All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch must unleash an out-and-out striker against Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon in a desperate bid to keep the Yorkshire giants in the Premier League.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Whites in recent weeks as they now find themselves in the relegation zone with only two games left remaining this campaign.

Both the American and his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa have rued the absence of last season’s top goalscorer, Patrick Bamford, through a variety of injuries and it has certainly cost them dearly.

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Only Raphinha has hit double figures for Leeds in 2021/22.

Six teams have scored fewer than the Whites’ 39 league goals and the Brazil international has accounted for 25.6% of that – and 33.3% when factoring in his assists, too.

One of the more underwhelming players this season has been Rodrigo and across the last 17 outings, he’s failed to start one match. On the contrary, he’s lasted the full 90 in only eight of those, as per Transfermarkt.

Across his last four games, in which he’s led the line, the £13.5m-rated Spaniard has failed to score or assist, adding to Leeds’ woes in the final third.

In terms of that attacking output, he ranks fourth for average number of shots per game (1.5) and that has only correlated into six goals across 29 appearances, via WhoScored.

Considering he was once the club’s record signing at £26m and is easily their highest-earning player on a reported £100k-per-week, it’s not great reading and if anything, he’s been holding them back.

Earlier this month, his poor form was highlighted by journalist Beren Cross, who claimed there were still plenty of question marks over his ability for the big time.

“He had that little spurt of goals and performances and uptick and then against Palace and City he was completely anonymous, which kind of sums up his entire tenure at least so far really,” he told LeedsLive.

“It hasn’t really got going for him I think injuries and COVID have played their part, especially in his first season, but ultimately, yes, there are still major questions about his impact on this team and his input and what he’s good at.”

As such, with Bamford still unable to start, Marsch must be bold with his team selection and opt for someone like Joe Gelhardt instead of the struggling Spanish flop.

It’s a decision that could seriously aid Leeds’ quest to remain a Premier League outfit.

AND in other news, Insider drops Leeds transfer claim ahead of summer window…

Liverpool stand on the brink of an unprecedented quadruple, with the Champions League and FA Cup finals awaiting them in the next few weeks, plus the remaining Premier League fixtures which could turn these players into legends.

Jurgen Klopp understandably wants the best team available for every match, although due to the sheer demands from being so successful in four competitions, squad rotation has been paramount.

The Reds take on Chelsea this weekend in the FA Cup final and the manager received a blow with the news that Fabinho will miss out due to a hamstring injury that he sustained against Aston Villa in midweek.

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There is a silver lining, though, as Klopp has stated that the Brazilian “will definitely be back for the Champions League final”, which is a big boost for Liverpool’s chances against Real Madrid in Paris in just over a fortnight’s time.

The 28-year-old has made the defensive midfield position his own this season at Anfield, featuring 47 times in all competitions whilst scoring eight goals, a solid return for someone whose main job is to stabilise the midfield and protect the back four.

Indeed, only five players have scored more for Liverpool this term, and they are all forwards, illustrating how much the Brazilian has contributed from midfield.

Compared to his positional peers in the big five European leagues, Fabinho sits within the 88th percentile of pass completion percentage (88.9%) and the 79th percentile for interceptions won per 90 minutes (2.15), showing his ability to win the ball back and anticipate opponents’ next moves.

Losing the 28-year-old is a big blow for Liverpool ahead of the FA Cup final and it could seriously hamper their hopes of a second Wembley triumph over Chelsea this year.

In the Carabao Cup final earlier this season, Fabinho was given a rating of 7.25 by WhoScored against Thomas Tuchel’s men, which was the joint-third highest rating in the Liverpool side as they went on to win the trophy following a marathon penalty shoot-out.

They may well find the task tougher this time around without the Brazilian, but at least they will potentially have him back to take on Real Madrid, which will be a major boost for the Reds as they seek to avenge their 2018 Champions League final defeat to the La Liga giants.

