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Manchester United have now joined the race to sign a “phenomenal” midfielder, who recently put in an impressive performance at Old Trafford.

Man Utd stepping up pursuit of new midfielder

Man United have set out to sign a new central midfielder in the January transfer window, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes is the object of their desires, with it recently being revealed the 24-year-old has said ‘yes’ to a move to Old Trafford.

INEOS are now working on a deal for the Wolves star, with David Ornstein revealing the Old Gold may choose to cash-in during the January transfer window, as his value may decrease if they are a Championship club by the time summer comes around.

The need to bring in a new central midfielder may also be exacerbated if Kobbie Mainoo moves on, with it now emerging that talks over the 20-year-old signing a contract extension have been put on hold, amid interest from reigning Serie A champions Napoli.

However, it would be understandable if Wolves were unwilling to sell Gomes, given that he has been one of their key players this season and remains contracted until 2030, and the Red Devils have now joined the race for a potential alternative.

That is according to a report from talkSPORT, which names Man United as potential suitors for Everton midfielder James Garner, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

The Toffees have little interest in sanctioning a departure, however, and have recently stepped up talks over a new contract, with Garner’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

David Moyes is personally keen to keep hold of the central midfielder, and it is no surprise, given that he recently played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Garner impresses in shock Everton win at Old Trafford

After Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for an altercation with teammate Michael Keane on Monday night, United would’ve been expecting to take all three points, but they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal of the game just before the half-an-hour mark, with Garner grabbing the assist, while also making three interceptions and one clearance to keep Ruben Amorim’s side at bay.

Man Utd have advantage over Chelsea in race for "midfield sensation" Assan Ouedraogo

He has a massive future in the game.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025

Hailed as “phenomenal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, a deal for the Englishman wouldn’t break the bank at £20m+, and he has outperformed Gomes across some key defensive statistics over the past year.

Key defensive statistics per 90 (past year)

James Garner

Joao Gomes

Interceptions

1.41 (85th percentile)

0.81 (34th percentile)

Blocks

1.41 (77th percentile)

1.31 (68th percentile)

Clearances

2.19 (80th percentile)

1.37 (40th percentile)

That said, both Garner and Gomes aren’t experienced at the highest level, and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni would perhaps be a more exciting addition to the squad, with the Spanish side’s asking price recently being revealed.

Under pressure, Bangladesh dropped three catches – two towards the end – to let South Africa escape to a win

Vishal Dikshit13-Oct-20253:33

Review: SA find ways to win under pressure

Seventy-eight for 5 in Guwahati and 78 for 5 in Visakhapatnam.These are not Bangladesh’s scores at the Women’s World Cup 2025 but the precarious positions they reduced two top oppositions in in their last three games and ended up on the losing side on both occasions. In the first, they were defending a modest 178 and gave England a scare, and on Monday against South Africa, they put up a much more competitive 232 with a bowling line-up that looked capable of defending it. However, they went down largely because of several fielding lapses that included three catches put down and South Africa clinched the thriller by three wickets.The Bangladesh bowlers were also not able to bowl accurately towards the end and bowled full tosses or in the range of the batters, which their captain Nigar Sultana said was because of dew. She also said that the result might have been different if the players had calmed their nerves.Related

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“Gripping the ball was quite difficult, there was dew around,” she said at the press conference. “The ball was wet. I tried to use our best bowlers at the death. Sometimes it is hard to hold on to the momentum, but our bowlers did well. But we learned a lot today, which we can use in the future.”It happens sometimes during the game,” she said of the fielding errors. “It was very difficult. Pressure is on and it was very difficult for the bowlers to grip the balls and for the fielders also. I don’t want to give any excuses. But still, in this sort of condition, you have to keep your nerves calm. We missed those chances, maybe if we could hold on to those catches, the result would be different.”Bangladesh spilled a few chances towards the end•ICC/Getty ImagesRabeya Khan missed a caught-and-bowled chance in the fifth over to reprieve South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt on 11, and she went onto score a steady 31. Bangladesh then dropped two chances towards the end with the chase getting tense. Substitute Sumaiya Akter couldn’t hold on to Chloe Tryon’s offering at wide long-on when on 46 when South Africa needed 53 off 42. And when Shorna Akter dropped a sitter at long-off with South Africa needing 9 off 8, it drew a dramatic reaction from the bowler Rabeya. The dangerous Nadine de Klerk was on 26 with No. 9 Masabata Klaas at the other end. In the next over, de Klerk smashed the remaining eight runs with a four and a match-winning six for the second game in a row.”I am not disappointed, I am proud,” Nigar said. “The way the girls fought for every ball. It wasn’t easy for us to keep a close game in control. I am happy as a captain seeing my team give 110%.

