Back in November, Ruben Amorim was appointed Manchester United boss after leading Sporting CP to multiple Liga Portugal titles during his spell in charge.

Given his success during his time in the role, it’s understandable that he would want to take the talents he managed across to the Premier League with him.

Viktor Gyokeres was seen as the main target after registering 54 goals across all competitions last campaign, but the Red Devils have missed out on his signature after the Swede joined Arsenal this summer.

He’s not the only player from such an outfit to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, with winger Geovany Quenda previously on their radar before completing his own move to fellow English side Chelsea.

Missing out on both players would’ve been a huge disappointment, but the boss could be encouraged with other work being conducted within the market ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

Benjamin Sesko has been a player who’s emerged as a key target for United this summer, as Amorim looks to inject added quality into his forward line during the off-season.

Talks have already been held with the RB Leipzig striker’s representatives over a deal for the 22-year-old who’s currently on their radar of fellow Premier League side Newcastle United.

However, he’s not the only player currently in their sights, with Sporting CP star Morten Hjulmand a player of huge interest to Amorim, according to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato.

Their report claims that the Red Devils have been keeping a close eye on his progress, already submitting a €40m (£35m) bid to sign the 26-year-old Danish midfielder this summer.

It also states that the player himself would be extremely keen on a reunion with his former manager, but would need to wait for an agreement to be struck between the two clubs.

Why United’s £35m target would be perfect for Sesko

As previously mentioned, United are closely monitoring a move for Sesko this summer, with the Slovenian international seen as a key target for the centre-forward position.

The 22-year-old managed to score 21 times across all competitions last season, offering the side the needed focal point they’ve been lacking after scoring just 1.15 goals per game last season.

Such a signing could prove to be an expensive one, however, with his current employers demanding a fee of up to £80m to part ways with their current talisman during the off-season.

It’s unclear whether Sesko himself would be keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, but the hierarchy pursuing a move for his signature highlights the ambition they have to take the side up a level in 2025/26.

However, should he move to the Theatre of Dreams this summer, he could be aided in his attempts by Hjulmund, with the Sporting star possessing real quality that could provide him with numerous chances in the final third.

When delving into his underlying stats from the recent campaign, the Dane has showcased his excellent ability with and without the ball, subsequently able to offer a key option in the middle of the park.

Hjulmand, who’s been labelled “unbelievable” by one analyst, completed 90% of the passes he attempted, 6.7 of which per 90 were into the final third, having the tools to provide Sesko with opportunities he needs for success.

Morten Hjulmand’s stats for Sporting CP (2024/25)
Statistics (per 90)	Tally
Games played	28
Goals & assists	4
Pass accuracy	90%
Progressive passes	6.4
Passes into final third	6.7
Key passes made	1.1
Take-on success	62%
Tackles won	1.5
Recoveries made	6.5
Aerials won	56%
Stats via FBref

His talents with the ball are further reflected in his tally of 1.1 key passes per 90, whilst also completing 62% of the take-ons he attempted, evidently being more than capable of thriving under pressure.

However, despite his ability on the ball, the 26-year-old has also demonstrated his talents at regaining the ball, winning 1.5 tackles per 90, and subsequently being able to do the dirty work before having an impact in forward areas.

£35m for a player entering the prime years of his career could prove to be an excellent pickup for the Red Devils, especially considering he knows exactly what Amorim expects from his side.

If he can replicate such performance levels in Manchester, he would be a phenomenal pick-up and one that could allow Sesko to thrive in his own debut campaign if he also made the move to England.

Their very own Isak: Man Utd in concrete talks to sign "phenomenal" £80m CF

Manchester United could be about to land a star who’d be their own version of Alexander Isak.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 29, 2025

Kylian Mbappe has sent an "I score a lot of goals against Marseille" to Mason Greenwood and Co ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League opener. World Cup winner Mbappe will be lining up against opposition from his native France at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday as Los Blancos get their European campaign for 2025-26 up and running in front of their own supporters.

Mbappe waiting on first Champions League triumph

Mbappe is still waiting on the first Champions League triumph of his distinguished career, with the decision taken to swap Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid a year before ambitious Ligue 1 giants finally got their hands on the most prestigious of prizes.

