Liverpool are now reportedly ready to accept a cut-price offer for one of their star men on one important condition in the January transfer window.

Salah accuses Liverpool of throwing him "under the bus"

To say it was a bad Saturday evening for Liverpool would be an understatement. Life was good at 2-0 up. The champions were in control. Cruising, in fact, before Ibrahima Konate’s needless challenge allowed Leeds United the climb back into the game before both sides battled out a dramatic 3-3 draw.

But the worst was yet to come. Mohamed Salah didn’t get on the pitch yet again, but he did get behind the mic after the game to unleash an explosive rant against Arne Slot and Liverpool.

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The Egyptian said: “That I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes! The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season.

“Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”

It’s a new low point in Liverpool’s shocking title defence and where they even go from here is anyone’s guess. It is, however, time to get ruthless it seems, with reports now suggesting that those at Anfield are ready to sell Konate following his disastrous form.

Liverpool ready to accept Konate offer

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are now ready to accept a £15m offer to sell Konate in January if they manage to find a replacement. The Frenchman has played himself out of a Real Madrid move this season, but is still on course to become a free agent when his contract expires in the summer.

After he gave away a penalty to allow Leeds back into Saturday’s game, Slot admitted that Konate has been at the scene of the crime too often this season.

A player who Virgil van Dijk dubbed “fantastic” last year, Konate has now become Liverpool’s biggest liability. With just over six months remaining on his current deal, it remains to be seen whether he puts pen to paper on fresh terms.

Liverpool hold talks to sign Semenyo upgrade who will be a "£100m +" player

Arsenal have established consistency like no other team in the Premier League over the past several years.

The Gunners have finished runners-up three years in a row, and while silverware continues to elude Mikel Arteta, he has fashioned his squad into a team of superstars, feared by all across Europe. Despite a recent blip, Arsenal remain top of the standings, their performances and stability creating the general opinion that they are the most complete side in the division, the favourites for the title.

However, while Manchester City and Aston Villa chase up to the Emirates side, Arteta will likely feel that injury troubles stand as his greatest adversary once again.

The latest Arsenal injury news

Once again, Arsenal find themselves on the top end, the wrong end, of the Premier League injury table, but Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta have made positive moves on the transfer front, and they have crafted a balanced squad capable of dealing with such setbacks.

Arsenal

9

5

Tottenham

8

7

Burnley

8

4

Crystal Palace

8

3

Bournemouth

7

2

Liverpool

6

6

As the table-toppers prepare to host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday evening, Arteta will be gritting his teeth amid a wave of setbacks, with key players like Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard all ruled out or doubtful ahead of the top-meets-bottom clash.

However, the club have been boosted by the return of Gabriel Jesus, who made his first appearance of the season off the bench against Club Brugge in midweek, drawing plaudits for his silky and proactive display.

It had been nearly a year since the Brazilian had played for the Gunners in a professional capacity, having torn his ACL last year, and while there have been murmurings of late regarding Jesus’ potential departure from the Emirates Stadium, Arteta has poured cold water on such claims, instead urging the 28-year-old to kick on and become the main man.

Arsenal’s current injury crisis suggests he has a chance to do so, but Jesus may even work his way into the starting line-up over a star who is fresh and raring to go at number nine, having been likened to former Gunners goalscorer Olivier Giroud.

Arteta must drop the new Olivier Giroud

When Arsenal completed a £64m deal for Viktor Gyokeres this summer, it was felt that Arteta had finally solved an interminable problem at the spearhead, landing a 27-year-old striker who had scored 97 goals across just two seasons in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon.

But the powerhouse of a forward has found it difficult thus far. Too often he has drifted through games, struggling for service and fluency in the final third. He has scored six goals across 18 matches in all competitions, including four strikes in the Premier League.

The £200k-per-week striker has not hit the ground running since returning to England, but that’s not to say that he won’t rekindle the kind of form that has struck such fear into European defences over the past few years.

