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Chelsea are already making their presence known ahead of the January transfer window and could now be set to enact a blockbuster move for Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, under certain conditions.

The Blues have enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign under Enzo Maresca, despite having to find their way a little at Stamford Bridge, leaving them third in the Premier League standings as the international break unfolds.

With a notably young squad after a summer transfer spend of nearly £300 million, it was never going to be easy for them to adapt, albeit they have managed to create a sense of stability on the pitch and could stake a claim for the title if their current form persists.

Half the battle is being able to sell a vision to new recruits. In the case of Estevao, the young Brazilian has revealed that he had a private conversation with former Chelsea star Thiago Silva before opting to put pen to paper in West London.

He said via Sky Sports: “That’s right, after the last Brazilian Serie A game in 2024. We had a brief conversation, he came and spoke to me, and told me (I would like the club a lot), that the club had an incredible structure. For sure, we are seeing that now that the club has everything I need and an incredible set up, incredible people that work there.

“So yeah, I spoke to him after the game. I was really happy because Thiago Silva is an idol of this club, it was an incredible opportunity. So for the rest of that year I was anticipating it. I watched a lot of Chelsea games so I could see who I would be working with here, and thanks to God it’s all going well here.”

In truth, BlueCo have shown a real penchant for snapping up some of world football’s most elite young talent, and that extends far beyond Estevao.

While Chelsea are frontrunners to sign Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, they are also reportedly becoming a genuine contender to acquire one of his competitors for a slot in the England starting line-up.

Chelsea keen on Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson

According to Mark Brus in his Daily Briefing via CaughtOffside, Chelsea have laid some groundwork over signing Forest’s Anderson through extensive scouting missions, and could look to act after his excellent start to the top-flight campaign.

Lauded by Thomas Tuchel as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”, the 23-year-old has notched a solitary goal and an assist apiece in 14 appearances this term, but his performances at the City Ground have earned rave reviews.

However, they may not be able to complete any move for the Whitley Bay-born star until they sell a player to clear expenditure, and it is unlikely that Enzo Fernández will be sacrificed to make way for the ex-Newcastle United man.

Manchester United are also in pursuit and may be one to watch in the race for his signature, albeit Kobbie Mainoo is an alternative name that could fill any vacant midfield berths at Stamford Bridge.

Conceivably, there could be a few moving parts to this story, but Chelsea's strong interest in Anderson could pave the way for another big-money incoming if Maresca's side feel he is worth the risk. Chelsea are also ready to perform a last-minute hijack to land a Real Madrid star

Major League Baseball's postseason has been especially good on-field product this fall and has proven to be a ratings success at this point. ESPN enjoyed the highest numbers ever for the Wild Card round, averaging 2.823 million viewers, a 25% increase from last year.

That momentum continued through the Division Series portion of programming as baseball posted the best figures since 2017, an 18% bump from 2023.

The presence of two New York teams and one from Los Angeles certainly helps explain the additional eyeballs and the Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Guardians series went a full five games.

Those major market squads surviving into the ALCS and NLCS had Fox and TNT Sports salivating at even more juicy numbers and it certainly looks like they'll be getting those.

Fox reports that Game 1 of the NLCS between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers was the most-watched Game 1 LCS on any network since 2009. Which is even more impressive considering the fact baseball was going up against .

Every single possible permutation of a potential World Series matchup is attractive so the sky feels like the limit when it comes to baseball doing big business on television this October. This, of course, will do little to stem the pieces about how the sport needs to be saved and can't market itself but that feels like a lost fight anyway.

Baseball is having a much-deserved moment and a lot of people are catching it in real time.

