Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma appears to be out of Thomas Frank’s long-term plans, or so we thought.

The 29-year-old really hasn’t made a great impression since Frank’s arrival at the club this summer, with Spurs’ new boss publicly damning Bissouma for his lateness to training and repeated disciplinary issues.

The former Brighton star is yet to make a single competitive appearance for Frank since he took charge, thanks partly to injury, but it spoke volumes about Bissouma’s situation when he was left out of Tottenham’s 22-man Champions League squad.

Now, if Bissouma remains in N17, he won’t be able to make a single European appearance until after the league phase, if Spurs even make it that far.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Frank has been unimpressed with Bissouma behind-the-scenes, and the consensus is that Tottenham are prepared to sell the £100,000-per-week ace before his contract expires in 2026.

Other reports suggest that Tottenham could even let Bissouma leave on loan, potentially to get his wages off the books for a brief period before he eventually departs for free next year — if Spurs cannot find an outright buyer.

In any case, with the Turkish, Portuguese, Mexican and Saudi transfer windows still open, the Lilywhites still have an opportunity to offload Bissouma outside the UK window deadline.

Fenerbahçe were credited with a serious summer interest in the African, but a move failed to materialise. Galatasaray also held talks to sign Bissouma on loan with an obligation to buy, according to The Mail, and Spurs are believed to value him at around £20 million.

He played a key role in Tottenham’s route to victory in the Europa League final against Man United in May, even starting the full 90 minutes against Ruben Amorim’s side, but Frank’s stance on Bissouma is crystal clear in comparison to Ange Postecoglou.

Fabrizio Romano shares Yves Bissouma twist out of Tottenham

Now, Fabrizio Romano has shared an intriguing twist on his future, after the consistent reports of him being set for a move away.

According to the reliable journalist, speaking to GiveMeSport’s newsletter, Spurs actually aren’t looking to get rid of Bissouma right now after all, with the situation described as “quiet”.

The introduction of Frank has seriously altered Bissouma’s role in the squad, coming after the ex-Seagulls star shined at times under Postecoglou.

The now-Nottingham Forest boss and Bissouma enjoyed a close relationship, and the player even described him as a father figure. Elsewhere, Pape Sarr praised Bissouma for his influential role behind-the-scenes in 2024.

Last season’s finalists have been off the boil in IPL 2025

Sreshth Shah02-Apr-20253:35

‘The latest Venkatesh Iyer should walk in at is No. 4’

Big picture: Rematch of the IPL 2024 finalThe last time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) met, it was in the IPL 2024 final. But three games into IPL 2025, they are at the wrong end of the points table. SRH are eighth and KKR tenth, and the only team either of them have beaten is Rajasthan Royals, sandwiched in between at ninth.For defending champions KKR, their whole batting line-up has been fragile. Last season, their opening partnership set games up by averaging 43.9 at a strike-rate of 207. This season they are averaging 15.3 and striking at 100. The batters between Nos. 4 to 8 – which includes the retained quartet of Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh – are averaging 17.22 and striking at 117.3. They appear to have picked up a vulnerability to the short ball too. Nine of the 12 KKR dismissals to fast bowling this season are to balls pitched between the 8 and 10 metre mark or shorter.SRH have had poor powerplays with both bat and ball. The shots off Abhishek Sharma’s bat have sounded sweet but he has scored only 31 runs in three innings. Against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, their batters kept attacking even as wickets tumbled to finish with totals that turned out to be below-par. Their fast bowling was supposed to be an upgrade but they’ve not made an impact in the first six overs. Their powerplay economy (11.4) is the poorest among all teams this year, and even with the quality of Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel, the economy rate (11.7) of their pace attack is in the doldrums. Only RR’s quicks (11.8) have fared worse.Although both teams are facing similar issues, their approaches remain different. Cummins said after the last defeat that SRH will not change their batting plan, while KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo said on match-eve their batters will have to move beyond being aggressive and be crafty. Thursday will show which philosophy succeeds.3:12

Cricinformed: Are Sunrisers selling themselves short?

