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England fans furiously chanted at Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel during their 5-0 win over Latvia in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The Three Lions booked their place at the World Cup next year with a thumping result in Riga. After missing the Wales friendly through an ankle injury, captain Harry Kane returned to the lineup with a bang as he scored a brace in a dominating performance.

• Tuchel furious with Wembley support after Wales friendly

  After their 3-0 win over neighbours Wales in the international friendly at home last week, Tuchel took aim at the 'silent' England fans at Wembley as he claimed that the home crowd could have done more to motivate his side. He told after the game: "We had one-and-a-half training days to prepare against a well-trained team and we did very, very well. We had an excellent first half, we were 3-0 up very quickly but it could have been four or five. It was very, very good. Then we couldn’t score the fourth one or the fifth one and the stadium was silent. Silent! We never got any energy back from the fans and I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the fans. “It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half but we did excellent and deserved to win. A step in the right direction. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn't let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it's sad, because the team deserved more support today."

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  England fans chant back at Tuchel

  Now it was the Three Lions fans' turn to give it back to their manager as a large group of English supporters turned up at the Daugava Stadium in Riga to support their team. As England kept scoring goals, the fans were heard chanting: "We'll sing when we want, we'll sing when we want, Thomas Tuchel, we'll sing when we want!" They also jokingly sang: "Are we loud enough for you?" The fans also came up with an X-rated chant, as they sang: "Our support is f*cking sh*t!"

  Tuchel, though, was not bothered by the fans' chants aimed at him as he gave a thumbs-up to the visiting fans. After Anthony Gordon's opening goal in the 26th minute, a section of the supporters chanted: "1-0 to the library."

• Kane makes England history

  With the double against Latvia, a left-footed strike in the 44th minute and a penalty a few minutes later, helped Kane script another record for England as he went past Nat Lofthouse to become the first Three Lions star to score two or more goals in 13 international appearances. His total goals tally for England now stands at 76 in 113 matches. 

  Kane was doubtful for the Latvia after he missed the friendly against Wales last week due to an ankle injury that he picked up during Bayern Munich's final clash before the international break against Eintracht Frankfurt. With Ollie Watkins ruled out with a freak injury before the qualifier, Tuchel was concerned over whom to field as the team's No.9. However, Kane fully recovered in time, featured in the starting and guided his team to a dominating win and secured a World Cup berth. 

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  England look a solid unit ahead of World Cup

  Tuchel faced criticism at the time of announcing the squad for the October international break, as he overlooked several big names, including Manchester City star Phil Foden, loanee Jack Grealish and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham. However, despite missing some big names, England managed to score eight goals in the two matches they played this month.

  With the likes of Eberechi Eze scoring a goal after coming as a second half substitute and players like Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen also able to emerge from the bench, Tuchel is spoilt for choice in the attacking third ahead of the World Cup. With their berth secured, the German coach could consider experimenting with his lineups in the final two group matches against Serbia and Albania in November. 

Everton’s start to the 2024/25 Premier League season has been anything but dull.

David Moye’s side may have lost their opener 1-0 at a raucous Elland Road, but the response was emphatic.

The Toffees christened their new Hill Dickinson Stadium with a 2-0 win over Brighton, followed by a breathless 3-2 victory at Wolves.

The ride hasn’t been smooth every week – a cagey 0-0 with Aston Villa showed they are still bedding in their summer signings, and the Merseyside derby ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

Yet, there is a newfound sharpness in attack.

Everton’s front four of Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye, and Beto have breathed life into Moyes’ forward line, offering pace, technical quality, and variety of movement.

Sitting 10th in the table, Everton already look like a far more threatening side going forward compared to last season.

Their next test comes against struggling West Ham, where the Toffees will be favourites to build further momentum.

Amid this early-season optimism, however, one player is quietly developing in the background.

A 6ft 5in striker who may yet become the jewel of this Everton project.

Thierno Barry finding his feet at Everton

When Everton paid £27.6m to bring Thierno Barry from Villarreal, they knew they weren’t buying the finished article.

