Is 'inconsistent' Kudus 'a risk' for Spurs?
Kudus, 24, remains sought after despite being as underwhelming last season as he was electrifying in 2023-24 following a £38m move from Ajax.He only scored five goals in the most recent campaign, down from 14 across all competitions in his debut season for the Hammers, and was often ineffective in the system preferred by head coach Graham Potter, who took charge in January and favours wing-backs over wingers.Kudus was often utilised up front by Potter and seldom featured wide on the right, arguably his best position but one in which West Ham already have captain Jarrod Bowen.
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BreakingNews.ie
27 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Arne Slot insists Liverpool will only sign the right player for the right price
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has reiterated the club will only sign the right player for the right fee if he wants to join, but refused to be drawn on their position regarding Alexander Isak. Since a £110 million bid was rejected earlier this month, the club have not returned to negotiations although they have never formally walked away from pursuing a deal. Advertisement Isak's decision to go public on Tuesday, accusing Newcastle of breaking promises and saying he 'can't continue' and 'change is in the best interests of everyone', has intensified speculation about the striker's future. Liverpool have been interested in signing Newcastle striker Alexander Isak (Martin Rickett/PA) Newcastle's response was to stress: 'We have been clear that the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee those conditions being met.' It adds extra spice for when the two teams meet at St James' Park on Monday, with Isak expected to absent again as he continues to train away from the squad. 'I am happy with the squad but if we think there is a player who can really make us better then this club has always shown they can bring them in,' said Slot, who has already benefited from a £300million-plus spending spree this summer, offset by more than £200m of sales. Advertisement 'But it needs to be everything we want: right transfer fee, right position and the player wants to come to us. Isak is training on his own at Newcastle (Owen Humphreys/PA) 'I don't think (it will be a busy end to the window) because (that would mean) I would be unhappy with the squad and I am happy with the squad. 'I say two players for each positions is ideal, but sometimes less is more so you are not disappointing players.' Slot rejected the suggestion their trip to the north east would be made easier by Isak's absence and the turmoil surrounding the club. Advertisement 'I don't think they are a club with troubles,' he added. Slot expects a tough contest against Newcastle (Peter Byrne/PA) 'I assume Isak is not playin but they still have Anthony Gordon as a nine, they have Anthony Elanga as a right winger and Harvey Barnes from the left – and Jacob Murphy is not even playing. 'This is the Premier League, we all have a lot of options and Newcastle have them as well.' However, Slot's options have been reduced at right-back with new signing Jeremie Frimpong ruled out until after next month's international break with a hamstring injury sustained in their opening victory over Bournemouth. Advertisement 'The medical team were completely right about Jeremie to tell me that I had to take him off because he is out until the end of the international break and that happened during the game,' he said. 'I think I got criticised a bit for taking him off, didn't I?' Jeremie Frimpong has been sidelined with a hamstring injury (John Walton/PA) Joe Gomez was pressed into action for 18 minutes despite having had just two training sessions after three weeks out with injury and as a result was not able to train three days in a row afterwards. He could still be in contention at Newcastle, with Conor Bradley, named in Northern Ireland's squad for next month's games, only returning to training himself on Thursday. Advertisement 'At the moment we only have two injuries, but unfortunately it is two in the same position,' said Slot. 'The good thing is we have other players that can play there. Wataru Endo played there for a few minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai has already played there. There are other options we can explore.'
