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Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has issued a concerning update on Arsenal star Kai Havertz. The German forward has not played for the Gunners since picking up a knee injury in a training session following their season opener against Manchester United. Havertz subsequently underwent surgery, but no firm return date has been set, and his recovery could take longer than expected after this new setback.

Getty Images SportArteta's last update on Havertz

In October, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta provided an update on Havertz's condition, telling reporters: "With Kai, we know that it will be months with him. I don’t know if it can be weeks, you never know because this is Kai and he’s a different specimen. We really miss him. Hopefully, he will be back, and back for the long term as well, so it is very important to look after that knee. So far, he’s progressing pretty well."

Havertz has struggled for fitness throughout the year. He missed the last few months of the 2024-25 season with a hamstring injury. He took part in Arsenal's pre-season, but the knee issue then cropped up to send him back to the treatment room.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesNagelsmann delivers relapse news

Nagelsmann issued a new update on Havertz this week, and his Germany team-mate Jamal Musiala, who is also recovering from surgery. The Germany boss said: "Kai (Havertz) had a minor relapse, but overall he’s doing well. Jamal no longer has any major problems. But like Kai, he first needs to get back into rhythm with his club. They have until March to get fully fit, but they obviously need to stabilise now."

Arsenal's injury crisis deepens

The Gunners have had injury problems in their squad since the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Captain Martin Odegaard and summer signing Noni Madueke are both currently sidelined, while star defender Gabriel picked up a knock while playing for Brazil in an international friendly against Senegal last week at Emirates Stadium. 

He has already undergone scans and according to , more tests on his right thigh will be done, but the fear is that he could miss two months of action while he recovers. That would mean the 27-year-old Selecao star sitting out the remainder of the calendar year and perhaps not returning until the latter half of January. The best-case scenario is that Gabriel is only sidelined for one month, which at least means he returns to action before Christmas.

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Despite their injury woes, Arteta's men have displayed tremendous form and are currently leading the Premier League title race, four points above Manchester City. After three successive runners-up finishes, Arsenal are being tipped to win the title for the first time since 2003-04. The Gunners next face arch-rivals Tottenham in the north London derby this Sunday. 

Veteran manager Sam Allardyce has voiced his willingness to fill the current vacancy at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hired in late 2024, Vitor Pereira guided Wolves away from the relegation zone in the second half of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Across the summer, though, the club sold star players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, replacing them with options that, seemingly, are not of the same quality. After 10 league matches without a win, Pereira was sacked by Wolves in early November, despite having signed a new contract earlier in the year.

Since the Portuguese was dismissed, Wolves have been linked with a number of potential replacements. Gary O’Neil, who himself was replaced by Pereira at Molineux, was seemingly in the frame for what would have been a shock return. O’Neil has since taken himself out of the running to be the manager that will try and ensure Wolves’ Premier League safety.

O’Neil, who had a generally solid tenure at Molineux, would have been a bold appointment from the Midlands club, whose search for a new manager is ongoing. As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, Erik ten Hag is “among the other candidates”. The former Man United manager was hired by Bayer Leverkusen to replace Xabi Alonso in the summer but was sacked after just three matches with the German side.

Now, it would appear that an English football icon is open to trying to save Wolves from dropping to the Championship.

Allardyce would be open to Wolves job

As per talkSPORT, Sam Allardyce would be open to taking the current vacancy at Molineux. Having been out of work since his brief stint in charge of Leeds United came to an end in 2023, the veteran said:

Since taking up management in the early 1990s, Allardyce has worked extensively in the past three decades. The Englishman found a lot of success with Bolton between 1999 and 2007, going onto manage sides including Blackburn Rovers, West Ham and the England national team amongst many others.

Sam Allardyce’s Record Against Wolves

Games

10

Wins

7

Draws

3

Losses

0

Points per Match

2.40

Across a period of over 20 years, Allardyce is unbeaten in 10 games against Wolves, with games coming during his time at Bolton, Blackburn and West Bromwich Albion.