Form guide
Kolkata Knight Riders LWL
Sunrisers Hyderabad LLWTeam news: No major injury concernsSRH are expected to back their primary XII, but the type of pitch (more on that later) could dictate whether they play Adam Zampa, Wiaan Mulder, seamer Simarjeet Singh or spinner Zeeshan Ansari. Anrich Nortje, KKR’s fastest bowler, is still not match ready.Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Vaibhav AroraSunrisers Hyderabad: (probable) 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Aniket Verma, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Wiaan Mulder/Adam Zampa, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Simarjeet Singh/Zeeshan AnsariBig questionAdam Zampa made a return to the IPL on the back of great performances since 2024. In that period, his 50 appearances have brought 76 wickets at a strike rate of 14.3 and economy of 7.7. He is especially useful between overs 7-16 since 2024, where he has bowled 80% of all his overs. Is it time for him to be a permanent fixture in SRH’s line-up?In the spotlight: Aniket Verma and Andre RussellNitish Kumar Reddy was SRH’s standout domestic player in 2024 and the team has found another exciting talent in Aniket Verma this season. Even with wickets tumbling, Aniket, bought for INR 30 lakh, has found a way to smash bowlers. His 13-ball 36 against LSG was a trailer of what would follow as he went on to hammer a 41-ball 74 against DC. Aniket has been among the most destructive players of spin in IPL 2025, hitting them for a boundary once every three balls, at a strike rate of 238. His 11 sixes against spin is second only to Nicholas Pooran’s 12. With KKR possessing Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their bowling XI, will Aniket continue his dominance?2:47

Bangar: Don’t see any change in SRH’s approach

Since the end of IPL 2024, Andre Russell has scored only 586 runs in 41 T20 games at an average of 18.9. He also has just nine runs in two innings this IPL. Last season, Russell had given KKR power at the death, averaging 31.20 with a strike-rate of 185. His highest score in IPL 2024 of 64 not out came against SRH at Eden Gardens.Pitch and conditions: Turn on the cards?The surface at Eden Gardens has been in focus over the last week. The pitch that was used in the season opener against RCB backfired on KKR, with the captain Rahane asking for something slower that would suit the team’s spinners. Two pitches have been prepared for this fixture, both having very little grass, which suggests the team’s demand may well have been met.Key Stats: SRH’s dependency on their openers KKR won all three games against SRH in IPL 2024: one league game, the first qualifier and the final. KKR have also won eight of the last ten matches against SRH. KKR have the second-lowest powerplay run-rate (7.8) this season, ahead of only CSK’s 7.4. They also have the joint worst powerplay bowling strike-rate of 54. Travis Head has the second highest strike-rate against fast bowling (206) since IPL 2024 (min. 100 balls faced). Abhishek Sharma has the best IPL strike-rate of 206 for the first ten deliveries of an innings (min. 75 balls) Heinrich Klaasen has never been dismissed by Sunil Narine in five IPL innings, scoring 34 runs off 22 balls. Against Varun Chakravarthy, Klaasen has scored 35 runs off 20 balls, but has been dismissed once. SRH have an 80% win record when both Head and Abhishek survive the powerplay. It drops to 71% when one of them is dismissed and dips to 17% when both are out.Quotes”The bowlers have an attacking plan, but also have a defensive plan. When we are under pressure, you will see our bowlers go to a defensive plan. But when we are also picking up wickets, we will continue to try and pick up more.”
“Our team is suited to play an aggressive style, but we don’t speak about 300 as an expectation that are put on us by other people. We try to play a positive brand of cricket. It’s a strength of ours and we try to double down on our strengths.”

Rasmus Hojlund thanked his team-mate Kevin De Bruyne after the 34-year-old Belgian provided assists for both of his goals as Napoli beat Sporting CP on Wednesday. The Danish striker scored a match-winning brace in the 2-1 victory in the Champions League, their first in the competition this season having lost 2-0 to Manchester City two weeks ago.

Hojlund brace sinks Sporting CP

Hojlund put an end to a run of three goalless games on Wednesday evening, as his goals in the 36th and 79th minute of the game helped Napoli beat Sporting CP 2-1 on the second matchday of the league phase of the Champions League. It was an important brace for the 22-year-old forward, who hadn't found the back of the net since scoring on his Napoli debut three weeks ago.

