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Newcastle United ended a long wait for an away win in the Premier League this season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson on Saturday.

Eddie Howe will have been delighted with how clinical his team were in the final third, as Malick Thiaw scored twice, either side of goals from Nick Woltemade and Lewis Miley.

Woltemade has now scored five goals in the Premier League this season since his £69m move from Stuttgart during the summer transfer window, after he replaced Alexander Isak.

The Germany international’s impressive form has not been great news for everyone at St. James’ Park, though, because it has meant that opportunities for other forwards in the squad have been limited.

Newcastle forward seeking January transfer

Woltemade is the guaranteed first-choice number nine for the Magpies, as evidenced by ten starts in ten Premier League outings, and that has left another player to consider their future at the club.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to German outlet BILD, via Newcastle World, Newcastle United centre-forward William Osula ‘wants to leave’ St. James’ Park in the January transfer window in search of regular first-team football.

The report claims that Eintracht Frankfurt, who were keen on him in the summer, remain interested in a potential deal to snap him up from the Magpies ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Newcastle World notes that Frankfurt came close to signing the Dane on a permanent deal for £30m in the summer before they pursued a loan move at the last minute, which led to a breakdown in negotiations.

It adds that a similar transfer fee to that £30m offer could see a transfer done in January, and PIF must now move to cash in on the forward in the German side are willing to put that kind of money on the table again.

Why Newcastle should sell William Osula

Osula, who is currently out with an ankle injury, is clearly a talented prospect who could become a key player for the Magpies in the future. He has scored three goals in just 370 minutes this season, per Sofascore, including a goal against Liverpool in the Premier League.

At 22, the Danish marksman has the majority of his career left ahead of him to develop and improve, but it is a question of when and where his development will happen, because he needs to be playing games in order to progress.

Woltemade is only a year older than Osula and Newcastle have Yoane Wissa to come back from injury, which means that there is no visible short-term route to him being a first-choice option for Howe.

Where Osula would rank in Newcastle’s record sales

Player

Fee

Alexander Isak

£125m

Andy Carroll

£35m

Elliot Anderson

£35m

Yankuba Minteh

£30m

Moussa Sissoko

£30m

Ayoze Perez

£30m

Will Osula

£30m (rumoured)

Gini Wijnaldum

£25m

Allan Saint-Maximin

£23m

Aleksandar Mitrovic

£22m

Fees via Football FanCast

As you can see in the table above, selling the 22-year-old to Frankfurt, or any other team, for £30m in January would make the youngster one of the most expensive sales in the club’s history, with only three players having been sold for more.

Osula was once described by former teammate Curtis Davies as being like “a poor man’s Haaland” with his physicality in the number nine role, and you saw a glimpse of that with the way he bundled his way through to score against Liverpool.

However, it does not appear as though he will get the time on the pitch that is needed for him to realise his potential at Newcastle, because of Woltemade and Wissa, which may be why he now wants to leave the club in January.

PIF and Howe should not step in his way because selling him for a potential fee of £30m could be the best possible outcome for all parties involved. Osula would get to go and pursue regular football and find a new home, whilst the Magpies would have funds available to bolster their squad in other areas.

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Therefore, PIF should axe the Danish striker when the January transfer window opens for business, should Frankfurt make a significant offer for his services, as it may be the right decision for the club and the player.

CA chief executive believes there is no correlation between Khawaja’s injury and the three days of golf he played in the lead-in to the Test match

