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If the short-term role goes well, there is a possibility Malinga could return for other assignments

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jan-2022Lasith Malinga will be the Sri Lanka men’s team’s bowling strategy coach during their five-T20I tour of Australia.According to an SLC release, Malinga will “support Sri Lanka’s bowlers” and provide “tactical insight and technical expertise to help the on-field execution of strategic plans”, which essentially means that he will function more like a consultant, than a bona-fide bowling coach.”We have some very talented young bowlers and I am very excited about the opportunity to share my experience and knowledge to help them develop,” Malinga said, following his appointment.Related

• Malinga appointed Sri Lanka's bowling strategy coach for white-ball series against Australia

• Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis back in T20I squad for Australia tour

Malinga has previous experience with such a role. In 2018, he was the Mumbai Indians bowling mentor, before he returned in 2019 as a player. In Sri Lanka, he is reputed for his unconventional approach to bowling, and his strategic thinking – attributes that are believed to have helped him become one of the island’s greatest limited-overs players.For now, this appointment is described as a short-term role, but if it goes well, there is a possibility Malinga could return for other assignments.Meanwhile, Rumesh Ratnayake will continue as Sri Lanka’s interim coach for the Australia tour, with SLC yet to appoint a permanent successor to Mickey Arthur.Earlier on Wednesday, SLC had also named a squad of 20 for the T20I series in Australia. Opener Danushka Gunathilaka was recalled for the first time since being suspended for breaching Covid-19 protocol on the tour of England last year, and Kusal Mendis, who was suspended alongside Gunathilaka, was also picked. There was no room, however, for Niroshan Dickwella, the other player whose one-year suspension was lifted earlier this month.The series will be played from February 11 to 20 in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

Zimbabwe thrashed Bangladesh by a huge margin in the first Test, and hope to better their performance in the second

Firdose Moonda in Harare21-Apr-2013The fans could hardly believe what they saw on the scoreboard in Harare. “Zimbabwe won by 335 runs.” Never mind the last three words, the first two were enough for them.Many wanted to immortalise the moment and cameras came out in dozens to capture images that confirmed Zimbabwe’s victory over Bangladesh. They snapped away – at the writing on the board, the singing fans on the wooden stand, the team huddle on the field and themselves, beaming with the afterglow of victory.A day earlier, the same people were debating whether or not Zimbabwe should enforce the follow-on. Popular opinion was that they should, given the lead of 255, because on the evidence of Bangladesh’s batting there was an opportunity for an innings win. Then someone brought the masses down to earth by reminding them that just a few weeks ago, talk of following on only applied if Zimbabwe were being put in again. Everyone laughed. How things had changed.

Movements on the ICC rankings

Batting:
29 (+41) Brendan Taylor
34 (-3) Tamim Iqbal
37 (-8) Shakib Al Hasan
40 (-3) Mushfiqur Rahim
50 (-4) Nasir Hossain
64 (-3) Junaid Siddique
65 (+4) M.Ashraful
69 (-3) Shahriar Nafees
79 (-4) Mahmudullah
84 (-13) V.Sibanda
85 (+11) Jahurul Islam
100 (+25) Graeme Cremer
Bowling
15 ( – ) Shakib Al Hasan
43 (+14) Kyle Jarvis
59 ( – ) Sohag Gazi
68 (+24) Robiul Islam
71 (-2) Mahmudullah
87 (+42) S. Masakadza
92 (+21) Graeme Cremer