Blistering 58-ball century, allied to figures of 4 for 18, prove enough for South Group’s dominant force

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jul-2025Will Jacks, with a magnificent 58-ball century, and Sam Curran and Chris Jordan, with some canny late bowling, inspired Surrey to their 11th victory in 14 Vitality Blast games and snuffed out Sussex hopes of winning the last quarter-final berth from the South Group.Jacks powered three sixes and a dozen boundaries as he put on 65 for the first wicket with Ryan Patel and then 97 with Jason Roy as Surry scaled the 200 mark with a last ball six from Tom Curran over long-off off Tymal Mills.It all looked too much for the Sussex Sharks. But they were heroic in defeat. Knowing they had to win go qualify for the latter stages of the competition, with results going against them elsewhere, they strove valiantly for victory. Daniel Hughes, who has been disappointed with his return in the competition this year, plundered 75 from 43 balls, keeping his side in the hunt as he hit former Sussex man Jordan for four fours in over, before lofting Jamie Overton for a straight six.At the halfway stage Sussex were 81 for 1, ten runs behind the Surrey score. When Hughes was bowled, backing away to cut Jacks, it again looked difficult for Sussex. But Coles and Tom Clark changed all that, with a partnership of 58 in just four overs.Coles, in great form this season in red and white ball cricket, hit Jamie Overton for successive sixes, one over long-off and then over long-on and with 33 needed from three overs, and then 21 from two, the home side were favourite.But Surrey turned the game in the last two overs, as Curran took two in three balls, taking a brilliant return catch to dismiss Coles for a delightful 39 off 18 balls and then having Danny Lamb caught behind. That left Sussex needing 13 off the final over and even with captain John Simpson on strike they could not manage it against the clever Jordan, as he changed his paces.Surrey had already qualified for the latter stages with a guaranteed home draw while Sussex, after four losses on the spin, had been given a lifeline with their last-gasp victory over Gloucestershire the previous day and knew they could qualify by winning here.Surrey’s powerhouse batting line-up had shown a liking for Hove’s short boundaries in the past and they again got off to a flyer after choosing to bat, with openers Jacks and Patel thumping 47 off the first four overs, with 65 coming off the six-over powerplay as Brad Currie – replacing the injured Ollie Robinson – Nathan McAndrew and captaian Tymal Mills all coming in for severe punishment.Sussex pulled it back through the spin of Coles and with Henry Crocumbe and Lamb both impressive as they took pace off the ball. But then Surrey powered on again through Jacks, and with Jason Roy finding form to set an imposing total. But it was only just enough.

Hefty 229 not sufficient as Somerset pile through to five-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay12-Jun-2025

Sean Dickson marked his return to Somerset’s team with top score of 76 as they made it four wins from as many Vitality Blast group games with a five-wicket victory over Middlesex in a Taunton run-feast.Middlesex ran up 229 for five – the highest ever Blast total by a visiting side at the Cooper Associates Ground – after losing the toss, Max Holden striking 87 not out off 47 balls and Ben Geddes a career-best 69 from 32 deliveries, including seven sixes.In reply, Somerset reached 235 for five with four balls to spare, Dickson, back after a broken finger, hitting five sixes and six fours in his 38-ball knock and Lewis Gregory making a rapid 58 not out.Middlesex were given a brisk start by Stephen Eskinazi and Kane Williamson, who posted 39 in less than four overs before Eskinazi was bowled by Riley Meredith attempting a scoop.Williamson was visibly frustrated to fall for 28 off 17 balls, caught at deep square off fellow Kiwi Matt Henry to make it 58 for two in the sixth over.From then on, the innings was all about Holden and Geddes, both of whom greeted left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy with sixes in taking the total to 103 for two at the halfway stage.Craig Overton had impressed in his opening three overs before Geddes struck him for a straight six into the River Town and pulled another maximum at the end of his stint.Geddes went to a majestic 25-ball half-century, clearing the ropes for a sixth time, off Gregory, and then sent another ball into the river off Ben Green before Holden moved to an equally impressive half-century off 30 deliveries.Their partnership ended when Geddes was caught at long-off, Meredith striking again with his next ball as Leus du Plooy was brilliantly caught at long-on by Overton. A pulled four by Holden off Gregory brought up the 200 in the 18th over and Jack Davies hit the 12th six of the innings in the final over.Somerset lost Will Smeed to the fifth delivery of their innings, bowled by Noah Cornwell. Tom Kohler-Cadmore cleared the ropes three times before Tom Banton fell to Ryan Higgins to make it 41 for two in the fourth over.Kohler-Cadmore quickly followed to Cornwell and it was 88 for four in the ninth over when Tom Abell slog-swept a boundary catch off Luke Hollman to depart for 24.But Dickson was starting to blossom, producing a wide range of attacking shots in moving to a 24-ball fifty, reached with a reverse-swept six off Zafar Gohar. Gregory was caught off a Hollman no-ball as 18 came off the 13th over and the home side still had hope.Dickson smashed Cornwell for a straight six and Gregory rode his luck further when dropped on the boundary by du Plooy off Gohar, hitting three sixes in the same over. After Dixon holed out to long-off, the Somerset skipper hit his fifth maximum to reach a 21-ball half-century.Ben Green was dropped in the closing overs, du Plooy again the guilty fielder, before another Gregory six completed a remarkable victory.

