Paarl Royals have added Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their squad for 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2024Ben Stokes is the star signing at MI Cape Town for the upcoming season of the SA20, with Azmatullah Omarzai the other big overseas name joining them as they look to put up a better show after finishing bottom of the table in both the previous editions.They join Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, the pre-signed overseas players for 2025, as well as Nuwan Thushara and Chris Benjamin, who have been retained. The roster of domestic players is as impressive: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton and George Linde are joined by Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen.For Boult, it’s the fourth Mumbai Indians-owned team he is a part of, having previously played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI New York in MLC, and MI Emirates in the ILT20.Related

SA20 2025: What the squads look like ahead of the auction

Sunrisers Eastern Cape sign Bedingham, Crawley and van der Merwe

Jonathan Trott to take over as head coach of Pretoria Capitals

SA20 in 2025 will run from January 9 to February 8

As ESPNcricinfo had reported last month, the SA20 franchises have been targeting top Test players from England for the third edition in 2025 after many of them were busy with the tour of India during the 2024 season. Joe Root has been signed by Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals have Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes have gone to Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants respectively, while Zak Crawley has been acquired by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who have won both editions of the competition.England are down to play both T20I and ODI series in India at the start of next year, but both their winter Test tours – to Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December – will be over before Christmas. Therefore, players not involved in the limited-overs games in India will be available to play full seasons at the ILT20 and SA20. The 2025 edition of the SA20 runs from January 9 to February 8.Stokes’ England contract is due to expire at the end of September, after he turned down a three-year deal last year. He hasn’t played a white-ball game for England since the 2023 ODI World Cup, and hasn’t played a T20I since November 2022, when he scored 52 not out to take England to the World T20 title in the final.He is out of action at the moment, a hamstring tear putting him out of Northern Superchargers’ campaign at The Hundred. The ECB has said in a statement that Stokes is aiming to return for the Test tour of Pakistan, which will start in Multan on October 7.If he takes part in the SA20, it will be a rare appearance for England’s Test captain at a franchise league. His last few appearances at the IPL were disrupted. In 2021, he broke a finger in Rajasthan Royals’ first game of the season and was ruled out for the tournament. Then in 2023, he played just two games for Chennai Super Kings all season, partly because of the long-standing knee condition, which had forced him to start the season as a specialist batter. He subsequently opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload.Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also represented Barbados Royals in the CPL•ICC/Getty ImagesRoyals add Mujeeb to 2025 squadPaarl Royals have added Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their squad for the third season of SA20. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from “representative cricket” in June and was appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach and mentor in July, had been signed earlier, as were the English trio of Root, Jacob Bethell and Sam Hain.”Mujeeb is an impressive young man who has performed in the best leagues around the world. He has the ability to deceive batters with his variety and pick up crucial wickets, and as his stats state, he can be very economical as well,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said in a statement. “He adds a lot of depth and variety to our spin bowling department, and we are all very excited to have him make a real impact at the Paarl Royals.”Mujeeb had earlier represented another of the group’s teams, Barbados Royals, in the CPL.Paarl Royals squad for SA20 2025: David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dinesh Karthik, Joe Root, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Codi Yusuf, John Turner, Jacob Bethell, Sam Hain, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem

Suryakumar Yadav has been ruled out of the opening round of the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy to nurse a hand injury he sustained during last week’s pre-season fixture for Mumbai at the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Coimbatore. Suryakumar has been advised rest and is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for a routine assessment.Suryakumar didn’t bat in the second innings of the fixture against TNCA XI last week, after injuring his hand while fielding on the third day. At the time, the Mumbai team management confirmed the move was precautionary keeping in mind his participation in the season-opening Duleep Trophy.Suryakumar, India’s T20I captain, recently expressed keenness to pitch for a Test comeback. Having not played any first-class cricket in over a year, Suryakumar made himself available for the pre-season Buchi Babu Tournament to tune up for red-ball cricket with India slated to play 10 Tests over the next five months, starting with the two-match series against Bangladesh from September 19 in Chennai.Related

• Duleep Trophy first round: Injured Kishan ruled out, Samson named replacement

• Duleep first round: Illness rules Siraj and Malik out; Jadeja withdrawn

• Suryakumar picks up hand injury during Buchi Babu Tournament

• Suryakumar wants to 'earn the Test spot again'

Suryakumar, whose only Test so far came last year against Australia, was named in the India C squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will be taking on Shreyas Iyer’s India D in Anantapur. India A and India B will simultaneously play the other opening-round fixture at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.Recently, fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik had also been ruled out of the opening round of Duleep Trophy because of illness, and Ravindra Jadeja had been withdrawn, though no reason was provided for him by the BCCI. Navdeep Saini and Gaurav Yadav will replace Siraj and Malik for the India B and C squads respectively.Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been declared fit by the NCA. His inclusion was subject to fitness after he was diagnosed with a groin injury that led to his withdrawal from India’s T20I squad to Zimbabwe in July.

Revised squads for Duleep Trophy first round

India A: Shubman Gill (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.India B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (wk)India C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (wk), B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (wk), Sandeep WarrierIndia D: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (wk), Saurabh Kumar

The summer usually only means one thing in football: the transfer window. Whether your team is looking to right the wrongs of the previous campaign or hoping to enter a new era of success, all 20 Premier League clubs will be doing all they can to bolster their sides for the 2025/26 season.

For some, the transfer window came with an added distraction this year, with Chelsea lifting the Club World Cup title in the United States.

AI predicts the 2025/26 Premier League table

Who are the winners and losers from AI’s table?

1 ByCharlie Smith Jun 7, 2025

With all the teams sure to be scrambling for deals right up until September, you can keep track of everything right here.

Arsenal Total spent: £267m

Arsenal have had a big summer, with Mikel Arteta’s side hoping to end three years of finishing second by finally lifting the Premier League title. A striker was the most important area of the pitch to bolster, with the Gunners finally sealing a move for Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

Midfielder Martin Zubimendi also sealed a move from Real Sociedad, whereas Noni Madueke followed Kepa by swapping Chelsea for the Emirates. The most high-profile deal saw the Gunners swoop in and sign Eberechi Eze ahead of rivals Tottenham.

Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace

£67.5m

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting CP

£63.5m

Martin Zubimendi

Real Sociedad

£55m

Noni Madueke

Chelsea

£48m

Christian Norgaard

Brentford

£15m

Cristhian Mosquera

Valencia

£13m

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea

£5m

Piero Hincapie

Bayer Leverkusen

Loan

Kieran Tierney

Celtic

Free

Jorginho

Flamengo

Free

Nuno Tavares

Lazio

Undisclosed

Marquinhos

Cruzerio

Undisclosed

Takehiro Tomiyasu

N/A

Released

Karl Hein

Werder Bremen

Loan

Ismeal Kabia

Shrewsbury Town

Loan

Jakub Kiwior

FC Porto

Loan

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Nottingham Forest

Loan

Reiss Nelson

Brentford

Loan

Aston Villa Total spent: £39.9m

Aston Villa suffered final-day disappointment as their Champions League dream was ended by a defeat at Old Trafford amid some refereeing controversy.

