Category Uncategorized

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has named a key area that the Reds "got wrong" during their massive summer transfer window outlay. The Premier League champions spent more than any club in world football during the 2025 window with an unprecedented outlay of £446 million ($598m) on seven new signings. Yet, almost halfway through the season, the squad appears disjointed, the performances inconsistent and some new signings are already under the scanner.

Big money, big expectations, but inconsistent returns

The headline additions included German playmaker Florian Wirtz arriving from Bayer Leverkusen for £100 million, a fee that could rise to £116m ($155m) with performance-related bonuses, and Swedish striker Alexander Isak, whose British-record £125m ($168m) move was celebrated as the final piece of Liverpool’s evolving attack. Isak, who scored prolifically at Newcastle, has managed only two goals in 14 Liverpool appearances. Wirtz, meanwhile, has shown glimpses of class, registering a handful of assists in the Champions League, but remains goalless in all competitions. The 22-year-old has struggled to impose himself in a Liverpool side that has lacked rhythm and intensity, and his own performances have been a far cry from the assertive machine he orchestrated at Leverkusen. Elsewhere, Hugo Ekitike began brightly but has faced injury setbacks. And with Mohamed Salah looking noticeably off the pace after a remarkable 2024-25 season, the entire attacking unit has looked short of inspiration.

AdvertisementGettyJohnson hits out at two summer signings

It was not the high-profile forwards, however, that drew Glen Johnson’s sharpest criticism. Speaking to the former right-back singled out defensive recruits Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong as deals that Liverpool "got wrong".

"Liverpool very rarely get it wrong with transfers, but for me, they got it wrong with the signing of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez in the summer," he said. 

He cautioned against writing players off too early but admitted both have fallen well short of expectations.

He added: "I don’t want to be too harsh on new players or write them off, because it does take time for some to settle down at a big club like Liverpool, especially when coming from teams where there’s less pressure. But at the moment, they don’t look up to it."

Johnson expressed surprise that Liverpool, a club renowned for data-driven recruitment, had misfired on these two particular signings.

"It’s strange, because Liverpool usually hit the nail on the head with these types of deals – so many statistics and data goes into their recruitment– but, for now, it looks as if they’ve got those deals wrong," he claimed.

Summer outlay has backfired so far

Liverpool’s summer spending spree was intended to accelerate a squad rebuild following the departures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz. The club pursued a strategy of aggressive investment, hoping to refresh all key areas at once. Instead, the volume of changes appears to have destabilised the team’s core structure. Arne Slot’s side has struggled to find fluency, and established stars have not always meshed easily with newcomers. However, they did churn out a result at San Siro against Inter in the Champions League, which should boost their morale. 

Slot said after the win: "I think it was mainly for us very important that we got a result today, because with an away game to Marseille also still to play and one home game, we needed points. And we know how difficult that would be over here, because they have been so, so, so strong in this stadium, in the league but definitely also in the Champions League. So it's a great result, like it was against Real Madrid. It's not funny but it's the weird thing that we've had a few special results this season; so, beating Arsenal, beating Real Madrid, beating Newcastle away, beating Aston Villa where they won 10 in a row and only lost against us. So that's why it's so surprising to see that we drop points in so many other games, although there are multiple reasons, but one of them I just said."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportBrighton visit Anfield as Reds seek stability

Liverpool will hope to carry Champions League momentum back into the Premier League when they host Brighton on Saturday. The Seagulls are capable of troubling any side, and Slot knows a win is essential if Liverpool are to climb back toward the European places.

Following India’s win at the Women’s World Cup 2025, the BCCI has announced a cash prize of INR 51 crore for the players, support staff and the selection committee. The team will also receive USD 4.48 million (approx. INR 40 crore) as prize money from the ICC.”On behalf of the board, I congratulate the Indian women’s cricket team on this historic world championship victory,” BCCI president Mithun Manhas said in a statement. “The team’s resilience, talent and togetherness have lifted our nation’s hopes. This triumph vindicates the investment and faith the BCCI placed in building a world-class women’s programme.”India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in front of a crowd of 39,555 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. Asked to bat, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led unit posted 298 for 7 with Shafali Verma scoring 87 off 78. Led by Player-of-the-Tournament Deepti Sharma’s five-wicket haul, India then bowled South Africa out for 246 despite captain Laura Wolvaardt scoring a century.Related

• Sisters vs uncles: how India's women have struck a blow for their kind all over the country