In recent years, Leeds United have seen a whole host of exciting, raw gems from the Thorp Arch academy structure explode into life in the senior set-up.

While he has gone on to have an up-and-down career since exiting the Whites, Kalvin Phillips’ name has to be mentioned when looking back at academy starlets coming good at Elland Road, with the Leeds-born midfielder going on to collect 14 goals and 13 assists in the first-team picture at his boyhood side. Safe to say, Marcelo Bielsa turned him into an elite talent.

Archie Gray is also another glaring example of the conveyor belt approach in West Yorkshire working wonders.

Daniel Farke and Co only had the adaptable teenager in the first team ranks for one season before he was poached by a Premier League outfit.

Gray's insane rise at Leeds

Despite having such a long-standing reputation for giving up-and-coming youngsters first-team minutes when ready, no homegrown starlets were present on Farke’s bench for the recent trip to Fulham.

Gray was also nowhere to be found in the Tottenham Hotspur lineup, either, against West Ham United later that Saturday, with a major concern now that the 19-year-old could be Phillips 2.0; another expensive failure in the Premier League when leaving the comforts of West Yorkshire behind.

With hindsight now firmly on side, Gray might well have been better placed to stay put at Leeds for the foreseeable, instead of sealing a £30m move to North London.

Still, those at Leeds no doubt loved every minute of the teenage sensation’s career in the first-team mix at Leeds, even if promotion failed to be secured, with the England U21 regular turning quickly into a starter week in, week out for Farke.

Indeed, Gray left having tallied up 52 appearances in the first-team ranks from just one season, with the 6-foot-2 wonderkid’s ability to line up as a central midfielder or as a full-back, making him a dependable figure, even at such a young age.

Losing the versatility of Gray, therefore, would have hurt Leeds as much as both Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter vacating the building did, with the teenager even being lauded as “elite” from his very early days in West Yorkshire by the iconic Bielsa.

Still, losing Gray for that aforementioned £30m won’t hurt too much anymore as Leeds now find themselves in the same division as their ex-academy product.

Yet, they wouldn’t say no to having a fresh version of the 19-year-old, with another academy sensation now aiming to make the grade required to break into the senior ranks very soon.

The next version of Archie Gray at Leeds

Amazingly, while their former number 22 is no longer around, there is still a lingering Gray family connection at Elland Road.

Indeed, Harry Gray – who is the brother of the £30m star – is now being tipped to reach some incredible heights in West Yorkshire, having already netted four goals in Premier League 2 action this season.

Staggeringly, this isn’t the only narrative that “runs in the family” – as analyst Ben Mattinson has quipped – with Charlie Cresswell’s sibling in Alfie Cresswell making similar waves in the U21 set-up, with a route up to the first-team not looking like the most daring next step for the 18-year-old already.

With two goals next to his name in Premier League 2 action, many looking in might well anticipate that Cresswell is a player who regularly lines up in the forward areas.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, when assessing the various positions he can slot into, the argument that he could be the next Gray-style talent undoubtedly strengthens.

