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Wayne Rooney has named a “brilliant” former England star as his toughest-ever opponent, given both his tackling ability and skill in possession of the ball.

Rooney reveals toughest-ever opponent

Very few defenders were able to get the better of Rooney on a regular basis, as evidenced by the fact the Manchester United legend is the third-highest scorer in Premier League history, with a whopping 208 goals to his name.

The Liverpool-born forward spent the majority of his career at Old Trafford, where he enjoyed a great deal of success, playing a part in the Red Devils winning five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, one FA Cup and one Champions League.

During the Sir Alex Ferguson era, United were extremely dominant, but they did go three seasons without winning the title in the early noughties, given the emergence of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, who finished top back-to-back in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

53 y/o manager Man Utd's top target to replace Amorim, has won 11 trophies

An “unbelievable” manager has now entered the frame as United’s first-choice option to replace Ruben Amorim.

ByDominic Lund Sep 10, 2025

The likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech all cemented themselves as Blues legends in the process, but it is their former captain who was named as Rooney’s toughest-ever opponent when speaking on The Overlap. The 39-year-old said:

“I’ve always said John Terry was one of the toughest defenders to play against. On the ball he was very good – he was brilliant, and he could tackle. I also used to like playing against big centre-backs because I wanted a challenge and wanted that body contact – I could spin them all and come off them, then take them on. John Terry was the toughest though.”

Terry was part of the greatest-ever Premier League defence

It should come as no surprise that Rooney regards Terry as his most difficult opponent, given everything the former England star achieved at Chelsea, most notably playing a key role in the west Londoners setting the record for fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season.

During the 2004-05 campaign, Mourinho’s side shipped just 15 goals across the entire season, with the 78-time England international missing just two games, and he has since gone on to lavish the Portuguese manager with praise.

Not only was the ex-Chelsea captain a rock at the back, but he is also the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history, scoring 41 goals in 492 appearances.

With Levi Colwill set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ACL injury, Chelsea are in need of a new centre-back, but it will be extremely difficult to find one capable of coming close to replicating the impact Terry had at Stamford Bridge.

Everton are in a drastically better position early into the new Premier League season compared to where they were when the 2024/25 campaign kicked off.

Sean Dyche’s Toffees would lose all three of their opening league clashes, conceding an alarming ten goals along the way.

While the defence hasn’t quite been staunch under David Moyes in the early stages of this season, the Toffees do have a promising two wins next to their name from the three contests this time around.

Four goals have been shipped, but an impressive five goals have also been put away with some confidence, as their new leading man in attack, Jack Grealish, attempts to show the Premier League what he’s all about, still, after a bruising Manchester City stay.

Grealish's red-hot start at Everton

Away from the excitement and fanfare that was generated after his Toffees announcement, there would have been some lingering worries in the air that the former Aston Villa midfielder could be a flop on Merseyside.

After all, his time at the Etihad has been topsy-turvy to say the least, culminating in the three-time Premier League winner collecting a mere seven goal contributions last season from his limited first-team chances.

However, there didn’t need to be so many concerns based on his lightning-quick start to life donning Everton blue, with Grealish already only three short of last season’s tally at City, as seen in him picking up a blistering four assists from just four clashes to date. His early season heroics have deservedly seen him nominated for the division’s August Player of the Month award.

The exciting 29-year-old playmaker will hope he can keep this red-hot form up over the course of the long, gruelling campaign, with Moyes and Co more than happy to shell out £50m – as is his price-tag at the end of the loan – to keep him around permanently if he does so.

Amazingly, however, there is another attacker who used to call Merseyside home who has an ever-increasing worth that even eclipses Grealish’s bumper valuation…

The ex-Toffee now worth more than Grealish

Everton have fallen victim many a time to selling players before they’ve reached their peak.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Faces such as Ademola Lookman and Moise Kean immediately spring to mind, who have a combined tally of 107 goal contributions between them for their current employers, Atalanta and Fiorentina.

In Everton blue, they could only muster up a weak 12, in contrast. Thankfully for Anthony Gordon, while he never set the world alight regularly at this boyhood club, he did at least surpass this meagre amount before sealing a £45m switch to Newcastle United.

Dubbed a “delight to work with” by ex-Toffees boss Frank Lampard, Gordon would bow out from his time on Merseyside with a reasonable seven goals and eight assists from 78 clashes.