AdvertisementHojlund's double De Bruyne delight

"It was a fantastic evening and I thank my teammates for that," Hojlund told while reflecting on the win. "We've earned our first points in the Champions League, but the road is long and we need to keep going. Later, we'll also face my brother Oscar's Eintracht Frankfurt and I can't wait." 

Regarding the double assist provided by De Bruyne, he said:"I thanked him. Kevin is a legend of this sport and when he has the ball I know that with his quality he will always put it to me in the best possible way."

He later wrote on Instagram: "'Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin De Bruyne' was not on my 2025 bingo card."

De Bruyne joins elite company

De Bruyne became only the sixth player in Champions League history to bag two assists on five or more occasions. In the process, he joined the elite company of Angel Di Maria, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Lionel Mess, and Zinedine Zidane to achieve the feat.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportGenoa challenge awaits Napoli

Having started their Serie A title defence with four consecutive wins, the Partenopei's run was halted last weekend thanks to a 2-1 defeat against AC Milan. They will aim to bounce back from the loss when they welcome 19th-placed Genoa on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após a vitória por 4 a 1 contra o Santos, Dorival Júnior falou sobre o bom momento que o São Paulo vive. Ao ser questionado sobre prioridades, vindo de uma classificação recente para a semifinal da Copa do Brasil, o treinador alegou que trata todas as competições da mesma forma.

RelacionadasBrasileirãoCalleri dá show, Pato marca, e São Paulo goleia o Santos pelo Brasileirão em Morumbi lotadoBrasileirão16/07/2023São PauloA difícil volta por cima: Alisson supera problemas pessoais e encontra espaço no time do TricolorSão Paulo16/07/2023Fora de CampoSão Paulo goleia Santos com direito a gol de Pato e torcedores vão à loucura; veja repercussãoFora de Campo16/07/2023

De acordo com as palavras de Dorival, no momento, a ideia não é abrir mão de nenhuma competição, mas seguir brigando com todas e ‘tentando fazer o máximo sempre’.

– Acho que nesse momento não podemos ter essa preocupação. Vamos brigando pelos pontos, não vamos abrir mão de nenhuma em momento nenhum. Vamos tentar fazer o máximo sempre. Se ganharmos ou perdermos posição, e a equipe fizer o que a gente pede, ficarei feliz. A gente pode ter uma arrancada que pode ser decisivo – disse.

+ Para os tricolores paulistas apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!

ATUAÇÕES: Calleri dá aula em clássico, Pato marca primeiro gol em retorno, e São Paulo anula Santos no Brasileirão

Dorival Júnior destacou o bom momento que a equipe vive. De acordo com o treinador, a sequência de resultados positivos se deve muito ao esforço dos jogadores e a forma da qual eles se comportam com os apontamentos realizados por ele e pela comissão técnica.

– Buscamos mostrar que fizemos o que encontramos na equipe adversária, os jogadores respeitaram o que foi passado. Os jogadores buscaram ocupar o que foi mostrado em campo. Estamos apontando algumas coisas por estudos que estão sendo feitos e não saímos de lá enquanto não tivermos as coisas resolvidas – destacou.

– Cada jogo é natural que você tenha uma diferença em relação àquilo que sua equipe realiza e hoje encontramos pequenos detalhes que foram pontuados e treinados, eles fizeram com maestria – completou.

Agora, o São Paulo volta a jogar somente na próxima semana, no sábado (22), contra o Cuiabá. A partida será válida pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

It has seen them receive plenty of criticism over the last few years, but Chelsea’s transfer strategy has seen them amass a squad full of unreal talents.

Moreover, the club have also been able to shift an impressive number of players deemed no longer good enough.

In fact, despite bringing in the likes of Liam Delap, Jorrel Hato, Alejandro Garnacho and more this summer, the Conference League champions posted a profit of around £3m.

However, there are still a number of players the club have been unable to shift, including one who somehow earns more than Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.

Chelsea's best sales

While we as fans are understandably far more focused on the incomings during a transfer window, it’s just as crucial for clubs to nail their outgoings, and few in the Premier League can sell as well as Chelsea.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

Expand Collapse

For example, Noni Madueke joined the club for around £29m in January 2023, and after 92 appearances in which he scored 20 goals and provided nine assists, was sold for around £52m.