• Shafali Verma: 'Last year was tough, but I kept working hard'

• For Mithali, for Goswami, for Chopra: a World Cup win years in the making

• Deepti, Shafali star as India savour glory

• Harmanpreet tries to grasp enormity of win

“This phenomenal achievement is the result of relentless preparation, flawless execution and the unshakable belief of our women cricketers,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said. “The coaching staff, support personnel and every state association have played a role. Congratulations to each and every member of the team. This team has made the entire cricket fraternity proud.”India had won the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023 but this was their first senior world trophy. They had come close twice, finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017. India beat Australia in the semi-final at the same venue to set up a title-clash with South Africa, who had overcome England in the other semi-final in Guwahati.From the squad that won the World Cup, Shafali Verma has been named North Zone captain for the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy starting November 4 in Nagaland. She will miss the opening match as the victorious Indian team is due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on November 5.

Manchester United’s defeat against Everton on Monday night once again highlighted the issues of Ruben Amorim’s reluctance to move away from his 3-4-2-1 system.

The Red Devils spent 77 minutes playing against just 10 men, but he refused to budge from his philosophy, which no doubt cost the side a chance of claiming all three points.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half strike was enough to secure all three points for the Toffees, with the hosts’ impressive five-game unbeaten run coming to an abrupt end.

Since the final whistle, the manager has come under fire for his stubbornness in implementing a more attacking system, especially after the visitors’ early dismissal.

During the loss to David Moyes’ men, one first-team member massively failed to take advantage of the rare starting opportunity that was handed his way in the Premier League.

Joshua Zirkzee’s stats against Everton for United

After Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury against Tottenham Hotspur, Joshua Zirkzee was handed his first Premier League start of the campaign against Everton yesterday.

The Dutchman had previously had to settle for minutes off the substitutes bench, but the clash at Old Trafford was his maiden start of the 2025/26 league season.

However, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity that was handed his way, with the 24-year-old struggling to match the demands of the manager’s system.

He featured for the entirety of the contest, but was only able to post a measly tally of 35 touches, with only five of his total touches coming within the opposition’s penalty area.

Zirkzee also completed just 15 passes at a success rate of just 60%, which resulted in the forward gifting the ball back to the opposition on 12 separate occasions.

His lack of quality was further outlined in his tally of one big chance missed and just four duels won, with James Tarkowski often pocketing the stand in centre forward.

Not just Zirkzee: United star must not start again under Amorim

In the 12 months since Amorim’s arrival, many United players have often struggled to match the expectations placed upon them – ultimately leading to their lowly Premier League finish last season.

Their performances, as seen by Zirkzee yesterday, will have led to the £200m spending spree during the summer window, but it should only be the start of the overhaul.

The midfield department should be next on the hierarchy’s agenda, with the manager no doubt wanting added reinforcements in such an area of the pitch.

Casemiro is getting towards the end of his current deal at Old Trafford, with Kobbie Mainoo seemingly not fancied by the manager after failing to start a single league game in 2025/26.

However, the defensive unit should also be one that the board are targeting, especially given the failures in that area over the past couple of seasons at Old Trafford.

Luke Shaw is one player who remains in such an area, but like Zirkzee, he’s often failed to deliver when called upon by Amorim over the last 12 months.

The Englishman has now spent over a decade on the books of the Red Devils, but ultimately, he’s entering the latter stages of his career – something which is starting to show.

He’s started every league game to date in 2025/26, but that’s not without question, with his performance against Everton one that failed to catch the eye for the right reasons.

The 30-year-old featured for the entire contest, but was only able to win 50% of the aerial duels he entered and was even dribbled past on two separate occasions.

Luke Shaw – stats against Everton
Statistics	Tally
Minutes played	90
Touches	110
Passes completed	83
Aerials lost	50%
Dribbled past	2x
Interceptions	1
Clearances	1
Crosses completed	0
Stats via FotMob

He also only made one interception and one clearance, subsequently being unable to keep the side’s second clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.

Shaw’s tally of zero completed crosses out of his attempted four showcases his inability to find a teammate in attacking areas, which led to criticism from Gary Neville.

The former United star, now turned pundit, stated that the player is becoming a “waste of time” at United and that his performances at Old Trafford aren’t fooling anyone.

His latest showing under Amorim is further evidence that he’s unable to match the levels he did during the early years of his career – with Amorim needing to exclude him from his starting eleven.