And with former stars such as Theo Walcott suggesting that Gyokeres has what it takes to emulate someone like Giroud, claiming the Sweden international is “similar” and “probably stronger” than the veteran Frenchman, who scored 105 goals and supplied 37 assists across 253 matches for the Gunners.

For now, though, Arteta might be wise to give Jesus a run in the side and withdraw Gyokeres from the starting line-up. He has left much to be desired so far this season and was branded with a 5/10 match rating by football.london in Brugge, missing a golden opportunity after Gabriel Martinelli’s whipped delivery and altogether flattering to deceive as the focal frontman.

As per Sofascore, he squandered two big chances, losing all three ground duels and taking only 12 touches, while losing possession on four occasions. That equates to having lost the ball every three touches.

Giroud, 39, only scored one goal from his first ten Premier League appearances in 2012/13, having joined Arsenal from Montpellier in Ligue 1.

With Merino capable as a moonlit centre-forward, demotion to the bench might not be a bad thing for Gyokeres as he looks to find his feet.

Giroud, after all, established a reputation as a high-scoring substitute in the Premier League, scoring 21 times. With Gyokeres, Arteta could repeat that trick.

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It might not have led to a Premier League title, but Arsène Wenger still had some sensational players in his later years at Arsenal.

The likes of Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey, for example, became some of the most entertaining players in the league.

However, arguably the best of the lot was Mesut Özil, who sent the fan base into delirium when he joined the club on transfer deadline day in 2013.

The World Cup winner was an artist with the ball at his feet, capable of things most would only dream of, and now, based on reports, it looks like Arsenal could be going after someone who could become Mikel Arteta’s version of Ozil.

Arsenal target their new Ozil

Arsenal went big in the summer window, signing more players than perhaps even the most optimistic of fans would’ve expected.

Transfer Focus

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

However, with a title on the line, the club appear to be in the market for more reinforcements ahead of the winter window, and have been linked to a host of players.

For example, Nottingham Forest’s Murillo has been touted for a £79m move to the Emirates, as has Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola.

However, while both players would be excellent additions to Arteta’s squad, neither could really be described as the next Ozil, unlike Arda Güler.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in signing the Turkish international.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners are now stepping up their pursuit of the 20-year-old, although the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United appear to be doing the same.

In addition to the competition, a potential roadblock for this deal is that, per reports last month, it could cost as much as £88m to get the playmaker out of Real Madrid.

However, while it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, it’s one Arsenal should fight for, as Güler is an extraordinary talent and could be Arteta’s own Ozil.

Why Güler could be Arsenals new Ozil

Now, while it’s still early in Güler’s career, and it will take some time before he reaches the heights Ozil did, there are still apparent similarities between the pair.

Firstly, were this transfer to happen, then, like the World Cup winner over a decade ago, the young talent would be swapping the white of Real Madrid or the red and white of Arsenal.

Secondly, the 20-year-old is a sensational talent who still has so much room to grow and, like the Gunners’ former star, is someone whose future appears to be more central than out wide.

For example, while he has played on the right and several other positions, attacking midfield is where he has played most of his football and where he has been thriving this season.

Speaking of this season, the Ankara-born wonderkid is proving he is both a goalscoring threat and a creative force for his teammates.

In his 21 appearances, totalling 1365 minutes, the “generational talent”, as described by journalist Dean Jones, has scored three goals and provided seven assists, averaging a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 136.5 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, the young dynamo’s underlying numbers also help to justify such labels.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals, progressive passes, key passes, touches and more, all per 90.

Finally, if you still aren’t convinced, just listen to İlkay Gündoğan, who in 2023 made a clear link between the two midfielders.

“If there is a Turkish football player who is similar to Mesut Özil, the first name is Arda Güler. I see his future bright.”

Ultimately, while there is still a long way to go for Güler to reach the level Ozil did at his peak, he is clearly on his way. He was ranked second in the 2025 Golden Boy awards, living up to writer Neal Gardner’s billing that he is “the single best midfield prospect in world football.”