AdvertisementGettyHow many goals has Mbappe scored this season?

Los Blancos are determined to conquer the continent again this term, with Mbappe very much leading from the front. He has netted four goals through as many games at the start of the new season.

Mbappe's record vs Marseille: Goals and assists

He is now preparing to face Marseille, who are experiencing the league phase of elite European competition for the first time. Mbappe boasts an impressive record against the men from Stade Velodrome – registering 10 goals and three assists against them through 15 appearances for Monaco and PSG.

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GettyWhat Mbappe said about facing Marseille again

Mbappe told of facing familiar rivals: "I score a lot of goals against Marseille. They've changed a lot with a new project. Medhi (Benatia, director of football) is a friend. We'll see.

"It's cool to meet French teams again. Plus, we're playing at home, at the Bernabeu. It's nice, it's been a long time since they played in the Champions League. It's going to be nice to play against them, it's going to bring back good memories."

The start of Celtic’s competitive season is right around the corner.

A week on Sunday, the Hoops begin their Scottish Premiership title defence when they welcome St Mirren to Parkhead.

After that, they’ll travel to Pittodrie for a Scottish Cup Final rematch against Aberdeen, while there’s plenty more for supporters to get excited about throughout August, with an Old Firm derby at Ibrox and a Champions League play-off tie to come later in the month.

Thus, with the new season rapidly approaching, Brendan Rodgers is doubly eager to get his new recruits over the line.

Celtic's search for a new centre-forward

Ever since Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais for a reported fee of £10m in January, the Hoops have been in the market for a new striker.

Following last mid-week’s pre-season friendly victory over Stade Rennais, Rodgers stated that he wants “to add to our front line” having “lost a lot of goals” in recent months, given that Nicolas Kühn has also departed for Como for around £16.5m.

In terms of pure centre-forwards, Shin Yamada has arrived from Kawasaki Frontale for around £1.5m, so will challenge Adam Idah for the starting number nine spot, but Rodgers will still want more.

Mathias Kvistgaarden appeared to be their top target since January, but he has instead decided to join Norwich City from Brøndby for a reported fee of £6.9m, leaving the Scottish champions searching for an alternative.

Transfer Focus

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

Well, Rodgers does have previous when it comes to unearthing unknown strikers as Celtic manager, namely signing Moussa Dembélé nine years ago, so could he be about to do something similar?

Could Celtic sign a highly-rated young striker?

As Celtic scour far and wide for a new striker, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman claims they should go all in and sign Richard Kone from Wycombe Wanderers.

He believes, should he make the move to Glasgow, Kone “would thrive massively at that level” adding, given that Celtic “dominate games and create chances”, he would score plenty of goals.

Back in January, Luton Town had a £6m bid rejected by the Chairboys for Kone, according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, likely to cost even more than that now.

To support this, a week ago, it was documented that Celtic have an interest in Kone, with the young marksman believed to be worth around £7m.

Speaking on CBS’ Morning Footy, Wycombe legend Adebayo Akinfenwa noted that “if Hollywood was going to have a script for a story, this would be it”, given that Kone arrived in England to represent Côte d’Ivoire at the Homeless World Cup in 2019.

He then represented Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League, England’s ninth tier, for five years, before being scouted and signed by Wycombe in January 2024, following an extended trial.

Well, what a find this has proved to be, with the 22-year-old scoring 25 goals in 73 appearances for the Buckinghamshire-based EFL League One outfit, named both the division’s Player and Young Player of the Season, having netted 18 times in the league.

Let’s assess his statistics from League One last year to underline why he scooped up both accolades.

Goals

18

3rd

Shots

100

5th

Shots on target

40

5th

Shots per 90

3.28

3rd

Successful dribbles

44

16th

Big chances missed

16

6th

As the table notes, only two players, Charlie Kelman and Jay Stansfield, both of whom were playing for clubs who got promoted, scored more goals than Kone, while he ranked highly for every attacking metric included.

His performances certainly impressed writer Kai Watson, who labelled him a “mentality monster”, adding that “aggression, positioning and work rate” are amongst his strengths.