Shaw and Zirkzee are certainly nowhere near the levels the club need if they are to be successful in the Premier League, with the hierarchy needing to offload them to free up funds in January.

Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd man who was among the 'world's best' must be axed

Manchester United’s flaws were brutally exposed in Monday’s dismal defeat to Everton.

By
Robbie Walls

Nov 25, 2025

Pakistan brought in Hussain Talat and Faheem Ashraf for Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2025

Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha at the toss•AFP/Getty Images

Toss India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to field in the Asia Cup Super Fours match against Pakistan keeping in mind the dew in Dubai. He said there was a lot of dew around when India trained on the eve of the match.India went back to their first-choice XI, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. Out went Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, who played against Oman once India had ensured their qualification for the Super Fours stage. As expected, Axar Patel was fit for the match after he went off the field with a blow to the head during the game against Oman.Pakistan, who had chosen to bat first in historically bowl-first conditions in their group game against India last Sunday, were looking to correct themselves had they won the toss, but didn’t get the opportunity to make that choice. Pakistan made two changes themselves, bringing in Hussain Talat and Faheem Ashraf for Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah. That meant Haris Rauf stayed in the XI. Both Talat and Ashraf are seam-bowling allrounders.The captains didn’t shake hands with each other or match referee Andy Pycroft at the toss.Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Mohammad Haris (wk), 6 Hussain Talat, 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed.India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Jair, do Vasco, voltou a ser julgado pelo STJD nesta quarta-feira (22) e teve sua pena reduzida em dois jogos. O motivo do julgamento foi a expulsão do jogador contra o Bahia, no empate em 1 a 1, no início de setembro.

RelacionadasVascoVasco chega a Belo Horizonte com festa da torcidaVasco22/11/2023VascoVasco e lojas Gigante da Colina promovem evento para black friday em São JanuárioVasco22/11/2023VascoVasco e Cruzeiro fazem duelo de SAFs pela permanência na Série A do BrasileirãoVasco22/11/2023

Jair cumpriu suspensão automática na vitória do Vasco contra o Fluminense, duas semanas depois e ficou aguardando o julgamento. Nesta quarta-feira, a pena do volante foi reduzida de quatro para dois jogos.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco

O jogador cumprirá mais um jogo de suspensão no domingo (26), contra o Athletico-PR. Nesta quarta, Jair está apto para jogar contra o Cruzeiro. Como a decisão do julgamento foi anunciada no mesmo dia do jogo, o volante está liberado para entrar em campo.

O primeiro julgamento, quando Jair recebeu quatro jogos de suspensão, aconteceu no início de outubro. Mas, o Vasco conseguiu um efeito suspensivo e um novo julgamento foi realizado nesta quarta.

➡️ Confira a classificação do Campeonato Brasileiro

– Ele entra em todos os jogos, podemos estar aqui afetando a briga contra o rebaixamento. Não houve agressão deliberada, e os bons antecedentes de Jair falam por si – disse o advogado Pedro Moreira na defesa de Jair.

Jair tinha sido primeiramente denunciado por agressão física, que prevê suspensão de quatro a doze partidas a partir do artigo 254-A do Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva. Porém, a decisão foi derrubada por unanimidade no segundo julgamento.

Thursday, Topps announced an exclusive partnership with two-way MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers batter/pitcher is partnering with the brand on a unique global trading card deal. Previously, Ohtani partnered with Topps in a non-exclusive fashion.

As a part of the deal, Topps will manufacture products that feature Ohtani autographs and game-used memorabilia to be distributed in the United States and Japan markets. David Leiner, President of Trading Cards at Fanatics Collectibles, which owns Topps, promised that the partnership would give collectors, "product that's never before been seen in the hobby."

Ohtani joins other countrymen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui in partnering with Topps. He also joins a roster of larger-than-life athletes partnered with Topps like LeBron James.

“I'm happy to be exclusively partnering with Topps to give fans unique cards and collectibles for seasons to come," Ohtani said in the press release. Just a few days ago, Topps announced a 1/1 card with a "40/40 club" inscription from Ohtani along with the date he achieved the exclusive mark.

Fanatics acquired the familiar Topps trading card brand in 2022 and is giving a new platform to the collectibles space. Earlier this month Fanatics held a "fan fest," a sports-angled convention comparable to conventions in other spaces like Comic Con, and later this year will hold its first unique auction in a deconsecrated church.