However, as much as Lampard would wax lyrical about working with him, the manner in which the Liverpool-born attacker left his boyhood club behind did leave a sour taste in the mouths of those on Merseyside.

Unbelievably, it was alleged that the now 12-time England international reportedly skipped training in the midst of the 2023/24 season – which saw the Toffees languish near the drop-zone – to push through a big January move.

Games played

108

Goals scored

22

Assists

23

Value when joining

£45m

Value now

£56m

Unfortunately for those back in Liverpool, Gordon would go on to be a rip-roaring success at St James’ Park, with a standout 45 goals and assists across 108 Magpies contests to date, even helping the Toon lift the EFL Cup last season.

Off the back of turning into even more of a “nightmare” for defenders to thwart – as he self-professed – Gordon has also seen his transfer value rise to £56m, via Transfermarkt, which is £6m more than man of the moment Grealish’s own price-tag.

In an ideal reality, Everton might well have kept the wantaway winger at his hometown club for longer.

But, with Grealish now in through the door, on top of Moyes also having the likes of Iliman Ndiaye at his disposal, his absence isn’t that sorely felt anymore, with a further hope that the captivating 29-year-old can stick it out permanently down the line to avoid any similar Gordon-style heartbreaks from occurring.

Everton sold "world-class" talent who's now playing like Grealish & Gordon

Everton could have used a player of Grealish and Gordon quality in their new-look team…

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 4, 2025

Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, says English cricket must not apologise for attracting the world’s best men’s players, as he faced down claims from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) that Thursday’s upheaval to the Hundred’s pay structure for the 2025 season will only benefit overseas players.Top salaries in the men’s Hundred will rise from £125,000 to £200,000 (a 60% increase) and £100,000 to £120,000 (20%) for the second tier. However, the other four salary bands, which cover all but four players in 15-man squads, will receive hikes of between 3 and 5%.The announcement was greeted with disdain by the PCA, with interim-chief executive Daryl Mitchell stating he was “extremely concerned” at how the changes had been pushed through. Having been part of initial talks on how the injection of money would be spread across the board for the upcoming competition, Mitchell believed Thursday’s news reflected “a severe lack of communication and consultation”.Tymal Mills and Sam Billings, two players who have been ever-present since the Hundred’s inaugural season in 2021, took to X to voice their concerns. Billings, who captained Oval Invincibles to successive men’s titles, said: “Remarkable how a category gets a 60% increase yet most others get under 5%… Who has come up with this???”Speaking on Friday in Hamilton ahead of England’s third and final Test against New Zealand, Gould admitted he was taken aback by the PCA’s criticism, stating it was “not what I want to hear”. However, he held an unapologetic line about lifting the top brackets to court the best talent in the world, arguing that the dissenting voices had come from a “small section of male players”.”I don’t accept that,” Gould said, when asked if the top pay packets are almost exclusively reserved for overseas talent. “Because that band also includes central- and potentially contracted (England) players, so you’ve effectively got through that top band. And so, no, I don’t accept that at all.”Competition from overseas leagues, including Major League Cricket in the USA, has been a factor in the ECB’s approach to top-tier salaries, with Pat Cummins admitting to ESPNcricinfo that he hadn’t considered the Hundred when signing a lucrative four-year deal with San Francisco Unicorns last year.”This is a global market. We want the best players, irrespective of nationality. If you’re the best player, you’ll be paid the most,” Gould added. “You only have to look at the IPL and the differential and the spread. And if you look back over the last couple of years, we haven’t had as many of the best players in the world that we wanted in the men’s. We want more, and we’re not going to be apologetic in terms of our ambition to get them here.”Once we’re there, then the money is much easier to spread it throughout the squad. It is a very, very competitive market for a very small number of players, and we are not going to be pushed aside on that. We are going to compete, and we have to compete because we need the best players playing in our competition.”Gould also countered the PCA’s suggestions the ECB are guilty of widening the gender pay gap between the men’s and women’s competitions, citing market forces. While the top women’s bracket has increased by 30 percent, they will be earning three times less than their male counterparts. Next year, the difference in pay will have risen from £75,000 to £135,000.In 2022, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) called for gender pay parity in the Hundred by 2025. The ECB pushed back on the timeframe as unrealistic in its response to the report, which Gould reiterated.”The gap has got bigger because of market dynamics,” he said. “That wasn’t a recommendation we said we could deliver on and we have been very up front on that. We have seen a significant increase in the salaries we have been able to put into the women’s game.”I’m really looking forward to the point that every county club in the country now has a women’s team. You know, I think in five years’ time, we’ll look back and go, ‘How did it take us this long?’ But I think that’s a really, really significant step for us.”Related