Therefore, Arsenal should do all they can to sign him

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يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي لمواجهة إنبي مساء اليوم الجمعة، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية “كأس عاصمة مصر”.

وتقام المباراة بين الأهلي وإنبي على أرضية استاد السلام، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة المجموعات لـ كأس الرابطة.

طالع.. قائمة الأهلي لمباراة إنبي في كأس الرابطة.. عناصر شابة بالجملة

ويقع الأهلي وإنبي، في المجموعة الأولى من البطولة والتي تضم أندية “سيراميكا كليوباترا وفاركو وطلائع الجيش وغزل المحلة والمقاولون العرب”.

ويشارك في بطولة كأس الرابطة هذا الموسم 21 فريقًا المتواجدين في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز على رأسها الأهلي والزمالك، وتم تقسيم الأندية إلى 3 مجموعات، كل مجموعة تضم 7 فرق.

ويسعى الدنماركي ييس توروب، المدير الفني إلى منح الفرصة إلى عدد من اللاعبين الشباب والبدلاء في لقاء اليوم. موعد مباراة الأهلي وإنبي اليوم

وتقام مباراة الأهلي أمام إنبي، في تمام الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، والتاسعة مساءً بتوقيت المملكة العربية السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وإنبي اليوم

وتنقل قناة “أون سبورت” مباراة الأهلي وإنبي في بطولة كأس الرابطة.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات البوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

This was a night for three points. Liverpool’s staggering decline this season cannot be understated, and following a succession of disappointing draws against Sunderland and Leeds United, a one-goal win over Inter Milan at the San Siro could bear dividends going forward.

It was a strange contest on the VAR front, with Ibrahima Konate’s first-half header ruled out before Florian Wirtz won a match-winning penalty late on, adjudged to have been pulled to the ground by Alessandro Bastoni. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and converted.

Liverpool have returned to the top eight of the Champions League. Liverpool’s defensive line has been so porous this season, leakier than Old Trafford roofing, but Arne Slot has employed a more compact and pragmatic system in recent fixtures. Back to basics.

However, the Reds’ highly talented forward players are still, as a unit, flattering to deceive, and improvements are needed there.

How Liverpool's forwards played at San Siro

Post-match, Slot detailed Liverpool’s emphasis on shutting up shop in recent weeks. Mixed results on that front, but there has been a concerted plan all the same, and it came to fruition against Serie A champions Inter Milan.

Szoboszlai’s penalty aside, Liverpool amassed 0.56 xG in the second half, as opposed to just 0.12 before the break. Slot’s tactical tweaks were on the money in Italy, but the Premier League champions are still struggling to get a tune out of record signing Alexander Isak, who huffed and puffed but was unable to achieve anything of note in the final third before being withdrawn after the hour mark.

This is a world-class striker, but he needs better creative connections. Curious, then, that he was replaced by Wirtz, who nestled into the ten spot and changed the game, finding pockets of space and placing the Nerazzurri defenders under pressure, creating a chance, winning both of his duels and enjoying neat interplay with Ekitike and Szoboszlai in particular.

Anfield plays host to a crucial Premier League tie against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, and it’s crucial that the German playmaker starts at the expense of a star who still hasn’t clicked together this season.

Slot must drop 6/10 Liverpool star

So many Liverpool stars have flattered to deceive this season, and Alexis Mac Allister has been one of the most disappointing. The 26-year-old has played at such a high level since joining the Merseysiders from Brighton in 2023, but he’s lacked bite and energy and eloquence in the engine room.

Deployed in a more advanced role against Inter, ostensibly to ease his defensive struggles and build-up problems this season, the £150k-per-week talent did actually prove dependable in stifling the hosts’ threat, but he lacked the completeness that fans have come to expect, unable to effectively service the forwards.

