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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that signing Atletico Madrid striker Matheus Cunha would be a ‘big coup’ for Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Contact made

As per 90min, Leeds, as well as Aston Villa and Everton, have made contact with Cunha’s representatives over a potential move, and are ‘actively trying’ to strike a deal for him in the January transfer window.

Cunha is interested in working with Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, but ‘sources’ have claimed that he wants to explore all of his options before making a final decision on his future.

His entourage have also offered him to Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United, and Atletico are desperate to offload Cunha’s wages, and would be prepared to sanction a loan deal.

The Latest: Cunha a ‘big coup’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that signing Cunha would be a ‘big coup’ for Jesse Marsch’s side:

“It’d be a big coup if they could land Matheus Cunha, who does seem like he is available. There’s going to be big competition for his signature. We’ve already seen the likes of Wolves and Aston Villa strongly linked with him.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

It has recently been reported that it is not clear how long Patrick Bamford is going to be out for with injury, meaning that the Whites need to strengthen their striker options in January.

Lauded as a player who is ‘very fast’, with ‘great technical skills’, ‘unpredictable gameplay’ and an ‘excellent goal instinct’ by his former boss Maurizio Jacobacci, Cunha showed early promise as a teenager at FC Sion, where he managed seven goals and four assists in 15 games under the Swiss (Transfermarkt).

Once hailed as ‘something special‘ by former Hertha Berlin head coach Bruno Labbadia, the Brazilian continued his impressive streak in Germany, managing 23 goal contributions in 40 games (Transfermarkt), while at RB Leipzig, he managed a further nine goals and three assists (Transfermarkt).

Cunha has not been able to reach the same heights at Atletico, failing to find the back of the net so far this term, but there is no doubt that the talent is still there.

If Marsch puts an arm around his shoulder on the pitch, then we could see the best of Cunha again, if the Peacocks are able to bring him to Elland Road.

A claim has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and how good the potential signing of a Scotland international would be for the Light Blues…

What’s the talk?

Radio pundit Mark Wilson has claimed that central midfielder Billy Gilmour would thrive back at Ibrox as a senior player if the club managed to snap him up from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Speaking on the radio show Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (29/11/2022) – via the Glasgow Times – the pundit reacted to a supporter suggesting that the Gers should swoop for the gem:

“Listen, he’s someone with exceptional talent who wants to play. He is finding it difficult at the minute and he’s got to find a home that he can play 30, 40, 50 games without long breaks in his career.

“He is at a stage now, but he’s at a crossroads. If there was some sort of miracle that Rangers could entice him up to Scotland, I think he would flourish up here.

“I think he may find it easy to take the ball in tight positions, but the wage he might demand could be out of Rangers reach.”

Davis upgrade

Gilmour signed for Brighton for a fee that could rise to £10m in the summer but has struggled for game time since making the move away from Chelsea.

He has only played four times in the Premier League this season and amassed 20 minutes of action as a substitute in that time – with no top-flight start since his loan spell with Norwich in 2021/22.

His struggle for minutes on the pitch with the Seagulls suggests that the manager does not believe that he is ready to play week-in-week-out in the top tier of English football, and this could open the door for the Gers to swoop in during the January window.

The promise of regular first-team football during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign could be tempting for Brighton and allow Michael Beale to snap the youngster up on loan, after the Light Blues were named as a potential destination for him last summer.

Gilmour could be an upgrade on veteran midfielder Steven Davis if the club are able to secure a temporary deal for the Scotland international.

The gem, who was once dubbed a “fabulous” player by Graeme Souness on ITV, caught the eye during his country’s World Cup qualifying campaign as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.03 across eight appearances – making 2.4 tackles and interceptions per match.

Meanwhile, Steven Davis has averaged a score of 6.96 across seven outings in the Premiership – making 1.2 tackles and interceptions per game. He also averaged a score of 6.81 in eight World Cup qualifiers for Northern Ireland – making 2.2 of the aforementioned defensive contributions per clash.

