Arne Slot sat and beamed at the reporters in front of him. The mood had shifted considerably from the pre-match press conference only one week before, when Liverpool prepared for the visit of Aston Villa, having lost four Premier League matches in a row.

Now, the Reds have established the foundation of a revival, having beaten off the Villans and then produced a resounding display to sink Real Madrid in the Champions League. The 1-0 win could have been heftier, save for the many saves of Thibaut Courtois between the sticks.

Liverpool looked like themselves, and we haven’t been able to say that all too often this term. Slicker in attack, far more robust and steely in midfield, whilst the defence kept the likes of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe at bay.

Some, such as Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, still feel improvements are needed in defence, and it might be that Liverpool require external reinforcements, having failed in their efforts to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace last summer.

A deal for the England international may yet materialise, but Liverpool have widened their scope.

Liverpool preparing to sign a centre-back

Liverpool have not been at the races defensively this season, shipping far too many goals across the opening months of the campaign. The past few fixtures have indeed rebalanced the equilibrium, but time will tell whether this is a false dawn or a sustained return to form.

Despite summer recruit Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury on his debut, the Reds have the resources at the back to achieve their goals this year. However, Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of the term and is being considered by Real Madrid. Virgil van Dijk is here until the end of next season at the least, but the skipper is 34 years old and a replacement will need to be signed.

Guehi was earmarked as the man for the job, but that deal fell through on deadline day after Crystal Palace failed to land a replacement.

Liverpool remain keen, but Guehi, who is a free agent in June, is now being chased by a whole host of top European outfits, and so sporting director Richard Hughes has found an exciting alternative with a wealth of Premier League experience.

And that man is Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, who, according to Italian outlet L’Interista, is emerging as a candidate for the centre-back vacancy on Merseyside. Inter Milan are also keen on striking a deal.

Rumour has it that the 28-year-old is available for a relatively affordable €35m (about £31m) fee, too. FSG will maintain their pursuit of Guehi, sure, but Konsa could be a fantastic alternative, and perhaps even a better fit.

What Ezri Konsa would offer Liverpool

Guehi is a talented Premier League player. He is composed on the ball and adventurous in the right moments. He picks and chooses, and he gets it right.

But he is rivalled in this by Konsa, who has actually been described as “one of the best CBs in the world” by journalist Joe Mulberry. Villa’s Three Lions star is not quite so outgoing with his passing, but he is as sharp as a tack and always aware of his surroundings.

Indeed, Konsa is one of the strongest defenders in the duel out there. By placing him alongside Van Dijk or Konate or whoever, Slot’s side will only improve, sending a tactical throughline into the midfield and then to the attack.

Ezri Konsa’s Duel Success in the Premier League

Season

Apps

Duel Success

25/26

9

60%

24/25

34

69%

23/24

35

76%

22/23

38

72%

21/22

29

64%

20/21

36

68%

19/20

25

57%

Data via Sofascore

Guehi is a commanding challenger himself, but the 6 foot talent hasn’t always been the most convincing aerially. As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old only won 54% of his aerial duels in the Premier League last year, albeit having improved in this metric across ten fixtures so far this season.

But Konsa is more convincing in this regard, and partnered alongside a more expansive defender beside him, he might even prove the perfect addition to Slot’s backline. The Dutch coach is all about control, after all, and thus Konsa might hold the key to lasting success.

The Englishman is hardly one-dimensional, though. Konsa is so composed and intelligent on the ball, with Aston Villa writer Ryan McKeown hailing him as a “possession-retaining monster” for Unai Emery’s outfit.

In this, he could excel under Slot’s wing, providing a rhythm from defence and into the centre of the park, keeping things simple while ferrying the ball forward consistently.

Moreover, he is accomplished in a four-man backline, whereas Guehi has principally played in a back-three under Oliver Glasner’s wing at Selhurst Park. Guehi is adaptable, for sure, but might it be that Konsa’s playing style would allow him to sail more smoothly into Slot’s project on Merseyside?

Given that he has played a healthy share of football at right-back, Konsa also boasts versatility that could please Slot. Inverted full-backs are becoming more common in football, and the Villa man’s more pragmatic style suits the role he would be designated to perform. No defender in the Premier League boasts a higher pass completion rate this season than Konsa (94.8%).

Liverpool need to sign a central defender in 2026. This much is clear. However, as we have seen this season, an influx of players from overseas has hampered the fluency that was so effectively strung together last year. Konsa has only gone from strength to strength since joining Villa Park from

He has made 208 appearances in the Premier League, and he is at the top of his game. Guehi would be a credit to Liverpool’s squad, but Konsa might be the better fit, a shrewd signing whose skills would raise the level o those Liverpool players around him.