• Stephen Fleming steps down as Southern Brave head coach

• PCA criticises ECB for lack of consultation on Hundred pay increases

• Why Cummins 'jumped at' MLC and 'hadn't thought' of the Hundred

• ECB plans wage hikes, increase in overseas player limit

• Equity sale in the Hundred could be delayed beyond 2025 – Vikram Banerjee

Relations between the ECB and PCA are at an all-time low with disagreement over Hundred salaries following dissent over an issue regarding a new, more stringent No Object Certificate (NOC) policy.A group of domestic players have been blindsided by what they deem as legislation that restrict their earning opportunities. Those hamstrung by the new regulations are ones who have red-ball commitments written into their existing county deals.Though no NOCs have been rejected yet, with 80 handed out to male players in 2024 so far, a group of around 50 cricketers have floated the prospect of strike action in the form of boycotting the 2025 Hundred.Gould accepts there is nuance to the latest NOC stance, particularly for white-ball players with ad hoc agreements with their clubs. Tom Curran, for instance, has been on a white-ball contract with Surrey since 2022, but made two County Championship at the end of the 2024 season as the club negotiated other absences.Nevertheless, Gould believes the updated measures will “protect the sanctity” of county contracts. He also hopes a boycott does not come to fruition.”That may have been discussed on a call with with a variety of representatives, but I’ve heard nothing in that regard and I sincerely hope that’s that’s not the case.”

Arsenal have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of a top target this summer, with Andrea Berta’s move for the player becoming increasingly complex as the Gunners face missing out on his signature.

Arsenal could also terminate 23-year-old's contract after Takehiro Tomiyasu

He’s ready to accept an offer to leave.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 16, 2025

Most recently, Mikel Arteta has welcomed Chelsea winger Noni Madueke to the Emirates Stadium, following the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.

Madueke agreed personal terms with Arsenal at the start of July, and it didn’t take long for the north Londoners to shake hands on yet another club-to-club deal with Chelsea themselves – agreeing a £52 million fee to make the 23-year-old their seventh arrival from Stamford Bridge in six years.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta through deals announced (via Sky Sports)	Money on new signings
19/20 – winter	£0
20/21 – summer	£81.5m
20/21 – winter	£900k
21/22 – summer	£156.8m
21/22 – winter	£1.8m
22/23 – summer	£121.5m
22/23 – winter	£59m
23/24 – summer	£208m
23/24 – winter	£0
24/25 – summer	£101.5m
24/25 – winter	£0
25/26 – summer	£75m

The England international signed his five-year Arsenal contract on Wednesday morning (Fabrizio Romano), and it is only a matter of time before Madueke makes his Gunners debut.

After Madueke, Berta and Arteta are believed to hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, who the club views as a potential central attacking midfield addition to complement captain Martin Odegaard – not a winger (Ben Jacobs).

Arsenal are planning to make an approach to Palace over signing Eze after talks with the 27-year-old’s camp, and talkSPORT reported earlier this week that, despite this, the north Londoners are still very keen on Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

The Brazilian, who could end up costing £80 million, remains high on Arsenal’s target list, and Rodrygo has given “positive” indications that he’d be willing to join Arteta’s side, according to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel.

However, reports in Spain now suggest that the potential deal is proving a real mountain to climb.

Arsenal unlikely to sign Rodrygo as move hits "standstill"

Cadena SER, citing their “close” Arsenal sources, state the situation between Real’s versatile forward and Arteta’s side has become “very complicated”.

While not impossible, an Arsenal move for Rodrygo is becoming increasingly unlikely, especially as they close in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and having just signed Madueke.

Contacts have taken place between Premier League clubs and the 24-year-old’s agents, but as of now, everything is apparently at a “standstill”. Real actually view Rodrygo as one of the top 10 strikers in world football, with the former Santos sensation able to play as a centre-forward as well as on either flank, so they’re refusing to drop his price tag.