The Liverpool Echo acknowledged Mac Allister’s defensive contribution, handing him a 6/10 match rating, but they also drew attention to the Argentine’s attacking effort, leaving something to be desired on that front.

Minutes played

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

46

Shots (on target)

0 (0)

Accurate passes

32/37 (86%)

Chances created

0

Crosses

0/0

Recoveries

2

Tackles won

1/1

Duels won

6/8

There has been a suffocating air of frustration around the South American’s performances this term, and most of that is because Liverpool fans know how good he can be.

But he’s offering little right now, and though he completed his defensive duties with diligence, there was a lack of dynamism and sparkle that will hinder the Anfield side going forward. He didn’t attempt a dribble and neither did he create a chance. Wirtz must play at the weekend.

Ultimately, Liverpool still have many, many creases to iron out, but this was a step in the right direction. However, Liverpool’s emphasis on compactness cannot come at the expense of pre-existing creative problems, and Wirtz must start at the weekend; that much is clear.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Os torcedores do Vasco que marcaram presença no Galeão, nesta sexta-feira (24), para acompanhar a chegada de Phillipe Coutinho no Rio de Janeiro se surpreenderam com a presença de Ronaldinho Gaúcho no aeroporto carioca.

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➡️ Vai dar Brasil? Aposte no Lance! Betting e fature com a Copa América

Ronaldinho Gaúcho chegou ao Rio de Janeiro para a disputa do Futebol Solidário. O evento beneficente será disputado neste domingo (26), às 16h, no Maracanã, para arrecadar dinheiro e doações para as vítimas das tragédias climáticas no Rio Grande do Sul.

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

Além de Ronaldinho Gaúcho, grandes nomes do esporte e da música, como Cafu, Adriano Imperador, Filipe Luís, Formiga,  Diego Ribas, Bebeto, Tamires, Petkovic e D’Alessandro, Ludmilla, Wesley Safadão, MC Daniel, Belo e Nattanzinho irão participar.

continua após a publicidade

A CBF será parceira na organização do evento, que será transmitido pela Globo e pelos canais Sportv. A emissora doará a receita dos patrocinadores para os projetos apoiados pela plataforma “Para Quem Doar”, e o valor arrecadado na bilheteria será convertido em doações para a Central Única de Favelas.

Já Coutinho aguarda a rescisão contratual com o Aston Villa, da Inglaterra, para assinar contrato com o Vasco. O meia-atacante atendeu os jornalistas presentes no Galeão e não escondeu o desejo em retornar ao Cruz-Maltino.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão

Se tudo andar como o planejado, Coutinho chega ao Gigante da Colina como principal contratação da temporada já na próxima janela, que abre em 10 de julho. A ideia é que Coutinho tenha poucos dias de férias e volte aos treinamentos o quanto antes para estar à disposição.

Tudo sobre

Philippe CoutinhoRonaldinho GaúchoVasco

“Eventually the pressure kept on building in the second innings and we couldn’t capitalise,” says India’s stand-in captain Rishabh Pant

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-20253:22

Philander: Bavuma ‘a wonderful inspiration’

“I am not a stats man, I am a win man,” Simon Harmer said when asked by Murali Kartik in the post-match presentation about his returns: his 8 for 51 is the best by a South Africa spinner in a Test in India and second only to Dale Steyn’s 10 for 108 back in 2010.The other South Africans at Eden Gardens could say the same. They started the third day staring at a crisis. They fought their way out of it with the bat, led by Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch, and then had Marco Jansen first and then Harmer running through the opposition.All India had in front of them was a target of 124. They only got 93.Related