“I am not disappointed, I am proud. The way the girls fought for every ball. It wasn’t easy for us to keep a close game in control. I am happy as a captain seeing my team give 110%.”Nigar Sultana

“Certainly, there’ll be regret because if we would have won such close matches, it would have been a great moment for the team. We have a lot of room for improvement. We want to do better in the last three games.”There was dew from the start of South Africa’s chase when Bangladesh’s swing bowler Marufa Akter was seen frequently use the towel to wipe the ball dry. Since a fair bit of dew was expected later in the evening and Australia had shown against India on Sunday evening that batting second was not a bad idea even while going after a big total, it was a curious decision by Bangladesh to bat first after winning the toss.”Chasing actually was not working for us,” Nigar said. “We saw that in the last game. Our batters couldn’t get runs in the powerplay. We lost also early wickets. Initially, it was our plan to bat first and give the bowlers something [to defend] because they have been doing well. This is the only department [bowling] I think we are in a very good control. That’s why we took the decision [to bat first].”We wanted to give our batters a pressure-free time. We wanted to put pressure on them [South Africa] with our bowling strength, with a bit of runs behind them.”Bangladesh were reeling at 33 for 6 and skittled for 128 in their 228-run chase against New Zealand in Guwahati, where none of their top five reached double-digits. Against South Africa, the Bangladesh top order started steady, even if slowly, to try and accelerate later, which they did with the help of 18-year-old Shorna’s 51 not out off 35 balls after she came out to bat in the 41st over. But even 232 wasn’t enough in the end.”We were 15-20 runs short [of] our target,” Nigar said. “We could have scored those runs had our top order rotated the strike more. We could have given better effort in the fielding. We shouldn’t be disappointed or heartbroken.”

“I hope that it continues to inspire our country,” says South Africa’s victorious captain

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-20257:27

Bavuma: We’ve wiped all doubts with the way that we’ve played

The current world Test champion team is Temba Bavuma’s and he is owning it.For the first time in his career, possibly even in his life, Bavuma can be “recognised as more than just a black African cricketer,” as he put it in the post-match press conference. He can be seen – really seen, for the person, the leader and the cricketer that he is. All of it can be summed up in the word his batting coach used to describe him on the third evening, when Bavuma batted with a strained hamstring and deep sense of self-belief: tough.Bavuma comes from Langa, a township in Cape Town which is as far from St John’s Wood, economically and geographically, as it gets. He grew up playing street cricket on bits of road named after the famous places he and his team-mates had heard of but never actually thought they’d get to. “I never pictured myself playing here at Lord’s. I could only fantasise about it,” Bavuma said, as he recalled his childhood in the early 90s, a time when everything in South Africa was changing.Within a decade, he was being schooled at some of the country’s top institutions as part of the early waves of children of colour going to elite, formerly all-white schools, and by his late teens, he was in the domestic cricketing system. At 24, he made his Test debut in a team that was ranked No.1 and from that has carried a burden no other batter in the global game has ever had to bear. Bavuma has had to prove, over and over and over again, that black South Africans (because remember there was Richards and Sobers and Lloyd and Greenidge and Lara) can bat.Related