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-2025Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has defended Usman Khawaja saying it is “drawing a long bow” to suggest that his decision to play golf prior to the Test match impacted the back spasms that he suffered on the opening day in Perth.Khawaja, 38, has come under scrutiny after the issue forced him off the field late in England’s short first innings on Friday. His absence was ill-timed as England then collapsed while he was stretching to overcome the spasm and it left stand-in captain Steven Smith calling for Khawaja to come back onto the field.Khawaja eventually did return to the field for the end of the innings but, according to ICC rules, had not returned for the equal amount of time he had been off and therefore was ineligible to open the batting. It meant Marnus Labuschagne was forced to open and Smith batted at No.3. Khawaja eventually batted at No.4 and was dismissed for just 2.Khawaja fielded for all 15 overs Australia bowled prior to lunch on day two and looked unaffected. But he dropped a catch at slip after lunch and then jumped for another and his back seized up again. He left the field for the last 48 minutes of England’s second innings and was unable to open again, with Travis Head walking out for the fourth-innings chase alongside Weatherald.”Unfortunately Uzzy is not moving too well,” Cummins told Fox Cricket on Saturday afternoon. “His back flared up again in the slips going for a jump above his head so he’s unable to open.”We were trying to work out whether we shuffle everyone up like the first innings, but Trav ran off and he was keen to give it a crack.”He’s done it quite a bit in white ball cricket so we switched those roles.”Hopefully Uzzy can still fill in a role in the middle order at some point.”Don’t think we’ll see him until after Marn and Smithy.”CA stressed it was a new injury that he had not suffered prior to Friday. Khawaja had played golf on Tuesday and Wednesday either side of Australia’s training sessions. He skipped Thursday’s optional session, with only four of Australia’s XI doing any training, to play golf alongside Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. Several of Australia’s coaching staff also played in the afternoon after the main session.Greenberg, an avid golfer himself who sat with Perth-born professional golfer Min Woo Lee at Perth Stadium on Friday, said there was no correlation between Khawaja’s golf and his back issue.”[Golf] has held him in good stead over the last couple of years. It’s not uncommon for a lot of them to play golf a day prior,” Greenberg told SEN. “Did that correlate to any of the issues? I personally don’t think so.”Usman’s a very seasoned campaigner, he knows his body well, and he knows how to get himself prepared for cricket. So I think that is drawing a long bow. A lot of people talk about cricket being played between the ears.”So getting some time away from being in your hotel or at training I think is really important. I noticed Mitch Starc played golf with him, so it certainly didn’t impact his performance.”Golf is a huge part of Australia’s team culture, as it is for their opponents England. They play regularly in the lead-up to Test matches at home and abroad. The entire squad had a team-bonding trip to northern Scotland to play a week of golf before the WTC final, which they lost to South Africa.CA’s medical and strength and conditioning staff have long sanctioned it, especially for the fast bowlers, as low impact time on their feet that also provided a mental reprieve from the grind of cricket training and playing.

Rishad Hossain makes regular contributions for Bangladesh. The legspinner’s presence allows Bangladesh to have a varied bowling attack and gives them a fielder who can change the course of the game. Those skills have also raised his stock in franchise cricket. He played for Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2025, after which Hobart Hurricanes drafted him for the upcoming BBL season.Rishad is likely to be available for the full BBL season and is looking forward to link up with Ricky Ponting, the franchise’s head of strategy.”As a legspinner, if I get to play in these foreign leagues, it will be good for me and for my bowling,” Rishad said in an interaction organised by Hurricanes. “I’ll get opportunities to improve my skills.Related

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“Ponting was one of my favourite players growing up; I used to watch him play. I’m really looking forward to working with him. More than the players, I’m looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting and playing under his coaching.”For Bangladesh, Rishad plays the role of a middle-overs wicket-taker, something he wants to do for the Hurricanes as well.”As a legspinner, my job is to take wickets after the powerplay. I hope to continue that in Hobart,” he said. “My goal is to create doubt in the batter’s mind by using different angles. It’s just another variation. I believe in my strengths, and day by day I’m trying to improve – even if it’s just by one or two percent – without thinking too much about the future.”Rishad also has recent form on his side. He has taken at least one wicket in seven of the last eight T20Is – including five wickets in the recent T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah that Bangladesh won 3-0. He will be an important part of Bangladesh’s ODI attack too for the three-match series that begins on Wednesday.”I think it was important to get off to a good start right after the Asia Cup,” Rishad said. “Winning the series is always a good feeling.”What was particularly impressive about the Bangladesh spin attack was how they outbowled the Afghanistan spinners. Bangladesh’s spinners had a much better average and strike rate, even though they took ten wickets compared to 11 by Afghanistan’s spinners. Rishad’s bowling partner Nasum Ahmed was even adjudged the Player of the Series for five wickets at an economy rate of 5.58.”They have a lot of world-class bowlers in their side, so we tried to analyse them as much as we could before every game,” Rishad said about the Afghanistan spinners. “We got success [too].”Bangladesh are also finding out other sides of Rishad. His big-hitting ability became known last year when he cracked seven sixes in his of 30-ball 53 against Sri Lanka. His fielding impact was illustrated by his stunning run-out of Abhishek Sharma in the Asia Cup.”That situation demanded that we take a wicket,” Rishad said. “I was trying to create an opportunity, maybe with a diving catch or a fielding effort – anything to change the momentum of the game since it was on their side at that time, and it happened.”

Leeds United are interested in signing of AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott in January, following his stunning performance for the Republic of Ireland.

