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Pakistan’s nerves settled with the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis, who threatened with a 73-run stand

Danyal Rasool15-Oct-2025Ultimately, reality had to bite. 276 has never been chased at the Gaddafi, and the prospect has become even more unlikely since Pakistan pivoted to rapidly deteriorating spin tracks. South Africa gamely hung around till deep into the middle session, but they had been cut too far adrift, and kept losing too many wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi polished off the tail after Pakistan’s spinners made early inroads, sealing a 93-run win that breaks South Africa’s record 10-Test win streak.Pakistan’s nerves had been settled at lunch with the dismissal of the dangerous and the dogged – Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis both falling to superb deliveries from Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. Senuran Muthuswamy was trapped in front shortly after the resumption, and for the next half hour both sides appeared to be going through the motions. Kyle Verreynne and Simon Harmer hung around without really making a charge towards the total, while Pakistan’s spin kept plugging away, but without the intensity before the break. Slowly, South Africa edged past Pakistan’s third innings total, the first time since Pakistan have prepared these tracks that the fourth innings has outscored the third.The reintroduction of Afridi broke the game open, though. Coming around the wicket, he found reverse with the ageing ball on the ageing surface, viciously dipping one back into Verreynne that struck him so square Afridi never turned around to confirm the umpire agreed with his assessment that ball was hitting the stumps.Numbers 10 and 11 were easy work for an amped up Afridi, who sensed an opportunity to pad his figures up in a game where his relevance to the side had hitherto been limited. Prenelan Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada had no answer for the swinging yorkers that rattled their stumps, sealing a win that had perhaps been secured when Pakistan ran up a large total in the first two sessions of the first day.Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton gave South Africa hope•Getty ImagesA lively session of cricket had broken out in the morning in Lahore with Brevis taking the attack to Pakistan. The 22-year-old, playing just his third Test match, threatened to pull off the spectacular with a run-a-ball 54 but was unable to sustain such a breakneck tempo on a wearing subcontinent pitch. Noman took back the spotlight that South Africa have been trying to take away from him through the course of this entire game, bringing up his third Test-match 10-for and putting Pakistan on the road to victory. At lunch, they were four wickets off and had 139 runs with which to buy them.Nothing like this target of 277 has ever been chased before in a Test match in Lahore and that record seemed set to continue when the first four overs of Wednesday’s play yielded two wickets and just five runs. Afridi went through Tony de Zorzi’s defence with his third ball and the worry the visitors had about new batters struggling to find rhythm in these conditions came to pass. Tristan Stubbs only lasted eight balls before reverse sweeping Noman to Salman Agha at slip, who now has five catches in the match.South Africa’s overnight 51 for 2 had become 55 for 4 when Brevis walked in. He took a little time to get acclimatised and then, in the 34th over, he charged out to meet a half-volley from Noman and smacked it over mid-off. A slog sweep for six and a heave over midwicket for four followed, giving the young batter all the confidence he needed to trust in his attacking instincts. The battle between Brevis and Pakistan peaked when he hit a no-look six over long-on to bring up his half-century.Noman had been the recipient of most of Brevis’ punishment, but the canny left-arm spinner knew all he needed was one ball in the right area. That came in the seventh over before lunch when a ball fired into the pitch gripped well enough to turn right past the defending batter and clatter into the stumps. Brevis fell for 54 off 54 with six of South Africa’s 10 fours and all of their two sixes in the final innings.That was Noman’s 10th wicket of the match. Sajid, his spin-bowling partner, chipped in with one as well when he dismissed the other set batter, Ryan Rickelton, for 45 off 145 deliveries as Pakistan went to the break consolidating the upper hand they’ve had since the first day’s play.South Africa spent the best part of four days trying to claw back that advantage, and while they took Pakistan the distance, it was a task which proved just a bridge too far, even for the world champions.

The summer of 2023 was a landmark period for Arsenal. It signalled the arrival of a certain Declan Rice no less.

The midfielder arrived in a club-record £105m move. The Gunners had beaten Manchester City to his services, thus securing the talents of one of England’s finest players of his generation.

Since he moved across London from West Ham to Islington, there has still been a feeling that Arsenal have missed a player of the calibre of a certain Granit Xhaka.

Over the last year, in particular, Rice has eradicated memories of the Swiss warrior but their Arsenal stories are woven together.

The year Rice arrived, Xhaka left and in perhaps peculiar circumstances. The veteran had just enjoyed the finest individual campaign of his time at the Emirates Stadium, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

No longer was he the defensive midfielder that a great Arsene Wenger once signed. He was now a goalscoring number 8.