Though he no longer has a perfect record of avoiding relegation, Allardyce’s reputation could be a leading contributor to what would be a truly sensational return to Premier League management. As he noted, though, it may be that Wolves look for a younger candidate.

Wolves manager target could be their 'new Nuno'

An epic series will be decided at The Oval. England lead 2-1 after 20 tense days of Test cricket but were denied a decisive win by five sessions of doughty, determined batting in which India lost only two wickets. Not even Ben Stokes, battling cramp and a shoulder injury, could pull this one off, and was forced to settle for only the second draw of his captaincy tenure.India were 1 for 2 at lunch on the fourth day, frazzled after more than 150 overs in the field, and still trailing by over 300 runs. But Shubman Gill’s new-look side underlined their character with two mammoth, match-saving partnerships – Gill put on 188 with KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbroken 203 – to ensure India escaped with a draw.Related

• Drawn out, but never dull – India's Old Trafford escape rekindles the art of Test survival

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• India's grit outlasts England's endurance to make 2-2 a possibility

They can no longer win the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but will travel down to London on Monday battered, bruised and bullish. India’s batters not only saved this match, but ground England’s bowlers down: they spent 257.1 overs in the field in Manchester, including 143 in the second innings, and now face a three-day turnaround before Thursday’s fifth Test.The finale was farcical: Stokes offered a draw at the start of the last hour but Gill had no interest, instead allowing his two allrounders to complete their centuries. England were incensed, serving up some 35mph/56kmph lobs, but India’s players celebrated on the balcony as their batters filled their boots.”It’s going to happen in a flurry, lads,” Ben Duckett had promised his team-mates during the second session. In fact, it never happened at all. It was long established that no captain had ever won a Test match at Old Trafford after winning the toss and choosing to bowl; Stokes asked his team to defy history, but they could not.It was Gill who had walked in to face a hat-trick ball in the first over of India’s second innings shortly before lunch on the fourth day. When he walked back off just over 24 hours later, he had become only the third man to score four hundreds in a Test series as captain, going past 700 runs for the tour. Every time he has reached 20, he has gone on to score a century.1:19

Harmison: ‘A little bit farcical towards the end’

He was supported by two marathon efforts from his spin-bowling allrounders. Washington batted at No. 8 in the first innings but was promoted to No. 5 after Rishabh Pant’s injury, and made his maiden Test hundred, while Jadeja capped his stellar series with the bat. Much as it frustrated England, both players deserved centuries, and had earned the right to make them.Stokes’ bowling fitness was uncertain overnight: he did not bowl at all on the fourth day after a heavy workload in the series – and a five-wicket haul in the first innings – having retired hurt during his century. But he shared the old ball with Liam Dawson early in the day and threatened to break the game open, creating two early chances in an eight-over spell.He grimaced after every ball he bowled and repeatedly stretched out his right shoulder, but Stokes bowled with good pace and found variable bounce on a good length outside the right-handers’ off stump. He had Gill dropped early on, Ollie Pope failing to cling on to a stinger at short cover, but then trapped Rahul on the back pad to have him lbw for 90.It was a brilliant spell, one which exposed just how much England had missed his bowling on the fourth evening. Stokes was in pain, then inflicted some on his opposite number: he found some steep bounce to strike Gill on the helmet – via the glove – with a lifter which exploded from a good length.3:12

‘Would they have walked off?’ – Gambhir on Stokes’ draw offer

But Gill pressed on, steering Chris Woakes through the off side then yelping in celebration as he brought up his fourth century of the tour. His dismissal, edging Jofra Archer behind, represented an opening, not least when Jadeja edged his first ball to first slip. But Joe Root put the catch down, and England hardly created another chance all day.Dawson wheeled away for 47 overs in the second innings and bowled tightly, but rarely threatened the edge, and the seamers had nothing to work with: Archer exchanged tense words with his captain over a field change, Woakes bowled slower balls into the rough, Brydon Carse was hardly seen, and Stokes bowled only three overs after lunch.Jadeja and Washington had 89 and 80, respectively, when Stokes offered a draw, but Gill looked out steadfastly through the dressing-room window. It prompted Brook to bowl some filth, and both batters reached three figures off his bowling: Jadeja roared in celebration on reaching his by lofting a straight six, while Washington raised his arms as he sauntered back for two.It made for a strange end to a compelling Test match. Only 24 wickets fell across the five days, and the finish was an anti-climax. But the fraying tempers were the result of India’s resistance across five sessions of determined batting. It seemed unfathomable on Saturday afternoon, but they will head to The Oval believing that they can snatch a series draw.