So why could he be a repeat of Dembélé’s arrival from 2016?

Well, before joining Celtic, the Frenchman had made just 64 senior appearances for Fulham, the vast majority of which had come at Championship level, so few could’ve forecast that he burst onto the scene as he did, scoring 32 goals during his first season at Celtic, five of which came in the Champions League.

Thus, there is certainly precedent for a young, inexperienced striker joining Celtic from the EFL and exploding into a top-class centre-forward.

If you’re not yet convinced by the déjà vu, listen to this; Kone’s non-league Athletic Newham are based on Atlético Madrid, they wear the same kit and their badge is nigh on identical, and with whom did Dembélé win La Liga? You guessed it!

Celtic now submit £1.5m bid to sign 17 G/A forward, they've had a response

The Hoops have made a formal approach for an attacker, who was regularly among the goals in the 2024-25 campaign.

ByDominic Lund Jul 23, 2025

England tried everything after losing Ben Stokes to injury but struggled to stop the hosts’ charge

Valkerie Baynes16-Dec-2024Kane Williamson’s superb century led New Zealand to a gigantic lead over England on a third day which swung from potential tragedy for the tourists to bizarre comedy for all concerned.”Tragedy” is often misused to describe events which are far from it and probably over-states the hamstring injury which forced Ben Stokes from the field mid-over and kept him out of action for the rest of New Zealand’s imposing innings.Related

Stokes leaves field with recurrence of hamstring injury

But “comedy” perhaps understates the scenes which followed as England, with Ollie Pope standing in for Stokes as captain, resisted taking the second new ball until 13.4 overs after it was due, 1.4 of those bowled by Harry Brook by the time it was delivered to the middle.Brook had bowled 14 overs in Tests prior to this game, eight on England’s previous tour of New Zealand at the start of last year when he claimed his only wicket – Williamson caught behind, no less – and six overs during the 2023 Ashes. The first delivery of this short spell had Mitchell Santner seeing the funny side as he jabbed it away from his face, then grinning some more after he launched a six over long-off four balls later.Brook sent down two deliveries with the new ball, one of those punched through the covers for four by Tom Blundell, before he was withdrawn from the attack.England’s seamers were undoubtedly tired after their side was bowled out in their first innings for just 143 inside 36 overs and they were a man down without Stokes.And in fairness, England’s spinners took the last six New Zealand wickets to fall – three of them with the second new ball – as left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell claimed his maiden Test wicket and two more to end with 3 for 73.But it seemed as though the visitors were clutching at straws in the face of Williamson’s typically composed 156 in 204 balls which included partnerships of 107 with Rachin Ravindra for the fourth wicket and 92 with Daryl Mitchell for the fifth.There was nothing funny England could see about the fact that by stumps they had lost both openers with just 18 runs on the board, staring down defeat as they needed 640 more.Having reached fifty just before the close of the second day with his side already 340 runs ahead, Williamson pressed on through an extended afternoon session after rain had cancelled any play before lunch. He brought up his 33rd Test century – and seventh at Seddon Park – with a thunderous six down the ground and his 150 with a lofted drive over extra cover off Bethell.Bethell had stepped in to finish Stokes’ over and he returned to play a bigger part in the attack after the tea break as Williamson made the most of his chances to score off him and offspinner Shoaib Bashir.England had their chances against Williamson too. He survived a close lbw decision on umpire’s call off Brydon Carse while on 73 with replays showing the ball was ever so close to clipping the bails at the top of leg stump. He was also dropped by Pope on 86 when his attempted pull off Stokes made its way into the glove but the wicketkeeper, leaping a long way down the leg side couldn’t hold on. Then, on 106, Williamson edged fine of second slip where Brook wrongly anticipated his shot off Bashir and inadvertently created space for the ball to squeeze through.But Williamson marshalled the innings expertly when New Zealand resumed on 136 for 3. He and Ravindra added 50 runs in the first 19 overs as the latter exercised greater caution than previously in the series when he unnecessarily chased the ball outside off stump to his peril.Biding his time in the face of some targeted verbal attacks from England’s bowlers, Ravindra started playing some shots midway through the afternoon, including four off the Stokes short ball which caused the England skipper to pull up sore in the same hamstring he injured during the Hundred, leading to two months on the sidelines on that occasion. But Ravindra couldn’t follow Williamson to a landmark score – he fell on 44 to a leading edge off Matthew Potts.Williamson was next man out, his top-edged sweep off Bashir sailing to substitute fielder Rehan Ahmed running round at deep-backward square leg.Mitchell added 60 off 84 before he holed out to Potts to give Bethell his first, and Glenn Phillips fell cheaply before Blundell and Santner put on another 63 runs for the eighth wicket. Santner unleashed five sixes in his 49 off just 38 balls, but it was the retiring Tim Southee the home crowd wanted to see, giving a huge cheer when he walked out after Santner had slashed Joe Root to backward point.Desperate to see Southee score the two sixes that would take him to a tally of hundred in his final innings with the bat, they were left disappointed when he holed out trying off Bethell with just two runs next to his name.Southee wasn’t done, however, bowling Ben Duckett in his first over before Matt Henry removed Zak Crawley for the sixth time in as many innings this series, pinned lbw and leaving England rather unamused.

