Category Uncategorized

Managing a football club, particularly one the size of Manchester United, is incredibly difficult because you need to make decisions that line up with the short, medium, and long-term goals that are in place.

For example, it would be hard for the Red Devils to heavily lean on a strategy of signing incredibly young players with potential, with the hope that they turn into a top team in the future, because supporters expect results in the short-term, and rightly so.

This means that INEOS and Ruben Amorim have to be very careful with their squad planning to ensure that there is a competitive team on the pitch in the present, whilst also having a group of players who are for the future as well.

So far this season, United have been competitive on the pitch. They are seventh in the Premier League after 11 matches, with five wins, and are currently unbeaten in five games after their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

One of the players who has been instrumental in the short-term success on the pitch, but is not one for the future, is the incredibly experienced Casemiro.

The Brazil international has been in fantastic form in the Premier League so far this season for the Red Devils, and they need to consider what they will do in the medium to long-term in his position.

Why Man Utd need to find a replacement for Casemiro

Manchester United need to identify their long-term successor to Casemiro because his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and he turns 34 in February.

The Red Devils need to make sure that his replacement is a top-quality one, as the former Real Madrid star has been in impressive form for the club alongside Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park.

Casemiro is already one goal away from his Premier League career-high after netting three goals in ten starts in the division so far, with strikes against Nottingham Forest, Brighton, and Chelsea.

Along with his impressive output at the top end of the pitch, the 33-year-old star has been one of the best midfielders in the division in a host of key defensive metrics.

As you can see in the table above, Casemiro ranks highly among his positional peers in the Premier League for tackles, interceptions, blocks, and aerial duels won.

These statistics illustrate why it is important for the Red Devils to find the player who can play in that position in the mid-to-long term, as the Brazilian star may not be at Old Trafford next season.

The only other ‘natural’ defensive midfielder in the squad is Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte, but he has failed to prove his quality since a £42m move from PSG last year.

After the Manchester derby in September, Gary Neville said the midfield is a “massive problem” and that Ugarte is “not good enough”, which speaks to the feeling around his performances for the club over the past 18 months.

Chalkboard

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

With this in mind, Manchester United could save millions of pounds by unleashing one of their stars in a different position, so that they will not need to splash the cash on a replacement for Casemiro and an upgrade on Ugarte.

Central defender Lisandro Martinez has been back in full training in recent weeks after suffering an ACL injury in February, and he could be a wildcard replacement for Casemiro.

Why Lisandro Martinez could be Man Utd's Casemiro replacement

The Argentina international has been away from the action for nine months because of his long-term injury, but he could be the answer to the club’s mid-to-long-term issues in the defensive midfield position.

Per Transfermarkt, all 89 of his appearances for United have come at centre-back or left-back, with 85 in the heart of the defence, which shows that he has not played as a holding midfielder for the club yet.

However, the left-footed star did start 22 matches as a defensive midfielder during his time with Ajax, before his £48.3m move to Old Trafford, and this means that he does have experience in that role.

Even whilst playing as a centre-back, Martinez has shown qualities that suggest that he would excel in midfield. Take the clip above, for example, as he wins the ball back in the opposition half and holds a high position to break into the box to score a wonderful goal.

The Argentine star would have even more opportunities to pull off plays like that as a defensive midfielder, whilst it would also mean that his lack of aerial prowess would be less exposed, as he has won 55% of his aerial duels or lower in all three of his Premier League seasons, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, Martinez excelled with the ball at his feet in the top-flight last term, ranking highly among centre-backs in a host of progressive metrics.

Como scout Ben Mattinson once claimed that the centre-back “could become a world class DM”, and it is easy to see why when you couple his natural defensive instincts with his technical quality in possession.

Ugarte, for example, has averaged only 3.08 progressive passes and 0.81 progressive carries per 90 in the last 365 days for United, per FBref, which suggests that Martinez would offer more than he has in possession in the middle of the park.

With his prior experience in the position, time left ahead of him to develop further at 27, and his relevant attributes for the role, Martinez could be the dream long-term successor to Casemiro at Old Trafford.