Looking to put that heartbreak behind them as they prepare for the Europa League, Villa welcomed new arrivals in the form of Nice striker Evann Guessand, Turkish youngster Yasin Ozcan and teenage striker Zepiqueno Redmond from Feyenoord. They also had a busy final few days of the window with Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott all moving to the Midlands.

Elsewhere, backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen joined Malmo, with Marco Bizot since arriving as his replacement.

Evann Guessand

Nice

£30m

Yasin Ozcan

Kasimpasa

£5.9m

Zepiqueno Redmond

Feyenoord

Free

Marco Bizot

Brest

Undisclosed

Modou Keba Cisse

LASK

£4m

Victor Lindelof

N/A

Free

Jadon Sancho

Manchester United

Loan

Harvey Elliott

Liverpool

Loan

Jacob Ramsey

Newcastle

£40m

Kaine Kesler-Hayden

Coventry City

£3.5m

Robin Olsen

Malmo

Free

Enzo Barrenechea

Benfica

Loan

Josh Feeney

Huddersfield Town

Loan

Rico Richards

Port Vale

Undisclosed

Philippe Coutinho

Vasco da Gama

Undisclosed

Kortney Hause

N/A

Released

Kyrie Pierre

Brentford

Free

Louie Barry

Sheffield United

Loan

Filip Marschall

Stevenage

Undisclosed

Yasin Ozcan

Anderlecht

Loan

Joe Gauci

Port Vale

Loan

Leander Dendoncker

Real Oviedo

Undisclosed

Leon Bailey

AS Roma

Loan

Lewis Dobbin

Preston

Loan

Alex Moreno

Girona

Undisclosed

Samuel Iling Jr

West Brom

Loan

Zepiqueno Redmond

Huddersfield Town

Loan

Tristan Rowe

Annecy

Loan

Bournemouth Total spent: £129.7m

Bournemouth were arguably been involved in two of the deals of the summer, with centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi moving for big money to join Real Madrid and PSG, whereas left-back Milos Kerkez headed to Liverpool.

Andoni Iraola had cash to play with as he looks to take his side into Europe after an impressive campaign last time out, and he has that on full-back Adrien Tuffert from Rennes, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea, centre-back Bafode Diakite from Lille, winger Ben Gannon Doak from Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen’s Amine Adli.

Bafode Diakite

Lille

£30.3m

Ben Gannon Doak

Liverpool

£25m

Amine Adli

Bayer Leverkusen

£25m

Djordje Petrovic

Chelsea

£25m

Veljko Milosavljevic

Red Star Belgrade

£13m

Adrien Tuffert

Rennes

£11.4m

Illia Zabarnyi

PSG

£54.5m

Dean Huijsen

Real Madrid

£50m

Dango Ouattara

Brentford

£42.5m

Milos Kerkez

Liverpool

£40m

Jaidon Anthony

Burnley

£8m

Philip Billing

Midtjylland

£5m

Mark Travers

Everton

£4m

Daniel Jebbison

Preston

Loan

Max Aarons

Rangers

Loan

Joe Rothwell

Rangers

Undisclosed

Neto

Botafogo

Free

Luis Sinisterra

Cruzerio

Loan

Philip Billing

Midtjylland

£5m

Brentford Total spent: £91.2m

Brentford missed out on a European place last season, but the Bees continue to impress in the top flight – and are now under a new manager in Keith Andrews. They have even broken their transfer record on Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth, who has cost more than £40m.

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was one of the early deals of the summer, joining for £18m, whereas Jordan Henderson is arguably the most high profile name through the door. Brentford also made Michael Kayode’s loan deal from Fiorentina permanent, and midfielder Antoni Milambo cost an initial £16m from Feyenoord.

Dango Ouattara

Bournemouth

£42.5m

Caoimhin Kelleher

Liverpool

£18m

Antoni Milambo

Feyenoord

£16m

Michael Kayode

Fiorentina

£14.7m

Romelle Donovan

Birmingham

Undisclosed

Jordan Henderson

Ajax

Free

Kyrie Pierre

Aston Villa

Free

Reiss Nelson

Arsenal

Loan

Mark Flekken

Bayer Leverkusen

£8m

Ethan Brierley

Exeter City

Loan

Ben Mee

N/A

Released

Christian Norgaard

Arsenal

£15m

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

£71m

Jayden Meghoma

Rangers

Loan

Mads Roerslev

Southampton

Undisclosed

Yoane Wissa

Newcastle

£55m

Brighton & Hove Albion Total spent: £70.8m

Brighton were busy adding to their squad as they seek an improvement on last season’s eighth-place finish, with Charalompos Kostulas their most expensive signing.

Sunderland’s play-off hero, Tom Watson, has joined in a £10m switch, while a deal has also been announced for Hellas Verona defender Diego Coppola. The Seagulls cashed in on Joao Pedro, selling him to Chelsea, whereas Valentin Barco has left on a permanent basis as well.

Charalampos Kostoulas

Olympiacos

£31.7m

Maxim De Cuyper

Club Brugge

£17.3m

Tom Watson

Sunderland

£10m

Diego Coppola

Hellas Verona

£9.4m

Yoon Do-young

Daejeon Hana Citizen

£1.7m

Nils Ramming

Eintracht Frankfurt

£730,000

Olivier Boscagli

PSV Eindhoven

Free

Sean Keogh

Dundalk

Undisclosed

Kofi Shaw

Bristol Rovers

Undisclosed

Joao Pedro

Chelsea

£60m

Simon Adingra

Sunderland

£21m

Pervis Estupinan

AC Milan

£17m

Valentin Barco

Strasbourg

£8.5m

Kjell Scherpen

Union Saint-Gilloise

Undisclosed

Abdallah Sima

Lens

Undisclosed

Tariq Lamptey

Fiorentina

Undisclosed

Julio Enciso

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Mark O’Mahony

Reading

Loan

Amario Cozier-Duberry

Bolton

Loan

Yoon Doyoung

Rotterdam

Loan

Evan Ferguson

Roma

Loan

Carl Rushworth

Coventry City

Loan

Eiran Cashin

Birmingham City

Loan

Andrew Moran

LAFC

Loan

Facundo Buonanotte

Chelsea

Loan

Jeremy Sarmiento

Cremonese

Loan

Igor Julio

West Ham

Loan

Matt O’Riley

Marseille

Loan

Burnley Total spent: £107.45m

Burnley kick-started their summer business with the permanent signings of four loanees, including Sporting CP’s Marcus Edwards and Chelsea’s Bashir Humphreys. Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming also joined, as have Axel Tuanzebe, Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman as Scott Parker aims to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

The Clarets’ most expensive addition of the window this summer are Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja from Chelsea. Heading in the other direction are Nathan Redmond and Jonjo Shelvey, who have both been released, whereas star centre-back CJ Egan-Riley snubbed a new deal at Turf Moor to join Marseille, and James Trafford re-joined Man City.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Chelsea

