Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is reportedly considering leaving the Toffees as Liverpool and Manchester City continue tracking the defender.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Branthwaite could ask to leave Everton
• Wants to get back into the England squad
• Man City, Liverpool among interested clubs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Branthwaite has been touted as one of the best centre-back prospects in England at the moment and the Everton star has been living up to the billing over the course of the last two seasons. However, playing with the Toffees has sort of put his selection with England on the back-burner.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As per Sky Sports, Branthwaite is now considering leaving Everton in the summer as he is keen on making it back into the England squad after missing out on Thomas Tuchel's first England squad. Branthwaite is currently part of Lee Carsley's England U21s squad but the Everton defender wants to make it back into the senior team as soon as possible.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report also added that Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a keen eye on Branthwaite with Real Madrid also said to be interested in signing the defender.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BRANTHWAITE?

  The prices quoted by reports for Branthwaite have gone upward of £100 million ($129m) over the last summer. However, it is possible that Everton may be open to negotiations if Branthwaite makes it clear that he has his heart set on leaving.

The Sussex Sharks’ slim chances of qualifying for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals are over, after they were beaten by six wickets by the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.Joe Denly hit 58 and Sam Billings was unbeaten on 33 as Kent eventually coasted home with seven balls remaining, to finish on 159 for four.Grant Stewart earlier took 3 for 38 and George Linde two for 14 as Kent restricted Sussex to 158 for seven. Ali Orr made 36 and Harrison Ward 33, but the Sharks failed to kick on after racing to 76 for 1 at the end of eight overs.In a derby billed as “The War of the Wealds”, Kent made an early breakthrough when, having won the toss and chose to bowl, Fred Klaassen had Mohammad Rizwan caught at gully for four with the fourth ball of the innings, but Orr and Ward responded with a rapid partnership of 73.Having endured a brutal debut at home to Gloucestershire on Tuesday night, when his only over went for 26, Jas Singh looked like getting a deserved wicket when Ward skied him to mid on, but Klaassen dropped the catch. and the run rate was threatening to get out of hand until the Spitfires took two wickets in the ninth over. Ward was run out by Ahmad, chasing a non-existent single to point and Qais then caught Tom Alsop for one off George Linde.Orr fell in Linde’s next over, caught at deep backward square by Jack Leaning for 33, and the same fielder caught Ravi Bopara off Qais Ahmad for seven at cow corner.A nonplussed Delray Rawlins was given caught behind off Qais for 28 and Rashid Khan had made just three when he chipped Stewart to Tawanda Muyeye at mid off, before George Garton gave Sussex something to defend with 31 from 15 balls, before he edged the final ball of the innings to Klaassen to hand Stewart his third wicket.Rawlins had Muyeye plumb in front for a duck in the first over of the chase but Henry Crocombe then dropped Cox off Steven Finn when he was on four.Crocombe took his revenge when he tempted Cox into a miscue that was caught by Orr at short fine leg, dismissing him for 18, but Denly batted Kent into a winning position with another explosive innings that included a six off Will Beer that cleared the Frank Woolley stand – for for only the third time in its history. He moved to 50 with a single off Rawlins and then hit Bopara for another six, but edged the next delivery to Brocombe.With Denly gone Billings was left to anchor the chase. He lost Alex Blake was lbw to Khan for six and the boundaries dried up, but managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over with George Linde at the other end, chipping away at the target with ones and twos.Bopara and Khan kept Sussex in it with some tight bowling and Kent still needed 24 from 18 when Finn came on at the Pavilion End, but the former England man was pummelled for 18 runs, including successive fours off the final two balls from Linde.Linde hit the winning run when he edged Beer and Orr couldn’t pull in a difficult, diving catch. The result means Sussex cannot now qualify for the last eight, while the already eliminated champions Kent recorded their third Blast win of the season.

The managerial merry-go-round is in full swing in the Premier League now with Russell Martin’s dismissal from the Southampton hot seat following on from Gary O’Neil losing his job at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Both managers were facing a losing battle to remain employed, especially Martin who bowed out from his time at the Saints with a depressing 5-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, which left his side rooted to the bottom of the league on a dire five points.

Now, the next appointment has to be spot on in order to try and give Southampton a fighting chance at somehow surviving, as many names begin to be linked to the vacancy.