These statistics indicate that Gilmour has the potential to be an upgrade on the 37-year-old midfielder if Beale can get the best out of him at Ibrox, which Wilson seemingly believes would be the case, as he has the quality to perform to a higher level whilst winning the ball back more frequently.

He is also 16 years younger than the current Gers man and could offer fresh legs in the middle of the park, Daily Mail journalist Calum McClurkin Tweeting that Davis has been “towing a caravan” on the pitch this season.

West Ham United boss David Moyes will likely utilise this break in football to plot his potential moves in the upcoming January transfer window, with the World Cup expected to once again provide the stage needed for players to put themselves in the shop window.

One man who is expected to play a leading role for his country this winter is the prolific Senegalese striker, Boulaye Dia, with the 5-foot-9 marksman heading into the tournament off the back of his blistering form for his new club Salernitana.

He already boasts eight goal contributions in 14 Serie A games this season, looking to build upon his seven-goal and six-assist season for Villarreal last season.

This standout form has unsurprisingly brought about widespread transfer rumours, with the 26-year-old having been linked with Everton, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest all mentioned in various reports.

With the 19-cap star still boasting just under four years left on his £20k-per-week deal, it is the Spanish club, of whom are his parent club, that still hold all the cards.

Following the injury to Sadio Mane, the limelight is set to be shone more generously across the Senegal squad, and Dia could be the man to step up when his country needs him most.

Having proved himself a consistent goalscorer across his career, there is certainly a belief that, having scored 58 goals and assisted 12, he has the ability to back up his conviction in his own ability.

Upon first signing for the Spanish outfit, he was quoted as claiming: “I want to have continuity and improve my level on the pitch each season”, before outlining his outstanding qualities, “I can give more depth to the team, especially while running, creating spaces and opening up the pitch. I think I have different qualities to my teammates and we can complement each other.”

With Gianluca Scamacca having only scored twice in the Premier League since his summer move, and Michail Antonio not getting any younger, Dia could provide a fine foil for the Hammers frontmen.

However, should he excel like he very well could do at Qatar, the list of competition alongside the Irons could expand exponentially.

Chelsea have been keeping a close eye on a pair of talents from the French top flight that could both be on the move in January as they look to bolster Enzo Maresca’s ranks, it has been reported.

Chelsea begin Premier League season strongly

More than a quarter of the way into the Premier League season, Chelsea find themselves in fourth place and just seven points off the summit, currently being occupied by Liverpool.

It has been an impressive start to the campaign for Maresca’s side, especially in light of the upheaval the club underwent again in the transfer market and the continued noise surrounding the likes of Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Spearheaded by Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, the Blues have lost just twice all season, though they were held to a 1-1 draw by a wasteful Manchester United side at Old Trafford in their most recent outing.

Having lost only to the sides above them as it stands, they will be handed yet another measure of their potential to challenge for the title in their next game as they welcome under-par Arsenal to Stamford Bridge, with a win likely to both lay down a marker for Maresca’s side and all but end any prospective title challenge from their London rivals.

But the squad is not yet complete, and there are concerns over the squad depth in attack, with Palmer and Jackson not having any natural replacements within Maresca’s ranks. Now, the Blues are looking to change that.

Chelsea send scouts to watch Ligue 1 pair

That comes as The Boot Room report that Chelsea have sent scouts to watch Ligue 1 pair Jonathan David and Rayan Cherki ahead of a potential swoop for the pair in January. Lille striker David is out of contract at the end of the season as things stand, and will be free to negotiate with any European club in January and agree a pre-contract.

However, Les Dogues would like to receive a fee for the Canadian marksman, who has continued his fine goalscoring record in France with seven goals in 10 games this season. As a result, they may be willing to accept a cut-price offer for the 24-year-old, something that Chelsea may look to take advantage of as they seek an alternative to Jackson.

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Cherki, meanwhile, was on the cusp of leaving Lyon over the summer only for a move to break down, with Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Fulham all among the interested clubs.

