Newcastle United’s summer of transfer activity once again underlined the scale of ambition since the PIF takeover.

Deals for Jacob Ramsay, Malick Thiaw, Aaron Ramsdale and Anthony Elanga have complemented headline-grabbing signings such as Nick Woltemade for £69m and Yoane Wissa for £55m.

Alexander Isak’s £125m move to Liverpool left a sour taste, but the overall picture was one of a club continuing to spend at the very top of the market.

That has not always been the case on Tyneside.

Before Saudi investment changed the landscape, Newcastle were known for trimming squads and selling talent to make a profit.

Promising youngsters would be moved on for financial reasons or simply slip through the cracks, only to thrive elsewhere.

This summer’s spending spree serves as a reminder of how much things have changed, but also how much has been lost.

The departure of Elliot Anderson last year remains a striking example.

Newcastle did not want to lose the academy graduate, but Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) forced their hand.

Nottingham Forest seized the opportunity, and now the Northeast club must watch a homegrown talent flourish elsewhere – much like another striker once forced to leave before truly being given a chance at St James’ Park.

Anderson's rise away from Tyneside

Anderson’s move to Forest in 2024, part of a deal that saw Odysseas Vlachodimos move the other way, was emblematic of Newcastle’s recent financial gymnastics.

The midfielder represented pure profit under PSR calculations, a valuable asset when books needed balancing.

Jankuba Minteh was sold to Brighton in the same scramble, and even the sales of Isak and Anthony Gordon were considered.

At the time, it looked like a sacrifice of potential for compliance.

Yet Anderson has proven exactly why the club were so reluctant to lose him.

Last season, the 22-year-old made 37 league appearances for Forest, scoring twice and providing six assists. His form earned him a first senior England call-up, and he started against Andorra, winning the Player of the Match award.

The numbers underline his growing influence.

Last season, Anderson ranked in the 88th percentile for assists per 90 (0.19) and 77th percentile for shot-creating actions (3.07).

His ability to progress play was matched by tenacity in midfield.

He sat in the 88th percentile for tackles per 90 (3.07) and 87th percentile for clearances (2.40).

Analysts like Max Scott have even gone so far as to describe Anderson as having “a bit of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane” in his game.

It is difficult to see how he would have found the same opportunities had he remained at Newcastle.

Competing with Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton for minutes, he might have stagnated.

Instead, Forest have given him the platform to grow, and Newcastle are left to reflect on a talent that got away, not for the first time either.

Newcastle's homegrown striker regret

Anderson’s story draws inevitable comparisons to Ivan Toney, another player who slipped through Newcastle’s net.

Signed from Northampton Town in 2015 for around half a million, Toney struggled for first-team opportunities and was farmed out on loan before leaving permanently for Peterborough United in 2018.

From there, his career trajectory exploded. Toney scored 72 goals and provided 23 assists in 141 appearances for Brentford, firing them to Premier League promotion with a goal in the 2021 play-off final.

His 20-goal return in the 2022/23 season made him one of the division’s most reliable strikers, hailed as such by Thomas Frank who described him as a “monster”.

Recognition followed on the international stage. Toney made his England debut in 2023 and was part of the Euro 2024 squad, holding his nerve to score in the penalty shoot-out against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

The numbers again tell the story of a rounded, top-level forward.

During the 2022/23 season, Toney ranked in the 72nd percentile among centre-forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals (0.43 per 90), 70th percentile for progressive passes (2.41), and was outstanding aerially, sitting in the 91st percentile for aerials won (3.32 per 90).

His defensive contribution was underrated too, with strong numbers for interceptions and clearances.

Matches Played

33

Goals

20

Assists

4

Progressive Carries

14

Progressive Passes

79

In 2024, Toney completed a £40m move to Al-Ahli, where he scored 23 goals and registered four assists in the Saudi Pro League last season.

At 29, he remains a high-level striker whose career arc must leave Newcastle wondering what might have been.

The parallels between Anderson and Toney are plain to see.

Both left St James’ Park for very different reasons, but both have gone on to prove themselves at a high level.

Each departure highlights the fine margins between financial management and footballing vision.

Newcastle’s current owners are now spending freely, with marquee signings transforming the squad.