After departing, Xhaka enjoyed a fabulous time under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga but he’s now back in England and proving to be one of the signings of the summer.

How Xhaka inspired Sunderland to a draw with Arsenal

Over the last few years the newly promoted teams have been swept aside without so much as a noise. To put it frankly, they’ve been terrible.

However, Sunderland are bucking that trend. Ahead of Sunday’s fixtures in the Premier League, they sat fourth in the table and a large reason for that has been the performances of Xhaka.

The Switzerland midfielder signed for the Mackems in a £17m deal back in the summer and was swiftly made club captain. His displays since then have been admirable.

Sky Sports analyst and Sunderland supporter Dougie Critchley went as far as to say he is the “best player” he’s ever seen in the famous red and white strips after his goal against Everton last week.

While Xhaka did not find the net against Arsenal on Saturday, it was another fine display from Sunderland’s tempo-setting midfielder.

Xhaka is a warrior, a leader of men and he demonstrated that by completing 90% of his passes, winning four of his five ground duels and completing seven clearances this weekend.

Xhaka vs Arsenal

Minutes played

90

Touches

57

Accurate passes

35/39 (90%)

Key passes

0

Shots

0

Fouled

1x

Tackles won

2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

7

Recoveries

1

Ground duels won

4/5

Aerial duels won

1/1

Stats via Sofascore.

Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey made the headlines but Xhaka issued Arsenal a timely reminder of his qualities.

Up against Rice and Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal’s midfield pairing exudes similar qualities but they aren’t the only men in Mikel Arteta’s ranks who bring a Xhaka-like presence to the squad.

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Expand Collapse Arsenal's Granit Xhaka of 2025

The date is 28th October 2019. Unai Emery has chosen to substitute club captain, Xhaka. The response from Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium was remarkable.

He was booed and jeered as he left the field, which sparked an eyebrow-raising reaction from the Swiss. He cupped his ear, asked for more and then chucked the captain’s armband on the floor.

It was not a surprise to see that he was stripped of the captaincy just ten days later.

Speaking about the incident back in 2023, Xhaka labelled the situation as a “nightmare”. “The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal”, he said.

He ultimately stayed and enjoyed a remarkable change in fortunes under Arteta. The Spaniard turned him into a more forward-thinking midfield and after a hellish first few years in London, enjoyed a fabulous 2022/23 season, in particular.

That was the year Xhaka scored nine times and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The 33-year-old was still a vocal presence on the pitch and while he didn’t possess the armband, he still felt like a captain on the pitch. In the present day, the same could be said of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

While the Brazilian hasn’t fallen out with supporters since moving from Lille in a £27m move, their Arsenal careers certainly have parallels.

Gabriel headed to London as an exciting talent but he was still incredibly raw. He showcased that during his first few years in English football.

The centre-back was rash and truth be told, a bit error-prone. Rio Ferdinand was particularly scathing of the defender back in 2022.

It was an incident that led to a DM exchange between Gabriel and Ferdinand and since that moment, he has gone from strength to strength.

Like Xhaka in his early days at Arsenal, the big Brazil international was a bit of an accident waiting to happen but they both enjoyed remarkable comebacks.

In the words of Jamie Carragher, Gabriel is now “the most influential player in the Premier League” this season and is in with a real shout of winning the PFA Player of the Year award if the Gunners win the league.

The defender has been a colossal presence in the heart of Arteta’s backline, a true “monster” as per pundit Troy Deeney. He’s a giant at the back, composed with the ball at his feet and has made a rather ridiculous impact from set-pieces.

So far this season, Gabriel has scored two goals and supplied three assists. Since joining in 2020, no centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than him (22).

Like Xhaka, he’s also now one of the strongest commanders of men in the squad. He’s captained Arsenal on several occasions now and to quote Carragher once more, he is “the leader” in Arteta’s backline.

A midfielder he may not be, but he is certainly like Xhaka in plenty of ways. From being riddled with mistakes to becoming a cult hero at the Emirates, the parallels are certainly there.

Newcastle United have purchased some real gems over the last few years when flexing their muscles across various transfer windows.

Just this summer gone, the Magpies splashed out a substantial £69m to land Nick Woltemade, and it’s already looking like it was a necessary splurge to make, with the skilful, yet towering German now up to four Premier League goals, despite the new campaign still very much being in its infancy.

