Lowe Down: Is Howe the PL manager of the season?
Rebecca Lowe answers the most-pressing questions from Matchweek 38, including her thoughts on the Player of the Season, Manager of the Season, Crystal Palace, and more.
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Report: Liverpool weigh £30m sale as Brentford and others show interest
Ben Doak and Liverpool's £30m Opportunity: Smart Business or Short-Sighted Sale? Transfer Turbulence Around Young Talent Liverpool's summer activity has been relentless, with deals flowing in and out of the club in rapid succession. The latest transfer spotlight, however, is fixed on 19-year-old Ben Doak, a name that barely registered with the casual fan last summer but now finds himself a £30m-rated target for a trio of Premier League clubs. Advertisement Per the Hounslow Herald, Brentford are keen to add Doak to a growing collection of ex-Liverpool talent, having already secured the signatures of Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho over the past two summers. But they're not alone. Crystal Palace and Brighton have reportedly entered the fray, a development that significantly strengthens Liverpool's hand. Sale May Fund Big-Name Targets Liverpool's motivation is clear. While they've already welcomed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and bid farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kelleher, bigger targets are on the radar. Chief among them is Florian Wirtz. Liverpool to recoup funds to help fund Wirtz and more. With the club still engaged in talks over Milos Kerkez and potentially a striker, Doak's sale could serve a broader strategic purpose. His potential may be considerable, but in a summer of reshaping, even promising youth might be considered expendable to fund marquee arrivals. Market Value and Timing Work in Liverpool's Favour Doak's value, and the timing of this interest, place Liverpool in an advantageous position. Ipswich Town had tried in January, but the Reds didn't want to sell. The mood seems to have shifted, and rightly so. The competition between Brentford, Brighton and Crystal Palace all but guarantees a fee close to the full £30m. Photo IMAGO Given that Doak's 2024/25 campaign was hampered by injury after a strong loan stint at Middlesbrough, it's a bold valuation—but not unrealistic. There's enough performance data, promise and Premier League readiness to justify it, particularly in a summer when even mid-table clubs have serious money to spend. Development Versus Immediate Value Selling Doak would be another sign that Liverpool are prioritising short-term gains and proven quality over longer-term squad depth and player development. That may be a calculated risk worth taking, but it will only pay off if their reinvestments—particularly in the Wirtz deal—yield immediate returns. Advertisement It's a recurring theme under Fenway Sports Group: buy low, develop smart, and sell high. In this case, it might be more about selling smart and buying elite. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis There's no doubt Ben Doak has something about him. Pacey, direct, and fearless—he looks every inch a player suited to Arne Slot's dynamic football. His performances at Middlesbrough hinted at serious potential, and despite injury setbacks, most Liverpool fans would have liked to see him get a proper run in the first team before decisions are made. That said, £30m is no small change for a player who's still largely unproven at Premier League level. If that money helps secure someone like Florian Wirtz, a generational talent who could redefine Liverpool's attacking play, then it becomes more palatable. But it always stings to see homegrown or carefully scouted youth sold on just before they might explode. Advertisement Brentford, Brighton and Palace are all clubs with smart recruitment and solid coaching. If any of them land Doak, he'll probably thrive. The worry then is hindsight. If he becomes a star elsewhere, fans will question why we didn't show more patience. Still, given the bigger picture and financial pragmatism required to stay competitive in the modern game, this looks like a sale Liverpool can afford to make—but only if they get the rest of their summer business absolutely right.