£20m

Armando Broja

Chelsea

£20m

Loum Tchaouna

Lazio

£13m

Bashir Humphreys

Chelsea

£11.75m

Quilindschy Hartman

Feyenoord

£10m

Marcus Edwards

Sporting CP

£8.4m

Jaidon Anthony

Bournemouth

£8m

Zian Flemming

Millwall

£7m

Kyle Walker

Man City

£5m

Max Weiss

Karlsruher SC

£4.3m

Axel Tuanzebe

Ipswich

Free

Jacob Bruun Larsen

Stuttgart

Undisclosed

Martin Dubravka

Newcastle

Undisclosed

Florentino Luis

Benfica

Loan

CJ Egan-Riley

Marseille

Free

Nathan Redmond

N/A

Released

Jonjo Shelvey

N/A

Released

James Trafford

Man City

£27m

Han-Noah Massengo

Augsburg

£2.6m

Oluwaseun Adewumi

Cercle Brugge

Loan

Shurandy Sambo

Sparta Rotterdam

Loan

Luca Koleosho

Espanyol

Loan

Michael Obafemi

VfL Bochum

Loan

Aaron Ramsey

Leicester City

Loan

Manuel Benson

Swansea City

Loan

Chelsea Total spent: £292.2m

As can be expected these days, Chelsea splashed the cash in the summer transfer window, with their marquee additions being Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Jorrel Hato and Liam Delap.

Palmeiras winger Estevao Willian is the latest South American talent to head to west London, while Ecuadorian Kendry Paez will also join the Club World Cup winners now that he has turned 18.

Joao Pedro

Brighton

£60m

Jamie Gittens

Borussia Dortmund

£48.5m

Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United

£40m

Jorrel Hato

Ajax

£37m

Liam Delap

Ipswich

£30m

Estevao Willian

Palmeiras

£29m

Dario Essugo

Sporting CP

£18.4m

Kendry Paez

Independiente

£17.3m

Mamadou Sarr

Strasbourg

£12m

Jesse Derry

Crystal Palace

Undisclosed

Facundo Buonanotte

Brighton

Loan

Noni Madueke

Arsenal

£48m

Joao Felix

Chelsea

£26.2m

Renato Veiga

Villarreal

£26m

Djordje Petrovic

Bournemouth

£25m

Carney Chukwuemeka

Borussia Dortmund

£24m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Everton

£24m

Lesley Ugochukwu

Burnley

£20m

Armando Broja

Burnley

£20m

Bashir Humphreys

Burnley

£11.75m

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Arsenal

£5m

Marcus Bettinelli

Man City

Undisclosed

Mathis Amougou

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Ben Chilwell

Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Mike Penders

Strasbourg

Loan

Aaron Anselmino

Borussia Dortmund

Loan

Nicolas Jackson

Bayern Munich

Loan

Ishe Samuels-Smith

Swansea City

Loan

Crystal Palace Total spent: £45.6m

FA Cup winners Crystal Palace made Walter Benitez their first signing of the summer, joining on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven and also spent £3m on defender Borna Sosa from Ajax.

After losing Eberechi Eze to Arsena, the Eagles then spent some of that money on Yeremy Pino from Villarreal, with Jaydee Canvot and Christantus Uche the deadline day additions.

Yeremy Pino

Villarreal

£21.6m

Jaydee Canvot

Toulouse

£21m

Walter Benitez

PSV Eindhoven

Free

Borna Sosa

Ajax

£3m

Christantus Uche

Getafe

Loan

Eberechi Eze

Arsenal

£67.5m

Joel Ward

N/A

Released

Jeffrey Schlupp

Norwich

Free

Owen Goodman

Huddersfield

Loan

David Ozoh

Derby

Loan

Hindolo Mustapha

Nurnberg

Loan

Jesse Derry

Chelsea

Undisclosed

Malcolm Ebiowei

Blackpool

Undisclosed

Odsonne Edouard

RC Lens

Undisclosed

Everton Total spent: £117.6m

It will be a season of immense change on the blue half of Merseyside – and not just on the personnel side of things.

Of course, 2025/26 marks Everton’s first at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and with plenty of players already heading out the exit door, we can perhaps expect plenty of new faces for David Moyes’ side, with the most high-profile arrival being Jack Grealish.

The Toffees welcomed back Carlos Alcaraz by turning his loan move from Flamengo permanent. Elsewhere, Thierno Barry has cost £27m and looks set to replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack. Mark Travers arrives to provide competition to Jordan Pickford and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has cost £24m from Chelsea, with Tyler Dibling the most expensive signing at more than £40m.

Tyler Dibling

Southampton

£42m

Thierno Barry

Villarreal

£27m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Chelsea

£24m

Carlos Alcaraz

Flamengo

£12.6m

Adam Aznou

Bayern Munich

£8m

Mark Travers

Bournemouth

£4m

Jack Grealish

Man City

Loan

Merlin Rohl

Freiburg

Loan

Tom King

Wolves

Undisclosed

Neal Maupay

Marseille

£3.4m

Youssef Chermiti

Rangers

Undisclosed

Asmir Begovic

N/A

Released

Abdoulaye Doucoure

N/A

Released

Joao Virginia

N/A

Released

Ashley Young

N/A

Released

Mason Holgate

N/A

Released

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Leeds

Free

Harrison Armstrong

Preston

Loan

Fulham Total spent: £35m

There wasn’t a great deal happening at Fulham until deadline day, with the arrival of experienced goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomt the only incoming before then.

Marco Silva’s side then broke their transfer record by signing Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk, with another attacker in Samuel Chukwueze also joining on loan.

Kevin

Shakhtar Donetsk

£34.6m

Benjamin Lecomt

Montpellier

£430,000

Samuel Chukwueze

AC Milan

Loan

Carlos Vinicius

N/A

Released

Willian

N/A

Released

Callum Osmand

Celtic

Undisclosed

Martial Godo

Strasbourg

£7m

Leeds United Total spent: £101.3m

Leeds United’s first Premier League campaign for two years will see Daniel Farke looking to break his personal hoodoo of going straight back down after promotion.

The first official arrival at Elland Road this summer was Lukas Nmecha, with the forward returning to England on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. He has since been joined by centre-backs Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw and full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, who cost the Whites a combined £30m.

Meanwhile, Sean Longstaff swapped St James’ Park and Newcastle for Elland Road and fellow midfielder Anton Stach has cost Leeds over £17m, with goalkeeper Lucas Perri arriving from Lyon. One of the most high-profile additions has been forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer, and he was quickly joined by Leeds’ most expensive signing of the window in Noah Okafor.