Other, more shrewd purchases in recent memory have also seen Eddie Howe and Co. land both Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn, who remain as mainstays in his XI to his day, despite both being veteran figures at St James’ Park, while a deal to snap up Sandro Tonali for £55m back in 2023 continues to pay off.

The best recent bit of business of them all, however, could be obtaining Bruno Guimaraes, with the much-loved Toon captain even being hailed as “special” by his manager at the weekend, as another clutch moment from the Brazilian in black and white secured a last-ditch 2-1 win over Fulham.

Guimaraes' hero status at Newcastle

Acquired for a cheaper fee than both Woltemade and Tonali at the £40m mark back in 2022, it’s clear, now that Newcastle won themselves an almighty bargain picking up the South American from Lyon when they did.

Indeed, the Rio De Janeiro ace has become a “talisman” for the Magpies – as he was recently labelled by Match of the Day pundit Michael Carrick – with goals and assists aplenty, 52 combined to be exact, always matched by a hunger to battle away and fight for his beloved side, across his 166 appearances and counting on Tyneside.

From his mammoth 11,032 minutes in the Premier League, Guimaraes has won a very high 915 duels.

Yet, that is also coupled with his incisive play in the forward areas, with his 6510 accurate passes across the same span of matches, often resulting in him finding a teammate in the forward areas who can steer the Toon to a win.

The well-respected number 39 – who has also been dubbed a “joy to watch” this season by Toon-based blog Mouth of the Tyne – does also take matters into his own hands in the attacking positions, with a bumper eight goal contributions next to his name this campaign.

All of this overwhelming evidence points in the direction of Guimaraes being an unbelievable, earth-shuddering steal, but there is a new star emerging at St James’ Park now who might well be viewed as Newcastle’s most prized purchase since the 27-year-old’s impactful arrival.

Newcastle have another Bruno bargain

Guimaraes’ longevity in a Magpies shirt should be commended, with his midfield partner in Joelinton, beginning to show signs of decay, while he continues to stand out as a fine wine.

Malick Thiaw will hope he’s viewed as such a revered element of Howe’s team down the line, with the decision to bring in the 6-foot-4 centre-back this summer for just £34m already being viewed as another Guimaraes-style masterstroke.

Just ten games have come the Düsseldorf-born warrior’s way on Tyneside to date, and yet, he is already being branded as “absolutely sensational” to watch by Newcastle-based writer Thomas Hammond.

The table above only backs up all the wild praise the three-time Germany international has been receiving, with the commanding number 12 not looking out of place whatsoever in the Premier League – despite struggling to hold down a first-team spot at AC Milan – as seen in him averaging an unerring 88% pass accuracy, on top of winning five duels on average across his six outings in the tough league so far.

He very much stood out against Fulham too, in much the same way Guimaraes did, with eight duels heroically won, further reinforcing how much of a bargain the Toon have managed to pull off by acquiring Thiaw for a measly £34m.

With two Champions League clean sheets also under his belt, seeing Mouth of Tyne further boldly state that Thiaw can play at the “very top”, it’s clear that one of the centre-back spots in Howe’s XI is now nailed on to be taken up by the new fan favourite.

Already a recipient of his own catchy chant by the Newcastle fans, too, it does remain to be seen what Thiaw’s long-term career looks like in England.

Right now, though, he looks to be treading down the same, success-laden path as Guimaraes in being a staple for many years to come.

Move over Woltemade: Howe has unearthed a new “game-changer” at Newcastle

Newcastle United have unearthed a new game-changer, and it’s not Nick Woltemade.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 26, 2025

A significant update has emerged regarding one Rangers star’s Ibrox future, with the 49ers Enterprises tempted to sell and his potential price tag in the January transfer window revealed.

The Gers have found some much-needed form with Danny Rohl at the helm, with three wins in succession coming their way in the Scottish Premiership.

Numerous players have performed better under the German than they did with Russell Martin in charge, not least Nicolas Raskin, who was impressive in Sunday’s 3-0 win away to Dundee in the league, bossing the midfield battle for the visitors.

The Belgian fell out of favour under his previous manager, who publicly explained why he axed him from Rangers’ squad to face Hearts earlier this season.

“He won’t be in the squad tomorrow. We have a lot of conversations as we do with every player, but he’s back training with the squad which is a good step. Now, like every player, he has a duty to make sure he earns the trust of all his other team-mates, coaching staff and the staff in the building to help us win football matches.”

