Manchester City have been dealt a blow on the eve of the summer transfer window after it emerged that one of their stars is "very unhappy" at the Etihad.

Man City three games from double

Though it will not be the treble from last season, Manchester City are closing in on a Premier League and FA Cup double, though they could yet end up with nothing.

Trailing Arsenal by a single point heading into the final week of the season, Pep Guardiola's side play twice while the Gunners play just once, with City taking on Tottenham in north London before a home game against West Ham, while Arsenal play host to Everton on Sunday.

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A win in both games will be enough to crown City champions, while four points could also be enough should they win their game by three more goals than Arsenal win theirs by. They will then face Manchester United in the FA Cup final, which they will head into as overwhelming favourites against Erik ten Hag's side.

The permutations for the title

Manchester City (Vs Tottenham & West Ham)

Arsenal (vs Everton)

Title winner

Win, Win

Win

Manchester City

Win, Draw / Draw, Win

Win

Arsenal (as it stands on GD)

Win, Lose / Lose, Win

Win

Arsenal

Win, Lose/ Lose, Win or better

Draw

Manchester City

Beyond this season though, uncertainty lurks. Bernardo Silva has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona for several seasons, and has a reported £50m release clause in his contract for such a deal to be set up this summer.

There are also questions over the future of Kevin de Bruyne, while the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez could have played their last games for the club. Now, more uncertainty has arisen.

John Stones unhappy at Man City

That comes as centre-back John Stones is reportedly "very unhappy" with his situation at the club. The defender has started just one Premier League game since March, despite having shaken off the injuries that sidelined him for the first part of the campaign, with Ruben Dias or Manuel Akanji preferred in the heart of defence by Guardiola.

As a result, Football Insider claim that he is "very unhappy" and concerned for his England spot long term, a fact that has left his future at Manchester City "up in the air" as he heads into the final two years of his £250,000-a-week contract at the Etihad.

Though Guardiola, who has shared his love for the defender in the past, has made a habit of not standing in the way of players that want to leave, the 29-year-old might be hard to shift given his wages and likely transfer fee.

Stones came into his own last season, starring in a new role for the Cityzens and drawing widespread praise, including from ex-Bournemouth boss Scott Parker, who dubbed him a "freak".

“John Stones is a freak really, in the nicest possible way", he explained.

“He is world-class. Because a centre-half with his profile, with his stature, to play football like he does… in terms of a manager for Pep, he’s a dream.

“At centre-half, he’s arguably one of your best defenders, if not your best defender. You put him in midfield now, you want an overload, he finds a pass, he finds a spare man, he’s safe on the ball."

Harry Kane’s wife Kate has revealed how a grumpy child ensured that her husband’s 100-cap celebrations with England did not “go to plan”.

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Prolific striker has become a centurionReached landmark in clash with FinlandJoined by family for special occasionAFPWHAT HAPPENED?

The Three Lions’ record-breaking captain became an international centurion when facing Finland in the UEFA Nations League. He was presented with a special gold cap before a ball was kicked at Wembley, as he became the 10th man to hit that mark – and the first since Wayne Rooney in 2014.

AdvertisementTHE GOSSIP

Kane was joined on the field by his family, but not every member of that clan made an appearance on the pitch. His youngest child, Henry, is not yet ready to grace such an occasion. His other son, Louis, also decided that the noise and excitement was too much for him.

WHAT KATE KANE SAID

Kane’s daughters, Ivy and Vivienne, put fingers in their ears to try and cancel out the cheers from the crowd as their father took centre stage. They were joined in the stands by Louis as they watched the game unfold – but Kate has shared an image of Harry trying to console and distract his unimpressed son. She added alongside that post: "100 caps. Wow. A magical night for us as a family. Doesn’t always go to plan with kids though!"

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WHAT NEXT?

A memorable night for Kane saw him add two more goals to his historic tally for England. He is already his country’s all-time leading scorer and now has 68 efforts to his name through 100 appearances.

Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61 in vain as England fall short in last-ball finish

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-2020Pakistan 190 for 4 (Hafeez 86*, Haider 54, Jordan 2-29) beat England 185 for 8 (Moeen 61, Riaz 2-26) by five runsA 100-run partnership between two men two decades apart in age saw Pakistan eke out their first win of the tour on the day before they are due to return home. It denied England a sixth consecutive T20I series win, while Pakistan pick up a first away win in any format since the ODI World Cup last year. The 39-year old Mohammad Hafeez was the standout star of the win, caressing an unbeaten 52-ball 86 to power his side to 190, while a valiant fightback, spearheaded by Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61, fell just five shy of powering England to a stunning win.It was a series that came down to the final ball, quite literally, and when Tom Curran lifted Haris Rauf for a gorgeous six over extra cover off the penultimate delivery, England needed one more such blow to seal a series win. Babar Azam panicked, while a swarm of fielders rushed to pester the fast bowler with all kinds of advice. He blocked it all out and sent down an unplayable yorker at 90mph to secure the win, the final two balls a microcosm of Pakistan on tour, and Pakistan in general. One minute down, next minute up.It was Hafeez, perhaps unfairly lumped in with Shoaib Malik as an example of the visitors’ failure to adopt modern T20 practices, who provided the ballast to get the innings back on track after a faltering start. With Moeen having removed Fakhar Zaman early, and Curran knocking Babar’s stumps back soon after, England were enjoying the perfect Powerplay. Hafeez stablised the innings while Haider Ali, with the impudence of youth, went hell for leather, but once he lofted Adil Rashid for a six over midwicket, he roared straight into top gear. Helped, at times, by England bowling to his strengths and missing their lengths, Hafeez plundered 69 off the next 34 balls to spearhead the innings, taking them to within touching distance of the total that proved just short on Sunday.Pakistan began this tour two months ago in a protective bubble, but when, on the final day, they removed the bubble-wrap off their youngest squad member, they discovered quite the player residing within. Haider began his T20I career looking like a man who knew how this format needed to be played, clearing his front leg off the second ball he faced, depositing it over cow corner. Time and again, when England appeared to set a field willing to yield a single to him in that area, he declined the deal, opting to go over the top instead. Having sat out and watched England ease to a target of 195 two days ago, he didn’t need complex statistical information to recognise a boundary would be handier than a single. Within no time, he had become the first Pakistani to score a half-century on debut, one that came in just 28 balls.Wahab Riaz gets a hug•AFPPakistan decided to leave out Mohammad Rizwan, so often sensational behind the stumps, in favour of Sarfaraz Ahmed, for a greater perceived ability with the bat. But while he didn’t feature in the first innings, but when a key moment arose, Sarfaraz froze. Quite literally, and somewhat inexplicably, when Shadab fooled the out-of-form Moeen to leave him stranded outside his crease, Sarfaraz failed to gather properly. Time stood still as Moeen looked back and watched helplessly, waiting to see the bails whipped off, while Sarfaraz appeared to cradle the ball, unable to get it to his hands, and then to the stumps. With England so far behind in the game, it seemed like a comedic footnote. When Moeen stormed to a half-century half an hour later, no one in green was grinning.While the defeat might sting, Moeen’s return to form may yet prove the biggest positive for England. When, in the 16th over, he hit three sixes in four balls off Shadab, expending less energy than it presumably takes most people to butter bread, the idea this was a man out of form and bereft of confidence stretched credulity. When he displayed his T20 smarts with a couple of sneakily stolen boundaries off Shaheen Afridi in the 18th, to bring England within touching distance of victory, he seemed indispensable. Now, he may well be.England’s first ten overs with the bat, though, was perhaps what cost them most dearly. With the game being played on a fresh pitch and a very short boundary on one side, the hosts would have fancied a chase of 191, but that became significantly more challenging when Afridi bowled Jonny Bairstow with a perfect outswinging yorker that took the base of the off stump with it. Dawid Malan fell trying to clear the square leg boundary, only for Fakhar Zaman to pluck it out of the air on tiptoe, but Tom Banton kept the momentum going. With his captain Eoin Morgan, he struck up the sort of partnership that might have put them back on track, notably never letting the normally economical Imad Wasim settle, spanking four fours off his first seven balls.It would all end horribly, though, with Morgan, in the form of his career, dismissed in the worst possible way. Brilliant work in the circle saw Azam cut off what should have been a boundary, and Morgan, cantering towards the other end, found himself stranded mid-pitch. It put even more pressure on Banton to ensure he went deep, but he fell five balls later to Haris Rauf, trapped in front and ruled lbw on review. It meant asking a shade too much of the lower order, even if, on a tour where social distancing dominated the conversation, England got uncomfortably close.