Related Slot has just found the new Gini Wijnaldum in "special" Liverpool star

Liverpool produced a show-stopping performance to send Real Madrid packing in the Champions League.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman was dubbed “utterly embarrassing” after the role he played in Brentford’s third goal on another afternoon to forget for the Magpies on their travels.

Tierney took centre-stage, the former denying Brentford what looked a clear penalty for a foul by Dan Burn – instead booking Dango Ouattara for a dive – and the latter surprisingly agreeing.

But, lo and behold, a few minutes later when Ouattara went down again under Burn’s challenge, Attwell this time pointed to the spot and showed the hapless Burn a second yellow card.

Igor Thiago rolled in the penalty and added a third in stoppage time to condemn Newcastle to more misery on their travels on the fourth anniversary of Eddie Howe’s appointment as manager.

The big controversy erupted when Ouattara tumbled, Burn protested his innocence and Attwell waved away Brentford claims for a spot-kick and flashed the yellow card instead.

Replays showed Burn had clearly made contact with Ouattara’s foot before he went down but Tierney upheld Attwell’s decision, “minimal contact” was the official explanation.

Then came the reprise; Ouattara brought down again by Burn. This one was maybe less convincing, but Attwell pointed to the spot.

Sven Botman dubbed "utterly embarrassing" in Newcastle defeat

A lot of the blame will be put on Burn for his second yellow card and the penalty that he conceded as a result, but the rest of the Newcastle squad didn’t exactly enjoy excellent outings, either. Nick Woltemade came away with an assist, but largely struggled to make the ball stick for the Magpies going forward and Sven Botman looked a shadow of his best self.

At the centre of criticism, Sky Sports’ commentary team took aim at Botman after Thiago scored his second of the afternoon, saying: “Sven Botman, I don’t think he knows that Thiago is behind him, he thinks Ramsdale is coming, he stops running, it’s going to end a sorry afternoon this for the Geordies.”

The criticism didn’t end there, either. Newcastle reporter Joel Bland dubbed Botman “utterly embarrassing” for Brentford’s third and final goal – a verdict that is hard to dispute.

The Dutchman was all too casual before Thiago took full advantage to leave Newcastle on just three Premier League wins in their opening 10 games. Alan Shearer accused the Newcastle squad of being “lazy” when they lost 3-1 against West Ham United last week. Now, a week later, Botman has been accused of not running.

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Whilst they continue to thrive in the Champions League, Newcastle remain in the bottom-half of England’s top tier following a disastrous start.

Newcastle have "one of the best teen prospects" & he can surpass Woltemade

Selectors name 14-man squad for three matches on September 17, 19 and 21

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2025Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, is in line to make his senior Ireland debut against England later this month, but senior seamers Josh Little and Mark Adair are both absent from their 14-man squad for the three-match T20I series at Malahide.Calitz moved to Ireland in 2022, having been born in Vancouver, Canada, and has since represented Munster Reds and Northern Knights in the Inter-Provincial Series, before being selected for the Ireland Wolves tour of the UAE in April.He is the only uncapped player in the squad, captained by Paul Stirling, that includes three returning players in Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher and Craig Young, all of whom proved their fitness in the recent Emerald Challenge series.However, Little and Adair are notable absentees. Little, the left-arm quick, has been struggling with a side injury that he aggravated while playing for Middlesex in the One-Day Cup, and has played just one competitive fixture since July.Adair, meanwhile, underwent knee surgery in August, with a view to being fit for Ireland’s Test tour of Bangladesh in November. Fionn Hand, the seamer who featured in Ireland’s one-off Test against England at Lord’s in 2023, is also absent through injury.The squad will play three T20Is on September 17, 19 and 21, against an England team that will be led for the first time by Jacob Bethell, the 21-year-old who is fresh from scoring his maiden professional century in the third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. Although the matches form part of the build-up to the forthcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February, England’s squad will be lacking several senior players who are being rested ahead of the Ashes tour of Australia, which gets underway in November.Andrew White, Ireland’s national men’s selector, said: “While every match against England is a special occasion, this series takes on extra importance given we are less than six months out from the next T20 World Cup. These matches against England offer us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s best teams as we build-up to that tournament.”As it stands, we are set to play as many T20I matches in the next five months as we have already played in this cycle to date, but we’ll transition to Asian and Middle East venues to better prepare the squad for conditions they will likely face on the subcontinent.”While it’s unfortunate that Mark [Adair], Fionn [Hand] and Josh [Little] are not available, this series will give several other members of the bowling group the chance to step up and challenge for World Cup spots.”While we have excellent cover at the top of the order, it is the middle order batting where we are looking to increase our depth. As part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad – who gives us a left-handed batting option, as well as wicketkeeping cover – and Jordan Neill returns as cover for Mark Adair, as he did in the West Indies ODI series earlier this summer before injury cut his debut short.”The series will be the first in which Ireland has hosted England in T20Is, and the Sunday fixture is already sold out. The two teams have only met twice before in the format; a wash-out during the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean, and a five-run victory for Ireland at Melbourne during the 2022 T20 World Cup. Coincidentally, England went on to lift the trophy on both occasions.Ireland squad: Paul Stirling (capt), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

