Sunderland now have two home games on the bounce to try and restore the confidence that saw the Black Cats hammer West Ham United 3-0 on the Premier League opening day.

While it likely isn’t a priority competition this season, winning in the EFL Cup against Huddersfield Town later today would come as a welcome treat after losing 2-0 away at Burnley, before a home clash with Jordan Henderson’s Brentford then awaits back in the hustle and bustle of league action.

After the Bees come to Wearside, the next main event on the agenda will be transfer deadline day, with Sunderland not yet done with all their busy activity heading into the chaotic affair.

Sunderland ready to bid for £30m defender

A mammoth £141.5m has already been splashed by Regis Le Bris and Co. this summer.

However, the Black Cats are not completely finished forking out excessive wads of money if new rumours are to be believed, with £30m potentially being spent to try and land RC Strasbourg star Dilane Bakwa, who was previously on Leeds United’s radar.

Moreover, a similar amount of cash could also leave the Sunderland bank account shortly in attempting to land Chelsea reserve defender Axel Disasi.

Indeed, journalist Fabrice Hawkins has taken to X to confirm that the Premier League newcomers are ready to place a bid for the 27-year-old’s services to shore up their options in the centre-back department, with AFC Bournemouth also in the race for the Frenchman.

He could well cost another £30m to get over the line, according to reports, but with Sunderland now waiting on the extent of Daniel Ballard’s injury, after he hobbled off versus the Clarets, snapping up Disasi might well gift Le Bris a dream alternative to the injury-prone centre-back.

How Disasi compares to Ballard

It’s hardly a new development for Sunderland fans regarding Ballard going down with a knock.

Therefore, the alarm bells must have been ringing when the Northern Ireland international had to come off the pitch at Turf Moor after just 10 minutes, considering he has missed 67 clashes in total – since joining Sunderland back in 2022 – due to regular visits to the Stadium of Light treatment room.

This is where the addition of the “dominant” Disasi could come in handy, as he’s been labelled previously by scout Jacek Kulig, with the lofty 6-foot-3 defender showing off an ability to fire home chances – much like Ballard with his seven Black Cats goals and counting – when being in the right place at the right time to slot home this effort on his Blues debut two years ago.

He is also similar to the much-loved Sunderland servant in many other aspects of his varied game, as evident in his promising 2023/24 season in West London.

Games played

31

Goals scored

2

Assists

0

Touches*

82.1

Accurate passes*

64.3 (91%)

Ball recoveries*

4.8

Clearances*

3.1

Total duels won*

4.3

Clean sheets

5

Before somewhat sliding down the pecking order at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, Disasi was a regular in the heart of the Stamford Bridge defence, and for good reason, with a composed 64.3 accurate passes averaged in league action during his first season in the first-team fold. Ballard averaged an 88% pass accuracy himself last campaign in the Championship, when he wasn’t stricken by injury.

Moreover, the table shows why Disasi was referred to as a “monster” by journalist Rahman Osman during his Blues peak, with a high 4.3 duels won on average across his 31 league starts.

Ballard did just better this tally last season in the demanding second tier – with 4.6 won on average – but Le Bris will know he can depend on the 27-year-old to come in and fill in for the ex-Arsenal defender if needed.

After all, while he didn’t set the world alight out on loan at Aston Villa last campaign, he did at least prove himself to be a useful utility option for Unai Emery, with 100% of his duels being won against Nottingham Forest during his penultimate Premier League outing at Villa Park.

Ideally, Sunderland will want Ballard to be fit and starting week in, week out, having already been a star in the top-flight when scoring versus West Ham.

But, if Disasi is available at the last minute, he might well be a smart buy to pursue to lessen the Black Cats’ ongoing worries about their fragile number five.

New Le Fee: Sunderland leading race to sign "very exciting" £30m star

Sunderland is now in the lead to snap up this exciting £30m talent.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 26, 2025

Sunderland now have two home games on the bounce to try and restore the confidence that saw the Black Cats hammer West Ham United 3-0 on the Premier League opening day.

While it likely isn’t a priority competition this season, winning in the EFL Cup against Huddersfield Town later today would come as a welcome treat after losing 2-0 away at Burnley, before a home clash with Jordan Henderson’s Brentford then awaits back in the hustle and bustle of league action.

After the Bees come to Wearside, the next main event on the agenda will be transfer deadline day, with Sunderland not yet done with all their busy activity heading into the chaotic affair.