Southampton's managerial search

The main faces being linked to the pressurised job post include Danny Rohl and Carlos Corberan, as Southampton cast their net into the Championship to find Martin’s successor.

Rohl has previously been a coach at the Saints, with the German at the club under Ralph Hassenhuttl’s lengthy tenure, whilst Football Insider has revealed that Corberan is a ‘top contender’ to take over at the Premier League’s basement club, having been in the dug-out at West Bromwich Albion since 2022.

Away from those two in-work managers, there are also many unemployed bosses who could be up for consideration to come in and be just the fresh blood needed at St. Mary’s.

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One of those free agent managers is reportedly Kasper Hjulmand, who would be seen as both an upgrade on the heavily fancied Corberan and recently departed Martin if he does relocate to England soon.

What Hjulmand could offer Southampton

That’s the case according to a report by talkSPORT, who state that the relegation favourites have long admired the Dane, with the potential for Hjulmand to be swayed into taking on the tough opening.

The 52-year-old has shown in the past, however, that he can work wonders under pressure as a manager, having guided one of his previous clubs, FC Nordsjælland, to their first-ever Danish Superliga title in 2012, among other glittering achievements.

Moreover, he also helped his nation reach the semi-finals of the Euros in 2020, only to be beaten by Gareth Southgate’s England 2-1 in a closely fought contest at Wembley.

Therefore, it does feel as if the ex-Denmark head coach is worthy of an opportunity to test himself in England’s elite division, with Hjulmand also tallying up more victories as a manager overall when weighed up next to Corberan and Martin.

Boasting 46 more victories than Martin as a more experienced head, Hjulmand could sense this is the perfect job for him to get stuck into after resigning from his international team position earlier this year.

After all, the 52-year-old’s play style in aiming to keep possession before launching into an attack would suit the Saints well, having averaged 53% of the ball this campaign to date despite being often blown away by superior opponents.

Whilst Corberan would perhaps be able to offer some more stability, as a defensive coach who knows the ins and outs of the English game, Hjulmand could be the bold left-field choice Southampton are crying out for, with 560 goals rippling the back of the net under his exciting managerial methods.

Once labelled as a “fantastic coach” by Simon Kjaer when the pair worked together at Denmark, the proof will be in the pudding if the Scandinavian can miraculously keep his new club afloat should a deal go through.

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Kelan Sarson

Dec 17, 2024

Birmingham City’s summer transfer window before the new League One season kicked off couldn’t have really gone any better, as plenty of deadwood was shifted on and a whole host of exciting gems were snapped up.

In total, there were a mammoth 17 incomings for Chris Davies to contend with, which included the dramatic return of Jay Stansfield to St. Andrew’s, alongside bold additions in the form of Tomoki Iwata and Willum Thor Willumsson.

All of those signings named have made the transition to the third tier look easy for the most part – with Stansfield bagging ten goals from 13 league clashes – but the Blues haven’t always been blessed with amazing luck when it comes to striking gold in the transfer department.

Birmingham's biggest transfer howlers

Every club up and down England is going to fall foul of some blunders when a window swings open, with Birmingham no exception to that rule whatsoever.

After all, Blues fans will still be haunted by the fact their club splashed out £2m on Sam Cosgrove back in 2021, only for the ex-Aberdeen man to flounder horrifically in his new location with zero goals tallied up from 17 dire appearances.

That isn’t the only time Birmingham have signed a striker who would then never live up to their hype, with Scott Hogan once a £12m buy for Aston Villa before joining their arch rivals, only for him now to be playing in League Two after bagging a lacklustre 36 strikes from 158 clashes.

There are no doubt more flops that have gone on to notably struggle at St. Andrew’s away from just these two strikers, with this player in question one that did shine in spurts in the West Midlands, but would again never feel worthy of his excessive fee.

Sunjic's time at Birmingham

Whilst not as extortionate as the mentioned Hogan deal, Ivan Sunjic would still cost a whopping £6.3m to obtain in the summer of 2019, with plenty then expected of the midfielder on his flashy arrival.

He would end up amassing 176 appearances in England, as his first season saw him score three times from 40 league games whilst his new employers just about survived in the Championship, which included this beauty of a strike being hammered home versus Derby County.