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Intrepid Geoff Thomas geared up for another crack at Tour de France route
When Geoff Thomas was forced to abandon his seventh attempt to complete Tour 21 at the age of 58 after an unforgiving day on the cobblestones, the former Crystal Palace captain thought his days in the saddle were over. 'My bike sort of disintegrated underneath me,' remembers Thomas. 'That's when the issues with my knees started so I'd not really been on the bike since then.' But, two years on and having celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this year, he will join the group of amateur riders in tackling the entire Tour de France route a week before the pros, a ride of nearly 3,500km to raise money for Cure Leukaemia. Advertisement Related: John Textor seeks sale of Crystal Palace stake in bid to avoid European ban 'Before Christmas, it seemed a long shot because after so many years of playing football, I've got grade four arthritis in both my knees,' Thomas says. 'They said I was probably not far away from needing to have knee replacements. But I didn't really want to do that.' That was when Mark Gillett stepped in. The Premier League's chief medical officer took part in Tour 21 in 2022 when Thomas had to give up because of the chronic pain he was in. Gillett recommended a hydrogel injection called Arthrosamid, which was first developed for treating horses and is now being used for those suffering with osteoarthritis in the knee. 'You put the injection into the joint, and over three to six months, it gets incorporated into the joint lining and forms a physical barrier,' he says. 'So it's like a gel barrier, so that, whereas in arthritis the natural lining of the joint gets eroded and you get really sensitive nerve endings and bone on bone, you get that barrier between the two, so you're not feeling so much pain.' Advertisement The results have been spectacular for Thomas, who jokes that 'it feels like polyfilla at times', adding: 'I could feel the knee not going through the same pain as it was when I was trying to get back on the bike. A couple of months later, I'm getting out there and doing 135-mile rides again. It's allowing me to have that dream of doing the Tour again.' Thomas, who won nine caps for England, knows all about overcoming the odds. He was given three months to live when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003, a year after retiring from playing. But, after receiving a stem cell transplant from his sister Kay and undergoing treatment from Prof Charlie Craddock, he entered remission in January 2005. The life-saving treatment motivated him to embark on his first Tour 21 a few months later to raise money for continuing research into the disease, with Thomas estimating that each edition has helped to raise more than £1m for Cure Leukaemia, which has also been adopted as the Tour de France's official charity partner. 'What the charity's done from when I was diagnosed in 2003 … the chances of any clinical trials going on in the world of blood cancer was minimal,' he says. 'It was Charlie who really had this vision of building an infrastructure that would accelerate trials through the system. That's up and running now and people are surviving in bigger numbers.' Advertisement Thomas interrupted his training to see Palace finally lift their first major trophy by beating Manchester City – the club he supported as a child – at Wembley in the FA Cup final. It was 35 years after he had led them to their first final, before Palace finished third in the old First Division the following season. They were denied a place in Europe as English clubs were being phased back into European competition after being banned in the mid-1980s, and Thomas is hoping that the lure of a Europa League campaign under Oliver Glasner can persuade some of their best players such as Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze to stay in south London. 'Hopefully times are changing and Palace will be able to build on their success,' he says. But it is the prospect of completing this year's gruelling route – which will feature five mountain finishes including the famous Hautacam, Ventoux and the Col de la Loze summits – that will occupy his mind over the next few weeks. Gillett has full confidence that Thomas can overcome his knee issues and make it to the finish line on the Champs Élysées in mid-July. 'I'm a very optimistic guy, that's part of my job,' he says. 'But probably two or three months ago, I was thinking, 'I'm not sure he can do this'. But he's got a really good chance. He's done incredibly well.' For Thomas, finally completing the Tour for a seventh time would be a fitting way to round off his cycling career. 'In some ways, I wish I had finished in 2021 because it was fantastic riding into Paris knowing that we had raised so much money. But I knew I had to do it again and now I want to finish on a high to help celebrate Cure Leukaemia and what they are going to be doing over the next five to 10 years.' • Support Geoff and the Tour 21 team in changing the future of treatment for blood cancer patients across the globe by donating to their Just Giving page.
Yahoo
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Family affair: Chalobah brothers set to join exclusive England group
Trevoh Chalobah is hoping to make his England debut this evening when the Three Lions take on Andorra in World Cup qualification. Chalobah has been called up to the senior side for the first time, following an impressive season with Crystal Palace and Chelsea. The defender helped Chelsea to Europa Conference League success last season and is now pushing for an international debut. Should he feature, the Chalobah family will become just the third to have two brothers play for England since the Second World War. A total of 21 brothers have represented England, but just two post-war. Advertisement Jack and Bobby Charlton each featured as part of England's 1966 World Cup winning team. Centre-back Jack won 35 caps for the Three Lions, scoring six times. His younger brother, Bobby, won the Ballon d'Or after England's World Cup success. He retired with the then records as England's most capped player and highest goalscorer, having scored 49 times in 106 games for England. The second set of brothers to feature for England post-war are Phil and Gary Neville. Combined, the defensive duo won 144 caps for England. Chalobah will be hoping his international career lasts longer than elder brother Nathaniel, who featured for just six minutes on his sole appearance for England in 2018. Advertisement Read – Andorra vs England: When David Nugent nicked Defoe's goal See more – England XI vs Andorra – Predicted lineup and team news Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
