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The year 2026 is a big one for the United States, which turns 250 on July 4—and Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber seems set to celebrate America's semiquincentennial in style.

Schwarber will play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic, USA Baseball announced Tuesday morning—shortly before news broke that he had re-upped with Philadelphia for five years and $150 million.

The 32-year-old also competed in the 2023 event, slashing .214/.450/.643 with two home runs and four RBIs for the American silver medalists. In 2025, Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs—the second time in four years he's led the Senior Circuit in the category.

Joining Schwarber on the team are Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Dodgers catcher Will Smith (a '23 alum), and Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (an accomplished player on the United States's under-15 team).

The Americans are scheduled to open WBC play on March 6 against Brazil.

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.

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O Santos superou a Portuguesa por 4 a 2 nos pênaltis, após empate em 0 a 0 no tempo regulamentar, pelas quartas de final do Paulistão, na Vila Belmiro. Destaque da partida foi o goleiro João Paulo, que fez ótimas defesas durante o jogo e pegou uma das cobranças da Lusa na disputa de penalidades.

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O equilíbrio do confronto do início ao fim foi surpreendente, considerando os resultados das duas equipes até aqui no estadual. O Santos teve a segunda melhor campanha da fase de grupos, enquanto a Portuguesa foi a pior equipe dos oito classificados às quartas, com 15 pontos a menos do que o Peixe. Mesmo assim, o empate não saiu do placar e a decisão ficou para os pênaltis.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Santos iniciou o jogo tentando pressionar a saída de bola da Portuguesa, mas foi a Lusa quem criou as melhores chances no primeiro tempo. Os visitantes apostaram na bola aérea e levaram perigo, até que Quintana perdeu chance claríssima aos 21 minutos. Depois, o Peixe cresceu e conseguiu bons ataques, principalmente com Otero no lado direito.

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Na segunda etapa, o duelo seguiu equilibrado, com ótimas chances para os dois lados. Contudo, quem teve a oportunidade mais clara foi a Portuguesa, quando Henrique Dourado ficou cara a cara com João Paulo e parou em um milagre do goleiro santista. Pouco depois, Otero foi expulso após pisão em Giovanni Augusto e deixou o Peixe com um a menos por 20 minutos. Ao final, nada de gols e a vaga na semifinal foi decidida nos pênaltis, e o time da Vila Belmiro venceu por 4 a 2, com JP defendendo uma das cobranças.

✅ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

Com a classificação, o Santos irá enfrentar o Red Bull Bragantino nas na semifinal do Paulistão, marcada o dia 27 de marços, quarta-feira, ainda sem horário definido. Palmeiras e Novorizontino fazem a outra partida das semis.

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Campeonato PaulistaPaulistãoPortuguesaSantos

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Lorran e Rayan Lucas se apresentaram no Ninho do Urubu, neste domingo (9), após passarem uma semana treinando na Granja Comary, com a Seleção Sub-20. O técnico Tite comandou a primeira atividade com todo o elenco que está à sua disposição para o confronto contra o Grêmio, pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFlamengoFlamengo e Cruzeiro disputam contratação de craque do Al-HilalFlamengo09/06/2024FlamengoQuem é o jogador da Lazio que interessa ao Flamengo?Flamengo09/06/2024Fora de CampoNarrador elogia Andreas Pereira e relembra erro do meia em Flamengo x Palmeiras: ‘Marcado’Fora de Campo08/06/2024

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O Flamengo solicitou à CBF a desconvocação do meia Lorran, pois não gostaria de perder o jogador durante o período da preparação para o jogo contra a equipe de Renato Gaúcho, visto que o jovem jogador é o principal nome para substituir o uruguaio Arrascaeta. Tal atitude gerou um impasse com a entidade máxima do Futebol Brasileiro.