Zimbabwe’s turnaround was as unexpected as it was spectacular, and it could be another restart for a team that has had the handbrake pulled on their attempts to move forward. It shows that cricket has not been crippled and, although it was badly wounded, it has made some sort of recovery.”This is a confidence booster after the thrashing we got in West Indies,” Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe’s interim coach said. “We got on to our two feet, which is important.”Zimbabwe’s victory was as important for team morale as it was for demonstrating the progress of individual players. Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis now have career best ICC rankings, Graeme Cremer moved up in both the batting and bowling rankings while Shingi Masakadza also made himself known.The hosts achieved their success by nullifying Bangladesh’s strengths: not allowing their spinners to get into the game and keeping their best batsmen, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, quiet. In the next match Zimbabwe will have to do the same, and will probably also have Tamim Iqbal, almost recovered from a thumb injury, to tie down.That’s the difference this time: there is a next match. When Zimbabwe made their Test comeback in August 2011, they celebrated like there was no tomorrow because in cricketing terms, there wasn’t. One-off fixtures were a good way to re-enter the longest format and Zimbabwe had four of them. But it was also too spread out for them to develop any long-term strategies and the lack of match time showed, especially when they went overseas and battled to adapt to conditions.This series gives Zimbabwe an opportunity to change that. With both Tests being at the same venue, it will allow them to isolate areas that need to be worked on – such as the performance of the top order against medium-pacer Robiul Islam – and measure their development.While Zimbabwe’s performance against Bangladesh was dominant, it was not perfect and they know it. There was much to celebrate and Taylor and the team did when they walked off the park to the sounds of the traditional song and their fans saluting them. There was also much to reflect on.After their change-room celebrations, they joined their other halves for a few quiet ones. They may have gone on to wilder things after that but while at the ground, they provided sobering illustration that they know the job is not done. “It’s nice to have some momentum but we know Bangladesh always seem to bounce back on us. We can’t get complacent at all,” Taylor said. “If we play the way we played in this game, we are going to be tough to beat. We are going to find the areas where we can improve, go to training and keep trying to better ourselves.”Zimbabwe understand one victory does not mean the end of their aims, as it did in 2011. It’s just the beginning. If the schedule is as it should be, Zimbabwe will have Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home in the next six months. Those challenges will be greater than the one Bangladesh pose now and the only way to prepare adequately for will be to repeat and improve the showing in next week’s Test.

Ruben Amorim admitted his Manchester United side were lacking in quality as they slid to a 3-2 home defeat against Nottingham Forest.

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• Portuguese honest after Old Trafford defeat
• Coach has four PL points from four games
• 'We started really bad', admits new boss

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United conceded the first goal in just the second minute after slack marking from Lisandro Martinez from a corner, while Andre Onana was at fault when Morgan Gibbs-White restored Forest's lead in the second minute of the second period following Rasmus Hojlund's equaliser. The goalkeeper was caught flapping at Chris Wood's header which proved to be the eventual winner, with Bruno Fernandes pulling one back for the Red Devils before being taken off.

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• WHAT AMORIM SAID

  Amorim told : "Tough game. We started really bad, the first play we suffered a goal and then it's hard to try to fight. We then controlled the game and had a lot of situations. We improved the movement in the last third. We managed to draw the game and then at half-time we were ready to go for the win and then started really bad. Two goals. Then we tried a lot of things with not a lot of quality. We didn't have many situations to score."

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amorim got off a strong start as United boss, winning two of his first three games since succeeding Erik ten Hag but following the defeats at Arsenal and against Forest, he now he has just four points from his first Premier League matches – as many as the Dutchman earned from his final four league games in charge. The Portuguese said: "Tough game in a tough moment but we have to continue the job. This is a long journey. We are improving in some aspects. We have to win games to help us improve the team. We are in the start of something so big that we pay attention to every detail. We already know it's a big job so we have to continue."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  This was Amorim's first home defeat in a league game since February 2023 and only the second time he has lost successive league games in his entire coaching career. He said: "I had this and worse at Sporting in the beginning. You know Sporting in Portugal but in Manchester you have a lot of attention, but for me it is the same feeling. This happens to a lot of clubs and we have to continue improving the team because this will turn around."

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have made a significant amount of money in their respective careers—about $176 million combined in salary.

And yet! Even they couldn't help but gawk during Wednesday's episode of their podcast at the 15-year, $765 million contract the New York Mets handed to right fielder Juan Soto this past Sunday.

"Arguably the most ridiculous f—ing contract I've ever heard of in my life," Travis said.

Both Jason and Travis were shocked by the longevity and sheer size of the deal, with Jason calling it "a big gamble."

The ex-center then called on NFLPA to step up its game.

"The baseball union… I don't know how they've finagled this stuff, but wow. NFL union's gotta get their stuff together," Jason said.

