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Former Southampton manager Russell Martin is “still in contention” for what would be a stunning return to St Mary’s.

Though Southampton endured a dismal 2024/25 Premier League campaign, they were still expected to be strong contenders for an immediate promotion from the Championship. Having established himself with Reims and Lens in Ligue 1, Will Still was appointed as Saints manager in the summer.

Despite his obvious potential as a coach, Still was unable to make things click during what was his first job in English football. After winning just two matches out of 13 in the second tier, Still was sacked by the club who, at the time, were 21st in the league following three successive defeats.

Working as interim boss of the Saints, Tonda Eckert won his first game in charge against Queens Park Rangers. Having been called up temporarily from the Under-21s, Eckert has made a good start to his time in charge as Southampton pursue a permanent successor to Still.

Now, reports have indicated that Southampton, who are eight points adrift of the top six, could look to bring a former manager back to the club.

Martin to return to Southampton?

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Martin is “still held in high regard at Southampton and has admirers in the boardroom”.

Taking over the Saints in 2023 after managing MK Dons and Swansea City, Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.

Wedded to his patient, possession-based brand of football, Martin was sacked by the club in December 2024, in a season that saw the club become the first Premier League side to be condemned to relegation with as many as seven games remaining.

Martin was, in turn, hired by Rangers in the summer of 2025, going onto endure a terrible tenure in charge that lasted for just 123 days. Amongst other reported options, including Frank Lampard and Mark Robins, Martin’s current status as a free agent may mean he is more inclined to take the job.

Football Insider have reported that, whilst Martin being hired by Southampton would be “a surprise, his return has not been ruled out,” as the club do not blame him for the season that they endured in the top flight.

Having been called “unbelievable” by Flynn Downes, who Martin brought to Southampton, the 39-year-old has certainly proven himself at Southampton in the past. Given their current predicament and how badly Martin’s tenure at Rangers went, though, it remains to be seen whether Southampton push further for a reunion.

"Very intelligent" coach interested in Southampton job

England boss Thomas Tuchel is expected to offer Liam Delap a World Cup lifeline as he plans to discuss what the Chelsea striker needs to do in order to earn a first international call-up. Delap moved to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich for £30m over the summer after the young forward impressed for the relegated Tractor Boys. The Blues beat Manchester United to the signing of the 22-year-old.

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  Delap yet to score league goal since Chelsea switch

  Delap looked bright in his opening Chelsea appearances as he scored one and assisted another in the Blues' successful Club World Cup campaign. However, the young forward has largely struggled to transfer his Ipswich form to the west London side. Delap has failed to directly contribute to a goal in his opening four Premier League outings for Enzo Maresca's side.

  The summer signing did miss two months of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in a 2-0 home win over Fulham back in August, which has prevented the ex-Tractor Boys frontman from building up some form. However, Delap's return to action was marred by a second-half red card in a 4-3 League Cup win at Wolves last month, while he was unable to leave a lasting impression in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag and the subsequent 3-0 win over Wolves prior to the international break.

  Joao Pedro, who joined from Brighton over the summer, has also caught the eye upfront for the Blues and has scored more goals and provided more assists than any other Chelsea player in the Premier League this season. The Brazilian's impact has magnified Delap's struggles as the former Manchester City youth player looks to justify the club's decision to secure his services.

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  Tuchel tipped to speak with Delap before March break

  Delap is expected to be contacted by England head coach Tuchel before long, however, with the German keen to discuss what the young forward needs to do in order to force his way into the national team, according to the Daily Mail.

  The report adds that "the Chelsea striker is hoping a good second half of the season can place him in contention for this summer's World Cup, which is now a little more than six months away", with rival forwards such as Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Dominic Solanke, Danny Welbeck not yet considered to have a guaranteed place on the plane.

  As it stands, England captain Harry Kane is the only striker boasting untouchable status.

  It is understood that Tuchel will speak with Delap before England's next training camp in March to outline exactly what he needs to do at Chelsea to boost his chances of selection.