Karun Nair feels “very grateful and fortunate” to have another shot at Test cricket, eight years after he last played in the format.Nair, 33, strengthened his case for a return to the playing XI by scoring a double-century for India A against the England Lions in the first unofficial Test last week in Canterbury.”Feels really special,” Nair told BCCI.tv. “[I’m] Very grateful and fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again. Looking forward to grabbing this opportunity with both hands.”Related

• Kuldeep on Test captain Gill: 'He's fully ready to lead us'

• 'There's some quality energy' as India take on India A behind closed doors

• Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep and Karun Nair in India's Test squad for England tour

• Gill embraces clarity, security and comfort as he gets ready for Test captaincy

• Why India picked Nair and Arshdeep and left out Sarfaraz and Shami

Nair’s return comes on the back of a mountain of runs for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 season. He made 863 runs at 53.93 in a title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign. Before that, Nair had an impressive 50-over season, hitting five hundreds in eight innings at an average of 389.50 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.At a press conference to announce the Test squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited Nair’s strong domestic performances and familiarity with English conditions as key reasons for his selection. Nair played ten County Championship matches across two seasons (2023-2024) for Northamptonshire, scoring 736 runs at 56.61.”Comebacks are never easy,” head coach Gautam Gambhir told the Test squad prior to their first training session. “The amount of runs you’ve got, the never-give-up attitude – it’s inspiring for the entire team. Welcome back, Karun Nair.”Wednesday marked Nair’s return to the Indian dressing room for the first time since the summer of 2018, when he spent the entire five-match series in England on the bench. His only glimmer of hope on that tour, just before the final Test at The Oval, was dashed when the selectors flew in Hanuma Vihari, who was not part of the original squad, from India and handed him a debut.2:39

Agarkar: Karun’s experience was factor in selection

At the time, Nair had played six Tests for India and had turned his maiden century into a triple-hundred. But this snub took a toll – his domestic form plummeted, runs dried up and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic left him at crossroads. Having been dropped from the Karnataka squad across formats, Nair spent an entire season on the sidelines.His comeback, in many ways, began in England in June 2023. Having made a plea to the game for a second chance, he took up a short stint with Burbage & ER Cricket Club in East Wiltshire in the minor counties, where he scored two hundreds and a half-century in eight innings.A week after he returned home, he received a phone call from a former manager asking if he was available to play in the county circuit. Nair jumped at the opportunity; a valid visa courtesy his club cricket stint allowed him to arrive almost immediately.KL Rahul, Nair’s good friend and Karnataka team-mate, spoke of how his time in England at the time had been lonely and tough.”I’ve known him for a very long time,” Rahul said. “The months he has spent here in the UK playing cricket and how hard and how lonely it was. For him to be able to do all of that and come back into the Indian team is special for him and his family, and friends like us who’ve seen his journey.”It’s very inspiring as well. Hopefully his experience and learnings from country cricket here will hold him in good stead when he plays the Test matches.”Eight years on, as Nair stands on the brink of a comeback, the reality of it still hasn’t completely sunk in.”Not sure actually,” he said of the prospect of returning to India’s starting XI. “I’ll have to experience that feeling myself, just go out there and feel it for myself. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of feelings, ones that I can’t express right now. It’ll be a surreal feeling.”

While Leeds United fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss on the road at Fulham on Saturday, Sunderland battled to a hard-fought draw at nearby Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats have only lost one of their opening four matches in the league, too, with this battling draw away at Selhurst Park the first point picked up on their travels, which will surely only boost the confidence even more as they bid to beat the drop.