Their new McTominay: Man Utd in talks to sign £25m future "superstar"

Manchester United look set to make a move for a star who could emulate Scott McTominay.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 21, 2025

Aston Villa are now plotting a £18m bid for a “tremendous” defender, who is also being targeted by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez a big fan.

Villa keen on strengthening despite resurgent form

Villa have made major improvements over the past month or so, having won six of their last seven matches in the Premier League, which has propelled them to fourth in the table, and Unai Emery has been impressed by his side’s recent performances.

After the 2-1 victory away at Leeds United last time out, the manager said: “The second half (was) better, but overall, 90 minutes, I am so happy how we competed. Even the first half, we didn’t play brilliant, but we were always trying to set our gameplan on the field, and progressively we did it.”

The Villans went 1-0 down at Elland Road, with Martinez receiving criticism for his goalkeeping in the build-up to Lukas Nmecha’s opening goal.

However, a second-half Morgan Rogers brace turned the game on its head, with the goalkeeper’s blushes being spared, and Aston Villa have now joined the race for one of the Argentinian’s international teammates.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Villa are now plotting a €20m (£18m) opening offer for River Plate defender Lautaro Rivero, having tracked the centre-back for months, and Martinez has provided positive feedback on his compatriot.

The Villans believe the 33-year-old’s personal relationship with the River Plate star could give them the edge in the race for his signature, despite rival interest from Man City and Tottenham.

Although the Argentinian has a €100m (£88m) release clause in his contract, River Plate would be willing to sanction a departure for considerably less, and there is a belief he could make an instant impact at Villa Park.

"Tremendous" Rivero has earned big Premier League move

Hailed as “tremendous” by journalist Juan Patricio Balbi, the 22-year-old may now be ready to test himself in England, having performed very well over the past year, placing in the 93rd percentile for tackles per 90, compared to other centre-backs, courtesy of averaging 2.27.

Aston Villa make Emiliano Martinez sale decision amid Unai Emery comments

There has been a key update on Martinez’s future, following the goalkeeper pushing for a move during the summer.

ByDominic Lund Nov 19, 2025

Villa are arguably well-stocked at centre-back, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa forming a reliable partnership as of late, but Tyrone Mings has been unable to put his injury problems behind him, and is potentially in the latter stages of his career at 32-years-old.

Tyrone Mings’ injury record

Games missed

12/08/23 – 30/10/24

70

Remainder of 2024/25

7

2025-26

17

As such, Emery could do with bringing in a younger centre-back, and having recently received his first cap for Argentina, Rivero could be capable of pushing for a starting spot.

Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz was substituted against Manchester City after another torrid performance from both the Germany international and his teammates.

Pep Guardiola celebrated his 1,000th game as a manager with a convincing win over an old rival as Manchester City overpowered Liverpool 3-0 on Sunday. Typically Erling Haaland was on the scoresheet, opening the scoring for a dominant City side at the Etihad Stadium with his 99th Premier League goal after missing an earlier penalty.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had an equaliser controversially disallowed, but the champions were second best for much of a sodden afternoon and fell further behind to a deflected Nico Gonzalez strike before the break.

The outstanding Jeremy Doku, who tormented Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley, added a sublime third on his 100th appearance for the club. Victory lifted City back up to second in the table and within four points of leaders Arsenal, and condemned Liverpool to yet more soul-searching.

Arne Slot’s side had emerged from a recent slump with impressive back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but the defeat was their fifth in six league games and left them eight points adrift of the Gunners. During the game, City fans made a point of criticising one particular Liverpool player as he was withdrawn from the match.

Liverpool signing Wirtz was a "waste of money"

Though they would spend more on Alexander Isak just weeks later, Liverpool broke the British transfer record when they signed Florian Wirtz for £116 million in the summer. Much has since been said about the German, who has struggled to swiftly adapt to English football.

Across all competitions, not including the Community Shield, Wirtz has racked up no goals and two assists in 14 games, hardly the return expected by a player who commanded such a transfer fee. Due to his form, questions have been asked about Wirtz’s position in the first team.