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  England boss expected at Chelsea again soon

  Tuchel was spotted at Chelsea's 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League and 2-2 draw with Brentford in the Premier League, but Delap was absent from both games due to injury. The England boss is expected to attend several more Chelsea games before March, though, which will allow him to get a good look at the 22-year-old.

  Chelsea's next home league game comes against Arsenal next weekend following a trip to Burnley on Saturday and the welcome of Barcelona in the Champions League next week.

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• England discussing opponents for March friendlies

  England aren't in action again until the March international break having ended 2025 with back-to-back wins over Serbia and Albania to round off World Cup qualification with a 100% record.

  While England's opponents for the March friendlies haven't been confirmed, the Guardian last month reported that they have discussed potential meetings with Uruguay and Japan as part of their World Cup preparations.

With their qualification for the Asia Cup Super Fours not yet guaranteed, the mood in the Pakistan camp on Tuesday evening was markedly different

Shashank Kishore17-Sep-2025″Great fielders don’t dive,” Hardik Pandya quipped after he plucked a screamer that fielding coach T Dilip had drilled to his left. Behind him was a makeshift goalpost he was meant to protect. Each player got five attempts before the next man stepped up. It was a penalty shootout of sorts pretending to be fielding drill.Things changed quickly after that. Three rockets came his way low and flat and were all dropped; not even dives could help his cause. Dilip read out his score with mock seriousness as Tilak Varma came out to “keep goal”.Soon the chatter switched to Telugu, with Arshdeep Singh turning part-time commentator with his chants of “” (well done) every time Tilak hurled himself around to pull off a save.Related

• Frontloading Bumrah: will India's powerplay plan be tested?

• Hesson: We were a bit frenzied at the start with the bat

• How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan

Then came Jasprit Bumrah’s turn. As he walked up, he couldn’t resist a wisecrack: “Point again, coach?” he asked looking back at journalists recording his every move. “Reel content coming for you guys!” This was all a nod to the catch he had taken at point to dismiss Saim Ayub off the first legitimate ball in Sunday’s match.The fielding session reflected the mood in the India camp: lively, light-hearted, yet underpinned by an intensity, which was in show again later as they took the nets.The Tuesday evening temperatures may have relented slightly since the start of the Asia Cup, from 40 degrees Celsius to 35-36, but that didn’t mean there was respite for the team, since their training session was lengthened to over four hours on back-to-back days.The batters who hadn’t had a hit in the two matches so far – Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and Hardik – spent extended periods at the nets, before the top order took centre stage, hitting balls long and hard, into the trees and beyond at the ICC Academy in Dubai. To the extent that you wondered if anyone was even keeping track of where the balls were going.2:20

How big is the gulf between India and Pakistan?

Through it all, coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate looked on from behind the nets, watching each batter go through their drill.Rinku Singh, in particular, endured a searching examination, beaten time and again by the pace and bounce of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep. The test grew sterner. Starting off with a short run before gradually cranking up to full tilt, Bumrah showed Rinku no mercy. While anything on the pads was dismissed, Rinku was repeatedly troubled by hard lengths and seam movement. He finally yanked his gloves off, and did bouts of timed sprints to cool off after his batting stint.By the time India’s session wound down, they had gone through an entire range of activities amid banter and fun. It ended with the captain Suryakumar Yadav cutting a birthday cake some members of India’s travelling media had organised, with Kuldeep Yadav and a few members of the support staff joining in.Salman Agha will hope to bounce back after two single-digit scores•AFP/Getty Images

At the adjacent ground, the mood was quite different, with Pakistan avoiding any media personnel gathered around the periphery of the ropes.Coach Mike Hesson did all the talking in the team huddle, before the players dispersed for a game of football, did some catching, and then went into the nets. They may have chosen to train from 8pm to 11pm, possibly to avoid the heat, but that didn’t make it any less punishing.As they began their centre-wicket nets, Hesson monitored Ayub’s back-foot play, watching him keep his shots down – unlike his dismissal against India looking to flay Hardik over point. Ayub, incidentally, has more wickets than balls faced in the Asia Cup so far, and spent considerable time with Hesson in his ear. There were extra drills for Mohammad Haris, while Haris Rauf, seemingly hungry to get a look-in after warming the bench in the first two games, let the ball rip.As the curtains came down on another intense evening at the ICC Academy, India announced a day off on Wednesday. Pakistan had no such luxuries, because they were to face UAE in a must-win game.