Parrott wrote his name into Ireland folklore on Sunday afternoon, scoring a hat-trick in his country’s 3-2 win away to Hungary and booking a place in the 2026 World Cup playoffs in the process.

The 23-year-old netted the winner deep into stoppage time, leading to scenes of unrivalled joy among the visiting players, staff and supporters, and even Roy Keane had words of praise for both the Alkmaar ace and Ireland.

“Fantastic, amazing. When you think the way they started the campaign, a draw and a defeat. To win today on the back of the Portugal result, fantastic.

“Great boost for the country and the team. The manager was heavily criticised but they’ve bounced back and got some momentum now. Parrott got a hat-trick. There was always talk about Parrott over the last few years, but he has stepped up in the last few days. Great achievement. Fingers crossed now for when they go to the play-offs.”

In terms of Leeds, they are on the lookout for a new attacker to bolster their firepower, and it looks as though Parrott could be a contender to come in.

Leeds eyeing move for Troy Parrott

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are among the clubs who are “interested” in signing Parrott in January, having pursued him during the summer transfer window.

The Whites and the 49ers Enterprises want to bring in a new striker when the winter window rolls around, with transfer insider Dean Jones claiming as much to TEAMtalk recently.

“It sounds to me like the club know they have let him down a bit by leaving him short of goal power. Leeds have been competitive in most games but it has been clear they lack a cutting edge and they know they should have signed another forward. It is something they need to do in January and they just hope they can reach that stage of the season and still be in a relatively good position to stay in the division.”

Parrott would be a strong addition for Leeds, with his stock never higher than it is currently, following his heroics for Ireland over the weekend.

He has impressed with Alkmaar in the Netherlands, scoring 33 goals in just 61 appearances, and he could add that extra bit of quality that Daniel Farke craves, as the Whites look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

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Parrott has two appearances in the English top flight from his time at Tottenham, and the fact that he has been on Leeds’ radar for a while suggests they really like him, rather than it being a knee-jerk decision after his Ireland brilliance.

Leeds have an amazing Okafor rival who once scored 10 goals in 1 game

Sussex 342 for 9 (Clark 139, Haines 90, Barnard 4-56) beat Lancashire 338 for 7 (Jones 82, Singh 74, Bell 66, Crocombe 3-61) by one wicketSussex Sharks’ hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup are alive after they squeezed past Lancashire by one wicket with three balls to spare in a thriller at Hove.Chasing 339, Tom Clark’s 139 and Tom Haines (90) appeared to have done the hard bit by adding 232 in 32 overs – a new second-wicket record in 50 overs cricket for the county – to leave 98 needed from 17 overs with eight wickets in hand.Instead, they collapsed in a flurry of poor shots to lose six wickets for 27 runs in 47 balls. When Archie Lenham was eighth out Sussex needed 39 from 27 balls but Jack Carson and Henry Crocombe held their nerve. Carson hit Charlie Barnard straight for six in the 48th over before launching Tom Bailey over midwicket and out of the ground in the next.With one to win there was another twist when Crocombe was lbw to left-arm spinner Barnard off the second delivery of the final over. But last man Sean Hunt bunted the next ball back over Barnard’s head to seal Sussex’s second win in four Group B games.Lancashire were in a good position at halfway after openers Michael Jones and George Bell put on 157 before Harry Singh’s 74 took them to their highest 50 overs total against Sussex.George Balderson picked up Charlie Tear with his second ball, but Clark and Haines then took control. The two left-handers didn’t offer a chance until Clark, on 120, top-edged a sweep but Barnard, running in from midwicket, couldn’t hold on as he dived forward.Clark deserved that fortune given the quality of his stroke play, particularly his inside-out driving through the off and his ability to find the gaps on the leg side. The 24-year-old can seldom have batted with more freedom in any format for his county. None of the seven bowlers employed could tie either of them down until a tired Clark was bowled by offspinner Arav Shetty in the 34th over. He faced 109 balls and hit 16 fours and five sixes.With an end to attack Lancashire were transformed. Shetty, in only his third List A game, finished with 3 for 51 while 20-year-old Barnard, who conceded 23 in his first two overs, ended up with 4 for 56.Lancashire’s 338 for 7 was underpinned by a fine opening stand of 157 in 25 overs by Jones and Bell, a new List A best against Sussex for the first wicket, beating David Lloyd and Farokh Engineer’s 146 at Blackpool in 1976.Jones was the more aggressive, hitting three sixes in his 77-ball 82 before he mistimed a drive at legspinner Lenham and was caught at extra at cover. Bell played nicely for his 66 off 74 balls until he mistimed a sweep at offspinner Carson. Between them Sussex’s two slow bowlers took a respectable 3 for 90 in 18 overs in batter-friendly conditions, but it was harder work for their seam attack on a sweltering afternoon.Left-armer Hunt returned after nearly three months out and picked up a wicket and there were two in two balls for Crocombe, who finished with 3 for 61, but 21-year-old Singh propelled Lancashire beyond 300 with some very impressive ball-striking and placement, hitting five sixes in his 61-ball 74 which was a career best to boot.