Looking at the table above, Cresswell has routinely switched between playing in the middle of the park and as a right-back for the U18s and U21s.

Coincidentally, those are the two main positions Gray used to fill under Farke’s tutelage, with Gray even taking on a centre-back role at Spurs on occasion, like the 18-year-old’s main preference.

Therefore, the hope will be that Cresswell can go on to be a similarly standout success story like the Spurs number 14, as the next generation at Leeds aim to make significant strides to be remembered like Phillips and others before them.

Leeds messed up selling James & Gnonto upgrade who'd solve Farke's big issues

A star sold by Leeds United last year would solve the club’s current attacking problems as an upgrade on Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto.

1

By
Dan Emery

Sep 15, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras está no mercado em busca de contratações para o meio-campo e parece ter um novo alvo no mercado: Aníbal Moreno, volante do Racing-ARG. Acontece que, segundo fontes do clube argentino, a proposta foi recusada no mesmo momento em que chegou. A informação foi publicada inicialmente pelo jornalista César Luis Merlo e confirmada pelo Lance!.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Na oferta palmeirense, os valores apresentados foram de 6 milhões de dólares (R$ 28,7 milhões). No entanto, as condições do negócio não foram reveladas à reportagem. Nos bastidores, o Verdão não confirma a proposta, nem a recusa, porém não nega o interesse e admite que está monitorando nomes no mercado sul-americano.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

O volante de 24 anos já foi cogitado no futebol europeu nesta janela, mas o Racing-ARG recusou uma proposta um pouco maior do que a Alviverde. Dessa forma, o clube argentino também recusou as cifras oferecidas pelo Palmeiras. Além disso, não intenção de negociar o jogador antes da disputa das oitavas de final da Libertadores, na qual enfrenta o Atlético Nacional-COL

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A tentativa palmeirense pode ter como origem a dificuldade do clube em contratar Wendel, do Zenit-RUS. Na terça-feira (18), representantes do Verdão e do atleta se reuniram para buscar uma forma de fazer a negociação dar certo, mas os valores envolvidos estão fora da realidade, o que afasta a possibilidade de o volante entrar para o elenco de Abel Ferreira. No entanto, não houve uma desistência oficial.

+ Cadê os reforços? Saiba os motivos da postura ‘lenta’ do Palmeiras no mercado de contratações

Aníbal Moreno tem seus direitos econômicos divididos entre dois clubes. O Racing-ARG tem 80%, enquanto o Newell’s Old Boys tem 20%. O argentino é, de fato, um volante com características de camisa 5, como procura o Palmeiras desde a saída de Danilo para o Nottingham Forest-ING. O meio-campista tem contrato até dezembro de 2025.

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MatériaMais Notícias

A chegada de Bruno Lage ao Botafogo foi repleta de expectativa. Apresentado no fim da manhã desta quarta-feira (12), o treinador adentrou o gramado do Nilton Santos ao lado do acionista da SAF, John Textor, e vestiu a camisa 7 do Glorioso.

Na sala de imprensa, Textor contou o que foi crucial para trazer Lage para o Alvinegro.

– Não é segredo para ninguém que gosto do estilo europeu, português, atacando em progressão, no futuro quero que esse seja o estilo do Botafogo. Essa não é uma situação usual. Temos de substituir alguém muito bom, de maneira muito mágica, para manter o Botafogo no momento onde está. Tive uma decisão de tomar antes de trazer um treinador interino. Mais do que de se tornar uma busca por Libertadores, se tornou uma competição de caça ao título. – e emendou:

– Estava na dúvida sobre escolher um treinador ou deixar para esperar o momento certo, mas entendi que isso traria dificuldades. O Botafogo deixa de buscar vaga na Libertadores e quer conquistar o título. As metas não mudaram, esse ano segue sendo a Libertadores. A temporada é muito longa, ninguém vai chegar e ganhar tudo, é complicado. Mas quis trazer alguém para fazer ajustes rápidos e manter o time onde está – completou.

Lage foi veemente ao fazer sua primeira declaração como treinador alvinegro.