Sunderland ready to bid for £30m defender

A mammoth £141.5m has already been splashed by Regis Le Bris and Co. this summer.

However, the Black Cats are not completely finished forking out excessive wads of money if new rumours are to be believed, with £30m potentially being spent to try and land RC Strasbourg star Dilane Bakwa, who was previously on Leeds United’s radar.

Moreover, a similar amount of cash could also leave the Sunderland bank account shortly in attempting to land Chelsea reserve defender Axel Disasi.

Indeed, journalist Fabrice Hawkins has taken to X to confirm that the Premier League newcomers are ready to place a bid for the 27-year-old’s services to shore up their options in the centre-back department, with AFC Bournemouth also in the race for the Frenchman.

He could well cost another £30m to get over the line, according to reports, but with Sunderland now waiting on the extent of Daniel Ballard’s injury, after he hobbled off versus the Clarets, snapping up Disasi might well gift Le Bris a dream alternative to the injury-prone centre-back.

How Disasi compares to Ballard

It’s hardly a new development for Sunderland fans regarding Ballard going down with a knock.

Therefore, the alarm bells must have been ringing when the Northern Ireland international had to come off the pitch at Turf Moor after just 10 minutes, considering he has missed 67 clashes in total – since joining Sunderland back in 2022 – due to regular visits to the Stadium of Light treatment room.

This is where the addition of the “dominant” Disasi could come in handy, as he’s been labelled previously by scout Jacek Kulig, with the lofty 6-foot-3 defender showing off an ability to fire home chances – much like Ballard with his seven Black Cats goals and counting – when being in the right place at the right time to slot home this effort on his Blues debut two years ago.

He is also similar to the much-loved Sunderland servant in many other aspects of his varied game, as evident in his promising 2023/24 season in West London.

Disasi’s league numbers for Chelsea (23/24)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Disasi

Games played

31

Goals scored

2

Assists

0

Touches*

82.1

Accurate passes*

64.3 (91%)

Ball recoveries*

4.8

Clearances*

3.1

Total duels won*

4.3

Clean sheets

5

Stats by Sofascore

Before somewhat sliding down the pecking order at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, Disasi was a regular in the heart of the Stamford Bridge defence, and for good reason, with a composed 64.3 accurate passes averaged in league action during his first season in the first-team fold. Ballard averaged an 88% pass accuracy himself last campaign in the Championship, when he wasn’t stricken by injury.

Moreover, the table shows why Disasi was referred to as a “monster” by journalist Rahman Osman during his Blues peak, with a high 4.3 duels won on average across his 31 league starts.

Ballard did just better this tally last season in the demanding second tier – with 4.6 won on average – but Le Bris will know he can depend on the 27-year-old to come in and fill in for the ex-Arsenal defender if needed.

After all, while he didn’t set the world alight out on loan at Aston Villa last campaign, he did at least prove himself to be a useful utility option for Unai Emery, with 100% of his duels being won against Nottingham Forest during his penultimate Premier League outing at Villa Park.

Ideally, Sunderland will want Ballard to be fit and starting week in, week out, having already been a star in the top-flight when scoring versus West Ham.

But, if Disasi is available at the last minute, he might well be a smart buy to pursue to lessen the Black Cats’ ongoing worries about their fragile number five.

Related New Le Fee: Sunderland leading race to sign "very exciting" £30m star

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Rajat Patidar has been appointed captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for IPL 2025, which begins around March 21. The development was contrary to wide speculation that Virat Kohli would lead RCB again after they did not retain Faf du Plessis, their captain from 2022 to 2024, before the mega auction.RCB made the announcement in Bengaluru on Thursday at an event attended by team director Mo Bobat, head coach Andy Flower, and Patidar. He is the eighth captain for RCB and has played three seasons for the franchise since joining them in 2021 and has grown into one of their key batters, scoring 799 runs in 28 matches at a strike rate of 158.85.”I could speak for quite a long time about Rajat, but I’ve settled on three main things that I thought might be interesting to share,” Flower said. “The first one is there’s a calmness and a simplicity to Rajat that I think will stand him in really good stead as a leader and a captain, particularly in the IPL. As we know, the IPL is one of the premier competitions in the world and there’s pressures involved in that, and I think the calm, simple demeanour that inherently lives within Rajat is going to serve him really well in the hurly-burly of that tournament.Related

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• IPL begins March 21 weekend; WPL to start from February 7