AND in other news, Time to go: Klopp must brutally axe Liverpool flop who loses the ball every 6.3 minutes

Glasgow Rangers could now lose Josh McPake in the summer, as per a source from Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Wasted talent?

McPake is a player that has been ‘very highly’ thought of at Ibrox, according to former Morecambe manager Stephen Robinson, who called him a ‘really exciting’ signing back in July when they signed him on loan.

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However, that was his fourth loan spell away from the club, and he has only ever managed to make one senior appearance for the Teddy Bears, throwing his long-term future under Giovanni van Bronckhorst into serious doubt.

The Latest: Raith interest

As per Football Insider, Raith Rovers are now plotting to sign McPake in the summer, and an Ibrox source has revealed that he could be made available on a free transfer.

The winger is under contract until 2024, but a financial agreement could be made that would allow him to leave for free.

The Verdict: Get rid

Given the plethora of attacking options available to van Bronckhorst, and his lack of first-team football, it is clear that now is the best time for both McPake and the club to part ways.

It is a shame for things to end this way, given that he came up through the youth ranks at the Light Blues, but there is simply no point of him staying if he wants to play regular first-team football.

Nonetheless, McPake is 20 years of age now, and so needs to move permanently for the sake of his career.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ Gers boost has now emerged before RB Leipzig here!

Wolves defender Nelson Semedo won’t play again this season because of a hamstring injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Semedo’s injury-plagued season

The right-back joined Wanderers from Barcelona back in 2020 but his second season at the club has been negatively affected by fitness issues.

Semedo has been limited to 25 Premier League starts, which while still a healthy amount, would be comfortably higher if he had remained injury-free.

The Portuguese ace suffered a second hamstring problem in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton and a key update has now emerged regarding the situation.

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The Latest: Defender’s campaign over

Taking to Twitter, Dinnery confirmed that Semedo’s season is over, meaning he will miss Wolves’ remaining Premier League fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City, Norwich City and Liverpool:

“Having already lost Max Kilman for the remaining fixtures. Nelson Semedo quickly follows suit… after he was forced off against Brighton with a hamstring injury.”

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The Verdict: Season fizzling out

This is another blow to add to Max Kilman’s season-ending injury of his own – Semedo has been described as ‘unbelievable’ by journalist Tim Spiers – as Wolves’ season threatens to peter out after such a promising campaign overall.

Bruno Lage’s men have a tough-looking final four matches, especially without two key defenders fit, and the aforementioned defeat to Brighton was worryingly lethargic.

There is still the lure of European football, however, which has to act as inspiration – they are three points behind seventh-placed West Ham with a game in hand -and the hope is that Wolves can re-capture their previous good form in the next few weeks.

In other news, Wolves have been handed a transfer setback. Read more here.

Newcastle United saw their four-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon, with Liverpool running out 1-0 winners over Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park.

Despite the Magpies starting the game brightly, it was the visitors who went on to take the lead, with Naby Keita finishing off a flowing move in the 19th minute despite Newcastle’s protestations that James Milner had fouled Fabian Schar in the build-up.

While Miguel Almiron did beat Alisson later in the half, the goal was correctly ruled out for offside, and despite Newcastle at times looking as if they could get themselves back into the game, Jurgen Klopp’s side were ultimately well worth all three points on Saturday afternoon.

In terms of individual performances, there will undoubtedly be a number of Howe’s starting XI who will be disappointed with their respective displays against the Reds, with Almiron, Fabian Schar and Joe Willock all having games to forget.

However, it will almost certainly be the latter of this trio who is most frustrated with his efforts on Saturday afternoon.

Indeed, over the course of his 67 minutes on the pitch, Willock found himself something of a passenger in the middle of the park, enjoying just 19 touches of the ball – 34 fewer than Martin Dubravka between the Newcastle sticks – completing just eight of his 12 attempted passes and failing with his one attempted dribble.

