It has been a slow start to life at Manchester United for Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian joined the Red Devils over the summer, costing the club £74m, including £66.3m plus add-ons. He signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford.

Yet, the 22-year-old has not really hit the ground running since his big-money move from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. The six-foot-five centre-forward is being eased in by manager Ruben Amorim, and has played just 80 Premier League minutes. He did play a full game in the Carabao Cup defeat away to Grimsby Town, but did not score.

Despite the slow start for Sesko, the same cannot be said for fellow summer signing Matheus Cunha.

Cunha’s start to life at United

Football statistician Statman Dave said it best: Cunha is “going to light up Old Trafford this season”. The Brazilian has started life for the Red Devils in excellent fashion, despite not finding the back of the net yet.

A starter in all four of United’s games so far this term, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player has added a real spark to Amorim’s attack with his directness and creativity.

He’s come close to scoring several times, with this effort against Fulham one of the closest.

The underlying numbers from Cunha’s time at United so far highlight how well he has started. The Brazil international averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.7 successful dribbles per 90 minutes already this season, as per Sofascore.

Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the 26-year-old picked up an injury in their most recent Premier League clash against Burnley at Old Trafford. It was serious enough for Amorim to substitute Cunha 31 minutes into the game.

At this stage, it is unclear if the Brazilian attacker will be back in time for Sunday’s Manchester Derby at the Etihad Stadium. If not, Amorim has someone waiting in the wings to unleash.

United’s ready-made Cunha replacement

Despite Cunha’s injury, United are not short of options for one of those number ten roles next to Bryan Mbeumo. Bruno Fernandes could be pushed higher up the pitch, Amad could move from wingback, and Kobbie Mainoo could get a well-deserved first Premier League start.

But the ideal option for Amorim to unleash could be Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee. Described as a “monster” of an attacker by football analyst Ben Mattinson, the 24-year-old impressed in the second half of last season, especially as a number ten.

Having featured in 34 games under United’s Portuguese manager so far, Zirkzee has found the back of the net six times and assisted one goal.

One of those strikes came in the 2-2 draw away to Olympique Lyon in the Europa League, a goal which proved crucial given the fact United were 7-6 aggregate victors.

One of Zirkzee’s biggest strengths is his silky link-up play. The attacker, who can play as a centre-forward as well as a number 10, is excellent when it comes to dropping into pockets of space to link play together with quick give-and-go passes.

He also excels in one-vs-one situations in tight spaces, able to dance past defenders with his quick feet, often leaving them in the dust. Although he doesn’t possess lightning-quick pace, his superb technical ability shines through.

Indeed, the stats from the Europa League last season back up the theory that those attributes are his very best.

For example, he had a 70% take-on success rate and played 3.4 progressive passes per 90 minutes. Those metrics place him in the top 2% and 6% of forwards in the competition last season.

Zirkzee – 24/25 Europa League

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Expected assists

0.2

86th

Progressive passes

3.4

94th

Key passes

1.19

71st

Shot-creating actions

3.23

79th

Take-on success rate

70%

98th

Stats from FBref

Zirkzee could be the perfect option for Amorim to unleash as one of the number 10s. He has only played an hour or so of football this season, but he is perfectly suited to playing in that same role as Cunha.

It means the likes of Sesko would miss out on a spot in the starting lineup, but Zirkzee’s technical ability might be too good for Amorim to ignore, going into a huge week for the Red Devils.

Related Man Utd talent who left the club for £0 has been outscoring Sesko & Mbeumo

Manchester United may have made a mistake in allowing one former talent to depart Old Trafford.