Kyle Verreynne will return to Nottinghamshire in 2025 and will hope that the first part of his stint ends up being preparation for South Africa’s potential involvement in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.Verreynne, the wicketkeeper-batter, played three games for Notts in the County Championship last year, and scored 248 runs including an unbeaten 148 against Warwickshire which helped to confirm their survival in Division One. He will return to the club next summer, and Notts expect him to be available for 12 out of their 14 Championship fixtures around his international commitments.Those could include the WTC final at Lord’s on June 11, with South Africa well-placed to finish in the top two if they continue their recent form. Verreynne scored an unbeaten 105 on the second day of their ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka after their convincing win last week, and they will complete the 2023-25 cycle with two Tests at home to Pakistan from Boxing Day.Related

• Moises Henriques joins Notts Outlaws for 2025 Vitality Blast

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• Verreynne on 114: 'Definitely the best innings of my career'

• Notts sign Sams for 2025 Vitality Blast

“I thought the competition was of a really good standard,” Verreynne said in a club statement. “When you’ve played international cricket, you still want to be tested at domestic level, so I really enjoyed adapting to English conditions. I know the challenge could be different next year in the early part of the summer, but I’m sure that will be beneficial for me.”I felt really comfortable playing cricket at Trent Bridge last season – it’s an awesome place to play… I was glad to be able to play my part in helping us stay in Division One at the end of the season, but we want to push further forward next season – and the players are definitely there for us to do so.”Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said: “Kyle provided an important injection when we needed it last season, bringing all his experience and qualities as an international player. We know conditions will be different in April to the time he spent with us at the end of the season, though his record in Test match cricket shows he has the ability to adapt and still be successful.”Notts announced last month that Australia’s Daniel Sams will be one of their overseas players for the T20 Blast next year.

Juventus are weighing a January move for Ademola Lookman as they prepare for life without Dusan Vlahovic, with Joshua Zirkzee also on their radar.

• Juventus eye Lookman for January swoop
• Zirkzee also monitored by the Bianconeri
• Vlahovic exit edges closer

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Juventus are exploring the possibility of signing Lookman in the January transfer window as they prepare for the likely departure of Vlahovic. The Nigerian forward recently rejoined Atalanta training after a turbulent summer but is still seen as a player whose future lies away from Bergamo. Juve consider him one of the leading names to take on the striking role next year.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With the Serbian expected to leave Turin after what could be his final season, Juve are already building a shortlist of replacements. Lookman’s versatility and Serie A experience make him a strong candidate, though the Nerazzurri will demand a significant fee. The club are also keeping tabs on other forwards, with Bologna’s Santiago Castro, Parma’s Matteo Pellegrino and Atalanta’s own Gianluca Scamacca emerging as possible alternatives, according to reports.

