Everton launch 2025-26 away kit
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Daily Mirror
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Rio Ferdinand shows true colours with Liverpool comments: 'Exceptional and outrageous'
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has warned the rest of the Premier League that Liverpool's massive spending this summer means Arne Slot's side mean business in the upcoming season Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has warned that it would be "lights out" for the rest of the Premier League if Liverpool complete the signing of Alexander Isak. The ex-England star also eulogised over Liverpool's business this summer. Despite already securing the services of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, the Reds maintain an active interest in 25-year-old Swedish striker Isak, with the player having informed Newcastle that he would like to explore a move away from the club. Isak is not on their pre-season tour of Asia either as speculation over a huge switch to Anfield intensifies. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, however, has confirmed they are yet to receive any formal offers for Isak, but officials at St James' Park are said to be keen on RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko as they ramp up their search for a potential replacement. While a transfer for Isak remains in a state of flux, speaking on his podcast, Rio Presents, Ferdinand waxed lyrical over the Reds' activity this summer. Despite being an icon of Liverpool's greatest rivals, Ferdinand – rather than show any bias – couldn't help show his true colours as a football pundit and relay his real belief that Isak would help secure Arne Slot a second Premier League title on the spin. "Liverpool's transfer window has been nothing short of exceptional so far. It's been an outrageous transfer window, and if they get Isak – it's lights out for the Premier League," Ferdinand said. "They've got a squad there, they've got a hierarchy, they look stable, they look solid. It's gone too well and if they get Isak, it's over." Liverpool are hunting for attacking reinforcements, particularly with Luis Diaz poised to join Bayern Munich. Slot and club chiefs believe that Isak would suit their forward line perfectly and link up well with new signing Ekitike, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69 million last week. However, luring Isak away from St James' Park won't be straightforward, with the Magpies said to be demanding a whopping fee of up to £150 million to sell their prized asset, reports the Liverpool Echo. Newcastle have attributed Isak's continued absence to a minor thigh problem, having also omitted him from their squad for their pre-season clash away at Celtic. When quizzed about his star forward's future, Howe said: "He is still our player. He's contracted to us. We, to a degree, control what is next for him." Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, have gone on a summer splurge, with nearly £300m spent so far. Former Red and prolific goalscorer Robbie Fowler reckons Isak would be the perfect finishing touch to a frenzied few months of activity. "As a Liverpool fan, we would all love to see him, wouldn't we," Fowler told The RedMen TV. "When you look at the Premier League and the goals he scored last year, the types of goals and his performances, he was phenomenal. Hopefully, he can carry that on, and hopefully it will be at Liverpool. "If you were to pick one player from the Premier League last year who you would have wanted to sign for Liverpool, he would probably be on 90 per cent of people's lips. We probably needed that pivotal striker on the pitch last season. He could be the difference if he were to come."
BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
Grealish's diminishing role at Man City
With Everton and West Ham the latest Premier League clubs linked with out-of-favour Manchester City forward Jack Grealish, we took a look at what has happened to the £100m man. It has been a chastening two years for Grealish since he enjoyed the most successful season of his career. Then, he played an integral role in Manchester City's historic treble in 2022-23, starting the FA Cup final and every one of their seven knockout ties as the club won the Champions League for the first time. Only six outfield City players spent more time on the pitch than Grealish in the Premier League too.A hamstring injury halted his momentum early in 2023-24, which the England international ended with more yellow cards (seven) than combined goals and assists (six) across all competitions. He featured in just 40% of the total minutes played by City despite being in the squad for 82% of them. His involvement dropped to 30% last term as Grealish's career plummeted to its nadir. Three of his six starts after Christmas came against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, while 16 starts in total is his fewest in a campaign since he was 20 years old. Unsurprisingly, it was also the player's least productive season in terms of chances created and dribbling success since returning to the Premier League in team structure has seldom afforded Grealish the license to take on and glide past opponents as he did with such insouciance as the talismanic captain at boyhood club Aston Villa. The question now is whether the affable 29-year-old can reverse the downward trajectory of his career – and who will afford him the opportunity to do so.
Daily Mirror
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Rio Ferdinand predicts Man Utd's Premier League finishing position as he makes transfer point
Manchester United are looking to bounce back following their worst-ever Premier League campaign last season, and Rio Ferdinand has revealed where he thinks his former team will end up in 2025/26 Rio Ferdinand is backing Manchester United to rocket up the Premier League table this season - but not quite into Champions League contention. The Red Devils endured a dismal 2024/25 campaign, finishing 15th in the table, just three places above the drop zone. Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the United legend took a cautiously optimistic stab at predicting where his former club might finish in 2025/26. "I'm going eighth. Seventh or eighth," he said, before adding an important caveat: "Revisit this if we get one or two more signings and I might change my answer." United have already bolstered their attack by signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and are looking to land a new centre forward before the window closes. After missing out on Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike - who joined Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool respectively - the club have now turned their attention to other targets. They've trimmed their shortlist down to two names: Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko. Both strikers are reportedly open to a move to Old Trafford, though no official approaches have been made yet. With Marcus Rashford loaned out to Barcelona and confidence in Rasmus Hojlund waning - amid speculation that he too could leave - the club are short on firepower. Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho are also expected to be offloaded, making attacking reinforcements a top priority. But there's a financial balancing act at play, particularly amid ongoing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns. United have already spent £133.5million this summer - more than Manchester City and Tottenham, and just £2m shy of Arsenal's total outlay - and a big-money striker signing could push their expenditure close to the £200m mark. RB Leipzig are holding out for over £60m for Sesko, while Aston Villa are expected to demand a similar fee for Watkins. Slovenian international Sesko, who netted 21 goals in all competitions last season, had previously been in talks with Arsenal, though the Gunners ultimately pivoted to Gyokeres. Liverpool and Chelsea have since cooled their interest in the 22-year-old, but Newcastle remain in the hunt. The Magpies have identified him as their top target should Alexander Isak be sold to Liverpool. While Newcastle hope to retain their star striker, Isak is pushing for a move, casting doubt over his future at St James' Park. United, meanwhile, are not pursuing Isak, having been deterred by Newcastle's mammoth £150m valuation. Liverpool, however, are optimistic that the fee could be negotiated down due to the player's desire to leave. As for Watkins, United have long admired the 29-year-old, who netted 16 Premier League goals last term. Although he once described playing for Arsenal as his "dream" back in 2020, Gyokeres' arrival in north London makes that scenario unlikely - leaving United in pole position if they choose to make a serious move. United ended last season 19 points behind Brighton in eighth and a hefty 23 off Nottingham Forest in seventh - so they'll need to improve dramatically for Ferdinand's forecast to become reality. That said, 2024/25 was a major outlier: it marked the only time the club have finished outside the top eight in the Premier League era, with their last comparable slump being a 13th-place finish back in 1989/90.