Posts 1 ByEthan Lamb Sep 11, 2025

At the innings break, Boult told the commentators that MI wanted to restrict GT under 200, and half the job was done

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2025

Sai Sudharsan goes up, over and behind•BCCI

On a black-soil pitch where 180 was expected to be the par total, Gujarat Titans posted 196 for 8 thanks to a quickfire start from Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.Before the start of the season, Gill said he wanted GT to maximise the powerplay; they were the slowest side in that phase last season with a run rate of 7.72. Both Gill and Sudharsan did their best to improve that number and took the side to 66 for no loss after six overs. It was their third-highest powerplay score in the IPL. Both Gill and Sudharsan were on 32 off 18 at that stage.But MI pulled things back once the field restrictions were relaxed. GT could score only 13 runs from overs seven to nine and also lost Gill to Hardik Pandya. Hardik has now dismissed Gill four times in 18 balls in T20 cricket while giving away only 11 runs.Jos Buttler ended the boundary drought by hitting Mitchell Santner for a six and a four off successive balls in the tenth over. Buttler fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 14th over but Sudharsan kept GT going. He brought up his second fifty in as many games, off 33 balls, and took the side to 170 for 3 after 17 overs.But GT collapsed after that. Trent Boult trapped Sudharsan lbw with a yorker, Rahul Tewatia was run out, and Sherfane Rutherford holed out to deep extra cover. Despite Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada hitting a six each, GT could manage only 26 in the last three.After the innings, Boult told the commentators that MI wanted to restrict GT under 200, and half the job was done. The dew had started setting in and he expected it to make the chase easier.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dois jogadores emprestados pelo Santos podem ter saídas confirmadas em breve. Trata-se de Rwan e Gabriel Pirani, que estão cedidos a Vasco e Fluminense até o fim do ano, respectivamente.

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O atacante vascaíno recebeu oferta do Ludogorets, da Bulgária, segundo apuração da reportagem do Lance! com pessoas ligadas ao Cruzmaltino. O clube carioca não fez esforços para segurá-lo e liberou o atleta para a negociação.

A tendência é que o Peixe também não coloque barreiras para as tratativas evoluírem, pois o time da Vila Belmiro pretende fazer uma ‘limpa’ no elenco. A intenção é aliviar a folha salarial e arrecadar mais dinheiro para investir em contratações.

A informação sobre a proposta a Rwan foi publicada inicialmente pelo portal “Atenção, Vascaínos”.

Outra saída próxima de ser oficializada é a de Pirani. O Fluminense informou em nota durante a tarde deste sábado (15) que foi notificado sobre o interesse de um clube dos Estados Unidos pelo jogador. O Tricolor das Laranjeiras, então, não exerceu a opção de compra e liberou o meia.

A equipe com negociações avançadas pela compra de Gabriel Pirani, que manifestou desejo de atuar no time estrangeiro, é o DC United, da MLS. O Fluminense ainda receberá uma quantia pela venda do Alvinegro Praiano devido ao percentual de ‘vitrine’.

Em contato com fontes santistas, o L! foi informado que as tratativas pelos Meninos da Vila estão em andamento, mas que ainda não foram 100% concretizadas.

UM RENDEU. JÁ O OUTRO…

Aos 21 anos, Pirani chegou por empréstimo ao Fluminense com contrato até o fim de 2023. Na equipe de Fernando Diniz, o camisa 20 vinha sendo peça importante e realizou 24 partidas, tendo marcado dois gols: contra o Flamengo, na final da Taça Guanabara, e diante do Bahia, pelo Brasileirão.

Enquanto isso, Rwan, de 22 anos, não teve sequência no Vasco e disputou apenas dois jogos pelo clube, pelo Brasileirão. No início do ano, ele atuou sete vezes pelo Paulistão, ainda com a camisa do Santos.

Arsenal have enjoyed a phenomenal first summer transfer window under new sporting director Andrea Berta, but with deadline day early next week, there is still no sign of Mikel Arteta’s side throwing the towel in.

The Gunners have spent well north of £250 million on seven new recruits, with Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze all joining Arteta’s star-studded squad.

Arsenal’s confirmed summer signings	Price tag
Kepa Arrizabalaga	£5m
Martin Zubimendi	£60m
Christian Norgaard	£15m
Noni Madueke	£52m
Cristhian Mosquera	£13m
Viktor Gyokeres	£55m
Eberechi Eze	£67.5m

While many of these arrivals were pre-planned amid weeks/months of talks, Berta showed that he can fast and under pressure by hijacking Tottenham’s deal for Eze.