The 681 runs scored in Ranchi was the highest aggregate for an ODI match between India and South Africa

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Nov-2025681 – Runs scored by India and South Africa in the first ODI of the series in Ranchi, the highest aggregate for an ODI match between the two teams, surpassing the 662 at Wankhede in 2015, when South Africa scored 438 while India made only 224.6 – Hundreds for Virat Kohli in ODIs against South Africa, the most by any batter, going one ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner, who scored five apiece.352 – ODI sixes hit by Rohit Sharma are the most by any batter in the format, going past Shahid Afridi’s tally of 351.Related

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20 – Century partnerships between Rohit and Kohli in ODIs, equaling those of Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and only behind the 26 between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.The 136-run stand between Kohli and Rohit in Ranchi was their eighth century partnership in ODIs at home, but the first since 2020. These are the most by a pair in India, alongside Tendulkar-Ganguly and Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag.7 – Sixes hit by Kohli in Ranchi. Only twice did he hit that many in an ODI before – eight against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram in 2023 and seven against Australia in Jaipur in 2013.Kohli’s seven sixes are the joint second-most for India in an ODI against South Africa, behind Yusuf Pathan’s eight in 2011, while Ishan Kishan also hit seven in Ranchi in 2022.India hit a total of 16 sixes on Sunday, the most by them in an ODI against South Africa. Only once before did India hit ten sixes against South Africa – 12 in Gwalior in 2010.ESPNcricinfo Ltd173 – Kohli’s batting average in ODIs in Ranchi. It is the second-highest for any batter at a venue in men’s ODIs where they have scored 500-plus runs. Kohli has scored 519 runs in five innings there, with three hundreds and a fifty. All his three hundreds at this venue have been 120-plus scores, only behind Hashim Amla’s four in Centurion.11 – South Africa’s total at the fall of the third wicket in Ranchi, the second-lowest from which any team ended up posting a 300-plus total in ODIs. The lowest is 10 for 3 by Australia, when they finished with 368 against Sri Lanka at the SCG in 2006.South Africa added 321 runs after the fall of the third wicket, the most by them in an ODI and the fifth-most by any team after being three down.1 – South Africa’s innings is the first in ODI cricket where as many as five players batting at No. 4 and lower scored 35-plus runs.South Africa’s No. 4 and lower batters scored a total of 319 runs, the second-most in an ODI innings, behind 341 by India against England in Cuttack in 2017.10 – Four-plus wicket hauls for Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs, the joint-most by an Indian spinner, alongside Anil Kumble. Only two bowlers have taken more four-fors in ODIs for India – Mohammed Shami (16) and Ajit Agarkar (12).392 – International matches played by Rohit and Kohli together for India, the most by a pair, surpassing Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who played 391 together. Overall, only five pairs have played more international matches together than Rohit and Kohli.

Ahead of MLS Cup, Fray joins GOAL Convo to talk growing up near Chase Stadium, playing with Messi and Co., and what this moment means for him and Inter Miami.

Ian Fray laughs when asked what it’s like to get a pep talk from Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano. It’s intense, he admits. It comes in both English and Spanish. More importantly, it works. Fray believes Mascherano’s “passionate” approach has sparked Miami’s surge this season.

“Mascherano brings this fresh, young energy,” Fray tells GOAL. “I don’t fully understand the Spanish parts, but you get it when he’s yelling and his face turns red. You get fired up, even if you don’t totally understand. You get fired up!”

It isn’t only Mascherano – or the shot at a championship – that drives him. Fray grew up just 15 minutes from Chase Stadium in Coconut Creek. Representing his community, and doing it the right way, has always mattered to him. It’s part of what has pushed him through setbacks along the way.

“Going from the academy to the second team, doing the whole process here, and now to see it all come to fruition – look, we’re in MLS Cup,” he says. “This is exactly what I dreamed of when I joined the academy.”