Against Man City, Wirtz’s Premier League struggles continued. The German was replaced by Federico Chiesa in the 83rd minute and as per Adam Bate of Sky Sports, was serenaded by the home support.

Given the money spent across the summer, there is little excuse for Liverpool’s form throughout the 2025/26 season. Wirtz, however, similar to fellow new arrival Isak, has yet to showcase anything that represents the fee that was paid for him. The German midfielder is still, of course, in the infancy of his Liverpool career, but it is apparent that he needs to quickly find a vein of form on Merseyside.

Liverpool want another Newcastle star after Isak

Oval Invincibles 226 for 5 (Cox 86*, Henry 2-39) beat Welsh Fire 143 (Bairstow 50, T Curran 4-15) by 83 runsOval Invincibles, led by an inspired Jordan Cox, smashed the highest score in the history of the Hundred, racking up 226 for 4 from their 100 balls as they crushed Welsh Fire by 83 runs at the Kia Oval.Asked to bat first in front of a packed home crowd, the Invincibles’ innings sprung into life inside the first 10 balls, Will Jacks hitting Matt Henry for back-to-back boundaries.Tawanda Muyeye then deposited David Payne for two sixes in a row as the home side started to put their foot down, racing to 54 for 0 after the 25-ball powerplay.Saif Zaib came into the attack and made a fortunate but much-needed breakthrough, Muyeye pulling a half-tracker into the hands of Payne on the square-leg boundary.Henry returned to the attack to remove Jacks, Chris Green taking yet another fine running catch in this year’s tournament. Invincibles reached the halfway mark of the innings on a very healthy 89 for 2.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Cox deposited Ajeet Singh Dale, playing his first game in the Hundred, for three consecutive sixes over the leg-side boundary and then sent him over the rope again from the final ball of the set with an incredible reverse-scoop.Sam Curran joined the party, hitting Green for back-to-back sixes to bring up the Invincibles 150, both he and Cox targeting the shorter boundary to devastating effect.Singh Dale dropped Cox at short-third and the batter took advantage of the life, striking Paul Walter for three sixes in a row, bringing up a 21-ball fifty in the process.Curran went caught in the deep off Green, which brought Donovan Ferreira to the middle, the South African promptly clubbing his first ball down the ground for six.Ferreira launched another six before being caught at long-on by Steve Smith to a chorus of boos. Cox, notably not named in England’s white-ball squads for the upcoming matches against South Africa and Ireland, closed out the innings with 14 runs from the final three balls, finishing 86 not out from 29 deliveries, with 10 sixes.Welsh Fire’s chase started dreadfully, Steve Eskinazi slapping the first ball from Jason Behrendorff to Muyeye who moved well to hang on at backward point.This set the tone for what would be a muted second half, the task just too tough. Jonny Bairstow made an aggressive 50 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore played enterprisingly for 31 from 16, but Fire could only make 143 all out, Tom Curran taking 4 for 15.Cox, named Meerkat Match Hero Cox, said of his power hitting: “Last game I unfortunately lost that front leg and basically had no power then. I did a bit of work in the nets with Donovan, he’s all about base, and it helped.”On the Invincibles, he added: “It’s a proper team and a privilege to be a part of it, to be honest. The depth we’ve got is incredible and it gives you that freedom for sure. We’re playing some pretty good cricket.”

It would be fair to say that, so far, this season has been a topsy-turvy one for Newcastle United.

For example, Eddie Howe’s side had a really disappointing start to the campaign, winning just two of their first six Premier League games.

However, in recent weeks, they’ve also had some seriously impressive results, like beating Manchester City, Athletic Bilbao, and, most recently, destroying Everton.

One of the players who has had a real uptick in form recently has been Harvey Barnes, who looks like a player reborn, although, if reports are to be believed, Newcastle are looking at someone who’d be a huge upgrade.

Newcastle target Barnes upgrade

With the transfer window just over a month away now, Newcastle are starting to be linked with a host of exciting and potentially game-changing signings who could bolster Howe’s side.

Transfer Focus

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

AS Roma’s promising Manu Kone, for example, has been touted for a £44m move, as has Inter Milan’s Italian international Davide Frattesi.