Following Kai Havertz’s injury, having previously backed off from Eze due to their desire for Ethan Nwaneri to get more game time this season (talkSPORT), Arsenal U-turned over signing the 27-year-old and swiftly agreed a deal for him – breaking Spurs hearts in the process.

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Mikel Arteta’s side are looking at more signings before the deadline.

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Aug 28, 2025

It was one of the most sensational transfer hijacks in recent memory, with Arteta praising Arsenal for their “unexpected” move.

Given their seismic summer expenditure, and the fact Arsenal have reinforced nearly every area of their squad, you’d think Berta would be done there.

However, that actually isn’t the case.

Arsenal are in talks to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen, according to multiple media sources, and the Ecuador international has already agreed personal terms as Berta chases a potential loan with an obligation to buy in 2026.

Signing the centre-back would allow Jakub Kiwior to join FC Porto, and this potential transfer domino is making all the headlines around N5 right now.

Piero Hincapie pushing to join Arsenal for £43 million

As per Ben Jacobs, an instant permanent transfer for Hincapie cannot be ruled out either, even if an obligation next year is the most likely scenario.

Hincapie himself is apparently pushing to join Arsenal for a fee close to £43m, with the club hoping to strike a deal below his £52m release clause.

In another update, Jacobs adds that today is seen as “key”, with negotiations at an advanced stage as Arsenal push to agree a deal before the weekend.

While Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) regained the dazzling batting form they had lost somewhere on their trip to Mumbai, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting continued to be lackluster as they slumped to their third loss in a row after starting IPL 2025 with a mammoth 286. Four days after being skittled for 116 by Mumbai Indians, KKR posted a stiff 200 for 6, led by a 29-ball 60 from vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer and an unbeaten 17-ball 32 from Rinku Singh. Venkatesh and Rinku enabled KKR to finish with a bang – they scored 78 runs in their last five overs – after Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi set things up with a third-wicket stand of 81.SRH were punished for being sloppy in the field more than a few times, and managed just 120 in reply after the KKR quicks took their mighty top three down in just 13 balls. Last year’s runners-up slumped to the bottom of the table while the defending champions jumped five places from last to fifth.Related

• Venkatesh: 'Aggression does not mean tonking every ball for a six'

• The Arorana stumbling block in Travishek's rumbling road

• Live Blog – KKR bowlers thwart SRH's hard-hitters again

• KKR vs SRH: Kamindu Mendis bowls with both hands in the same over

Travis Head fell cheaply for the second time in a row against Vaibhav Arora, as in the IPL final last year, while Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan managed just 2 each. The eight runs scored by SRH’s top three was their second-worst start in the IPL. In last year’s final, their top three – though Kishan wasn’t part of it – had managed just 11.SRH barely recovered from 9 for 3 and slipped to 66 for 5 and eventually suffered their biggest defeat by a runs margin in the IPL.

Travishan flop in big chase

There was no venom in the pitch, no unplayable bounce or movement either, but the SRH top order had no answers for the KKR pace attack, even though Mitchell Starc is no longer part of it. Head skied the second ball to mid-off, Abhishek edged a slower one from Harshit Rana in the second over to slip, and Kishan smashed one to cover where Rahane pouched a sharp catch on the tumble to delight the home fans. Nine for 3 could have become 9 for 4 had Andre Russell held on to an on-drive from Kamindu Mendis at mid-on and made it a double-wicket maiden for Arora. Russell, however, redeemed himself when he got the next wicket as soon as the powerplay ended, having Nitish Reddy caught at long-on. Arora picked up his third eventually, getting the big scalp of Henrich Klaasen for 33 when he returned for his second spell.1:10

Do SRH need to rethink their batting approach?

In between, Reddy showed glimpses of his ball-striking talent, Mendis heaved a couple of sixes on the leg side off Russell, and Klaasen tried to take the game deep even as the asking rate climbed past 15 an over. Rahane stifled SRH with five overs in a row from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakarvarthy, from the eighth to the 12th, which went for just 33 and brought two more wickets, before Arora removed Klaasen and Varun nearly scalped a hat-trick in the 16th over. SRH were eventually bowled out for 120, again raising question marks over their batting approach.