Kyle Schwarber had a monster night at the plate on Monday as he crushed his 39th and 40th home runs of the season, with the latter being a grand slam hit at Citizens Bank Park.

Schwarber's first homer of the night made him the HR leader in the National League, so Phillies fans were prepared when he came up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning when the bases were loaded. The baseball park erupted in "MVP" chants for Schwarber, and he answered their cheers by providing an electric grand slam.

A video was posted by MLB on Monday night highlighting the sounds at Citizens Bank as Schwarber was up at the plate, and then it showed how loud the stadium became once the 390-foot homer soared in the air.

Chills.

Schwarber currently has the third-best odds in the NL for winning the MVP award this season. Shohei Ohtani is leading the race to win his third-straight MVP title (-700) with Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in second with +900 odds, via ESPN. Schwarber follows them with 10-1 odds.

Monday night's game definitely helped Schwarber's MVP case, that's for sure.

Team’s record when playing five bowlers overseas means Shardul Thakur should be involved from outset

Sidharth Monga18-Jun-20251:47

Does India’s attack hold the edge over England’s?

That wonderful feel of slowly building anticipation for Test cricket is upon us. There has already been the wonderful World Test Championship final, but the week in the lead-up to the start of a five-Test series is something else. The weather is set fair in an unusually dry Leeds, England have started training already at arguably the most intimate and raucous Test venue in the country, the groundstaff are doing their best to retain enough moisture in the surface before they give it a final trim, and India will start training on Wednesday after having played against India A behind closed doors in the outskirts of London last week.When you dust off the whites for a fresh season, it is inevitable the mind starts tracing back memories of the last season. There has been six months of limited-overs cricket since India last donned the whites, but the memories of the 3-1 series defeat in Australia hardly need refreshing. How they led the series in Perth, how they celebrated saving the follow-on in Brisbane, how they were one collapse away from drawing Melbourne, how Sydney could have gone either way had Jasprit Bumrah not got injured.Scratch a little, and you will also remember, for the first time in a long time, looking at an Indian team and not being certain how they planned to go about taking 20 wickets as cheaply as possible. From 2018 onwards, India’s focus had been on taking 20 wickets even if it meant asking the batters to do more. Virat Kohli, the captain then, was clever enough to realise that in effect he was asking himself and the batters to do less because his bowlers were getting the opposition out cheaply.Related

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The leadership team of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid continued with the same philosophy. In fact, Dravid as captain was the first to try to play five bowlers whenever he could. He dropped VVS Laxman once to play the extra bowler. He invested in Irfan Pathan to manufacture that extra threat.In Australia 2024-25, though, India never played four quick bowlers for the fear of no batting post No. 7. It is tough to know if the composition of the XI would have been different had Shardul Thakur – not a complete tailender at No. 8 – been in good form and not just coming out of a surgery. Still the enduring theme in the series was to guard against a blowout once six wickets were down. Even when India played a fifth bowler, it was Washington Sundar, which is a bob each way, especially in conditions designed to take spinners out of the game.The comfort of those extra runs derived from the tail is notional unless you can play proper allrounders, which is what R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja become in Asia. Outside Asia and the West Indies, Jadeja and Ashwin had limited utility with the ball. In the absence of that proper allrounder, India kept choosing that notional comfort over depth and penetration in their attack.Bumrah bowled fewer overs than Pat Cummins in the series, but he sent down a larger share of India’s overs than Cummins did for Australia. That despite practically missing the Sydney Test. Having to keep returning for spells can disrupt the rhythms of exertion and rest. He took 46% of India’s wickets. Need we be reminded of the most telling visual of the series when Australia were piling on third-innings runs in Melbourne, and Bumrah finally told the captain Rohit that he was not able to exert anymore? Now he is going to be smarter about it, and play just the three Tests.14:58

What combination do India go with in the first Test?

