Mohamed Salah has been named Premier League Player of the Season after a exceptional campaign that powered Liverpool to the title.

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Salah wins Player of the SeasonEgyptian ends with most goals and assistsReds win second Premier League trophyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Salah will almost certainly finish top of both the goalscoring and assist charts this season with 28 and 18 in each category, respectively. The Egyptian has been Liverpool's stand out performer and this prize was never in doubt. Salah has recorded one of the greatest individual campaigns and helped drive Liverpool to their second Premier League title. After being named best player in England, Salah is already casting his gaze to being crowned the best player in the world.

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Salah did not have to say anything when he posted a photo of himself with his new trophy on Instagram. The Egyptian has allowed his football to do his talking this season and so a simple 'relieved' emoji was enough to express how he felt.

DID YOU KNOW?

Salah saw off competition from team-mates Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk, as well as Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and and Chris Wood, Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo and Arsenal's Declan Rice to win this award. This is only the second time Salah has won Premier League Player of the Season. He first claimed the prize in his debut season for the Reds in 2017-18 where he scored 32 goals and registered 11 assits.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

The Egyptian will finally get his hands on the Premier League trophy on Sunday after Liverpool's game against Crystal Palace. It will no doubt be a celebratory atmosphere at Anfield with the visitors still bouncing from last weekend's FA Cup final victory.

Pakistan opener scored 102 before Ireland were bundled out for 95 in their 166-run chase

S Sudarshanan15-Feb-2023

Muneeba Ali was the sixth centurion in the Women’s T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Bespectacled players have taken quite the centre stage in the last few months. After memorable Test debuts in the men’s arena for Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed and Australia’s Todd Murphy, Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali made a splash at the Women’s T20 World Cup in Cape Town.Muneeba became the first woman to score a T20I hundred for Pakistan and only the sixth to score one in a T20 World Cup as Pakistan crushed Ireland in their Group 2 clash. She added 101 for the third wicket with allrounder Nida Dar as Pakistan posted 165 for 5, their highest at the T20 World Cup. That proved 70 too many for Ireland, who were stymied by spin to be bowled out for 95.Fluent Muneeba puts on a showMuneeba was hailed as a prodigy ever since her T20I bow in 2016 but for a long time she only showed glimpses of her talent. Ireland, and many of those who watched her on Wednesday, saw the best of the Pakistan opener as she pummelled the bowlers around. Her intent – be it in finding boundaries or even in running between the wickets – was there for everyone to see.Muneeba got off the blocks quickly, hitting a four in each of the first five overs. Pakistan had raced to 41 for none at that point with the southpaw on 30 off 19. A brilliant direct hit from Ireland wicketkeeper Mary Waldron saw Javeria Khan run out in the last over of the powerplay. Soon Bismah Maroof was ruled out caught tamely at mid-on, even though replays were not fully conclusive that the ball had carried.Those dismissals had scant effect on Muneeba, who took particular liking to Leah Paul’s left-arm spin. In all, she scored 23 off the 15 balls she faced from Paul, using her feet to make room and go over the off side when four fielders were stationed deep on the on side. She brought up her fifty off 40 balls and took a further 26 balls only to bring up triple figures. She fell in the last ball of the penultimate over but not before making 102 off 68 balls.Dar makes her presence feltFor a change, Dar had a different role to play with the bat. Often walking out as Pakistan’s rescuer, she found herself in the middle in the eighth over when Pakistan were 55 for 2. But an on-song Muneeba made her task easy and, for a change, she could take a back seat.Muneeba Ali and Nida Dar added 101 for the third wicket•ICC/Getty Images

Dar got off the mark with a sweep through backward square leg and hit one more through cow corner off her 12th ball. But largely, she rotated the strike, ran well between the wicket and fed the strike back to Muneeba. In the interim she danced down the track to legspinner Cara Murray to hit a six over wide long-on. In her 28-ball 33, she struck just the three boundaries but helped add Pakistan’s first hundred-run partnership in a T20 World Cup and only the fourth overall.Ireland stifled with turnIreland’s hopes of an unlikely chase hinged on at least two of the top three. Gaby Lewis struck left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal for a crisp drive over mid-off but was undone by Dar’s smarts with the ball. After firing four deliveries through, Dar slowed one and dragged her length slightly back, and Lewis reached out for the drive and inside-edged it to the wicketkeeper.Orla Prendergast then struck some crisp boundaries, including one off Fatima Sana where she danced down the track to smoke it over wide long-on for a six. She scored 31 off just 21 balls hitting four fours and a six but became the first of left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu’s four wickets.Sandhu then ran through the middle order, staving off and dismissing Eimear Richardson who had raced to 28 off 17, to finish with her career-best 4 for 18. In all, Pakistan’s spinners claimed nine of the ten wickets to open their tournament account in style.