Ahead of Saturday’s final, Fray joined GOAL Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in North American soccer, to talk Mascherano, Messi, overcoming adversity, and why he believes Jamaica will make the 2026 World Cup.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON REACHING THE MLS CUP FINAL

  GOAL: MLS Cup is this Saturday. What are your emotions as you head into this match against Vancouver?

  FRAY: This is exactly what we all dream of for all season. Eleven months and yeah, super excited.

  GOAL: You’ve been here since 2021 and seen almost everything with this club. What does this journey mean to you, especially as someone from the area?

  FRAY: I grew up 15 minutes down the street from the stadium, you know, I lived, lived and grew up in Coconut Creek. Went to high school. I went to elementary through high school, all the way here. I've lived here my whole life. And just to see the stadium, even this stadium being built, you know, going from the academy, the second team did the whole process here and now to see it all come to fruition. Look, we're in MLS Cup. This is exactly what I've dreamed of since joining the academy.

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  ON PLAYING WITH LIONEL MESSI AND SUPERSTARS

  GOAL: You play with some well-known legends, you know, ranging from Lionel Messi to Jordi Alba on defense. What is that whole experience like? For someone who doesn't get to see the locker room, what are the things you can share about that experience?

  FRAY: I don't know if it's something [about the game] that they don't know. It just shows in their game and they hold you to the highest standard possible. And a lot of people will crumble under that and say it's too intense or whatnot, but they, they do all this, and they're hard on you because they want you to be right there with them. They want you to compete just like them. And that's the best thing you could want. You want someone who has been at the highest level, like kind of forcing you to be on their level as well. And it just brings the best out of the players. 

  GOAL: Can you share an example of how they keep the team accountable?

  FRAY: Yeah, I can. Even for the last game against New York City, as I came in, I lost two balls I shouldn't have lost. And all them kind of just look at you, and they're like, 'Come on, let's go. This isn't a joke.' When they show that intensity, and then you can either crumble or you can go above that.

  GOAL: There are so many different cultures in your locker room. How do you guys, kind of, you know, come together and make it, you know, communicate and just build that, that chemistry that you need as a team?

  FRAY: Yeah, I feel like it's more just like [finding ways to get] laughter, even though a lot of us can't understand each other, it's more just like laughter. They say a couple of words that you know, and you can say a couple of words that they kind of know, and [it all clicks]. It's all at practice too. You know, it brings everyone together. Training on the field. Everyone's in the heat, training, all this, everything we've been through, just brought the team closer.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON MASCHERANO

  GOAL: You've played for a lot of high-profile managers here, Phil Neville and Tata Martino, and now you have Javier Mascherano. What makes him unique and special?

  FRAY: All of them [who you mentioned] are great managers, by the way. I think Mac brings this, like fresh, like young, he's a he's a defender too. So you can tell, and I'm a defender, I love to defend. And he's just, he has a lot of love for the game. And it just, it shows in practice he's really passionate. And that brings out, if your manager is passionate, and you can see it every day in practice, it brings out the best of the players.

  GOAL: Now, when he was a player, he was seen as, like, a combative type of, you know, lack of better word, a little crazy, right?

  FRAY: [Laughs] We need that! It fires everybody up.

  GOAL: What's a pep talk from him like?

  FRAY: I don’t fully understand the Spanish parts, but you get it when he’s yelling, and his face turns red. You get fired up, even if you don’t totally understand. You get fired up!

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  ON OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

  GOAL: You’ve fought through injuries before, suffering three torn ACLs. How do you stay mentally strong and keep moving forward when setbacks happen?

  FRAY: So yeah, I've been through a couple of those, and I always knew what I wanted to do ever since I was younger. And I've been through things maybe not like that before. And it's just I always know if I get past this, then nothing's gonna be able to stop me. And then it happened again, I'm okay, but if I get past this one, then nothing's gonna be able to stop me. So I think that's just more of what just more of what it is. I'm not gonna let anything stop me from my dreams.

  GOAL: Is there a ritual, tradition, or a mentality you have to help you navigate through that all?

  FRAY: I always, usually look back to something that I overcame before, like, for all the injuries. And when I had the first one, it was like, 'OK, maybe I got cut from Weston when I was 15, and I ended up at inter Miami.' Yeah, that's what I looked at….I overcame that. I can overcome this ACL injury. And then the other ones, I just looked back at the first one, okay, I went through the first one. Why can't I do it again?