– As minhas primeiras palavras são dirigidas ao torcedor do Botafogo, porque tem sido uma manifestação fantástica nos últimos dias e também desde que chegamos no aeroporto. Faremos de tudo, eu e minha comissão técnica, para continuar essa temporada fantástica. Já comandei um glorioso em Portugal e, hoje, estou comandando um glorioso no Brasil. Estou feliz por ser o escolhido para levar essa tarefa até o fim – disse o treinador – disse.

O técnico também falou qual é seu plano inicial para o Botafogo.

– Esse vai ser o nosso trabalho ao longo dos meses. Essas coisas acontecem quando as equipes não estão em bom momento e precisamos mudar em termos de motivação. Aqui, nós temos feito uma análise muito cuidadosa da equipe e de como conseguir os resultados. O objetivo é fazer uma transição muito pacífica – garantiu.

Aos seus olhos, o momento é deixar o elenco do Glorioso confiante para a sequência da temporada.

– No futebol, nem quando se ganha está tudo bem e nem quando se perde está tudo mal. A equipe tem feito, em termos de resultados, uma temporada fantástica. Queremos continuar nesse caminho e deixar os jogadores confortáveis – disse.

Lage detalhou como foi sua convivência com Luís Castro, antigo comandante do Alvinegro.

– Conversamos um pouco. Ele me disse que há um grupo fantástico de jogadores, um estafe do clube também fantástico. Temos um passado muito parecido. Enquanto o Luís era coordenador do Porto eu era treinador da base do Benfica. Nos cruzamos várias vezes. Quando assumiu a equipe B do Porto e a equipe A, eu fiz o mesmo percurso – destacou.

Lage adotou cautela ao falar em relação à possibilidade de título.

– Um título é sempre importante para qualquer treinador, mas não temos tempo para pensar nisso. O que me dá mais prazer são as recepções, a forma de celebrar títulos, de se celebrar no estádio. O que me dá satisfação é dar alegria às pessoas. Esse é o meu foco. Trabalhar com jogadores, tirar o melhor deles e dar tudo pelo torcedor que vai apoiar o time – declarou.

Mais cedo, Bruno Lage desembarcou no Rio de Janeiro e foi recepcionado por um grupo de torcedores do Glorioso no Galeão.

Now that the Alexander Isak debacle is over, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe can get to work and make headway throughout the 2025/26 campaign.

While PIF’s intent was always to keep the Sweden international on the books this summer, Newcastle, having won last year’s Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League with a fifth-place Premier League finish, his obstinacy in forcing his way out of St. James’ Park made it a tricky situation to circumvent.

Luckily, the Magpies have pulled through with some shrewd dealings over the past couple of months, and Howe will feel that he has a squad fit to challenge, having replaced Isak and Callum Wilson with two new strikers.

Newcastle's centre-forward changes

Isak scored 27 goals across all competitions last season, including 23 in the Premier League, putting him behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

Replacing him was never going to be an easy task, but Howe must be content with the £50m addition of Yoane Wissa from Brentford, with the 28-year-old having posted 19 strikes across the 2024/25 campaign.

Wissa doesn’t have the depth of technical quality or range of weapons as Isak, but he should provide a consistent outlet in the final third.

And with Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade having also signed in a club-record £69m deal last month, Newcastle have the potential to refashion their frontline into something special.

Newcastle have signed one of the most exciting young forwards in world football, but the jury is very much out as to whether he will hit the ground running in the Premier League – not least after netting just 17 goals in 2024/25, only 12 of which came in the Bundesliga.

With Isak now gone, Howe may well rue the sale of another free-scoring Premier League forward a few years ago.

Newcastle must regret selling the original Wissa

Newcastle signed Chris Wood from Burnley in a £25m deal in January 2022, part of a shake-up after PIF swooped in and changed the Toon’s trajectory.

Where Are They Now

Like Wissa, the one-time Leeds United man was a relative short-term solution, having moved to St James’ at the age of 30.

