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Newcastle United have been sculpted into a force over the past four years. Eddie Howe has been the architect of this staggering rise, qualifying twice for the Champions League inside three seasons and, last year, beating Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup.

The summer transfer window was a testing one for many reasons, but United have assembled a group of players ready to compete at the highest level once again.

But there’s no question that there’s work to be done. After all, the Toon sit 14th in the Premier League, and new signings are still bedding in.

But there’s so much world-class talent at Howe’s disposal, and the manager and his side’s success in tying down Sandro Tonali to a new contract is evidence of how mighty St. James’ Park is becoming.

Sandro Tonali's new contract at Newcastle

It has come to light that Tonali secretly signed a contract extension at Newcastle during his betting ban, meaning his new deal runs until 2029, with the club holding the power to activate a one-year extension.

The Italy international is now set to star at Newcastle for many years to come, and if interest does heat up, the Toon will hold all the cards concerning a player who has blended athleticism with intelligence and technical grace to become “one of the best footballers to ever play for Newcastle”, according to one prominent online supporter.

The bond he has forged with Bruno Guimaraes in the centre of St. James’ Park is a thing to behold. Together, they are supercharging Howe’s system, piecing together this next stage in Howe’s project, so the recent success will not be remembered as a flash in the pan.

Though the 25-year-old suffered through some adversity at the start of his career in England, he has since repaid the £55m investment and then some, good enough to become the next £100m+ sale.

The loss of Alexander Isak to Arne Slot’s Premier League champions? That one stung. But Newcastle banked a record-breaking £125m cheque for the departure of their former talisman.

And, whisper it quietly, but the Sweden striker’s sale has been cushioned and then some by the redirection of the funds.

Howe's latest Newcastle superstar

He’s the talk of the Toon. Despite raising eyebrows upon their club-record £69m acquisition of Nick Woltemade, the German striker is proving his worth and then some at the front of Howe’s system.

The 23-year-old is quickly climbing up to the high ground on which Tonali stands, and he could enter a similar £100m ballpark with a continuation of the resounding early performances in black and white.

Already, Woltemade has scored five goals for Newcastle, having only played eight times.

When fellow forward signing Yoane Wissa pulled up with a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo after completing his £55m transfer from Brentford to the north east, fears were heightened.

Isak had departed, had he not? And Wissa was the free-scoring, Premier League-tuned striker. But Woltemade has allayed concerns and then some with his displays over the past few months.

Howe and his analytical staff will have known all about Woltemade’s quality, but it’s hard to imagine they expected such a fast and seamless start to life in a new land.

BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan has even said that “there’s no striker on the planet who moves the ball like Woltemade.”

He’s not Isak, but that’s the beauty of it. Newcastle have signed a player with the potential to emulate elements of the 26-year-old’s game while adding his own flair and personality to the front of Howe’s system.

Goals

0.68

0.61

Assists

0.08

0.20

Shots taken

2.29

3.00

Shot-creating actions

3.74

2.79

Touches (att pen)

7.12

6.06

Pass completion (%)

72.9

75.4

Progressive passes

2.53

3.17

Progressive carries

1.41

2.52

Successful take-ons

1.37

1.36

Ball recoveries

2.61

1.84

Aerial duels won

2.05

0.89

The forwards’ comparable strength in directly taking on their opponents with the ball at their feet demonstrates their technical level. It absolutely accentuates Woltemade’s individual talent. Isak is more of an unrelenting runner, and he’s faster besides, but Woltemade arguably has neater close control.

Moreover, the Germany international’s technical skill has been picked up in his recent weeks on Tyneside, with reporter Andy Sixsmith hailing him for flair, saying the phenom’s “link-up play is mesmerising”.

The transfer chatter, would you believe it, has already started up. German publication BILD have recently revealed that Bayern Munich, who had earmarked Woltemade as a summer transfer target, are still keeping a watchful eye on the lanky forward, with the report going on to suggest he dreams of returning to his homeland and signing for Die Roten one day.

That’s nice, but if the Isak saga tells us one thing, it’s that Newcastle will only let their prized pieces leave if they get bang for their buck.

And if Woltemade has started as he means to go on for the Tynesiders, he’s not going to be going anywhere for a figure beneath that which saw Isak book a one-way trip to Anfield.

It’s early days yet, and the rangy talent must now work on building consistency in the final third. But the early readings are oh-so promising, and Woltemade is already shaping up to be the real deal and perhaps the biggest star since Tonali blossomed.

