A “lethal” £77m striker has now said yes to joining Arsenal in the summer, with new sporting director Andrea Berta playing a key role in convincing him about the move, according to a report.

Gunners stepping up striker pursuit after Berta appointment

One of Berta’s main tasks in the upcoming window will be to sign a top striker, with the Gunners currently severely lacking options in that area of the pitch, and a number of Europe’s most well-known forwards have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium.

Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak is believed to be Mikel Arteta’s dream signing, and there have been suggestions the Swedish striker would be keen on a move to north London this summer, although it could be very difficult to prise him away from the Magpies.

As such, Arteta may be forced to move on to other targets, and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is another name on the shortlist, with the Slovenia international also interested in making a move to the Emirates Stadium.

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However, according to a report from Portugal (via Sport Witness), a move for a different striker is now looking increasingly likely, with Berta playing a key role in convincing Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres to move to Arsenal this summer.

Gyokeres is the preferred option at striker, and Berta has chosen to pursue a deal for the Sweden international instead of Sesko and Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha.

With the 26-year-old giving the move the green light, the Gunners must now negotiate an agreement with Sporting, and the Portuguese club could look to hold out for a fee of around €80m – €90m (£68m – £77m).

FootballTransfers have also dropped an update on developments, stating the forward’s agents will be in attendance for the Champions League clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, with a move seemingly becoming increasingly likely.

"Lethal" Gyokeres could be final piece of Arsenal jigsaw

After yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Everton, the Premier League title race is almost certainly over, and one thing that has been missing all season is a reliable goalscorer, with the Gunners’ top scorer, Kai Havertz, netting just nine league goals.

If Gyokeres’ performances in Portugal are anything to go by, he could be the final piece of the jigsaw for Arteta, having amassed 43 goals and 11 assists in 43 outings in all competitions, which is a phenomenal record by any measure.

The former Coventry City man has been lauded as “lethal” by some members of the media in the past, and his goalscoring record indicates he could make an instant impact for Arsenal in the Premier League.

Isak may be Arteta’s dream target, but a deal for Gyokeres seems like more of a realistic possibility, and he has proven he could be a fantastic alternative option.

Everton are believed to be “ready to make their move” to complete the signing of a young midfielder in the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Moyes expecting busy summer at Everton

David Moyes has come in and impressively steered the Blues comfortably clear of the Premier League relegation zone this season, with a move to Bramley Moore Dock happening this summer.

It is vital that Everton enjoy a productive transfer window ahead of next season, ensuring yet another relegation battle is avoided, and Moyes has spoken positively to talkSPORT about how busy he expects the summer to be.

This will be music to the ears of Everton supporters, who will hope to see some top-quality players arrive on Merseyside, and now a new transfer rumour has emerged.

Everton "ready" to move for 21 year-old midfielder

According to a new report from Wiw Sport [via Sport Witness], Everton are battling Brighton to sign Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra this summer. The Blues are “ready to make their move” and “working to secure” the services of the 21-year-old, who is valued at £17m by his current club.

Diarra is exactly the type of player Everton should be targeting in the summer window, in terms of being a youngster with plenty of long-term potential to grow into a world class player at their new Bramley Moore home.

The four-cap Senegal international has four goals and five assists to his name in Ligue 1 this season, invariably operating as an attacking midfielder, but he is also capable of shining deeper and even as a centre forward, which is perhaps why scout Jacek Kulig has described him as an “excellent” footballer.

Abdoulaye Doucouré could leave Everton this summer, and Diarra could be a perfect replacement if he can refine the off-ball parts of his game over time.

Appearances

29

Starts

27

Minutes played

2340

Goals

4

Assists

5

Clearances per game

1.4

Tackles per game

0.8

Pass completion rate

86.6%

Granted, he is more attack-minded, but his versatility means Moyes could use him in several different ways, and he should only become more formidable as the years pass.

Chelsea managed to beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, starting their last push for UEFA Champions League football in the right way. Enzo Fernández scored the only goal of the game, heading it home after a lovely ball was whipped in by Cole Palmer.