“And his decision-making will be tested like all of ours is. But I think these qualities will stand him in really good stead. We watched Rajat very closely as he captained Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and we really liked what we saw around those qualities.”The second thing I’d say about him, he’s inherently quite a quiet guy, but observing him, he cares about the people around him, he cares about the people that he plays with, that he shares a dressing room with. And I think that’s a quality that means that he will instantly have the respect and care from other people. As a leader, those qualities are important. In that people will follow you and get behind you.”And then the third thing that stands out for me about him is that he’s got a stubbornness and a strength and a steeliness about him. I’ve seen it myself when I’m trying to coach him in the nets and he won’t listen to me, but you see it in the way that he plays. You see the bravery with which he takes on the game and I think that quality within him will be really important for him through the ups and downs, the inevitable ups and downs that come along with playing in the IPL, and now stepping up another gear into leading a big franchise in the IPL.”Bobat confirmed that Kohli was an option the team management had thought about.”With our retentions, it’s probably worth noting that we obviously retained three players, three Indians, and of those three, it’s worth saying that both Virat and Rajat were obviously credible captaincy options for us going into the auction,” he said. “And then at the auction itself, we spent quite a lot of time thinking about leadership characteristics. We didn’t necessarily want to go into the auction and have our heart set on a captain because we felt that was quite a dangerous approach and then you end up probably overvaluing somebody potentially.”Rajat Patidar has been a part of RCB for the past three IPL seasons•AFP/Getty Images

In a video released by RCB, Kohli congratulated Patidar on the appointment, emphasising that he has earned the right to be in this position.”The way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed, you have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB all over India and they get really excited to watch you play,” Kohli said. “I’ve seen Rajat evolve in the last couple of years as a player. He has got the chance to play for India. His game has improved many levels in the last couple of years.”The way he has led his state team as well and the responsibility that he’s taken and has shown everyone that he has what it takes to lead this amazing franchise and I just wish him all the very best and I would request all the fans to show him absolute support, get right behind him and know that he will always and always do what’s best for the team, what’s best for this franchise.”Discussions within the group confirmed to the coaches that Patidar was the right choice, Bobat said.”We spent some time discussing things with the likes of DK [Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach], who’s obviously a really important part of our management team now. [We] had multiple conversations with Virat, even had some discussions with Rajat and I say discussions, they probably felt a little bit more like interviews for Rajat. But Andy and I spent some time talking to Rajat about his captaincy aspirations and what struck us was that he was very determined and ambitious about leadership and captaincy and he really wanted to do this and that was really important for us to understand and feel.”Bobat also said that they wanted an Indian captain to lead RCB this time around.”Andy and I felt quite blessed that we had quite a few to choose from,” he said. “Whether we went Indian or overseas was an important discussion point for us. We felt quite strongly that an Indian captain was preferable.”That’s nothing against any overseas options, but we were really keen on an Indian option primarily because it’s an Indian competition on Indian pitches against predominantly Indian players. So somebody who’s got that local knowledge and insight is really, really helpful for us.”While this will be 31-year-old Patidar’s first captaincy stint in the IPL, he has captained MP in the 2024-25 season of the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (where they finished runners-up) and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. Those tournaments were his first full-time assignments as captain in domestic cricket.”I had a conversation with Mo last year,” Patidar said. “I told him before getting the captaincy of RCB, I want to captain a state team. When they told me about this, that it could be between Virat and Rajat, I was happy. I can’t express my reaction.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I really feel good right now. If I talk about my way of captaincy, I’m not that much expressive, but at the same time, I’m aware of the situation of the matches. So I think for me it’s important to back my players and stand with them and give the sort of involvement where they feel relaxed and confident. So yeah, I’m lucky that I am surrounded by one of the best people in the team and we have a group of leaders as well where their experience and ideas will definitely help in my new leadership role and growth as an individual also.”Patidar was the second-highest run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 428 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.14 and strike rate of 186.08. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he made 226 runs at an average of 56.50 and strike rate of 107.10.RCB have not won the IPL title yet, though they have been finalists three times, the last of which was in 2016. They have made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, including in 2024, when they won their last six league matches to get into the top four but then lost the Eliminator.With RCB appointing Patidar, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are the only teams yet to name their captains for the upcoming season. Shreyas Iyer, KKR’s captain last year, will lead Punjab Kings (PBKS) this year, while the former DC captain Rishabh Pant is now leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Everton have made some smart signings this summer and could be set to ruffle the feathers of a couple of Premier League rivals in their latest pursuit, per reports.