The £80k-per-week midfielder – who Alistair Magowan previously dubbed “sloppy” – also failed to impress in a defensive capacity, losing four of his seven duels, committing one foul and being beaten by an opponent once, along with failing to make a single tackle, interception or clearance.

These returns saw the 22-year-old earn a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.2, with no player from either side receiving a lower score than the former England under-21 international.

The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder also appeared unimpressed with the £19.8m-rated man’s display, awarding him a five in his own player ratings as he wrote: “Struggled in the first half. Better after the break but not close to the levels we know he’s capable of. Just 18 touches against a stellar Liverpool midfield.”

As such, while it is undeniable that Willock is a player of much greater quality than his performance against Liverpool would suggest, it cannot be avoided that the midfielder let his team and manager down on Saturday.

AND in other news: “They’re interested”: NUFC can get St James’ Park rocking with deal for “tremendous” £30m “lion”

Manchester United are now seriously considering a move for a “lightning quick” Paris Saint-Germain star, with a surprise Marcus Rashford swap deal on the cards.

Rashford tearing it up on loan at Barcelona

Rashford has really managed to kick on since joining Barcelona on loan in the summer, amassing six goals and ten assists in all competitions, but it has recently emerged that the forward isn’t expected to make his stay at the Camp Nou permanent.

The Englishman is likely to have plenty of options to choose from next summer, however, with it being revealed Chelsea have held talks over a potential deal, while Tottenham Hotspur are determined to win the race for the 28-year-old’s signature and give him a leading role.

It is difficult to envisage a way back for the United academy graduate at Old Trafford, given his sour relationship with Ruben Amorim, and it has now been revealed the manager could get him off the books in a different way at the end of the season.

According to a report from Spain, Man United are now seriously considering signing PSG forward Bradley Barcola, and a surprise swap deal is possible, with Rashford potentially set to be sent in the opposite direction.

Barcola’s negotiations with the French club over a new contract have now stalled, which could open the door for a move to Old Trafford, although his current employers are very reluctant to sanction a departure.

With a market value of around €70m (£61m), a deal for the Frenchman would be on the expensive side, but there are indications he could be worth every penny…

"Lightning quick" Barcola impressing in Ligue 1 and Europe

Hailed as “lightning quick” by journalist Raj Chohan, the PSG star has put in some top performances in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, regularly contributing with goals and assists.

Competition

Appearances

Goal contributions

Ligue 1

12

6

Champions League

5

2

The 23-year-old also played a major role in the French side winning the Champions League for the first time last season, chipping in with three goals and four assists in 17 appearances.

Man United appear to have recruited well in the summer, with new forward Matheus Cunha grabbing an assist in the 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, while Bryan Mbeumo already has six Premier League goals to his name.

Beckham loves him: Man Utd submit £100m+ offer to sign England superstar

INEOS are chasing their biggest deal yet…

1 ByTom Cunningham 7 days ago

However, with the Red Devils looking to return to Europe next season, they may need more depth in attacking areas, and Barcola could be a brilliant addition to Amorim’s squad, so they should definitely try to negotiate a swap deal involving Rashford.

Manchester City are known for their ties to the Middle East, with Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) owning the majority of the club after buying 90 per cent from Thaksin Shinawatra back in 2008.

As one of the biggest wage spenders in the Premier League, the Citizens currently have a whopping annual payroll of £219,845,000, with the average player earning more than £6.6m per season.

With that being said, we at Football FanCast have ranked every Manchester City player in the first-team squad in order from highest to lowest in terms of wages for the 2025/26 season, with the help of Capology.

Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

1

Erling Haaland

£525,000

£27,300,000

2

Bernardo Silva

£300,000

£15,600,000

3

Omar Marmoush

£295,000

£15,340,000

=4

John Stones

£250,000

£13,000,000

=4

Gianluigi Donnarumma

£250,000

£13,000,000

=4

Ruben Dias

£250,000

£13,000,000

7

Tijjani Reijnders

£230,000

£11,960,000

8

Phil Foden

£225,000

£11,700,000

9

Rodri

£220,000

£11,440,000

10

Josko Gvardiol

£200,000

£10,440,000

11

Rayan Cherki

£180,000

£9,360,000

12

Nathan Ake

£160,000

£8,320,000

=13

Mateo Kovacic

£150,000

£7,800,000

=13

Kalvin Phillips

£150,000

£7,800,000

15

Matheus Nunes

£130,000

£6,760,000

16

Rayan Ait-Nouri

£120,000

£6,240,000

17

Stefan Ortega

£90,000

£4,680,000

=18

Nico Gonzalez

£75,000

£3,900,000

=18

Jack Grealish

£75,000

£3,900,000

=20

Jeremy Doku

£50,000

£2,600,000

=20

Oscar Bobb

£50,000

£2,600,000

=20

Abdukodir Khusanov

£50,000

£2,600,000

=20

James Trafford

£50,000

£2,600,000

=20

Savinho

£50,000

£2,600,000

25

Marcus Bettinelli

£35,000

£1,820,000

=26

Rico Lewis

£25,000

£1,300,000

=26

Nico O’Reilly

£25,000

£1,300,000

Here's a detailed look at Man City's top 10 earners… 9 Josko Gvardiol £200,000 per week

Josko Gvardiol is one of 10 City stars who collect £200,000 per week or more, with the Croatia international signing from RB Leipzig in 2023.

Gvardiol has proven his versatility by starring at centre-back and left-back and scored some important goals during his first campaign to help City to a fourth Premier League title in a row.

8 Rodri £220,000 per week

You could argue that defensive midfielder Rodri should be higher up on this list as he is one of, if not, the most influential Man City player. The Spaniard has starred in recent seasons and even scored the winning goal in the club’s historic Champions League final win over Inter Milan.

He missed the majority of the 2024/25 season through injury, though.

7 Phil Foden £225,000 per week

Academy graduate and boyhood Blue, Phil Foden signed his most recent City contract back in 2022 where he picks up a reported £225,000 per week.

The England international has quite the trophy haul at the age of 25 and who knows, he could look to stay at the Etihad for his entire career.

6 Tijjani Reijnders £230,000 per week

Tijani Reijnders caught the eye of Man City after starring for AC Milan, and those at the Etihad made their move in the summer of 2025 in a deal worth an initial £46.3m.

The Dutchman took the number four shirt in Manchester, previously worn by another central midfielder, Kalvin Phillips.

5 Gianluigi Donnarumma £250,000 per week

Replacing Ederson over the summer, Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived at the Etihad after helping Paris Saint-Germain to a historic treble.

Named the best goalkeeper in the world in 2025 by winning the Yashin Trophy, Donnarumma signed a five-year deal and is in line to earn £65m in wages as a Man City player.

4 John Stones £250,000 per week

John Stones is under contract until 2026, where he will hit his 10th anniversary after joining from Everton back in 2016.

The centre-back has won it all with City and has made more than 250 appearances in all competitions during that time.

3 Omar Marmoush £295,000 per week

Omar Marmoush was Man City’s marquee arrival in January 2025, with the free-scoring forward arriving from Eintract Frankfurt.

Since then, the Egyptian star has filled the void left by Julian Alvarez and has already formed a partnership with Erling Haaland in attack.

2 Bernardo Silva £300,000 per week

Arguably one of Man City’s most underrated players during this golden era under Guardiola is Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese midfielder’s tireless running and quality on the ball has seen him become a mainstay after arriving from Monaco in 2017.

He is out of contract in 2026.

1 Erling Haaland £525,000 per week

Goal machine Erling Haaland has found the back of the net for fun in a Man City shirt since 2022 after leaving Borussia Dortmund.

The Norway superstar could go on and break plenty more records in a Sky Blue shirt, and his new huge nine-and-a-half-year contract signed in 2025 sees him take home £525,000 per week.

Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership table, albeit only just.