Enzo Maresca’s men face Brentford on Sunday, just three days after their clash with Tottenham, where another three points will be key. Their victory against Spurs took the Blues back to fourth in the Premier League, sitting one point ahead of Manchester City in fifth and two points ahead of Newcastle in sixth.

Chelsea’s final eight Premier League fixtures

Date

Fixture

06/04/2025

Brentford (A)

13/04/2025

Ipswich (H)

20/04/2025

Fulham (A)

26/04/2025

Everton (H)

04/05/2025

Liverpool (H)

10/05/2025

Newcastle (A)

18/05/2025

Manchester United (H)

25/05/2025

Nottingham Forest (A)

With fifth place believed to be enough for Champions League football this season, Chelsea’s primary focus will be on gaining as many points in their final eight games as possible, in order to qualify.

Maresca will continue to make the tactical tweaks he deems necessary in order to give his side the advantage in games, and this usually stems from his fullback usage.

Tino Livramento's rise after leaving Chelsea

One fullback Chelsea used to have on their books, who is currently smashing it for Newcastle, is Tino Livramento. The English defender was sold by the Blues back in 2021, joining Southampton for a fee of around £5m. Just two years later, Livramento completed a £40m move to Newcastle, where he is now truly showing his class.

Since joining the Magpies, Livramento has made 71 appearances, scoring once, providing one assist and totalling 4,542 minutes played. The 22-year-old has shown versatility to start on both the right and left sides when needed, putting in an exceptional display against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final, playing on his wrong side as a left-back.

Livramento has shown he can be a versatile tool for his managers, playing both sides as a fullback, having the ability to overlap and underlap, tuck inside as a third centre-back when needed and even carry the team forward through central zones.

This is something Maresca wants from his full-backs and something we are starting to see more and more with one man in particular.

Chelsea's answer to Livramento

Alongside captain Reece James, Chelsea have Malo Gusto, who was signed in the 2023 January transfer window, joining from Lyon for around £26.3m and earning around £45k per week.

Since arriving at the club, Gusto has made 67 appearances for the Blues, providing 11 assists and totalling 4,331 minutes played.

Malo Gusto vs Tino Livramento comparison

Stats (per 90 mins)

Gusto

Livramento

Goals + Assists

0.10

0.00

Progressive Carries

2.36

2.22

Progressive Passes

5.33

4.80

Pass Completion %

86.6%

84.6%

Key Passes

0.88

0.67

Crosses into Pen Area

0.22

0.22

Shot-Creating Actions

2.53

1.24

Tackles

2.25

1.87

Interceptions

1.02

0.79

Ball Recoveries

5.55

6.36

Stats taken from FBref

When comparing the underlying metrics of both Gusto and Livramento, you can see how both compare, both offering good progressive qualities from fullback areas, both putting up good defensive numbers and both having the ability/athleticism to counter-press effectively, helping to aid the teams’ ball recoveries.

Former England defender, Micah Richards, praised Gusto, labelling him an “outstanding” fullback, specifically pointing out his energy and 1v1 defending. The Frenchman has had to learn some new roles this season under Maresca, which has taken its toll on the 21-year-old’s form.

Whilst Gusto has struggled so far this season, we have seen him play multiple roles under Maresca, overlapping to provide width as both a right back and left back, inverting into midfield from both sides and even playing in the pockets on both sides.

This is the versatility Maresca wants in his fullbacks, allowing for plenty of tactical changes when necessary. And so, while it might sting to see Livramento shining elsewhere, the Blues no doubt have their own sparkling full-back in Gusto.

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INEOS and Manchester United have now reportedly sent scouts to watch one defensive target as they begin to plot a summer swoop to secure his signature and ease their Lisandro Martinez injury woes.