Rangers may sell Raskin for £20m in January

Now, according to a new update from TEAMtalk, Rangers and the 49ers could be willing to sell Raskin in January, potentially demanding as much as £20m for his signature, even though Rohl has “consistently praised” his influence and sees him in his long-term plans. Two unnamed Serie A sides are weighing up a New Year approach.

£20m “could be enough” to force the Gers’ hand midway through the season, with the Scottish side “aware of his growing market value -particularly after another impressive international break with Belgium, where he earned widespread plaudits for his composure and work rate.”

Opinion may be split over Rangers potentially letting Raskin leave the club in January, not least because he has shown the quality that he has in his locker in recent weeks, also being lauded by Derek Ferguson in the past: “Raskin, since he started looking after himself, has been phenomenal. It’s his drive, his ability on the ball.”

The 24-year-old is contracted at Ibrox until the summer of 2027, so a big decision does need to be made relatively soon, in order for the Gers not to miss out on receiving a hefty fee for him, and certainly not losing him on a free transfer at that point.

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That said, waiting until the summer feels like a sensible choice, allowing Raskin to remain at the club for the rest of this season, helping Rohl’s side give themselves the best possible chance of success, both domestically and in Europe.

0 mins under Martin: Rohl must unleash Rangers' "left-footed Van Dijk"

Since Breetzke is available for the second ODI, no replacement has been named

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2025Tony de Zorzi has been ruled out of South Africa’s ODI series against England after sustaining a hamstring injury in the first match in Leeds.De Zorzi was fielding on the boundary when he dived to stop a Jos Buttler shot from going for four. While he was successful in reeling the ball in, he hurt his left hamstring in the process. He left the field for treatment and it was quickly confirmed that he would not return and would only bat if required. South Africa were chasing a modest target of 132 and did not need de Zorzi. He will now return home to undergo scans and determine the extent of the injury.No replacement batter has been named as de Zorzi was the reserve and played in place of Matthew Breetzke, who himself had a left hamstring tweak and missed the last ODI in Australia and the first in England. Breetzke has since recovered and is available for selection for the second match on Thursday. He is likely to slot straight back into the No. 4 spot.There is no further update on the availability of South Africa’s pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who missed the ODIs in Australia with ankle inflammation and did not play at Headingley. Codi Yusuf, who has been playing for Durham, was brought into the South African squad, which suggests Rabada may not make an appearance until the T20Is.South Africa’s other concern is captain Temba Bavuma, who is still under a workload-management protocol after hurting his hamstring in the World Test Championship final in June. Bavuma played in two of the three ODIs in Australia and the first match of the England series but is expected to be rested for one of the remaining two.South Africa lead the three-match series 1-0.

Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet pitched an absolute gem on Tuesday night, allowing one run on four hits while striking out 11 batters as the Red Sox took down the Yankees 3–1 in the Bronx. Boston now leads the American League wild-card playoff series 1–0.

Following the contest—which saw the Sox come back from down a run in the seventh—slugger Aaron Judge spoke about the challenges he and his New York teammates faced against the 25-year-old hurler, and made what was likely a painful admission:

"He's the best pitcher in the game," Judge explained. "He's gonna work all his pitches, worked a little more off-speed in there early on. We got the Volpe homer but couldn't really, when we got guys on, couldn't do much after that."

Game recognize game.

For what it's worth, Judge did find some relative success against Crochet, going 1-for-3 from the dish while striking out in the sixth.

The wild-card series between two of MLB's biggest rivals will continue on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, with Carlos Rodon set to to the rubber for New York while Brayan Bello goes for the Red Sox.

Rohit Sharma has become the No. 1-ranked ODI batter following his innings of 73 and 121 not out in the second and third games in the series in Australia, which India lost 2-1.The two knocks took Rohit up from third spot to the top for the first time in his career after being in the top ten for large periods over the past decade. The century, in particular, boosted Rohit’s points and took him past Ibrahim Zadran and Shubman Gill.Rohit wasn’t the only India cricketer to gain after the three-ODI series in Australia, with Axar Patel rewarded for a strong all-round performance. He took a wicket in each of the three ODIs and chipped in with scores of 31 and 44 in the first and second games. That took him up six places on the bowlers’ table to No. 31, and up four spots to No. 8 on the allrounders’ table.

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Within the respective top tens, Mitchell Santner moved up three rungs to fourth place following the first two ODIs against England, and Josh Hazlewood moved up two spots to eighth among the bowlers.Elsewhere, following the shared two-Test series between Pakistan and South Africa, Keshav Maharaj gained nine places to a career-high rating, and the 13th place, on the bowlers’ list. While Maharaj picked up nine wickets in the only Test he played, his team-mate Simon Harmer had 13 wickets from the two Tests and moved up 26 spots to No. 45.For South Africa, Aiden Markram (up two spots to 15th) and Tony de Zorzi (up seven places to joint 47th) also gained on the Test batters’ table.

Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck half-centuries each to carry Afghanistan to 188 for 6 in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup. Hong Kong had their moments, their spinners in particular harnessing slow conditions well enough to frustrate their more pedigreed opponents. But the gulf in class eventually showed as Yasin Murtaza’s side dropped catches and committed misfields to hurt their own chances.Sediqullah has brought up each of this three T20I fifties in his last four innings, and as well as he looked out in the middle, standing tall at the crease and largely coping with the lack of pace, he benefited from three missed chances. A man who could’ve been dismissed in the very first over in the end batted through to finish on 73 off 52.Murtaza was involved in all three lives Sediqullah got – twice dropping the catch himself and once having to watch it go down off his own bowling. He did the best he could to make up for it, the three Hong Kong spinners giving the ball such little pace but so much air that this game looked straight out of the 90s. As such, the more modern day T20 batter wasn’t able to adjust. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah picked up 3 for 75 in 11 overs.However, the arrival of pace in the 17th over changed the game with Atal and Omarzai targeting Ayush Shukla. Afghanistan scored 69 runs in the last four overs with Omarzai raising his first T20I half-century. From the simple clear-the-front-leg slog to the cheeky ramp past the keeper, the Afghanistan allrounder has shown impressive range on a difficult batting pitch and finished with a strike rate of 252.38.Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase.

Newcastle United are now believed to be one of the clubs who are battling to complete the signing of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The Magpies arguably have one of the most complete midfields in the Premier League currently, with the starting options at Eddie Howe’s disposal the envy of many managers.

In Bruno Guimarares, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, Newcastle have a trio who complement each perfectly, playing a big role in their success in recent years.

Bruno’s passion acts as the heartbeat for the Magpies, with the Brazilian such a popular figure from day one at St James’ Park, while Tonali’s box-to-box brilliance is seeing him become a more highly-rated player by the week. Then there’s Joelinton, whose physical prowess is such a potent weapon for his side.

Despite this, there is a feeling that added midfield depth is required for Newcastle, which is why they have been linked with a move for an exciting young talent.

Newcastle looking to sign Hayden Hackney

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown talked up Newcastle’s interest in Hackney, as the Magpies look to beat others to his signature with Howe concerned at his strength in depth.

“Hackney is a top player and he’s somebody I rate very highly. It’s no surprise there is interest in him, I’m told a lot of clubs have been keeping tabs on him, and it seems Newcastle are now one of those clubs. If Hackney was at Newcastle tomorrow, I don’t think he’d get into their midfield, because the options they’ve got in there at the moment are pretty much fixed.

“But he is the sort of player they would love to have who can come into the team when needed. Howe has been a bit concerned about the players they’ve got behind those three in there. He’s a very talented player with plenty of room to grow and develop, so he could go into that Newcastle squad with a view to becoming a key player in the future.

“With the three they’ve got in midfield at the moment, he would be going in there to provide depth, and whether that’s what he will be interested in, I’m not sure. But it’s definitely something that would make sense for Newcastle.”

Hackney could be an outstanding long-term addition for Newcastle, acting as a strong squad player before maturing into a key starter over time.

The 23-year-old has shone in a Middlesbrough shirt for years now, making 127 appearances and registering 23 goal contributions, and his former manager Michael Carrick was a big admirer of his.

“He’s grounded, he’s humble, he’s down to earth and loves to learn. He loves the place and he loves the club as well. To have that, added with the talent he has got, it’s the perfect scenario. I think it just shows his consistency really, over a long period of time. It’s not easy when you’re a younger player, but he’s certainly done that.”

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ByJoe Nuttall Nov 1, 2025

Hopefully, the fact that Hackney wouldn’t have to move far works in Newcastle’s favour, also seeing the club heading in a positive direction under Howe.

Newcastle's "sensational" talent is looking like another Bruno-type player

Five years ago, Jurgen Klopp watched his Liverpool team crumble as injuries overwhelmed them. They had just won the Premier League, and the year before, christened what was to be a historic chapter when the boss led them to victory in the Champions League.

Lightning has struck twice. Arne Slot dominated the English game last year and won the title with such confidence, but Liverpool have fallen apart after a summer of significant spending, faulty across any number of areas and bereft of fluency and coherence.