Manchester City are now making strong moves to sign a “midfield maestro” who’s a key target for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this summer, according to a report.

De Bruyne closing in on Man City departure

Kevin De Bruyne has been a fantastic servant to Man City, playing a major role in the unbelievable success achieved in the Pep Guardiola era, but it looks like the Belgian’s time at the Etihad Stadium could be coming to an end.

De Bruyne is now in talks over a move to San Diego FC, with his City contract set to expire at the end of the season, leaving Guardiola with a gaping hole in the attacking midfield area, although it is probably the right decision to sanction his departure.

The 33-year-old is now arguably in the twilight years of his career, given his age, and he looked a shadow of his usual self against Liverpool at the weekend, with City-supporting Daily Express journalist Amos Murphy questioning his performance.

As such, Guardiola may face the difficult task of replacing De Bruyne in the summer, and with The Boot Room reporting Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic’s futures are also uncertain, the Sky Blues are keen on a move for Rosenborg’s Sverre Nypan.

City are said to be making strong moves to sign Nypan, and they remain hopeful they will be able to beat Arsenal to his signature, despite being identified as a key target by Arteta.

Initially, the plan was for the Norwegian youngster to be loaned out to Girona, but there is now a willingness to offer him a first-team spot in Guardiola’s side, and previous reports have detailed a deal could amount to just £10m.

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The reigning Premier League champions are hoping the offer of a first-team spot could help them win the race for the 18-year-old, while they may also call upon Norwegian compatriots Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb to persuade him to join.

"Midfield maestro" Nypan impressing in Norway

Although still a teenager, the Rosenborg ace has already built up a great deal of first-team experience, making 60 appearances for the first team, during which time he has picked up 13 goals and 11 assists.

The Norwegian’s ability going forward suggests he could be capable of playing in an advanced role, much like De Bruyne, but he has featured slightly deeper in the majority of his appearances up to this point. Having impressed in that role, the starlet has been lauded as a “midfield maestro” by Ben Mattinson, who also deems him to have “world-class potential”.

As such, it is exciting news that Man City are now making strong moves to beat Arsenal to Nypan’s signature, and Guardiola will be hoping he is capable of slotting straight into the first team.

Pat Cummins will not return to India for the final Test in Ahmedabad, and Steven Smith will lead Australia again as they seek to level the Border-Gavaskar series.Cummins left after the second Test in Delhi to be with his seriously ill mother, Maria, who has been placed in palliative care, and he has opted to remain at home. The team was in contact with Cummins after the nine-wicket victory in the Indore Test, just their second Test win in India since 2004.Ahmedabad will be the fourth time Smith has stood in for Cummins since they came together in the new leadership structure before the 2021-22 Ashes, but Smith insisted he had no interest in another full-time go at the captaincy.Related

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“My time is done. It’s Pat’s team now,” he said after Indore. “I’ve obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home as well.”However, he did talk about how much he enjoyed the challenge of captaining in India where he feels every move made in the field could have an impact on the match.”It’s a game of chess, every ball means something,” he said. “It’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain. You think back home in Australia and generally you’re playing with a third slip or putting a third slip to cover or your square leg up or back or something like that. There’s not too much that sort of goes on with it.”But [in] this part of the world, you have to be really proactive. Every ball is an event and therefore can dictate what happens after, which is something that I really love and you’ve got to be ahead of the game.”Cummins is due to captain the ODI squad for the three-match series which follows the Tests, but a decision on his participation in that is yet to be taken. He had already opted out of this year’s IPL due to the heavy international schedule. Australia will play the World Test Championship final in early June, against either India or Sri Lanka, before the five-match Ashes series – the six Tests will take place in two months.