Man Utd still targeting defensive additions

After Anthony Elanga ran the length of the pitch before firing home for Nottingham Forest in midweek, it should come as no surprise that Manchester United are still seeking defensive reinforcements. Now in April, the Red Devils are yet to win back-to-back games in the Premier League and their defensive issues in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system have played a large part in what has been a disastrous campaign.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man Utd

01/04/2025

Leicester City 0-3 Man Utd

16/03/2025

Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal

09/03/2025

Man Utd 3-2 Ipswich Town

26/02/2025

Everton 2-2 Man Utd

22/02/2025

It should not go without saying, however, that defeat at the City Ground was United’s first in five league games and Amorim echoed that positivity in his post-match press conference, telling reporters: “It’s more [of] the same since this season began. So I think if you look at the game we are improving the way we play football. We are creating more chances, we are dominating more games.

“But in the end, when you don’t win, you feel that and that is a good thing. So we know that this season is going to be like that, the momentum. So we continue to go to the next [game].”

The former Sporting Club boss may well look at his side’s recent run as something to build on before welcoming some key additions. Among those already linked with a summer switch to Manchester United includes Oumar Solet. The Udinese centre-back has impressed at times this season and now has a queue beginning to form for his signature, with United in that queue.

Solet isn’t the only defender that has caught the eye of those at Old Trafford, however, with another Serie A star emerging on INEOS’ reported radar.

Man Utd plotting move to sign "superb" Comuzzo

According to Caught Offside, INEOS and Manchester United are now plotting a summer swoop to sign Pietro Comuzzo from Fiorentina this summer and have already sent scouts to watch the 20-year-old in action. Valued at around €45m (£38m) by the Italian club, the deal should be within the Red Devils’ range even as their cost-cutting measures continue around the club.

Dubbed “superb” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Comuzzo’s arrival would instantly see the injured Martinez replaced next season, before Amorim is handed the ultimate selection headache when the Argentine completes his eventual return.

Aston Villa suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday evening.

Despite the quality on show for PSG, it was the Villans who took the lead, and what a goal it was. Marcus Rashford played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Youri Tielemans, who fired a cross to the back post where Morgan Rogers was waiting to tap home.

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

The home side hit back just moments before the halftime whistle. The electric Desire Doue was the goalscorer, cutting inside onto his right foot and curling his shot into the top right corner, past Emiliano Martinez.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave PSG the lead in the 49th minute with a goal that put his side in the box seat.

It was a remarkable effort, carrying the ball from just inside the Villa half into the penalty box, before rolling it onto his left foot and firing home high into the back of the net. Nuno Mendes sealed the win in the second minute of stoppage time, selling Martinez a dummy and rifling his effort home into a near-empty net.

It was a tough night at the office for Unai Emery’s side, who came up against some high-quality attackers. Matty Cash was one player who struggled to cope at times.

Matty Cash's performance in numbers vs PSG

It is never easy as a defender when you are coming directly up against Doue, Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele. Poland international Cash certainly struggled at times at right-back and had little respite from the Les Parisiens attackers.

Indeed, those attackers in a PSG shirt were relentless and really had Cash tied up in knots at times. The Villans number 2 picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul in the 17th minute to stop a counter-attack.

Minutes

45

45

Pass accuracy

50%

69%

Key passes

0

1

Tackles + interceptions

3

3

Duels won

3/8

2/5

Possession lost

9x

5x

Fouls committed

4

0

This made it tough at times for him to engage, given that he was at risk of committing a foul and receiving a second yellow card.

In fact, the stats from the game reflect just how tough of a night it was for Cash. As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old won just three of eight attempted ground duels and committed four fouls. Impressively, he did manage to win all three of his attempted tackles.

It was certainly a tough evening and it was perhaps unsurprising to see he was substituted at half time for Axel Disasi.

He will surely be hoping the second leg at Villa Park is a little more forgiving. However, he was not the only Villa player who struggled at the Parc des Princes.

Aston Villa's other underperformer

As much as Villa had to do defensively on Wednesday night, it meant their attackers did not get much joy going forward, aside from Rogers’ goal. One of the players who suffered that fate was homegrown hero Jacob Ramsey.