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His was an unusual position because there had been many black South African batters active in the Apartheid era including some from his own family, but their records were sidelined. Unification came in name only and it took six years before South Africa fielded its first black African cricketer – Mahkaya Ntini – and 22 before Bavuma was capped. Being the first carried the responsibility of being the representative. In Bavuma, South Africa saw the totality of their black African batting talent which magnified his every performance.When he succeeded, as he did with his first century in 2016, it was hailed as a turning point for black cricket. When he failed, it was the entire demographics’ failure. That is a hell of a big thing to carry around with you, often without sympathy from the outside world, who understand little of the nuances of South Africa’s racial realities. When Bavuma was put in charge of the white-ball sides in 2021, despite having only six ODI and eight T20I caps to his name, he was immediately called a quota captain and his poor form in South Africa’s horrendous 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, where they lost to Netherlands, didn’t help. But then things shifted.A new coach, Shukri Conrad, who understands the complexities of South African cricket because he has spent his whole career steeped in them was handed the Test reins. He chose Bavuma as his captain, putting him in control in the format he had performed best in. Bavuma’s opening act under Conrad was a career-best 172 against West Indies at his home ground, the Wanderers. That century was seven years in the making, Bavuma’s second in 57 Tests and the floodgates opened. He scored two more in the last summer and has led South Africa’s current WTC campaign.Because South Africa played (12) fewer Tests than almost anyone else in this cycle, Bavuma is barely spoken of when it comes to the cycle’s top performers but he should be. He was South Africa’s leading run-scorer before this Test (and has since been joined by David Bedingham) and averages 59.25 with two hundreds and five fifties. Those are numbers worth shouting about. They celebrate Bavuma the batter and the way he has led from the front but they don’t tell the story of what it took for him to do that.Temba Bavuma leads South Africa’s celebrations•ICC/Getty ImagesFor that, you had to have been at Lord’s, seen Bavuma pull up with a hamstring strain when he was on 6 and refuse to let it win. This was his third hamstring injury in two years: the first kept him out of the first Test of this cycle and he risked the second to play in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, where he was vilified for his actions. This time, even when the team management told him they did not think he should go back out after tea, he took control of his own destiny.”I didn’t want to think of another option. I didn’t want to consider myself not being there with Aiden (Markram). It was a key moment within the game,” Bavuma said. “I wasn’t at 100% fitness but I felt that I was good enough to still do the job. It was a tough decision. I can’t not think of the 2023 World Cup where it was a similar type of incident. But it was me backing my gut. I went against advice from management and I was willing to take whatever comes with it. It was very much an instinctive call, very much an egotistical call but I was happy to deal with whatever consequence that came with it.”As it turned out, the consequence was becoming the cricketing hero he has always wanted to be. Bavuma’s 66 in a stand of 147 set South Africa up for victory and himself for greatness. He can be spoken about as Bavuma, the cricketer, and the captain of the team that are now champions. He can be sung about, he can be appreciated and he can enjoy it.”It’s not easy being captain of South Africa but all the sacrifices, all the disappointment, feel worth it,” he said. “Giving up is always an option. It’s always there at the back of your mind, but something kind of holds you on. For me, it was that moment there to be recognised as more than just a black African cricketer, but to be seen as someone who’s done something that the country has wanted. That’s something that I’ll definitely walk around with my chest out. And I hope that it continues to inspire our country.”ESPNcricinfo LtdThat Bavuma can now put his name to such a massive achievement is what will come to define him, and it’s been a long time coming. Running parallel to Bavuma’s time at the helm of cricket has been Siya Kolisi’s as captain of the Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team. Under Kolisi’s leadership, South Africa won two World Cups in the same time as South Africa’s cricket side failed in four.In another world, Bavuma and Kolisi would just be looked at as two people, at the top of their respective professions who happen to have been on opposite sides of the results coin. But because in the South African sporting world, which has a history of those professions being historically and legislatively white-dominated, that they are the first black African captains of their respective codes means comparisons are inevitable albeit unfair.While Kolisi is gregarious and front-facing, Bavuma is pensive and private. Expecting the pair to do the same thing for the country has always seemed a bridge too far but now Bavuma has stepped on it. He has a Kolisi equivalent and he can talk about his team and the Boks in the same breath.”The biggest thing I admire about them [Springboks] is with their success and how they’ve embraced what being South African actually means,” Bavuma said. “We’re unique in a lot of ways. Our present and future is shaped by our past. And the way that they’ve gone about it, to capture the hearts of everyone, has really made us love them. In cricket, that’s something that we’ve spoken about, to really do something special.”The Boks have built their brand on a campaign of doing it for South Africa and of providing hope and inspiration for a nation of dreamers, whose democracy was closely followed by hefty sporting success. In 1995, South Africa hosted and won the Rugby World Cup, with Nelson Mandela in attendance. Cricket nearly had its moment in 1999 and several near-misses in the 26 years since but now, cricket can have something similar. “For the country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together,” Bavuma said.In the end, that is what Bavuma has done for South African cricket for more than a decade. In that time, he pushed opinions about who can and can’t play, who can and can’t bat, who can and can’t captain, who can and can’t win apart. And over the last three-and-a-half days, he has pulled them all together for one emphatic statement.Not only can he, but he should and he will and he has. “And though it can be burdensome, it’s still somewhat of a privilege to carry those types of expectations as well as pressure,” he said. “They can’t take it (the success) away having someone who has finally gotten the team over line in a final.”They can’t and they won’t. This was Bavuma’s WTC and he can own it.