تحدث محمد النني، لاعب وسط منتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب 2025، قبل مواجهة الإمارات في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات.

وقال النني، عبر المؤتمر الصحفي: “نحن مستعدون منذ قبل البطولة، ونعلم جيدًا أنها بطولة كبيرة ومهمة”.

وتابع: “بالنسبة لنا كعرب، نحب الفوز بمثل هذه البطولات وأن تكون بيننا منافسة قوية والحمد لله، في المباراة الماضية قدمنا أداءً جيدًا، لكن لم نوفق في تسجيل العديد من الأهداف”.

طالع.. ترتيب مجموعات كأس العرب 2025 بعد نهاية الجولة الأولى

وواصل: “الكابتن حلمي تحدث معنا بعد المباراة، وقال إننا قمنا بما علينا، وأغلقنا تلك الصفحة، ونركز الآن على المنتخب الإماراتي، ونتابعهم لمعرفة نقاط القوة والضعف والعمل عليها، ونحن جاهزون 100% للقيام بشيء كبير في المباراة القادمة”.

وأكمل محمد النني: “حتى لو لم ألعب في الدوري الإماراتي، بالتأكيد سأتابع منتخب الإمارات، وهناك لاعبين منهم يلعبون معي في فريقي وقد تحدثت مع زملائي ومع كابتن حلمي بخصوص معظمهم ونقاط قوتهم وضعفهم وطريقة لعبهم”.

وأتم: “أعرفهم جيدًا، وسأتحدث مع اللاعبين الآخرين إذا كنت أستطيع إفادتهم بأي شيء في المباراة، وهي مهمة بالنسبة لنا، ولدينا طموحات للوصول إلى أبعد نقطة ممكنة في البطولة”.

The Boston Red Sox are expected to place pitcher Dustin May on the 15-day injured list with an undisclosed injury, and No. 6 prospect Connelly Early is being called up from Triple A Worcester to make his major league debut on Tuesday against the Athletics, according to a report from Foul Territory.

The 23-year-old Early was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth-round of the 2023 MLB amateur draft out of the University of Virginia, and has flown through the minor league system.

Early began the 2025 season in Double A Portland, going 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA. He earned a promotion to Triple A Worcester and has continued his stellar season, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.83 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched.

The Red Sox enter Tuesday with an 80-65 record and sit in third-place in a hotly contested American League East. Boston is three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

Two-time All-Star Shane Bieber is set to return to the mound this week.

Bieber, who has not played in over a year since undergoing Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL last April, will make his Blue Jays debut on Friday at Miami, manager John Schneider told reporters. Bieber has recently completed seven starts as part of his rehab assignment, posting a 1.89 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 29 innings.

Bieber was traded to Toronto in July at the deadline after previously spending his entire career with Cleveland, and will begin pitching for a Blue Jays' team that is second in wins and fourth in strikeouts, but just 23rd in ERA. He joins the rotation a little over a month before the end of the regular season, as the Blue Jays lead the American League East with a 73-52 record.

The 30-year-old pitcher has been one of the best starters in the league when healthy. In the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, his best campaign, Bieber went 8-1 with a league-leading 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts and won the triple crown and Cy Young award. When he last saw significant playing time in 2023, he went 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras derrotou o Cuiabá por 2 a 0 neste domingo (5), na Arena Pantanal, em partida válida pela quinta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Lázaro, nos acréscimos da primeira etapa, e Estêvão, que brilhou no segundo tempo do duelo, marcaram os gols do Verdão.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Com o resultado, a equipe comandada por Abel Ferreira chegou aos oito pontos e saltou para a sexta colocação. O Dourado, por sua vez, segue pontuar na competição e ocupa a última posição na tabela de classificação.