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The boyhood Villa star did not necessarily play badly against the French giants but did not have much joy going forward. He also had his work cut out defensively, having to track Achraf Hakimi, who mauraded forward a lot throughout the game.

Indeed, Ramsey’s stats from the game show just how tough it was for him. The Villa number 41 had 29 touches of the ball, completing 61% of his passes and losing the ball ten times. He won three from four duels but failed to win his only attempted tackle.

Touches

29

Pass accuracy

61%

Passes completed

11/18

Ground duels won

3/4

Number of times ball lost

10

Dribbles completed

1/1

Tackles won

0/1

The 23-year-old received a 5/0 post-match rating for his performance from Goal journalist Richie Mills. He described Ramsey as “quite quiet” throughout the game and explained that “much of his work involved trying to track back” and defend against Hakimi.

It will be interesting to see if Ramsey keeps his place in the starting lineup in the next seven days. Villa have the already-relegated Southampton away from home over the weekend before the return leg against PSG next Tuesday.

Emery has several options at his disposal. PSG Lonaee Marco Asensio replaced Ramsey on the hour mark at the Parc des Princes, and Ollie Watkins also missed out on a starting spot.

Perhaps Emery will turn to one of those if he decides to look for more directness in the attack, thus rotating Ramsey out of the side for a huge clash next week.

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Liverpool are believed to be keen on tying down an “extraordinary” player to a new contract, alongside the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

Liverpool contract rumours galore

The recent Reds-related news has understandably been dominated by Mohamed Salah’s new two-year deal at Anfield, which feels more important than any new signing this summer.

Away from the Egyptian King, however, there are plenty of other players whose futures are also being discussed, not least Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both will be out of contract when this season comes to an end, being able to leave on free transfers if they so desire.

Other reports have also claimed that Konate could sign a new Liverpool contract, with the Frenchman seen as a big player for many years to come, potentially leading the defence once Van Dijk eventually moves on.

It feels like it is going to be a summer of change at Anfield, with some figures moving on – the likes of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have all been linked with moves away – but now it looks like the Reds are keen on sorting out an extension for a different player.

Liverpool want new deal for "extraordinary" ace

According to The Boot Room‘s Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are “in talks” with midfielder Curtis Jones over a new contract at the club, with Konate and Conor Bradley also mentioned in the report.

The 24-year-old is out of contract in 2027 and is still only earning £15,000 per week, which, while still a huge amount in modern society, is relatively low wages for a player who is now an established player for the Reds and England.

A new deal for Jones should be a no-brainer for Liverpool in the coming weeks and months, with the Englishman becoming such a strong squad player, maturing all the time.

Granted, he has found it difficult to force his way into the Reds’ midfield on a weekly basis, given the form of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but he has still shone, with Micah Richards hailing his debut for England, too:

“Curtis Jones was extraordinary, that’s one of the best England debuts I’ve ever seen. And what I mean by that, when you go to England sometimes the pace is a little bit slower and you sort of play the easy pass. “If you look at Curtis Jones, his body positions, he was always available for the ball every time.”

At 24, Jones is approaching his peak years, so the idea of him leaving now makes no sense, and hopefully, he is extremely happy at his boyhood club.

Liverpool "working on" deal for £70k-a-week Reds ace alongside Van Dijk

This would be fantastic news for the Reds.

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He has become such an impressive all-round midfielder, combining press resistance with end product, completing 94% of his passes in the Premier League this season and chipping in with three goals and assists apiece in the competition. He deserves to be rewarded with a shiny new-and-improved contract.

Newcastle United are expected to table an offer for an exciting attacking player this summer, with a £39m bid from another club having already been rejected.

Newcastle preparing for Man Utd clash

The Magpies are back in Premier League action this weekend after their comfortable 3-0 win away to Leicester City on Monday, hosting Manchester United at St James’ Park.

For Newcastle, it is another important game in their quest to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and with their opponents having one eye on the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash with Lyon next week, Eddie Howe’s side will be the favourites to prevail.