The Kelce brothers have a number of baseball loyalties, having pledged allegiance at points to both their hometown Cleveland Guardians and their respective NFL teams' city-mates.

Soto's heroics against the Guardians didn't stop Travis from praising him, however.

"Congratulations, Juan Soto," Travis said. "That dude is a f—ing beast."

An elite European club has entered talks with Chelsea over signing a £50 million member of Enzo Maresca's squad, and it is believed he's tempted by the possibility of joining them before the summer deadline.

Players who could still be sold by Chelsea this summer

So far, Todd Boehly and BlueCo have given the green light to a host of players leaving Stamford Bridge, with co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Wistanley finding an array of suitors for them.

Fabrizio Romano: 6ft 3 star now agrees to join Chelsea after bid submitted

They have a long-term contract ready for him to sign at Stamford Bridge.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 25, 2024

Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Lewis Hall have all left Chelsea, with the aforementioned quartet bringing in around £89 million to help even out their financial scales after another window of lavish spending.

Boehly and co have also managed to get their wages off the club's books, which will save cash in the long-term and allow the west Londoners to reinvest that money in the salaries of future additions.

Alongside these former Chelsea men, a few more players have been tipped for the exit door this summer. Trevoh Chalobah is now prepared to leave Chelsea after being omitted from their pre-season tour, a move which has drawn criticism from both pundits and supporters.

"The Chalobah situation is an absolute shambles," said Bart Barrett, a life-long Chelsea season ticket holder, to GOAL.

"He was probably our best defender in last 10-15 games last season – no coincidence our form improved massively with him in there instead of Disasi and [Benoit] Badiashile.

"It's a joke they have signed Tosin to replace Chalobah, who is a better player and has been at Chelsea since a kid. But the only way they look at it is Tosin was free and Chalobah will go for £30m – so profit for the same squad role. It just shows a complete lack of understanding of the club."

While treatment of the 24-year-old Cobham graduate has attracted criticism, another player who supporters won't want to see leave is midfielder Conor Gallagher. The England international, who is also a product of the Chelsea academy, has been linked with a high-profile exit which would prove deeply unpopular with the fanbase.

Atletico Madrid open talks to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea

He's entered the final 12 months of his contract, meaning the west Londoners are faced with the difficult decision of either selling this window or letting him go for free next year.

There has been no news in the way of renewed terms, and that is something which clubs are looking to take advantage of. According to TEAMtalk, Atletico Madrid have opened talks with Chelsea over signing Gallagher.

Diego Simeone's side are confident they'll win the race for his services and believe he really fits their mold. TEAMtalk also state that Gallagher is attracted by the possibility of joining up with the La Liga heavyweights, but it will be interesting to see if they're willing to go anywhere near Chelsea's £50 million valuation of the player.

Called a "very underrated" player by commentator Stephen Doyle, Gallagher's exit is a transfer which could be met with uproar.

Plays of the day from the Group A match between India and England in Colombo

David Hopps in Colombo23-Sep-2012Misinformation of the day (1)
All suggestions that England’s frailties against spin have been exaggerated were exposed by a calamitous batting display against Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla. It is difficult to decide which shot was the most awful. Eoin Morgan, bowled when he tried to cut a quicker one, felt like déjà vu; Jonny Bairstow’s slog at Chawla when he misread a googly; Jos Buttler’s back away… but as unfair as it seems to plump for the top-scorer, Craig Kieswetter’s guide off Chawla’s leg-break to slip takes some beating.Misinformation of the day (2)
MS Dhoni’s media briefing about the possible make-up of India’s side turned out to be entirely false. Although he did not state it explicitly, any sensible interpretation was that India were leaning towards playing Zaheer Khan in a four-strong attack. The upshot was that Zaheer was omitted from a five-strong attack. Make of that what you will.Comeback of the day
Harbhajan Singh last played for India at Trent Bridge in July last year. His rehabilitation since has even included a spell with Essex in the County Championship – and few Indian players in demand are given the licence to do that. His analysis of 4 for 12 was quite a return. England’s deficiencies have to be taken into account but as the pitches wear it is possible that he and R Ashwin could become the combination India need.Double act of the day
Alex Hales went down on the scorecard as the catcher of Dhoni at deep midwicket, but it was merely the finishing touch to an ice-cool piece of athleticism from Buttler, who caught a skier at long-on and, realising he was heading over the boundary, coolly tossed the ball into the air for Hales to jog up and complete the catch. It was Buttler’s nonchalance under pressure that made it so exceptional.Oddity of the day
Even in the frantic world of Twenty20, there is still time for humour. When Stuart Broad rushed down the pitch to prevent Dhoni from taking a leg-bye, he found that the ball was lodged in Dhoni’s pad. It was a dead ball, but Broad was acting on instinct not the MCC Laws. Quick as a flash he grabbed the ball from Dhoni’s pad and swung round to try to throw out Rohit Sharma at the non-striker’s end, but missed. Cue much laughter all round at the absurdity of it all.