كشف جون أوبي ميكيل، لاعب تشيلسي السابق، عن كواليس مثيرة خلال فترة تواجده تحت قيادة المدرب جوزيه مورينيو، مشيرًا إلى أن الأخير كان شخصية استثنائية على المستويين الإنساني والمهني، لكنه لم يتردد في تجاوز الحدود أحيانًا في تعامله مع اللاعبين، وخاصة الشباب.

وفي تصريحاته عبر بودكاست “That Peter Crouch Podcast”، قال ميكيل: “مورينيو شخص رائع، مذهل، ليس فقط كمدرب، بل كإنسان أيضًا، يمكنك الحديث معه والتواصل معه بسهولة، لكن من الواضح أنه كان يمتلك طريقته الخاصة في استخراج أفضل ما لدى اللاعبين”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي يفقدان صلاح وعمر مرموش في 7 مباريات بـ الدوري الإنجليزي

وأوضح أن أسلوب مورينيو القاسي أحيانًا كان مقصودًا، لكنه تجاوز الحدود في بعض الأحيان، مضيفًا: “نعم، كان يتجاوز الخطوط أحيانًا في طريقة حديثه مع اللاعبين، خاصة الشباب، لكنه كان يعتقد أن هذه طريقته لتحفيزهم”.

وسرد ميكيل موقفًا صادمًا تعرض له قائد منتخب مصر ولاعب ليفربول الحالي، محمد صلاح، قائلاً: “لقد فعل ذلك معه ذات مرة، عندما انفجر في وجهه داخل غرفة الملابس، محمد صلاح بدأ في البكاء، ومورينيو قام بإخراجه من المباراة فورًا”.

وأضاف: “أحيانًا يهاجمك المدرب ويمنحك فرصة لتصحح الخطأ على أرض الملعب، لكن مورينيو كان يقول لك ببساطة أنت لن تعود إلى الملعب، إنها ضربة مزدوجة، أليس كذلك؟”.

وتُعيد هذه التصريحات تسليط الضوء على تجربة محمد صلاح في تشيلسي، التي لم تشهد تألقه المنتظر، قبل أن ينتقل إلى فيورنتينا ثم يتوهج لاحقًا مع روما، ويصبح أحد أفضل اللاعبين في العالم بقميص ليفربول.

Glasgow Rangers interim head coach Barry Ferguson will currently be enjoying the last international break of the season after a terrific couple of weeks for his team.

The Scottish manager oversaw a win over Jose Mourinho in the Europa League on penalties, after his team held Fenerbahce to a 3-3 draw, before beating Celtic 3-2 at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Ferguson opted to go with a 3-4-2-1 formation for those three matches and appears to have struck gold with this new tactical set-up for the Gers.

How Rangers have benefitted from Ferguson's tactical tweak

One player who significantly benefitted from the change in shape for the Celtic match was versatile defender Dujon Sterling, who thrived at centre-back.

The former Chelsea defender has played in almost every position for the Light Blues, at centre-back in a four, at right-back, left-back, defensive midfield, right midfield, left midfield, right wing, and central midfield.

However, he seemed at home in the right-sided centre-back position as part of a three, which allowed him to combine his experience as a centre-back, a defensive midfielder, and a right-back all into one role.

Duels won

5/7

Clearances

4

Blocks

1

Interceptions

1

Tackles

3

Possession lost

5x

As you can see in the table above, Sterling put in a defensively dominant performance, whilst rarely giving the ball away in possession, in that new position.

The English ace has not been the only Rangers player to thrive as a result of his change in formation, however, as Ferguson has also hit the jackpot with Ridvan Yilmaz.

Rangers have hit gold with Ridvan Yilmaz

In the January transfer window, it was reported that Besiktas were interested in bringing the Turkish defender back to the club on loan with an option to buy for £2.5m, but their offer was rejected by the Gers.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It was also claimed that the two clubs were continuing to negotiate at the time. However, nothing ever came of it and the Turkey international remained at Ibrox.

Yilmaz has only started 26 Premiership matches since the start of last season as Jefte has been preferred ahead of him in the league this term, starting 25 times.