Narine, de Kock fall cheaply again

Even though the Eden pitch didn’t have the spice that was offered by the Wankhede’s in KKR’s last game, they lost their openers cheaply again. Narine fell to another yorker, edging one behind this time, for 7, and Quinton de Kock pulled a short ball to deep square leg for 1 off 6 as KKR crawled their way to 17 for 2 after three overs. They got a lift thanks to the Mumbai duo of Rahane and Raghuvanshi, who between them struck four sixes in 14 balls to help KKR end the powerplay on 53 for 2. Rahane smashed three of them, even before hitting his first four, peppering the leg-side boundary with two pulls and a majestic flick behind square.Venkatesh Iyer crashed 60 off 29 balls•BCCI

Ansari pulls things back

Cummins brought on spin as soon as the field spread out and rookie legspinner Zeeshan Ansari rewarded his captain by stifling the set batters with turn, flight and different lengths to concede just 25 runs in three overs on the trot while the quicks continued to leak boundaries from the other end. Ansari conceded just one boundary off his first 14 deliveries, that too off a misfield from Reddy, before Raghuvanshi carted him for a six and four when he erred too full. Ansari, however, fought back with Rahane’s wicket for 38.

Venkatesh, Rinku power KKR to 200

SRH could have had two in two had Reddy not put down Raghuvanshi at the rope on 43. Raghuvanshi made them pay with a cover drive for four later in the over and brought up his second IPL fifty in the next. His luck finally ran out against the ambidextrous Sri Lanka spinner Kamindu Mendis, and when Harshal Patel held onto an excellent catch that he dived for after running in from deep point.KKR were going at just over eight an over after 13 overs, with two new batters in the middle. Harshal and Simranjeet Singh slowed them down further by taking the pace off the ball, but the trick didn’t work for too long. Rinku and Venkatesh took off once they got their eyes in and powered KKR to their first 200 total of this campaign. Rinku started the carnage with three consecutive fours off Harshal in the 17th while Venkatesh reeled off two in the next over, which Rinku finished with a towering six over long-on. Venkatesh then turned his purr into a roar in the penultimate over. Even though Cummins tried his cutter, a slower bouncer and a yorker among other things, Venkatesh went 4, 6, 4, 4 and brought up a 25-ball fifty before blasting Harshal for a six and a four at the start of the final over. He holed out next ball, and Harshal conceded just three off the last three, but the damage had already been done.

When England hired Thomas Tuchel, they knew they were about to steal several headlines. Not only did the former Chelsea boss become the first foreign manager to take the role since Fabio Capello, but he also instantly stood out as a manager who has achieved great things at club level.

Gareth Southgate didn’t steal those headlines and for all his experience, neither did Roy Hodgson. Tuchel, however, is a Champions League winner who entered the Three Lions’ den with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich on a CV packed with moments to remember. Now, many believe that he could be the England manager to finally stop the world in its motion and end the men’s side’s wait for silverware.

Naturally, with such an illustrious career, Tuchel has coached some of the best players around European football. At Chelsea, he had N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva. At PSG, it was even more absurd as he took charge of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar – arguably becoming the last manager to truly get the best out of the latter.

Appearances

67

Goals

51

Assists

34

His time as England manager has only continued the trend of top players. The German now has the chance to mold a golden generation into long-awaited winners in a squad which is likely to include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka at the 2026 World Cup – just to name a few.

Kane has already been full of praise for the manager too, telling reporters: “Thomas Tuchel is fantastic, he has settled in straight away. He is a pleasure to work for, he has brought the passion.”

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Not even Kane’s praise has been enough to soften Tuchel’s stance, however, as the veteran coach named a former Borussia Dortmund star as the best player he’s worked with.

Tuchel: "Outstanding" Dembele is best player I've worked with

Not Neymar, not Kane, not Saka and not even Mbappe could take the crown away from Ousmane Dembele as Tuchel listed off the best player that he’s worked with. Speaking to Sky Sports, Tuchel name-dropped Dembele and described the Frenchman as one of “the craziest natural talents” that he’s ever seen.

A year ago, that answer would have received a questionable response. Dembele looked like a player destined to fall below his potential and instead suffer a career summarised by injury struggles. But then things finally clicked.