At that point when Bumrah ran out of “”, strength, India and Australia had taken the same number of wickets – 34 – in the first 40 overs of all innings. In fact India had done so at a better average and economy rate. This is where India ran out of bowling, averaging twice per wicket than Australia did with the old ball. Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled just 44 overs in five Tests, unwittingly undoing all the good work he did with the bat.It is no surprise that India had a win-loss record of 6-7 when they played four quicks and 5-10 when they played three of them in Tests outside Asia and the West Indies from 2018 to 2022.One of those famous wins was at The Oval in 2021 when India had the extra bowling to stay competitive despite being bowled out for 191 in the first innings and then still had batting depth in Rishabh Pant and Thakur taking India to a huge third innings.Thakur’s comeback from injury and his form in domestic cricket – 35 Ranji Trophy wickets at 22.62 – should give India enough reasons to go back to playing five bowlers at least for the start of the series. The need for the extra bowling has been impressed upon the team management. Especially when Bumrah is available only for three Tests, which offsets to an extent that this is an easier tour: outside Chris Woakes, no fast bowler in England’s squad for Leeds has played more than five Tests. That will be big relief from having to face the Australian attack at home, and should reduce the anxiety around the batting.However, there is every chance England will look to eliminate Thakur. Like they did at Edgbaston in 2022 to give him match figures of 18-0-113-1. Only if Thakur – provided he does play as the fourth quick at Headingley – is attacked successfully by England will we really know the real extent of India’s commitment to taking 20 wickets as cheaply as possible. Whether he does play four quicks – not including Reddy among them – and how he reacts to any early reverses will be the one true test of Shubman Gill’s captaincy.

One of the brightest talents in Manchester United’s current squad is undoubtedly Kobbie Mainoo. Although manager Ruben Amorim has criminally underused him this season, there is no denying the natural skill he possesses. After all, the Stockport-born midfielder was starting in a European Championship final aged 20.

It is certainly a surprise, therefore, that the Red Devils academy graduate has played so little this term. He is yet to start a game in the Premier League, despite being so highly rated by his peers. Former teammate at United, Anthony Elanga, once said he possesses “similar attributes” to Paul Pogba.

The Frenchman is another United academy graduate who was just as highly rated aged 20.

How Pogba and Mainoo compare at 20

Both United academy stars already had, or in Mainoo’s case, have, a huge reputation by the time they were 20 years of age. Whilst the Englishman is still plying his trade at Old Trafford, Pogba had departed for Juventus.

The 2013/14 campaign is perhaps best when looking at Pogba’s contributions at around 20. He was sensational for the Turin giants that season, playing 51 games, scoring nine times and assisting 15, which included one of each in the Supercoppa final against Lazio.

As for Mainoo, things have not been quite as easy. Amorim has not given him much of an opportunity this term, and he has only played 228 minutes for his boyhood club across all competitions.

Last term, though, he scored a dramatic late equaliser against Lyon in United’s historic Europa League win.

It is certainly interesting to compare the two players at the same age.

Pogba was starting week in, week out for one of the biggest clubs in the world, whilst Mainoo is consistently ignored by Amorim despite his obvious talent.

Whilst many might think Mainoo is the heir to Pogba’s throne at Old Trafford, there could be another player who is actually Amorim’s own version of the French superstar.

Amorim’s own Paul Pogba at Man Utd

There are not many things Pogba cannot do on a football pitch. The Frenchman is one of the greatest modern midfielders, oozing class with the ball at his feet, dictating play from deep and excelling in the final third.