On Sunday, the Hoops required a very controversial penalty to beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park; Kelechi Ịheanachọ marking his debut by converting a 96th-minute spot-kick in Ayrshire.

This means Brendan Rodgers’ side remain above Hearts by virtue of goal difference, albeit they’ve scored just eight goals in five Premiership fixtures so far, which has to be a concern ahead of their Europa League opener against Crvena zvezda at Stadion Rajko Mitić in Belgrade next Wednesday.

The departures of Kyōgo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kühn this year explain why the Celts are finding goals hard to come by, so would they actually have been better off keeping hold of a forgotten flop sold for just £500,000 by Ronny Deila?

Celtic's messy striker situation

Having not replaced the aforementioned Kyōgo, who was sold in January, it then came as a massive surprise when, on deadline day, Celtic sold Adam Idah to Swansea City for £7m.

Supporters assumed the club must have a replacement lined up but, well, that just wasn’t the case, seeing multiple low-ball bids rejected by Anderlecht for Kasper Dolberg, who never had any intention of moving to Glasgow, instead re-joining Ajax.

The window closed and Rodgers’ squad featured no senior centre-forward so, in a state of panic, the Celts signed Ịheanachọ, the Nigerian international having become a free agent after his contract had been terminated by Sevilla, showing how far from desperate the Spanish side were to have him around.

Well, considering Ịheanachọ scored zero La Liga goals for los Nervionenses, it is easy to understand why.

So, while the 28-year-old did convert that penalty at Kilmarnock, the jury very much remains out on whether or not he’ll be a success at Parkhead, so would a forgotten ex-Celtic flop actually have been a better option, still banging the goals in at 35?

Forgotten former Celtic striker still prolific

Back in August 2013, another classic late-summer signing, Celtic bought a 23-year-old by the name of Teemu Pukki from Schalke for a reported fee of £3m.

The Finnish international did score during his first two Premiership appearances, on target against Hearts and St Johnstone, but didn’t make much of an impression after that, netting just nine times in 38 outings for the club, loaned out to Brøndby a year later, before joining the Danish club permanently for around £500k, to no outrage or fuss whatsoever.

Well, since he was last seen in Glasgow, Pukki has scored 210 club goals, as well as becoming Finland’s all-time record goalscorer, smashing Jari Litmanen’s record, firing the Eagle-owls to their first-ever major tournament by netting ten times during Euro 2020 qualifying.

He is most well-known for his five seasons at Norwich City, scoring 29 and then 26 times as the Canaries won two separate EFL Championship titles, also bagging a respectable 11 Premier League goals in both 2019/20 and 20221/22.

During his peak at Carrow Road, teammate Marco Stiepermann labelled him a “special” player, adding that he “is much colder in the 18-yard box than Robert Lewandowski”, who the German had previously played alongside at Borussia Dortmund.

After leaving Norfolk, Pukki joined Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, scoring 14 times in 43 outings for the Loons, helping them reach last year’s MLS Western Conference semi-finals, most notably bagging four during a 5-2 victory over LA Galaxy in October 2023.

Since 2009, only ten players have scored 4+ goals in a single MLS match.

Not satisfied with his output in 2024 though, Minnesota allowed him to leave earlier this year, with Pukki thereby returning to his homeland in January, re-joining HJK Helsinki, a move that has certainly revitalised his career.

Pukki has bagged 18 goals in 2025, and counting, netting ten times in the Veikkausliiga, also on target when HJK were dumped out of Conference League qualifying by Bulgarian side Arda Kardzhali on penalties.

The table below fully documents Pukki’s scoring exploits since joining Celtic.

2013/14

Celtic

9

2014/15

Brøndby

11

2015/16

Brøndby

13

2016/17

Brøndby

29

2017/18

Brøndby

19

2018/19

Norwich

30

2019/20

Norwich

11

2020/21

Norwich

26

2021/22

Norwich

11

2022/23

Norwich

10

2023*

Minnesota

10

2024*

Minnesota

4

2025*

HJK

18

*MLS & Veikkausliiga are summer leagues.

