After playing a key part in Borussia Dortmund's run to the Champions League final, the Manchester United man's future is in the spotlight.
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French superstar Kylian Mbappe was present at Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix following his PSG farewell game and he has sounded out a message.
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Mbappe attends F1's Monaco Grand PrixWaves the chequered flag for Leclerc's winSends message after the special eventWHAT HAPPENED?
As Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took his maiden win at his home Grand Prix, it was Mbappe who waved the chequered flag for the Monegasque. The Real Madrid-bound forward himself became the champion of France as he played his farewell game in the final of the Coupe de France just a day before, and he sent out a message after attending the spectacular spectacle of Formula 1's crown jewel.
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Sharing a few photos of his trip to Monaco to watch the pinnacle of motorsports, Mbappe captioned his post: "Monaco is always a good idea. 🏁😄🏎️"
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With his Paris Sain-Germain contract set to run out next month, Mbappe is expected to make the move to Real Madrid next season as a free agent. He will become Los Blancos' highest-paid player as they look to strengthen their dominance over Spain and Europe with the introduction of the World Cup winner.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?
The Frenchman will now subvert his focus toward the French national team as they look to compete for the Euros in Germany. It is unknown when his move to the Spanish capital will be announced but it could likely take place before the commencement of the European Championship.
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ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2019
Somerset celebrate the early wicket of Dom Sibley•Getty Images
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Glasgow Rangers are looking highly unlikely to bring another centre-forward to the club on deadline day with Philippe Clement and his transfer team deciding to sit quietly rather than liven the place up at Ibrox.
A move for Oscar Cortes is reportedly done, and the winger may be the only addition through the door for Rangers on the final day of the winter window.
Rangers deadline day activity
The key talking point throughout the previous month was the need for another striker, with Lawrence Shankland the name on everyone’s lips.
A fresh update from the Daily Record suggests that any chance of the Hearts forward making a move away from Tynecastle before the deadline this evening are 'minuscule' at best.
With just 18 months left on his current deal, now was the perfect chance for the Light Blues to strike, yet it appeared as though Philippe Clement seemingly was not even interested in bringing him to Glasgow.
Regardless of interest or not, this was a move which the club should have persisted on, especially with his record in front of goal since arriving back in Scotland during the summer of 2022.
It may well turn into a deadline day blunder in the coming months.
Lawrence Shankland would have been an upgrade on Cyriel Dessers
Since returning from the winter break, Dessers has shown an improvement in his performances compared to the start of the season.
The Nigerian has scored in all three competitive matches Rangers have played as they have earned three victories, yet Clement surely cannot rely on the 29-year-old if they are to challenge Celtic for the Premiership title.
The matter of fact is, Dessers is not clinical enough in front of goal. In the top flight this season, he has missed 12 big chances, the highest number among the whole squad, and he often requires a couple of chances before finding the back of the net.
Shankland, on the other hand, has been in sublime form since the start of the 2022/23 season. Not only has he scored more goals during that period than Dessers (47 vs 22), but he has also registered more shots per game (3.5 vs 2.8) this season, along with completing more successful dribbles per game (0.8 vs 0.4) and it proves that he could have been a solid upgrade on the former Feyenoord frontman.
Shankland could have given the Ibrox side that added firepower which may have given them a slightly better chance of winning the top flight for the first time since the 2020/21 season.
It looks as though the club may have to go through the final few months of 2023/24 with just Dessers and Fabio Silva as their two main centre-forward options.
Silva has plenty of talent but has yet to truly prove it during the embryonic stages of his career thus far.
Shankland is already on 19 goals for the current campaign and could easily smash through the 28-goal barrier that he achieved during his first term at the Gorgie outfit.
Could this be a potential move the Gers live to regret not making in the coming months? Only time will tell for Clement and his staff.
Kosta Nedeljkovic has already been purchased this month by Aston Villa, but the defensive rebuild won’t stop with the Serbian.
Unai Emery has had to shuffle his defence around at times this season due to injuries and individuals not performing to his standards.
With that in mind, the Spaniard is reportedly keen to bring a new centre back to Villa Park.
Aston Villa’s centre-back search
According to reports from Spain last week, Aston Villa are interested in signing Mario Hermoso from Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard is keen to move away from his current club in order to seek a new challenge, and he is set to become a free agent in the summer.
Emery will look to secure the signing of Hermoso this month, and a move is likely to occur.