Well, in Brazilian legend, Casemiro, Amoirm arguably has someone else who fits that mould. The former Real Madrid star has enjoyed a real resurgence this term, after being told to “leave the football before the football leaves you” by Jamie Carragher a couple of seasons ago.

In 2025/26, we are watching one of the most intriguing versions of the Brazilian international. Casemiro has been integral in the pivot next to Bruno Fernandes, playing all ten Premier League games he’s been available for, chipping in with three goals and one assist.

Indeed, that is something new that has really been added to his game. The former Los Blancos star is a huge threat going forward and has 33 goal involvements for the Red Devils, more than half of what he got as a Madrid player.

Described as a “monster” by teammate Luke Shaw, the 33-year-old is, as always, a specialist at breaking up play, but he’s now added a new trait to his game: being able to control play.

This season in the Premier League, he’s completed 3.5 long-balls per game on average, and in 2024/25, played an average of 18.9 forward passes per 90 minutes.

We’ll never know how Amorim would have deployed Pogba, given he never had the Frenchman at his disposal. Yet, we might be seeing an idea, with Casemiro’s new threat in the final third and his ability to dictate play.

It is easy to see how the Brazilian is Amorim’s own Pogba. United fans might well be hoping they can see Casemiro be unleashed next to Mainoo soon, to form an exciting midfield pivot.

Casemiro 2.0: Man Utd make £79m bid for "one of the best DMs on the planet"

Man Utd’s midfield could be improved grealty with this signing

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 20, 2025

The visitors bowled spin for all 50 overs of their innings in Dhaka, keeping Bangladesh to 213

Mohammad Isam21-Oct-2025
West Indies won the Super OverWest Indies prevailed over Bangladesh in the Super Over, beating the home side in Dhaka by one run. Akeal Hosein delivered an imperfect final over in extra time, defending ten runs, but he kept Bangladesh in check with several dots mixed with wides and no-balls. Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto couldn’t do the job for Bangladesh, and so, the series is now 1-1.West Indies had earlier scored ten runs in their Super Over, with captain Shai Hope getting a boundary off the last ball, after Mustafizur Rahman had removed Sherfane Rutherford with his second ball.This was Bangladesh’s first tie in 814 men’s international matches.Hope carried West Indies in regulation time, getting the only half-century of the game. West Indies needed five runs off the 50th over to complete a chase of 214. Saif Hassan bowled two dot balls before conceding a single. Hope got on strike and even though he only had Hosein at the other end – the No. 10 batter playing his first game on tour – he chose to take another single.Saif punished Hope for that, bowling Hosein between his legs. Khary Pierre, the last man in, needed to get three off the final ball, but his top edge spun towards square leg. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan ran for the catch, but he dropped the chance. He also couldn’t pass the ball on in time to Mustafizur, who was stood by the stumps, as Pierre and Hope completed two runs, tying the match.West Indies became the first team to bowl spin for all 50 overs of an ODI. The visitors overhauled a record that had stood since 2004, when Sri Lanka plied Australia with 44 overs of slow bowling. Bangladesh topped that tally up with 42 overs from their own spinners, pushing the match aggregate to 92 overs of spin – another record in this format.Rishad Hossain came good with the bat again•AFP/Getty Images