From a struggling star, Dembele is now among the Ballon d’Or favourites after leading PSG to Champions League victory for the first time in their history.

Whilst others began to look past his ability, Tuchel always believed. He had the chance to work with the PSG star during the early days of his career at Dortmund and shaped a player who joined Barcelona for a staggering £135.5m. Now, years on and in the middle of a long-awaited Parisian romance, Dembele is finally proving Tuchel right.

أعلن تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد قائمة فريقه لمواجهة خيتافي ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه النادي الإسباني نظيره خيتافي مساء غدٍ، الأحد، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا ثقيلًا على خيتافي في إطار منافسات الجولة التاسعة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا” للموسم الجديد 2025/2026.

ويتصدر رجال ألونسو جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا” برصيد 21 نقطة بفارق نقطتين عن برشلونة الذي يحتل المركز الثاني برصيد 19 نقطة.

اقرأ أيضًا | مبابي يكشف كيفية تعلمه للغة الإسبانية.. ويوضح: الناس هنا رائعين

ويغيب المدافع الإسباني دين هويسن، عن قائمة ريال مدريد بسبب الإصابة التي تعرض لها رفقة المنتخب خلال فترة التوقف المنقضية.

وشهدت القائمة تواجد الفرنسي كيليان مبابي، مهاجم الفريق برغم الإصابة التي تعرض لها رفقة المنتخب الفرنسي في مباراة أذربيجان والتي جعلته يغادر اللقاء.

كما تضمنت ظهور الأرجنتيني ماستانتونو الذي جاءت شكوك كثيرة حول جاهزيته للمباراة، وتواجد أيضًا الثلاثي البرازيلي إيدير مليتاو، فينيسيوس جونيور ورودريجو. قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة خيتافي في الدوري الإسباني

في حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا – لونين – سيرجيو ميستري.

في خط الدفاع: إيدير ميلتاو – راؤول أسينسيو – ديفيد ألابا – ألفارو كاريراس – فران جارسيا.

في خط الوسط: جود بيلينجهام – إدوارد كامافينجا – فيديريكو فالفيردي – تشواميني – أردا جولر – تياجو.

في خط الهجوم: فينيسيوس جونيور – رودريجو – كيليان مبابي – إبراهيم دياز – إندريك – فرانكو ماستانتونو – جونزالو جارسيا.

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados!
🆚 @GetafeCF pic.twitter.com/0Dti4lAYxo — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 18, 2025

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola believes Phil Foden is "the best player we have in small spaces by far" while explaining how big a boost the Englishman's return to form is for his team. The 25-year-old has been deployed in a new-look No.10 role, which sees him operate closer to the box, and the change in how his position has provided highly positive results immediately.

• Foden back to his best

  Foden has started the 2025-26 season with a bang, regaining confidence and showing the sort of form which earned him the Premier League Player of the Year award at the end of the 2023-24 season. City are unbeaten in their previous six games, with Foden starting in all six. Not just that, but he has already produced four direct goal contributions in seven games, a drastic improvement from the last 18 league outings of the last season, where he recorded a solitary goal involvement.  

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Guardiola hails Foden's 'desire'

  A reporter asked Guardiola, "When Phil's playing at the standard he is now, how much more does he give this unit as a team?" 

  "A lot," said Guardiola in response, before praising Foden and explaining what makes him such a threat. "He’s one of the best players we have in small spaces in the final third, by far,” the City coach claimed. “In terms of assists and in terms of goals in small spaces, how he times an attack and the desire to score a goal is the best we have.”  

• Foden overlooked for England by Thomas Tuchel

  "He plays a little bit free and close to the box, he can do something that is unique," said the former Barcelona manager last week. Indeed, the City starboy is thriving in his new-look No.10 role, but his exploits have been overlooked by England boss Tuchel. In a squad that is bereft of the other No.10s, such as Jude Bellingham and the injured Cole Palmer, Foden must have felt heartbreaking to not have received the call-up. He hasn't played a game for England since March.    

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  Who will Man City face next?