January transfer window: All the deadline day deals from England and Scotland
Stay on top of all the latest transfer deals across the Premier League, EFL and SPFL as the January window closes.
ByCharlie Smith Feb 1, 2024 How Mario Hermoso would fit in the Villa team
Tyrone Mings has been out of action since the first game of the season after suffering an injury that ruled him out for the season. However, prior to that, the 30-year-old was Villa’s captain and a rock at the heart of the defence.
But, the potential signing of a left-footed centre-back indicates that Mings’ future as a Villa player could be in doubt, with Pau Torres also providing competition to the Englishman, and therefore the arrival of Hermoso would send him further down the pecking order.
The Atletico Madrid defender has been immense this season for his side, starting 17 matches as the left centre-back in a 3-5-2. Yet how would Hermoso fit into the Villa team if he were to join in the summer? And what is his style of play?
Passes completed
57.95
Top 15%
Progressive passes
6.10
Top 7%
Passes into the final third
5.55
Top 9%
Touches
77.44
Top 15%
Dribblers challenged
1.51
Top 23%
Ball recoveries
6.40
Top 6%
According to football reporter Zach Lowy, Hermoso is “very good on the ball,” and that is the main attribute that separates the former Espanyol man from Mings, who dismally happened to rank in the bottom 49% of Premier League centre-backs for passes attempted last season according to FBref.
The 28-year-old Spaniard ranks extremely highly for passes completed, progressive passes, and passes into the final third, with the latter two highlighting that he’s not only comfortable on the ball, but he is brave in possession as well.
Hermoso is also a proactive defender who recovers balls well and isn’t afraid to challenge opposition attackers, using his athleticism and power to put a stop to the opponent's attack. However, Emery could have the perfect role for the La Liga player, which would see him flourish in England.
The Spaniard has already shown glimpses of a new system emerging in possession, with Ezri Konsa becoming a third centre-back and Alex Moreno pushing on as a high left wing-back. The arrival of Hermoso could see the same tactic used, but on the opposite flank, with Hermoso tucking in and a new right-back bombing forward.
Thus, the signing of Hermoso, particularly if it was to happen on a free, would be an excellent shrewd piece of business.
Harry Kane has been reassured by Harry Redknapp that trophies will come, while also being nudged in the direction of an MLS pay day at Inter Miami.
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England striker without major silverwareTied to a long-term contract in GermanyMay spread his wings again before retiringGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The England international had hoped that a 2023 transfer to Bayern Munich would bring his barren run on the silverware front to a close, but the German giants have just ended a rare trophyless campaign. Kane is, however, tied to a long-term contract at the Allianz Arena and is captain of a Three Lions squad that is strong enough to compete for continental and global honours.
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With that in mind, former Tottenham boss Redknapp has – while speaking in association with the free to play fantasy game at that will see him compete with supporters for bragging rights at Euro 2024 this summer – told GOAL of Kane’s silverware hunt: “It would be nice obviously for him to win a trophy. I’m sure he will eventually – whether it is with Bayern Munich or England. No-one has won a trophy with England since 1966, so that’s not an easy thing to do as an England player. Club-wise, he’s an amazing player. He is the best centre-forward in the world. He can do absolutely everything. He’s got a big opportunity this summer to win a trophy with England. We have got the best squad in the tournament and I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go all the way and win it."
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Quizzed on whether the lack of major honours will be annoying Kane, Redknapp added: “No, it won’t. He won’t be thinking about it. Look at how many goals he has scored again at Munich this year – a crazy amount. He has done his job. There are players that win trophies that are bang average but happen to be in a good team. He’s a fantastic player. He will go down in history at Tottenham as the leading goalscorer of all-time. Nobody will probably beat that. He’s a special player. I don’t think it will be bothering him. I do think he’ll win trophies before he retires.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Kane severed ties with Spurs as they were unable to deliver on his ambition, and Redknapp said when asked if the club’s all-time leading goalscorer could retrace steps to north London at some stage: “I doubt it. I doubt he will want to go back. It’s always a difficult one, going back. Bayern Munich have had a bad year, but it’s a massive club. Vincent Kompany going in there, I’m sure he can’t wait to work with Harry Kane. He can build a team around him next year. I would be surprised if he came back to Tottenham.”