Everton probe for late signings under David Moyes

The summer window always promised to be a transformational one at the Hill Dickinson Stadium due to Everton’s newfound financial clout under the Friedkin Group, and the likes of Jack Grealish, Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall arriving have illustrated their ambition.

Still, David Moyes recently delivered an honest response when asked about the Toffees’ remaining activity before Monday’s deadline, claiming his side won’t be able to accomplish everything they’d have hoped in terms of recruiting new personnel.

He said: “We’re trying to up the quality as we go along. But I’m sort of saying it now because we’re just about at the end of the window, we just can’t do everything and we generally don’t have the finances to do everything in this window.”

Still, Everton aren’t letting up in their pursuit of new additions and have Tomas Soucek on their radar, who Moyes is a huge admirer of due to their time spent together at West Ham United.

Nevertheless, the Hammers are standing firm on their £19 million valuation of the midfielder, leading the Toffees to keep an eye on Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.

Morale is high at the club and supporters are buying into the project put forward under Moyes. Regardless, there is an appetite for further business to see their side break through a glass ceiling that has been tough to crack in recent years.

If recent developments are anything to go by, the Toffees could now be about to upset the apple cart by attempting to usurp two of their Premier League rivals in pursuit of an in-demand playmaker.

Everton vying to sign West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta

According to Globo, Everton have held talks behind the scenes over West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who is also wanted by Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the transfer deadline.

Despite a deal taking him away from the London Stadium being deemed unlikely, negotiations between the parties mentioned haven’t yet ceased, though the Hammers are demanding a fee of £50 million before sanctioning the Brazil international’s exit.

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Labelled a “maverick” by Moyes, Paqueta has scored twice in three matches across all competitions this campaign, which is made all the more impressive by the fact the Irons haven’t managed to win a single fixture under Graham Potter.

Capable of featuring in attacking midfield or as a centre-forward, his arrival would add another exciting element to the Toffees’ attack, albeit it remains to be seen how realistic forcing a deal over the line will prove in light of their financial reality.

PSR regulations need to be adhered to and the Friedkin Group will only spend if necessary, leaving supporters on the edge of their seats for further developments.

GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

The Premier League finally decided to go mad this week. We've been waiting for it, in all honesty. This thing has been too calm, too predictable early in the season. Liverpool winning everything? BORING. Arsenal failing to ground out wins? Man United are bad? Business as usual. 

The good news is that some of that has changed. What would have been an eight-point gap between first and second is now just two, after a bit of weekend chaos. Chelsea seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. And Man United found another way to be bad.

Elsewhere across the continent, Christian Pulisic has been really rather good this year, and continued that streak in a big win for Milan. Real Madrid showed that it might be quite difficult to be good at football. And then, to round it all off, Lamine Yamal did something ridiculous with a ball at his feet. We are so back.

GOAL US presents The Euro XI, with 11 key observations from the weekend.

Getty Images Sport1Liverpool slip up …

The first thing that needs to be established is that Crystal Palace are a really good football team. They haven't lost in their last 18, and won the FA Cup last year. Selhurst Park is a tough place to go, and the Eagles are flying high.

But Liverpool are reigning champions, and if they want to win again, they have to get it done in the tough ones. Well, that didn't go to plan. Palace won 2-1 on a last-minute Eddie Nketiah volley. In truth, it really should have been five or six.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport2… and Arsenal take advantage

The problem with Arsenal last year was that they couldn't capitalize on others getting it wrong. Call it mentality, quality, or even bad luck – the Gunners just didn't make up gaps. Well, it's a new season with a revamped squad.

And they appear to mean business. They ground out a gutsy 2-1 win over Newcastle, and were good value for it, too. Just like that, we have a title race on our hands. 

Getty3Man Utd's crisis continues

Fun stat for you: Ruben Amorim has now nearly lost as twice as many games as he has won as Man United manager. You read that right. This club is in shambles at the moment. That's not news, of course.

United have been varying degrees of bad for nearly a decade now. And the misery piled on this weekend. The hope was that a win over Chelsea might galvanize something. Instead, United were comprehensively beaten by Brentford. Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty, too. In a word: yikes. 

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AFP4Chelsea, and the art of going down to 10 men

Is this Chelsea's vibe now? Do they like the challenge of playing with 10 men? It certainly seems so. For the second week running, they had someone sent off – and deservedly so. And for the second week running, it was enough to see them throw a game the really should have won.