Ian Maatsen joined the club as a youngster in 2018 and, after a number of loan spells, was sold to Aston Villa for a whopping £37.5m last summer.

It’s not just outfield players that the Blues have been able to make good money on, either.

Đorđe Petrović was signed from MLS side New England Revolution for £14m, including add-ons, two years ago, and following one season in London and one out on loan, was sold to Bournemouth for about £25m this year.

The West Londoners have even got a knack for getting good money for those players that could be viewed as flops, like Christopher Nkunku, who joined AC Milan for around £36m last month.

In short, Chelsea have proven themselves to be one of the best-selling sides in the Premier League, although there is one player they have not been able to shift, a player who somehow earns more than Palmer and Pedro.

The Chelsea flop on more than Palmer and Pedro

While there are a few players Chelsea are yet to get rid of, there is one who is impossible to ignore: Raheem Sterling.

The former England international joined the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for around £50m and put pen to paper on a five-year deal.

At the time, it looked like a good enough deal, as during his time in Manchester, he’d racked up a tally of 131 goals and 86 assists in 339 games.

However, while he’s looked good at points during his time in the capital, a return of 19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games was deemed not good enough for Maresca when he joined, and so the winger was banished to the ‘bomb squad.’

London rivals Arsenal offered the former Liverpool gem a lifeline when they took him on loan last season, but instead of bouncing back, he looked even worse.

In fact, the 30-year-old was such a “passenger” in North London, per journalist Charles Watts, that content creator Connor Humm described the whole move as an “absolute waste of time and money.”

The Kingston-born ace returned to West London with just six goal involvements in 28 games for the Gunners, and while there was some interest in him during the summer, he is now back in the bomb squad.

Sterling’s Arsenal record

Competition

EPL

UCL

FA Cup

EFL Cup

Appearances

12

6

1

4

Minutes

307′

297′

80′

270′

Goals

0

0

0

1

Assists

1

2

0

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.08

0.33

0.00

0.50

Minutes per Goal Involvement

307′

148.5′

N/A

135′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

This wouldn’t be such an issue if he were earning a modest wage, but that five-year deal he signed in 2022 was for a staggering £325k-per-week.

In other words, should the four-time Premier League champion see out his entire contract at Stamford Bridge, he will have earned an eye-watering £84.5m.

For comparison’s sake, Pedro, who already has five competitive goals and two assists to his name since joining the club, is reportedly on around £135k-per-week.

Likewise, Palmer, the club’s talisman, has a sensational tally of 43 goals and 29 assists in just 98 games for the club, and is making £130k-per-week.

Ultimately, while it’s not easy to move on a player earning as much as Sterling, it might be in Chelsea’s best interest to let him leave for free in January just to remove his gargantuan wages from the books.

Related Chelsea have struck gold on "insane" star who's worth more than Simons

The international star is going to be hugely important for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca this season.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 9, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur supporters were left in shock earlier this week when it was confirmed that long-serving chairman Daniel Levy would be stepping down from his role at the club.

He spent more than 24 years in the position, since being appointed in March 2001, and played a part in Spurs winning two major trophies during that time, the League Cup in 2008 and the Europa League earlier this year.

Speaking last month, before this announcement, Levy said: “I think it’s one of those situations [in which] when I’m not here I’m sure I’ll get the credit. When you come here and look at this wonderful [stadium], and the fact that other clubs are now trying to copy what we’re doing, that should be a sign that maybe we did do something bold, and something right.”

Perhaps that is now true. Supporters and the wider footballing community may look back at what he achieved as the chairman of the club, with the standout being that they were the most profitable ‘big six’ team during his tenure.

However, Levy was not perfect, no one is, and there were plenty of missteps along the way in North London, particularly when it came to making signings.

Daniel Levy's worst signings for Spurs

As ESPN recently noted, the English supremo was heavily involved in transfer windows, even when sporting directors were in place, and had a hand in every deal in and out of the first-team.

A quick glance at Levy’s ten most expensive signings during his time as the club’s chairman will tell you that he was far from perfect in the transfer market, albeit more than one person decides and acts on a signing.