When West Indies’ chase began, Nasum Ahmed removed Brandon King in the first over. Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty batted solidly during the powerplay, with Athanaze hitting Mehidy Hasan Miraz over covers, followed by a straight drive off Nasum. He also struck two more fours, before Rishad Hossain trapped him lbw. Athanze missed with a sweep after connecting with one earlier in the over.Carty was Rishad’s next victim when he missed his reverse sweep, and the ball snuck through and hit his back leg. Debutant Ackeem Auguste swept Tanvir Islam straight to Rishad at square leg, falling for 17. Sherfane Rutherford was given out lbw next, in the 27th over, as West Indies lost half their side with 103 on the board.Gudakesh Motie and Hope tried to keep West Indies afloat, but they were separated six overs later. Rishad struck with a full ball that Motie went after with a wild slog, falling for 15. Roston Chase, batting at No. 8, followed soon after, caught behind off Nasum.From 133 for 7, Hope added 44 runs for the eighth wicket with Justin Greaves. The latter got run out trying to take a quick single, with Mehidy effecting a direct hit to get the crucial wicket. Hope handled most of the strike but Hosein struck a six, to take West Indies closer. Needing just 14 off 12 balls, it looked unlikely that they would let the game go into a Super Over.Earlier, Bangladesh struggled to get going for most of their innings after deciding to bat first. Saif was dismissed after hitting a six, while Towhid Hridoy and Shanto got out to poor shots. Hridoy top-edged a slog, while Shanto got caught at short midwicket, unable to time Athanaze’s long hop.Sarkar played some gorgeous shots in between a lot of dot balls. He made 45 off 89 balls with three fours and a six, before holing out in the deep in the 31st over. Bangladesh were 103 for 5, and looked in danger, until Nurul slammed a six and two fours for his 23, leaving Rishad to do the finishing. He struck three fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 14-ball 39, all of which came in the last 2.1 overs of the Bangladesh innings.Athanaze was West Indies’ best bowler with figures of 2 for 14 from his ten overs, while Hosein, who flew into Dhaka on the day before the match, also picked up two wickets. Motie took 3 for 65, his figures spoiled by Rishad’s last burst of boundaries.

Timo Werner is pushing for a move away from RB Leipzig this winter, with reports in Germany revealing a sensational interest in joining Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. The former Chelsea striker has fallen out of favour in Leipzig and sees MLS as his next destination despite rejecting a switch to the New York Red Bulls. With his future uncertain, Miami’s glamour and sporting profile appear to be drawing the German forward.

• Werner eyes Miami move as Leipzig exit looms

  The German forward's future at RB Leipzig is essentially over, and the 29-year-old is now reportedly targeting a high-profile move to Inter Miami, where he hopes to line up alongside superstar Messi. Werner has played just one minute of football this season and no longer features in Leipzig’s matchday squads, leaving a winter exit increasingly likely.

  reported that Werner is especially tempted by Miami’s project and the global pull of playing with Messi, whose presence continues to reshape the MLS landscape. The glamour surrounding the club, both in sporting ambition and lifestyle appeal, is said to suit Werner and his wife Paula, making South Florida an attractive landing spot as he seeks a fresh start.

  A move to MLS had already been on the table last summer, when the New York Red Bulls made inquiries through the Red Bull network. At the time, Werner remained reluctant to leave Leipzig due to his sizeable salary and the belief he could still revive his career in Germany. But his situation has deteriorated drastically, and with his contract expiring in 2026, a winter departure is now seen as essential to avoid drifting toward free agency.

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• Why New York Red Bulls plan didn't work out

  Werner’s most concrete MLS opportunity collapsed when the New York Red Bulls ultimately walked away from talks, a decision explained in detail by the club’s athletic director Julian de Guzman.

  Last week, De Guzman confirmed that the forward had been on the club’s radar, saying: "There have always been rumors about Werner," before stressing that any deal had to suit New York’s long-term strategy. He added: "We have to make sure it makes sense for us here in New York."

  The Canadian executive made clear that Werner’s profile was highly appealing from a fan standpoint, stating: "Werner is a great name. I think the fans would have loved him. The opportunity was there, but I don't think we were 100 percent convinced that this was the right thing for New York. That's why we didn't fully commit to it."

  Salary considerations also played a key role, as Werner earns a reported €10 million per year in Leipzig, while New York were unable, and ultimately unwilling, to match anywhere near that level for a Designated Player slot. The striker was similarly unwilling to reduce his wage demands to complete the move, contributing to the breakdown of discussions.

• Why Inter Miami now appeal to Wermer

  With the Red Bulls stepping aside, Werner has shifted his attention to the other side of the MLS spectrum – Inter Miami, a club defined by star power, global attention and a clear pathway to compete for trophies. Messi’s presence remains the biggest draw, with the Argentine continuing to exert a transformative influence on the club’s recruitment and profile.