Liverpool apparently remain interested in him as an alternative to Alexander Isak or Hugo Ekitiké, but for now, Xabi Alonso’s side are not considering his departure. Los Blancos could now leave any exit discussions for August, with the player’s future set to be a talking point for some time yet.

Rodrygo was scarcely used at the Club World Cup by Alonso, and it remains to be seen how the attacker fits into his plans, despite the obvious quality.

“For me he’s probably the most talented and most gifted player in the squad,” said Jude Bellingham about Rodrygo.

“The things he can do with the football – we’ll be messing around and he’ll flick the ball up somehow, and you’re like, ‘How do you do that?’. I’m trying to do it, twisting up my ankles and everything like that. He’s a pleasure to play with.”

Celtic have made a habit out of buying and developing and selling on young talent over the years, as they have made millions in profit through player trading.

The likes of Matt O’Riley, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, and Virgil van Dijk, among many others, have come and gone thanks to the club’s excellent recruitment work.

Whilst they have had success in plucking players out of top European countries, like van Dijk from the Netherlands or Dembele and O’Riley from England, they have also had success in snapping up talent from more obscure leagues.

For example, Celtic signed Kristoffer Ajer as a 17-year-old for £650k from Norwegian side Start, before they went on to sell him to Brentford for a reported fee of £13.5m.

The Hoops plucked the teenage talent up and sent him out on loan, to Kilmarnock, before integrating him into the first-team to develop into a £13.5m player, and they could repeat a similar trick with their interest in a midfielder this summer.

Celtic enquire about deal for Serbian midfielder

According to Cukaricki sporting director Vladimir Matijašević, Celtic have made contact over a potential deal to sign central midfielder Andrej Bacanin before the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “There’s significant interest in our young players, and right now the spotlight is on Andrej Bačanin’s transfer. His performances last season for both our team and the Serbian national side at youth level have drawn attention from numerous clubs.

“We’ve had enquiries from Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, and clubs like Ajax and Udinese are also interested, among others. It’s possible more options will emerge, but I expect the transfer to be completed within the next ten days.”

This shows that the Hoops are interested in the 18-year-old talent, who could arrive at Parkhead to follow a similar path to success in Scotland as Ajer.

Why Celtic should sign Andrej Bacanin

The Scottish Premiership giants should push to win the race for the teenage starlet’s signature this summer because he could be a future star for the club.

At the age of 18, Bacanin should not be expected to arrive as an immediate first-team star, as he only just made his breakthrough at senior level in Serbia in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Instead, the Serbia U19 international could follow Ajer’s path by joining another Premiership team, or a club in another country, on loan to continue his development, before making the step to Brendan Rodgers’ team further down the line.

Although he may not be ready to make an instant impact in Glasgow for Celtic, his performances in the Serbian Superliga show that he does have potential.

24/25 Superliga

Andrej Bacanin

Appearances

17

Starts

10

Goals

1

Assists

2

Tackles per 90

2.3

Interceptions per 90

1.8

Error led to goal

0

Penalties committed

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Bacanin offered a screening presence in front of the back four when he played, averaging 4.1 tackles and interceptions per 90 in the division.

Meanwhile, no central midfielder for Celtic managed more than 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game, which suggests that the Serbian youngster could offer a defensive midfield option that Rodgers does not currently have.

As was the case with Ajer, though, Bacanin will need to be playing games week-in-week-out to hone his skills and develop as a player, which is why bringing the young whiz in before sending him out on loan could be a shrewd move.

The Hoops could snap him up this summer, to ensure that their rivals do not steal a march of them, before sending him away to develop and improve, with the hope that he will come back a better player who is ready to make his mark on Parkhead in the 2026/27 campaign.

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Serbian Football Scout, who is a professional scout for MLS side Colorado Rapids, previously dubbed Bacanin a “true midfield controller”, and he could control games for Celtic in the future, if they get this deal done.

كشفت تقارير صحفية بريطانية، تطورات مفاجئة حيث عاد ريال مدريد ليرتبط بضم النجم المصري محمد صلاح رغم استمرار عقده مع ليفربول حتى 2027.