Instead, the 21-year-old talent penned a new deal at Lyon, but that deal comes to an end in 2026 and a move away from the Parc Olympique Lyonnais is still likely in the near future. He has started just three Ligue 1 games since agreeing a new contract, though he has impressed in the Europa League.

Like Palmer, Cherki is able to play both on the right hand side of attack as well as centrally, and provides similar creative numbers to Chelsea’s talisman, albeit without the goals or assists to show for it.

With Chelsea having spent significantly in recent seasons, the Ligue 1 pair could well provide a pair of bargains in January that could help add yet more depth to Maresca’s squad.

Mikel Arteta has brought the good times back to Arsenal, with the club currently sitting top of the Premier League after eight wins in nine matches, including an excellent 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend.

The Spaniard has struck gold over new signings Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, with both already playing an important part in the club’s renaissance.

The two summer arrivals are just 25 years old, with fellow new signings Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos just 22 and 19 years of age respectively, it appears Arteta is building for the future.

He might already have one of the future stars in his squad, and he has a key part to play in the next few years at the club…

Arsenal have hit the jackpot over Bukayo Saka

The midfielder has progressed through the age groups at the club to be a prominent fixture in the first-team squad.

Saka made his debut for Arsenal in the Europa League in 2018 under Unai Emery, while it was the next season, 2019/2020, that he had his breakthrough.

The youngster played 38 matches for the first team, scoring four goals and registering ten assists as he offered a glimpse of his potential.

Arteta has since developed him accordingly and he has since gone from strength to strength. Since the beginning of the 2020/2021 season, Saka has netted 23 goals and chipped in with a further 21 assists.

The Englishman made his national team debut in October 2020 during a 3-0 win against Wales and has earned 20 caps since, scoring four times. Saka was the one that missed the decisive penalty against Italy in the 2020 European Championship final to lose in the most agonising way.

This setback has arguably made him stronger, with Arteta claiming “experiences like that mark your career” and he certainly looks like he has put it to the back of his mind.

CIES Football Observatory values the midfielder at €100m (£87m) and Arsenal have hit the jackpot over the player. They could easily make a fortune from Saka, and there appears to be no ceiling on his potential.

Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour dubbed the youngster a “revelation” and if he continues on his current upwards trajectory, there will be plenty of potential suitors sniffing about the 21-year-old.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Andy Robertson will be out of action until after the international break having sustained an injury, according to reliable journalist David Maddock.

The Lowdown: Ajax up next

After an embarrassing 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Napoli last week, the Reds will be hard at work preparing for Tuesday night’s Champions League fixture against Ajax.

The Dutch giants will be coming to Anfield on a high after demolishing Rangers 4-0 at the Johan Cruyff Arena last Wednesday.

Liverpool sit third in their Champions League group after Luis Diaz bagged a consolation goal for the Reds against the Serie A side, taking their goal difference above the Light Blues’ -4.

The Latest: Robertson’s injury

Maddock has shared an injury update ahead of Tuesday night’s game against Ajax, revealing a huge blow for Klopp’s side.

Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed: “Klopp confirms Andy Robertson is out until ‘after the international break.’ Big blow for #LFC”

As per Liverpool’s official website, the German said of Robertson’s injury: “Robbo now is not 100 per cent. [He felt something] very late, 93rd or whatever minute – actually he felt it the next day only. But yeah, he is out for at least, I would say, after the international break.”

The Verdict: Big blow for Liverpool

Since arriving in Merseyside in 2017, the 28-year-old has established himself to be a reliable asset for the Reds, having made 232 appearances for Liverpool and started 29 or more league games in each of the past four seasons.

Henceforth, when looking at Robertson’s underlying statistics, his importance to Klopp’s side is clear to see, especially from an attacking perspective.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the Scotland international ranks in the top 2% for assists, the top 3% for passes attempted and progressive passes, and the top 5% for shot-creating actions.

Therefore, this news will come as a setback for Liverpool, whose campaign has already been blighted by numerous injuries, albeit with the near-certainty of Kostas Tsimikas – who has played just 131 minutes of football so far this season – coming into the team for some welcome game-time.