As it happenedAn inspired, backs-to-the-wall performance from Pakistan knocked South Africa out of the 2019 World Cup.Pakistan let sense prevail in their selections for this game, and a re-jigged XI collected a vital, 49-run victory. Haris Sohail, drafted in place of Shoaib Malik, showed just what Pakistan had been missing by blasting 89 of the most sublimely-timed runs so far witnessed in this tournament. His innings added further impetus after an 81-run opening stand between Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, gluing Pakistan’s middle together alongside Babar Azam, who contributed 69. Haris then added 71 with Imad Wasim (with Imad, contributing just 23, mostly at the other end), and thanks to his nine fours and three sixes, Pakistan were able to take 91 from the last 10 and soar to 308 for 7.South Africa have never successfully chased 300-plus in a World Cup: the highest total they’ve ever overhauled is India’s 296 in Nagpur in 2011. And they haven’t chased a 300-plus target in any ODI in nearly three years, the last time being against Australia in Durban in October 2016.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Full match highlightsMohammad Amir and Shadab Khan struck repeatedly to overcome their top order and ensure this would not be a historic occasion for South Africa, and a reverse-swinging, low-armed Wahab Riaz then did as he does best, skittling the lower order at the death with the required rate skyrocketing.Amir finished with 2 for 49, taking his World Cup tally to 15 dismissals, which is the combined haul of Jofra Archer and Mitchell Starc, who have both played one more game than him. He has almost as many as his team-mates have taken in total, and more than anyone else.While it was Amir who made the first decision, troubling Hashim Amla’s front pad with a first-over indipper, it was Shadab who pressed the issue with two vital strikes in the space of four overs: first he had a slogging Quinton de Kock caught at midwicket, just shy of a third World Cup fifty, and then he bowled a clueless Aiden Markram, whose struggles against quality spin continued.When Markram fell, South Africa were 103 for 3, needing well over seven an over, and Shadab had 2 for 17, including a wicket maiden. He ended with 3 for 50, having also had an increasingly desperate Rassie van der Dussen caught by Hafeez off a slogged top edge – his best figures of the tournament, and numbers which marked a timely turnaround. Before today, Shadab was averaging a whopping 53.9 in ODIs this year, and Pakistan’s spinners were leaking 75.3 runs per wicket in the middle overs of this World Cup, comfortably the worst for any spin unit. But on a tufty, dry Lord’s surface, both he and Imad found encouragement, and combined for 3 for 98 from 20.South Africa found no respite at the other end. The spirit went out of their chase when Faf du Plessis’ last stand was cut short on 63 by Amir. He had scrapped his way to fifty, but the required rate was nearing 8.5 thanks to the good work of the spinners, and something had to give. Sarfaraz brought Amir back, and with his third ball he ensured South Africa’s captain would not go down with his ship, inducing a steepling top edge that just about touched the gloomy clouds that had settled in over St John’s Wood before plummeting back down to be easily pouched by Sarfaraz.David Miller, having tweaked his hamstring in the field earlier, hobbled to the crease in a cacophany of sound as Pakistan’s fans, who packed the stands, sensed victory. He and van der Dussen swung gamely to add another 53 for the fifth wicket, but with every over the asking rate climbed.With 15 overs to go and South Africa needing almost ten an over, all Pakistan had to do was stick to the basics, keep it tight, and let scoreboard pressure do the rest. But Pakistan aren’t a team who like to make things simple for themselves, and several lapses in the field repeatedly let South Africa off the hook and back into the game. In total, no less than six chances were grassed as South Africa went down swinging – yet more evidence that Pakistan’s standards in the field have dipped since Steve Rixon’s departure.But today, there was enough brilliance with the ball to make up for it. Shadab saw the back of van der Dussen, Miller missed a swipe at Shaheen Afridi and was bowled, and Wahab did the business to scythe through the lower order, Andile Phehlukwayo playing a lone hand with 46 not out. South Africa’s campaign whimpered to a close, and Pakistan’s was kept alive with a vital win.There was also, for a change, plenty of brilliant batting to go around. Pakistan’s batting has lacked a century-maker in this World Cup – unlike the teams that currently occupy the top four points on the table – and no one made a hundred today either, but a far more fluent performance from the top order ultimately gave the bowlers the sort of total they need to put the squeeze on in the second innings.Imam kicked things off at a good lick, showing that his cover driving is in excellent working order and outscoring Fakhar Zaman in the early exchanges. Though neither reached fifty, Imran Tahir rolling back the years to dismiss both of them for 44 (including a remarkable one-handed stunner off his own bowling), Babar Azam was soon ticking, and helped to weather the loss of Mohammad Hafeez for 20.But the innings really belonged to Haris, who walked to the crease with intent and batted with the same vim, bursting out of the blocks with two fours and a six in his first 10 balls. While Babar raised a mid-tempo, 61-ball fifty at the other end, Haris showed he had all the shots. Crisp through the off side, and particularly behind point, he was increasingly brutal to leg. A ramped uppercut brought him a 38-ball fifty – his first in World Cup cricket – and he just kept accelerating. A second six was chipped over Duminy’s head at long off, while a third was slugged over midwicket.Ngidi pulled things back a little with an exemplary final over, dismissing Wahab with his first ball and Haris with his fifth, but by then the damage had been done. Pakistan had a total which inspired them to believe, while South Africa’s chase lacked belief almost throughout.