Noah Okafor

AC Milan

£18m

Anton Stach

Hoffenheim

£17.4m

Jaka Bijol

Udinese

£15m

Lucas Perri

Lyon

£13.9m

Sean Longstaff

Newcastle

£12m

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Lille

£10m

James Justin

Leicester City

£10m

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Wolfsburg

£5m

Louis Enahoro-Marcus

Liverpool

Undisclosed

Lukas Nmecha

Wolfsburg

Free

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton

Free

Rasmus Kristensen

Frankfurt

£5m

Sam Greenwood

Pogon Szczecin

£3.4m

Max Wober

Werder Bremen

Loan

Mateo Joseph

Mallorca

Loan

Joe Gelhardt

Hull City

Loan

Joe Snowdon

Swindon

Free

Josuha Guilavogui

N/A

Released

Junior Firpo

Real Betis

Free

Isaac Schmidt

Werder Bremen

Loan

Largie Ramazani

Valencia

Loan

Patrick Bamford

N/A

Released

Darko Gyabi

Hull City

Undisclosed

Liverpool Total spent: £407.2m

With a quiet summer last time around before becoming Premier League champions, it was a chaotic window for Arne Slot and Liverpool this time around, with Alexander Isak’s British record £125m transfer going through on deadline day.

Giorgi Mamardashvili’s arrival as a challenger to Allison was confirmed last year, whereas Trent Alexander-Arnold left early to join Real Madrid at the Club World Cup for a €10m (£8.4m) fee.

Florian Wirtz initially became Liverpool’s all-time record signing for £116m before Isak’s arrival, whereas Jeremie Frimpong replaced Alexander-Arnold and Milos Kerkez arrived at left-back. Having already tied Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to longer deals, the Reds have also splashed the cash on a new striker in Hugo Ekitike, spending more than £250m.

Alexander Isak

Newcastle United

£125m

Florian Wirtz

Bayer Leverkusen

£116m

Hugo Ekitike

Frankfurt

£69m

Milos Kerkez

Bournemouth

£40m

Jeremie Frimpong

Bayer Leverkusen

£29.5m

Giovanni Leoni

Parma

£26m

Armin Pecsi

Puskas Akademia

£1.5m

Freddie Woodman

Preston North End

Free

Will Wright

Salford City

£200k

Luis Diaz

Bayern Munich

£65.5m

Darwin Nunez

Al-Hilal

£46.2m

Jarell Quansah

Bayer Leverkusen

£35m

Ben Gannon Doak

Bournemouth

£25m

Caoimhin Kelleher

Brentford

£18m

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Real Madrid

£8.4m

Nathaniel Phillips

West Brom

£3m

Louis Enahoro-Marcus

Leeds

Undisclosed

Owen Beck

Derby County

Loan

Lewis Koumas

Birmingham City

Loan

Harvey Elliott

Aston Villa

Loan

Kostas Tsimikas

Roma

Loan

Manchester City Total spent: £182m

Despite having spent heavily in January to ensure they made the Champions League, Manchester City splashed the cash in the summer on the likes of Rayan Ait Nouri and Rayan Cherki, with Tijjani Reijnders their most expensive addition from AC Milan.

City also brought back James Trafford from Burnley before signing another goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG on deadline day.

Tijjani Reijnders

AC Milan

£46.5m

Rayan Ait Nouri

Wolves

£36m

Rayan Cherki

Lyon

£34m

James Trafford

Burnley

£27m

Gianluigi Donnarumma

PSG

£26m

Sverre Nypan

Rosenborg

£12.5m

Marcus Bettinelli

Chelsea

Undisclosed

James McAtee

Nottingham Forest

£30m

Yan Couto

Borussia Dortmund

£21m

Ederson

Fenerbache

£12m

Maximo Perrone

Como

£11.3m

Kayky

Bahia

£9m

Kyle Walker

Burnley

£5m

Jacob Wright

Norwich City

£2.3m

Kevin De Bruyne

Napoli

Free

Scott Carson

N/A

Released

Divin Mubama

Stoke City

Loan

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Celtic

Loan

Vitor Reis

Girona

Loan

Jack Grealish

Everton

Loan

Sverre Nypan

Middlesbrough

Loan

Claudio Echeverri

Bayer Leverkusen

Loan

Manuel Akanji

Inter Milan

Loan

Ilkay Gundogan

Galatasaray

Free

Manchester United Total spent: £225.3m

After a dismal 2024/25, Ruben Amorim and Manchester United have plenty of wrongs to right over the coming months and beyond.

Part of their mammoth task to return United to the upper regions of the Premier League is clearing out the deadwood, but there were also some major additions.

Matheus Cunha’s big-money switch from Wolves, Bryan Mbeumo’s £71m arrival from Brentford and £66.4m striker Benjamin Sesko will hand United a new look to their attack for 2025/26, whereas another new goalkeeper has arrived in Senne Lammens.

Bryan Mbeumo

Brentford

£71m

Benjamin Sesko

RB Leipzig

£66.4m

Matheus Cunha

Wolves

£62.5m

Senne Lammens

Royal Antwerp

£18.2m

Diego Leon

Cerro Porteno

£7m

Alejandro Garnacho

Chelsea

£40m

Antony

Real Betis

£21.7m

Christian Eriksen

N/A

Released

Jonny Evans

N/A

Released

Victor Lindelof

N/A

Released

Marcus Rashford

Barcelona

Loan

Toby Collyer

West Brom

Loan

Rasmus Hojlund

Napoli

Loan

Jadon Sancho

Aston Villa

Loan

Harry Amass

Sheffield Wednesday

Loan

Newcastle United Total spent: £249m

Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League hasn’t resulted in a straightforward transfer window, although the Magpies have broken their transfer record on German attacker Nick Woltemade. The Magpies finally sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day, with Yoane Wissa coming the other way from Brentford.

Other new players are Anthony Elanga’s arrival from Nottingham Forest, Jacob Ramsey’s £40m transfer from Aston Villa and Malick Thiaw’s £30m signing from AC Milan. The Magpies also won the race to sign teenage winger Antonio Cordero from Malaga and brought in Aaron Ramsdale on loan.

Nick Woltemade

Stuttgart

£69m

Anthony Elanga

Nottingham Forest

£55m

Yoane Wissa

Brentford

£55m

Jacob Ramsey

Aston Villa

£40m

Malick Thiaw

AC Milan

£30m

Aaron Ramsdale

Southampton

Loan

Antonio Cordero

Malaga

Free

Park Seung-soo

Suwon Bluewings

Undisclosed

Alexander Isak

Liverpool

£125m

Lloyd Kelly

Juventus

£14.5m

Sean Longstaff

Leeds

£12m

Martin Dubravka

Burnley

Undisclosed

Garang Kuol

Sparta Prague

Undisclosed

Matt Targett

Middlesbrough

Loan

Jamal Lewis

N/A

Released

Isaac Hayden

N/A

Released

Nottingham Forest Total spent: £192.7m

While Nottingham Forest have been used to spending in previous windows, they may not be used to a window like this with European football on the horizon.

Deals for Botafogo duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha were sealed early, whereas winger Dan Ndoye cost £34m. After their Europa League place was confirmed ahead of Crystal Palace, Forest have since splashed the cash on England U21 stars James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson, with Dilane Bakwa also costing big money on deadline day from Strasbourg.