Howe can forget Elanga by unleashing Newcastle's teen who's 'like Yamal'

Eddie Howe may turn to the academy to help build fluency down Newcastle’s right side.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 23, 2025

Chelsea must now be longing for a swift return to Stamford Bridge in Premier League action.

Indeed, the Blues’ push towards the top of the table to challenge Arsenal has stalled after two disappointing performances on the road, with a 3-1 collapse away at Leeds United, followed up by a lacklustre showing on the South Coast to secure a 0-0 draw at AFC Bournemouth.

Not even Cole Palmer’s re-entry into Enzo Maresca’s starting XI could shake Chelsea into life away at the Cherries, as the former Manchester City superstar ended up losing possession a costly 16 times in a drab individual performance.

He was far from being the only underperformer in attack up against Andoni Iraola’s hosts, though, as Chelsea now looks at the January transfer window with hope that they can boost their underwhelming options up top.

Chelsea's attacking woes vs Bournemouth

Liam Delap must have thought that grabbing a much-needed Blues goal against Barcelona at the tail-end of November would kickstart his faltering Stamford Bridge spell.

Unfortunately, though, the former Ipswich Town striker remains without a goal in Premier League action for Maresca’s men, as the £30m summer recruit hobbled off after just 32 minutes to continue on his ongoing Chelsea nightmare.

Neither Marc Guiu nor Joao Pedro could break the deadlock either against a stubborn Cherries defence, with Guiu only managing an unconvincing two shots at the Bournemouth goal from his minimal 25 touches.

Pedro will also have Chelsea punching the panic button at this point, with the bumper £60m signing now goalless across his last four games for Maresca and Co.

It’s not the greatest shock in the world, therefore, to read that the frustrated West Londoners are targeting a move for Borussia Dortmund ace Serhou Guirassy in January, with Sky Sports’ Gary Neville weighing in after the Blues’ disastrous 3-1 loss at Elland Road to say that the attackers Chelsea currently possess are not “of the level” to lift the Premier League title.

However, it’s not just in the sole striker spot where grumbles are beginning to emerge, with other pitiful performances on the South Coast giving Maresca plenty of food for thought over what his consistent starting lineup should be.

Chelsea duo must never start together again

The former Leicester City boss would lament his side’s indecisive nature in the forward areas at the full-time whistle, with Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho very much not helping proceedings as Chelsea’s main options down either flank.

Between them during the 0-0 stalemate, they only completed one of six dribbles, with plenty more unsatisfactory numbers tallied up by the frustrating pairing come the close of the dull affair.

Minutes played

90

77

Goals scored

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

35

55

Shots

2

2

Accurate passes

34/41 (83%)

17/20 (85%)

Key passes

4

1

Accurate crosses

3/6

2/3

Accurate dribbles

0/2

1/4

Possession lost

12x

10x

Duels won

4/7

1/5

Looking at the table above in detail, it really doesn’t make for pretty reading for the number seven and the number 49, with possession given up a high 22 times between them, on top of just one of their combined efforts being hit on target at Dorde Petrovic’s goal.

If Chelsea is to instantly respond to this shambolic performance at the Cherries against Atalanta in the Champions League, Maresca will surely have to ditch this duo, with Estevao hopeful of a starting spot in place of Neto on the right, after scoring a stunning effort last time out in Europe’s premier competition versus Barcelona.

His constant determination to burst forward with pace and terrorise defenders would be a clear departure from the out-of-sorts offerings from both Neto and Garnacho, with five goals and one assist already tallied up in Chelsea blue by the Brazilian, seeing pundit Pat Nevin hail him as an “utterly brilliant” asset to have around.

Neto does have credit in his bank, arguably, considering he bagged his side’s only goal of the game in West Yorkshire, but an injection of freshness could still go down a treat.

This might also result in Jamie Gittens getting the nod to start on the left over Garnacho, after successfully completing all 100% of his dribbles versus Leeds as a rare bright spark.

Whatever lineup does end up taking to the field, Maresca will be hoping for an immediate response.

If he wants more energy and excitement from the get-go mid-week, he needs to ensure both Neto and Garnacho don’t start together again, after they passively went about their business at Bournemouth.

Worse than Enzo: Maresca must drop Chelsea star who lost the ball 17x

This Chelsea ace struggled in the 0-0 draw away to Bournemouth

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 6, 2025

Aston Villa are now prepared to make a £52m offer for a “baller” in the January transfer window, with Unai Emery personally keen.