Cristiano Ronaldo released a short biographical documentary on YouTube that captured the incredible journey of his football career.

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• Ronaldo releases tale of his rise to stardom on YouTube
• Reveals he wants to be remembered
• Ronaldo received special award from UEFA last month

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The documentary shows the journey of a small boy in Madeira who grew up to be one of the most decorated players in the history of the game. In the short film, Ronaldo speaks about how he wants to be remembered and what still motivates him at 39 to keep scoring goals for club and country and win awards.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Al-Nassr star was recently honoured with a special award at the 2024-25 Champions League draw as UEFA recognised him as the competition's all-time highest goalscorer. The Portuguese star netted 140 times in 183 appearances.

• WHAT CRISTIANO RONALDO SAID

  The film starts with Ronaldo on his way to receive UEFA's special award where he is being asked how he would like to be remembered, to which the player says, "I will say, unique player. In life, a good man. For me, it's the most important thing."

  He then added, "Honestly, never. I never thought one day I'd be on this stage. I always believed that I was going to be a professional player. But the rest, no. My whole life, it's about challenge. I left my house as an 11-year-old to live in a big city. So for me, it's easy. I change Madeira to Lisbon, Lisbon to England., England to Italy, Italy to I'm back in Spain. For me, it's not a problem, it's part of my life. I'm used to having this kind of a life."

  Later in the video, he was asked about his feelings about getting the award to which the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star said, "For me, it's a pleasure. To be recognised in this competition for all-time top scorer. It's a unique trophy for a unique player, I'm joking. So I'm happy. When I receive trophies, I am always thinking of my family, especially my kids. They still see daddy receiving awards, daddy scoring goals and playing football. For me, it's amazing. It's my motivation to carry on playing."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

  After being left out of the club's King's Cup clash against Al Hazm on Monday, the veteran star is expected to be back in action on Friday as Al-Nassr take on Al-Wehda in a Saudi Pro League clash.

Leeds United went into the Championship play-off final having to start a goal-shy Joel Piroe up top, with Patrick Bamford sidelined through yet another injury.

Piroe barely left a lasting impression on the Leeds masses nervously watching on at Wembley, failing to have a single shot on Alex McCarthy's net as the Southampton defenders contained the Dutchman with ease all afternoon.

It's not as if Bamford would have done any better when you look at the barren sequence of games he had endured before injury troubles got the better of him again, only managing to ripple an opponent's goal with one strike in his last seven clashes before the treatment room inevitably beckoned.

The focus, therefore, could be on getting a new lethal striker in through the door in West Yorkshire this summer, as Leeds eye up a promising attacker who has had difficulties in the treatment room himself as of late.

Leeds looking at in-demand youngster

Still only 20 years of age, it does, however, feel like a lifetime ago since Daniel Jebbison was first making waves at Sheffield United across in neighbouring South Yorkshire.

Bumped up to the senior mix after six goals from six in the U18 ranks, Jebbison has had his struggles since with the entirety of this season – minus the final game – curtailed owing to a serious blood clot.

Yet, that hasn't stopped a number of suitors from beginning to sniff around for the unlucky young striker this summer, with Leeds notably interested according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

The likes of Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leicester City are all further credited with being keen on the attacker, who could leave the Blades on a free in the off-season, as his contract begins to run out at Bramall Lane even after such a promising start to his career at the club.