Yet, Birmingham fans would have been left wanting more from the Bosnia and Herzegovina international as his stay dragged on at the club, as Sunjic would end up accumulating just three more goals and six assists across the following three campaigns.

Labelled as “superb” by then Birmingham manager Pep Clotet during his first few months at the club, there will have been a disappointment in the air when the 28-year-old was just allowed to depart for nothing in the summer.

But, it did feel unlikely that Davies would want to keep the former £6.3m buy around, especially as he went about freshening up the camp for the more combative challenge of League One football.

He has since made the switch to Cyprus to line up for Pafos FC, who actually play in the Europa Conference League, with Sunjic showing off signs of his class for his new employers so far in league action.

Stat – per 90 mins*

Sunjic

Games played

13

Games started

12

Goals scored

2

Assists

1

Accurate passes*

31.4 (87%)

Interceptions*

2.6

Ball recoveries*

6.8

Total duels won*

4.1

Stats by Sofascore

Whilst Sunjic aims to build on a promising start to life out in Cyprus, Davies will just be content with the options he has back in England in the midfield positions, feeling little to no regret that he can’t call upon the ex-Blues number 34.

Birmingham did used to fail in the market very frequently when it came to high-profile signings underwhelming, but in the here and now with Stansfield and many others, that narrative is changing.

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أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، هانز فليك، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة إنتر ميلان في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي برشلونة وإنتر ميلان مساء اليوم في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “مونتجويك” بقيادة الحكم الفرنسي، كليمون توربين.

وشهدت قائمة برشلونة عدم تواجد مارك أندريه تير شتيجن رغم عودته للفريق والتدريبات الجماعية، بل وكان يجلس على مقاعد البدلاء في مباراة ريال مدريد الأخيرة في نهائي كأس ملك إسبانيا.

بجانب غياب روبرت ليفاندوفسكي بسبب الإصابة التي تعرض لها في مباراة برشلونة وسيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موندو: ريال مدريد بدد حلم لابورتا مع برشلونة في دوري أبطال أوروبا

🚨 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐎̀𝐑𝐈𝐀🚨#BarçaInter | @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/KTneZjQYpc — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) April 30, 2025

قائمة برشلونة ضد إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: فويتشيك تشيزني، إيناكي بينيا، أندير أسترالاجا.

خط الدفاع: باو كوبارسي، رونالد أراوخو، إينيجو مارتينيز، جول كوندي، إيريك جارسيا، أندرياس كريستنسن، جيرارد مارتن، هيكتور فورت.

خط الوسط: جافي، بيدري، فيرمين لوبيز، داني أولمو، فرينكي دي يونج، بابلو توري.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس، باو فيكتور، لامين يامال، رافينها، أنسو فاتي.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em bom momento na Ponte Preta, o volante Wesley destacou a importância do jogo com o CRB no sábado, em casa, pela Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. Segundo o jogador, essa partida pode ser o início de uma boa sequência da equipe na competição.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

‘Vamos enfrentar uma grande equipe, com um elenco forte e que tem tudo para fazer uma grande Série B também. Tem tudo para ser um jogo equilibrado, entre duas equipes que buscarão a vitória. Um triunfo vai motivar muito o grupo para essas próximas semanas, sem nenhuma dúvida’, afirmou o jogador.

De acordo com Wesley, a Ponte tem condições de fazer uma campanha em busca do acesso esse ano.

‘Fizemos um bom jogo na estreia contra o Grêmio e, apesar da derrota para o Operário, fizemos uma partida com muita intensidade. Agora é buscar essa primeira vitória na disputa para embalar nela’.

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With rumours regarding Andreas Pereira’s potential exit not going away, Fulham have now reportedly set their sights on signing an in-demand Premier League midfielder for Marco Silva.

Fulham transfer news

The Cottagers remain one of the most exciting sides to watch in the Premier League. No longer a side scrapping away in the battle to avoid relegation, Fulham have once again become an established top-flight side under Silva – who is doing an excellent job. His side’s recent success may not come without its consequences, however. In fact, they could fall victim to their own success.

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With the January transfer window now open, Fulham are reportedly fearful that Marseille could reignite their interest in Pereira and secure the Brazilian’s signature this month. And they’re not the only club reportedly interested. Recent reports have indicated that Brazilian club Fluminense are progressing in talks to sign the midfielder in what would be a major blow this month.