Villa make major statement in dramatic Arsenal victory

Villa sent out a message to the rest of the Premier League by picking up a dramatic late victory against league leaders Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, with Emiliano Buendia firing home in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win.

In the wake of the result, which leaves Emery’s side just three points behind the Gunners, Mikel Arteta has admitted the Villans are genuine Premier League title contenders.

When asked whether the Villa Park outfit can challenge, Arteta said: “They are. When you look at where they are, the way they play, they have beaten some big teams, especially at home. Everybody is going to have to play everybody, so at the moment they are where they are and we are there as well.”

That said, it is still early days, given that we aren’t even at the half-way stage of the season just yet, and Emery is eager to bring in some new reinforcements, who could boost his side’s title push, during the January transfer window.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states the Aston Villa manager is now personally keen on signing Athletic Club star Mikel Jauregizar next month, but a deal could be on the expensive side.

Villa are prepared to offer up to €60m (£52m) to secure Jauregizar’s signature, with the Spanish club reluctant to sanction a departure unless they receive an ‘irresistible’ bid.

Emery believes the central midfielder would be an ideal fit in his system, and the Villans are now determined to get a deal done, so much so that they may even be willing to make an even higher bid.

"Baller" Jauregizar impressing in the Champions League

If Villa are going to make a genuine push to win the Premier League title, they may need to bring in some new players with experience at the highest level, and the 22-year-old has been impressing in the Champions League this season, chipping in with two assists in five matches.

Hailed as an “underrated baller” by scout Ben Mattinson, the maestro is also strong at winning back possession, averaging 2.87 tackles per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 89th percentile, when compared to other midfielders.

Aston Villa now want to tempt Chelsea summer signing with surprise January move

It would be a head turner.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 5, 2025

Jauregizar is clearly a very well-rounded midfielder, capable of making an impact at both ends of the pitch, and Aston Villa could strengthen their title chances by getting a deal done in January.

Manchester United are now in pole position to complete the signing of Ajax youngster Jorthy Mokio, as they look to find a long-term replacement for the ageing Casemiro and exiled Kobbie Mainoo.

The futures of both Casemiro and Mainoo are key talking points at Old Trafford currently, with the Brazilian’s current contract expiring at the end of this season, at which point he will be 34 years of age.

In fairness, the Real Madrid legend has shown improved form this season, but Fabrizio Romano has claimed that a new deal is unlikely, especially on his current £350,000 wages, which make him United’s highest-paid player.

“Casemiro is working hard and is becoming once again in his career a crucial player for the manager. So, in this moment, he is really important for Ruben Amorim, but there will be a conversation about his contract because at the moment, the numbers of his contract, salary is way too high for Manchester United to extend that.

“Or they find a solution on the contract, and this is Casemiro and for Harry Maguire, or the player could leave on a free.

It looks increasingly likely that a replacement for Casemiro will need to be found next summer, especially with Ruben Amorim seemingly not fancying Mainoo in the role.

Man Utd "leading the chase" for Mokio

According to Caught Offside‘s Mark Brus, Manchester United are the front-runners to sign Mokio from Ajax, with the 17-year-old considered a prodigious talent at the heart of midfield.

“Manchester United are leading the chase for Jorthy Mokio. They are already working on a project that could offer Mokio guaranteed minutes and a clear development path.”

Mokio is a huge talent with so much to offer in the coming years, proving to be the latest great youngster to emerge from Ajax’s famous academy recently, and he should be the type of profile United are looking for in a player.

The defensive midfielder has already made 29 appearances for the Eredivisie giants, highlighting his maturity at such a young age, while scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “special” player.

Mokio has also now been capped once at senior level by Belgium, and will hope to see his star rise further at next summer’s World Cup, but United should be looking to seal a deal for him before them, before the competition increases further for his signature.

Antoine Semenyo chooses between Man Utd and Liverpool

What a signing this could be…

1

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 22, 2025

Wildcard Casemiro replacement: Man Utd star can "become a world class DM"

Alex Bregman, who's spent his entire MLB career to this point with the Houston Astros, is one of the top free agents this offseason. There are four teams who have appeared to be the most interested in the third baseman, MLB's Mark Feinsand reported on Tuesday.

The teams include the incumbent Astros, along with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers.

It was reported last week that the Astros offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million deal, but Bregman is reportedly looking for a deal worth closer to $200 million. Bregman's teammates, like Jose Altuve, really hoped he would return to Houston in 2025, so the team made moves. We'll see what ends up happening.