Top five youngest-ever goalscorers for Sheffield United

Player

Age when they scored

1. Regan Slater

17 years, 1 month, 29 days

2. Simon Stainrod

17 years, 2 months, 2 days

3. Daniel Jebbison

17 years, 10 months, 5 days

4. Mick Jones

18 years

5. Jonathan Forte

18 years, 1 month, 24 days

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Third in the esteemed list above, after instinctively scoring for United away at Goodison Park, Leeds will hope they can turn back the clock and get this Jebbison back if he signs, finally ditching Bamford in the process.

What this move could mean for Bamford

Although Bamford did have moments of magic last campaign for the Whites, with that first-time screamer against Peterborough United in the FA Cup etched into every Leeds' fans brain, he also very visibly struggled to keep up with the pace at points.

His final full outing at Elland Road before a knee injury struck saw Leeds frustratingly draw 0-0 with Sunderland, with Bamford only managing a meagre 31 touches and one off-target effort to try and win his lacklustre team all three points.

In the grand scheme of things, results like that one at home and a further 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers after this killed Daniel Farke's men and their hopes of gatecrashing the top two in the division.

Therefore, injecting the squad with a fresher option in Jebbison wouldn't be the most out-there shout, considering the former teenage starlet for the Blades only needed two men's appearances before bagging away in Merseyside.

Described as being "fantastic" when it came to his physical strength by then Sheffield United coach Jack Lester, even when United had dropped down a division and he struggled for fitness once more, Jebbison would be able to give the likes of Mateo Joseph and Joe Gelhardt a run for their money to add spice to the competition for places up top.

It would, no doubt, be risky swapping out the injury-prone Bamford for a man who missed nearly all of last season, but a risk worth taking if Leeds can get the former England U20 international back up to speed quickly and firing on all cylinders again.

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Cricket Australia is currently trying to forge a path through a grants dispute with NSW and Queensland

Daniel Brettig03-Aug-2020

Getty Images

State-based calls for governance reform at Cricket Australia may gain or lose impetus depending on the outcome of the Cricket Victoria board elections, set to be contested by four candidates for two spots in Melbourne at the end of this month.The successful election of Premier Club-aligned duo of Simon Tobin (ex-Essendon president) and Amanda Bond (a KPMG partner backed by Northcote Cricket Club) would potentially result in the replacement of the current Cricket Victoria chair Paul Barker with the former WACA delegate Peter Williams, a long-time adversary of CA’s independent board and its chairman Earl Eddings.Two alternative candidates, the former Dandenong Cricket Cub president Ross Hepburn and the women’s Premier panel chair Penelope Cleghorn, have submitted their intentions to contest the Cricket Victoria board election in the past week. Hepburn and Cleghorn are both well-liked within Victorian cricket circles, in contrast to Tobin who has been a more polarising figure.Should Williams not gain the chair, it is likely to fall to David Maddocks, a partner in Perry Maddocks Trollope Lawyers and the former president of North Melbourne Cricket Club before it merged successfully to become part of the Greenvale Kangaroos club. Eddings, who has another year to serve as CA chairman as part of his current term, also has deep links to the North Melbourne/Greenvale club and preceded Maddocks as its president.Eddings only retained his place as chairman of CA in 2019 by moving from his place as the Cricket Victoria-nominated director to one of the three places reserved for independents on the CA board after his home state withdrew its support. Eddings’ role was subsequently taken up by former Australia Women’s cricketer Mel Jones.Both Hepburn and Cleghorn represent areas that were subject to vicious staff and funding cutbacks earlier this year when Cricket Victoria announced savings measures under the cover of the Covid-19 pandemic, slashing resources to community, women’s and junior cricket while not touching the annual distributions to premier clubs. These decisions have been styled as grounds for Melbourne Premier Clubs to question the leadership of Barker and the Cricket Victoria chief executive Andrew Ingleton, when it is all other areas of Victorian cricket that have suffered most grievously as a result.CA is currently trying to forge a path through a grants dispute with New South Wales and Queensland, with all states to have their annual funding altered on the same basis of terms that are ultimately agreed. However, the state associations have made their interest in wider governance change known, most pointedly in the words of the Queensland Cricket chairman Chris Simpson, a close ally of the NSW chairman John Knox.The most likely change would be to a system of six directors directly representing each state, with three independents. Such a change would require the support of five of the six states and would occupy a lengthy and laborious reform process, as was the case when the board moved from a system of 14 state representative directors to nine independents in 2012.”For all of its wealth and associated power, CA needs to be seen as more of a partner in the development of the game – rather than its master,” Simpson wrote to Queensland Cricket stakeholders in June. “Until we are able to achieve this, states will simply be told what to do from Jolimont Street and that’s exactly not the way to run cricket.”Tobin was previously part of the “new six” ticket, championed by the Footscray Cricket Club president Geoff Collinson who attempted to join the Cricket Victoria board en masse in 2017, largely in protest at the Victorian board’s attempts to change the association’s constitution to reduce the influence of Premier Cricket Clubs on electing board directors. The competition currently holds 18 of a possible 25 delegate votes at each election of the six elected board members – three are appointed independents.Among other elements of community cricket, the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association has two votes, Women’s Premier cricket three, and the Victorian Country Cricket League and Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union one apiece.While the attempt to force all six candidates onto the board at once was unsuccessful, a slower process of elimination has seen Williams joined by other “new six” members Phil Hyde and Jane Nathan. The looming retirements of Paul Jackson and Claudia Fatone from the board have created room for Tobin and Bond to attempt to join them and form a voting majority.