  Inter Miami’s roster structure for 2026 provides a plausible opening. The imminent retirements of Jordi Alba and Messi's right hand man Sergio Busquets will free up two Designated Player slots, while Rodrigo De Paul is expected to occupy one if his loan becomes permanent. That leaves one DP spot available, a rare opportunity Miami could use on a high-profile attacker like Werner.

  From a sporting perspective, Werner would offer flexibility across the front line, potentially replacing Luis Suarez if he departs and giving Miami an experienced, mobile option heading into the new MLS calendar cycle in 2026. The lifestyle component also weighs heavily in Miami’s favour, with the city viewed by Werner as an ideal environment to reset his career.

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  How likely a move can take place?

  The next steps hinge on Inter Miami’s internal evaluation and their willingness to commit a DP slot, and potentially a sizeable salary, to a striker whose performances have dipped since his Chelsea days. While Werner is eager to join Messi in Florida, the report stresses that Miami’s interest is not yet confirmed, leaving the possibility of alternative MLS suitors still open.

  For Leipzig, the winter window will be decisive, and Marco Rose has already marginalised the striker, and a move abroad appears the only viable solution to avoid a stagnant final 18 months of his contract. Miami, meanwhile, must navigate a busy rebuild as they prepare for the 2026 season, with decisions looming on Suarez’s future, the DP structure, and several expiring contracts.

Alex Bregman is back on the market a year after he waited until February to sign with the Red Sox. Given how he performed in 2025, it’s unlikely he’ll be sitting around as long this offseason.

Boston inked Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract shortly before spring training in 2025. That caused a whole lot of drama for the organization, but their newly acquired All-Star did his job while staying above all that. As part of his deal, he was allowed to opt out after one season. He exercised that right on Monday.

In 114 games, Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. His .821 OPS was his best since 2019, and he produced 3.4 fWAR and a wRC+ of 125. All of those numbers might have been better had he not dealt with a midseason quad injury.

Bregman should be a hot commodity this offseason. He had a bounce-back season, and at 31 he’s still young enough to have productive years ahead of him.

Boston Red Sox

A return to Beantown makes the most sense by far. Yes, Bregman opted out of his deal, but that’s not because he didn’t have a successful partnership with the Red Sox. He’s a perfect fit there, especially with Rafael Devers gone and a great group of young players around him. He’s a veteran with two World Series rings who can help guys like Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer grow. Boston would be wise to shell out the money to bring Bregman back.

Detroit Tigers

This is another obvious fit due to his history with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. Detroit had Colt Keith, Andy Ibáñez, and Zach McKinstry playing third base this year, so Bregman would be a significant upgrade. Gleyber Torres might be back in free agency, but if he’s not, the Tigers will need to reshuffle their infield and add to it. Bregman has had decent results at Comerica Park during his career. He has a slash line of .242/.309/.475 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 24 games. That works out to a wRC+ of 112.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners got very little out of their corner infielders early in 2025, which made landing two at the trade deadline vitally important. Seattle succeeded, adding Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, both of whom are set to hit free agency. Enter Bregman, who would fit the team’s approach and be a great fit, hitting in front of or protecting Cal Raleigh. He has spent a lot of time in Seattle thanks to his years with the Astros, though he hasn’t hit well in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. Bregman has played 53 games there and hit .259 with five home runs and 17 RBIs, with an underwhelming wRC+ of 95.

Philadelphia Phillies

Speculation is swirling that the Phillies could try to move Alec Bohm this winter. It wouldn’t be shocking if that were the case. The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract and produced a wRC+ of 105 and 1.7 fWAR in 2025. Bregman would present a sizable upgrade both offensively and defensively. The Phillies were run out of the playoffs by the Dodgers in the NLDS and need more punch in their lineup. Bohm has a lifetime postseason OPS of .666, while Bregman has 19 career postseason home runs. It would be costly to add him, and Philadelphia is going to have to shell out a ton to bring Kyle Schwarber back. But if the Phillies are serious about challenging the Dodgers, adding Bregman would make a strong statement.