In their quest to avoid batting humiliation in the Ashes, Australia inadvertently staged a re-enactment of Trent Bridge and Edgbaston 2015
Daniel Brettig at the Ageas Bowl23-Jul-2019Hick XII 96 for 7 (Cummins 3-15, Siddle 3-20) trail Haddin XII 105 (Labuschagne 41, Neser 4-18, Bird 3-25) by nine runsIn their quest to avoid a repeat of the batting humiliations in Birmingham and Nottingham four years ago that led to the loss of the Ashes, it cannot have been in Australia’s warm-up plans to stage such a faithful re-enactment.Requesting a seaming, bouncing surface as part of a training camp deal brokered directly between Cricket Australia and the Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove always left open the possibility of a rush of wickets when the Dukes ball did as expected. Not only was the pitch well grassed on top it was dry underneath, meaning there was variable bounce on offer as well as seam.But to see the “Haddin XII” shot out for 105, by an attack featuring only James Pattinson among the pace bowlers expected to form the front rank of Australia’s attack for the Ashes, was cause for at least slightly furrowed brows for the head coach Justin Langer and his support staff. By stumps the “Hick XII” had fared little better, limping to 96 for 7, for a combined tally of 201 for 17 across a most eventful day.Compounding the diversion from likely plans was the fact that the only member of the Haddin XII top seven to reach double figures was Marnus Labuschagne, who demonstrated typical grit and thought in scrounging his way to 41 with the help of the good fortune required to survive on a pitch this lively. Labuschagne is, at best, vying for one of the last couple of spots in the squad, whereas David Warner (four), Marcus Harris (six), Travis Head (one), Kurtis Patterson (two) and Alex Carey (six) are all more probable to figure.Equally, the new-ball spell of Pattinson turned plenty of heads but went wicketless, while Michael Neser and Jackson Bird struck frequently with a combination of swing, seam, bounce and pace from unerring lines. They were helped, too, by some inattentive shots – Warner was too early into his drive and Head too rash in throwing the bat at an angled ball, tendencies both will want to avoid during the Ashes proper.When the Hick XII took their turn to bat, the heavy roller and 31C temperatures had served to calm the surface somewhat, allowing Joe Burns and Cameron Bancroft to gain a foothold.Their dismissals to Peter Siddle and Pat Cummins cleared the way for Steven Smith to get briefly re-acquainted with red-ball combat, before Matthew Wade was given caught behind and made clear he was far from happy with the decision. Pete Handscomb and Tim Paine also stayed only momentarily, before Mitchell Marsh departed in the day’s final over. Cummins and Siddle had plenty of reason to be pleased with their work.Quirks abounded in this fixture, not taking first-class status but also constituting far more strenuous preparation than the equivalent county games at Canterbury and Chelmsford in 2015. Twelve players a side, with 10 wickets completing an innings, 96 overs to be bowled in the day and the pitch located to the eastern edge of the square. Upon winning the toss, Paine was more than happy to bowl first, consigning Head’s team to the sorts of conditions that have undone Australians in England so many times before.Pattinson wasted little time making his mark, striking Warner in the chest with a rising first delivery, and moving the ball at pace while also extracting steepling bounce. It was Neser, however, who coaxed Warner into the drive, pinned Harris lbw with a ball straightening down the line of the stumps, and later returned to defeat Mitchell Starc and Cummins, the latter’s off stump plucked out by late movement away.Bird also fared well, tempting out Head and winning lbw verdicts against Patterson and Carey. Through it all Labuschagne offered a deferential defensive blade, salting away his runs with furtive deflections and the occasional boundary in a stay that, at 81 balls, lasted longer than the collective stays of the rest of the top five combined. He has done his Ashes chances no harm whatsoever.Another question confronting Langer and the selection chairman Trevor Hohns is whether Starc’s speed will be as dangerous in the Ashes as it was for most of the World Cup. He took the new ball for Head, and was certainly fast, at one point stinging Burns on the gloves. But the more dangerous trajectories looked clearly to be those of Siddle, who ended a 38-run opening stand between Burns and Bancroft, and Cummins, who found a scorcher for Bancroft and then beat Wade numerous times.Smith offered up a pair of delectable boundaries through midwicket and cover, but dragged a full ball from Cummins onto the stumps when trying to repeat the dose. Wade’s exit was no more graceful, seeming to suggest that a ball from Hazlewood had struck arm rather than bat or glove. Less doubt surrounded Handscomb’s lbw, stuck on the crease to Cummins, or Paine’s glance down the leg side into the gloves of his back-up Carey.A late pressure release arrived via some loose stuff from Starc, only for Marsh to be bowled by Siddle in the day’s final over. Given all that had gone before, this was only fitting.