Yet history shows that some of the biggest success stories can be those who slipped away. In Anderson, Newcastle may once again have let a future England regular leave too soon.

PIF have already signed Newcastle's new Elliot Anderson and he's "terrific"

Eddie Howe will hope he has his own Elliot Anderson now at Newcastle United in this terrific talent.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 8, 2025

The full cost of replacing the Man Utd managers and their coaching teams since the departure of Sir Alex has been revealed and it could leap up by a mammoth amount if the club decide to dispense of current incumbent Amorim. The merry-go-round of managers in the 12 years since the Scot left includes some of the biggest names in the game, but none of them have come close to filling his boots.

Counting the cost of United's sackings

David Moyes was handpicked by Ferguson to take over from him in 2013, but his tenure lasted only 10 months after United finished a disappointing 7th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in nearly two decades. Then came Louis van Gaal, whose reign brought an FA Cup in 2016, making him the first manager since Fergie to land silverware for the club, but the Dutchman was brutally sacked just two days later. Jose Mourinho arrived soon after and delivered three trophies in his first season: the Europa League, League Cup, and Community Shield, becoming the first manager in the club's history to win two major trophies in his first season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led United to a second-place finish in the Premier League and the Europa League final, but ultimately failed to win any trophies and was removed after three years in charge. Ralf Rangnick took over for a brief period before Erik ten Hag brought United their first competitive trophy in nearly six years by winning the League Cup in 2023 and followed that by winning the FA Cup in 2024. Despite winning two trophies in two seasons Ten Hag was sacked after a poor start to the 2024-2025 season. And the heat is now firmly on Amorim, whose side finished 15th last season and sit a lowly 14th after six league games this term.

Sir Alex’s coaching team – £2.4m
David Moyes (2013/14) – £5.2m
Louis van Gaal (2014/16) – £8.4m
Jose Mourinho (2016/18) – £19.6m
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2018/21) – £9.1m
Ralf Rangnick (2021/22) – £14.7m
Erik ten Hag (2022/24) – £10.4m

TOTAL: £69.8 million ($93.8m)

AdvertisementAFPFergie's incredible record at Old Trafford

Fergie's tenure as manager of Manchester United from 1986 to 2013 was the most successful period in the club's history, transforming them into a dominant force in English and European football. He took over a club that hadn't won a league title in 19 years and led them to unprecedented heights. Under Ferguson's leadership, Man United won a remarkable 38 trophies, including; 13 Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups. Fergie’s success was built on a foundation of tactical brilliance, fierce leadership, and an unparalleled ability to rebuild teams. He nurtured young talents like the "Class of '92", which produced club legends including Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes, and integrated world-class players like Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney into his squads. His ability to adapt his strategies and maintain a relentless winning mentality kept United at the pinnacle of football for over two decades.

Will United stick or twist with Amorim?

United have struggled with inconsistency, failing to win consecutive games in any competition under Amorim. Their poor form has led to significant concern among fans and pundits, with some questioning Amorim's long-term future at the club. Despite this, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly still backing the manager. And the cost of sacking him would be an eye-watering £12 million ($16.1m) if they decide to pull the plug on the Portuguese boss. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportTough tests coming for United

United’s next match is against Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 4th, followed by a challenging away game against Liverpool at Anfield on October 19th. There follows matches against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham. More defeats and poor performances could cost Amorim his job… and cost United another £12 million.

MatériaMais Notícias

A luta do Botafogo para se manter firme no Brasileirão passa por revigorar seu fôlego até mesmo diante dos percalços. Mesmo diante da grave lesão que tirará Rafael dos gramados por um prazo de seis meses, a equipe alvinegra deve voltar suas atenções para substitutos jovens.

RelacionadasBotafogoCom pouco espaço no Botafogo, Douglas Borges entra na mira de clube da Série BBotafogo04/07/2023BotafogoBotafogo pode receber punição da Conmebol; entidade aponta ‘irregularidades’ cometidas na despedida de Joel CarliBotafogo04/07/2023BotafogoCEO da SAF do Botafogo dialoga com dirigente do Grêmio e solicita flexibilidade na venda de ingressos para alvinegrosBotafogo04/07/2023

O Glorioso recorre a duas opções das categorias inferiores para acirrarem a concorrência com Di Plácido. O desafio é fazer com que ambos mostrem suas qualidades gradualmente e consigam progredir em campo.