At just 22, the French U21 international represents an investment in the future – a striker whose raw attributes suggest a ceiling as high as some of Europe’s elite forwards.

Barry arrives in England off the back of a promising season in La Liga, scoring 11 goals from an xG of 11.7 while adding four assists.

What makes him stand out is not just his finishing, but his ability to impose himself physically and stretch defences.

Ranking in the 87th percentile for aerial duels won (3.84 per 90), Barry has the profile of a classic penalty-box predator yet also shows surprising agility with strong progressive carries and take-ons.

Standing taller than most centre-backs, Barry has been compared to Dusan Vlahović and Ollie Watkins for his blend of physicality and dynamism, as noted by FBref.

He thrives in attacking the six-yard box but is equally capable of pulling wide to create space for teammates.

So far, Moyes has been cautious with his integration. Barry has featured in five league matches, totalling 142 minutes, with flashes of potential rather than complete performances.

The Everton manager has stressed patience, saying the striker will require a period of adjustment to adapt to the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

It is a smart approach. Everton have the luxury of easing Barry in thanks to the immediate impact of their new frontline.

But make no mistake, the long-term plan is to see him leading the line. Hopefully, he does not go the same way as those before him…

Why Thierno Barry can learn from Moise Kean

For Everton fans, Barry’s situation may feel eerily familiar.

In 2019, the club signed another young striker in the form of Moise Kean.

Like Barry, Kean arrived with high expectations, touted as a generational talent who could transform the club’s attack.

But unlike Barry, he was thrust into the spotlight without the right platform, and his time at Goodison never truly took off.

Kean made 39 appearances for Everton, scoring four goals and registering two assists, before a series of loan moves eventually led him back to Juventus and later Fiorentina.

It was in Serie A where his career took off.

Last season with Fiorentina, Kean netted 19 goals in 32 appearances, finishing second in the league’s scoring charts behind Mateo Retegui.

Now valued at €50m (£45m), as per Transfermarkt, Kean has become the striker many thought he could be, while drawing statistical comparisons with Erling Haaland for his explosive pace, direct style, and ruthless finishing.

Indeed, FBref notes that the most similar striker to him in Europe’s top five leagues is the Manchester City hitman. Former teammate Weston McKennie went as far as to describe him as a “beast.”

His numbers underline the transformation: ranking in the 89th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.58), the 87th percentile for total shots (3.39), and the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons (1.46).

Everton undoubtedly let a gem slip through their fingers.

Yet in Barry, they have a second chance.

The lesson from Kean’s time on Merseyside is clear: patience and the right environment are crucial.

Barry cannot be burdened with expectation too soon, but if nurtured properly, he has the potential to blossom into one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards.

However, this time in blue.

Everton are brewing their own homegrown Ndiaye in “fantastic” teen talent

Everton is now brewing their very own homegrown version of Iliman Ndiaye in this exciting teenager.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 22, 2025

Bruno Fernandes consulted the opinion of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was weighing up the possibility of leaving Manchester United to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia over the summer. The United captain revealed that he spoke to his Portugal team-mate when the lucrative offer came in but rejected it after discussing it with his family and coach Ruben Amorim.

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  Fernandes approached Ronaldo over Saudi move

  Ronaldo became the most high-profile player to move to the Saudi Pro League when he joined Al-Nassr in 2023 soon after leaving United. But Fernandes would have become arguably the second biggest name to head to Saudi had he accepted Al-Hilal's offer to sign him in the summer, which would have seen United bank between £80m-£100m. Fernandes ultimately turned down the offer because he wanted to stay at United and continue competing in the Premier League but he admitted that he approached Ronaldo first.