This time it was Trevoh Chalobah, who dragged an opponent down as he ran through on goal. Stonewall red. Chelsea have, like, one centerback for * Liverpool next week. Nice. 

The opener made 155 out of a second innings total of 291 to leave Victoria a testing target

AAP10-Feb-2025Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield pacesetter Jake Weatherald blazed another big century to put the heat on Victoria ahead of a final-day run chase in Hobart.The hosts began their second innings 22 runs behind Victoria, but the former South Australian opener turned the tables with a blazing 155 off 212 balls on Monday as Tasmania made 291.Related

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Victoria, second on the Shield ladder with three rounds remaining, were 55 for 2 at stumps They need a further 215 to deny the last-placed Tasmania just their second win in the seventh match of the season.Weatherald found some support from Jake Doran and debutant No. 9 Raf MacMillan, whose bright innings came to an unfortunate end when he miscued a juicy Harry Dixon full toss.Weatherald clattered 20 boundaries in his innings, lathering drives through point and cover, and latching on to anything short with sweetly timed pull shots that sounded like cannons echoing around the Bellerive stands.He was the last man out, his crisp knock following 185 against Queensland in November to put him on top of the Shield run-scoring list this season.Opener Marcus Harris was an early casualty in the chase, trapped in front by Gabe Bell. Bell then dismissed Campbell Kellaway in similar fashion, Jon Merlo and Sam Elliott the unbeaten pair at stumps.

Having already commenced talks to sign Tolu Arokodare, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly eyeing a late swoop to sign another impressive striker.

Latest on Wolves' Arokodare move

With Fabio Silva set to join Borussia Dortmund, Wolves have instantly shifted their focus towards Arokodare. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Midlands club have commenced talks to sign the KRC Genk forward, who could hand Vitor Pereira’s frontline the added depth in quality that it’s been lacking since Matheus Cunha’s departure earlier this summer.

After scoring 23 goals in all competitions last season, the Nigerian forward could be the perfect partner to Jorgen Strand Larsen this season instead of becoming the Norwegian’s replacement.

Whilst Newcastle United have submitted two bids to sign the Wolves forward, both have been rejected and fresh reports have indicated that Strand Larsen will not be allowed to leave Molineux this summer.

The line from Wolves so far has been that Arokodare would simply be replacing Silva rather than anything else. Pereira also recently had his say on Strand Larsen’s future after he scored two goals in a dramatic Carabao Cup win against West Ham United.

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He told reporters: “If it’s my decision, of course [Strand-Larsen stays]. Of course. Because he’s a very important player. It’s not only about the technical and tactical, it’s about the character. He’s a player with character.”

However, the manager did also admit that every player has a price and recent rumours that Wolves have set their sights on a second striker alongside Arokodare would suggest that this saga is far from over.

Wolves now eyeing late Alberto swoop

According to Molineux News, Wolves are now eyeing a late swoop to sign Yuri Alberto, who Pereira is a huge admirer of. The pair worked together during Pereira’s time at Corinthians and could now reunite as those in the Midlands set their sights on a late move alongside Arokodare.

The talented striker struck 31 goals in all competitions for Corinthians last season and would be more than capable of firing Wolves to safety. But the rumours of his potential arrival should spark some concern about Strand Larsen’s future.

Whilst Arokodare is a target to replace Silva, a move for a second striker would indicate that Strand Larsen could be heading for the exit door with Alberto lined up as his immediate replacement. Of course, there’s still plenty of dominoes to fall for this to be the case, but Wolves will be bracing themselves for a frantic few days.

Dubbed “superb” by South American football expert Nathan Joyes last November, Alberto would at least be the calibre of forward good enough to replace a talent of Strand Larsen’s level.

After a transfer saga that went on for several months, Newcastle United have made the decision to sell Alexander Isak to Liverpool this summer, according to several reports.

The Sweden international will leave Eddie Howe’s side and move to Merseyside for a British record fee of £130m, including add-ons. It hasn’t changed much for the Magpies, who are still scrambling for a new striker on deadline day.

Newcastle’s Isak replacement

There have been several strikers offered to Newcastle this summer, with Nick Woltemade already in the door, and Yoane Wissa seemingly set to follow on a £55m deal before the deadline.

Transfer Focus

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

Could a third centre-forward even be on the cards, however? According to TBR Football’s chief reporter, Graeme Bailey, one of the names being considered is Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface.