SAIBA COMO FOI O JOGO:

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
CUIABÁ 0 X 2 PALMEIRAS
BRASILEIRÃO – 5ª RODADA

🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 5 de maio de 2024, às 18h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Arena Pantanal, no Mato Grosso (MT)
📺 Onde assistir: Premiere
🟨 Árbitro: Bruno Arleu de Araújo
🚩 Assistentes: Thiago Henrique Neto Correa Farinha e Luiz Cláudio Regazone
🖥️ VAR: Charly Wendy Straub Deretti 

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⚽ ESCALAÇÕES

CUIABÁ (Técnico: Petit)
Walter; Gabriel, Marllon e Alan Empereur; Matheus Alexandre, Fernando Sobral, Denilson e Ramon; Lucas Fernandes, Derik Lacerda e Pitta.

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gómez e Murilo; Luis Guilherme, Menino, Aníbal Moreno e Piquerez; Lázaro, Endrick e Rony.

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Tudo sobre

BrasileirãoCuiabáFutebol NacionalPalmeiras

The India vs Pakistan World Cup game could well go the way of the Australia vs Sri Lanka game on the previous day

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-20252:44

Should India be wary of Pakistan’s left-arm spinners?

Could rain affect India vs Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday? The day in Colombo started with the sun out, happily for fans waiting to watch on TV or at the R Premadasa Stadium, but word is that things might change quickly, and a severely rain-affected match isn’t ruled out.The weather in Colombo has been a matter of interest and concern, especially after the washout in Saturday’s game between Australia and Sri Lanka without a ball bowled. Will it be the same on Sunday, taking out arguably the most anticipated contest in the tournament? The morning didn’t suggest so, but the forecast is of showers through the day. The fact that it has been a dry morning “doesn’t mean anything”, locals say, since the north-east monsoon appears to have arrived in Sri Lanka before schedule.On Saturday, the skies didn’t look too bad – certainly not as gloomy as on Friday – and the signs were positive when Australia and Sri Lanka walked out before the scheduled toss time to look at the ground. But even the toss wasn’t possible as the rain picked up quickly and, even though the whole ground was covered quickly, the match had to be called off about two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start time (3pm local).India, the hosts of the tournament, and Pakistan go into the match with contrasting results behind them. India beat Sri Lanka in the tournament opener in Guwahati on September 30 by 59 runs (rain had reduced that to a 47-overs-a-side game too) and Pakistan lost their opening game to Bangladesh by seven wickets in Colombo.

Shreyas Iyer believes that going back to a more upright stance has helped him counter extra bounce. He has used this “new” stance – adapted from one he used in the past – in domestic cricket, against Australia A, and now, in the ODI series in Australia. While India scratched around on a seaming pitch in the second ODI in Adelaide, Iyer negotiated the tough spells, scoring 61 off 77.Iyer’s game against short-pitched bowling at high pace has always been a talking point. Not part of India’s Test or T20I sides, Iyer spent the time off working on his game to counter extra bounce. “Since last year, I wanted to have an upright stance [for conditions] where the bounce is a little bit more than expected,” he said.”And based on that, I worked with my coach and we developed this new technique, and it was kind of suiting me pretty well. And the way I grew up playing, it was very much that I predominantly had an upright stance, and I just was like, ‘Let’s go back to my old technique and see how it, you know, [holds] up.'”So, yeah, I backed myself and then, from there on, I started [trying the technique] in the domestic [games]… Till now, I’ve been continuing with the same stance.”Related

• Australia aim for historic ODI sweep against India

• Calm and composed Connolly showcases his worth

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Iyer grew up batting with this upright stance, but perhaps the back injuries he has battled made him make changes. “Even in Mumbai, when we play on red-soil wickets – where the bounce is a little bit extra than expected – I think it helps with the upright stance,” Iyer said.”And yeah, you’ve got to keep chopping and changing every now and then, because you don’t play on the same wickets [all the time]. Whatever the wicket demands, you’ve got to change your stance accordingly, and I think I’ve changed so many stances [that] I’m able to adapt anywhere at the moment.”Iyer last played for India during their undefeated Champions Trophy campaign in the UAE in March. Since then, he has played the IPL, two first-class matches, and then captained India A in the three one-day matches against Australia A. At some point during this break, he reached the conclusion that his body, at the moment, is not supporting his first-class cricket, prompting him to request the BCCI for a six-month break from red-ball cricket.”When I played red-ball cricket after the IPL, I realised that if I field for long spells on the ground, my intensity starts to go down. And the intensity that you need to maintain in international cricket, I wasn’t able to match up to it. In ODIs, you know you will get rest after one day and be able to recover. Not in Tests. That is why I made that call, and conveyed that message.”