• TELL ME MORE…

  Lookman’s situation mirrors Juve’s past approach with Jonathan David, where the Bianconeri monitored the striker long-term before securing his move. The 27-year-old Nigerian’s contract at Atalanta runs until 2027, but strained relations with the club after the summer saga suggest an early exit may be possible. United striker Zirkzee is another option under consideration, though his mixed Premier League spell has raised questions.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?

  The Old Lady will continue discussions internally over the next months before deciding whether to formalise a January approach. Atalanta remain open to selling Lookman if the right offer arrives, while Juventus weigh up whether the Nigerian, Zirkzee, or a homegrown Serie A option is best suited to spearhead their attack beyond Vlahovic.

Kemar Roach struck early blows but West Indies’ fielders let their bowlers down

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2024

Shadman Islam scored a fifty on the opening day•Athelstan Bellamy

Kemar Roach rocked Bangladesh early but poor catching denied West Indies a few more wickets on the truncated first day of the Kingston Test. Bangladesh finished on 69 for 2 with Shadman Islam and Shahadat Hossain unbeaten on 50 and 12 respectively.The match began at 3pm local time, five hours after the scheduled start, due to the wet outfield at Sabina Park. The delayed start prompted Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bat on a sunny day where only 30 overs were possible. The visitors, however, lost two wickets in the first half an hour.Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the first batter dismissed, caught behind for 2, with wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva taking a diving catch. Roach then removed Mominul Haque with a delivery that swung into the left-hander from around the wicket, before leaving and taking the edge. It was Mominul’s fourth duck in the West Indies and Roach’s 50th wicket against Bangladesh.Bangladesh’s batters looked ripe for the picking but the West Indian fielders let their quicks down. Alick Athanaze dropped Shadman on 15 when he drove in front of first slip but couldn’t hold on. Captain Kraigg Brathwaite also dropped Shadman on 35 at cover.Then came the comical drop when Jayden Seales drew Shahadat’s edge with the batter on 8. The ball burst out of Athanaze’s grip and went towards Kavem Hodge at first slip, who spilled the rebound, which then fell out of Athanaze’s reach as he tried to collect to the ball.The slow outfield after the rain hampered the run scoring as well. Shadman struck three fours and a six in his 100-ball stay. Shahadat edged one four. Many of their forceful shots pulled up short of the boundary. Bangladesh, however, will take heart from the way they bated after a poor start.

Still on the hunt for one more defensive addition, Glasgow Rangers have reportedly agreed personal terms to sign an in-demand centre-back, who has now been left to make his transfer decision.

Rangers react in style to Martin criticism

If there’s one thing that Rangers have learned in the early days of Russell Martin’s tenure, it is that anything less than 100% will not be accepted and will be called out. The former Southampton boss was left furious with his side’s efforts on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership campaign as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell.

Following a scathing review, Martin backed up his words with actions and dropped the likes of James Tavernier and Nicolas Raskin. Expecting a reaction, the new manager watched on as his side put Viktoria Plzen to the sword to win 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

The big test will now be following up on that improved performance against Dundee on Saturday evening. As the action continues to come thick and fast on the pitch, however, so does the transfer business away from it, with one more reinforcement now potentially on the way.

Rangers agree personal terms with Nobel Mendy

As reported by transfer reporter Sacha Tavolieri, the 49ers and Rangers have now agreed personal terms with Nobel Mendy. The Real Betis defender is a man in demand this summer, but it’s now a battle between the Gers and Real Vallecano for his signature, with the player now set to decide the outcome soon.

As Martin waits on Mendy’s decision, he will be hoping to welcome an impressive young centre-back to counter Celtic’s deal to sign Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan from Manchester City.

Kent 2.0: Rangers join race to sign "big potential" talent from PL giants

As Russell Martin searches for more new signings, could Rangers bring in a “talented” youngster from a Premier League giant in a Ryan Kent repeat?

ByBen Gray Aug 7, 2025

Dubbed “powerful” by scout Kai Watson, Mendy would be another excellent addition at Ibrox this month.

Leeds United enjoyed a wonderful season last term when they raced to a staggering 100 points to win the Championship title under Daniel Farke.

The Whites earned promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking with the German head coach, having lost to Southampton in the play-off final in 2024.