However, while both players would be fine additions to the Magpies’ squad, neither could be described as an upgrade on Barnes, unlike Raphinha.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Newcastle are now one of the clubs interested in signing the Brazilian superstar.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Toon view the Barcelona star as someone who could be the cornerstone of their attack moving forward and are determined to fight hard to secure his services.

However, the former Leeds United star has shown no desire to leave the Spanish giants, and even though he’ll have just a year left on his deal in the summer, other reports have claimed that it could cost up to £88m to get him out of Catalonia.

Even so, given Raphinha’s immense ability and experience, this is a transfer Newcastle should fight tooth and nail to get over the line, even if his arrival could spell trouble for Barnes.

How Raphinha compares to Barnes

Now, one of Raphinha’s many qualities is that he can play on either wing, which would allow Howe some extra flexibility were this transfer to happen.

However, during his time with Barcelona, he has primarily played on the left, which is also where he has been most effective.

Therefore, it would make sense for Newcastle to keep him there, which in turn would put him in direct competition with Barnes, which, based on several reasons, he would win, and comfortably at that.

The first reason is the simple fact that he is far more productive than the former Leicester City star.

For example, in his 40 appearances last season, totalling 2121 minutes, the Burnley-born ace scored nine goals and provided five assists, which came out to a reasonably impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.85 games, or every 151.5 minutes.

In contrast, the Barca star scored 34 goals and provided 26 assists in 57 appearances, totalling 4661 minutes, which came out to a world-class average of 1.05 goal involvements every game, or one every 77.68 minutes.

This season, the former Leeds star has scored three goals and provided three assists in ten appearances, totalling 571 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.66 games, or more importantly, every 95.16 minutes.

Games

57

40

Minutes

4661′

2121′

Goals

34

9

Assists

26

5

Goal Involvements per Match

1.05

0.35

Minutes per Goal Involvement

77.68′

151.5′

Games

10

20

Minutes

571′

996′

Goals

3

7

Assists

3

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.6

0.45

Minutes per Goal Involvement

95.16′

110.66′

The Englishman, on the other hand, has produced nine goal involvements, but has done so in 20 appearances, totalling 996 minutes, which comes out to one every 2.22 games, or every 110.66 minutes.

Now, on top of putting up numbers that are frankly absurd, the Porto Alegre-born superstar is also a proven winner, having played a crucial role in the Blaugrana’s last two La Liga triumphs, as well as last year’s Copa del Rey.

Ultimately, Barnes is a great player, but thanks to his output, experience and trophy haul, it’s hard to disagree with Romario’s assertion that Raphinha is “one of the best players in the world.”

Therefore, Newcastle should do what they can to sign him next year, as he could be the star who takes them to the next level.

Forget Barnes: Newcastle have a "world-class" star who can end Gordon's stay

Newcastle’s Three Lions winger has flattered to deceive for some time now.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 27, 2025

Wazir Mohammad, the eldest of Pakistan’s famous Mohammad brothers, has died. He was 95 years old.Wazir played 20 Tests for Pakistan in the earliest years of their international cricket history, the least of Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq. Raees, now the eldest of the brothers, didn’t play a Test for Pakistan. Hanif passed away in 2016.As a lower-middle order batter, Wazir’s average of 27.62 does little justice to his impact in some of Pakistan’s most celebrated performances in the 1950s, when they arrived as a Test-playing nation in such style. His career first-class average of 40 was much more reflective of his value, though Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Wazir’s Test captain, was long an admirer.The most seminal contribution came in the Oval Test win of 1954, when Pakistan became the first side to win a Test on their first tour of England (and drew the series 1-1). Though Fazal Mahmood was the hero with 12 wickets, he would not have had a total to defend had it not been for Wazir’s resistance in the second innings.Pakistan were only 85 runs ahead, with two wickets in hand, when Wazir (in at No. 8) put on 58 with Zulfiqar Ahmed and then another 24 for the last wicket with Mahmood Hussain. Wazir ended unbeaten on a four-hour 42, having doubled Pakistan’s score with the last two wickets. Pakistan won ultimately by 24 runs.