If the Red Sox decide to sign Bregman, he would likely move to second base as Rafael Devers plays third base for Boston.

The interest for the Yankees to sign Bregman increased after Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets on Friday, MLB's Bryan Hoch reported.

The Tigers are interested in signing Bregman, but s Jon Heyman noted that the third baseman would be pricey for Detroit.

Feinsand reported that a Bregman deal is expected to come soon.

Bregman had an impressive 2024 season, which ended with him earning his first Gold Glove. He averaged .260 with a .768 OPS, 26 home runs, and 75 RBIs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers failed in their attempt to sweep the New York Yankees in the World Series, losing Game 4 on Tuesday night, 11-4.

Freddie Freeman, however, was able to make some cool history when he became the first player in history to hit a home run in six straight World Series games.

The lefty's historic blast came in the first inning when belted a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right to give the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead.

Later in the game, Freeman heard it from a Yankees fan during the Stand Up for Cancer moment when mics picked up someone in the crowd yelling, "You suck, Freeman!"

Freeman, as the stats and history clearly show, doesn't suck. Not even close.

Game 5 is Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Mikel Arteta has revisited memories of Son Heung-min's miss for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City in May 2024 to explain the fine "margins" that determine the title race, with Arsenal looking to end a 22-year wait for the Premier League crown. The second of three successive seasons in which the Gunners finished as runners-up saw them nearly come top.

• The miss that changed everything

  In May 2024, Tottenham were facing Pep Guardiola’s relentless Manchester City, and Arsenal’s title hopes hinged on their rivals – if Spurs at least drew, the Gunners would go into the final day of that season top of the table. With City leading 1-0 in the dying minutes, Son raced clear on goal, one-on-one with substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who had replaced Ederson. A goal would’ve made it 1-1 and surely kept Arsenal in first place, but Ortega stood tall, made himself big, and parried the effort away. City went on to win the match 2-0 and the Premier League title on the next matchday by just two points. Arsenal's hopes were dashed and after that painful miss, Son admitted to the profound emotional toll it took on him.

  "I’m also human," Son told the later in an interview. "But I take the responsibility not to score that big chance for the team, because the team was working really hard and trying to get a good result."

  That miss from Son reshaped the landscape of English football in ways no one could’ve imagined. Tottenham were licking their wounds from missing out on the top four, but later embarked on a remarkable run through Europe and went on to win the Europa League, ending a 17-year trophy drought. Aston Villa, who finished fourth thanks to City’s win, secured Champions League football for the first time since 1983. But for Arsenal and Arteta, it was nothing short of agony.

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  Arteta talks about 'margins' that determine a title race

  As Arsenal once again find themselves top of the table, four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth, Arteta reflected on that defining night when asked if this could finally be the season they go all the way.

  "At the end, you learn that the margins at the end to achieve it or not are multiple," he said. "So it can be that an opposition player is one against one against the keeper, he scores that goal, you are champion. The other keeper saves it you are not champion. It can be other injuries, it can be other decisions, it can be a mistake of mine, it can be that many factors that we cannot control that outcome or we can control it while we can do the best. That's it."

  Arteta learnt through heartbreak that perfection isn’t always rewarded. However, this season, the Gunners have been in fine form and look perfectly in control of their destiny, at least for now. But he refuses to get carried away.

  "So it's a lot of factors that have a lot of factors that have to go your way. You can do a lot of great things, and still a lot of things have to go your way, and the injuries and the players that you have to play, and they have to be there, and the personal lives have to be perfect because if not, it can unbalance," he went on a rant. "It's so many things guys, and it's still so so long, and we've seen already the turnaround in the league and going to the Champions League is the same. All the leagues are the same. We are not really in a specific context at the moment, and let's focus day by day."

• Arteta vows to keep away all distractions

  Arsenal have come close to being crowned champions but have always fallen short in the last lap. When Arteta was asked, when does the title race start for him, he fired back: "In pre-season. So, for me it's the first day in pre-season just trying to prepare the team and individuals in the best possible way and go with them back in because this is it's going to be so long.

  "We have to focus on the journey and what we have to do every single day. Fixing the outcome, of course, we want to win it, and the preparation is towards that. Great. And now we have set all the protocols, processes, ambitions, everything and now you have to focus on what you have to do. If not, you get distracted with the rest, and I don't want any of that in and around the team."