Um deles esteve na atividade comandada pelo interino Cláudio Caçapa, no CT Lonier, terça-feira (4). Atualmente na equipe sub-23, Walisson está com 21 anos mas chama atenção por sua vivência. O jovem foi cedido pelo RB Bragantino e ainda passou pela base do Athletic, de Minas Gerais, antes de desembarcar no Rio de Janeiro. Após ter um início promissor sob o comando de Lúcio Flávio, lidou com uma fratura em um de seus braços, mas se recuperou após ser submetido a uma cirurgia.

Ryan, de 20 anos, também vem ganhando chance de mostrar seu valor nos treinos após ter desembarcado no Alvinegro no ano passado. O jovem, que foi contratado junto à Chapecoense, tem no currículo duas partidas como profissional na equipe catarinense. Porém, a ideia ao chegar no Botafogo era de que ele fosse lapidado.

Como a diretoria alvinegra só conta inicialmente com Di Plácido para o setor (Daniel Borges foi cedido do América-MG), o caminho do Glorioso deve passar também pela renovação no setor. Em um momento que exige cada vez mais pique para o líder do Brasileirão, cabe à equipe não titubear.

يلتقي منتخب المغرب تحت 20 عامًا نظيره الأرجنتين في نهائي بطولة كأس العالم للشباب 2025، والتي تقام في دولة تشيلي، وذلك في الساعات الأولى من صباح يوم الإثنين.

وتأهل “أشبال الأطلس” إلى نهائي بطولة كأس العالم للشباب، بعد الفوز على فرنسا بركلات الترجيح في دور نصف النهائي.

فيما تأهل منتخب الأرجنتين إلى النهائي بعد الفوز على كولومبيا بهدف دون رد، ضمن منافسات نصف النهائي.

منتخب المغرب كان قد تأهل إلى دور ربع النهائي، بعدما تصدر مجموعته برصيد 6 نقاط متفوقًا بذلك على البرازيل وإسبانيا والمكسيك.

وتعتبر هذه هي المرة الأولى التي يتأهل فيها المنتخب المغربي للشباب إلى نهائي كأس العالم في التاريخ.

اقرأ أيضًا | القنوات الناقلة لمباراة المغرب والأرجنتين اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب

ويسعى منتخب المغرب إلى تحقيق إنجاز تاريخي بالفوز على الأرجنتين وتحقيق لقب بطولة كأس العالم للشباب تحت 20 عامًا. موعد مباراة المغرب والأرجنتين اليوم في كأس العالم للشباب

وتقام مباراة المغرب والأرجنتين فجر الإثنين، 20 أكتوبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة الثانية صباحًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، والثانية عشر بتوقيت المغرب.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

It was a mixed transfer window at West Ham United in the end, but things could have been so much different had they signed the attacking target that they set their sights on.

West Ham's transfer window in review

To say it was a slow start for the Hammers would be an understatement. It looked as though they were going to stand still entirely at one stage, opting to welcome just Callum Wilson and El Hadji Malick Diouf, until they finally returned to the transfer market late on and signed the likes of Mateus Fernandes.

Related West Ham's "unbelievable" star was their OG Fernandes, then Moyes sold him

The dynamic ace was a brilliant player for West Ham.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 6, 2025

It could be that late flurry that sparks a much-needed turnaround under Graham Potter. Before their 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest before the international break, the Hammers had lost all three of their first games, and had conceded 11 goals in the process. Pressure, as a result, was increasing on Potter.

The former Brighton manager would have breathed a greater sight of relief than anyone else involved at the City Ground, but West Ham must now kick on when they return to action.

Only time will tell whether late deals for Fernandes, Igor Julio and Soungoutou Magassa are enough to turn things around permanently at West Ham and save their transfer window, but Potter can no longer say that he wasn’t backed.

Up next for the Hammers after the international break is the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby. The Lilywhites have looked much-improved under Thomas Frank, although West Ham are no strangers to defeating their rivals and will be hoping to pick up where they left off against Forest.