That may be down to the difference in physicality between the two players. The Brazilian defender has won 54% of his aerial battles in the league, winning two per game on average, whilst Yilmaz has not won a single aerial battle in his 16 league appearances.

Ferguson’s switch to a back three with wing-backs, however, provided the Turkish defender with the chance to play higher up the pitch where he does not need to get involved in aerial contests – not contesting a single one against Celtic.

The 23-year-old star was, instead, able to push forward to press the Celtic players in their own half, making three tackles and one interception without being dribbled past.

Yilmaz, who Philippe Clement claimed made a “really big evolution” at Ibrox, has created four ‘big chances’ in ten league starts this season and this change in position could provide him with more opportunities to put crosses into the box on the left flank to create for his teammates.

Therefore, Ferguson may have hit the jackpot on Yilmaz by switching the formation up as playing as a left wing-back appears to be the perfect role for the Turkish star, by making the most of his attacking capabilities and hiding his aerial weakness.

Rangers have struck gold on "complete" star who is worth more than Raskin

Rangers signed a player in 2024 whose value has increased massively.

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 17, 2025

Sunderland had to make do with a share of the spoils against Preston North End last time out as returning hero Romaine Mundle delivered the goods to secure Regis Le Bris’ men a 1-1 draw.

That keeps the Black Cats’ unbeaten stretch on their own patch in March in-tact, but their resolve will be tested significantly away at Frank Lampard’s Coventry City up next in the Championship, who occupy a playoff spot alongside the promotion-aspiring Wearside outfit.

If promotion was to be sealed at the end of the long, dramatic campaign, Le Bris would look to improve his side all over the pitch ahead of the challenge of the Premier League, with a deal already allegedly being eyed up to bring a sharpshooter to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland eyeing deal for Stewart 2.0

As per a recent report by journalist Graeme Bailey, the Black Cats are now looking towards the services of Hearts star Lawrence Shankland this approaching summer, with his future up in the air at Tynecastle at this moment in time.

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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Indeed, the Hearts marksman is yet to pen a contract to keep him at the Edinburgh side past the end of this season, with Ipswich Town also in the race now to land the 29-year-old, knowing they could now land him for nothing. That would be a great deal considering his previous £5m price-tag.

Sunderland will pray that they are the winning suitor here, with the Championship promotion candidates well aware of how successful pick-ups can be from Scotland, having once obtained ex-hero Ross Stewart from Ross County.

Arguably, Le Bris’ men have never replaced Stewart effectively, with Shankland also showing throughout his stay in the Scottish capital and beyond that he’s an even deadlier finisher than Wilson Isidor at his prime.

Why Shankland is more clinical than Isidor

Last season in total, which included a calmly taken goal being slotted away right at the start of 2024, Shankland would end up firing home a mightily impressive 31 strikes from 47 clashes.

Whilst his French counterpart does better Shankland’s goal haul when considering only this campaign in isolation – with the Glasgow-born forward only helping himself to four goals from 34 contests compared to Isidor’s heftier 14 – the 29-year-old’s blistering record in his native country overall away from this lacklustre season currently unfolding speaks for itself.

Shankland’s G/A record in Scotland

Club played for

Games

Goals

Assists

Hearts

128

63

21

Ayr United

74

63

24

Dundee United

74

40

9

St. Mirren

55

14

7

Queen’s Park

43

14

2

Morton

18

4

1

Aberdeen

17

0

1

Dunfermline

14

7

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

As can be seen looking at the table above, Shankland has proven himself to be a goal machine up and down the various Scottish divisions, with a staggering 205 strikes coming his way playing for a whole host of different clubs.

To add more context, Isidor – away from enjoying a purple patch under Le Bris in England – only boasts 60 career goals, reinforcing the notion that Shankland is far more clinical than the Black Cats number 18.

Moreover, Shankland’s standout goal record blows Stewart’s prior exploits in Scotland out of the water before his major switch to the EFL giants occurred, with the now Southampton attacker only registering 52 strikes for the likes of Alloa Athletic and Ross County ahead of taking that leap.

Of course, there will be a worry that the Hearts striker’s confidence will be dented somewhat by his barren patches of form this campaign, but if he can recapture his “ruthless” best – as he’s been labelled previously by Chris Sutton – he could go down as an inspired capture by Le Bris and Co.