GOAL reviews key takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, with struggles for the big names all over the weekend

Well, that was underwhelming.

It was a pretty miserable weekend for Americans in Europe. Ricardo Pepi, after being billed as the next big thing in the Eredivisie, was denied of a start for PSV. Brenden Aaronson, looking to make an impact to help Leeds go atop the English Championship, fell flat. And Tim Weah, finally getting a run in the Juventus side, was brutally misused by an increasingly out-of-his-depth Thiago Motta.

It all amounted to a brutally forgettable 48 hours.

This is, for everyone except Christian Pulisic, who – it must be said – was hardly world beating in his own right. But he did provide a signature flash of quality to help Milan stick around in the Serie A title fight (although it does seem that Paolo Fonseca is a couple of bad results away from the sack, at this point.) A word, too, for Gio Reyna, who added some minutes to his struggling legs.

It was a mixed slate of fixtures, and GOAL looks at key takeaways from Americans Abroad.

• Getty Images
  

  Where is the Pepi magic?

  So much for the renaissance of Ricardo Pepi continuing. All the signs pointed toward a start for the American against Utrecht. He has, for a few weeks now, been the main man for PSV. There was a brace against, a late winner in the Champions League, as well as two goals for the USMNT in the most recent international break. There's a footballer here, and he has been unlocked.

  But on Sunday, he was relegated to the bench, while veteran Luuk de Jong started in front of him. It was a choice that offered important insight into manager Peter Bosz's thinking. This was a matchup between first and second in the Eredivisie. "Title deciders" aren't a thing in December. Sunday's fixture was as close as it gets. In the biggest game of the season to date, Pepi watched from the bench.

  He did, eventually, emerge, completing just one pass in 15 minutes of play. But by that time, the game was won – a convincing 5-2 result. Should Pepi have started here, on form? Certainly. But the manager went with experience. If nothing else, it shows that Pepi has a bit to go.

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• Getty
  

  Another Gio Reyna appearance

  He lives! Reyna's career to date always seems to be one of caution, brief glimpses of a player as he works his way back to not-quite-full-fitness. It is, genuinely, hard to remember the last time the American playmaker was entirely healthy. In some ways, it's a frustrating story, an immense talent whose body is constantly letting him down. The key here is to not get hopes up, but take the victories as they come.

  And so it proved for Reyna again, the midfielder making a brief appearance against Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker. He did not touch the ball as Dortmund pretty much willingly settled for a draw. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about his showing is that there literally wasn't time for him to pick up an injury.

  But that's just fine. This was Bayern, and with Dortmund's attacking three set in stone, Reyna was never likely to play a big role. The challenge now becomes building up those minutes in the coming weeks.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Pulisic assists in the fog

  Milan's fixture with Empoli really could have been suspended. A thick fog descended over San Siro, and it was, at times, hard to see what exactly was happening. But there was some football to be played. For Milan, it was good stuff, too. ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against the visitors, and kept their name in the European conversation as a result.

  Christian Pulisic as is policy these days, played his part. The American didn't have a massive impact over the course of 90 minutes, but still grabbed himself an assist with a tidy flick on into the path of Tijjani Reijnders, who volleyed home the Milan second just before half time.

  And that is Pulisic's thing these days. He can be dominant, and run games all by himself. Even when he doesn't, he still finds ways to step up in big moments and make things happen for his team.