Another week, another dollar for Liverpool. Up next is an Anfield clash against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, and Arne Slot knows he has to win this one.

That should go without saying, of course, but the fact of the matter is that Liverpool have lost eight of their past 11 matches across all competitions, and two of their past three at Anfield.

A big response is needed, and curiously, it feels like there’s a good chance that will be delivered against the Dutch side. Whether it will be sustained is another matter, though, and Slot needs to find and instil a formula that can be carried back over to the Premier League, with West Ham United waiting in London on Sunday.

The Reds have to overcome their current malaise, and maybe they need to start Alexander Isak once again.

Why Isak should start vs PSV

Hugo Ekitike is waiting in the wings, and having been Liverpool’s most efficient forward this season, may well be disheartened by being benched once again here, especially after his side and Isak produced a staggeringly bad performance at the weekend against Nottingham Forest.

The Sweden striker, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United for a British record £125m fee on transfer deadline day this summer, has not yet scored in the Premier League, his only goal coming against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

The 26-year-old is one of the best strikers in the world and a proven behemoth in England. But it’s not worked out thus far, and Slot has to find some answers – quickly.

Liverpool cannot allow this rut to devolve into something more permanent. Already, chatter concerning the boss’s future is rising, and he needs to prove he can rewire his team to overcome their many problems.

The free-scoring success of Isak will be essential in righting the wrongs of recent months.

If Isak is to be handed another chance to develop his fitness levels under the European lights on Wednesday, Slot should also consider handing another rarely-seen star a role from the opening.

Slot must unleash Liverpool's Semenyo-esque talent

While Cody Gakpo has played many minutes off the left wing this season, there is a sense that Liverpool need a contrasting profile. Someone like Luis Diaz.

But, with Diaz sold to Bayern Munich, rumours are rising regarding Liverpool’s interest in Antoine Semenyo, who has been in fine fettle for Bournemouth this season.

Semenyo, 25, has notched six goals and three assists from 11 Premier League matches this season, and he has been hailed as a “world-class” forward by his teammate Justin Kluivert.

He’s available in January, his £65m release clause then becoming active, but whether Liverpool should strike a deal for the Ghanaian when they have a talent like Rio Ngumoha in their ranks remains to be seen.

Ngumoha, 17, announced himself and then some earlier this season when scoring a last-gasp winner away at Newcastle in August, but Slot has since proved reluctant to hand him minutes on the biggest stage.

Given that Liverpool opted against paying out for a direct Diaz heir to keep a pathway open for the England U19 star, whose five Premier League cameos this term combine for a total of 42 minutes of action, this is questionable.

Now, while Liverpool need to win against PSV, Ngumoha could be handed a significant show of faith by starting in the Champions League, with his pace and potency and willingness to be direct potentially perfect for Isak. Just look at the connection the Swede forged with Anthony Gordon over the past few years on Tyneside.

Described as a “generational talent” by journalist Kevin Fernandes, Ngumoha was given 12 minutes off the bench at the weekend, and while he was unable to turn the tide against the Tricky Trees, he certainly offered more than Gakpo, with Sofascore recording that he completed all three attempted dribbles and won three duels.

This could be a move that not only bears dividends for Isak and Ngumoha, but also rekindle the belief in Slot’s vision. Liverpool fans are passionate, and the rise of a homegrown hero could project the kind of shining light Slot needs to prove he has what it takes to lead this club forward in the long run.

After all, Ngumoha has already demonstrated this season his capacity to succeed in the Premier League, and that winner at St. James’ Park established him as one of the competition’s youngest goalscorers of all time.

He might be a raw and unpolished prospect, but Ngumoha is the real deal, and while we are not advocating for him to start every single match, it might be worthwhile to enforce a degree of rotation here ahead of Sunday’s must-win Premier League match at West Ham.

It would also help stabilise Isak, providing a presence to dart forward and stretch lines, playing into the record striker’s fast-running and line-breaking style of play.

The rumours concerning Liverpool’s interest in Semenyo are only going to intensify as the winter transfer window draws nearer.

But Liverpool already have a prodigious talent whose talent left FSG and Hughes opting against sourcing a direct Diaz replacement. Now it is time to unleash him.

Mac Allister upgrade: Liverpool set to launch bid for £140m superstar

Liverpool could win a big upgrade on Alexis Mac Allister by landing this £140m superstar.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 24, 2025