  "I spoke with Cristiano about the situation, about Saudi and everything," Fernandes told reporters ahead of his 300th game with United. "I wouldn’t say what he told me, but we spoke about it. Obviously, he now has a manager that also spoke with me at the time (Jorge Jesus, his former coach at Sporting CP). He was at Al-Hilal three years ago, the first thing he said to me, ‘Are you too expensive for the club?’ I said, ‘There is no expensive players for that club!’ But I told him the same, I wasn’t eager to move, to go to Saudi because I wanted to stay at the club. And he’s a manager I have a great relationship with. He was the one who trusted me to go to Sporting and to play on the biggest stages. But Cristiano told me, he had his opinion on what I should do. It was important for me, obviously, with all the experience he has and everything, it was important for me to hear what he thought. But obviously the decision will always come to me and to the club."

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• Why Fernandes wanted to stay at United

  The offer from Al-Hilal came in just after United had lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final, while the Red Devils were on their post-season tour of Asia. Fernandes told Amorim about it and asked the coach's opinion but he was quickly made to feel that he was a big part of the team's future. 

  "The manager spoke with me. He said I was still part of the project. He wanted me to stay. The club said the same. And I always said that if the club was like ‘Bruno, we want to cash in, you are 30 years old. We want to make some money. We don't think you can be part of the future project’ or whatever. I would be like, OK, I have to find a solution for myself, whatever is best for me and my family. And I will leave. But obviously that wasn't the case. I felt that I was still part of the plan, that I could still help the club to achieve whatever was our aims. And that's what made me stay. Obviously, I have a big connection with the fans, with the club, also the country. My family feels very well here."

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  Fernandes: I would reject another Saudi offer

  Fernandes admitted that he was offered a staggering salary by Al-Hilal and he said that the club were not pleased when he ultimately chose to reject their advances. "I don’t think they were very happy for me to reject the offer, obviously," he said. "I accept that, because the offer was very good in terms of salary. Everything was massive for me. It was a huge difference." 

  The midfielder was unsure whether Al-Hilal or another Saudi club would  try and sign him next summer but he claimed he would make the same decision and say no once more. "No, it will be the same situation," he insisted. "As I've always said, I feel good here. I want to achieve my dreams still. But obviously I can't talk by the side of the club. I've seen a lot of news. I've seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn't made with me. So I haven't spoken with anyone. 

  "I could tell you that there are still people talking to me and saying that they will be very eager to have me next year, of course. But from my side, that's not talked about. Because my agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Because until then, I won't speak to anyone."

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• Amorim: Fernandes suffers a lot

  United boss Amorim said Fernandes had a different personality to the one he had imagined and praised his will to win. He said of his captain: "He is a little bit different to what I was expecting. Everything you read about the players sometimes is not that. He wants to help a lot the team-mates, sometimes it's not in the best way but it comes from a good place. He wants the responsibility all the time. He suffers a lot with the losses and you can see he takes it personally as he should as a captain."

Leeds United were willing to splash the cash to back Daniel Farke in the summer transfer window to bolster the squad for a season in the Premier League.

Whilst they may not have brought in the winger, Harry Wilson, that they wanted on deadline day, the Whites did add to the manager’s options in several key positions across the pitch.

Their work in the summer window has helped them earn eight points from their first seven Premier League matches. A very respectable return for a newly-promoted outfit.

Ranking Leeds United's summer signings

The Championship champions brought in ten new signings to improve the squad in the summer, and we have ranked them based on how they have looked so far.

We have gone for Noah Okafor in first place because the winger has scored two Premier League goals already and looks like he could be a real difference-maker in the final third, which could be the difference between being relegated and staying up.

Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and James Justin are all in the bottom three because they have played 18 minutes of Premier League football between them.

Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Anton Stach have been regular starters and established themselves in the XI fairly quickly, hence their rankings, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin still has a bit to prove with one goal and eight ‘big chances’ missed in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Whilst it remains to be seen how these signings will be remembered in the future, we can review how some of the club’s signings performed when they were last promoted to the Premier League.

The Whites splashed the cash to break their transfer record to sign Rodrigo for Marcelo Bielsa in the summer of 2020, and the transfer did not go exactly to plan.

How much money Leeds United lost on Rodrigo

Leeds reportedly paid a fee of £27m to sign the Spain international to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, but he failed to provide consistent quality in the final third.