Outros clubes do Brasileirão, como Palmeiras e Corinthians, fizeram o mesmo em relação aos seus jogadores, respectivamente: Estêvão, Luis Guilherme e Vitor Reis (Palmeiras), Wesley e Breno Bidon (Corinthians). Com isso, a CBF acatou o pedido dos clubes e antecipou o fim do treinamento neste período de Data Fifa.

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Além da dupla, o técnico Ramon Menezes também convocou uma trinca da base rubro-negra: o lateral direito Lucyan, de 17 anos, o zagueiro Iago, de 19 anos, e o atacante Wallace Yan, de 19 anos.

Desfalques

Tirando os convocados (Erick Pulgar, Varela, De La Cruz, Viña e Arrascaeta), o Flamengo tem o lateral esquerdo Ayrton Lucas voltando de lesão, por conta de uma lesão no músculo posterior da coxa esquerda, e o volante Alan com a mesma lesão, mas na coxa direita. No entanto, o lateral faz fisioterapia e vive a expectativa de retornar no jogo contra o Grêmio. Enquanto o volante continua em processo final de recuperação na academia, sem trabalhos com bola.

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Flamengo e Grêmio se enfrentam na quinta, às 20h (de Brasília), no Maracanã, pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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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 two wristspinners got together on the sidelines to discuss their art before CSK take on DC

Deivarayan Muthu04-Apr-20252:19

Kuldeep Yadav 2.0 – DC’s trump card

Wristspin or mystery spin used to be a bit of novelty in T20 cricket, but it has become a must-have now. Each of the ten teams in IPL 2025 has at least one bowler of this variety in their squad. Kuldeep Yadav and Noor Ahmad, two of the best in the business, got together off the field on Thursday night in Chennai, and will go up against each other on the field on Saturday.On the eve of the game, the two left-arm wristspinners provided a teaser to the mouth-watering contest. After his press conference, Kuldeep was among the first set of bowlers to bowl to the hard-hitting Jake Fraser-McGurk. The Australia batter had already warmed up by launching a Matheesha Pathirana clone into the stands beyond midwicket. That blow even had some cameramen ducking for cover. When Kuldeep was up against Fraser-McGurk, however, he kept threatening or hitting both the edges. When McGurk tried to pick him off the pitch and play him off the back foot, Kuldeep rushed him with his fizz.After Kuldeep finished his shift, Noor turned up at the adjacent net and created the same fizz at higher speeds. No Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter wanted to face him. The keeper (not MS Dhoni this time) couldn’t read which way Noor was turning the ball. In CSK’s season-opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), Noor had even beaten Dhoni with his left-arm legbreak at breakneck speed. Mystery spin at such speed is hard because batters who can’t pick the turn can’t even adjust to it off the pitch.Related

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That’s why wristspinners or mystery spinners are in such demand in T20 cricket. That’s why Noor holds the purple cap. That’s also why Kuldeep is the most economical bowler this season (for a minimum of 24 balls bowled).When Kuldeep burst onto the international scene in 2017, the slowness of his wristspin made it difficult for batters to line him up. Three years later, batters evolved and held their shape for long enough to put him away. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) leaned towards Varun Chakravarthy’s quicker mystery spin.After moving to Delhi Capitals (DC), Kuldeep has evolved with T20 cricket. He was always an attacking wristspinner, tossing the ball up and beating batters in the air. Now he’s also good at the defensive skills, the increase in his average speed corresponding to a decrease in scoring opportunities. Oppositions still try to take him down but that’s now easier said than done. Forty of Kuldeep’s 52 wickets since IPL 2022 have come when batters have attempted aggressive shots against him.”It has become a trend now, playing with a wristspinner,” Kuldeep on Friday. “Yeah, you have to stay relevant in every game and you have to practice each and every day. And just to keep working on reading the batters, what they are doing, especially on game day. And that’s what I am doing. I am just trying to read the batter, what they are doing, and sticking with my strength and yeah, simple as that.”I’m focusing on length. Length is very important, and it’s been like fourth year with DC, so nothing changes. You mature after playing so many games and understand what your strength is and obviously, spinning the ball is my strength and just keeping it very simple and just focusing on the length and we have been talking about that.”