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“A game like this, you can’t dwell into it too much, because… we should have been able to chase this score, but eventually the pressure kept on building in the second innings and we couldn’t capitalise,” Rishabh Pant, standing in as captain in Shubman Gill’s absence, said. “Definitely there was help in the wicket, a [target] of 120 can be tricky on these kinds of surfaces, but at the same time, as a team we should be able to soak in the pressure.”He pointed to the morning session when South Africa, resuming on 93 for 7, added 60 more runs. “That was the turning point,” Pant said. “Temba and Bosch had a brilliant partnership in the morning and that got them back in the game and that hurt us too much at the end of the game.”Bavuma isn’t the sort to talk big, so he kept it simple.”It was about awareness. Second innings, I didn’t change too much. Fortunately I have played in India before, so I kind of understand the little bit of adjustment that you need to make, and luck also plays a part,” he said of his innings of 55 not out, the only half-century in a game where no innings touched 200.”The captaincy, you are only as good as the players. That I give it to them. Batting, I am just comfortable with myself. And technique: not to worry about trigger and all those types of things. I stand as still as I can, watch the ball. I have a decent understanding of my game. I have come here to India wanting to do well. Not the greatest of records when it comes to these conditions. There’s a bit of that exuberance from my side to see myself doing well in these conditions and implement all the little things that I’m trying here, and keep contributing for the team.”The partnership with Bosch, I think with Marco as well at the end of the day [yesterday], just gave a little bit of impetus. The wicket played a bit better this morning, wasn’t as extreme. We tried to stay in the game as much as we could. It is not all the time that you score 120-125 and that’s a winning score. I think it was a case of staying in the game and keep believing.”Contribute he did, and then turned to his bowlers.3:40

Did India let South Africa off the hook in the morning?

“Very exciting. We want to be a part of these games and be on the right side of the result. We tried to hold on to our nerves as much as we could,” Bavuma said. “It was tough for us and we needed the bowlers to exploit what was there and the guys did that beautifully. We were able to change our bowlers frequently and that worked for us.”If Harmer is to be believed, the conditions got a bit tougher for him on the third day.”Today, I felt it probably got a little bit flatter as the ball got softer. It wasn’t exploding as much. I was asking myself some really hard questions,” he said. “Nice to contribute. I have been here before and it was a dark place, losing [three out of four Tests in 2015]. So to get here, to be behind the eight-ball again, and for the team to fight the way they did, shows where this group is and what they are capable of and the belief that they have.”I knew I needed to bowl well. I think it was the same when we were batting – it felt like we were one partnership away from getting ourselves into the game. It was the same with ball in hand. We knew we were one partnership away from getting really close. I just needed to try and put as many balls in the right areas and trust that the wicket would do its bit.”

Desert Vipers gained from their tactical decision to retire Max Holden out, going on to win the contest by one run

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2025Desert Vipers won a one-run thriller over MI Emirates in the ILT20 on Tuesday night, and fun as the game itself was, nothing beat what transpired in the 16th over of the first innings, which involved a declined stumping and a retired out, off successive balls, involving Nicholas Pooran and Max Holden.Batting first after losing the toss in Abu Dhabi, Vipers had started the 16th over on 110 for 1. Max Holden and Sam Curran were in the middle, but were going nowhere. The four preceding overs had netted exactly 20 runs, and Shimron Hetmyer and Dan Lawrence were in the shed.Vipers needed a move on, and Englishman Holden, their top-scorer in the innings, was on strike from the third ball after Curran had hit a four and taken a single off Rashid Khan. But no runs came off the third and fourth balls, and MI Emirates lost a review off the last of those when Pooran felt Holden had nicked the ball but the ball had only come to him off the pads. The fifth ball went for two.Then the drama began.Rashid to Holden. Holden charges down the track and goes for maximum, but misses the line completely as Rashid keeps it wide. He is so far down the pitch that he doesn’t even attempt to get back. Pooran has the ball, but isn’t interested in effecting the stumping. Holden realises what Pooran is up to and returns to ground his bat.

Tactics? Oneupmanship?

Nicholas Pooran chose not to stump Max Holden, but the Vipers had a trick up their sleeve as well, retiring the batter the very next ball.

What do you make of this? #DPWorldILT20 #AllInForCricket #WhereTheWorldPlays pic.twitter.com/CPK4D0H4lW

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) December 9, 2025