وكان محمد صلاح قد قاد ليفربول لتحقيق انتصار غالي ضد بيرنلي بهدف نظيف من ركلة جزاء حاسمة في الوقت القاتل في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ردود أفعال جماهير ليفربول على تألق محمد صلاح أمام أتلتيكو مدريد: الأعظم في التاريخ.. امنحوه عقدًا مدى الحياة

وكان محمد صلاح قد جدد عقده مع ليفربول لمدة عامين في أبريل الماضي ليستمر حتى عام 2027، وسيكون قد قضى عشرة مواسم كأحد أعظم لاعبي الريدز على الإطلاق عند انتهاء العقد.

وبحسب “فوتبول إنسايدر” البريطانية، فإنه سيتاح لمحمد صلاح فرصة اختيار وجهته المفضلة عندما يقرر مغادرة ليفربول وقد ارتبط الآن بالانضمام لريال مدريد.

وقد تم الكشف في وقت سابق أن بقاء محمد صلاح في ليفربول للعامين المقبلين غير مضمون، وقد يقرر قريباً مصيره ويعد الدوري السعودي وجهته المحتملة في المستقبل.

اقرأ أيضاً.. محمد صلاح يحقق 3 إنجازات بعد هدفه القاتل في مباراة ليفربول وبيرنلي

وقد يكون محمد صلاح على وشك الانضمام للعب في ريال مدريد وفي ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو، ليلتحق بترينت ألكسندر أرنولد وربما إبراهيما كوناتي.

ومع ذلك فإنه من غير المرجح أن ينتقل صلاح إلى ريال مدريد ويقوم بهذه الخطوة في وقت متأخر من مسيرته، لكنه سيكون منفتحاً على العروض من جميع الأندية عندما يغادر في سن 35 عاماً في عام 2027.

With the first stage of the summer transfer window set to come to an end this evening, Manchester United will certainly be trying to complete deals to improve the first-team squad.

Ruben Amorim has already bolstered his ranks, landing Wolves star Matheus Cunha for a reported £62.5m fee, but has yet to add to such business during the off-season.

Such a deal will undoubtedly be the start of the overhaul of the first team squad, with the likes of Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof all released at the end of their contracts.

All areas of the pitch have been subject to improvements from the hierarchy as they look to back the manager to turn around the form, which saw them register a 15th-placed Premier League finish.

A whole host of names have been thrown into the mix over recent weeks, with one name once again popping up and edging closer to completing a switch to Old Trafford.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions

In recent days, striker Viktor Gyokeres has once again been touted with a move to join United after previously playing under Amorim at Sporting CP in Portugal.

The hierarchy have been in contact with the Swede’s representatives over a move to Old Trafford this summer, looking to provide the added quality in the final third, as seen by his tally of 54 goals in 2024/25.

However, he could be joined in the final third by Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, with Sky Sports’ latest update seemingly moving the 25-year-old closer to a move to join the Red Devils.

They claim that Amorim’s side are set to return with a second offer for the Cameroonian international, after their previous bid of £45m plus £10m in add-ons was rejected.

Personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue with the £70m Bees attacker, after he stated his desire to move to join United over a switch to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Why United’s £70m target could be Amorim’s own Cherki

Rayan Cherki has been in demand throughout the off-season, understandably so given his form for Lyon across all competitions throughout 2024/25.

The 21-year-old registered 32 combined goals and assists for the Ligue 1 outfit, helping the club claim a place in the Europa League under manager Paulo Fonseca.

He even scored twice against the Red Devils in the Europa League quarter-finals this campaign, but it wasn’t enough as Amorim’s side staged one of the greatest European comebacks of all time.

However, they’re likely to come up against Cherki once again next season, after rivals Manchester City agreed a £34m deal to take the attacker to the Etihad in 2025/26.

Despite the pending move, Amorim could be about to land his own version of the Frenchman with a deal for Mbeumo, with the Brentford star also featuring off the right and also able to operate in a central area.

The winger, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by one analyst, has outperformed Cherki in various key areas, highlighting how much of an impressive addition he would be for United this summer.

He’s registered more goals than the soon-to-be City attacker, whilst posting a higher shot-on-target rate, subsequently posing a bigger threat in front of goal for United.

How Mbeumo compares to Cherki throughout 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)	Mbeumo	Cherki
Games played	38	30
Goals & assists	27	19
Shot-on-target accuracy	43%	42%
Take-on success	50%	49%
Carries into opposition box	2	1.8
Crosses completed	5.4	5.2
Aerials won	0.9	0.1
Stats via FBref

Mbeumo has also completed more take-ons this season, whilst registering more carries with the ball into the opposition penalty area – further highlighting his desire to get the ball into dangerous areas, something which United have often lacked.