Rodrigo scored seven goals and provided two assists in 27 Premier League matches in the 2020/21 campaign, before a return of six goals and one assist in 31 games in the 2021/22 season, per Sofascore.

At the end of that second season, journalist Phil Hay said: “My criticism more and more is that the impact of that investment just hasn’t been felt. Not enough of their signings have made a difference.

“Even on Wednesday, watching Rodrigo against Chelsea, I still can’t work out what he is. Where does he really fit in and is he ever going to work. That’s a £27million player.”

The reporter could not work out where the left-footed forward would fit in, and it was fair to question his contributions after 13 goals in two seasons as a £27m club-record signing.

In that 2021/22 campaign, pundit and former player Michael Dawson also claimed that he was “hiding” and “non-existent” in a clash with Southampton in October 2021, which shows that pundits and journalists alike were unimpressed with his performances.

Rodrigo scored 13 goals in the 2022/23 campaign, as Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, and eventually left the club to join Al-Rayyan for a fee of just £3m.

This shows that the Whites had a howler with the signing of the Spaniard because he was criticised by pundits and journalists in his first two seasons at the club, scored goals in a season that the team struggled in, and then left for £24m less than what he was signed for.

The new Phillips: Leeds star has made effortless transition to PL life

This Leeds United star has made an effortless transition to the Premier League in the same way that Kalvin Phillips did.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 7, 2025

It was a signing that did not prove to be value for money in the long run, and Farke and the 49ers will be hoping that none of this summer’s transfers are remembered as poorly as this one.

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany is wary of the challenge posed by Paris Saint-Germain as his side prepare to face the French giants in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Belgian admitted that his team will need to play a "perfect game" in order to beat the defending champions. Meanwhile, PSG boss Luis Enrique is not too worried about Bayern's historic winning streak and remains confident in his team's ability.

• Bayern make record-breaking start to the 2025-26 season

  The Bavarian giants have been in red-hot form at the start of the 2025-26 season. After winning the DFL-Supercup in the curtain raiser, Kompany's men have been unstoppable, stitching a remarkable and historic 15-game winning streak, breaking AC Milan's long-standing record of 13 straight wins at the start of the 1992-93 season.

  Kompany’s Bayern are beginning to resemble the dominant sides of the club’s golden years – relentless, fluid, and ruthlessly efficient. They have already netted 55 goals this season, averaging just under four per game, a testament to their attacking cohesion. Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka look revitalised this season, providing both energy and balance, while the front line – spearheaded by the prolific Harry Kane, who has scored 22 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions, and ably supported by Luis Diaz and Michael Olise – has developed a level of understanding and precision that can unsettle even the most disciplined defences.

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  Kompany wants 'perfect game' from Bayern

  However, they face their toughest test of the season yet on Tuesday, as they take on PSG at the Parc des Princes. Speaking to reporters at the pre-match presser on Monday, Kompany said: “You have to believe you can do it. You also need a perfect game, we're playing against the Champions League winners and one of the favourites. It's an extra level of difficulty away from home. We have to believe we'll get our chances.

  “I'm really impressed by the team spirit, the ability to win the ball back and the individual quality. At PSG, it's not enough to focus on one player. PSG have always had world-class players. We also have these great qualities – that's why it's such an exciting game.

  “Luis Enrique said the same thing. We basically have similar prerequisites. It's not just about dominance. That's what people want to see tomorrow. We've already played each other twice, it was maximum intensity twice. If everyone is fit – which is almost everyone at PSG and us – then it will be a very interesting game.

  "For us, a win means a big step towards the top eight – the same goes for PSG. The rivalry arises when clubs meet frequently. What's more, the last few matches have been very exciting for spectators. Hopefully we'll have the game we want tomorrow. But it's difficult to predict because the individual quality of both teams is so high."

• Luis Enrique unfazed by Bayern's winning streak

  Although Bayern Munich seem like nothing can get in their way at the moment, PSG boss Luis Enrique isn't giving too much importance to numbers. Instead, the former Barcelona coach believes that it will be a game decided by details, a game which they will aim to win with the support of their fans at the Parc des Princes.