Xavi Simons

£56m

Dominic Solanke

£55.7m

Mohammed Kudus

£55.3m

Tanguy Ndombele

£53.7m

Richarlison

£50m

Brennan Johnson

£47.7m

Cristian Romero

£45m

James Maddison

£39.8m

Davinson Sanchez

£36.4m

Archie Gray

£35.7m

Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele immediately stand out in this list for the wrong reasons, whilst Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Archie Gray have been at the club for at least a year and are yet to prove they were worth the massive money spent on them.

Time will tell whether or not recent summer signings Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons will turn out to be good signings, particularly given that the latter is yet to play a game for the club.

Beyond the current top ten, you can also point to the £26m club-record signing of Roberto Soldado from Valencia in 2013, because the Spaniard only scored 16 goals in 76 matches in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Some players within the current first-team set-up could be considered among Levy’s worst signings during his time as chairman, as he failed to provide recent managers with enough quality talent across the pitch.

One current Tottenham Hotspur player who was seemingly a poorly considered signing by the former Spurs chief is central defender Radu Dragusin.

Why Spurs should cash in on Radu Dragusin

In January of last year, Spurs reportedly splashed out a fee of up to £26m to sign the Romania international from Genoa to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s defensive options.

Cristian Romero

£195k

Xavi Simons

£195k

James Maddison

£170k

Dejan Kulusevski

£110k

Richarlison

£90k

Dominic Solanke

£90k

Radu Dragusin

£85k

Pedro Porro

£85k

Ben Davies

£80k

Guglielmo Vicario

£75k

Rodrigo Bentancur

£75k

As you can see in the table above, Spurs also made Dragusin one of the top earners in the squad on £85k-per-week, which is more than twice as much as Djed Spence, for example, earns (£40k-per-week).

Spence, who is currently in the England squad, has started all three matches in the Premier League this season and started 19 of his 25 outings in the division last term, per Sofascore.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

His emergence as an England international illustrates his rapid rise in North London and shows that he is a valuable member of the squad, which is why Dragusin earning so much more than him may be questionable.

The Romanian international has been out with an ACL injury since February, unfortunately, but his first year at the club did not suggest that he was on track to be a successful signing.

Dragusin ranked within the bottom 4% of centre-backs in the Serie A for Genoa during the 2023/24 Serie A campaign for progressive passes per 90 (1.53) and the bottom 29% for pass accuracy (82.1%), per FBref.

This is why it was an odd signing to begin with for Spurs because they signed a centre-back who struggles playing out from the back to play in a progressive and risk-taking Ange Postecoglou side.

The 23-year-old defender only made ten progressive passes and five progressive carries in his nine outings in the Premier League in his first five months in England, per FBref.

Progressive passes

2.66

Bottom 35%

Progressive carries

0.50

Bottom 42%

Errors

0.29

Bottom 2%

Miscontrols

0.58

Bottom 23%

Long pass accuracy

43.9%

Bottom 3%

Pass accuracy

85.2%

Bottom 26%

As you can see in the table above, the former Genoa star ranked poorly among his positional peers in a host of possession-based metrics in the Premier League across his 16 appearances in the division before his injury.

In December of last season, pundit Chris Sutton described Dragusin’s decision-making as “terrible” in a 6-3 loss to Liverpool at home in the Premier League.

It is hard to disagree with that assessment when you consider that the central defender made four errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition in just 14 starts in the division in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.

Dragusin, to put it simply, does not look comfortable in a team that wants to have plenty of the ball and play out from the back in a league that is as intense as the Premier League, because of the speed of the press from opposition teams.

Levy thought he'd signed Gareth Bale 2.0 at Spurs, then he left for £0

Tottenham Hotspur made a huge mistake in allowing one young talent to depart the club for nothing.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 6, 2025

This is why the Romania international was among Levy’s worst signings, because he seemed doomed to fail from the start, and why the club should look to move him on when he is back fit, as he has proven himself to be too much of a liability in possession.

West Ham have had by far the worst opening to the Premier League of all of this year’s sides. Graham Potter has lost his opening two League games and has been knocked out of the League Cup by Wolves despite leading in the 80th minute.