The Nigerian international is someone the North Eastern giants ‘have been offered’ as the window draws to a close, and have ‘held talks’ to sign him.

Boniface came close to joining AC Milan this summer, but his £25m loan, a price including the loan fee and buy option, fell through.

Why Boniface would be a good signing

At 24 years of age, Boniface is yet to his prime years, but has already proven to be a deadly striker for Leverkusen. He thrived under Xabi Alonso and was described as a “complete forward” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Despite struggling with injuries throughout his career, the 13-cap Nigeria international has bagged 32 goals and assisted 12 in just 61 games. He is versatile, too, and despite excelling as a striker, can play off the left when called upon.

His best campaign in a Leverkusen shirt came in his debut season of 2023/24. That season, Boniface played 34 games in all competitions, finding the back of the net 21 times and assisting a further 10. To have a goal and assist-to-game ratio of almost one in your first season in one of the biggest leagues in Europe speaks volumes about his quality.

Well, if Boniface can even partly replicate what Isak did at Newcastle, then he will surely be a success. Even though he burnt bridges at the end of his time at St James’ Park, there is no denying the greatness on show from the Swede.

In 109 appearances for the club, the striker, who was born in Solna just outside of Stockholm, scored 62 goals and chipped in with 11 assists.

The most important goal he scored was surely against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, to help guide Newcastle to their first trophy in decades.

However, Boniface has certainly shown the temperament in front of goal to be Howe’s new version of Isak, with the £25m man also a towering asset, like the Swede, at 6 foot 3.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has not had a goal involvement ratio at St James’ Park as good as Boniface’s was during his first campaign at Leverkusen.

In fact, the underlying numbers from the past two seasons suggest he can step into his shoes with ease, too.

For example, Boniface averaged 0.77 goals and 0.38 goals per shot on target per 90 minutes. In the same timeframe, Isak has averaged 0.79 goals and 0.45 goals per shot each game.

Goals and assists

1.09

0.93

Goals

0.77

0.79

Goals per shot on target

0.38

0.45

Shot-creating actions

3.14

2.95

Gal-creating actions

0.63

0.43

If Newcastle can structure a deal to sign Boniface for a price of £25m, it seems like they would be getting a bargain. The Nigerian striker has some excellent underlying stats, showing just how good a goalscorer he is.

He could certainly be Howe’s own Isak as they go into a new era at St James’ Park.

Unstoppable with Woltemade: Newcastle chase "phenomenal" ST on deadline day

Newcastle are hoping to sign another striker, with Alexander Isak set to join Liverpool

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 1, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Luís Castro não é mais treinador do Botafogo. A saída do técnico foi confirmada pelo clube na tarde desta sexta-feira nas redes sociais. O português será comandante do Al-Nassr, da Arábia Saudita.

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– Luís Castro não é mais o técnico do Botafogo. O Botafogo foi comunicado nesta sexta-feira (30) pelo técnico Luís Castro sobre a sua decisão de aceitar proposta de um clube do exterior, o que encerra a atuação no comando técnico da equipe. Também deixam o Clube os auxiliares Vitor Severino e João Brandão; o preparador físico Roberto de Oliveira; o preparador de goleiros Daniel Correia; e o analista de desempenho Nuno Baptista. O Clube agradece aos profissionais pelo serviços prestados e deseja sucesso nos futuros desafios – publicou o perfil oficial do Botafogo nas redes sociais.

+ IMPERDÍVEL! Transmissão ao vivo dos jogos do Glorioso na Sul-Americana por apenas R$1,00!

DA DESCONFIANÇA À ARRANCADA

HISTÓRIA DE LUÍS CASTRO

Após dar os primeiros passos da migração do Botafogo para uma SAF, o acionista John Textor definiu Luís Castro como treinador ideal para a equipe. O português comandava o Al-Duhail, do Qatar, e chegou a ficar próximo de desembarcar no Corinthians. Porém, o Glorioso levou a melhor e fez com que Castro se encaminhasse para General Severiano.

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Luís Castro desembarcou no Rio de Janeiro em 26 de março de 2022. Sua estreia aconteceu em 16 de abril, na vitória por 3 a 1 sobre o Ceará. O primeiro ano no comando da equipe, entretanto, foi marcado por oscilações.