  A word, too, on USMNT's Yunus Musah, who was given a look in his preferred right midfield position, and turned in a solid showing.

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  Tim Weah as a No. 9

  What to make of Tim Weah this season? Well, first of all, some continuity would be nice. Whether it be through injury or manager's decision, the winger has seen inconsistent minutes for club and country. It has been particularly difficult for Juventus, where Weah has been regularly called into action, but never at one specific position.

  Right wing, we are told, is his best spot. And he has impressed there in short bursts for in recent months, scoring a few goals and getting involved in play. On Sunday, though, Thiago Motta deployed Weah as a No. 9. The results were about as fruitless as expected, the wide man looking incredibly uncomfortable at a position that clearly doesn't suit him.

  He managed just 20 touches, registered one shot, and completed seven passes. Weah is not a striker. On Sunday, it showed. Is Motta just Max Allegri 2.0? Perhaps. If he keeps playing this football – and using people so brutally out of position – then it looks increasingly like he might be.

Since the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United have struggled to find a striker who can guarantee them goals. There were plenty of deadly marksmen under the legendary Scot, but since his retirement in 2013, the Red Devils have not managed to find someone who can hit the back of the net consistently.

However, that is not for lack of trying to find a replacement. They have had many centre-forwards over the years, some have had more success than others. Radamel Falcao struggled to make an impact in red and scored just four times during his one-year loan stint at Old Trafford in 2014/15.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku and Edinson Cavani also represented the club, two of the 21st century’s biggest names. Lukaku’s numbers were not bad, with 42 goals in 96 games, and Cavani was excellent, but sadly injury-prone. The Uruguayan scored 19 goals in 59 outings for the Red Devils.

Of course, the biggest of these names is Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary Portugal striker scored 27 goals across 54 appearances during his second spell at the club but fell out with Erik ten Hag and left the club.

United are still looking to find the perfect striker to consistently find the back of the net. With the transfer window now open, they have been linked with one man who could be their main man up front.

Man Utd target Premier League striker

The player in question here is Everton and England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 27-year-old has been consistently linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer, with United offering a potential destination for the striker.

At least, that is according to a report from The Athletic who report that 'talks have taken place' amongst the new hierarchy at Old Trafford for a potential deal with Calvert-Lewin, with Brentford striker Ivan Toney also under consideration.

According to the report, Everton are 'open to selling' their talismanic striker this summer, due to their current financial issues, as opposed to letting him leave for free once his contract expires next summer.

A deal for the Englishman would cost around £30m and may well represent an alternative to Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman is said to be closing in on a move to Old Trafford according to some reports.

Why Calvert-Lewin would be a good signing

The Everton striker played 32 times in the Premier League last season, scoring seven goals and registering two assists along the way. However, his best season in the top flight came in 2020/21, when Calvert-Lewin bagged 16 times in 33 appearances.

That season, the Englishman played under one of the all-time great managers, Carlo Ancelotti. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig called the striker a “pure poacher”, explaining that the Italian turned Calvert-Lewin into “a monster” of a centre-forward. He may not be so prolific anymore but he still has some exciting attributes that help him live up to Ancelotti's billing of a few years ago.

Indeed, in terms of his profile, the Englishman uses his height to his advantage and is widely renowned as one of the best strikers in the air in the Premier League, with Richarlison once suggesting that he has a "leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo".

He is also excellent in the penalty box and can sniff out a chance with great instinct like any top striker, hence why Kulig called him a “poacher”.

One of the things to be cautious about when it comes to Calvert-Lewin is his injury record. Whilst, last season, his fitness issues were not as bad as previous campaigns, the Englishman has missed a lot of football in recent times. In 2021/22, he missed 34 matches with injury, and 2022/23 was not much better. The Everton number nine missed 29 games sidelined with an injury.

He is a different profile to Rasmus Hojlund, who likes to run the channels rather than hold the ball up. This is something which was pointed out by football analyst Adam Bate in an article with Sky Sports, who explained that the young Dane “would prefer to be running channels, finding space with his movement” rather than act as the hold-up striker Ten Hag used him as last season.