“Obviously, he has a lovely wrong ‘un and with that kind of a pace, it’s very difficult for a batter to pick and especially when you play in Chennai, it’s always very difficult to score against any wristspinner”Kuldeep Yadav on Noor Ahmad

DC have always been on big on wristspin – Amit Mishra is still the leading wicket-taker for the Delhi franchise. This season, they have gone bigger by pairing rookie legspinner Vipraj Nigam up with Kuldeep. And among the reserves, they have a left-arm fingerspinner who can also bowl left-arm wristspin.CSK, on the other hand, have been a more conventional team. Barring the period between 2018 and 2021 when they had Imran Tahir playing for them, CSK have usually lacked a wristspinner of pedigree. Even they have gone unconventional by outlaying INR 10 crore for Noor’s left-arm wristspin this time.Stephen Fleming became a meme when he held up all his ten fingers at the auctioneer to take the bid for Noor up to INR 10 crore. “We’ve been watching him pretty closely for a few years now,” Mike Hussey, CSK’s batting coach, said of Noor. “But I think in the last probably 12 to 18 months, his improvement has just been through the roof. And I’m sure Stephen Fleming has been watching him closely through the other leagues that he’s been playing, through South Africa (SA20), through the American League (MLC) as well.”2:35

Bishop explains what makes Noor special

While CSK have gone on record about the apparent tension with the curators at Chepauk, Noor has taken the pitches out of equation and has emerged this IPL’s highest wicket-taker. He has, on average, taken a wicket once every eight balls.CSK had originally picked Noor as a middle-overs operator, but he can also do the job in the powerplay and end overs, given his exceptional skills. “I just like the look of him,” Hussey said. “I mean, he’s a good guy to have in the team. He’s an attacking spinner. Not many batsmen around the world read him very well. So, he becomes a real attacking option for us. I know Fleming in particular was very keen to get hold of him in the auction and was delighted when we were able to get him. And yeah, he started the season fantastically well.”Kuldeep, too, is impressed by Noor. “I was sitting with him, and we had a chat about how to go about the legspin,” Kuldeep said. “Obviously, he has a lovely wrong ‘un and with that kind of a pace, it’s very difficult for a batter to pick and especially when you play in Chennai, it’s always very difficult to score against any wristspinner.”The blockbuster battle between the two left-arm wristspinners could decide which way the game turns on Saturday.

If this is to be the end of Martin O’Neill’s brief return, what a way to sign off.

On Thursday night, Celtic ended a 16-match, four-year-long winless streak in European away games by beating Feyenoord 3-1 at De Kuip, coming back from a goal down to do so; Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren all on target.

This means O’Neill has won five of six matches since being parachuted into the role following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.

The 73-year-old, alongside Shaun Maloney, is set to remain in charge when the Celts visit Easter Road to take on Hibernian on Sunday lunchtime, but there is optimism that Wilfried Nancy will take over soon, potentially in time for the visit of Dundee on Wednesday.

Once the Frenchman does swap Ohio for Glasgow, one of Celtic’s breakout stars from this season could well become a key figure, currently on course to replicate an active club legend.

Callum McGregor's importance at Celtic

While players, managers and board members come and go, Callum McGregor remains a constant, the heartbeat in both the team and the club as a whole.

Thursday saw the captain make his 540th appearance for the club, starting 21 of 22 matches so far this season, accumulating 1,939 minutes out of a possible 2,040 so far (95%).

When Scott Brown departed in 2021, his leadership and all-around brilliance was supposed to be impossible to replace, but McGregor has transitioned into this role seamlessly, lifting 24 major trophies to date, and it is incomprehensible to imagine a Celtic side without him.

As well as winning back the ball and keeping the team ticking in possession, McGregor continues to produce key moments, lashing home a 95th-minute winner at St Mirren last Saturday night, having scored a similar rocket against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.