Omari Hutchinson

Ipswich Town

£37.5m

Dilane Bakwa

Strasbourg

£35m

Dan Ndoye

Bologna

£34m

James McAtee

Manchester City

£30m

Arnaud Kalimuendo

Rennes

£25m

Nicolo Savona

Juventus

£11.2m

Igor Jesus

Botafogo

£10m

Jair Cunha

Botafogo

£10m

Angus Gunn

Norwich City

Free

Douglas Luiz

Juventus

Loan

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Arsenal

Loan

Cuiabano

Botafogo

Undisclosed

Matthew Orr

Linfield

Undisclosed

Anthony Elanga

Newcastle

£55m

Andrew Omobamidele

Strasbourg

£6.8m

Harry Toffolo

N/A

Released

Jack Perkins

Northampton

Undisclosed

Tyler Bindon

Sheffield United

Loan

Ramon Sosa

Palmeiras

£10m

Lewis O’Brien

Wrexham

Undisclosed

Matt Turner

Lyon

£7m

Dale Taylor

Blackpool

Undisclosed

Marko Stamenic

Swansea City

Undisclosed

Carlos Miguel

Palmeiras

£4.6m

Sunderland Total spent: £168.7m

Following Sunderland’s incredible comeback victory in the Championship play-off final, the Black Cats were extrenely busy in the market, spending just under £170m.

Promotion saw Enzo Le Fee’s loan move become permanent, however, Jobe Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund, following in the footsteps of his older brother, with Habib Diarra becoming his replacement in a club record deal.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£30.5m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.4m

Brian Brobbey

Ajax

£17.3m

Noah Sadiki

Union Saint-Gilloise

£15m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£13m

Nordi Mukiele

PSG

£12m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£10m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

Free

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£18m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Bertrand Traore

Ajax

£2.5m

Arthur Masuaku

N/A

Free

Jobe Bellingham

Borussia Dortmund

£32m

Tom Watson

Brighton

£10m

Adil Aouchiche

Aberdeen

Loan

Nazariy Rusyn

Arka

Loan

Pierre Ekwah

Saint Etienne

Undisclosed

Tottenham Hotspur Total spent: £169.8m

Fresh from securing Europa League glory, Tottenham Hotspur are heading from a season finishing fourth-bottom in the Premier League to the Champions League.

They have some prior business adding to this summer’s outlays, with Kevin Danso’s switch from Lens becoming permanent, while youngster Luka Vuskovic will join from Hajduk Split following a deal agreed in September 2023.

New manager Thomas Frank has also signed Mathys Tel on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich and Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, whereas Joao Palhinha joined on loan from the Bundesliga champions. After missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Spurs then hijacked Chelsea’s move for Xavi Simons and signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG.

The most high-profile exit was Heung-min Son’s departure to MLS side LAFC for £20m.

Mohammed Kudus

West Ham

£55m

Xavi Simons

RB Leipzig

£51.8m

Mathys Tel

Bayern Munich

£30m

Kevin Danso

Lens

£21m

Luka Vuskovic

Hajduk Split

£12m

Kota Taka

Kawasaki Frontale

£5m

Joao Palhinha

Bayern Munich

Loan

Randal Kolo Muani

PSG

Loan

Heung-min Son

LAFC

£20m

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Marseille

£17m

Bryan Gi

Girona

£8.6m

Alejo Veliz

Rosario Central

Loan

Fraser Forster

N/A

Released

Sergio Reguilon

N/A

Released

Alfie Whiteman

N/A

Released

Alfie Dorrington

Aberdeen

Loan

Ashley Phillips

Stoke City

Loan

Mikey Moore

Rangers

Loan

Will Lankshear

Oxford United

Loan

Jamie Donley

Stoke City

Loan

Alfie Devine

Preston

Loan

Yang Min-Hyeok

Portsmouth

Loan

Manor Solomon

Villarreal

Loan

West Ham United Total spent: £134m

After an underwhelming season that failed to match the excitement of last summer’s transfer dealings, results will matter far more to the West Ham United faithful than whatever ensues over the next couple of months.

Graham Potter has some work to do to inspire his team to improve after Julen Lopetegui’s project fell flat, and the Hammers’ obligation to buy Jean-Clair Todibo has become active for £36m. When it comes to fresh faces, left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague, Mads Hermansen from Leicester City and Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson join after leaving Southampton and Newcastle.

Late in the summer, the Hammers have also spent big on midfielders Mateus Fernandes from Southampton and Soungoutou Magassa from AS Moncao.

Mateus Fernandes

Southampton

£42m

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

£36m

Mads Hermansen

Leicester

£20m

El Hadji Malick Diouf

Slavia Prague

£19m

Soungoutou Magassa

AS Monaco

£17m

Daniel Cummings

Celtic

£250,000

Kyle Walker-Peters

Southampton

Free

Callum Wilson

Newcastle

Free

Igor Julio

Brighton

Loan

Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham

£55m

Nayef Aguerd

Marseille

£20m

Emerson Palmieri

Marseille

Undisclosed

Aaron Cresswell

Stoke City

Free

Vladimir Coufal

N/A

Released

Lukasz Fabianski

N/A

Released

Danny Ings

N/A

Released

Kurt Zouma

N/A

Released

Michail Antonio

N/A

Released

Luizao

N/A

Released

Edson Alvarez

Fenerbahce

Loan

Gideon Kodua

Luton

Loan

Maxwel Cornet

Genoa

Loan

Wolverhampton Wanderers Total spent: £101.4m

Vitor Pereira’s superb job of keeping Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League will surely give supporters hope that the upcoming season will be free of relegation fears.

However, they’ll have to do without Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait Nouri, who joined Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, although they brought in attacker Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo, while Jorgen Strand Larsen’s loan move from the La Liga club also became permanent.

Tolu Arokodare

Genk

£24m

Jorgen Strand Larsen

Celta Vigo

£23m

Fer Lopez

Celta Vigo

£19m

Jhon Arias

Fluminense

£15m

Jackson Tchatchoua

Hellas Verona

£10.4m

David Moller Wolfe

AZ Alkmaar

£10m

Ladislav Krejci

Girona

Loan

Matheus Cunha

Man Utd

£62.5m

Rayan Ait Nouri

Man City

£36m

Fabio Silva

Borussia Dortmund

Undisclosed

Goncalo Guedes

Real Sociedad

£3.5m

Pablo Sarabia

Al-Arabi

Released

Craig Dawson

N/A

Released

Nelson Semedo

N/A

Released

Tommy Doyle

Birmingham City

Loan

Chiquinho

Alverca

Undisclosed

Nasser Djiga

Rangers

Loan

Nigel Lonwijk

Luton Town

Loan

Boubacar Traore

Metz

Loan

Tom King

Everton

Undisclosed

Pedro Lima

FC Porto

Loan

To say Thomas Frank has a massive job on his hands at Tottenham Hotspur next season would be a massive understatement.

The former Brentford boss will have to dramatically improve the club’s Premier League performances while also remaining competitive in the domestic cups and the Champions League.

The best and arguably only way Daniel Levy and Co can help him achieve this is by signing a number of genuinely top-drawer players this summer.