Following the Carabao Cup exit, Potter spoke about the destitute situation at the club: “We’re all in pain so we need everybody to help, we need everybody’s support, we need to push forward and on to the next match. The team’s suffering at the moment, we all are, we’re all hurting”

One of the biggest problems that West Ham have faced in their opening games has been their new goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen. The Hammers splashed out on the Danish keeper this summer, and in his opening two games, he has conceded eight goals.

What’s worse is that he has only faced an xG of 6.78, meaning in just two games he has conceded from more than one shot that most keepers would be expecting to save, and that doesn’t even account for his weakness defending set pieces.

Due to this, West Ham are looking at drastic measures and could bring in Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana on loan.

Onana looking for late window exit

Onana had not featured in pre-season due to a hamstring injury, and many fans expected to see him feature in their game week two clash against Fulham. However, Ruben Amorim continued to pick Altay Bayindir ahead of him, despite the Turkish keeper being partially responsible for United’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

United are now also heavily linked with signing Royal Antwerp goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, bringing Onana’s future into further doubt.

Reports from Graeme Bailey via United in Focus have indicated that “intermediaries have held active talks with a number of clubs about a loan deal for Andre Onana, and we can confirm one of those clubs is West Ham United”.

No good options for Potter

Veteran goalkeeper Łukasz Fabianski was one of the many players whose contract was not renewed at the end of last season, meaning the only other keepers at the club are Wes Foderingham and Alphonse Areola.

Areola was given the nod to start against Wolves in the League Cup, but his performance wasn’t much better than Hermansen’s had been. Areola faced shots valued at 1.95 xG but conceded three goals, leading to the Hammers’ elimination.

The signing of a Manchester United goalkeeper might sound prestigious, but Onana has previously been described as “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history” by former United and Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic, and Amorim’s displeasure with the Cameroonian should be another warning sign about this potential signing.

Bringing in an alternative goalkeeper at such an early stage is a clear sign of desperation from West Ham. and Onana as that alternative might not be a vast improvement. The opening games have indicated that problems at West Ham are greater than any one signing.

Liverpool are anxiously awaiting scan results to determine the severity of Alisson Becker’s hamstring injury after the Brazilian goalkeeper limped off during the Champions League defeat to Galatasaray. Head coach Arne Slot has confirmed that Alisson will miss Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea, sparking fears of a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Alisson suffers hamstring injury against Galatasaray

Alisson was forced off in the 56th minute of Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray after pulling up while sprinting back to make a save from Victor Osimhen. The 32-year-old immediately signalled to the bench before being replaced by summer signing Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Brazilian is now set to undergo a scan on Thursday to assess the extent of the problem, as per The Athletic.

AdvertisementAFPSlot confirms Alisson will miss Chelsea clash

Speaking after the game, Liverpool boss Slot confirmed that Alisson would miss the upcoming trip to Chelsea and expressed concern over the injury. “If one of our players is on the floor nine times out of 10, I fear the worst and with the worst, I mean he cannot continue, and that is what happened with Alisson,” Slot said. “He will not be able to play Saturday, that is 99.9 per cent (certain), although I think it is 100 per cent.”

Getty Images SportAlisson could miss crucial run of fixtures for Liverpool

Alisson’s setback is a major blow for Liverpool, who face a crucial run of fixtures in both the Premier League and Europe. The Brazilian has already missed time in recent seasons due to similar hamstring problems, raising concerns about a potential recurrence. His absence places added pressure on Mamardashvili, who could now be handed a run of starts during a decisive period.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPMamardashvili to deputise for Alisson against Chelsea

Liverpool will travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday before hosting Manchester United on October 19 in what could be a key early test of their title credentials. The Reds are expected to receive Alisson’s scan results within the next 24 hours to determine the severity of the injury. Should the problem prove significant, Slot may have to rely on Mamardashvili for those games and potentially also games against Crystal Palace and Real Madrid.

Sunderland have made contact to sign a £15m centre-back who Crystal Palace want to replace Marc Guehi.

Sunderland’s signings so far this summer as Le Bris eyes more

It has been an extremely busy summer transfer window for the Black Cats, who have so far signed 12 players for Regis Le Bris.