Aston Villa could potentially seal a late signing as Steven Gerrard looks to add one or two new faces to his squad before the transfer window closes.

What’s the word?

There were Villa scouts present to watch Porto defeat Sporting Lisbon 3-0 on Saturday and it’s highly likely they were scouting Otavio, who has been a Gerrard target for a while now.

That’s according to A Bola (via Sport Witness) who claimed scouts were there to watch the match with a potential view to making an approach to sign him in the future.

Phenomenal Sarr alternative

With Telegraph reporter John Percy reporting that Ismaila Sarr’s move to Villa Park is now set to fall through, it could be a wise idea for Gerrard to seal a late deal for Otavio, who could be an ideal Sarr alternative.

It was reported that the Porto man has a release clause in his contract totalling €60m (£50m), which constitutes a more expensive transfer than that of Sarr, but it could be worth the extra £25m unless they can drive the price down.

Although Otavio isn’t an out-and-out direct winger like Sarr, he has played out on the flanks throughout large parts of his career, notably featuring on the right of midfield 38 times last term, while playing slightly further forward as a more offensive winger on a handful of occasions. Thus, Gerrard should have no doubts about pushing the Porto star further out wide if he needs to, especially with his goal contributions and attacking threat.

Last season, Otavio had 12 goal contributions compared to Sarr’s seven (three goals and nine assists to five goals and two assists) while he also delivered 26 more crosses than the more natural wide man in Sarr (74 to 48) proving that he can excel in a more advanced role.

In terms of their all-round game, Otavio offers more defensively too, winning a staggering 62 tackles last season compared to a measly seven for Sarr. Quite evidently a player that works hard, he could be the ideal wide man to take English football by storm.

Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves praised his performance for Portugal in their World Cup play-off victory against Turkey in March, lauding him as “phenomenal” and with his top flight and international experience, he would surely make an excellent addition to the Villa team.

With the pressure firmly mounting on Gerrard after a tough Premier League start this season, adding a quality midfielder who can supply both goals and assists will do his side no harm at all. It could just soften the blow of losing out on Sarr too.

Crystal Palace have been linked with signing Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi recently and the winger could prove to be Patrick Vieira’s own version of Manchester United star Jadon Sancho at Selhurst Park.

Palace are among a number of sides taking an interest in the 21-year-old, who could be set to depart Stamford Bridge on loan in pursuit of regular first-team football.

A product of Chelsea’s academy, Hudson-Odoi has been part of the first team for a number of years and has gone on to make 126 appearances, in which he has contributed 16 goals and 22 assists.

However, he was limited to just 11 starts in the Premier League last season, with the majority of his top-flight appearances in recent campaigns coming from the bench.

If the youngster has any hopes of reclaiming a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the World Cup then he will need regular football at the start of this season, so a move away would surely suit both parties.

Chelsea are already aware of the benefit of loaning players to Palace, as they saw with Conor Gallagher last season, so they should definitely consider sending Hudson-Odoi to Selhurst Park.

If the Englishman does join Vieira’s side, then the £25m-rated wide man could play a very similar role to Sancho, who looks set to play a big part of Erik ten Hag’s proposed revolution at Old Trafford.

According to FBref, the former Borussia Dortmund man is the sixth-most similar player to Hudson-Odoi in terms of play style.

Last season Hudson-Odoi and Sancho register very similar numbers in terms of goals and assists per 90 minutes (0.28 vs 0.27) and short pass completion (86.1% vs 86.9%).

According to WhoScored, both Hudson-Odoi and Sancho excel at holding onto the ball, crossing, dribbling and playing key passes, which again emphasises that they can offer very similar styles of play on the wing.

Considering Sancho is regarded as one of the top prospects in world football, despite his relatively slow start at United, Palace would be foolish to turn down the “fantastic” Hudson-Odoi this summer.

There might have only been one game of the Premier League season thus far, but Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is a man under pressure.