In two weeks the streets of north London could be engulfed in a sea of red as Arsenal celebrate a historic Premier League title, their first in 20 years.

However, it could equally all be doom and gloom should the might of Manchester City win their remaining three matches of the season.

The Gunners have come so far this term and if they beat Manchester United and Everton, will finish on 89 points. The fact that tally may not be enough to be crowned champions is rather ludicrous.

City are still the favourites and if they do win the league, it’ll be back to the drawing board for Mikel Arteta and Co during what could be a rather exciting summer transfer window.

Last year it was all about Declan Rice. Edu had been tracking the England midfielder for quite some time and in a desperate attempt to ward off the Citizens, a £105m bid was lodged and finally accepted by West Ham after some toing and froing.

The end result has been near perfect. That fee has looked like a bargain for a man now thought to be in with a chance of winning the PFA Player of the Season award following a career-best haul of seven goals and nine assists, as well as some sterling defensive displays.

He’s attracted praise right throughout the season, the latest of which has come from Ray Parlour.

What Ray Parlour said about Declan Rice

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting the former Arsenal midfield waxed lyrical over the club’s record signing.

He said: “Declan has been a top signing for Arsenal and it’s great he is still playing at such a high level when it matters most at the business end of the season. His energy is great, he plays every game, his goal against Bournemouth typifies his drive and energy during the game. He deserves to be up there for PFA Player of the Season. It was a big move for him and he’s settled immediately into this team.”

Asked whether any other Arsenal stars could be in the frame for the award at the season’s end, the Romford Pele commented: “Odegaard has been excellent as has Saka who both are in the mix for sure, but Rice for me takes it.

“One can’t forget both centre-backs who have been amazing and should both be in the team of the season. I think Arsenal will have many players in the team of the season for sure.”

So, what’s on the agenda for the forthcoming summer? Well, it could be about another Premier League star in Alexander Isak.

What Ray Parlour has said about Alexander Isak

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Newcastle striker is high on Arsenal’s list of priorities for the summer. The trouble is that it could take a seismic fee to prise away a man who has found the net on 24 occasions in all competitions this term. For context, that’s four more than Arteta’s leading marksman this term. Bukayo Saka has 20.

Speaking to FFC about what the Swede could bring to the Emirates Stadium, Parlour stated: “Isak is a player I like a lot. If you look at the signing of Rice, he is exactly what the team needed when Xhaka left and he has taken the club to another level.”

