would add both top-level experience and assured quality to Maresca’s backline, and you could argue that a swoop for the Serie A star is a real no-brainer considering how cheap Maignan could prove to be.

The Rossoneri star has also been lavished with praise by Alisson, who called him one of the world’s best keepers.

“He is physical, quick, he has clean technique. He is very strong. He is one of the best in the world,” said Alisson. “The quality of goalkeepers has really increased – Mike Maignan is within this elite.”

Scotland’s Michael Leask is confident the team can maintain their push for a Super Eights berth at the T20 World Cup 2024 despite still having Australia to play as they sit top after half of their group campaign.Leask was part of the match-winning stand with Richie Berrington which took Scotland over the line against Namibia from a position where it appeared they might struggle. It meant they had three points from their opening two matches following the washout against England where they had been well placed at 90 for 0.Related

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“We’ve got a hell of a squad. It’s no surprise to us [that we top the table]. It might be a surprise to some,” he said. “England will probably say it was a surprise to them the other day that we’re 90 off 10 overs. It doesn’t surprise me. This team’s got great depth. We’ve played together for a number of years, a number of us. We’ve got some new fresh blood so it doesn’t really surprise us that we’re in this position. We’ve got two more huge games and why can’t we top the group at the end of it then?”To maintain hopes of progression they will likely have to beat Oman before facing Australia in their final group match in what could yet be a clash with huge significance over who progresses to the next stage. Leask was well aware that Oman, who lost a Super Over contest against Namibia and had Australia 50 for 3, could cause them problems.”Those two games could put us bottom of the table,” he said. “There’s still 80 overs of cricket to play and there’s still a lot of other teams to do a lot of other things as well. We’ve got Oman on Sunday which is a huge fixture for us and then we go again.”George [Munsey] and Michael [Jones] showed up top that they’ve got the skill and ability to face the best in the world [against England],” he added. “And the rest of us didn’t get that opportunity on the day to show how good we are.”I’m not going to sit here and say Australia is not going to be a difficult game. I’m not going to sit here and say Oman is not going to be a difficult game. Because I know how tough the associate game is, Oman is yet to fire, it could be against us.”Meanwhile, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus was left to rue a defeat where he felt his team had not been at their best in the field having fought to a total he believed should have been defendable.”I thought we had enough runs,” he said. “It sort of followed that formula that we wanted to win this game by winning the toss and batting [in] a day game. [We] felt it [the pitch] slowed down towards the latter end of our innings. Throughout the innings there was a little bit of turn and a little bit of inconsistency of bounce when you put some energy on the ball, but unfortunately [it was] a bit of an off-colour display with the ball and perhaps an almost lack of intent in the field.”Namibia’s draw means they now face England and Australia in their final two group matches. “We’ve come to play all four games evenly hard,” Erasmus said. “There’s four more points [available], and we’re going to play our best game against the English and the Australians. Two very good white-ball teams…so what a great honour for us to share a field with that and compete with that.”

As their goalkeeper search goes on, Manchester United have now reportedly received the green light to sign an impressive shot-stopper in a cut-price deal this summer.

Onana keen to fight for Man Utd place

Amid links to the likes of Emiliano Martinez, it is expected that Andre Onana could face an uphill battle to keep hold of his No.1 spot next season. The former Inter star has been a liability for some time at Old Trafford and whilst they’re in the mood to spend big it looks as though INEOS have set their sights on an upgrade. Onana, however, isn’t keen to give up that easily.

Reportedly under the impression that he will stay put at Old Trafford, Manchester United could yet decide to burst Onana’s bubble by welcoming his replacement in the coming months.

To that end, Martinez would certainly be an impressive arrival. Weakening Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the process, United would be signing a World Cup winner who the Villans may be forced to sell amid their PSR concerns.

The Argentine star isn’t the only name on the Red Devils’ radar, however. The likes of Andriy Lunin have also threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks. The Real Madrid No.2 could yet decide to leave the Spanish giants in pursuit of a starting role and that would open the door for United to come swooping in.

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A Champions League winner who has experience at the very top level, it’s no surprise that Lunin has found himself in United’s sights this summer. But they may still opt for an alternative option and one who is now reportedly pushing to leave his current club.

Man Utd receive green light from Diogo Costa

According to A Bola, Manchester United have now received the green light from Diogo Costa over a summer move from FC Porto. The goalkeeper is reportedly pushing to leave the Portuguese club and they are now willing to accept a cheaper offer than his €75m (£64m) release clause.

Costa is expected to leave Porto this summer and his desire to experience life outside of Portugal should place Old Trafford high up on his list of options. Given that he’s available at a cut-price too, it’s a deal that INEOS would be wise to pursue in the coming months.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Diogo Costa

Andre Onana

Starts

32

34

Clean Sheets

16

9

Saves P90

1.78

2.59

Save Percentage

74.1%

68.9%

Described as “complete” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Costa would be a clear upgrade on Onana. Whilst the latter maintained a 68.9% save percentage last season, the Porto man thrived with a record of 74.1% to keep 16 clean sheets in 32 league appearances.

For the right price, a move to sign the Portugal international would represent yet more impressive business by INEOS this summer.