Granit Xhaka impressed once more from the middle of the park as Sunderland’s warrior centrally, with the decision to instantly gift the ex-Arsenal man the captain’s armband appearing to be a masterstroke.

Xhaka's performance in numbers vs Palace

The Swiss enforcer joining the building for £17m this summer did look to be a mightily impressive pick-up before the football had even got underway. After all, this is a player who had once scored nine and assisted seven goals in a solitary campaign for Arsenal.

Now, it certainly looks to be a top purchase for a Sunderland side attempting to make survival look a breeze.

Indeed, Xhaka backed up a standout performance against Brentford, which saw him pick up an assist, with a far more attritional effort away at the Eagles.

Indeed, alongside Robin Roefs heroically keeping the ball out of his net with six big saves, Xhaka would come up trumps, rolling his sleeves up and doing the dirty work, winning a high ten duels and completing eight clearances, meaning Palace were limited in their approach.

However, Xhaka wasn’t the only one figure after the dust had settled on the hard-fought draw that was receiving many a plaudit, with a new recruit defensively sticking out, having been heralded as an “unreal” bit of business by journalist Michael Graham after the full-time whistle was blown.

Le Bris' biggest coup after Xhaka

It was expected that Xhaka was going to be a success, considering the 32-year-old already had a mammoth 225 Premier League games in his back pocket.

On the contrary, Nordi Mukiele might well have been viewed as needing more time to acclimatise to the tough division, having only ever plied his trade in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, before making the late switch to England this summer.

However, it’s clear from his opening two games in the heart of Le Bris’ defence that the Frenchman was born for the fight of the Premier League.

Mukiele’s opening two matches in numbers
Stat	(vs Brentford)	(vs Palace)
Minutes played	90	90
Goals scored	0	0
Assists	0	0
Touches	84	72
Accurate passes	49/55 (89%)	43/50 (86%)
Clearances	9	7
Total tackles	5	2
Total duels won	12/16	3/4
Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that adding Mukiele for just £12m could now go down as a sensational coup on the same level as Xhaka, with a remarkable 15 duels already won by the gritty 27-year-old across his first two near faultless starts.

With just 13 passes misdirected too, it’s clear that the ex-Bayer Leverkusen defender – who would have known Xhaka at the BayArena – is cut out for the tough fight ahead, having reduced Jean Philippe-Mateta, who is revered for being a handful, to just 31 touches of the ball and one paltry duel won at Selhurst Park.

Having previously shone in the Champions League, it shouldn’t be a shock that Mukiele has instantly settled in. The Premier League can be a tricky beast to adjust to, but the early proof indicates that it’s a phenomenal capture.

Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson certainly agrees, with a glowing 9/10 post-match rating handed to the brand new number 20 after he ‘completely shut down’ the threat of Mateta.

With the French defender further heralded as “outstanding” by the aforementioned Graham, the hope will be that both Mukiele and Xhaka can continue to be crucial parts of Le Bris’ machine, as survival is triumphantly secured without any real worries seeping in.

Le Bris could unleash his own Mateta in Sunderland's “one man machine”

Regis Le Bris could unleash Sunderland’s very own Jean-Philippe Mateta for his side’s away test at Crystal Palace.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 13, 2025

Crystal Palace are now closely monitoring an EFL star, who has made a flying start to the new campaign, ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

Palace looking to repeat successful EFL recruitment strategy

Palace have enjoyed a great deal of success when recruiting players from the EFL in recent years, with Michael Olise joining from Reading, before going on to make 90 appearances for the club, chipping in with 16 goals and 25 assists.

Adam Wharton is another player who has gone from strength-to-strength since joining from Blackburn Rovers, with Marc Guehi describing his teammate as “unbelievable.”

Perhaps one of the most important signings in the Eagles’ history also came from the Championship, with Eberechi Eze arriving from Queens Park Rangers back in 2020, going on to score the winning goal in the 2025 FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Recruiting from the lower leagues has also proven to be a savvy strategy from a business point of view, with Eze joining Arsenal in a £67.5m deal in the summer, having arrived at Selhurst Park for a fee of just £19.5m.