Following the 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, which saw the Saints pick up where they left off in the second half of last season, several reports have surfaced about the Austrian’s position at the club.

According to the Daily Mail, the Southampton players are losing faith in the former RB Leipzig boss, and there is surprise among some in the squad that he wasn’t sacked this summer, following a shocking end to last season.

The Saints enjoyed a strong run of form in the middle of the season but lost nine of their last 12 Premier League matches, winning just once against Arsenal, which saw them briefly flirt with relegation.

Hasenhuttl has brought in a lot of young players so far this summer, particularly in the defence, and things did not start well for the Austrian at Spurs, as they were outclassed by Antonio Conte’s side in a shocking defensive display.

However, if the manager wanted to appease fans, then he might have thought harder about sending out one of the club’s brightest prospects in Nathan Tella.

The 23-year-old has joined Burnley on a season-long loan, in a move that may well disappoint supporters, when you consider that the likes of Theo Walcott, Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo remain in the squad.

Those three wingers would contribute just three Premier League goals between them in 48 combined appearances, so it is disappointing that Hasenhuttl has decided to loan out a younger, more promising option.

The former Arsenal youngster has managed a respectable two goals and five assists in his first 41 appearances for the club, and supporters will have perhaps hoped that he could push on this season in the top flight.

He showed how dangerous he can be in Southampton’s attack in a 2-0 win against Sheffield United last year, which led Hasenhuttl to sing his praises.

He said: “He can be a threat against everybody because he is quick, even on the ball, he is calm.

“But what I like the most is his effort against the ball because he is always sprinting and he is immediately giving pressure.

“He had a good chance to score but I think his mentality is brilliant. He is never nervous, he is never arrogant and he has a good mixture of enjoying what he is doing and staying calm on the pitch.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“658847”]

Therefore it is a shame that Tella has been sent out on loan, as he definitely could have played a part this season, and it could prove to be another blunder by the Austrian manager.

Stats highlights of the final day of the Lord’s Test between England and India

Sampath Bandarupalli14-Jul-2025

Ben Stokes was Player of the Match for the fourth time in a Lord’s Test•Getty Images

22 runs – England’s margin of victory in the third Test against India is the narrowest in terms of runs at Lord’s. The previous lowest was Australia’s 43-run victory against England in 2023.It is also India’s fourth-smallest margin of defeat in men’s Tests.193 – The fourth-lowest target that India have failed to chase down in men’s Tests. India have lost while chasing sub-200 targets only on five occasions; four of those defeats have come since 2015. All the other Test teams put together have failed to chase down sub-200 targets only five times during this period.The target of 193 is also the second-lowest that England have successfully defended in men’s Tests in the last 25 years, behind the 181 they defended against Ireland in 2019, also at Lord’s.Related

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4 – Consecutive half-centuries for Ravindra Jadeja, across the second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s. Before him, only two Indian batters had four consecutive 50-plus scores in England – Sourav Ganguly (2002) and Rishabh Pant (2022 and 2025).Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 on the final day at Lord’s is his first 50-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test match.942 – Jadeja’s Test runs in England while batting at No. 6 or lower. Among visiting batters, only Garry Sobers scored more from those positions – 1097.Jadeja has eight fifty-plus scores – seven fifties and a century – in England, again only behind Sobers (nine) and joint with MS Dhoni.301 – Number of balls India batted after losing their seventh wicket on the fifth day at Lord’s – the most for the last three wickets in the fourth innings of a Test. The previous highest was 294 balls by England against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015. .Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah batted 22 overs for the ninth wicket, the most by an India pair for the last two wickets in Tests in the last ten years.4 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Ben Stokes in Tests at Lord’s, the most for any player at the venue. Overall, he has 11 Player-of-the-Match awards in Tests, the third-highest for England behind Joe Root (13) and Ian Botham (12).15 – Bowled dismissals in the Lord’s Test, the most in more than 2000 matches since 1965. The previous Test with 15 or more bowleds was between West Indies and Australia in Georgetown in 1965.