It is, of course, the type of game that Aleksandar Mitrovic would have thrived in, but West Ham can thank one reason why he’s not lining up for Potter’s side after the summer transfer window.

West Ham made late Mitrovic offer

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, West Ham made a late offer to sign Mitrovic after he was granted an exit from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. Alongside Leeds United, the Hammers were pushing to welcome the forward back to the Premier League to solve their attacking problems.

Ultimately, however, he opted against returning to English football as he didn’t want to tarnish the relationship that he has with Fulham, having spent five years at the West London club.

Once dubbed “outstanding” by Fulham boss Marco Silva, there’s no doubt that Mitrovic would have been an instant upgrade on West Ham’s current options.

Pat Cummins called it right at the toss and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opted to bat first in the day game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vishakhapatnam. It was the first time in IPL 2025 that the captain winning the toss chose to bat.KL Rahul will be playing his first match in IPL 2025 after he missed DC’s opening encounter for the birth of his daughter. Sameer Rizvi made way for Rahul’s return in what was the only change for the home team.Cummins backed his batters to continue with their trend from last season – bat first, put up a big score and defend it successfully. With the sun baking down and expected to slow the pitch as the game goes on, SRH opted to bring in an extra spinner for a fast bowler. As a result, legspinner Zeeshan Ansari, who plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit, came in for fast bowler Simarjeet Singh.Axar Patel said that he would also have batted first, given “ball does more in the second innings”. He backed his bowlers to be brave and resort to death bowling right from the start if need be.The square boundaries were 66m and 60m in Vishakhapatnam, with the straight hit being 73m. WV Raman, at the pitch report, said that spin could come into play as the game goes on because of the sun baking down.Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Zeeshan Ansari
Impact Player options: Sachin Baby, Eshan Malinga, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Zampa, Wiaan MulderDelhi Capitals XI: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abishek Porel, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Vipraj Nigam, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mukesh KumarImpact Player options: Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurna Vijay

Tottenham Hotspur kick-started their Champions League 2025/26 campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over LaLiga outfit Villarreal in North London last night.

It wasn’t a vintage performance from Thomas Frank’s men, but it was a performance that got the job done and secured all three points in their opening encounter.

The Lilywhites will need to produce better displays going forward if they are to secure automatic qualification to the knockout stages of the competition.

There’s no doubt the Dane will ensure the side don’t replicate such a display, especially when the side travel to face Bodo Glimt in their next European outing at the end of the month.

However, if the side is to produce a better display in Norway, the manager will need to drop one player after his dismal showing against Marcelino Garcia’s men.

Why Richarlison needs to be dropped by Frank

While Richarlison has been a live wire for Spurs this campaign, netting two goals to date, his showing against Villarreal was arguably one of his worst in the new season.

The Brazilian was handed the responsibility of leading the line once again, but failed to produce a performance highlighting the trust put into him by boss Frank.

He only registered 23 touches during his 77-minute performance, completing just three passes in the process – subsequently failing to maintain possession for the Lilywhites.

The 28-year-old also failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles and failed to register a single effort on goal, further showcasing his lack of positive impact in the final third.

Richarlison’s dismal outing didn’t stop there, even picking up a yellow card for a late challenge on Juan Foyth – showing glimpses of his rash past, which has led to questions previously being asked about his attitude.

There’s no denying that the manager should drop him from his next starting eleven, but he shouldn’t be alone in being excluded after his recent showing in the Champions League.

The Spurs star who should be dropped alongside Richarlison

The start to the Frank reign at Spurs has been a positive one, with his side winning four of the first five competitive games he’s taken charge of in 2024/25.

Wins against Manchester City, Burnley and West Ham United were certainly more convincing, but the same can’t be said for the showing against the Spanish outfit last night.

The three points will be the most important aspect, but the manager will no doubt be concerned about his team’s lack of talent during the 1-0 triumph on home soil.

Richarlison was just one player who failed to deliver, but Djed Spence also fell into such a category despite his own recent rise to stardom in North London.

The full-back has started every game of Frank’s tenure, subsequently leading to the 25-year-old claiming his maiden England call-up during the recent international break.

However, his recent success is credit to the player, but his outing against Villarreal showed glimpses of arrogance – resulting in a debut Champions League performance to forget.