O Botafogo perdia muitos pontos quando atuava no Nilton Santos e chegou a flertar com a zona de rebaixamento no Campeonato Brasileiro. O sonho da Copa do Brasil acabou com duas derrotas para o América-MG.

A chegada de reforços, porém, injetou novo fôlego e fez a equipe engatar uma sequência promissora. Aos poucos, o Botafogo passou a ver ao horizonte o sonho de disputar uma Copa Libertadores. No entanto, a expectativa acabou na última rodada, com uma derrota por 3 a 0 para o Athletico-PR.

Em décimo-primeiro lugar, o Alvinegro se garantiu na Copa Sul-Americana. Na última entrevista coletiva do ano, Castro deixou o pedido de “cinco ou seis reforços” para fazer a equipe pensar em sonhos maiores em 2023.

CRISE E CARGO EM RISCO

O início de 2023 foi marcado por turbulências em General Severiano. A equipe principal alvinegra patinou no Campeonato Carioca, apresentando resultados pouco expressivos e tendo derrotas surpreendentes.

O ambiente ficou ainda mais conturbado após a derrota por 1 a 0 para a Portuguesa, que causou a eliminação precoce do Glorioso na primeira fase. A série de maus resultados e atuações abaixo do esperado levaram a protestos dos torcedores e deixaram a permanência de Castro em dúvida. Depois de uma reunião com a diretoria da SAF, John Textor decidiu dar mais um voto de confiança ao treinador.

O início na Copa do Brasil também aconteceu com sustos. O Glorioso escapou da eliminação para o Sergipe no último minuto, com gol de Adryelson no empate em 1 a 1.

O português começou a reorganizar o grupo ainda na caminhada da Taça Rio. O Alvinegro garantiu o título e sua vaga na Copa do Brasil de 2024 sem sustos.

AFIRMAÇÃO ALVINEGRA E RECORDES QUEBRADOS

O início de Brasileirão marcou uma guinada na passagem de Luís Castro no Botafogo. Sob seu comando, o Alvinegro engatou uma sequência de cinco vitórias consecutivas no início da competição (quebrando o recorde botafoguense em começos de Brasileirão, que era da edição de 1981).

Além disso, o grupo que tem como referência Tiquinho Soares estabeleceu o recorde de rodadas na liderança da competição nacional. São 12 rodadas no topo, e o Alvinegro abriu sete pontos de vantagem sobre o vice-líder Grêmio.

Após montar minuciosamente o Botafogo e torná-lo digno de sonhar com títulos de ponta, Luís Castro parte para um sonho nas Arábias.

Neymar has suffered another setback in his battle for fitness, with Santos president Marcelo Teixeira confirming the Brazil icon will be sidelined until November. The 33-year-old’s recurring injury problems continue to cast doubt over his club’s survival fight and his hopes of leading the Selecao at the 2026 World Cup.

• Fresh setback for Neymar at Santos

  Santos confirmed earlier that Neymar’s thigh injury will keep him out until November, ruling him out of upcoming fixtures in both league play and international duty. President Marcelo Teixeira explained that the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona forward is targeting a return for the final stretch of the season, as Santos fight to avoid relegation.

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  Santos fighting for survival without Neymar

  The Sao Paulo giants are just five points clear of the drop zone after a 2-2 draw with Bragantino, and Neymar’s continued absence leaves them without their talisman in a crucial run of games. The 33-year-old has already missed large chunks of the season and, despite six goals in 21 appearances, his impact has been limited by recurring setbacks.

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  Neymar’s injury history raises World Cup concerns

  This latest blow adds to a worrying trend. Neymar tore his ACL against Uruguay in October 2023 while playing for Brazil, an injury that derailed his short stint at Al-Hilal and sidelined him for a year. Since his return to Santos, he has struggled to string together consistent performances, forcing Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti to leave him out of the squad for recent qualifiers.

  Ancelotti recently said of the Brazilian: "I want him to be really well to be able to play. He can participate in the World Cup if he is physically well. From a technical point of view, there is no discussion. His objective must be to be ready in June. It does not matter whether he is in the list in October, November or March."

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  Brazil’s World Cup hopes hinge on Neymar’s recovery

  The Brazilian’s rehabilitation program is set to continue for at least six more weeks, with hopes he can rejoin Santos in December for the final league fixtures. For Brazil, the question is whether he can recover in time to be fully fit for the 2026 World Cup cycle. At 33, with time running out, every setback raises fresh doubts about whether the Selecao’s No.10 will ever reach his old heights again.