The 2025 season has been a mixed bag for Cubs manager Craig Counsell. His team opened the year on a 59-39 tear—only to find themselves outpaced by a once-in-a-generation Brewers squad, currently in the process of setting Milwaukee ablaze two years after its ex-skipper's departure.

On Sunday, Chicago actually picked up a game on the Brewers' division lead, beating the Pirates 4-3 while Milwaukee lost to the Reds 3-2 to end its 14-game win streak. That fact, however, was dwarfed in magnitude by some sleuthing on the part of Brewers fans that caught Counsell in a hilariously audacious lie.

In a piece by veteran writer Paul Sullivan published Sunday, Counsell denied knowing anything about George Webb Restaurants—a ubiquitous Wisconsin chain known for giving away free burgers when Milwaukee wins 12 consecutive games.

Quickly sensing the ridiculousness of Counsell—who grew up in Milwaukee's suburbs—never having heard of George Webb, Brewers fans accused the manager of an outright fib. Reporter David Go of WLUK-TV in Green Bay confirmed the lie, unearthing a 2018 article from Adam McCalvy of where Counsell praised the restaurant's promotion.

"I remember the concept of free hamburgers going back so long, it's hard to believe that it's never happend since then," Counsell said in '18 as Milwaukee ripped off 12 straight regular-season and playoff wins en route to the National League Championship Series.

With the Brewers accomplishing the feat again in '25, Counsell can only watch from afar.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been urged to steer clear of signing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as there is too much hype around him. United are in the market for a new central midfielder either in January or more likely in the summer of 2026 after prioritising strengthening in other areas in the squad last window such as attack and goalkeeper.

Baleba and Anderson heavily linked with Man Utd

The club held initial discussions with Brighton & Hove Albion over signing Carlos Baleba but turned away from the move after disagreeing with the Seagulls' £100m ($131m) valuation. The Red Devils have more recently been linked with a move for Elliot Anderson, who has established himself as an England regular in the last three months and whose statistics put him up there with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo as the most impressive midfielders in the Premier League. 

Palace midfielder Wharton, who made his first England start last week against Albania, is another player who United are believed to be interested in. But former United striker Dwight Yorke does not think the 21-year-old is the player they should be targeting.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportYorke: Wharton not the answer

Yorke said, via "I’m not sure Adam Wharton is the answer. He's still not quite there for me yet and that's an area of concern we have to look to improve. It is a gap in this Man United team. You look at the history behind the football club in its most successful years and they always had a fantastic number six in that position.

"Casemiro has been hit and miss at times and it’s a key part of your team. You listen to all the great managers, that central area of your midfield is always so important. It’s a tough gig that one to find the right players and I think that's why they're struggling. They haven’t got that player who can set the floor of the game, as I always call it, and dictate the pace, who defends but passes the ball forwards, and can see the pass. 

"These types of players are rare which surprises me as on the face of it it’s not the most difficult job in the world but it’s the most crucial. Who I would like to see in that position more? I can’t think, honestly, because there’s too much hype around some of these players. Bring back Michael Carrick, maybe? There we go. He’d have done a job in this team!"

Casemiro future in doubt despite upturn in form

Amorim has settled on a midfield pairing of captain Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, with the Brazilian staging a stunning revival after his worrying campaign in 2023-24, when he was told by Jamie Carragher to quit elite football and wind down his career in Saudi Arabia or the United States. However, neither players are long-term options. Fernandes' contract expires in 2027 while Casemiro's is up next June. The club have the option to extend both deals by an additional year but big investment is ultimately needed to refresh their midfield and make them future Premier League title contenders.