Having joined the club as an eight-year-old, McGregor continues to set an example to all those in the Celtic academy dreaming of representing the first team one day, but who is currently on course to follow in his footsteps?

Celtic's next academy star

Celtic have endured rotten luck in terms of injuries this season.

Cameron Carter-Vickers could be out for the rest of the season following achilles surgery, Jota remains sidelined after rupturing his ACL in April, while Alistair Johnston suffered a torn hamstring against Kairat in August, only to aggravate the issue 26 minutes into his return when Sturm Graz visited Parkhead.

With Johnston, who has been so excellent since joining the club, having started only five matches all season, most would have expected Anthony Ralston to deputise, but it appears as though Colby Donovan has leapfrogged him in the pecking order.

After featuring sporadically during pre-season, scoring against Cork City at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in July, the 19-year-old made his competitive senior debut against Livingston when Rodgers made wholesale changes in between the two legs against Kairat.

Well, since then, he hasn’t really looked back, starting just two Premiership matches, but included in the lineup for four of the five Europa League fixtures, these against Crvena zvezda, Braga, Sturm Graz and now Feyenoord, putting in an excellent display in Rotterdam.

The table below documents how well he has played in Europe so far.

Minutes

283

9th

Assists

1

2nd

Completed passes

151

7th

Key passes

3

6th

Big chances created

2

3rd

Passes into final 3rd

14

5th

Progressive passes

18

4th

Passes into box

4

3rd

Shot-creating actions

6

7th

Goal-creating actions

3

1st

Successful dribbles per 90

1.8

3rd

Tackles

7

2nd

Touches

227

6th

Average rating

7.10

2nd

As the table documents, Donovan has been excellent in the Europa League this season, contributing in a wide variety of ways.

The teenager ranks highly for all the in possession metrics, recording an assist for Liam Scales’ crucial equaliser against Sturm Graz, while only Arne Engels and Benjamin Nygren have created more big chances, ranked first in terms of goal-creating actions.

Given that incoming manager Nancy deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, his Columbus Crew side featuring flying wing-backs Max Arfsten and Andrés Herrera, his imminent arrival could be great news for the youngster.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Braga, then-manager Rodgers praised Donovan’s “outstanding” performances, labelling him a “real bright spark” as well as heralding his “personality” and “mentality”.

Well, these all feel like compliments that could be thrown the way of a certain McGregor, whose leadership is as invaluable as his quality to this team.

Thus, it is certainly still early days, but all the signs suggest that Celtic supporters are rightly excited about Donovan, who will go on to have quite the career should he manage to match McGregor’s achievements and make 500+ appearances for the club.

Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy

Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.

Nov 28, 2025

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

Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate has revealed that he gets calls from compatriot Kylian Mbappe every two hours to sign for Real Madrid. The French defender is into the final year of his contract and from January he will be able to hold pre-contract talks with clubs abroad. The Reds, on the other hand, are determined to offer him a new deal to avoid another situation like Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Konate's future remains uncertain

Konate has established himself as a key figure in Liverpool’s starting lineup ever since his move from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2021. The 26-year-old has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds’ defence and has made 147 appearances for the Premier League giants across all competitions and scored six goals.

However, speculation remains rife regarding Konate’s future ahead of the January transfer window. The centre-back is into the final year of his current contract and it is up in the air as to whether he will ink fresh terms at Anfield. 

reported last week that German giants Bayern Munich are tentatively weighing up a move to rival La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid by making a bid for Konate, who is eligible to hold pre-contract talks with clubs outside of England from January 1. Los Blancos, on the other hand, have been long-time admirers of the defender.

AdvertisementAFPAgent Mbappe at work for Madrid

Konate recently revealed that he gets constant phone calls from his France team-mate and captain Mbappe, as the Madrid star is determined to convince the defender to join him at the Spanish capital next summer. Speaking to , Konate said Mbappe "calls me every two hours to sign for Real Madrid."