Like Wissa too, Wood had more than proven his Premier League credentials prior to making the switch, arriving in the North East after reaching double figures for league goals in each of his four full top-flight campaigns at Turf Moor.

In all, the 6 foot 3 striker netted 49 goals in 144 games for the Clarets in the top tier, a remarkably similar record to Wissa’s own return of 45 goals in 137 league games back in west London.

Unfortunately, Wood subsequently looked “a bit lost” during his time at the club, as pundit Tam McManus remarked at the time, only scoring five goals across his 39 appearances.

However, Wood has bounced back and then some with the Tricky Trees, sensational last season as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side qualified for Europe.

His 20-goal return surpassed both Wissa and Woltemade’s respective hauls, and given the consistency of his output in the Premier League, Howe may well regret having issued his sale so prematurely.

25/26 (NFFC)

3

2 (0)

24/25 (NFFC)

36

20 (3)

23/24 (NFFC)

31

14 (1)

22/23 (NFFC)

7

1 (0)

21/22 (NUFC)

18

2 (0)

20/21 (NUFC

17

2 (0)

The towering talisman resurrected his career at the City Ground, but it goes to show that the quality was always there, and that he might have gone from strength to strength on Tyneside had he been given more time.

But the decision to sign Isak ended his chances of becoming a superstar in black and white.

Wood might be 33 now, but he’s showing little sign of slowing down, having bagged himself a brace on the opening day of the season as Forest beat Brentford 3-1.

Had he found his footing on Tyneside, the New Zealand native might have eased the drama of the past few months and then some, providing Howe’s side with a clinical outlet over these past few weeks, which have yielded little in terms of success in the final third.

As painful as Isak: Howe must regret selling "phenomenal" Newcastle talent

This former Newcastle star could have been a superstar in Eddie Howe’s system.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 2, 2025

It’s not been a year to remember for West Ham United supporters, and there are few signs of encouragement so far this summer.

The Hammers finished 14th in the Premier League last season, sacking Julen Lopetegui in January, having picked up 1.15 points-per-game under the Spaniard, before this actually dropped to 1.11 points-per-game following Graham Potter’s appointment.

As they look to improve ahead of next season, star attacker Mohammed Kudus has been sold to fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while full-backs Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf have arrived.

Now though, with another one of the Hammers’ most high-profile players potentially on his way out, should they replace him with an “exquisite” talent?

West Ham target Lucas Paquetá's replacement

On Friday, it was reported by Martyn Ziegler and Matt Lawton of the Times that Lucas Paquetá is ‘set to be cleared’ of spot-fixing.

As documented by Mario Cortegana and Roshane Thomas of the Athletic, the Brazilian was alleged to have intentionally collected yellow cards in four Premier League matches, thereby ‘affecting or profiting from the betting market’, which, if found guilty, would have seen him handed a lifetime ban by the FA, but this will now not come to pass.

These allegations scuppered Paquetá’s proposed move to Manchester City two years ago, but it is now forecast that the Brazilian will push for a transfer this summer, reportedly valued at around £80m by West Ham.

Should he depart, the Hammers would need to sign a replacement, hence why journalist Ben Jacobs is reporting that they are interested in signing Fábio Vieira from Arsenal, adding the Irons are ‘planning to add multiple midfielders’ to their squad.

Transfer Focus

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

Vieira was not included in the Gunners’ squad that is currently in Hong Kong, but that’s due to his exploits at the Club World Cup, starting all three of Porto’s fixtures in the United States last month, providing an assist during their bonkers 4-4 draw with Al Ahly.

So, could he become the latest player to go directly from Arsenal to West Ham, following in the footsteps of Jack Wilshere, Manuel Almunia, Jérémie Aliadière, Marouane Chamakh, Carl Jenkinson, John Hartson, Freddie Ljungberg, Lucas Pérez, Davor Šuker, Nigel Winterburn, Ian Wright, and many others? We could go on!

What Fábio Vieira would bring to West Ham

Vieira joined Arsenal from Porto three summers ago for a reported fee of £34m, and has shown glimpses of why they paid that money, but has never produced on a consistent basis.