Ohtani famously is reported to make a number in the ballpark of $100 million annually from endorsements and non-baseball contracts. Quite possibly, that massive figure gave him the flexibility to largely defer his contract with the Dodgers in last offseason's free agency, giving the franchise more flexibility to build a winning team around him.

MatériaMais Notícias

Encerrado o jejum de gols de Pedro pelo Flamengo. Após um mês e meio sem estufar as redes – desde 13 de agosto, contra o São Paulo -, o camisa 9 voltou a marcar, neste sábado, na vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Bahia, no Maracanã. Resultado que acabou também com uma sequência do time de quatro jogos sem ganhar na temporada.

De quebra, Pedro se tornou o sexto maior artilheiro do Flamengo na história do Campeonato Brasileiro, empatando com ninguém menos do que Romário no ranking geral. Agora, são 37 gols para cada um na principal competição nacional. O Baixinho, porém, precisou de menos jogos do que o atual goleador: 62×103.

RelacionadasFlamengoEverton Ribeiro terá reta final de Brasileirão decisiva para renovação com o FlamengoFlamengo02/10/2023FlamengoRogério Ceni discorda de comparações com Sampaoli no Flamengo: ‘Fui três vezes campeão’Flamengo01/10/2023FlamengoANÁLISE: Flamengo dá sinais de leveza e esboça volta por cima no BrasileirãoFlamengo01/10/2023

+ Tite é a melhor aposta para o Flamengo? Faz sua fezinha na Lance! Betting

Desde que chegou à Gávea, em 2020, o centroavante já estufou as redes 98 vezes com a camisa rubro-negra, sendo 28 em 2023. O atacante agora está a apenas um tento de igualar seu recorde de gols estabelecido no ano passado, quando fez 29.

MAIORES ARTILHEIROS DO FLAMENGO NO BRASILEIRO

1º – Zico – 135 gols
2º – Gabigol – 67 gols
3º – Bruno Henrique – 44 gols
4º – Bebeto – 41 gols
5º – Renato Abreu – 40 gols
6º – Romário – 37 gols
Pedro – 37 gols
8º – Nunes – 34 gols
9º – Petkovic – 31 gols
10º – Arrascaeta – 29 gols
Tita – 29 gols
Léo Moura – 29 gols

Real Madrid are expected to receive numerous offers for wonderkid Gonzalo Garcia in the upcoming January transfer window. However, head coach Xabi Alonso is set to block any potential departure, as he trusts the Spain Under 21 star to be an important rotational piece. Gonzalo was the top scorer at the Club World Cup, but has made just one start in the 2025-26 season.

Gonzalo's Club World Cup exploits earn him a promotion

Madrid went to the Club World Cup with Kylian Mbappe and Endrick carrying injuries. It proved to be a blessing in disguise for both the club and Gonzalo, as the 21-year-old started all six games, scored four goals, and produced one assist to finish as the tournament's top scorer. The club ended their search for a profile who could be a physical presence inside the box. Madrid rewarded Gonzalo with a new contract until 2030 and, by default, a promotion to the first team. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGonzalo struggling for game time in the 2025-26 season

His impact at the Club World Cup seems to have been forgotten quickly. The academy graduate has featured in just six of the 10 games Madrid have played, starting just once and racking up a meagre 101 minutes of game time. Mbappe's incredible form – which has seen him plunder 14 goals already – as well as Rodrygo's continuation has stymied his progress. 

Clubs will try to poach Gonzalo in January

Several clubs showcased interest in acquiring the rising star's services over the summer, including Premier League outfits. However, Gonzalo eventually stayed put and didn't entertain any offers. His lack of prominence in the ongoing season is set to attract interest from a lot of clubs in the January transfer window, according to a report from . 

Endrick has marked his return from injury and is determined to fight for his spot in Madrid despite not having played a single game under Alonso yet. reports that having to fight for minutes with the Brazilian teenager could be another factor which could prompt Gonzalo to seek minutes elsewhere. 

On the contrary, Serie A heavyweights Juventus are reportedly keeping tabs on Endrick ahead of a potential January swoop. Not just Juve, but the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, West Ham and Real Sociedad also setting their sights in coveted young striker.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPAlonso counts on Gonzalo

Despite the high likelihood of offers coming Gonzalo's way in winter, manager Alonso doesn't want to lose a player he has blind faith in. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach sees Gonzalo as a crucial jigsaw of Madrid's rotational puzzle, and hence will not allow him to leave in January.