Jason Tindall is excepted to take charge of the Magpies, with Howe unwell and spending the weekend in hospital.

There are injury problems going into the Man Utd game, which is far from ideal, with a late call set to be made on Anthony Gordon and his chances of starting. However, Alexander Isak is “expected to be fit”, as reported by Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

Newcastle set to make offer for £39m ace

According to an update from Vamos Mi Sevilla FC (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are set to make an offer for Sevilla winger Dodi Lukebakio, seeing him as a strong summer target.

The likes of Juventus and Napoli are also credited with interest in the 27-year-old, while Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr saw a €45m (£39m) approach turned down by the player in January.

Newcastle’s chances of signing Lukebakio have seemingly been improved by Sevilla’s apparent stance, with reports claiming that the La Liga side are keen to boost their finances and that a high fee could be accepted.

Lukebakio could be an astute purchase by Newcastle in the summer transfer window, with the Belgian becoming an influential performer for Sevilla.

This season, he has scored 11 goals in 30 starts in La Liga, showing that he can provide reliable end product in his right-sided role as Newcastle look to find a replacement for Miguel Almiron, as well as an upgrade on Jacob Murphy.

While Murphy has enjoyed an impressive campaign for the Magpies, not least through registering 16 goal contributions in the Premier League, he is now 30 years of age and may not hit this level again moving forward.

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In Lukebakio, Newcastle have a strong option to bring in and provide competition for the Englishman, with the Sevilla ace a 25-cap Belgium international, which is no mean feat.

While they haven’t quite had the success that the size of the club demands, Arsenal have boasted some genuinely great players during the Emirates era.

The likes of Mesut Özil, Cesc Fàbregas and Santi Cazorla did things few other players could even dream of in the middle of the park, while Robin van Persie looked like the best striker in the world for a period.

Even during the early period of Mikel Arteta’s tenure, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was breaking records up top, but when it comes to the most talented star the team had before the current squad came to be, plenty of fans will point to Alexis Sanchez.

In his pomp, the Chile international was a sight to behold, and now it seems like the Gunners may finally have their new version of the former superstar.

Sanchez's Arsenal career

In the summer of 2014, Arsenal spent around £35m on then-Barcelona winger Sanchez, and while there was some understandable excitement from fans at the time, nobody quite expected him to be as good as he was going to be.

For example, in his first season with the club, the incredibly gifted international managed to rack up a sensational haul of 25 goals and 12 assists in just 52 appearances.

Not only that, but he played a pivotal role in the club’s FA Cup triumph that year, which was their second in as many years.

Over the next three and a half years, the Tocopilla-born phenom would win another FA Cup and three Community Shields while also racking up a tally of 80 goals and 44 assists in 166 appearances, totalling 13556 minutes.

That means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.33 games or every 109.32 minutes for the entirety of his Arsenal career.

Appearances

52

41

51

22

Goals

25

17

30

8

Assists

12

11

18

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.71

0.68

0.94

0.54

However, for all his work, he’s no longer a particularly popular figure around the Emirates, as in January 2018, he moved to Manchester United as Henrikh Mkhitaryan moved the other way, in what might be one of the worst swap deals in history.

The former Gunners star would fail to make an impact at Old Trafford and, just two-and-a-half years later, was sold to Inter Milan.

In all, Sanchez remains one of the greatest players the Emirates has ever seen, and now it looks like Arteta might just have his own version of the Chilean in his squad.

Arsenal's new Sanchez

While the Gunners have a number of talented wingers in the squad, like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, someone compared to Sanchez has to be truly special, so it will come as no surprise that the player in question is Bukayo Saka.

Now, the comparison stems from a recent OptaJoe statistic, which is the fact that, following his goal against Fulham earlier this month, the Hale Ender became the first Arsenal player to score and assist ten-plus goals “across all competitions in each of the last three seasons.”

The last player to manage this was the former Barcelona star.

However, we’d argue that the similarities go beyond this one stat, as, like the Chilean, the 23-year-old fan favourite is capable of changing games all on his own.