  "To know who the best team in Europe is, we have to wait until the end of the season," Enrique said on Monday. "We have to wait and see how many trophies the team wins. Right now, they are very strong, they always are. We know how difficult the match will be, but we are ready. There will be similar situations [as the Club World Cup game in July] with the same playing principles. It will be an exciting match.

  "Winning 15 games in a row is incredible. They deserve a lot of credit, but tomorrow, at the Parc des Princes, with our supporters and this atmosphere, we have the confidence to try to improve our performance and overcome their pressure. It will be a match similar to the one in the summer."

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  Ousmane Dembele's return a huge positive for PSG

  Dembele has spent the majority of the 2025-26 season so far on the sidelines. playing just eight games and 400 minutes in total. After suffering a hamstring injury on international duty with France in September, he missed seven straight games, before returning as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen in October. He has since made two more appearances off the bench and has been named in the starting XI once. 

  "There's no risk with any player. But Ousmane is fit," Enrique revealed. "He's done all the training sessions these past few weeks, he's participated in the last two matches, and has improved his physical condition. He'll play tomorrow of course, I don't know how many minutes but he's ready for the competition. We'll decide how long."

In the thick of the Home Run Derby, the sheer volume of home runs players hit often gets all the attention. However, that approach sells a central part of the Derby's appeal short: Some of these home runs are absolute tape-measure shots.

Mythology surrounding baseball home-run distances are as old as the game itself. In 1953, New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle is believed to have crushed a 565-foot home run against the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. A future Yankees outfielder, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox, may have hit a 580-foot dinger in spring training in 1919. The list goes on and on.

Gradually, baseball-tracking technology has improved, and we are now able to piece together an accurate ranking of the longest home runs in Derby history. The following table is a combined ranking of the Derby's longest home runs before and after the game-changing advent of Statcast.

Who hit the longest home run in the history of the Home Run Derby?

It is believed that Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa smashed a 524-foot home run at Miller Park in Milwaukee in 2002—the longest in the history of the competition. Sosa went on to hit 49 home runs in '02, the last of two years in which he led the National League in that category.

Since Statcast tracking began in 2016, Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto owns the record for longest officially tracked home run with a 520-foot shot in 2021 at Denver's Coors Field (four of the five longest Statcast-era home runs were hit at that Derby). Sosa also hit a 520-foot home run in '02, which would potentially give him two of the three longest round-trippers in the competition.

The rest of the top 10, combining estimates (noted with asterisks) and officially tracked dingers, can be seen here.

The longest home run in the 2024 Home Run Derby traveled 457 feet, well short of the combined top 10. The longest home run in the history of Truist Park—host of the 2025 event—traveled 495 feet; Acuna hit it on Sept. 25, 2020 during an 8–7 win over the Red Sox.

All the optimism that had been in the air surrounding Leeds United going into this Premier League season is gradually being sapped more and more as the campaign goes on.

Last time out away at Brighton and Hove Albion, Daniel Farke’s men arguably hit rock bottom, as they were resoundingly beaten 3-0 away at Fabian Hurzeler’s relentless Seagulls, in a contest where they barely laid a glove on the rampant hosts.

If they put in more empty performances like the one they served up on the South Coast, relegation will be a definite, as Leeds now languish just five points off 18th-placed Nottingham Forest, who they face next in a huge tie.

Farke will surely be feeling the intense pressures of the Whites hot seat right now, as he potentially prepares to drop Dominic Calvert-Lewin for matches to come, after his slow start out of the blocks in West Yorkshire.

Calvert-Lewin's struggles at Leeds

It was always going to be a transfer deal that would be fraught with risk, but Leeds gambled on Calvert-Lewin this summer on a free transfer, anyway, following the expiry of his long-term Everton contract.

Indeed, last season in the Premier League, the Sheffield-born striker would only fire home a weak three goals, with a high 15 games missed through injury also a concerning statistic to take in.