Starc’s maiden five-for in T20s overshadowed Aniket Verma’s 41-ball 74

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-20255:41

Do SRH’s batters lack a plan B?

Mitchell Starc’s T20 best powered Delhi Capitals (DC) to a second straight win in Vizag as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) all-out approach backfired for the second time in two games.Faf du Plessis then set the tempo for the chase with a half-century and despite Zeeshan Ansari’s three quick wickets on his T20 return after six years, DC’s strong 81-run opening stand set up an easy win in 16 overs with seven wickets in hand.This meant Aniket Verma’s blazing 41-ball 74, highlighted by his takedown of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, was overshadowed as SRH slumped to their second straight loss.Related

Rookie Aniket Verma and his incredible six sense

Starc's 'out of the box' ways prove too good for Head

Starc 2-0 HeadLike he did in last year’s IPL final, Starc proved menacing, but he was aided along the way. Abhishek Sharma ran himself out in the first over, Ishan Kishan slashed to deep third, and local boy Nitish Reddy heaved a slow offcutter to mid-on.Head vs Starc was brewing to be a contest within a contest. Head began by hitting him for two back-to-back fours, but after the flurry of wickets, Axar Patel’s decision to persist with Starc for a third over paid off when Head’s attempted ramp against him found KL Rahul’s gloves. SRH were 37 for 4 in the fifth over.Mitchell Starc picked up his maiden five-for in T20s•BCCI

Aniket, Klaasen lead recoveryAniket, 23, was all of three T20s old coming into this game. But he showed why SRH have so much faith in him. His incredible 41-ball 74 formed the bedrock of the SRH innings. He hit five fours and six sixes in his innings, twinning with Heinrich Klaasen during a 77-run stand off just 40 balls to lift the team after the Starc menace.Aniket shouldn’t have lasted that long, though. In the fourth over, he survived a run-out chance when Tristan Stubbs missed a direct hit at the striker’s end. In the sixth, his leading edge off Axar was put down by Abishek Porel circling from extra cover.Aniket made them pay – well, almost – by hitting Axar for back-to-back sixes in his next over. Klaasen, whose first six was a whip off Starc, wasn’t too far behind, but when he was out to Mohit Sharma after being brilliantly caught by Vipraj Nigam running back from point, SRH needed a semblance of stability at 114 for 5 in the 11th over.Kuldeep shines, Starc finishes it offSRH’s lower order was put to the test, and they were undone by DC’s spinners. Kuldeep had Abhinav Manohar slicing one to long-off and Cummins holing out to the lone man at deep midwicket. Aniket then decided to take control, hitting Axar for 4, 6, 6 to start the 16th over. Fraser-McGurk and Axar’s athleticism – at deep midwicket and mid-off, respectively – then helped close out the innings as SRH left eight deliveries unused.Faf du Plessis was quick off the blocks•BCCI

Du Plessis sets the tempoFraser-McGurk’s powerplay salvo set the tempo for DC last year, but he struggled for rhythm for large parts tonight. This was offset by du Plessis’ fluency as he raced to a 26-ball half-century during the course of an 81-run opening stand. Du Plessis took a liking to Abhishek early on, and was equally brutal when Pat Cummins erred in length.Ansari strikes but Porel sees DC throughAnsari, 25, last played a T20 in 2019. But he got a second wind when he ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the latest UP T20 League. On Sunday, he began with a series of half-trackers but settled in to have du Plessis miscue to long-on and Fraser-McGurk chip one back on either side of a sequence of 4, 6, 6.In his first innings for DC, Rahul thrilled briefly when he got stuck into Mohammed Shami, muscling him over deep midwicket for a six and then launching him up and over the infield for a four. Rahul became Ansari’s third wicket when he was bowled around his legs. Porel and Stubbs put together 51 off just 28 balls to see DC home without further alarms.

Leeds United made the perfect start to life back in the Premier League on Monday night with a 1-0 win over Everton under the lights at Elland Road.

Lukas Nmecha, who signed on a free transfer from Wolfsburg this summer, came off the bench to score the winning goal from the penalty spot on his debut for the Whites.

Daniel Farke went with Joel Piroe, who scored 19 goals in the Championship last season, as the main number nine from the start against the Toffees, but the Dutchman did not enjoy much success.

The former Swansea player showed some nice touches at times when he dropped deep to get involved, but his lack of mobility and physicality were issues against James Tarkowski and Michael Keane.