Los Blancos are in no hurry when it comes to Konate, as Liverpool have only a few weeks to convince the player and make him sign a new deal before he starts to negotiate new offers. Madrid would want Konate to reject a new contract and then join them in the summer for free, quite similar to the way they landed Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool told they won't miss Konate

Reds legend and pundit Jamie Carragher recently claimed that while he would love to see Konate stay at Anfield, if he leaves for Madrid next summer, the Merseyside club won't miss the centre-back much. He told the : "I’d like him [Konate] to stay but if he doesn’t stay, Liverpool will sign someone else. Liverpool won’t fall apart if Konate leaves. He's not Virgil van Dijk. He's a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine. He's a very good centre-back, he's a title winner at Liverpool, he's played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. He's obviously a quality centre-back. It's not poor management [if he goes for free]. You can't physically make somebody sign a contract. Then it's your decision, do you keep him to the length of his contract or do you sell him?"

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Getty ImagesKonate's mixed form amid Liverpool's slump

Konate has appeared in 16 matches for the Reds across all competitions this term. Despite featuring regularly under Arne Slot, Carragher believes there is still scope for the Frenchman to improve as he added: "It's still only a couple of games. He hasn't had a great start to the season and he needs to show a bit more consistency. 

"He was fantastic against Real Madrid and he needs to keep that going over the next few months, it can't just be two games on the bounce. There are no secrets [to picking up your form]. It’s about working harder and you become more professional. It’s on your mind constantly that you want to get back into good form and every you think tiny detail will make a difference, whether that’s what you eat, what time you go to sleep, it’s just becoming an ultra-professional on and off the pitch."

Liverpool are now reportedly rivalling Newcastle United in the race to sign a young midfield star who’s been compared to Dominik Szoboszlai.

Slot: Liverpool don't have "Jacob Murphy profile" to unlock Isak

It’s been a tumultuous time for Liverpool and record signing Alexander Isak. The Reds are yet to unlock the Swede’s best form, despite splashing out £125m to break a British record and welcome their next star man from Newcastle in the summer.

Arne Slot, however, is remaining patient and recently pinpointed exactly why Isak is yet to replicate his Newcastle form at Anfield. The Dutchman told reporters: “With Jeremie Frimpong being injured and Conor Bradley being out it is not like we have so many options on the right-hand side, and it is a bit similar on the left.

UCL club now ready to launch offer to sign £21m-a-year Liverpool star

The Reds could lose one of their star men.

ByTom Cunningham 7 days ago

“Alex could benefit maybe from a Conor or a Jeremie type of player who goes outside, instead of both wingers we have who come inside and full-backs who can come in with crosses.

“But the main difference for him is that we are facing a low block many times. It is not that it never happened at Newcastle but not as much, I think. This season the league has changed, we see so many more low blocks than last season.

“But I see this not only against us, I see this in many games. It makes it harder for him compared to his time at Newcastle but I think it is also him adjusting to his teammates and his teammates adjusting to him. But it is obvious and clear that we have not the profile of [Newcastle’s] Jacob Murphy, for example, available at this moment at this time.”

Whether Liverpool find their own version of Murphy in the January transfer window is now the big question. They’ve already been linked with Antoine Semenyo, who’d certainly offer the same quality, but he may not be the only one on his way.

Liverpool join race to sign Alex Toth

As reported by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Alex Toth from Ferencvaros in 2026. The 20-year-old midfielder has been watched closely by scouts across the Premier League, including both those at Anfield and at St James’ Park and now seems destined for a big move.

Dubbed an “aggressive presser” by Hungarian journalist Bence Bocsak, it’s clear to see where the Szoboszlai comparisons have come from.

Liverpool’s press is certainly something that needs addressing in midfield too, which makes Toth a viable option when 2026 arrives. The Reds have got one over on Newcastle before and could yet do so yet again next year.

Not Isak: £45m star is now Liverpool's most frustrating player since Nunez