It seems as though that fear has led them straight to a potential replacement too. According to Football Insider, Fulham are now eyeing a move to sign Will Hughes in what could come at no cost at all if he leaves Crystal Palace as a free agent at the end of the season.

The London club aren’t the only side interested, however, with West Ham United and local rivals Brentford also keeping an eye on the situation. A player with plenty of experience in the top flight, the interest in Hughes’ signature should come as no surprise.

From a business standpoint, selling Pereira for an impressive fee and welcoming a possible replacement in the summer without having to splash out, themselves, could represent a shrewd move for all involved at Fulham.

"Leader" Hughes could seamlessly replace Pereira

More combative than the elegant Pereira, Hughes would step straight in to replace the Brazilian at Craven Cottage and sit next to both Alex Iwobi and Sasa Lukic. Forming a tireless midfield three, Silva’s side could even benefit from swapping the old for the new all whilst wisely cashing in.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Will Hughes

Andreas Pereira

Goals

0

2

Assists

3

1

Tackles Won

21

4

Ball Recoveries

66

62

Also able to create whilst completing impressive work off the ball, it’s no surprise that Hughes has been at the centre of Oliver Glasner’s praise throughout his Crystal Palace tenure.

The Palace manager told reporters as relayed by Tribal Football last month: “Will Hughes not just a performer, he’s also a leader in the dressing room. He’s an experienced guy, an English guy, he’s been here for several years, he knows the club, he knows his teammates, and of course he’s an outstanding good football player.

“His passing, his fighting spirit, and he’s one of the few players, maybe a little bit old generation, who is talking on the pitch. Every manager is looking for some guys who are talking on the pitch, he’s one of them, so he’s very important for our game.”

Crystal Palace do have the option to extend Hughes’ Selhurst Park deal, but if they don’t, Fulham could be in a position to pounce in a cheap transfer.

One of Leeds United’s most expensive-ever signings has moved one step closer to leaving the club in 2025, according to a new report.

Leeds throw away two-goal lead at Hull

Championship leaders Leeds were held to a shock draw by struggling Hull City at the weekend in what was a thrilling affair at the MKM Stadium.

Abu Kamara, who was recently forced to apologise for a social media comment he made on rivals Portsmouth’s Instagram account, opened the scoring in just the fifth minute. Ao Tanaka equalised for Leeds straight after the break, before goals Dan James and Joel Piroe put the visitors in the driving seat.

Hull’s Joao Pedro then pulled one back with eight minutes to play, before Kamara completed his redemption arc by rescuing a point in the final moments as he smashed the ball into the net from the edge of the area.

With Burnley and Sheffield United winning on the same day, the defeat means Leeds’ lead at the top of the Championship was cut to just one point.

“Disappointed is probably the right word,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke told BBC Radio Leeds after the game. “We were in control at 3-1 and could have scored a fourth, fifth or sixth goal, especially with Daniel James having a one-on-one chance.

“It’s then difficult to accept how we conceded two late goals without them really having a chance in the half, but somehow they were able to score. To drive away with one point is heartbreaking and disappointing.”

Junior Firpo linked with new Leeds exit

One man who wasn’t involved against Hull was left-back Junior Firpo. The Dominican Republic international, who joined Leeds from Barcelona in 2021 in a deal worth £12.9 million, missed out for the seventh week in a row due to injury as speculation rumbles on about his future at Elland Road.

The 28-year-old is now in the final six months of his contract with Leeds, and is free to talk to other clubs.

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According to a new report from TEAMtalk, Firpo’s team are now laying the groundwork for a return to his boyhood club Real Betis. Firpo began his professional career with Betis back in 2018, and they claim Firpo is now open to returning to the Estadio Benito Villamarin this month.

TEAMtalk report that “initial contacts via intermediaries have taken place between Real Betis and Firpo’s camps,” and that the Spanish club’s interest in him has been bolstered by the poor displays of current left-back, Ricardo Rodriguez.

Firpo, who is expected to return from injury in the near future, was praised by Farke following Leeds’ 1-0 defeat to Burnley earlier this season.

“Junior played a really good game against Burnley, after long travel, improved defensive skill and turning into a leader. Great will to improve further,” said the German coach of the defender.