According to Fbref, last season in the Premier League, Calvert-Lewin averaged 5.68 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 3% of strikers in the division. This gave him a win rate of 48.8%, placing him in the top 13% of strikers.

His instinct in front of goal is also backed up by the stats from Fbref. Calvert-Lewin’s expected goals per game last season in the top flight was 0.53xG, ranking him in the top 17% of centre forwards. He also averaged 0.12 shots per game which then led to a goal-scoring shot, which placed him in the top 7%.

He has had previous successes against Manchester United for the Toffees. The England international grabbed a goal and an assist in a memorable 3-3 draw at Old Trafford during 2020/21, against a Red Devils defence that included Harry Maguire and David de Gea. His 95th-minute equaliser broke United hearts at the death having dominated the club's defence.

Should the Red Devils look to sign Calvert-Lewin this summer, he could become the centre-forward United have lacked in the years since Ferguson left the club. Although he has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, he is a quality penalty box striker with an eye for goal and offers something completely different to Rasmus Hojlund. For £30m, it could be an excellent deal for United.

Man Utd hit gold on exceptional star who's worth way more than Zirkzee

The talented youngster’s valuation is sky-high.

3

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jul 9, 2024

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur16-Nov-2012Milestone of the day
Mahmudullah completed his half-century early on the fourth day, taking a single in the third over to score his first since March 2010. Not long after, he took the more important single to post Bangladesh’s highest team total, off the final ball of the 136th over. It overtook the 488 Bangladesh scored against Zimbabwe in Chittagong almost eight years ago.Payback of the day
It will be hard to forget Chris Gayle dispatching Sohag Gazi’s first ball in Test cricket for six. Today, Gazi returned the favour with the bat, almost. He skipped out of the crease and chipped Sunil Narine for a boundary, off his first ball in Test cricket. Two dot balls later, however, he played back to a sharp off-break and had his off-stump pegged back.Misfortune of the day
Nasir Hossain refused many singles during his 61-run ninth-wicket partnership with Shahadat Hossain, so it was clear how little he trusted the man from Signboard, Narayanganj (yes, that’s where he’s from). Nasir rushed through the 90s, hammering two boundaries to move to 96. Tino Best’s slower ball however had the better of him, the batsman edging a push into the hands of Chris Gayle at first slip, to become the tenth Bangladesh batsman to be dismissed in the 90s. His selflessness didn’t pay there.Effort of the day
Shahadat played his part in helping get rid of Gayle in the sixth over of the West Indies second innings. Off the first ball of the over, Gayle’s flick towards deep-square leg was boundary-bound but Shahadat saved the four, with a little flick of his leg while he was prostrate. Shakib helped out with a strong throw and it kept Gayle down to two and on strike. Two balls later, Rubel Hossain had him caught behind.Catch of the day
Gazi got one to bounce at Marlon Samuels, which he popped to short square-leg Shahriar Nafees. Replays showed that the catcher had in fact backed away slightly as the batsman shaped to hit the ball through midwicket. But Nafees, apparently despite not really planning to, held on somehow. This on a day when Junaid Siddique dropped two catches, and Shahadat one.Timely blow of the day
Gazi has shown many skills with the ball in his debut Test, including a delivery that goes straight on. Off what turned out to be the final ball of the fourth day, the offspinner bowled a beauty to get rid of nightwatchman Veerasammy Permaul, who went on to the front foot, groped and missed the straight one completely. It pushed West Indies to 244 for 6, ahead by 215 runs with four wickets in hand, going into the final day.

The 2024 summer transfer window has nearly reached August, meaning that Liverpool have little over a month to wrap up their business at the start of the Arne Slot era.

Of course, in order to 'wrap deals up', initial signings need to be made first. Over 40 days into the market, Liverpool have yet to dip their toes into the summer's frenzied transfer activity despite falling short in the Premier League title race last season, also losing to eventual champions Manchester United and Atalanta in the FA Cup and Europa League respectively.

This might feel concerning but Anfield chiefs have done all they can to ease the mounting trepidation, with new sporting director Richard Hughes stating: “I would see a quiet July and perhaps a crescendo in August.”