One such player that has been linked with the club in recent days is Mohammed Kudus, although recent reports have also touted an even better option for a move to N17.

Spurs target massive Kudus upgrade

Interestingly, Kudus has been linked with a move to Tottenham for some time now, with the first reports citing interest from the North Londoners emerging back in the summer of 2022 and then again in March 2023, only for West Ham United to swoop in and secure his services for around £38m in August.

Transfer Focus

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

However, even though the 24-year-old is now playing for a London rival, it appears that Spurs are still interested.

In fact, according to stories from earlier today, the Lilywhites have remained just as keen on the former Ajax gem, and with the Hammers needing to address PSR concerns, he could be available for around £60m.

However, there’s another player who has been heavily linked with a move to N17 before, who could finally move this summer and might just be the better option: Eberechi Eze.

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by GIVEMESPORT, Spurs have maintained their strong interest in the Crystal Palace star.

While no contact has been made over the talented international, Romano has revealed that he was placed on the North Londoners’ list of targets following discussions between the club’s higher-ups and Frank, suggesting he’s someone the manager would want at the club and has given the green light to being signed.

In terms of the former QPR star’s potential cost, it has been widely reported for some time now that he has a release clause worth around £68m in his current contract.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Eze would be more than worth it and a better signing than Kudus.

Why Eze would be a better signing than Kudus

So, with goals and assists ultimately being what matters most for attacking players, it makes sense to start by looking at the pairs’ raw output from this season, and when doing that, the superiority of Eze starts to become immediately apparent.

For example, in just 43 appearances, totalling 3,303 minutes, the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

In stark contrast, the Hammers ace was only able to score five goals and provide four assists in 35 appearances, totalling 2721 minutes this year, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.88 games, or every 302.33 minutes.

On top of scoring more goals generally, the Palace star has also shown himself capable of scoring massive goals in massive moments, like the FA Cup semi-final and final this season.

Unfortunately for the Ghanaian star, the incredibly one-sided nature of this comparison only worsens for him when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

Eze vs Kudus
Statistics	Eze	Kudus
Non-Penalty Expected G+As	0.53	0.35
Non-Penalty G+As	0.52	0.28
Progressive Passes	3.37	2.74
Progressive Carries	2.40	3.40
Key Passes	2.01	1.08
Passes into the Penalty Area	1.35	1.01
Passes into the Final Third	1.70	1.60
Shot-Creating Actions	4.69	3.72
Goal-Creating Actions	0.35	0.35
Successful Take-On %	48.6%	44.2%
Tackles	1.35	1.32
Ball Recoveries	5.07	4.79
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

For example, in practically every relevant metric, the England international comes out way ahead, including things like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shot-creating actions, and key passes, suggesting that his vastly superior output is no fluke at all.

Interestingly, the Greenwhich-born star also makes more tackles and completes more ball recoveries per 90, which shows that he is more than capable of chipping in and helping with the defensive side of the game when needed.

Ultimately, while Kudus is a talented player and would be a good signing for Spurs, Eze is a brilliant player and would be a sensational addition to Frank’s squad this summer.

Therefore, even if he costs more money, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to sign the Eagles star before someone beats them to him.

Big Kulusevski upgrade: Spurs now eyeing "one of the best 10s in the world"

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing a star who would be an upgrade on Dejan Kulusevski.

1

By
Dan Emery

Jun 30, 2025

Sunderland are looking to potentially hijack a move for an attacking star in the summer transfer window, according to a new transfer claim.

Le Bris excited about Sunderland signing Sadiki

The Black Cats have completed the signing of Noah Sadiki, with the midfielder arriving at the Stadium of Light on a five-year deal from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Regis Le Bris is clearly in positive spirits about an exciting piece of business for Sunderland ahead of their imminent return to the Premier League next month, assessing the capture of the 20-year-old.

It’s now a case of Sunderland building on the signing of Sadiki and bringing in more signings before the current window slams shut at the end of August, and a promising new update has now emerged regarding their transfer situation.

Sunderland pushing to hijack £17.2m signing

According to Foot Mercato, Sunderland are in the mix to sign Lens midfielder Neil El Aynaoui this summer, with the 24-year-old valued at more than €20m (£17.2m) by the French club.

Breaking: Sunderland agree quick-fire deal to sign exciting £20m winger

It’s been a statement-making summer from the Black Cats.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 5, 2025

The Black Cats are joined by a host of top clubs in the tussle to snap him up, as they look to steal him from under the noses of the likes of Roma, Juventus and AC Milan.

El Aynaoui could immediately improve Sunderland as a team if they managed to get a deal over the line, adding quality in the middle of the park, as highlighted by the calibre of clubs interested in him.

The midfielder is a one-cap Morocco Under-23 international, while journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter has described him as a “highly-talented” footballer, so he would be a signing of real intent.

It is clearly going to be tricky for Sunderland to sign El Aynaoui, given the level of interest in him from some of the biggest clubs in Italy, but they are now back in the Premier League, which is a major attraction for so many players around the world.

Hopefully, Le Bris can sell him the idea of moving to the Stadium of Light, being a key starter instead of a potential cog in the machine elsewhere, as he looks to give his side the best possible chance of survival next season.

With a deal agreed to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United have reportedly joined the race to sign another attacking star who is just as quick as the rapid Swede.

What Newcastle could do next after Elanga

The Magpies’ summer is finally turning around. Both James Trafford and Elanga are reportedly set to join Eddie Howe’s side to hand the manager two instant upgrades, whilst PIF’s spending could yet continue. With Champions League football to play next season, those at St James’ Park are seemingly set to hand Newcastle the squad depth that they’ve needed for some time.

For £55m, Newcastle will be welcoming a player who is likely to form one of the deadliest attacking trios that the Premier League has to offer alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. Meanwhile, if the Magpies are looking to compete on all fronts, then the depth that Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy will offer that trio will certainly come in handy.

PIF are reportedly not done there, however. Instead, they’re reportedly keen to make a statement with further attacking incomings amid recent links to the likes of Yoane Wissa and Hugo Ekitike.

He's just like Isak: Newcastle explore move for "unbelievable" £50m star

Newcastle are planning to improve once again after agreeing a fee for Anthony Elanga.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 11, 2025

Either forward would complete the set for Newcastle, who would have a group of six quality attacking options to choose from next season and two for every position.

Alas, those two aren’t the only names still on the Magpies’ reported radar. According to recent reports, those at St James’ Park have also set their sights on signing a Bundesliga star ahead of Chelsea who is just as quick as speed demon Elanga.

Newcastle now interested in £56m Karim Adeyemi

According to Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle are now racing Chelsea to sign Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The German international is reportedly valued at a hefty €65m (£56m) by the Bundesliga giants, which means that the Magpies will have to spend big once again if they are to secure his signature.

Even after welcoming Elanga, Adeyemi’s ability to lead the line and play on both wings has seemingly seen him keep hold of his place on Newcastle’s radar. Whether Newcastle decide to push on and reach Dortmund’s hefty asking price remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that the combined speed between Adeyemi and Elanga is a frightening prospect for any opposition defence.

