All posts by h716a5.icu

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is personally driving a move for Murillo, with Nottingham Forest’s stance on sanctioning a departure now being revealed.

The Blues have been solid from a defensive point of view in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in their last three Premier League matches, most recently defeating Burnley 2-0 at Turf moor, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah impressing at the heart of defence.

Adarabioyo particularly caught the eye, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 8.6, the highest of any player, courtesy of making six tackles, winning ten of the 12 duels he contested, while also completing a whopping 102 passes, including seven long balls.

Being assured in possession of the ball is an important attribute for any player in a Maresca system, and the manager is now keen on another centre-back who could be an ideal fit in the Italian’s backline…

Maresca now driving Chelsea move for Murillo

According to a report from Caught Offside, Maresca has now personally identified Nottingham Forest defender Murillo as a key defensive target, but it could take a huge offer to get a deal over the line, with the Tricky Trees looking to hold out for up to €90m (£79m).

Forest are hesitant to cash-in on one of their key players, but they could be tempted to sanction a departure if a huge offer is submitted, with some other huge clubs also showing an interest in the centre-back, namely Barcelona and Arsenal.

The Chelsea manager is said to be a fan of ball-playing defenders capable of creating chances from deep, which means the Brazilian could be the perfect fit in his backline, and he recently put in a fantastic display as Forest secured a shock 3-0 win at Anfield.

Liverpool’s struggles continued on Saturday, with Arne Slot’s side falling to a shock defeat against a side that had made a slow start to the season, and Murillo displayed his attacking prowess by opening the scoring just after the half-an-hour mark.

It was a solid all-round performance from the one-time Brazil international, winning five of the six duels he contested, creating one big chance, and making 19 defensive actions, the highest number of any player.

It wasn’t the first time the 23-year-old has put in a top performance against the Reds, receiving high praise after impressing against Slot’s men earlier this year.

As such, Chelsea should undoubtedly pursue a move for Murillo, and it is promising news that Nottingham Forest could now be willing to sanction a departure for the right price.

Chelsea now readying hijack to sign Gabriel and Saliba 'hybrid' Chelsea now readying hijack to sign £44m 'Gabriel & Saliba hybrid'

The impressive international could be Chelsea’s answer to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 21, 2025

Shohei Ohtani had Dodger Stadium in hysterics Wednesday night when he crushed a game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. The win moved the defending champions to 8-0 on the season and has them looking like the unbeatable force that many predicted they would be this year.

On the other side of that home run was an Atlanta Braves team that is easily the most disappointing squad in MLB a week into the season. They had a 5-0 lead at one point on Wednesday night only to have the Dodgers come all the way back and win in the most dramatic of ways. The Braves are now 0-7 and a total mess.

Braves announcer Brandon Gaudin summed up the team's struggles with a perfect line right after Ohtani's homer landed over the wall:

"And the heartache has hit a new level for the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani and the Dodgers walk it off with a homer," he said.

Ouch.

The Dodgers' call by Joe Davis was understandably much more upbeat:

The Braves will look to get their first win when they host the Marlins in their home opener on Friday.

Surenkumar makes fighting fifty in rain-affected run-chase at Edgbaston Community Ground