If any side has it in them to gift bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers a much-needed Premier League win, it might well have been Ruben Amorim’s all too often charitable Manchester United outfit.

Indeed, heading into this Monday night clash at Molineux, the Red Devils had previously handed relegation-threatened West Ham United a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

However, the visitors from Manchester were far more ruthless on this occasion, as Wolves’ abject season shows no signs of stopping off the back of United running out convincing 4-1 winners.

Sitting on just two points, you likely could pick flaws all night long in the woeful home performance, with the die-hard Old Gold faithful clearly at their wits’ end with the ownership at their lowly club, having staged a fan protest before yet another defeat was tallied up.

What went wrong for Wolves on Monday

Championship football already looks destined to be returning to the West Midlands very soon, with the fresh appointment of Rob Edwards to replace Vitor Pereira doing very little to save the sinking ship.

Edwards just can’t account for some silly errors that plagued Wolves’ game all evening, though, with Andre in the first half – who has been on United’s transfer radar – dilly dallying on the ball for far too long, before Bruno Fernandes then scrappily gave the fortuitous away side a 1-0 lead. As journalist Liam Keen put it, the defending for this opening strike was ” totally shambolic.”

The likes of Yersen Mosquera in the heart of the ropey Wolves defence didn’t fare any better, either, with the shaky number 15 handing Fernandes his second of the one-sided affair late on, after a handball decision went against him for the penalty.

Mason Mount also had all the time in the world to put away United’s third when both Mosquera and Emmanuel Agbadou left him in acres of space to fire home, with the abysmal defending on show typical of a side that has surrendered a seriously worrying 33 goals already this season.

All over the pitch, there were very few positives to latch onto, with a lacklustre attacker now needing to be dropped by Edwards, after he put in another no-show against the rampant Red Devils.

Wolves flop must now be dropped after Man Utd

Apart from Jean Ricner Bellegarde scoring Wolves’ first league goal since October, there would be little to smile about from an attacking point of view at Molineux for the hosts, especially when it came to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s idle showing.

Long gone now are the days when Larsen was being tipped for a £50m switch to Newcastle United after bagging 14 league strikes during his debut season, with the out-of-sorts Norwegian instead now on the receiving end of some sarcastic cheers when he was substituted off after an uneventful 69-minute spell against Amorim’s men.

As per the aforementioned Keen, Larsen even had to be calmed down by his manager after looking “furious” with the jeers directed at him.

But, when looking at the table below, it’s hardly a shock that the hardened Molineux masses decided to voice their frustrations in such a gallows humour way, with the goal-shy number 29 coming off after registering zero shots and just five accurate passes.

Moreover, Larsen only mustering up a sorry 19 touches of the ball in total means even Johnstone in between the sticks for the relegation-doomed side had more touches of the ball, coming in at a far heftier 42.

The Newcastle-linked striker’s notable drop off has impacted the Old Gold so much this season that former Premier League scout Mick Brown, when speaking to Football Insider earlier in the campaign, stated that his presence up top now makes the basement outfit a “worse side.”

This is a far cry from analyst Ben Mattinson’s previous comments that he was a “proper number 9” when scoring goals for fun, meaning Edwards must seriously consider axing him soon, even as his other striker option in Tolu Arokodare, prepares to head to the African Cup of Nations.

Desperate times could call for desperate measures, with Hwang Hee-Chan perhaps the answer in from the cold up top, considering he does have 23 top-flight goals for the Old Gold, one of which came this season, lining up as the sole centre-forward.

Whatever changes do occur, Wolves need to start doing the basics correctly if they stand any chance of turning around their likely insurmountable points gap, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher stating that they have “no fight” at the moment.

Larsen could fall victim to Edwards shuffling his pack, with Wolves surely left with plenty of regret now that they handed the out-of-form number nine a new, bumper five-year deal in September, instead of cashing in.

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