£70m may seem a hefty fee for the forward, but the prospect of him linking up with Cunha within the final third at Old Trafford is certainly an exciting one, making the club a force to be reckoned with.

Should he replicate the levels produced in the capital this season, he would be a superb addition, with his talents undoubtedly improving the options currently at the manager’s disposal.

Gyokeres alternative: Man Utd looking to sign £63m ace who's "like Ronaldo"

Man Utd are stepping up their search for a new striker this summer…

By
Robbie Walls

Jun 10, 2025

Arsenal are expected to be one of the busier English sides during the summer window after missing out on this year’s Premier League title to Liverpool by 10 points, and sporting director Andrea Berta is set for a key role.

Andrea Berta tipped for influential summer at Arsenal

Spanish football expert and reliable journalist, Guillem Balague, shared an intriguing bit of information about Berta following the Italian’s arrival at N5.

£50m star could now reject Arsenal move and sign new deal after talks

He also snubbed an exit last summer.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 4, 2025

Following 12 productive years at Atlético Madrid, where he played a key role in shaping Diego Simeone’s quality current squad, Balague said that Berta is widely considered one of the best sporting directors in football by those within the beautiful game.

“You have to say that he was the architect of the Atletico Madrid that won the league twice, got to the Champions League final twice, won the Europa League,” Balague told TNT Sports.

“That’s him working alongside Simeone in a very discreet way. He doesn’t give interviews, doesn’t give press conferences. We don’t know personally much about him, but certainly he’s a top negotiator and considered one of the best in the business.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

“They went for him because he wants to create, alongside Mikel Arteta, a winning culture. This is a guy that’s done very well in the context of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“They have more money, and yet he managed to get that extra bit that Arsenal doesn’t seem to get.”

This summer window is imperative for Arsenal, and Berta has the almighty task of reshaping their squad to mount a much more convincing Premier League title challenge next season.

Their lack of a prolific striker was a serious achilles heel over the course of 2024/2025, especially factoring in Kai Havertz’s and Gabriel Jesus’ injury lay-offs, with Arsenal said to be working on moves for both Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

According to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, Arsenal are currently working to confirm the frameworks of both deals, before deciding which striker to formally pursue.

Arsenal "only" club to hold "concrete talks" for Benjamin Sesko

As Mikel Arteta’s side take their time to weigh up which deal is best for the club, Gyokeres or Sesko, Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg suggests Arsenal are in pole position for the latter.

While Man Utd have expressed an interest, Plettenberg writes that Arsenal are the only club to hold “concrete talks” for Sesko so far, meaning Berta is facing little competition in pursuit of the Slovenian as things stand.

Called an “extremely quick” striker, Sesko is fresh off the back of a career-best Bundesliga campaign, scoring 21 goals in all competitions and bettering his tally of 18 from 2023/2024.

While these numbers appear modest, Sesko’s physical attributes and potential to improve at just 22-years-old make him a very tempting potential signing, with his release clause set at around £70 million.

Whilst Sunderland had to dig deep in order to beat Coventry City over two entertaining playoff matches, Sheffield United enjoyed a fair more straightforward route to the Wembley showpiece.

The Championship high-flyers easily got the better of Liam Manning’s Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate, with the Blades barely having to break a sweat to defeat the dazzled Robins.

Chris Wilder’s men won’t be heading into their promotion-or-bust showdown with Sunderland full of arrogance that another simple win will be picked up, however, with Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats far more of a formidable foe for United to try and topple.

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Whilst Bristol City just about managed to sneak into the playoff picture in sixth position, the Wearside outfit have been in and around the top six for some time now, with the Black Cats desperate to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

Wilder’s side will have other ideas obviously, but the Blades will have to be switched on throughout, meaning the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Wilson Isidor will have to be kept quiet all match long.

After all, the Championship side’s top goalscorer for the season would get the ball rolling for his side away at Coventry, with an emphatic finish breaking the first leg deadlock.

Wilder will require the likes of Michael Cooper and Jack Robinson to be as switched on as they were against the Robins, with a well-deserved two clean sheets tallied up.