Metro
28 minutes ago
- Metro
Three ways Arsenal can line-up with Eberechi Eze in starting XI
Arsenal are basking in the glory of beating Tottenham in the race for Eberechi Eze – but Mikel Arteta must now work out where to play him. Spurs' deal for the Crystal Palace star was virtually done and dusted until Arsenal swooped in to hijack the move, reacting decisively to Kai Havertz's worrying knee injury. Arsenal have agreed a £67.5m transfer for Eze – but some football pundits have questioned who he'll replace in the Gunners' starting line-up. Nigel Winterburn has told Metro that he thinks Eze will be deployed on the left wing, which would relegate Gabriel Martinelli to Arsenal's bench. Arsenal feel the 27-year-old England international's best position is when he's used as a No.10 – an area that Martin Odegaard operates in. Metro's weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Eze shone for Palace last season as one of two No.10s in a 3-4-2-1 formation – but could he replace Odegaard? Scroll on to find out… Eze has mainly been used as an attacking midfielder in the middle of the pitch – but he does have experience of playing as a left winger too. In the 2023-24 season, Eze played on the left wing 10 times, conjuring up five goals and two assists for Palace when he was used in that area. It's the position in which Arsenal arguably need the biggest upgrade – given Martinelli's inconsistency last term. Eze could be used as the left winger in Arsenal's 4-3-3 formation with Bukayo Saka on the right and Viktor Gyokeres up top. He would be free to cut inside and move into central areas – where Eze normally thrives. That's similar to how Arteta has used Leandro Trossard in the past. 'He's a player who I think is a game-changer,' Arsenal icon Winterburn told Metro about Eze. 'He's going to compete with Martinelli. All the players we're being linked with suggest they want to strengthen on the left side. 'That's where they're feeling at the moment where the competition isn't as strong as it should be. 'They can move players around, of course they can, but I would say he'll come in and play on the left side.' Arsenal have plenty of fixtures to deal with this season with the team competing in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cups. It's unlikely that Odegaard will start every single match – and that could allow Eze to step in and play in his preferred position as a No.10 when Arteta decides to rotate his squad. Odegaard missed a number of games last term due to an ankle sprain – so if Arsenal's captain picks up any fresh injury problems in the 2025-26 campaign – that could also see Eze come in to replace him in the middle. Eze produced 14 goals and 11 assists across 39 games for Palace last season when he was used as a central attacking midfielder. Odegaard failed to register a single goal or assist in the four Champions League knockout games against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain last term – so Eze could replace him if the Norwegian's form starts to dip too. The statistics in the table below show Odegaard's declining numbers in the Premier League across the last two seasons. It's no secret that Arsenal have sometimes struggled to break down teams who like to sit deep. Having two playmakers on the pitch – Eze and Odegaard – could fix that problem in games where Arsenal dominate possession of the ball. As mentioned above, Arsenal have a lot of fixtures to navigate in the 2025-26 campaign and Declan Rice will need a rest from time to time. Rice could be the player to drop out of Arsenal's XI to allow Eze to play alongside Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi in the Gunners' midfield. Arteta could also decide to use Rice as the defensive midfielder – instead of Zubimendi – which would allow him to play with Odegaard and Eze. It's been suggested that Eze could potentially operate as a false nine for Arsenal. More Trending That would require Gyokeres dropping to the bench, with Eze leading the attack in a central area. Given Havertz could be out injured for a lengthy period, this might make sense for Arteta to give the Gunners more options up top. Eze played up front for England in a friendly against Senegal in June and Arteta has been known to experiment with his players having used Mikel Merino as a striker last season. MORE: Borussia Dortmund in advanced talks for £40m Chelsea star after Juventus attempted transfer hijack MORE: Man Utd target three goalkeepers but unknown star could be the answer to their problems MORE: Ruben Amorim has already named 'complete' midfielder Man Utd must sign Your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it's an open goal.