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  Will Arsenal's 22-year-wait finally end in 2026?

  It’s been more than two decades since Arsenal’s Invincibles stormed to an unbeaten league title under Arsene Wenger. Since then, the north London giants have endured countless false dawns, near-misses, and seasons that promised so much but fell apart under pressure. However, there is a renewed belief in the squad as they appear determined to right those wrongs and finally bring back the Premier League trophy to the Emirates.

Mohamed Salah stormed down the tunnel shortly after hearing the final whistle in Liverpool’s Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Egyptian superstar being accused of throwing a “strop” after being named on the bench. Salah was only introduced 74 minutes into a contest that saw the Reds snap their losing run with an emphatic 5-1 victory on German soil.

Liverpool return to winning ways in Champions League

Questions had been asked heading into that game of whether Salah, despite all that he has achieved at Anfield down the years, should be considered a guaranteed starter. On the back of signing a contract extension, the 33-year-old has endured a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign.

He has just three goals to his name, with the last of those coming in a European victory over Atletico Madrid on September 17. A lacklustre performance was put in as Premier League title holders Liverpool suffered a 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United. Arne Slot had some big selection calls to make against Eintracht.

One of those saw him name Salah among the substitutes, having also benched his talismanic No.11 for a 1-0 loss at Galatasaray. Slot opted to go with Hugo Ekitike on the right of his attack, with record signing Alexander Isak leading the line as a central striker. Ekitike scored against the club that he severed ties with in the summer transfer window.

AdvertisementGettySalah strop: Why Egyptian superstar was left frustrated

Salah eventually replaced Ekitike in the 74th minute. He managed three shots, with two of those on target, but was unable to hit the net or provide an assist – with criticism coming his way after opting not to tee up Florian Wirtz for what would have been a glorious opportunity for the German playmaker to open his competitive Liverpool goal account late on.

Salah cut a frustrated figure at the end of the game, despite Liverpool recovering from going a goal down to snap their sequence of four successive defeats. Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele said on X, before deleting said post: “Mo Salah straight down the tunnel at FT. Loads and loads of positives to take from tonight for Liverpool but he looked in a strop.”

Why did Liverpool bench Salah? Slot explains

Salah did find time to clap Liverpool fans in the away end before making his way off the field. He was, however, clearly disappointed with his night’s work. Slot had told prior to kick off when asked why he had left Salah out and if that was a tough decision to make: “The first answer is always yes. But that is also to do with Mo and all the players I have. Every time I select a team, it's always difficult because I have so many good players. That's also the reason why I use these players.

“I liked the way we ended the game against United. Mainly the second half. Created a lot of chances. And Ryan [Gravenberch] is out, so that means we have to restructure our midfield a little bit as well – defensively and offensively. So all together with the way Frankfurt usually plays, we decided to start like this. But as always, I have players who start the game and I have players who can impact the game off the bench and that is (the case) today as well.”

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Getty Images SportLiverpool fixtures: Will Salah start against Brentford?

Reds legend Jamie Carragher, who is among those to have suggested that Salah can no longer expect to start every game, told of the ‘Egyptian King’ being rotated: “It remains to be seen on the game, but I just think when Mo Salah isn't being 'the legendary Mo Salah', he gets treated like one of the other players which is right.

“And you don't forget his age as well. He's 33 years of age, Liverpool will have three games in six days. So at the moment, if he's not at his absolute best, he shouldn't play six games in three days because there's other options there as well. We know Liverpool have spent a lot of money. Liverpool have got a big game as well on Saturday, so great decision, Arne.”

Liverpool will take in a Premier League trip to Brentford on Saturday. They will then face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round next Wednesday. A testing run before the next international break will also see them play host to Aston Villa and Real Madrid before going to Manchester City on November 9.

Matheesha Pathirana was one of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) great success stories in 2023, when he picked up 19 wickets in 12 games with an economy rate of 8.01. A hamstring injury curtailed his participation in 2024. In IPL 2025, it’s been nine wickets in eight games, a high economy rate of 10.40, and an average of 33.11.Part of the reason for the lack of success, kind of mirroring the season CSK have had, is a changed action.”I think it’s been pretty well documented that there was a bit of [an] action change,” Eric Simons, CSK bowling consultant, said after CSK lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday to be eliminated from the playoffs race. “But I think he’s pretty much back to where he was, just in terms of the height of his arm on a reasonably consistent basis.”Related