But, there is also the added test of keeping Bellingham quiet in the forward areas, with the 19-year-old sensation reportedly on the radar of Borussia Dortmund, and for good reason, after picking up four goals and three assists himself in league action.

Le Bris’ men aren’t solely reliant on these two to conjure up a spark, however, with centre-back colossus Daniel Ballard actually proving to be the difference-maker last time out with a last-gasp header.

Thankfully for Wilder, he also possesses a goal-hungry defender in his ranks, similar to Ballar,d who will be keen to leave his mark on the nail-biting contest at Wembley.

Sheffield United's very own Ballard

Amazingly, much like his ex-Arsenal counterpart managed versus Coventry, Anel Ahmedhodzic has previously found himself in the right place at the right time to fire his team into a momentous lead.

Way back in April 2023, United teetered on the edge of a return to the Premier League. The promotion-hungry Blades needed just one more precious victory to get over the line, and after Ahmedhodzic’s flick beat the West Bromwich Albion keeper to give Paul Heckingbottom’s men a 2-0 lead, their joyous return to the big time was finally confirmed.

The “dominant” Bosnian – as he’s been labelled in the past by scout Jacek Kulig – will hope he has more dramatic moments like this strike up his sleeve ahead of the Blades’ forthcoming trip to Wembley, but his overall defensive game this season is also in-keeping with Ballard’s imposing presence, away from mirroring his notable eye for goal.

Across 38 games in the Championship this campaign, Ahmedhodzic has been able to pick up a respectable 15 clean sheets, with his total overall donning Blades red and white in the tricky division across two campaigns coming in at a bumper 31.

Games played

72

84

Goals scored

9

6

Assists

3

1

Clean sheets

31

18

Ballard lags behind on a lesser 18 when looking at the table above, with his impressive goal tally of six also trumped by the Blades number 15, even from 12 fewer league games.

This will be a fascinating battle to take in when the Championship playoff final rolls around, with one of the two defensive enforcers having to inevitably make do with second-tier life again.

The £14m-rated colossus will be praying he’s the lucky centre-back that returns to the Premier League, but anything can happen when the nerves are ramped up.

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Nottingham Forest are now chasing the signing of an “elusive” £30m forward, but there could be competition from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

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Forest’s Champions League aspirations have taken a hit in recent weeks, succumbing to back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, although they remain in a strong position to secure a top-five finish.

However, should the Tricky Trees achieve their goal of Champions League qualification, they may have to strengthen their squad in order to be competitive, and they appear to be particularly keen on strengthening in attacking areas.

Nuno’s side are eager to bring in a new striker, with owner Evangelos Marinakis now ready to pay £75m for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha, given the Brazilian’s impressive campaign in the Premier League.

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There is also a desire to strengthen in wide areas, with Marseille’s Luis Henrique among the main targets, and there has now been a development in Forest’s pursuit of the winger, having made contact with his agents.

Henrique is not the only option, however, with a report from Turkey revealing that Nottingham Forest are now in the picture to sign Galatasaray’s Baris Alper Yilmaz, who has been a major target for West Ham United for quite some time.

The Hammers made a €25m (£21m) bid for Yilmaz back in January, which was knocked back, with the Turkish club looking to hold out for €35m (£30m), and the Tricky Trees are now positioning themselves to potentially hijack the move.

Napoli are also in the race for the 24-year-old, who is seemingly set to leave Galatasaray at the end of the season, with the report stating he is ‘set to pack his bags’.

"Elusive" Yilmaz impressing in Turkey

The left-winger has established himself as a key player for Galatasaray during their Turkish Süper Lig title push this season, making 28 league appearances and picking up ten goals and three assists.

Not only does the Turkey international have a keen eye for goal, but he has showcased his dribbling, aerial and tackling ability over the past year, ranking in a very high percentile on each metric when compared to others in his position.

Statistic

Average per 90

Tackles

1.97 (88th percentile)

Aerials won

2.89 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

5.09 (85th percentile)

There are also clear signs the Galatasaray star could be capable of making an instant impact at Premier League level, given that he gave Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk a very tough time in the quarter-final of Euro 2024.

Van Dijk said: “Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive. It was difficult for every defender. He made it very hard for us. He couldn’t score a goal though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player.”

Yilmaz could be an excellent signing for Forest this summer, and European qualification would surely give them the edge over West Ham in the race for his signature.