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Essex secured some belated joy from their disappointing Metro Bank Women’s One-Day Cup campaign with a 31-run (DLS) victory over Warwickshire at the Edgbaston Community Sports Ground.Put in, the visitors totalled 235 for seven from 32 overs either side of a long rainstorm which arrived in the 13th over. Jo Gardner top-scored with 47 (34 balls) while Bears captain Georgia Davis took four for 35.Facing a revised DLS target of 232 from 32 overs, Warwickshire mustered only 204 for eight in murky light despite an accomplished maiden half-century from 18-year-old Amu Surenkumar (56, 54). Her team-mates were unpicked by an attack led by Abtaha Maqsood (three for 34) and Esmae MacGregor (three for 38) as Essex recorded only their second win in 12 50-over games this season.On a gloomy morning at Portland Road, Essex got off to a flier as opening batters Ariana Dowse (36, 44) and Grace Scrivens added 67 from 61 balls before falling in successive overs just before the rain. Scrivens chipped Phoebe Brett to mid off before Dowse nicked a waft at Davis to wicketkeeper Nat Wraith.After a lengthy interruption, Essex resumed with only 32 overs now at their disposal and again lost wickets in consecutive overs. Sophia Smale lifted Hannah Baker to long off and Fiona Miller missed a sweep and was lbw to Davis.Jodi Grewcock (39, 34) and Gardner restored some momentum with a stand of 69 in 49 balls before Davis hit Grewcock’s middle stump through an attempted cut. Six balls later, Warwickshire’s captain was at long off to take a catch sent up by Gardner off Surenkumar who repaid her skipper in the next over by catching Eva Gray at long off to supply Davis’ fourth wicket.Essex needed some late impetus and Sophie Munro (36, 19) and Amara Carr (17, 12) provided it with a punchy unbroken stand of 55 from the last 29 balls.Warwickshire’s reply began briskly with a stand of 40 in six overs between Meg Austin and Bethan Ellis but they both fell, bowled and lbw respectively, to lovely, flighted deliveries by Maqsood. Munro quickly followed up with the big wicket of Davina Perrin who chopped to backward point.Surenkumar and Abbey Freeborn added 52 in 50 balls before the latter walked across her stumps to sweep MacGregor who hit the exposed timber. Much depended on Surenkumar who hit a six and five fours on her way to a run-a-ball half-century but when she swung Maqsood to deep mid-wicket, Warwickshire’s lower order needed to find 73 from 44 balls. The departure of Issy Wong, who lifted Munro to long leg, left Essex to ease home to a rare victory.

Sweden boss Graham Potter shared an update on Dejan Kulusevski's injury as the Tottenham star continues a lengthy recovery. The 25-year-old has not played a minute under new Spurs manager Thomas Frank after suffering a right patella injury in May during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace. It was a blow that ruled him out of Tottenham’s Europa League final triumph over Manchester United.

Potter happy with Kulusevski's progress

Kulusevski underwent surgery shortly after the injury and has spent the past five months rehabbing, mostly away from the spotlight. But after Sweden’s 1-1 draw with Slovenia, Potter confirmed the midfielder is finally moving into the later stages of his recovery. 

"Dejan is taking steps forward. He was happy with where he is in his rehabilitation," Potter informed. "It’s in Tottenham’s hands, and his. But he was feeling good when I last spoke to him and I look forward to seeing him maybe at Christmas or around New Year."

Potter warned, however, that nothing is guaranteed: "There is a lot of football to be played until then. Nobody knows for sure what it will look like in March. That is the reality. But he is in a good place, and he was happy with his rehabilitation last time we spoke. Then he was ready to take the next step [in rehabilitation]. But there is no stress involved. He will do his rehab in a good way and if he does that, I am pretty sure we will see him on the pitch soon.”

His comments suggest that Sweden expect to have Kulusevski fit for March’s World Cup play-off against Ukraine. It is a fixture of enormous importance after the Scandinavians finished bottom of their qualifying group but earned a second chance via their Nations League performance. 

AdvertisementTraining footage sparks optimism

During the international break, Spurs defender Destiny Udogie posted footage showing Kulusevski back on the grass at a warm-weather camp in the Middle East. The video delighted supporters, but Tottenham’s medical staff remain determined not to accelerate his schedule. Frank stated in September that he hoped to have the Swede back "before the end of the year" but refused to specify an exact return date.

"Instead of putting an exact month on it – October, November, December – I just want him back as quickly as possible," he said. "The medical guys and Kulusevski are working really hard on that. So, it's not tomorrow, but hopefully not too far away."

When further pushed, whether Kulusevski will be available at the start of the new year, he added: "Yes, there's a good chance of that."

In September, Kulusevski surprised fans by sharing an unfiltered photograph from his operation, showing surgeons holding his kneecap open. He accompanied it with a cryptic caption: “Warning for sensitive content. Thank God it happened so I could see it clear.”

Despite the graphic nature of the post, his tone during an interview with was noticeably optimistic.

"The status is great. I wake up every day with the same hunger," he said. "I will be back in the very, very near future. If everything goes according to plan, I’m confident I’ll be back in two to three months."

Spurs’ injury list continues to grow

Tottenham’s attacking options have been severely reduced in recent months. Alongside Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, playmaker James Maddison is also out with a knee injury, while deadline-day loan signing Randal Kolo Muani fractured his jaw against Manchester United and remains uncertain. Solanke has managed just three competitive appearances for Tottenham this season, last featuring in the 2-0 win at Manchester City in August. Although Frank reassured supporters the injury was "not serious", Solanke later underwent a "small procedure" and has been out ever since.