For example, even though he missed over three months of action this season, the “legend in the making,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already managed to rack up a simply staggering haul of ten goals and 14 assists in 27 appearances, totalling 1971 minutes.

Appearances

27

Minutes

1971′

Goals

10

Assists

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.88

Minutes per Goal Involvement

82.12′

That means he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.12 games or every 82.12 minutes, and if that is not a world-class level of output, we don’t know what is.

Moreover, despite not starting a game since late December, the Gunners’ talisman was unplayable against Real Madrid on Tuesday night and could have easily picked up a couple of assists.

Ultimately, Saka is the first Arsenal winger since Sanchez, who is a bonafide superstar, and the good news is that this time, he looks like he wants to stay and fight for titles in North London.

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Today is the day that Leeds United could officially secure their promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking in the Championship.

The Whites play host to Stoke City at Elland Road in a 3 pm kick-off this afternoon, knowing that if they win and Sheffield United fail to beat Burnley in their 5:30 pm kick-off, they will be promoted.

Despite beating Oxford United 1-0 last time out in the Championship, Daniel Farke could look to make some changes to his starting line-up to keep the team fresh, after only two days of recovery, and Dan James is a star who should come back in.

Why Dan James should start for Leeds

The Wales international missed the 2-1 win over Preston North End with an injury and returned to play a part off the bench in the clash with Oxford on Friday.

After his cameo at the Kassam, James should now be put back into the starting line-up against Stoke this afternoon, just days after he was named as one of the finalists in the race to win the Championship Player of the Season award.

The former Manchester United winger has scored 12 goals, created 16 ‘big chances’, and delivered nine assists in 30 starts in the second tier this term, which shows that he has made a big impact in the final third on a regular basis.

Leeds know that today could be the day that they seal promotion, if they beat Stoke, and they need their best players on the pitch in order to have the best chance of success.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With this in mind, Farke must bring the influential star back into the team by ruthlessly ditching Brenden Aaronson from the side that started on Friday.

Why Brenden Aaronson should be dropped

The USA international played 89 minutes against Oxford and failed to offer much in front of goal, as he missed one ‘big chance’, lost possession 15 times, and failed to create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates.

Aaronson was described as “anonymous” by reporter James Marshment back in February, and that assessment still rings true, as it was his 12th game without a goal or an assist in his last 13 appearances in all competitions.

The £45k-per-week flop has produced two goals and zero assists in 19 matches in 2025, with one of those goals coming in the 7-0 win over Cardiff, which illustrates how ineffective he has been in the final third.

Appearances (starts)

43 (40)

40 (23)

xG

10.24

5.50

Goals

9

6

Minutes per goal

368

345

Big chances created

8

9

Assists

2

5

As you can see in the table above, Wilfried Gnonto has been more effective as a finisher whilst also providing more creativity despite starting 17 fewer games than the American dud.

This suggests that Farke should keep the Italy U21 international in the team, moving him into the number ten role, and drop Aaronson from the side in order to start James on the right wing.

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This would mean that Leeds would have an attacking midfield trident of James, Gnonto, and Manor Solomon behind either Joel Piroe or Patrick Bamford in the centre-forward position.

Liverpool are going to win the Premier League. However, the charged feeling about FSG’s transfer window preparations makes a firm comment on the view toward the wider campaign.

Exiting the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain in the round-of-16 was a bitter pill to swallow, and the following defeat at Wembley to hand the Carabao Cup over to Newcastle United was more distasteful still.

PSG deserved to win against Arne Slot’s side, and so did the Magpies. However, the Reds will no doubt be frustrated that they failed to get those jobs done.

Liverpool need to reinforce the fringes of their first-team squad this summer, need to pack Slot’s team with more quality and depth across the park.

One of the priorities heading into the off-season is replacing Darwin Nunez at the front of the ship, but with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to leave Anfield and join Real Madrid, more midfield creativity should be targeted too.