• Hat-trickster Chahal is still making batters look silly

• Stats – Chahal's second hat-trick extends CSK's woes at home

• Dhoni says CSK 'need to take some catches'

Stephen Fleming, CSK’s head coach, had seemed to suggest after CSK’s previous match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), that the action change had become evident in South Africa during the SA20 earlier this year and that Sri Lanka Cricket were possibly responsible for it.”Pathirana, in South Africa, he was way off. And yes, there was an issue with his action and that might be a question for Sri Lanka Cricket,” Fleming had said in a press conference. “But we’ll certainly look to try and get him back into form and get him back to what we think is his best action and his best opportunity at performing well.”He’s not far away. He’s made a massive improvement in the two months since South Africa. And we just hope he keeps making that improvement part of his evolution; he is going to try things, and be asked to try things, and he’ll settle at some point on an action that will give him the best results.”Pathirana’s worst day in office was against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 20 at the Wankhede Stadium, when he came on to bowl the 14th over, conceded 14 runs chiefly to Rohit Sharma, and then got tonked for three sixes by Suryakumar Yadav in his next over, finishing with 1.4-0-34-0.2:10

Is CSK losing five times at home IPL’s biggest shocker?

“I’m not sure that he is less accurate. I think batsmen are playing him a lot better. We can certainly see a trend the way batsmen are playing against him. Particularly against Mumbai the other day, the technique they are using, they understand what his plans are [and] what he does,” Simons said. “So the evolution might just be: what’s next for him? Tactically, what he needs to do to keep evolving. Batsmen need to keep evolving. Bowlers need to keep evolving.”Again, tonight, his channels were quite good. His lines were quite good, obviously he got his lengths… you prefer a fuller length. But the batsmen are treating him differently this year. So it’s about the evolution of him, but if you check his accuracy, it’s not a reflection of the runs that were scored [off him].”He picked up the wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Shreyas Iyer against PBKS, but gave away 45 runs in his four overs.”It’s a feel thing for him,” Simons said, “much more than the conversation around his technique. We feel he’s pretty much back there.”

Burnley have joined other English clubs in eyeing a move for a free agent who has scored at Turf Moor already.

Parker wants more flexibility from Burnley

The Clarets face a daunting task when they return from the international break this weekend, hosting Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

It promises to be a stern test for Burnley, and speaking ahead of the game, manager Scott Parker has discussed the need for his side to be more “flexible” in their approach.

“I think it’s just trying to be practical in certain moments, what the game demands of you, what you have in your squad, what that demands of you, really. So, of course, I’d love to…like we all would, you’d love to be sitting here playing a certain way of football and free-flowing, scoring loads of goals, defending and stuff like that. But at times, as a coach, you need to be flexible.

“You need to understand the dynamics of what you have and certainly the competition you’re going up against and how best to try and get results. And that’s fundamentally what I did last year, to be honest with you. Of course, it was a different competition and it was flipped in terms of we had extra bits of quality in certain moments.”

Now, Burnley have been linked with a move for a former Liverpool player as they look to provide the boss with more high level experience.

Burnley eyeing Premier League champion Oxlade-Chamberlain

According to a fresh claim from The Boot Room‘s Graeme Bailey, Burnley are “on alert” regarding a potential move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on a free transfer. The 32-year-old is no longer a Besiktas player, having brought an end to his time in Turkey, and a return to England could now be on the cards soon. Everton, Leeds United, Brentford and Rangers are among the clubs credited with interest, too.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a shrewd addition for Burnley, bringing in a Champions League and Premier League winner who has proven himself at the highest level for much of his career, whether it be for Liverpool, Arsenal or England.

His versatility could be a real asset for Parker, with the Englishman able to shine in deeper or attacking midfield roles, as well as out wide, and if the move doesn’t work, the fact that it is a free transfer takes away the risk element.

At 32, Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t getting any younger, but he still has plenty to offer if he can stay fit under the right manager, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as “super” in the past.

Champions League (Liverpool)

2019

Premier League (Liverpool)

2020

Club World Cup (Liverpool)

2019

FA Cup (Liverpool)

2022

FA Cup (Arsenal)

2017

FA Cup (Arsenal)

2015

FA Cup (Arsenal)

2014

EFL Cup (Liverpool)

2022

UEFA Super Cup (Liverpool)

2019

Turkish Cup (Besiktas)

2024

He will surely be hungry to prove himself back in England, and should Burnley pip some bigger clubs to his signature, it could be a real coup for them.