The former Australia allrounder was the franchise’s head coach in the first three seasons of the MLC

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2025Shane Watson, the former Australia allrounder, has parted ways with the San Francisco Unicorns after a three-year stint as head coach of the Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise.The Unicorns have not announced Watson’s successor yet. “In an effort to strengthen the Unicorns’ long-term strategy, the organization is shifting to a year-round coaching model,” the franchise said in a statement. “Watson’s ongoing commentary commitments and the rapid growth of his acclaimed performance coaching brand, BEON Performance, prevent him from taking on a full-time role with the Unicorns.”Under Watson, the Unicorns finished fifth out of six teams in the inaugural edition of the MLC in 2023 before reaching the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025; their best finish came in 2024 when they lost the final to Washington Freedom.”It has been a true privilege to lead the San Francisco Unicorns over the last three seasons,” Watson said. “I’m proud of what we accomplished, and am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with world-class stars and incredible young talent in Major League Cricket, which continues to be an exciting new frontier for the sport.”Apart from the Unicorns stint, Watson has also coached in other franchise leagues; he was assistant coach of Delhi Capitals in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and head coach of Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2024.”Shane was the natural choice to be our first Head Coach, and he played a key role in building the Unicorns from the ground up,” Unicorns CEO David White said. “We are eternally grateful for Shane’s dedication across his three seasons in charge, and the Unicorns wish him every success in his future endeavors.”

Manchester United have now reportedly made contact to sign 18-year-old Salvador Blopa from Sporting CP in an attempt to jump ahead of Real Madrid in the race for his signature.

Those at Old Trafford have kept an eye on the transfer market ever since the summer window slammed shut and with things looking up on the pitch, they could be well-placed to welcome a number of upgrades in 2026.

Ruben Amorim’s side entered the November international break without a defeat in five games, having drawn twice and won three to move up to seventh in the Premier League.

Whilst their wait for five wins in a row is ongoing, there’s no doubt that the Red Devils have taken a significant step. Whether that continues after the international break is the big question.

Man United will play host to Everton in what should be seen as a winnable game at Old Trafford against former manager David Moyes. They then face struggling sides West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in two of their next five games in a run that should see them push on even further.

Amorim’s not getting ahead of himself, however. After rescuing a late draw against Tottenham last time out, he told reporters that his side still have plenty of problems to solve.

It’s a sign of the high standards that the Man United boss holds and INEOS could yet help him to meet those standards by turning to the transfer market once again in 2026.

Man Utd have 'held conversations' to sign Blopa

As relayed by TeamTalk, Man United have now ‘held conversations’ to sign Blopa from Sporting CP and jump ahead of Real Madrid in the transfer race in the process. The 18-year-old can play right midfield, right-back and left midfield as one of the most versatile players that Sporting have to offer.

Out of all those positions, he’d likely solve Amorim’s right wing-back problem. As things stand, it’s Amad Diallo or Noussair Mazraoui in the role, but Blopa’s emergence could quickly cause United a much-welcomed selection headache down that side.

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The interest from Real Madrid and those at Old Trafford in Blopa should also come as little surprise. The teenager scored twice on his Sporting debut and earned praise from current manager Rui Borges, who told reporters: “Tactically he gave us what we wanted.

“In the B team he sometimes plays on the right and other times on the left, sometimes higher and sometimes lower. He’s a kid with very unique characteristics, athletic, and physically he’s going to grow immensely more.”

The Red Devils have built a reputation of turning Sporting’s stars into world stars and the versatile defender could be next.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. thinks it’s obvious who the best player in Major League Baseball is, but that doesn’t mean he wants to admit it.

During his media availability at the MLB All-Star Game, Tatis was asked who he thought the league’s best player was. He had an answer but didn’t want to say the name.

“I feel like that’s a really obvious question,” the San Diego Padres right fielder said with a laugh. “But he’s my rival, I’m not gonna mention his name. You know it already, 17 for the blue team.”

Tatis is obviously referring to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who has won three MVP awards. It’s pretty funny that the Padres-Dodgers rivalry has gotten so heated that one All-Star has to begrudgingly admit another is the best player in baseball.

So far this season, Ohtani is slashing .276/.382/.605, with a National League-best 32 home runs and 60 RBIs. It’s actually shocking to see his OPS below 1.000. He’s currently fifth in MLB with 4.7 fWAR, and his wRC+ (168) ranks fourth.

Obviously Tatis was joking around, but there are only two possible answers to that question. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has a legitimate claim to that title this season, but it’ll be tough for anyone to beat Ohtani in that contest. Especially now that he’s back pitching.