Many of the new arrivals started and impressed in the opening day win against West Ham at the Stadium of Light, however, Sunderland lost 2-0 to fellow promoted side Burnley last time out.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£30.5m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.4m

Noah Sadiki

Union Saint-Gilloise

£15m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£13m

Nordi Mukiele

PSG

£12m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£10m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

Free

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£18m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Marc Guiu

Chelsea

Loan

Arthur Masuaku

N/A

Free

Talking before the defeat at Turf Moor, Le Bris admitted that Sunderland still want to make new additions before the September 1 deadline.

When asked on potential signings out wide, Le Bris added: “There’s a lot of speculation which is positive for everyone. Same answer. If it’s possible to reinforce the squad with the right profile we’ll move forward, but it’s not just our question. It’s a question of the player and the club, so we’ll see.”

Sunderland's most expensive signings of all time

Who is the Black Cats’ record addition?

ByCharlie Smith Sep 5, 2025

A new centre-back is also wanted, especially as Dan Ballard went off injured against Burnley. Jhon Lucumi of Bologna has been heavily linked with a move to Sunderland, however, another defensive target with Premier League experience is wanted by the Black Cats.

Sunderland make contact to sign Lloyd Kelly

According to reports from Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Sunderland have made an enquiry to sign Juventus centre-back Lloyd Kelly. Formerly of Newcastle, Kelly’s loan move to Turin became permanent over the summer for £15m, but a return to the Premier League is possible.

As well as the Black Cats making contact over a transfer, Crystal Palace have followed suit as they view Kelly as a replacement for Guehi, who is being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.

Juventus have even identified Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Beraldo as a replacement for Kelly, so a last-minute move back to England could be on the cards.

Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal

Luke O’Nien

Sunderland

Chris Richards

Crystal Palace

Pierre Kalulu

Juventus

Sven Botman

Newcastle

Kelly, previously of Bristol City and Bournemouth before his move to Newcastle and subsequent transfer to Juventus, has played 64 times in the Premier League and was once called “incredible” by former manager Gary O’Neil.

Therefore, if Sunderland miss out on Lucumi and Crystal Palace keep hold of Guehi, Kelly, similar to O’Nien, could be an ideal option for Le Bris, making this one to watch.

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick provided a worrying update on wonderkid Lamine Yamal's injury as he could not guarantee that the teenager would feature against Real Madrid in the season's first El Clasico later this month. Yamal suffered a relapse of his groin injury while featuring in Barca's Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week.

• Barca hit by Yamal injury crisis

  After featuring for Spain in the September international break, Yamal missed three weeks of club football due to a groin problem. He returned to action against Real Sociedad in La Liga, where he appeared in the second half and then played the full 90 minutes against PSG in the Champions League. However, following the European clash, Yamal felt discomfort in his pubic area once again and now the club has confirmed he will miss the next 2-3 weeks of action.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Flick provides worrying update

  Flick was quizzed on Yamal's fitness at a pre-match press conference on Saturday and feels that Yamal could be set for even longer on the sidelines. Speaking to reporters, the German coach said: "I spoke with him today, it's better but it's not good. This is the situation with Lamine. With this injury, it's not so easy to know [when he will return]. It's not easy to say 'OK he can play in two, three or four weeks…' or if he's able to play the Clásico. This is not possible. We have to wait. We must manage his load. He trains with the recovery team and [spend] the next weeks with them. We go step by step. We have to see how the evolution is."

• Flick defends his criticism of Spain boss Luis de la Fuente

  After Yamal picked up the injury on national duty, Flick accused Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente of "not taking care" of the teenager. The German manager has now defended his earlier comment by saying: "I want to protect my player, support him, this is what it is. A lot of things happened. This is, for me, done. I have no bad things about this situation. I know it from the other side. It's not easy for me. It's not easy for [De la Fuente]. I must protect my player; this is the reason I made it a little louder than normally I want to do it. I don't regret this. "Now, the important thing is managing this together. The players, the clubs and the Spanish Federation [RFEF]. We have to manage it together."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  How many matches will Yamal miss?

  Yamal won't be linking up with the Spain national team for their World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria later this month. He will also miss Barcelona's upcoming clashes against Sevilla, Girona and Olympiacos. It now remains to be seen if the winger will fully recover in the next three weeks and take the field against Los Blancos.