Last season, the new arrival clocked an impressive speed of 36.7km/h last season to match Adeyemi’s record in 2023 and both could now find themselves leading a rapid Newcastle frontline next season.

It also goes without saying that the Dortmund star is more than just his speed, having scored 12 goals and set up another 11 in all competitions last season to justify the praise of Matthias Jaissle.

The former Red Bull Salzburg coach previously told reporters: “Karim has almost everything a striker needs. His quality and speed are incredible.”

حدد نادي بيراميدز، موعد مغادرته إلى مدينة جدة استعدادا لمواجهة الأهلي السعودي في إطار مباريات بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال والتي ينظمها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، لأبطال القارات.

ويلتقي بيراميدز مع نظيره الأهلي السعودي، مساء الثلاثاء 23 سبتمبر في تمام التاسعة مساءً، على ملعب الإنماء (الجوهرة المشعة) بمدينة جدة.

وتقام المباراة ضمن منافسات دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال وأيضًا المنافسة على لقب بطولة كأس القارات الثلاث.

ووفقًا للمركز الإعلامي لنادي بيراميدز، فإن بعثة الفريق ستغادر القاهرة مساء اليوم السبت، بعدما يختتم تدريباته على ملعب الدفاع الجوي.

طالع | مدرب الأهلي السعودي: حققنا المعجزة أمام الهلال.. وهدفنا الآن الفوز على بيراميدز

وسيؤدي فريق بيراميدز تدريبين في جدة، وسيكون الأول مساء الاحد بالملعب الفرعي لاستاد الإنماء، على أن يخوض مرانه الأخير مساء الإثنين بملعب المباراة.

وكان بيراميدز، استطاع أن يحقق الفوز على أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي بنتجة 3-0، في المباراة التي أقيمت بالقاهرة ضمن مواجهات الدور التمهيدي الأول للبطولة العالمية.

Bangladesh went to stumps four down and 357 adrift of their mammoth target on a dominant day for the hosts

Sidharth Monga21-Sep-20241:39

Pant’s return to form the best news for India from this Test

Rishabh Pant brought up an emotional sixth Test century, Shubman Gill a serene fifth, and the Indian bowlers and fielders responded well to demanding conditions by taking four second-innings wicket on day three in Chennai. Bangladesh were 357 adrift of the 515 target set them by an aggressive declaration with two-and-a-half days left in the Test.With the pitch not yet breaking up and the average seam movement dying down from 1.3 degrees on day one to 0.4 degrees on day three, these were the best batting conditions of the match. Despite India’s attacking approach to set up the declaration, they only played 16 false shots in 41 overs on day three, while scoring 206 runs. The conditions remained flat when Bangladesh batted, but a marathon spell from R Ashwin maintained India’s ascendency in the match. The bowlers had the fielders to thank for three low catches of varying difficulty.Related

Rishabh Pant is back. Was he really away?

Spotlight on off-colour Shakib amid injury murmurs

Given the conditions, Gill and Pant, both aggressive batters given to counterattacking, acknowledged that only they could get themselves out, and put their heads down for big knocks. They kept respecting good balls, and once in they jumped out of the crease to hit sixes. Gill hit Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who bowled 25 out of India’s 64 second-innings overs, for four of them to reach 28 sixes in his 26th Test. Pant fancied the left-arm spin of Shakib Al Hasan and hit four sixes of his own to go up to 59, the seventh-highest for India, in just 34 Tests. India have now hit 85 sixes in 2024, which leaves them only five short of breaking the record for most sixes by a team in a calendar year.What the duo did outside the sixes was more impressive. Unlike Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, who on the second evening just tried to impose themselves on the bowling, these two began the day respecting the bowling and they were content to defend for a while without worrying about edges and close-in fielders. Only in the seventh over of the day did someone try to force the issue, and Gill did that beautifully with the two sixes over wide long-on.Pant, extra conscious to not give it away after a soft dismissal in the first innings, took even more time before he went manufacturing shots – none better than the ramp-sweep off Hasan Mahmud for a six over fine leg ten minutes before lunch. Gill joined in the acceleration before lunch, suggesting the declaration might come sooner rather than later. With that push for quicker runs came a skier from Pant seven minutes before the break, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto put it down. Pant still hit two fours in the final over before the break, throwing down the gauntlet for the race to the hundred.1:49

Manjrekar: Mushfiqur could bat up in left-hand heavy line-up

Post lunch, Pant brought out his trademark flick behind square both off the quicks and the spinners to get to his hundred in just 118 balls. Gill went there more calmly, in 161 balls, and KL Rahul played a few classy inside-out drives before the declaration left Bangladesh an hour to bat till tea.Zakir Hasan came out full of intent, driving both off the front and the back foot and also dismissing Mohammed Siraj for a flicked six. With the ball not doing much, he and Shadman Islam stayed on the lookout for runs, punishing every error in length.Once Ashwin came on, though, he started to create some mischief, hitting the sticker of the bat here, taking the inside edge there. Post tea, he and Jasprit Bumrah created three tight overs. In the fourth, Zakar played an ambitious drive to a ball not nearly full enough, and Jaiswal ended his innings with a sensational catch low to his left and behind him at gully.The conditions made Ashwin work hard for his wickets. He was even taken for four sixes; the most he has ever conceded in an innings is five. He kept plugging away, though, often slowing his pace down to draw assistance from the surface. His first wicket didn’t come as he would have envisaged as Shadman went back looking to play a length ball behind square. It wasn’t short enough, and it took his leading edge for a low catch for Gill at short midwicket.Ashwin then produced a beauty to get rid of Mominul Haque, who never looked at home. The drift made him play the line, and the turn was just enough to miss the edge but not the off stump. Mushfiqur Rahim was a cat on a hit tin roof, slog-sweeping Ashwin for a six before hitting one low to Rahul at mid-on. Shakib Al Hasan was even less settled, but was rescued by bad light that ended the play early. Amid all this, captain Najmul batted calmly yet quickly to end the day batting on 51 off 60.

Without a doubt, Liverpool have enjoyed an incredible summer transfer window, with FSG spending like never before to establish Arne Slot’s dynasty.

The Dutch coach replaced Jurgen Klopp and won the Premier League last season, and he did so having welcomed only Federico Chiesa to Anfield for a £12.5m fee. Well, Chiesa only started one league game all season and is expected to depart in the coming weeks.

However, the Italian’s not the only one facing the exit doors this summer.

Liverpool's transfer plans

As Liverpool kicked off their pre-season tour with a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan, they could not call upon Luis Diaz or Darwin Nunez, with the respective forwards set to be sold.

While Liverpool have already spent £79m on forward Hugo Ekitike this summer (breaking the British transfer record to reel Florian Wirtz over too), there’s more to come.

We all know that Alexander Isak is on Liverpool’s radar, having informed Newcastle United of his desire to explore a transfer to Anfield. He did not travel with the Toon for their pre-season tour.