Spence featured for 69 minutes against the Spanish outfit, winning just one tackle and failing to make a single interception – falling way below the standards he’s set for himself.

Minutes played

69

Touches

52

Tackles won

1

Interceptions made

0

Possession lost

9x

Misplaced passes

6

Recoveries made

0

Match rating

5/10

He also lost possession nine times, misplacing six of his attempted passes, even registering just 52 touches of the ball – a tally fewer than that of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who managed 55.

As a result of his showing, Spence was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by Football London journalist Alasdair Gold – further highlighting his struggles in Europe’s biggest competition.

Such a showing will cast doubt over his position in the first-team squad, which could see Destiny Udogie handed a rare start in the Premier League this weekend.

The Englishman and Richarlison certainly endured evenings to forget last night, with Frank needing to try alternative solutions if he is to maintain the excellent start to life in the role.

He'll be Frank's own Bale: Spurs have hit gold on "phenomenal" £20m star

Tottenham Hotspur have unearthed themselves a new gem over the last couple of months.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 12, 2025

Kishan says the team was going for the record, after his unbeaten 106 got them to within two runs of the all-time highest IPL total

Shashank Kishore23-Mar-20252:46

Rapid fire: Are Kishan and SRH a perfect match?

Ishan Kishan said he picked up the phone quite soon after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 11.25 crore (USD 1.34 million approx.) at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He wanted to know what it would be like to play for the IPL’s most explosive batting side.”I straightaway called Abhishek [Sharma] and asked, ‘what are you guys expecting, do I have to come and hit each and every ball?’ He was like, ‘on point, yeah, that is your job, you come here and you hit each and every ball, you just enjoy in this team.’ And that is the best part.Related

Kishan's 106* ensures SRH ease to win in 286 plays 242

Kishan fits SRH mould with a 'remember-me?' knock

SRH fall one run short of their own record IPL total

The high-way – the highest team totals in the IPL

Archer bowls the most expensive IPL spell on return

“I could actually see, and I could actually feel it before we played this game,” Kishan said after his 106 not out off 47 set up SRH’s win against Rajasthan Royals. “It’s not that I got a hundred and I’m talking about it. But yeah, when I got here, the message was very clear. ‘If the ball is there, just go for it, have your fun, have your moment’ and that’s how I think we’re going to play the tournament. Even if we are in a very good phase, we would do the same thing each and every time.”Kishan’s century off 45 balls was the third-fastest by a Sunrisers batter after Travis Head (41 balls) and David Warner (43). His partnerships with Travis Head (85 off 38 balls) and Nitish Reddy (72 off 29 balls) helped Sunrisers post 286, two short of being the all-time record for the highest total in the IPL, which would have broken Sunrisers’ own record. They now have four of the top-five highest scores in the league’s history.”Someone came in the middle with a water bottle and said we need to cross this total [their record of 287],” Kishan said. “I was like, I did not know if there was a target set or something, but yeah, when you don’t achieve the goal, it’s something like you want to do it again. We did not do it today, so it’s good to have that target goal for us coming back. Some days [when] we get a good start, batters are set, we will try and definitely get a record total.”Ishan Kishan slammed what was his first IPL hundred•BCCI

Kishan came into the IPL on the back of middling form in domestic cricket. His record in IPL 2024 wasn’t outstanding either – a solitary half-century in 14 innings for 320 runs. At Sunrisers, he was to play at No. 3, a slight deviation from his role as an opener at MI. Asked about the role change, Kishan said he got clarity from the captain and coach.”They keep it very simple, to be very honest,” Kishan said “Like Pat [Cummins], he keeps it very simple, he knows if the player likes to attack from the beginning, he just backs it up. It’s not like if you go in there and get out trying to hit, it adds up any pressure. That’s the best part for any youngster.”If you watched Aniket Verma playing his first game, at that moment he was not thinking about coming back not out. He just went for each and every ball, so that is the sort of confidence when you get from your support staff, or I would say captain, it makes a huge difference. And that is what something every player is looking up to, so I would say it helped us a lot.”Kishan’s roaring start at SRH comes after a tricky year for him. Last year at this time, just prior to the IPL, he had been stripped of his BCCI central contract for seemingly not prioritising domestic cricket. Asked how that affected him, Kishan said: “Whatever the situation was, I think I was never a person who was thinking about those bad moments. I was very much in the present, like what’s needed. Yeah, I need to perform, I need to do good for me, whatever I’ll do, it will help me end of the day. So I just planned to get all the negative thoughts out and just think about what’s ahead, like IPL was coming up.”So, yeah, I was just doing my hard work and, like I said to my loved ones, it was more about my family, the fans who were always there, the ones who are here supporting me today. Like I said, my brother was there. So it was just for them. Coming to SRH, playing in Hyderabad, the first game, setting up a good total for the team, so all together it was a very happy moment for me.”