Liverpool need more midfield spark

Make no mistake, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have been immense across the 2024/25 campaign, combining to lead Liverpool to the brink of a Premier League title, a job they will surely see over the line.

But autumn will arrive with a new footballing season and it’s crucial that tweaks are made to prepare Slot’s side for an expected title defence.

As you can see from the table below, Liverpool players are nowhere to be seen on the most amount of big chances created from Premier League centre-midfielders this season.

1.

Cole Palmer

20

2.

Declan Rice

16

3.

Youri Tielemans

15

4.

Bruno Fernandes

13

5.

Enzo Fernandez

12

5=

Bruno Guimaraes

12

7.

Mikkel Damsgaard

11

8.

Martin Odegaard

10

In fact, you’d have to trawl down to 12th to find Liverpool’s most creative midfielder: Szoboszlai, with nine big chances created. With Trent leaving, Mohamed Salah may well be tasked with upholding his enhanced creative virtues next year.

It’s times like these you wish Liverpool still had an attacking midfielder in the vein of Philippe Coutinho, the little magician, the brightest spark in a pre-Klopp world and the financial architect of Liverpool’s ultimate success of modern times.

However, goalscoring is still the Egyptian’s forte, and FSG would be wise to pack some more flair into their central ranks.

Liverpool make contact with new playmaker

Liverpool are set to spend, alright, and sporting director Richard Hughes seems to be putting out feelers to ascertain whether RB Leipzig would entertain the sale of Xavi Simons this summer.

That’s according to transfer insider Duncan Castles, who has revealed on the Transfers Podcast that Liverpool have enquired over Simons’ availability ahead of the summer market.

Simons, only 21, is one of the most exciting young playmakers around and would command a £60m fee for Leipzig, who are fourth in the Bundesliga, to agree to part with him.

Why Liverpool must sign Xavi Simons

Simons would join a strong Dutch contingent on Merseyside that has demonstrated a knack for winning trophies over the past few seasons.

Adding his own brand of creativity, it could be just what Slot needs to consolidate his new-found elite status and win more silverware during the 2025/26 season and beyond.

Leipzig signed Simons from PSG last year for a €50m (£43m) fee after a productive initial loan spell. So far, he’s doing good, having been involved in 41 goals across 72 games for the German outfit.

As per FBref, Simons ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 18% for shot-creating actions per 90, emphasising the ball-playing ability that Liverpool would claim.

His data’s great, but watching Simons play should be enough by itself for Liverpool fans to subscribe to the notion of bringing him into the fold.

Silky and artful in his playmaking, the diminutive ace might prove to be Anfield’s next version of Coutinho, whose £142m sale to Barcelona at the start of Klopp’s reign acted as the spark to raise the team to the next level, for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker were then brought in.

In his pomp, Coutinho was one of the best number tens in the world, commanding, influential and inventive. In Simons, Liverpool could finally return to the style of play before the Brazilian made the move to Spain, when he charged the Reds’ deadly frontline.

Looking at Coutinho’s statistics during that final half-campaign with Liverpool, you can see the similarities with Simons, both elite-level creators who aren’t afraid to get stuck in and drive the ball forward themselves.

Matches (starts)

14 (13)

21 (21)

Goals

7

9

Assists

6

5

Shots (on target)*

3.9 (1.2)

1.9 (0.9)

Pass completion

79%

84%

Key passes*

2.9

2.2

Dribbles*

2.8

1.3

Tackles*

1.9

1.5

Duels won*

5.6

5.4

While Slot won’t want to disrupt the harmony of Liverpool’s midfield trio, it’s clear that something different needs to be added to the mix, and there’s no one in the centre of the park currently who’s quite like Coutinho.

Described as a “superstar” in the making by analyst Ben Mattinson, Simons has all the properties needed to serve at an elite level as Liverpool’s new creative force.

With Alexander-Arnold leaving, there’s going to be a vacant spot for such a playmaker, one who could dynamise the midfield and add that bit of depth needed to truly unlock another layer to this wonderful Liverpool team.

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ByAngus Sinclair Apr 18, 2025