  City recorded their worst-ever start to a season in two decades, but their fortunes have turned around without any surprises. Foden has been a key player in helping City wake up from their early slumber, and Guardiola will hope for more exploits from his star man on Sunday against Brentford.     

Newcastle United are days away from learning their pathway throughout the Champions League group phase, having finished fifth in the Premier League last term and thus restored their position in Europe’s elite competition.

Eddie Howe’s side are also mere hours away from facing Liverpool in the top flight, with the narrative inextricably going to weave around the absent Alexander Isak.

Howe has fought tooth and nail to build St. James’ Park up since arriving almost four years ago, piecing facet upon facet and spending wisely to enjoy European football, first-class players and, most impressively, a domestic cup, their first in 56 years.

But that progress has been threatened over the past month or two, with Isak, the Magpie talisman, desperate to leave the club and join Arne Slot’s Premier League champions.

PIF don’t want this to happen, but Newcastle need strikers regardless.

Newcastle chasing late-window deal for strikers

It’s imperative that Newcastle sign a striker before the transfer deadline, even if Isak ends up staying put. Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is the primary target right now, and though Keith Andrews doesn’t want to lose his prolific forward, Wissa is determined to join the Toon.

Brentford are playing hardball, and so the culmination of that one remains an uncertain thing. But Newcastle aren’t restricted to just one target, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jørgen Strand Larsen also high on the Tynesiders’ list.

The 25-year-old impressed on loan at Molineux last season, scoring 14 goals and supplying five assists across 38 matches. He has since seen his sojourn become a permanent stay.

Strand Larsen is a talented forward, a proven goalscorer in the Premier League for a relegation-threatened side. However, he’s very much a target man.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but if Newcastle sign Wissa too, a bit more variation might be good, especially with the Norwegian priced at a hefty £65m.

Newcastle call for Strand Larsen alternative

According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have called Chelsea as they continue to weigh up a formal bid for Nicolas Jackson, although they are joined in their interest by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.

Jackson has been excluded from Enzo Maresca’s first-team set-up at Stamford Bridge, and his departure within the week looks nailed on.

Newcastle will need to act swiftly if they wish to sign the Senegalese player, and must weigh up whether they are willing to meet Chelsea’s £50m asking price.

Why Newcastle want to sign Jackson

Jackson joined Chelsea two years ago, leaving Villarreal in Spain after a potent end to his time in La Liga, scoring ten goals across the final two months of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 24-year-old’s time at Chelsea has been characterised by ebb and flow, but so too has he shown plenty of promise, and if the Blues cash in, it might come back to bite them.

Mobile and effective in the build-up, Jackson has a lot about him, albeit he has yet to release the shackles of wastefulness in front of goal, with Sofascore recording that he missed 43 big chances across his first two Premier League campaigns.

However, Howe has the managerial skills and the vacancy at number nine which could allow Jackson to hit new levels, smoothing out the wrinkles in his skill set and proving a confident talisman for Newcastle.

Data-driven platform FBref have chalked down the data and inferred a likeness to Isak, which underscores Jackson’s complete take on the striker’s game. It’s what the Toon need, especially if they sign Wissa.

What they don’t need is Wissa and Strand Larsen, those reliable but limited-in-scope strikers who would best enhance United’s fluency if partnered with another centre-forward of a wider capacity.

PL 24/25 – Jackson vs Strand Larsen
Stats (per 90)	Jackson	Strand Larsen
Goals scored	0.41	0.49
Assists	0.20	0.14
Shots taken	3.08	1.88
Touches (att pen)	5.72	3.76
Shot-creating actions	2.80	1.46
Pass completion	75.9%	64.6%
Progressive passes	1.54	1.01
Progressive carries	1.91	0.59
Successful take-ons	0.73	0.28
Ball recoveries	1.95	1.46
Aerials won	0.85	2.33
Tackles + interceptions	1.01	0.56
Data via FBref

As you can see above, Jackson’s underlying data reveals him to be more creative, progressive and combative than the 6 foot 4 Strand Larsen, and while he is tainted by his profligacy, Howe could scour out such a foible at Newcastle, having proven time and time again his ability to bring out the best in his players.