It is now up to the former Norwich City boss to show that he can keep the team in the top-flight, though, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of Marcelo Bielsa.

The West Yorkshire outfit finished ninth in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign, their highest finish in the football pyramid in the last 20 years, and Farke knows that he needs more attacking options to repeat that feat, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin one player who is set to arrive on a free transfer.

Leeds needs to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch to ensure that they have enough firepower to avoid relegation, and potentially push for the top-half like they did in Bielsa’s first season in the league.

In the summer of 2020, Victor Orta made sure that the Argentine boss had the quality he needed by signing brilliant Brazilian forward Raphinha.

Leeds hit the jackpot with Raphinha

There is an argument to be made that the left-footed star is the best signing that the Whites have made in modern history, or at least since 2020, as his quality on the pitch was pivotal to their success.

Leeds reportedly paid an initial fee of £17m to sign the winger from Rennes in 2020, and it is fair to say that he more than paid back that fee with the value he provided on the pitch.

Raphinha scored 17 goals and created 22 ‘big chances’, per Sofascore, in two seasons in the Premier League during his time with Leeds, in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, helping them to avoid the drop both times.

The mercurial attacker made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch to win vital points for the team to ensure that they did not get relegated, with goals and assists to secure draws and wins.

Appearances

30

35

Goals

6

11

Big chances missed

4

6

Big chances created

12

10

Key passes per game

2.1

1.9

Assists

9

3

Dribbles completed per game

1.9

1.8

As you can see in the table above, Raphinha provided a consistent threat in possession with his goals, assists, dribbles, and key passes in the top-flight.

Barcelona then swooped to sign the winger for a fee of £55m in the summer of 2022, and Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in the following season. This speaks to how important he was to the side, and why the Whites have not had a signing as successful as him since.

Leeds are likely destination for experienced centre-forward

The West Yorkshire outfit may have a chance to land their best signing since Raphinha, though, as a fresh report has emerged on their interest in a new striker.

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 Qatari paper Al Kass, as relayed by Globo, Leeds United are the most likely destination for Al Hilal centre-forward Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer.

The report claims that the Saudi Pro League team are willing to pay the striker the £21m they owe him for the last three years of his contract in order to allow him to find a new club.

It states that the recent arrival of Darwin Nunez from Liverpool has left Mitrovic as a disposable member of Simone Inzaghi’s squad, opening the door for Leeds to make a move for him.

The outlet is not clear on whether Al Hilal would still demand a transfer fee for the Serbia international, paying up his contract to allow him to negotiate lower wages elsewhere, or if he will be available for nothing, as it had been reported earlier this summer that they wanted a fee of £26m for his services.

Why Mitrovic would be the best signing since Raphinha

As aforementioned, Raphinha was such a successful signing for the Whites because it was his attacking quality in the final third that won vital points for the team with goals and assists to help the team avoid relegation.

You only have to look at what happened after he moved on from Elland Road to understand how important the winger was for the team, and Mitrovic is a player who has the potential to be just as impactful for Leeds.

The Al Hilal marksman, who was described as an “absolute monster” by Saudi Arabian news journalist Matt Monaghan, has the goalscoring pedigree to come in and be the main man at the top end of the pitch for Farke, scoring enough goals to fire the team to safety.

Mitrovic, who once scored a staggering 43 goals in one season for Fulham during his time in England, has enjoyed a sensational time in front of goal with Al Hilal, who may only be replacing him because of his age, as Nunez is four years younger than him.

Sports editor Henry Hill once described the 30-year-old centre-forward as a “prolific” player for club and country, and his statistics back that claim up.

Appearances

28

23

xG

26.60

17.41

Goals

28

19

xG on target

26.26

22.12

xA

2.48

1.33

Assists

5

2

As you can see in the table above, Mitrovic found it almost too easy to score goals in the Pro League for Al Hilal, outperforming his xG in both of those seasons and almost averaging a goal every game.

Along with his phenomenal output in Saudi Arabia, the Leeds transfer target has also scored 62 goals in 100 matches for Serbia at international level, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he is a prolific scorer for club and country, as claimed.