However, talkSPORT have now revealed that Liverpool have ‘signalled their willingness’ to pay for the Sweden international, who has rejected the Magpies’ proposals of a new contract. That comes amid rival interest from Al Hilal, albeit with Saudi Arabian officials believing that he ‘wants to join Liverpool’.

If Liverpool want Isak, they will likely have to break the British record once again, forking out some £130m.

Why Liverpool still want Alexander Isak

This would be a truly remarkable transfer. And it’s beginning to look more and more probable.

Isak, 25, joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m in 2022, and he’s now renowned as one of the deadliest goalscorers in the world, hailed by Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson for being “the most complete striker” in the Premier League.

While Liverpool’s acquisition of Ekitike might make it feel like this signing would be redundant, this isn’t the case. The respective forwards are both technically sound, but bring different things to the table and could actually become an unstoppable partnership.

Ekitike, 23, is principally a central striker but is known for his pace and power, capable across a range of positional roles. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 10% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, and the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

Utilising these attributes, Ekitike could bring out the best in Isak, allowing him to focus more on his incredible goalscoring. There’s no question that the United man surpasses his prospective teammate in ball-striking.

Alexander Isak’s Record at Newcastle (all comps)

Season

Apps (starts)

Goals

Assists

24/25

42 (41)

27

6

23/24

40 (36)

25

2

22/23

27 (18)

10

3

Data via Transfermarkt

The £120k-per-week Sweden native, moreover, has the wealth of Premier League experience, which could prove vital for Ekitike’s development.

With both players in Slot’s system, the coach can manage workloads and utilise the respective strengths of both to the greater effect of his ambitious Liverpool team. The sum is greater than the individual parts, after all.

Given that both strikers are so dynamic, there’s no reason why they couldn’t cohabit at the front of the ship for Liverpool, especially if Nunez is sold in the coming weeks.

Related Bigger loss than Diaz or Nunez: Barcelona charge into race for £70k-p/w Liverpool star

The Reds could lose a key man.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Jul 26, 2025

Hasan Mahmud stuck to bowling fuller lengths for most of the first day of Bangladesh’s Test tour of India. When he wasn’t bowling gentle outswingers to tempt the Indian batters to go for the cover drive, he was trying to hit the stumps or the pads.Taskin Ahmed, who has played more Tests than Mahmud, and Nahid Rana, who bowls much quicker, did not stick to this simple approach. They bowled too short, too wide or too full, giving the batters plenty of freebies. Mahmud simply used the devices available to him – seam, swing, pace and the right lengths – and became the first overseas quick in nearly 15 years to take three wickets in the first session of a Test match against India in India.”It is obviously great to take Test wickets,” Mahmud said. “I took a five-for against Pakistan so it was about trying to be consistent in my effort to contribute to the team. Today’s plan was very simple. I tried to shape the ball with the seam up. I kept trying to do it and [it paid off]. After the morning session which we dominated, the wicket got settled. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely. Still, I was getting some movement later on. Maybe tomorrow we can create more chances.”Related

• Stats – Another Ashwin special at home

• Nahid's rise gives Bangladesh a happy selection headache

• Tearaway Rana, captain Shanto among Bangladesh players to watch in India

• Hathurusinghe: This is the most well-rounded Bangladesh team in my time

• Sparkling Ashwin-Jadeja rearguard hurts Bangladesh

Every wicket Mahmud took on the first day in Chennai was well thought out. He built up a case against each batter, whether over a short or long period. Mahmud got the ball to hoop in slightly overcast conditions and tested both of Rohit Sharma’s edges. A skewed edge got Rohit an early boundary before he survived an lbw shout in the fourth over, when the ball ducked in from a slightly shorter length. Then came a subtle outgoing delivery that took his outside edge, well taken by Najmul Hossain Shanto at second slip.India’s No. 3 Shubman Gill, who couldn’t get Mahmud away for seven balls, also survived an lbw shout. His dismissal was a lucky one perhaps, when he was caught down the leg side, but it looked like Gill was itching to get off the mark. A batter strangling one down the leg side is often the result of early dot-ball pressure.Mahmud then had Virat Kohli caught behind chasing an outside-off-stump delivery. The ball before, Kohli had played a confident forward push, but Mahmud stuck to his guns. He got the seam to wobble again and lured Kohli out for a drive.Shanto gave Mahmud a first spell of seven overs, mainly because of the overcast conditions and how well he was bowling at that time. As he had shown in Rawalpindi, though, Mahmud isn’t only about the new ball. He took a wicket shortly into his second spell, getting Rishabh Pant caught behind. This time too, he tested Pant outside the off stump. When he was cut for a boundary, Mahmud dragged the next ball across but moved the line slightly closer to Pant, who edged it to the wicketkeeper.Mahmud kept creating chances in his later spells too, having R Ashwin edge one between slip and gully, and having Ravindra Jadeja given out lbw before the decision was overturned on review. He got another to nip back into Ashwin but this appeal didn’t have a lot of merit.Hasan Mahmud picked up four wickets on day one of the Chennai Test•Associated Press

Mahmud built his foundations as a seamer on predominantly flat or dry pitches in Bangladesh’s domestic scene. They brought him rewards when there was a bit of help available in the two Tests in Rawalpindi. He took eight wickets, the most by a Bangladesh fast bowler on the tour, at an average of 24.12. He paired well with Shoriful Islam to give Bangladesh an opening burst in the first Test, removing both openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub on day one. On the crucial fifth day, Mahmud again gave the visitors a good start by removing opposition captain Shan Masood. He came into his own in the second Test, taking his maiden five-wicket haul. While Nahid Rana’s pace generated more headlines, it was Mahmud who kept giving Bangladesh vital breakthroughs to reinforce their dominant position.Bangladesh were certainly not in a dominant position at the end of day one in Chennai, but with the second new ball available, Mahmud felt they could still fight their way back into the contest.”If we can get early breakthroughs tomorrow, we will be back in the game,” he said. “We want to restrict them below 400 runs. It is however a good wicket now. The conditions here are almost the same [as Pakistan], but it is the bowlers’ duty to bowl aggressively, or cut down the boundaries, whatever is required.”We were in a dominating position in the morning but the wicket is very good now. We are all trying to minimise the boundaries. The momentum has shifted today, but we could bring it back with better bowling tomorrow.”Mahmud also has some experience in white-ball cricket, where he has usually bowled with both the new and old ball, but he has gone down the pecking order in recent times, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib playing ahead of him whiile Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are mainstays.Mahmud’s transition into red-ball cricket now means Bangladesh’s pace attack is ever-expanding. They have Khaled Ahmed in the Test squad in India. Shoriful Islam, Tanzim and Mustafizur are go-tos in T20Is, while Ebadot Hossain is close to full fitness and could be available from the home Test series against South Africa next month.Despite their recent uptick, the pace attack remains a work in progress. It seemed like the Bangladesh bowlers took their foot off the gas as the day went on, letting Ashwin and Jadeja build a counterattacking stand. If the pace attack’s development is anything to go by, though, they can be expected to come up with better plans on the second morning.