The move to acquire Rice was certainly a landmark moment in Arsenal’s recent history, but so too could the signing of an exciting centre-forward. There is a sense, despite the club’s leading Premier League tally of 88 goals this term, that they still need a striker to go to the next level.

Isak, therefore, could be exactly that man. Parlour continued: “Isak is the type of player who can do well in this Arsenal team. He will suit Arsenal’s fluid style of play and can do well in this team with the likes of Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard and Odegaard supporting him. It’s important to have quality strikers as we had in our era with Wiltord, Kanu, Henry and Bergkamp.

“However, Newcastle will not want to lose their top striker. Fee wise, he will be similar to Rice’s fee, so if Newcastle are forced to sell, then yes he would take Arsenal forward.”

The former midfielder isn’t wrong. Reports have stated that the Sweden international may well cost £100m if the Magpies are to sanction a sale.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

May 7, 2024

With the IPL finally due to start from September 19, the Delhi Capitals side assembled in Mumbai on Thursday before the squad departs for the UAE. And, according to a PTI report, three other teams – Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders – have already reached Dubai as the T20 tournament continues to gather steam.The Capitals players arrived in batches, keeping in mind the safety protocols against Covid-19. Led by their captain Shreyas Iyer, the others who landed were Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.Despite being away from the game for more than five months, Rahane – who is a part of the Capitals for the first time – wanted to ensure the side was “very positive” after the time out.”There is no doubt that it will be a challenging trip for everyone involved,” he said. “But like everyone else, I’ve spent these last few months focusing on my physical and mental health, and taking care of my family. So the time I’ve managed to spend with them has put me in a positive frame of mind. However, this IPL will be a very different experience for all of us, and we need to make sure that we are all very positive when we hit the ground running. The key is to take one step at a time.”Young opening batsman Shaw, who hit 99 in a tied game against the Kolkata Knight Riders last season, was looking forward to gelling with his team-mates and utilising the training sessions available in the UAE.”We know people have a lot of expectations from us, but our focus will be on making the most of the training sessions we get in the UAE, and re-creating that fantastic team environment which made us so successful last year,” he said. “We also have the chance to gel with the new players and then set our sights on the IPL season.”The Kings XI, KKR and Royals players, who were already tested multiple times before departure, will now undergo a six-day isolation period with testing on day 1, 3 and 6. If they clear all the tests, they will be eligible to enter the tournament’s bio-bubble and start training.Subsequently, the players and support staff will be tested every fifth day of the tournament

It could be a long summer transfer window at Everton, who are already reportedly eyeing a move to sign a midfielder who could replace Amadou Onana, should the Belgian decide to leave Goodison Park in the coming months.

Everton transfer news

In an ideal world, Everton wouldn't need to sell players of Onana's quality, but without the completion of a takeover and concerns over even more FFP sanctions, the Belgium international is reportedly a player they are willing to sacrifice in a big-money sale with the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain interested in his signature.

Everton struck gold on "top-class" signing who's worth more than Phillips

He’s catapulted himself into a key player under Sean Dyche this season.

ByEthan Lamb May 29, 2024

The sale would follow Sean Dyche's earlier prediction, having admitted to The Guardian at the start of May: "If the [777] takeover doesn’t ­happen, or a takeover, then it will probably be juggling dust, not sand.

"Because who knows then? You are having to self-generate ­everything then, I would imagine, because it’s not like there is a pile of cash anywhere so you’ve got to self-generate. And if you self-­generate, how do you get in what you are ­losing? If­ ­someone leaves, how do you get the next one in who is as good as the one leaving? There is no time for development [of young players] because this club hasn’t got time for that.”

With that said, if Everton do sell Onana, they'll still need a replacement and reports suggest that they've lined one up in the form of a former Premier League loanee. According to TuttoJuve, Everton are eyeing a move to sign Weston McKennie alongside interest from both Newcastle United and Aston Villa in a deal that would be worth between €20m and €25m (£17m and £21m) this summer.