These statistics show that the Serbian star, who scored 111 goals in 206 games for Fulham, has the ability to be a consistent and prolific goalscorer for Leeds, having proven himself in England, in Saudi Arabia, and at international level.

This means that Mitrovic could win vital points for Leeds on a regular basis by scoring goals that earn draws and wins to keep Leeds in the Premier League, much like Raphinha did in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.

Way better than Calvert-Lewin: £50m star is the top target for Leeds

Leeds United’s number one transfer target is a way better option than Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

2 ByDan Emery Aug 12, 2025

That is why the Al Hilal forward would be the club’s best signing since Raphinha, because they have yet to bring in an attacker with the quality to make as big of an impact as the Brazilian did during his time at Elland Road.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 17th-placed Premier League finish last campaign showcases the job Thomas Frank has on his hands as he enters his first year in charge in North London.

He would’ve certainly faced an easier task had he had Harry Kane at his disposal, with the England international a player who is undoubtedly one of the best to ever ply his trade for the Lilywhites.

The 32-year-old rose through the ranks before making a huge impact on the first team, often being the man the supporters relied on for goals in crucial moments.

Kane ended up registering a total of 280 goals during his stint in the capital, the highest of any player in the club’s history, also slotting in at second place in the Premier League’s record books.

However, after his departure back in 2023, the club have ultimately failed to replace his goals, leaving Frank with such a task during his first window in charge.

The latest on Spurs’ hunt for a new striker this summer

After the Dane’s appointment, Brentford striker Yoane Wissa has been a player who has been hugely linked with a move to follow his former boss across the capital.

Such rumours are unsurprising given his tally of 19 league goals for the Bees last season, leading to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest also interested in his signature this window.

However, he’s not the only attacker currently on their radar, with PSG star Randal Kolo Muani another player they’re pursuing, according to journalist Santi Aouna.

He claims that the Lilywhites have already entered talks over a deal to land the French forward, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus.

Aouna also states that Frank’s side face competition from Manchester United for the 26-year-old’s signature this summer, but Daniel Levy is working hard to reach an agreement before the September 1st deadline.

Why Spurs’ latest target would be Frank’s answer to Kane

Two players have mainly shared the responsibility of providing the goals at the top end of the pitch for Spurs since Kane’s departure – Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.

Both have endured their injury struggles over recent times, posting respectable tallies, but ultimately, there’s still huge room for improvement in such an area.

The Englishman, who cost a club-record £65m last summer, and the Brazilian managed to net a combined tally of 13 league goals, whilst Kane scored double that figure on his own last campaign.

Replacing the record goalscorer was always going to be a near-impossible task, but the current lack of goals from the centre-forwards on the books highlights the need for a new talisman this summer.

Kolo Muani would provide the new boss just that, having the opportunity to claim the starting role as his own should he move to North London during the off-season.

He’s previously been labelled as a similar player to Kane by FBref, managing to match or better the former Lilywhites in key areas throughout the recent campaign.

The Frenchman, who’s been dubbed “extremely dangerous” by compatriot Bixente Lizarazu, posted a higher goal per shot on target rate, evidently being more efficient with his chances in front of goal.

Games played

26

31

Goals & assists

12

35

Shot on target accuracy

48%

42%

Goals per shot on target

0.4

0.3

Key passes made

1.4

1.3

Take-ons completed

1.5

0.8

Carries into opposition box

1.2

0.7

Aerials won

1.2

1

Kolo Muani also completed more key passes per 90, along with more take-ons achieved, highlighting his all-round talent with the ball at his feet, something which could hugely benefit Frank in his quest for success.

However, whilst he’s a technically gifted forward, the former Eintracht Frankfurt star also bettered Kane for aerials won per 90, potentially being the perfect fit for the Lilywhites’ current side.

All the aforementioned stats are undoubtedly important, but ultimately, the fans and manager will want him to provide the goods in front of goal throughout 2025/26.

His tally of 10 goals in just 22 loan appearances in Italy last season showcases that there is certainly a player there, with Frank able to land his own version of the record scorer if he can unlock such talents out of Kolo Muani.

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