Praised as a “special” player by journalist Rahman Osman, Jackson might not feel like the most attractive of names right now, but he has so much potential, and Newcastle could offer the stable and warm conditions to give rise to those areas of his arsenal that have yet to bloom.

Jackson’s sporadic bursts of prolificness confirm that he has it within him to be a consistent marksman, and, flanked by Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga at St. James’ Park, he might just hit the jackpot by opting to sign his signature in black and white, ignoring the advances of Villa and Bayern.

Strand Larsen might have racked up 14 goals last season, but Wissa scored 19 for Brentford and played a similar role.

Given that Wolves want silly money for their striker, it seems reasonable that Newcastle shelve their curiosity and instead push ahead with a deal for Jackson, that talented Chelsea striker who awaits the right project to ignite his potential.

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By
Will Miller

Aug 24, 2025

This season, Leeds United have the tough task of surviving in the Premier League as a newly promoted side. It has not been done in the previous two campaigns, with all six sides coming up from the Championship going straight back down.

Of course, the Whites are back in the top flight for the first time since 2022/23. The previous season, they stayed up by the skin of their teeth, largely thanks to their iconic winger Raphinha.

His penalty away to Brentford on the final day of the season helped them to a 2-1 win to keep them in the Premier League.

Daniel Farke won’t have the Brazilian at his disposal this season, but Leeds are linked with another exciting attacker.

Leeds' plans after signing Noah Okafor

It has been a busy summer already for Leeds, with nine new faces through the door, the latest of which has seen Noah Okafor arrive for a reported figure of £17m.

However, it does not seem like their transfer dealings will stop there.

Transfer Focus

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

According to a report from Leeds Live, the Whites have a ‘hope of hijacking’ Crystal Palace’s deal to sign Bilal El Khannouss from Leicester City. He is a player Leeds have already held talks to sign this summer.

It seemed like the deal was off for Farke’s side, with El Khannouss choosing to go to Selhurst Park. Yet, Oliver Glasner’s side are not ‘fully committed’ to the move and have ‘temporarily halted’ talks, which could give Leeds a chance to pull the deal off.

If so, they’d surely have to match the £32m fee Palace are set to pay the Foxes.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing

Without doubt, Leeds and the other promoted sides this season have a bit of a mountain to climb in order to stay in the Premier League.

Yet, signing a “magician” like the Moroccan star, as football scout Antonio Mango called him, would go a long way to helping stay in the division.

Despite a tough year for Leicester in 2024/25, El Khannouss was one of their standout players.

In 37 games across all competitions, he scored three goals and assisted six. This season, he has started on fire, with two assists in the Championship in as many games.

As well as impressing in the Premier League, the 21-year-old has also shone for Morocco. He starred in their third-place finish at the 2024 Olympic Games, scoring and assisting three times and creating ten chances along the way, as per Sofascore.

Well, just from those numbers, it is easy to see how El Khannouss could be Leeds’ most exciting signing since Raphinha.

Ex-teammates at Elland Road have waxed lyrical about the Brazilian, too, with Dan James calling him a “magician”, exactly the way Mango described the potential new Leeds signing.

His time for the Yorkshire outfit was short but sweet. The now-Barcelona forward, who shone last season under Hansi Flick, played 67 games in that famous white shirt.

In that time, he scored 17 times and assisted 12, with the most famous strike surely that final-day penalty at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Leeds fans would love for the Moroccan star to have the same impact as Raphinha in their survival campaign of 2021/22.

That season, the Brazilian averaged 2.01 key passes and 2.75 progressive carries each game. In comparison, last term for the Foxes, El Khannouss played an average of 1.74 key passes and averaged 3.02 progressive carries per 90 minutes.

Key passes

1.74

2.01

Progressive passes

5.29

4.14

Goal-creating actions

0.29

0.31

Progressive carries

3.02

2.75

Ball recoveries

3.80

5.12

It is easy to see why El Kahnnouss would be Leeds’ best signing since Raphinha. Not only does he have similar creative numbers to the Brazilian, but he has also been given similar high praise in his short career so far.

For a fee in the region of £32m, the Moroccan star could revolutionise this Leeds team and bring back some of the magic Raphinha added at Elland Road.

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