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Transfer news live: Arsenal in last-minute Eze talks, Isak to Liverpool update, Hojlund makes Man Utd exit demand
Arsenal have dramatically stolen Eberechi Eze from Tottenham's grasp after acting decisively following a major injury blow to Kai Havertz. The Gunners moved quickly after the news that Havertz damaged his knee in their win over Manchester United, and look set to complete a transfer worth £60m and £7.5m in add-ons – pretty much exactly Eze's release clause, which expired for this window last Thursday. Spurs are now searching for a new attacker as the deadline looms with Manchester City winger Savinho remaining a target. Alexander Isak's explosive statement this week accused Newcastle United of 'broken promises' and 'lost trust', with Liverpool still strongly linked with a move for the Swedish striker. The Reds' offer of £110m fell short of Newcastle's valuation and the North East club issued a statement of their own saying conditions for a sale were unlikely to be met before the transfer window deadline. Newcastle have missed out on a raft of strikers and their latest bid, offering £40m to Brentford for Yoane Wissa, has also been rejected. Elsewhere, Manchester United continue to endure frustration with their goalkeeper situation, and could yet rival Manchester City for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, while striker Rasmus Hojlund could be on his way to Napoli. Chelsea are closing in on Brighton winger Julio Enciso and are still working on a deal for United's Alejandro Garnacho, Leeds are set to announce AC Milan's Noah Okafor, and Nottingham Forest are close to completing a deal for Douglas Luiz from Juventus. Leipzig to target Elliott as Simons replacement? Harvey Elliott has agreed personal terms with RB Leipzig as the German club prepare a move to replace Xavi Simons, reports Sky in Germany. Liverpool would demand a fee of around £40m to let the England U21 international move. Chris Wilson21 August 2025 16:17 Eze and Palace set for U-turn tonight? Reports are emerging suggesting that Crystal Palace could be set to not play Eberechi Eze tonight in their Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikstad. Previous reports insisted that the England international would play despite his impending move to Arsenal, though the Sun are reporting the opposite, saying that the 27-year-old has opted against taking any risks ahead of signing for the Gunners. Chris Wilson21 August 2025 16:07 Hojlund prefers 'permanent' move away from Old Trafford Rasmus Hojlund is the subject of interest from clubs including Napoli and RB Leipzig, but he has made it clear to potential suitors that he prefers a loan move with an obligation to buy in order to have some degree of certainty over his future. Reports suggest United would want around £40m for Hojlund in any permanent deal or obligation, with Napoli in the driving seat for the striker after advancing a move in the wake of an injury to Romelu Lukaku. 21 August 2025 15:47 Forest exploring deal for Cash Nottingham Forest are exploring a deal to re-sign right-back Matty Cash, according to The Athletic. Forest are yet to make a formal approach for the Poland international, and are said to harbour an interest in City's Rico Lewis too. However, the deal for Cash would be an altogether easier and cheaper option, with the 28-year-old under contract until 2027. Chris Wilson21 August 2025 15:27 AC Milan close in on deal for striker Potential news for Rasmus Hojlund as AC Milan look to have turned their attention to Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface. Fabrizio Romano reports that there is a 'club-to-club agreement done for initial loan move with €30m buy option', with the player's agent on his way to Milan to progress the deal. Chris Wilson21 August 2025 15:07 Enciso signing for 'BlueCo' explained Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has offered a brief explanation into the deal for Julio Enciso, which has been labelled as a signing for BlueCo. In short, Strasbourg will be signing the player and then selling him to Chelsea in a year or two, he says. 'Chelsea cannot sign Enciso and loan him to Strasbourg because they already have three loan players there which is the FIFA limit,' says Maguire. 'Chelsea also have to follow the UEFA business plan following their breach of cost control rules. This involves having a negative net spend this window. So if Chelsea did sign Enciso creates more pressure to sell players. 'By getting Strasbourg to sign Enciso and then sell him to Chelsea in 1-2 years solves all the problems,' he adds. Chris Wilson21 August 2025 14:49 Chiesa could stay at Liverpool Federico Chiesa had been expected to move back to Serie A this summer but could now stay at Liverpool after his late cameo to win the match against Bournemouth. 'I'm very happy at Liverpool,' he said after the game. 'I will speak to the club but I want to stay here and fight to win many trophies.' Arne Slot said: 'When we needed him, he delivered. And that is always positive for your future at a club'. Lawrence Ostlere Douglas Luiz closing in on Forest move Douglas Luiz is on his way to Nottingham Forest. The Brazilian made 27 appearances for Juventus last season, after switching from Aston Villa, but struggled to hold down a place in the starting XI. And his time at Juve appears to be over, according to multiple reports, with a move to Forest set to be completed imminently. Lawrence Ostlere21 August 2025 14:14 Liverpool set deadline in pursuit of Isak The saga that has rolled on for most of the summer concerns Alexander Isak, Newcastle and Liverpool. The Premier League champions submitted a £110m bid for Newcastle's main forward but that was rejected out of hand and the Reds moved to sign Hugo Ekitike. They have remained interested in Isak but the weekend's results prove that Newcastle need his services more than Liverpool do. The latest in this move is that Liverpool have made Isak their priority for the closing weeks of the window but want the deal done sooner than later. They've set a deadline of next week to get an agreement done with Newcastle otherwise they will move on to other targets. Lawrence Ostlere21 August 2025 13:55 Lawrence Ostlere21 August 2025 13:34