There is maybe a need for patience, and for allowing these new cogs to connect with the Slot machine, but then the flip side of that would be that there is no excusing the error-strewn displays, and inability to react to opposition approaches.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher called it a crisis, with the Merseysiders having lost four Premier League matches on the bounce.

And while many exciting attacking signings were made, with the full-back ranks reshaped, Liverpool are leaving so much to be desired defensively, and changes are surely needed.

Liverpool's need for centre-backs

Virgil van Dijk has for so long been a pillar of strength and leadership at Liverpool. Both things remain true, but the captain turned 34 in July and, while still immense, lacks the structure around him to give rise to his finest football.

To put that another way, Liverpool are a bit of a mess at the back, and Van Dijk has been carried along with the current across recent weeks.

Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes have overseen a stylistic restructure across Liverpool’s backline, and this has knocked things out of kilter. Questions must be asked of the strategy behind adding Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to the ranks, neither of whom appear to be glove-tight fits.

And the fumbled deal for Crystal Palace centre-half Marc Guehi has aggravated the issue. Liverpool sold Jarell Quansah this summer, and Giovanni Leoni, 18, is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury on his debut. Guehi was needed, but Liverpool left it late, and the Eagles didn’t want to play ball after missing out on targets of their own.

With that in mind, it appears the Reds have set their sights on a bid for Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano. According to Spanish sources, Liverpool joined by Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid in angling for a move in 2026.

The France international is out of contract at the end of the term, and while the Bundesliga giants are desperate to seal his renewal, the 27-year-old may be tempted by lucrative offers from the Premier League and La Liga.

Why Liverpool want to sign Upamecano

Liverpool struck gold in the past when they landed a talented defender from the Bundesliga on a free transfer. Indeed, Joel Matip played a defining role in the Klopp era, playing 201 games for the club, scoring 11 goals and supplying six assists.

He won the Premier League and the Champions League among further honours, notably playing in Divock Origi for the Belgian’s conclusive goal against Tottenham in Madrid, six years ago.

It all started when the Cameroonian agreed to join Klopp’s nascent project in February 2016, arriving at the end of the 2015/16 campaign.

Van Dijk has had many partners at the back, but when Matip was fully-fit and firing beside him, Klopp’s behemoths formed quite the partnership.

Now, with Upamecano approaching the end of his journey at the Allianz Arena, FSG are desperate to capitalise once again.

Bayern signed the Frenchman from divisional rivals RB Leipzig in 2021 for a reported £38m fee. He had been described as an “elite talent and a joy to watch” by scout Jacek Kulig before his move to Bayern.

And he’s gone from strength to strength since. Indeed, the tough-tackling star has polished his skillset to a standard that would befit a starring, much-scrutinised role in Slot’s Liverpool side. Should Liverpool pull this off, they may even forget all about that botched bid for Guehi.

Hailed for his “sensational” defensive ability by writer Mohammed Butt, Upamecano has the experience, athleticism and technical quality to make his mark on the Premier League, perhaps even bringing a more complete brand than someone like Guehi.

Van Dijk will expect to captain Liverpool next season, and the Dutchman’s cultured shift into his veteran years suggests that, with a more stable framework around him, he could see his club achieve their goals.

Guehi might have the experience within the English game, but Upamecano would fancy himself a cut above, boasting a wealth of top-level experience and with much silverware in the bank.

In 2025, he has also, crucially, established himself as a starting centre-back for Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus side, and with the World Cup on the horizon, this tells much of his quality and the faith of those above him.

Bayern Munich

164

5 (10)

RB Leipzig

154

4 (3)

France

34

2 (0)

FC Liefering

16

0 (0)

A ball-playing defender, data-driven platform FBref suggest that there is a likeness between Upamecano and former Anfield star Quansah, though Slot would hope to bring in a more refined and cultured presence than the up-and-comer he deemed unfit for a starring role in his project.

FBref reveal that, over the past 12 months, Upamecano ranks among the top 4% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion and progressive passes, the top 1% for passes attempted, the top 11% for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for recoveries made per 90. Clearly, he’s got the skills and physicality to succeed in the Premier League.

Though Liverpool remain in the mix for Guehi, his free agency will attract the biggest sharks across the continent.

Not only would the £166k-per-week Upamecano prove a worthy fallback, but he might even be the better pick.

The new Thiago: Liverpool "superstar" is becoming a "huge disappointment"

This Liverpool mainstay has flattered to deceive this season.

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