As the table documents, aside from his miserable year in Saint Paul throughout 2024, Pukki has been prolific everywhere he has been since his one-year stint at Parkhead.

His 18 goal haul in 2025 is more than Idah’s tally of 12, while you have to go back to January 2023 to find Ịheanachọ’s 18th goal ago, having not bagged eight in a single campaign since 2020/21.

Thus, Pukki’s short-lived Celtic career proves that players should never be written off and may simply find themselves in the wrong environment at the wrong time.

Worth more than Tounekti: Celtic are brewing the new Reo Hatate at Parkhead

Celtic have a brilliant midfield star who could be the club’s next Reo Hatate in the middle of the park.

ByDan Emery Sep 16, 2025

It’s fair to say that Arsenal love shopping in the Premier League. It’s been a solid reason for their improvement over the last several years.

The theory is that if you poach players already comfortable in England’s top-flight, then they shouldn’t need much of an adaptation period.

That’s certainly been true for a number of players Mikel Arteta has signed. Think Gabriel Jesus who scored five goals in his first eight games for the club. Think Golden Glove winner David Raya, £50m signing Ben White and to some extent Kai Havertz, who has become a key player.

The biggest success story, of course, has been club-record signing Declan Rice.

Signed for £105m, he’s made his price tag look like a bargain, dazzling on the biggest club stage of them all against Real Madrid and PSG.

So, could Arsenal look set to replicate that triumph in 2025?

Arsenal could sign another big-money Premier League star

Much of the talk this summer has surrounded who the Gunners could add to their forward line.

In the offensive positions, it looks as though RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres are the two prime candidates, but rumours linking Arteta and Co with Ollie Watkins are not going away either.

How Arsenal's striker targets compare in 2024/25.

Arsenal lodged a bid for Watkins last January that was quickly rejected and just a few months later, they could turn their attention towards Villa again.

This time it may not be Watkins on the agenda either, with the Independent’s Simon Collings revealing this weekend that ‘Arsenal are admirers of Morgan Rogers.’

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The report notes that the north Londoners are tracking a number of players but Rogers is someone that the recruitment team particularly like.

There are set to be some sizable obstacles in the way with previous reports suggesting Chelsea are interested in the Villa playmaker and that he could also cost in the region of £100m.

Why Rogers could replicate Rice at Arsenal

When you spend over £100m on a footballer, you expect immediate success. Sadly, that isn’t always the case.

Just look at Jack Grealish at Manchester City. A previous £100m buy, he’s not even among City’s travelling party for the upcoming Club World Cup.

For Rice, however, he’s only taken his game to the next level. Some players combust under the pressure of such a high price tag but the former West Ham star has only thrived.

Those remarkable free-kicks against Real Madrid will live long in the memory, with Rio Ferdinand suggesting that the England international has now “put himself in another bracket” of midfielders, having “run the show” in both legs against the Spanish giants.

Rice has been simply sublime in Arsenal colours and heads into next season off the back of a career-best seasonal haul of nine goals and ten assists in all competitions.

2021/22

50

5

4

2022/23

50

5

4

2023/24

51

7

10

2024/25

51

9

10

Well, in Rogers, another possible £100m + Premier League star, they could be confident of sealing an equally good signing.

Aged just 22, the England international swapped Middlesbrough for the Midlands in January 2024 and 18 months down the line, he is now an “unstoppable” forward player in the words of Jamie Carragher.

An attacking midfielder by trade, Rogers cemented himself as one of the finest young players in the country throughout 2024/25, notably scoring a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic, on the way to collecting 14 goals and 15 assists across all competitions.

To put those numbers into context, the Villa star scored one fewer than Havertz (15) and registered the same number of assists as Bukayo Saka. On that evidence, he’s pretty damn special.

It’s rare you find a player you’re so confident will do well after investing in, but like Rice, Rogers would surely be that man.