Buttler and Shahrukh made 36 each, before Rashid and Tewatia exploded at the finish

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2025B Sai Sudharsan scored yet another half-century, this time 82 off 53 balls, and helped Gujarat Titans (GT) post a healthy 217 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad. Speaking to the broadcaster at the innings break, he said it was a good total, given there had not been much dew until then.Earlier, after RR sent GT in, Jofra Archer once again gave his side an early breakthrough. In RR’s previous game, he had bowled Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya first ball. Tonight, he pegged back Shubman Gill’s off stump with the first ball of his second over.But Sai Sudharsan carried on with his sublime form. He ramped, scooped, drove and cut, and steered his side to 50 in 5.1 overs. At the end of the powerplay, he was batting on 39 off 22. Only Wriddhiman Saha (54 vs Lucknow Super Giants in 2023) has scored more runs for GT in an innings in that phase.Jos Buttler, who was welcomed to the crease with a nasty bouncer from Archer, also joined in after a slow start. He was on 12 off 13 at one point but hit four fours in his next six balls to move to 31 off 19.Maheesh Theekshana ended the 80-run second-wicket stand, off 47 balls, by trapping Buttler lbw. But M Shahrukh Khan smashed 36 off 20 to keep GT going.Sudharsan was dropped on 81 by Shubham Dubey off Archer but he could add only one more to his score. But Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan ensured GT ransacked 30 from the last two overs.

Leroy Sane’s surprise move to Galatasaray has drawn heavy criticism from Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn, who claimed the winger “doesn’t want to be a top player” despite having all the qualities to dominate at the highest level. The German international left Bayern this summer after five years, turning down a contract extension in favour of a new challenge in Turkey.

• Sane’s Galatasaray switch questioned by Bayern great

  Sane opted to leave the Bavarians at the end of his contract negotiations, ending a five-year spell in which he scored 61 goals and provided 55 assists in over 220 appearances. Despite interest from other European clubs, he rejected several offers to join Galatasaray, citing the atmosphere at Rams Park as decisive. His choice, however, has not gone down well with the former Bayern figure.

Advertisement

• Imago Images
  

  Kahn: Sane has everything, absolutely everything

  Speaking to , the former Bayern goalkeeper expressed disbelief at the winger's decision, insisting he has all the natural gifts to be an elite player.

  "When you see him, what qualities he has – in training, on the pitch, his speed, his style of football, his dribbling, even his finishing when he's focused: The boy has everything, absolutely everything, you need to become a truly top player," said Kahn

  The German stressed that the biggest question around Sane isn’t his ability, but his mentality and desire to consistently reach the very top.

  "If he doesn't want that, then it's his decision, then his career will just follow a little differently, and now he has to make sure he finds his place at Galatasaray. If I don't come today, I'll come tomorrow – that's just his character, often with his entire body language."

• Bayern forced into transfer reshuffle

  The 29-year-old's exit left Die Roten short of experience out wide, prompting the German giants to splash €75 million (£65m/$87m) on Liverpool’s Luis Diaz. While Galatasaray have enjoyed a flawless start to the Super Lig, winning all seven games, Sane himself has struggled to settle. With just one goal and three assists in eight starts across competitions, his output has fallen short of expectations.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Next steps for Sane in Istanbul

  Sane remained on the bench during Galatasaray’s Champions League victory over Liverpool. However, with a crucial clash against Besiktas up next, the German international will be eager to break into the starting XI and prove that his move to Turkey was not a step down from European football’s elite stage.