Piroe lost all three of his ground duels and lost four of his five aerial battles in the match, per Sofascore, which speaks to his lack of quality in physical tussles.

It will now be interesting to see what happens with the number nine position in the weeks to come, especially after Nmecha made a fast start to life in West Yorkshire.

What Lukas Nmecha's role could be this season for Leeds

The former Germany international was an interesting signing when he arrived from Wolfsburg earlier this summer, because he has struggled for form and fitness in recent seasons.

Nmecha has not scored more than four goals in a single season since the 2021/22 campaign, per Sofascore, and only managed three goals in 20 appearances last season for Wolfsburg.

Injury issues played a significant role in that, as the 26-year-old striker has missed 64 games due to injury over the last three years, according to Transfermarkt, which impacted his ability to deliver consistently on the pitch.

The former Manchester City academy graduate’s performances in the Bundesliga when he was fit and available in the 2024/25 campaign also left plenty to be desired.

Nmecha struggled in front of goal, as a finisher and a creator, and did not produce performances that made a move to the Premier League seem very likely for this summer.

Appearances

19

Starts

3

xG

4.54

Goals

3

Big chances missed

5

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, the German forward underperformed against his xG, missed five ‘big chances’, and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates in his 19 appearances in the division.

Despite his underwhelming goalscoring form and persistent injury issues, Farke opted to take a gamble on him this summer, and it is one that is already starting to pay off after his debut goal.

However, Nmecha’s time with Wolfsburg in recent seasons suggests that the role he played against Everton is most likely to be his main one at Elland Road – coming off the bench to make an impact when needed.

Leeds in the mix to sign new striker

The Championship champions are reportedly interested in adding another striker to their squad, despite having Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Nmecha, and Piroe.

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 El Chiringuito TV, Leeds United are one of the sides that are competing to sign Villarreal centre-forward Karl Etta Eyong before the end of the summer transfer window.

Supporters may recognise his name because the 21-year-old marksman scored against the Whites in a 1-1 draw at Elland Road earlier this month, nodding in from a couple of yards out in the 62nd minute.

This latest report claims that Leeds, Rangers, and Levante are all in the race to sign the Cameroonian forward, who currently wants to stay at Villarreal.

It adds that the Spanish side have already rejected a loan offer from Championship outfit Swansea, but it is unclear as to whether Farke’s team are keen on a loan or permanent deal for the striker.

Why Leeds should sign Etta Eyong

Leeds should push to convince Etta Eyong to want to move on from Villarreal this summer because he could arrive at Elland Road as a very interesting addition to the squad.

As aforementioned, Piroe may not have the physicality, as backed up by his performance against Everton, to be very effective in the Premier League, and there are still a lot of question marks over Nmecha.

Etta Eyong could come in as a striker who is an even better option than Nmecha to start games in the top-flight for Leeds, to provide serious competition for Calvert-Lewin as the main number nine for Farke.

The 21-year-old attacker, who was described as a “powerful” star by analyst Kai Watson, does not have heaps of senior experience under his belt, but he has shown plenty of promise in his short career to date.

Etta Eyong earned his place in the first-team at Villarreal towards the end of last season and scored three goals in seven games in pre-season, including goals against Arsenal and Leeds, per Sofascore.

Appearances

5

Starts

1

Minutes

136

xG

0.74

Goals

2

Duels won

5

Pass accuracy

80%

As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old talent has shown plenty of promise in the very limited minutes he has been given in LaLiga, scoring two goals from 0.74 xG in just 136 minutes of football.

Prior to his emergence in the first-team with Villarreal, Etta Eyong also scored 18 goals in 30 matches for the B team in the third tier of Spanish football, which shows that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis.

Unlike Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha, the promising talent also has a clean injury record, with no notable injuries in his career, per Transfermarkt, which suggests that he is more likely to be available week-in-week-out.

This could make him a more valuable centre-forward option than Nmecha for Farke, purely because of his potential to be available for more matches in the Premier League.

Better than El Khannouss: Leeds chasing move for "outstanding" EFL star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a Championship star who is even better than Bilal El Khannouss.

3 ByDan Emery Aug 17, 2025

Putting all of this together, Etta Eyong could be even better than Nmecha for Leeds because of his fitness record and his potential as a goalscorer, having caught the eye in a major European league after delivering prolific performances for Villarreal’s B team.