Solanke told "It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back. I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer."

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Getty Images SportMassive test at Arsenal looms

Spurs sit fifth in the Premier League with 18 points from 11 matches. They travel next to the Emirates to face top-of-the-table Arsenal on Sunday, trailing Mikel Arteta’s side by four points. Victory would boost their Champions League ambitions and, more importantly, hand them the bragging rights of north London.

Liverpool are now keen on signing a “brilliant” Premier League forward, with a deal likely to be possible for a fee of around £65m this summer, according to a report.

Reds set sights on new forward

Arne Slot could hardly have asked for a better debut season at Anfield, with his side surpassing all expectations to win the Premier League title, but there have been some claims the manager will need to make a number of changes this summer.

Jamie Carragher believes Slot should make five or six additions to his squad, saying back in March: “He needs a centre-back as back-up to the two that we have, he’ll need a right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold likely to leave.

“I think he needs a centre midfielder to replace Endo, someone younger and that he trusts, a centre-forward to play and a left-winger.”

He'd be incredible with Gakpo: Liverpool line up move for £45m "machine"

Liverpool need to sign some full-backs in the transfer market this summer.

1 ByAngus Sinclair May 5, 2025

With Trent recently confirming his intention to leave, signing a new right-back will be an important task for the recruitment team, but there is also a need to strengthen in attacking areas, given an overreliance on Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Liverpool’s current dependence on Salah and Diaz could lead them to make a move for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who they have been closely monitoring.

The Reds are keen on signing Mbeumo, given his exploits for the Bees in the Premier League this season, but he is unlikely to come cheap, with his current club set to hold out for a fee in the region of £60m – £65m.

There may also be fierce competition for the Cameroonian’s signature, with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United expressing an interest.

"Brilliant" Mbeumo enjoying incredible campaign

The Brentford star has been prolific in front of goal in the Premier League this season, finding the back of the net 18 times in 35 matches, while also providing seven assists, which is perhaps why he has been compared to a current Liverpool forward.

TalkSPORT’s Jason Cundy has lauded the 25-year-old as a “mini Salah”, while he has also received very high praise from football writer Samuel Luckhurst.

Much like the Egyptian, the France-born forward specialises at right-wing, but he has also featured as a centre-forward on a number of occasions this season, indicating he could also be able to replace Darwin Nunez, who could be shown the exit door.

Mbeumo is unlikely to displace Salah at right-wing anytime soon, but his goalscoring exploits and versatility indicate he could be a fantastic option for Slot at striker.

This summer promises to be a huge one for Arsenal football club as they look to finally end their two-decade wait for a Premier League title at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta’s side have finished runners-up in each of the last two campaigns, looking almost certain to finish in such a position at the end of 2024/25 – this time behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

The Gunners have done a tremendous job over the last couple of months considering the constant injury issues they’ve faced, losing countless key players in the process.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel are just two of the players who have been absent for large spells, highlighting the lack of squad depth currently available to Arteta in North London.

The injuries have undoubtedly scuppered any title opportunity this season, showcasing the need for added reinforcements this summer, with one area of the pitch in the greatest need of new signings.

The latest on Arsenal’s hunt for a new striker

Over the last few months, a striker has been at the top of Arsenal’s shopping list, arguably being the missing puzzle in their quest for English top-flight glory.

The main name touted with a move to the Emirates is Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, with the Swede impressing in the Premier League over the last couple of years, notching 41 league goals in his previous 58 outings.

However, any deal for his services has been made almost impossible, with Eddie Howe’s side placing a £150m valuation on his head ahead of the summer window.

He’s not the only name in the mix with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, two other names also high on the club’s wish list – but like Isak, no progress has yet been made on any deals.

Despite the links, the Gunners have already started talks to land Lille striker Jonathan David this summer, according to Italian outlet Sempreinter.

They aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 25-year-old, with Bayern Munich also approaching the Canadian, who’s out of contract at the end of this season.