Carlos Corberan won't have been best pleased with his side's efforts against Wolverhampton Wanderers last match, West Bromwich Albion losing 2-0 at the Hawthorns in what was a fiery Black Country Derby.
Wolves' Premier League quality ended up shining through on the day courtesy of Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha running rings around the hosts, the Baggies now just aspiring to join their arch-rivals in the top-flight and bridge that gap if everything goes swimmingly in the Championship promotion hunt.
But, based off that defeat in the FA Cup denting West Brom's pride somewhat, Corberan could well be tempted by some last-minute buys this transfer window with one midfielder in particular catching the eye in the West Midlands.
West Brom going after in-demand youngster
West Brom have joined what is an incredibly late race to sign Huddersfield Town starlet Brahima Diarra according to Foot Mercato, with nine second-tier sides in total allegedly sniffing around for the 20-year-old midfielder in the report.
Foot Mercato journalist Sébastien Denis has also further revealed on social media that a Ligue 1 club is 'very hot' on signing the Terriers starlet alongside West Brom, but the Championship promotion candidates will still be hopeful of securing a deal for Diarra before the close of the transfer window ahead of interest from France.
With talk earlier in the window surrounding Okay Yokuslu potentially leaving the Baggies, and Alex Mowatt lacking another midfield partner away from the combative Turkish presence, Diarra could well give the West Midlands club some more depth ahead of the crunch months to come in the ongoing promotion race.
How Diarra fits into the West Brom team
Playing with a central midfield trio last game to try and make the Baggies more compact, Yokuslu pushed back to an anchor-like role, Diarra could come in and take Nathaniel Chalobah's more advanced spot off him to complement Mowatt if this is a preferred West Brom system for the long-run.
Helping himself to three assists from 42 Championship appearances to date for the Terriers, Diarra is held in high regard in West Yorkshire and was even publically praised by Neil Warnock at the start of the season when pulling on a Huddersfield strip.
Showing signs of promise at the start of this campaign when selected led to Warnock even comparing the energetic midfielder to Victor Moses, describing him as a 'super' talent for the future.
"He just reminds me of a lad I had at Palace called Victor Moses, who was always smiling and wanting to play," the former Terriers boss admitted.
Averaging 3.27 successful take-ons over the last year per 90 minutes, bettering Yokuslu's meagre 0.59 quite significantly in comparison, Diarra would allow for West Brom to play far more on the front-foot with Mowatt beginning the attacking moves and Diarra then driving the team up the field.
Diarra also trumps Yokuslu when it comes to tackles over the same time period – coming in at 2.15 to Yokuslu's 1.99 – and so the in-demand 5 foot 9 midfielder could slot into the starting XI and perform like the Baggies number 35 with just more tenacity and aggression at his disposal.
With Yokuslu also now starting to near towards the twilight of his career at nearly 30 years of age, the time could well be right for West Brom to take a risk in the transfer market and attempt to land Diarra before the window slams shut tomorrow.
Mowatt could well see his game improve too alongside his new midfield partner, West Brom desperate to make any last-minute adjustments they can that could give them the edge in winning promotion.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have reportedly opened talks with Juventus to sign goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
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