After all, it will be a risk-free move if Sunderland can snap up the 29-year-old for nothing when his Hearts contract expires, leaving them with some top options in attack whether promotion is clinched or not.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Mar 10, 2025

Arsenal are aiming to win the transfer race for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez amid strong interest from a host of top European clubs.

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Arsenal eye move for AlvarezFace competition from Bayern, Barca & LiverpoolGunners looking to strengthen forward lineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Alvarez, who joined Atletico Madrid from Manchester City last summer in a blockbuster move, enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in the Spanish capital as he scored 29 goals in 54 matches across all competitions and also contributed seven assists.

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The Argentine's brilliant form for Atletico has attracted several top clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal, with reporting that the Gunners are pushing the hardest for the striker. Mikel Arteta is on a mission to make major changes to his squad this summer and bolstering the attack is his top priority. Arsenal have also been strongly linked with moves for Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko.

DID YOU KNOW?

Arsenal may struggle to make any progress in their pursuit of Alvarez, because also claims that the Argentina international is settled in Madrid and does not have any interest in returning to the Premier League this summer.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JULIAN ALVAREZ?

Diego Simeone will also want to hold on to Atletico's best player from the 2024-25 campaign as the Madrid outfit aim to make new signings themselves and build an even stronger team around the World Cup-winning forward.

Naik, who played three Tests in 1974-75, was 78 at the time of his death

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2023Sudhir Naik, the former Mumbai captain, died on Wednesday after a brief illness. He was 78.Naik, who played three Tests and two ODIs for India between 1974 and 1975, had been in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Mumbai after suffering a fall at his residence on March 24.”A day after he was hospitalised, I went and saw him. He was responding to the treatment,” Zaheer Khan, the former India fast bowler who Naik took under his wings in 1996, told . “He recognised me and tried talking to me. I had a bit of a conversation with him. Knowing the personality that I have seen over the years, I was hoping he would fight through this. But it wasn’t to be.”On Sunday night, he became critical, and we were told that the next 72 hours will be critical. While we were hoping for his recovery, all through this time, I have been recalling my innumerable conversations with him as soon as I moved to Mumbai.”Naik rose to national prominence when he led a depleted Mumbai side to Ranji Trophy glory in 1970-71. It was a title they won without Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar and Dilip Sardesai, who were all part of India’s squad that was touring the Caribbean.While Naik was dropped the following season once the stars returned, he wasn’t to be denied for long. In 1974, he was picked for the tour of England and made his debut in the Birmingham Test, where he made his only Test half-century – 77 – in a losing cause. His reputation was, however, affected when he was accused of shoplifting at a London departmental store during that tour.Overall, he played 85 first-class games and scored 4376 runs at an average of 35.29, hitting and seven centuries including a double.After his retirement in 1977-78, Naik moved to cricket administration, coaching and, later, became the chief curator at the Wankhede Stadium. He was chief curator of the Mumbai Cricket Association when the Wankhede Stadium hosted the 2011 World Cup final as well as Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test in November 2013.

MatériaMais Notícias

No que depender do aspecto burocrático, os três últimos reforços para o elenco do Grêmio tem condições de fazer suas “reestreias” com a camisa do clube no próximo sábado (23), data onde a equipe receberá a Ponte Preta, na Arena.

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>LANCE! elege sua seleção do 1º turno do Brasileirão 2022

Os meio-campistas Lucas Leiva e Thaciano, além do atacante Guilherme, tiveram dias onde os sentimentos de ansiedade para a devida regularização chegaram a gerar até mesmo de impaciência por parte da diretoria.

Nesta semana, o clube ter emitido uma nota oficial onde afirmava que os trâmites estavam sendo seguidos em prazo natural. Porém, internamente, a informação é de que o período de férias cumprido por um funcionário importante do departamento jurídico teria deixado o procedimento mais lento.

Desta forma, caberá ao técnico Roger Machado definir se os nomes em questão tem condições para estarem desde o início na equipe ou se tornarão peças vindas do banco de reservas, sendo a segunda opção mais provável diante dos bons resultados recentes.