Why David would be a better signing than Isak for Arsenal

Isak’s talents have been on show for every Arsenal fan to see over the last few months, none more so than his effort against the Gunners in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

His effortless ability to glide past the opposition has seen comparisons made to Premier League legend Thierry Henry, which has certainly produced more hype over such a move to join Arteta’s side.

However, if they were to land the 25-year-old, they would have to fork out an English-record fee for his signature, breaking the record set by Moises Caicedo after his £115m deal to join Chelsea in 2023.

Given the added depth needed in key areas, splashing such an amount on one player would severely restrict the other business Arteta is able to conduct in the months ahead.

Such a deal may not be the supporters’ first choice, but when comparing the pair’s respective stats from the ongoing season, the Canadian has managed to outperform Isak in key areas, showcasing how much of a superb signing he would be.

Games played

44

36

Goals & assists

33

30

Shot-on-target accuracy

45%

44%

Pass accuracy

82%

73%

Take-on success

52%

49%

Fouls won

1.3

0.5

Aerials won

36%

34%

The Canadian, who’s been labelled “one of the best strikers in the world” by Tony Marinaro, has registered more combined goals and assists this campaign, showcasing the attacking threat he carries in the final third.

He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst also completing more take-ons, offering a more all-round option at the top end of the pitch – something which Arteta has greatly missed this season.

Whilst they will face stiff competition from various other European sides for his signature, from the stats produced, it’s evident that the Lille star would be a sensational addition, especially on a free transfer.

Isak will undoubtedly remain as the supporters’ main target this summer, but if the side are to improve in all areas ahead of next season, it’s pivotal that funds are available to edge them closer to title glory in 2025/26.

Arsenal have struck gold on "monster" who's their best signing since Rice

The incredible international has been sensational for Arsenal in recent weeks.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 15, 2025

Wrexham are one of a host of EFL clubs interested in signing an “excellent” international player in the summer transfer window, according to a new claim.

Wrexham facing huge period in promotion battle

Phil Parkinson’s side find themselves right in the League One promotion mix heading into the final weeks of the season, as they look to make it an incredible three promotions in a row.

Wrexham have six games remaining in the league in 2024/25, and while they currently sit in second place behind runaway leaders Birmingham City, they only have a three-point advantage over third-place Wycombe Wanderers, who have a game in hand.

Next up for Parkinson’s men is the visit of Burton Albion on Saturday lunchtime, with their opponents languishing in 21st place and desperately battling to remain in League One for another season. A home win is a must, with Wycombe facing a trickier trip to Reading.

New signings will be needed for Wrexham this summer regardless of what league they are playing in next term, and a proven top-level player has now been linked with a move to The Racecourse Ground.

Wrexham want "excellent" Wales and Rangers star Tom Lawrence

According to an update from The Daily Mail, Wrexham are interested in signing Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence on a free transfer this summer, with the 31-year-old born there before moving to Manchester United as an eight-year-old.

The League One outfit are far from alone in expressing a willingness to snap him up, however, with the likes of West Brom, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers all mentioned, among others.

Lawrence would be an ambitious addition for Wrexham this summer, especially if they can get him for free, with his current Rangers deal expiring at the end of this season. At 31, he isn’t getting any younger, but he is still at a good age to come in and make an impact, having been lauded by David McAllum for his influence on young players at Ibrox.

“Tom was excellent around the group, sharing his experience, and we spoke before the game about that. That’s what some of these games are going to be about, when we get the odd occasion where a player, or two, drops down from the first-team squad to get important minutes.”

Derby County

185

37

25

Rangers

66

12

7

Ipswich Town

36

11

11

Blackburn Rovers

23

2

3

Yeovil Town

19

2

2

Cardiff City

14

0

1

Carlisle United

11

3

2

Rotherham United

6

1

1

Leicester City

4

0

0

Manchester United

1

0

0

Lawrence is a 23-cap Wales international, scoring three times for his country, so his pedigree is undeniable, and his versatility allows him to shine in central midfield, out wide and also as a centre forward.

Wrexham in League One: Latest standings, fixtures, results & key dates

FFC has all the latest Wrexham info as they seek promotion from League One, along with a look at the Red Dragons’ journey to where they are today.

ByStephan Georgiou Oct 8, 2024

The Welshman has huge experience in the EFL too, as well as making a total of 66 appearances for one of Britain’s biggest clubs in Rangers, so the idea of Wrexham signing him is hugely exciting.