Related Deal "agreed and sealed" for Crystal Palace to sign goalscoring midfielder

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Consequently, it is no wonder Steve Parish & co are eager to bring in more up-and-coming EFL talents, and they have are in the race for West Bromwich Albion’s Isaac Price, according to a report from EFL Analysis.

The report states Price is attracting widespread interest, with the likes of Burnley, Brentford, Leeds United and Fulham also being named as potential suitors, so there could be fierce competition for the central midfielder’s signature.

West Brom have a battle of their hands trying to keep hold of the 21-year-old, who arrived at The Hawthorns for just £2m last January, with Palace closely monitoring his progress ahead of potentially making a move as soon as the January transfer window.

"Amazing" Price has made flying start to the campaign

Under the helm of new manager Ryan Mason, the Northern Irishman has made a fantastic start to the new campaign, having already bagged three goals in the Championship, while also chipping in with one assist.

As such, the Pontefract-born midfielder could be capable of playing a leading role in the Baggies’ push for promotion, having found his feet in the Championship following a spell with Standard Liege in Belgium after leaving Everton.

It is starting to look like a bad decision from the Toffees to let the youngster’s contract run down, particularly considering he was showing promising signs at Goodison Park, with Frank Lampard once saying: “His energy is amazing, wins a lot of second balls & is calm when he gets there. Finds passes & pockets which is natural knack.”

However, Everton’s loss could be Crystal Palace’s gain, as Price clearly looks like he is ready to make the step-up to the Premier League, and a January move to Selhurst Park is likely to be an attractive proposition, considering how Eze and Olise’s careers took off.

Tottenham Hotspur are maintaining their push for new signings and have no intention of stopping after sealing a £52 million deal for Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

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Simons has been announced as Spurs’ latest summer acquisition following an “overnight” agreement in the very early hours of Friday morning (Fabrizio Romano) – gifting Thomas Frank with a versatile new attacking player.

Mohammed Kudus

£55 million

Xavi Simons

£52 million

Kota Takai

£5 million

Mathys Tel

£30 million

Joao Palhinha

Loan

Kevin Danso

£21 million

The 22-year-old, who bagged 11 goals and eight assists over 33 appearances in all competitions last season, despite suffering an ankle ligament injury which kept him out for two months, comes to north London with bags of potential.

Chelsea were in talks to sign Simons for weeks, and even agreed personal terms with the Dutchman before Tottenham swooped in and hijacked their deal – just over a week after Arsenal did the same thing to them with Eberechi Eze.

Simons is capable of dazzling both as a winger and in the middle as a playmaker, meaning Tottenham could well decide to bring in another CAM and put the Dutchman out wide, or at the very least sign another attacking player who can interchange roles with their newest recruit.

Spurs still want to make another forward signing before the 7pm deadline on Monday, so this could be one to watch out for, and it is believed that they’re also in the market for a centre-back.

Radu Dragusin is still recovering from a torn ACL and has been running on grass for weeks, but while he’s expected to return to first-team training soon, it’ll be a long while before he’s fully match fit (Alasdair Gold).

This means that signing another central defender is viewed as a key item on Tottenham’s to-do list as we approach the transfer cut-off, with Man City defender Manuel Akanji now emerging as a top target.

The Switzerland international (30) has just two years left on his contract and Galatasaray already have a financial agreement with City, but Akanji is taking his time to decide his next move and Spurs could well tempt him (Jack Gaughan).

However, there is also stiff competition from AC Milan, who’ve made a verbal proposal to Pep Guardiola’s side (Fabrizio Romano).

Tottenham in talks to sign Manuel Akanji from Man City

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, Tottenham are in talks for Akanji too, and the £180,000-per-week defender is intrigued by the prospect of a move to N17.

Akanji likes the idea of a San Siro move as well, but the Rossoneri face a major roadblock in the form of his wages. The centre-back’s salary isn’t an issue for Tottenham, though, who have a slender advantage in the race for his signature as a result.