The table below illustrates Vieira’s statistics for the Gunners, as well as what he produced last season, having been loaned back to Porto.

As the table notes, Vieira never managed to establish himself as a first-choice figure in the Arsenal team, starting just three times during his most recent campaign with the club, his only goal an 88th-minute penalty during a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United.

Despite this, his talent is obvious, with presenter Adam Keys impressed by his “incredibly clean ball-striking” ability, labelling him “exquisite”, while Lorihanna Balabanova of Total Football Analysis outlines how he is at his best as a ‘creative attacking midfielder’ who likes to ‘occupy the right half-space’.

Well, similarly, Karim Shahine of Total Football analysis notes that Paquetá thrives as a ‘right-sided half-space’ number ten, praising his ‘creativity’ and ‘tactical flexibility’.

Based on that, it would appear as though Vieira would be the ideal replacement for his fellow left footer, so let’s take a look at how the duo compared last season.

As the table outlines, in 300 fewer minutes, Vieira’s statistics were, almost across the board, more impressive than Paquetá’s, notably when it came to chances created, shooting and dribbling.

Of course, the caveat is that he was doing so at a lower level, with the Primeira Liga ranked by Global Football Rankings as the seventh-strongest league in the world.

Nevertheless, Vieira is certainly available this summer, no longer in Mikel Arteta’s plans, so the Gunners may well sanction another loan deal, making his signing a low-risk, high-upside move for West Ham.

West Ham now making final checks on £15m "star" GK who's open to the move

The Hammers are lining up a move for a new goalkeeper.

By
Dominic Lund

Jul 29, 2025

Everton are now reportedly closing in on a double deal to welcome two teenage talents to their academy.

Everton continuing summer business after Thierno Barry

Having already kicked off their summer business by welcoming Thierno Barry from Villarreal, Everton are reportedly set to continue their pursuit of incomings by signing Bournemouth’s Mark Travers. The shot-stopper looks set to arrive to provide Jordan Pickford with some much-needed backup following the departures of Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia.

The goalkeeper’s arrival will hand Everton their third signing of the summer after Moyes was left delighted by the signing of Barry last week to follow up the arrival of Carlos Alcaraz on a permanent deal earlier in the window.

The Everton boss told reporters: “We are delighted to have brought Thierno to the Club. We see lots of potential and we are hoping for good things from him.

“We will give him plenty of time to settle in and we are looking forward to getting started working with him as soon as possible. I’m hoping to make more additions in the coming weeks.”

It’s no surprise that the Toffees have turned towards Travers as well as the talented forward, either. Following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s decision to leave the club as a free agent, Moyes desperately needed a fresh goalscorer and Barry will provide exactly that.

It’s not just current gems that the veteran manager is thinking about, however, with reports now suggesting that Everton are closing in on signing two future stars this summer.

Everton closing in on Dodds and Gokah swoop

As reported by The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland, Everton are now closing in on deals to sign John Dodds and Reuben Gokah from Hearts and Charlton Athletic respectively. The double swoop follows Friedkin’s decision to add significant investment into improving their academy and adding former Manchester United chief Nick Cox to their ranks as a result.

Dream Doucoure replacement: Everton open first talks to sign £30m star

After Abdoulaye Doucouré departed Everton following the expiration of his contract, could the Toffees sign a “highly talented” replacement for £30m?

Jul 15, 2025

While Dodds and Gokah won’t steal the same headlines as Barry or Travers, they may prove to be just as important in years to come. Both defenders, the teenage duo will feature for Everton’s academy before potentially breaking into Moyes’ first-team when the time is right for all parties.

Given the path that Jarrad Branthwaite has taken since arriving in Merseyside as a youngster, there should be no concern over whether there will be an opportunity for Dodds and Gokah to thrive if they impress enough at youth level.

With the teenage duo and Travers, Everton will be taking their list of incomings up to five for the summer in what has so far been a productive transfer window.