Thankfully, despite all these worries, Calvert-Lewin is off the mark for Farke and Co., as this header above helped Leeds to a convincing 3-1 away success at Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.

But, Leeds fans have still been left wanting more from their new recruit, with the 28-year-old now deep in a five-game stretch of no goals in league action, which has often resulted in the injury-prone number nine cutting an isolated figure.

That was very much the case on the South Coast last time out, with Calvert-Lewin only managing to test Bart Verbruggen in the home side’s goal with one effort all afternoon, having amassed just 17 touches of the ball in total.

Farke’s options off the bench aren’t plentiful either, with both Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe not the most inspired selection of understudies.

Leeds are now reportedly looking at free-scoring Coventry City striker Haji Wright as a January addition up top, subsequently. But, they could be better placed to just gift one of their own a chance, instead, with this star – who is out on loan competing with Wright’s Sky Blues – potentially putting Calvert-Lewin on borrowed time as a first team starter down the line.

Leeds loanee could put Calvert-Lewin on borrowed time

Farke’s patience regarding Calvert-Lewin’s no-shows must surely be thin already.

But, with Mateo Joseph out on loan, and Joel Piroe potentially on the move in January, he has his hands tied with what he has at his disposal up top, with forgotten striker Joe Gelhardt also currently on the books of another club temporarily.

It feels like a lifetime ago since Gelhardt was dubbed the next best thing at Leeds, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp even lauding the Elland Road prodigy as a “wrecking ball” style figure, after he bagged two goals and assisted a further four strikes from 20 Premier League games during the 2021/22 season.

Since then, his opportunities have been sparse, but he could be in for some more game time in the near future in West Yorkshire if he can keep the goals flowing right now in the Championship with Leeds’ near neighbours Hull City.

Gelhardt has rolled back the years for the Tigers, with the striker who was once also deemed as “special” by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, coming back to the forefront in Hull’s distinctive orange and black, as seen in him collecting four goals from his last four second-tier outings.

With 11 goals now next to his name across two spells at the MKM Stadium, the time might be right for Gelhardt to gain chances in the Leeds first team fold once more, as persisting with Calvert-Lewin could well be the wrong move here, knowing full well his recent sketchy record with injuries and his long barren patches of form.

On the contrary, Gelhardt could be the breath of fresh air needed to reenergise an often lethargic Leeds forward line, with a powerful 4.9 duels won per second-tier contest this season sticking out from the table above.

Of course, Leeds will also be hesitant to chuck Gelhardt back into senior action, with the 23-year-old also prone to a lack of confidence in front of goal.

But, whether it comes via a recall in January or next season, adding the lively striker back into the mix could put Calvert-Lewin on borrowed time, with ex-Premier League scout Bryan King even recently stating that the hot-and-cold attacker just isn’t the “right striker” fit for the Whites, as they desperately crave goals to beat the drop.

Worse than Aaronson: Farke must drop 4/10 Leeds dud who won 33% duels

Daniel Farke has to now drop this Leeds United star after his shocking display against Brighton and Hove Albion.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 2, 2025

Bayern Munich are expected to enter the race to sign Liverpool defender Ibrahim Konate. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid next summer, with the player able to leave Anfield on a free transfer with his contract running down. The Bavarian giants have ignited interest in the player, with his former RB Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano also out of contract in the summer.

• Bayern make contact with Konate's entourage

  Konate's deal with the Premier League Champions expires in June 2026. He is allowed to negotiate a switch to a European side from January. 

  German outlet Bild reports that the 34-time German champions have been in contact with the player's representation, with a view to bringing him back to the Bundesliga. Konate made his reputation during a four-year spell at Leipzig, before completing a £36m switch to Merseyside in 2021. 

  Upamecano's similar contract situation with Bayern could be the impetus for the switch. The France international has been a near ever-present for the Bavarian giants since joining from Leipzig in the same summer that Konate left for England. 