Akin to Arsenal’s midfield maestro, the Villa sensation turns up in the big moments too. He scored against PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals, netted against Manchester City and also registered four assists in the last seven league games as Unai Emery’s men hunted down a successive year in Europe’s elite competition.

While they ultimately missed out on the final day, that lack of Champions League football may well actually help the Gunners if they decide to ramp up their interest.

Their own Wirtz: Arsenal make contact to sign £70m "machine"

Arsenal could land their answer to Florian Wirtz with a statement signing this summer

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 7, 2025

Manchester United have a huge summer ahead of them to right the wrongs of the 2024/25 campaign, which has seen the club register their worst ever Premier League points tally.

The Red Devils ended the season on just 42 points, sitting in a measly 15th place, with Ruben Amorim needing an overhaul of the squad this summer if he’s to be a success at Old Trafford.

He had the opportunity to end the year on a high in the Europa League final, but his side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur – topping off the dismal campaign for the club.

However, work already appears to be underway for new additions, with Matheus Cunha edging closer to completing his £62.5m switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Brazilian certainly won’t be the last addition to join the club during the off-season, potentially being joined in the North West by multiple other talents in the coming months.

The latest on United’s pursuit of new additions this summer

In recent weeks, striker Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with a move to join United, linking back up with Amorim after the pair spent time together at Sporting CP.

However, updates have since emerged which have stated that a move for the Swede may now be off the table this summer, with fellow English side Arsenal also in the race for his signature.

It would likely be disappointing for the supporters if he were to move elsewhere, but it has allowed for other deals to advance, including that of Liam Delap, according to ESPN.

The report states that the Red Devils have agreed personal terms with the Ipswich Town striker ahead of a £30m deal after the Tractor Boys suffered relegation to the Championship.

It also claims that United are trying to move the deal quickly to avoid missing out on the 22-year-old given fellow interest from the likes of Chelsea and Everton over the last few days.

Why United’s latest target would be unplayable alongside Mbeumo

Despite the recent activity in the market, United’s transfer business doesn’t appear to be slowing down, after making advances in a deal to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

Over the last few days, it’s been reported that the club have held talks with the Cameroonian international, with the Bees demanding a fee in the region of £50m this summer.

The 25-year-old has registered 20 goals and seven assists in his 38 league outings this season, being one of five players to reach such a figure in 2024/25.

Whilst such a deal would likely be another huge investment, it’s one that would massively bolster the options at Amorim’s disposal – potentially moving the side in the right direction next campaign.

Alongside his goal tally, Mbeumo has registered a tally of 1.8 chances created per 90, along with 1.4 successful dribbles per 90 – handing Delap the tools to succeed within the final third.

The talisman, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has that all-round presence at the top end of the pitch that the side have been missing over the last few months.

He’s scored 12 goals this season, whilst registering 1.1 shots on target per 90, offering a clinical edge that could drastically improve the current goalscoring tallies at the club.

Arnaud Kalimuendo

Stade Rennais

33

17

Hugo Ekitiké

Eintracht Frankfurt

33

15

Emanuel Emegha

Strasbourg

27

14

Benjamin Sesko

RB Leipzig

33

13

Mika Biereth

Monaco

16

13

Liam Delap

Ipswich Town

37

12

Thierno Barry

Villarreal

35

11

Joao Pedro

Brighton

27

10

The former Manchester City star has also completed 1.4 dribbles per 90, along with two aerials won per 90 – handing the side the focal point to play off in attacking areas.

He loves to play on the shoulder of the defender, able to make key runs in behind, something that could see him link up with Mbeumo given his own tally of chances created.

Whilst Delap may not be the supporters’ first choice this summer, he would provide a young and talented option that is only going to develop further in the years ahead.

The prospect of the pair combining at Old Trafford is certainly an exciting one, with the pair able to work together under Amorim’s guidance to try and bring the glory days back for the club.

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