Whether Everton will be able to afford such a fee remains to be seen, however, in what sums up their struggles once and for all ahead of a difficult few months.

"Incredible" McKennie isn't without his risks

Whatever Everton spend this summer, they must make sure that every deal makes a significant enough impact to prove worthwhile, and after McKennie's failed stint on loan at Leeds United last season, he's a risk they must weigh up. Goodison Park saw the American and the rest of his Leeds teammates fall short in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park in the last campaign in a crucial result in the relegation battle, but he has since bounced back at Juventus.

Goals

0

2

Assists

7

0

Progressive Carries

64

21

Progressive Passes

92

107

Ball Recoveries

115

160

Whilst Onana's ability off the ball is better, McKennie's creative output and ball-carrying ability would hand Everton an added dynamic alongside the similar Abdoulaye Doucoure.

What's more, even whilst at Leeds, McKennie earned plenty of praise, including from former manager Jesse Marsch, who said via Leeds Live: "He's got incredible flexibility and can play almost any position on the pitch and I've seen that. He's aggressive, he's confident and he has quality.

"At Schalke they played a little bit similar to the things that I like to do, so now even sitting and talking to him about what we think his role will be, he's pretty clear on how to integrate himself. Training over the past week, he's been outstanding."

A "sensational" Liverpool player could leave the club "within a year" alongside Mohamed Salah, according to a concerning claim that has emerged.

Liverpool transfer news

Jurgen Klopp is about to face his last game as Reds manager before a new era gets underway with Arne Slot at the helm. The Dutchman will no doubt be eyeing new signings, and various transfer rumours have dropped regarding incoming players.

A new centre-back could be high on Slot's list of priorities, considering Joel Matip is leaving this summer and that Ibrahima Konate struggles to stay fit for long periods. To this end, Benfica star Antonio Silva is considered a target for Liverpool. In fact, they are trying to hijack Manchester United's move for him, which would make snapping him up extra sweet.

Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville has also been backed to move to Anfield in the near future. The Dutchman has been one of the Whites' star men in 2023/24, helping them reach the Championship play-off final with his attacking brilliance.

Two Serie A targets have also emerged in Federico Chiesa and Teun Koopmeiners, with Liverpool recently sending scouts to watch them in action for Juventus and Atalanta respectively.

On the flip-side, there are concerns that certain big names on Merseyside could depart before next season gets underway, and Salah is likely to be the subject of more interest from the Saudi Pro League. Now, another star man is being linked with an exit, too.

Concerning Liverpool exit claim

According to journalist Juan Carlos Pasman on DSports Radio (via Sport Witness), Alexis Mac Allister could leave Liverpool for Real Madrid "within a year", in what would be a shock development.

He claims it is "very possible" that he trades the Reds for the La Liga giants, with the Argentine being "closely followed" by Los Blancos and seen as a replacement for Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

To lose Mac Allister after just one season would be a disaster for Liverpool, considering he has been their standout summer signing from last year, making a huge difference in the midfield.

Appearances

32

Starts

30

Goals

4

Assists

5

Tackles per game

3

Key passes per game

1.4

Pass completion rate

87.7%

The £150,000-a-week World Cup winner has undoubtedly been one of the Reds' best players throughout the campaign, and at 25, there is still so much more to come from him. Alan Shearer has certainly taken note of the ex-Brighton star, lauding his quality on Match of the Day 2 earlier in the season:

"What a signing he has been, he is having a great season. He was absolutely sensational [against Brighton] playing slightly higher up the pitch. Those three points that they got, I know Salah got the goal, but a lot of it was down to him."

Liverpool looking to hijack Man Utd target to sign £80m+ Matip replacement

The Reds are looking to replace the Cameroonian after his exit was confirmed.

ByTom Cunningham May 18, 2024

The hope is that Pasman is wide of the mark with his comments and that Mac Allister is at Liverpool for many years to come, but it is hard not to be worried about the threat Madrid pose as they continue to build a team full of superstars.