Amorim has said he wants the club to extend Casemiro's deal and Harry Maguire's by at least one year although the Brazilian's massive wages, believed to be £350,000 per week, are an obstacle. It has been reported that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was critical of Casemiro's contract when he bought his stake in the club in 2023 given his age. The former Real Madrid lynchpin turns 34 next February and was signed in 2022 for an initial fee of £60m rising to £70m.

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GettyUnited without Sesko for Everton test

United have drawn their last two games against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, interrupting their previous run of three consecutive wins. They will be hoping to return to winning ways at home to Everton on Monday although they will be without striker Benjamin Sesko, who is expected to be out for a month after hurting his knee in the 2-2 draw with Spurs.

Lisandro Martinez is hoping to make his first appearance of the season against Tottenham. He recently joined Argentina for training in Europe although he did not play any matches for his country. Maguire could also be back to face the Toffees. The Everton game will mark one year since Amorim's first game in charge of United against Ipswich Town.

It might be a little premature, but there is a slight sense of optimism around West Ham United at the moment.

Granted, they are far from safe, but there was plenty to be encouraged by in the win over Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend, as well as in the latest victory over Burnley.

For example, Freddie Potts – while knocked back injury – has seized his opportunity with both hands after back-to-back starts in the top-flight, showing Nuno Espírito Santo what he had been missing.

Interestingly, there is another overlooked talent in the West Ham squad who, with the proper coaching, could have a Potts-esque impact on the side.

Potts' journey to the first team

With his father and brother playing for West Ham, and him coming up through the academy, it always felt like a matter of when, not if, Potts would earn his first start for the club.

However, it would be fair to say that it’s perhaps taken a little while longer than most expected, but that is mainly down to him proving himself out on loan over the last two years.

His first move saw him join League One side Wycombe Wanderers for the 23/24 campaign, and to say he did well would be an understatement.

In all, the Barking-born ace made 43 appearances for them across all competitions, in which he scored two goals, provided three assists and was named the Player of the Season.

Then, last year, he joined Championship side Portsmouth, where he made 38 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing four assists.

Season

23/24

24/25

Team

Wycombe

Portsmouth

Appearances

43

38

Goals

2

1

Assists

3

4

The 22-year-old didn’t win an individual award last season, but he clearly impressed enough to go on the Hammers’ pre-season tour in the summer, and then finally, after a few appearances off the bench, make his first competitive start for the club against the Magpies.

Overall, while it’s taken a while to happen, it’s now undeniable that Potts is one of West Ham’s most exciting players, but there is another underused gem in the squad who could be just as good with the proper coaching.

The West Gem who could be another Potts

West Ham are blessed with several genuinely exciting youngsters in the academy at the moment, like Preston Fearon and Josh Landers.

Chalkboard

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

However, there is another young gem in the first team squad who possesses the raw ability to have an impact similar to the one Potts has had of late: Luis Guilherme.

The 19-year-old gem joined the club from Palmeiras last summer, and while he hasn’t exactly hit the ground running since then, he remains a hugely exciting talent.

For example, one of his significant strengths is his ability to play all over the pitch. While he is primarily a winger, he has also spent time playing as a ten, up top, as a second striker, and out on the left.

This ability to play where the manager needs him is just one of the reasons why he could have a real impact on the Hammers this season, and the second is his mercurial style of play.

Described as a “complete” and “electric” attacker with “the world at his feet by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the youngster is someone who can, at his best, get the fans on their feet, and considering the atmosphere at the London Stadium this season, that sounds like something Nuno could do with.

Moreover, he is not just some one-trick pony either, with Mattinson pointing out that while “shooting from distance is one of Guilherme’s strengths”, he can also “turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation.”

In more good news for the manager, the teen phenom could also perfectly fit into the counter-attacking style that worked so well at Nottingham Forest, as according to Mattinson, he is a player who “thrives on transitions.”

Ultimately, it’s true that West Ham fans have not seen him at his best, but if Nuno can get the best out of him, then he could have another player capable of impacting the side as much as Potts.

West Ham's "supreme" star is going to be their biggest talent since Kudus

The incredible talent will become more important to West Ham than Kudus ever was.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 7, 2025

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.