The former Borussia Dortmund ace joined City in what turned out to be one of their biggest ever bargains in 2022, with Akanji becoming one of Guardiola’s mainstay defenders in their 2023 treble-winning season.

He’s started at least 23 Premier League games in every single campaign he’s been at Eastlands, and his experience would be invaluable to Frank in case one of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero succumbs to injury this term – which is very likely to be the case if we go off the last two years.

حقق منتخب نيجيريا الفوز على نظيره بنين، بنتيجة 4-0، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما، اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم، إلا أنه فقد فرصة التأهل المباشر إلى المونديال.

منتخبا نيجيريا وبنين تواجها، ضمن مباريات الجولة العاشرة والأخيرة من منافسات المجموعة الثالثة للتصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026.

وسجل اللاعب فيكتور أوسيمين هاتريك لـ منتخب نيجيريا، وأضاف الهدف الرابع فرانك أونيكا، ليصل منتخب نيجيريا إلى النقطة 17 ويحتل المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة.

وضمن نفس المجموعة، فاز منتخب جنوب إفريقيا على رواندا 3-0، ليتأهل منتخب البافانا بافانا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم ويفقد منتخب نيجيريا فرصة التأهل المباشر إلى المونديال.

طالع | المنتخبات الإفريقية المتأهلة لـ كأس العالم 2026 

وينتظر منتخب نيجيريا نهاية مباريات التصفيات، لمعرفة مصيره بالتواجد في الملحق القاري المؤهل إلى كأس العالم، بين 4 منتخبات ستكون أفضل من احتلت المركز الثاني في المجموعات التسعة.

منتخب نيجيريا يتواجد في المجموعة الثالثة لـ تصفيات كأس العالم بجانب منتخبات جنوب إفريقيا وبنين ورواندا وليسوتو وزيمبابوي. ترتيب مجموعة نيجيريا وجنوب إفريقيا في تصفيات كأس العالم

1- جنوب إفريقيا، 18 نقطة.

2- نيجيريا، 17 نقطة.

3- بنين، 17 نقطة.

4- ليسوتو، 12 نقطة.

5- رواندا، 11 نقطة.

6- زيمبابوي، 5 نقاط. أهداف مباراة نيجيريا وبنين اليوم في تصفيات كأس العالم

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard came up against some of the world’s best players during his career, both in the Premier League, the Champions League and the World Cup with England.

Regarded as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders of all time, Gerrard was hailed by Zinedine Zidane, who called the Liverpool icon the ‘best in the world’ and wanted Real Madrid to sign him.

Steven Gerrard said Arsenal star was the Premier League 'GOAT' and better than Ronaldo

The Liverpool legend weighed in on the debate…

By
Ben Goodwin

May 21, 2025

Jose Mourinho was also a huge fan of Gerrard and tried to bring him to Chelsea, whereas Wayne Rooney called the Liverpool star his greatest ever England teammate.

But who impressed Gerrard on the pitch? Italian icons Gianluigi Buffon and Paolo Maldini made up two of his dream five-a-side team and Gerrard then named ‘the three best players’ he played against during his 18-year career to finish his list.

There is no room for former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

3

Zinedine Zidane

France icon Zinedine Zidane stole the show in the only time he faced Gerrard at Euro 2004.

The Three Lions and Gerrard looked to be on their way to a Group B win thanks to a Frank Lampard goal before Zidane scored a brilliant free-kick in injury time.

The attacking midfielder then scored a penalty to win it for France in the 93rd minute, with Gerrard describing Zidane as a “freak”.

2

Lionel Messi

No shocks to see Lionel Messi as one of Gerrard’s toughest opponents he has faced. Back in the 2006/07 season, Liverpool came up against Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16.

Barcelona won 1-0 at Anfield in the first leg, however, the Reds famously defeated the Catalan giants 2-1 at the Nou Camp to progress after goals from Craig Bellamy and John Arne Rise.