  Los Blancos will be watching both contract sagas with a keen eye. They had been rumoured to be pursuing Konate since the summer, but a Fabrizio Romano report has now suggested they are intent on making Upamecano the latest player to move to the Spanish capital on a free transfer. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Liverpool in similar situation to Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk sagas

  The brewing Konate saga is a familiar story to Liverpool fans. Much of the 2024/25 run-in was dominated by discussions over the futures of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. 

  While their record Premier League goalscorer and club captain decided to stay at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold eventually moved to the Spanish capital for a fee of €10m. The nominal fee was agreed to allow the right back to be released from his contract early to play in the Club World Cup, after he had already agreed personal terms with Los Blancos. 

• Konate struggles for form in 2025-26 season

  Konate, who has played 147 games for the Reds, has been singled out for criticism at times this season, particularly after the 2-1 defeat away at Crystal Palace which started Liverpool's run of five straight defeats in all competitions. Suggestions that concerns over his future have led to poor performances have been quickly rubbished by his manager, Arne Slot however. The Dutchman defended his player back in October following his side's loss to Galatasaray saying it's not just the Frenchman that was found lacking. 

  "If you are losing a game of football, it doesn’t help if you lose the ball a few times very easily," Slot said. "Ibou has been one of them, but definitely not the only one. Against Galatasaray, apart from the penalty, maybe they got three or four other moments, all from us losing simple balls without any pressure, which happened to him once in the Palace game and once against Galatasaray.

  "If you lose there is so much focus on that moment and, all of a sudden, 90 minutes have been very poor. That’s not the way I analyse a game when I watch it back. I see what we did well and what we did wrong. In the last two games, it has been obvious and clear we have made a few errors, not only him, but also others we are not used to. If you do things that people are not used to then normally the manager gets criticised."

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• Will Liverpool push for Konate's signature?

  Liverpool's willingness to allow another player's contract to run down will inevitably draw questions from the fan base. Now with two of Europe's most vaunted sides sniffing around the player, the idea the Reds can re-sign Van Dijk's partner of the past few seasons look increasingly slim. With the decision to let Jarell Quansah leave for Leverkusen in the summer, Joe Gomez clearly a distant third option in the centre of defence and their pursuit of Marc Guehi failing to materialise in a move, Konate's dwindling contract is not just a distraction for the Reds, it presents a serious problem for the makeup of their squad going forward. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to take a 3–1 lead over the New York Mets in the NLCS, but they'll be without one of their key players for Thursday's game in Queens.

Star first baseman Freddie Freeman has battled through a sprained ankle in order to feature in each of the first three games of the season, but he won't be in the starting lineup for Game 4 on Thursday night.

Freeman had started at first base in each game thus far into the series, but with the ankle injury continuing to slow him down, he'll head to the bench while the rest of the infield shuffles. Amid Freeman's absence, Max Muncy will move over to first base, while Enrique Hernandez draws the start at third base.

Here's how the Dodgers plan to lineup with Freeman out of the starting mix.

Freeman has missed just one game during the postseason—Game 4 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres. When active, he's often been replaced on the base paths late into games, with his ankle injury making running the bases more difficult. The idea of inserting him as the team's DH is out of the question too, as Shohei Ohtani will maintain that role.

When asked about Freeman's health after Game 3's 8–0 win, Roberts indicated the team is taking a day-by-day approach with the star first baseman.

"My message to him is let's just focus on today," Roberts said.

Through seven games this postseason, Freeman is slashing .259/.286/.259 with seven hits (all singles) and one RBI.

Juan Soto is officially a member of the New York Mets and has now revealed why he made the decision he did in free agency.

During his introductory press conference on Thursday, the 26-year-old superstar was asked why he chose the Mets and what pushed them over the top. His answer was simple.

"The Mets is a great organization," Soto said. "What they have done in the past couple years showing all of the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try to grow a dynasty is one of the most important things, What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable."

It's safe to say the 15-year, $765 million contract he received from the Mets helped, but Soto received massive offers from several teams, yet picked the team in Queens.

Since Steve Cohen took over ownership of the Mets, the franchise has spent a ton of money. That investment is obviously part of why Soto sees the team having a bright future long-term.