Slot is currently working on his first-team squad, bringing his ideas into a coherent vision and inculcating his methods into a club operating with the muscle-memory movements forged from Jurgen Klopp's long reign.

Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all entering the final year of their contracts, so sorting these quandaries takes a sizeable degree of precedence, understandably.

Liverpool transfer news

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers' Pedro Neto this summer and have even been in contact with the winger's representatives.

Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in signing the £60m-rated Portuguese, and while Wolves's 2023 selling spree has put them in a comfortable PSR-related position, Neto has long been regarded as the player who may well be sold this summer.

The 24-year-old has had his injury woes over the past several seasons but was superb when on the pitch under Gary O'Neil last year, and he might just prove to be the perfect addition to enhance Liverpool's flanks.

What Pedro Neto would bring to Liverpool

Wolves signed Neto from Lazio in an £8m double swoop with Bruno Jordao in 2019, snapping him up as a 19-year-old prospect who had only earned five appearances for the Italian club.

Fast earning himself the reputation as one of the Premier League's most exciting up-and-comers, Neto has amassed 135 appearances for the Old Gold, scoring 14 goals and supplying a further 24 assists.

How interesting that last season, despite being plagued by injuries, he notched 14 of those 38 goal contributions. Described as an "incredibly talented and physically very gifted player" not two months into the 2023/24 campaign by O'Neil, he positively burst into life.

Finishing the campaign with three goals and 11 assists across just 24 outings, the £50k-per-week star impressed during his time on the field but admittedly spent two significant spells on the sidelines with hamstring injuries.

Still, his potency despite such niggling issues bears testament to his elite-level skillset, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across the past year for assists and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

He played all across the frontline, and while Neto has often been viewed as a left-sided forward in the past, O'Neil's decision to shift him onto the alternate flank paid dividends, for the Portugal international hit the finest vein of creative form of his career to date – with Jamie Carragher even hailing him as a "superstar".

Given that he is also left-footed, this could open up a realm of opportunity for new levels of goalscoring success down the line, especially when placed in a Liverpool team bearing immense playmaking properties across the park, with the Reds' 103 big chances created last season the most in the Premier League.

Liverpool need to seriously consider launching a bid, especially when considering the success that's been borne from the £45m deal to sign Diogo Jota from Molineux in 2020.

Jota, like Neto, is afflicted by injuries with too much consistency but he's one of the deadliest finishers in the game, scoring 15 times for the Reds last year despite only starting 19 matches across all competitions. Neto has been Wolves' prized forward since his countryman's transfer and he could now follow suit.

Why, he might even have the skills to succeed the aforementioned Salah. Okay, he's not blessed with the same predatory instinct that has seen the Egyptian king plunder 211 goals from 349 appearances, but his efforts in the Midlands suggest that he has what it takes to succeed at a powerhouse such as Liverpool, should fitness prevail.

Why Pedro Neto could replace Mohamed Salah

The pointers suggest that Salah will see out the final year of his £350k-per-week contract before departing on a free transfer next summer, abdicating his Anfield throne.

Many fans will probably view this as detrimental, but Salah will not last forever and, given that he will be on the cusp of his 33rd birthday, it might be the right time to part ways.

FSG will hope to be one step ahead of the curve concerning Salah's departure, so bringing in a proven Premier League right winger such as Neto to serve as the 32-year-old's foil ahead of a prospective step-up to the No. 1 spot on the wing could be the perfect move to increase the club's depth and dynamism.

Of course, the inexorable wheel of time has yet to slow down the Egypt captain's clinical brilliance, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and the top 3% for assists per 90, as per FBref.

But he was among the culprits for Liverpool's startling nosedive in form toward the end of the campaign, proving to be uncharacteristically wasteful and going missing in decisive matches.

Neto might not unleash the kind of scoring numbers that Salah has invariably produced under Klopp's leadership, season on season, but he's an immense talent who would be stepping into a new Anfield era.

Slot is not Klopp and is tinkering away to create some tactical tweaks that could have a lasting effect. Neto has his prime years ahead of him and he must now follow in Jota's footsteps to the red half of Merseyside.

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By
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