Years Messi has won the Ballon d’Or	Club
2009	Barcelona
2010	Barcelona
2011	Barcelona
2012	Barcelona
2015	Barcelona
2019	Barcelona
2021	Barcelona
2023	Inter Miami

Messi, who was still 19 at the time, failed to score or provide an assist in either game, but Gerrard was impressed with what he saw that day and the subsequent years from the Argentine.

1

Ronaldinho

Rounding off Gerrard’s toughest trio he has faced is Ronaldinho, who was also in the Barcelona side that Liverpool overcame in the 06/07 Champions League.

Gerrard also faced Ronaldinho on the international stage on two occasions, with Brazil and England drawing 1-1 in 2007. The Three Lions then won 2-1 in 2013, with Joe Hart actually saving a penalty from Ronaldinho.

Despite that, Gerrard was often left stunned with the skilful South American, saying:

Granit Xhaka is now officially a Sunderland player.

It had been the talk of the town on Wearside for some time, with the deal having a will he won’t he quality to it, but the Black Cats have managed to successfully pull off the statement move by securing the former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder’s services for £17m.

Well-versed in what it takes to be a success in the Premier League, too, this really does feel like a coup on the end of the Black Cats to land such a recognised top-flight performer.

They aren’t done here, however, when it comes to raiding the Bundesliga for some exciting talents, as another midfielder remains on their shopping list from Germany.

Sunderland in race to sign £26m sensation

The Premier League newcomers have been casting their net all across Europe this summer to date, with Habib Diarra joining Regis Le Bris’ camp from Strasbourg for a whopping £30m, on top of Noah Sadiki leaving Belgium behind for the challenge of the English game.

Up next, it looks as if Sunderland are going to win themselves a brand-new goalkeeper from the Netherlands, with reports suggesting that NEC Nijmegen stopper Robin Roefs will link up with Xhaka and Co. very soon for around the £11.5m mark.

Then, their attentions might well shift back to Leverkusen, with journalist Julien Laurens revealing via X that Le Bris’ side have now entered the race for Amine Adli’s signature, alongside fellow top-flight outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It would reportedly cost the Black Cats in the region of £26m to land Adli, who is also believed to be prioritising a move to England, over sticking it out at Erik ten Hag’s men.

Over time, Adli could even go on to establish himself as a bigger talent than Simon Adingra at the Stadium of Light, as Le Bris’ options down either flank grow more plentiful by the day.

How Adli could become a bigger talent than Adingra

Adingra is up and running in Sunderland red and white, having fired home a strike against Hull City last time out in a pre-season runout.

The expectation will be that he can instantly take the Premier League by storm after gaining these valuable minutes in pre-season, having already tallied up eight strikes in the relentless division from 60 outings for ex-employers Brighton and Hove Albion.

However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the 23-year-old on the South Coast, with Adingra only averaging 40 minutes of Premier League action on average last season, as he tumbled down the pecking order under Fabian Hurzeler.

Whilst Adli has also suffered from minimal first-team opportunities at the BayArena – with only six Bundesliga starts coming his way last campaign – his numbers have never really stalled, as the English top-flight now opens up as a daring next step for the Moroccan forward.

24/25

28

2

2

23/24

42

10

12

22/23

38

7

6

21/22

34

4

4

Despite Xabi Alonso utilising him far less last season, Adli would still manage to reach the same number of goals and assists Adingra registered at Brighton in one fewer clash, on top of also boasting 47 goal contributions full stop for Leverkusen from 142 contests. Adingra, on the contrary, only collected 17 for the Seagulls, albeit from 68 fewer clashes.

Therefore, with that wealth of experience on his side, which has also seen him tally up four goals and four assists in the Europa League previously, the “electric” winger – as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – could well get the starting nudge by Le Bris to line up down the left over the Ivorian.

Once also lauded for possessing an “outstanding” pass by ex-Leverkusen teammate Mousa Diaby, Adli could further be the spark that gets more out of the Sunderland bodies around him, as his new potential side attempts to make survival look comfortable, as opposed to an all-consuming chore.

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