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O técnico Fernando Diniz convocou a Seleção Brasileira pela segunda vez neste sábado (23), no Rio de Janeiro, desta vez para a segunda rodada das Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2026.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

O treinador que também comanda o Fluminense convocou Raphael Veiga e o camisa 23 mais uma vez será o único representante do Palmeiras no Brasil.

Veiga disputará os jogos diante de Venezuela e Uruguai, e pode encarar Joaquin Piquerez, seu amigo e parceiro de Verdão desde 2021. Inclusive os dois podem se enfrentar em um palco muito conhecido e histórico para os palmeirenses, que é o Estádio Centenário, em Montevidéu, palco onde o Verdão faturou o tricampeonato da Libertadores.

continua após a publicidade

+Copa do Brasil: vem com a LIVE da Lance! Betting no YouTube para curtir e faturar em São Paulo x Flamengo!

Raphael Veiga já havia sido lembrado por Diniz para a rodada de estreia do Brasil nas Eliminatórias, mas o meia acabou ganhando apenas três minutos em campo nos duelos diante de Bolívia e Peru.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has dropped an important injury claim regarding one of his teammates ahead of the Champions League clash with Atlético Madrid.

Van Dik excited about "fantastic" Isak

The Premier League champions won 1-0 at Burnley on Sunday afternoon, being frustrated for large periods but winning it through a last-gasp Mohamed Salah penalty.

Liverpool could have done with new signing Alexander Isak’s ruthlessness at times, and speaking after the game, captain Virgil van Dijk waxed lyrical over the Swede, having trained with him last week.

“Very good! Listen, he is going to be very important for the football club. Obviously he is a fantastic player and he has to realise that this is another step up, there’s more things to be asked from him on and off the pitch, but I’m not worried whatsoever.

“He is going to do pretty well, like the other new boys as well. It’s time for him now to get as fit as possible as quickly as possible and be important with goals, with link-up play – like Hugo [Ekitike] is already as well. It’s good to have competition. We have to push each other to be successful and I’m confident that will be the case.”

Alisson drops injury update regarding teammate

Speaking to ESPN after the Burnley game [via Sport Witness], Alisson claimed that Alexis Mac Allister should be fine after being on the end of a bad tackle at Turf Moor, suggesting he should be fit for Liverpool’s visit of Atlético Madrid on Wednesday, also praising the Reds’ new signings.

“He’s a very strong man. Nothing’s wrong with him, he was just in a bit of pain. I think he’s fine.

“All the players who left were important. Lucho, Darwin, they all made a difference for us with goals or their playing, fighting, defending. They had good energy, and we miss them. The ones who arrived are stars, they’re doing very well with their contributions, they have a lot of quality. It’s clear we want to improve because we need to; we have many competitions to play.”

Mac Allister hasn’t quite got going this season, having been injured at one point, and he was off the pace at Burnley, perhaps due to his exploits for Argentina during the international break.

That said, the 26-year-old still has a strong claim for being Liverpool’s most important midfielder, with his blend of quality, work rate, intelligence and leadership making him one of the first names on the team sheet.

It will be interesting to see if Arne Slot starts Mac Allister against Atlético, though, perhaps deciding to give him a breather, partnering Ryan Gravenberch with Dominik Szoboszlai.

Big-money Liverpool star is now in danger of becoming Slot's new Nunez

Arne Slot will already be concerned that this expensive Liverpool attacker is turning into his next Darwin Nunez.

2 ByKelan Sarson Sep 15, 2025

That would then allow Mac Allister to be fresh for Saturday’s Merseyside derby clash with Everton at Anfield, which is the more important game at this stage of the season.

Leeds United have always been known for having some exciting attacking stars on their books, especially when they were Premier League regulars, way before Daniel Farke was handed the reins.

Indeed, the likes of Tony Yeboah, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Mark Viduka have all called Elland Road home previously in the attacking areas, with the final esteemed name listed going on to bag a hefty 72 strikes for the Whites when Champions League football was amazingly on the menu.

Even in modern times, club legends have been born, with Marcelo Bielsa’s distinctive brand of high-octane football, as seen in his time at Leeds, making it easy for entertaining forward players to express themselves fully.

Raphinha, in particular, would go on to be a revered hero under the enigmatic South American, with the Brazilian attacker then solidifying himself as one of the world’s best at Barcelona, after first showing off his obvious class in West Yorkshire.

Raphinha's unbelievable spell at Leeds

Leeds really did hit the jackpot when buying Raphinha for just £17m back in 2020.

From the get-go, it was clear that the Whites had struck gold, with Bielsa even going as far as to state that the skilful 28-year-old can “unbalance” teams all by himself with his quick-thinking down the flanks, on top of his ability to put away chances for fun confidently.

A sublime 15 goal contributions would come his way during this debut season on English shores, before turning on the style even more when his team were up against it during his swansong campaign, as relegation looked a very plausible reality.

Without Raphinha’s 11 strikes during the 2021/22 campaign, slipping back down to the Championship might well have been Leeds’ grim outcome. It’s no coincidence that, after the now £77m-rated attacker left, the Whites would immediately succumb to that unfortunate demise the following season.

Raphinha was even hailed as “the best player I’ve ever played with” by another ex-Leeds hero in Crysencio Summerville, with Farke desperate for another Raphinha-style figure in his camp now to wake up his goal-shy troops.

The promotion-winning German did once actually possess a similarly electric talent to Raphinha, who could be lauded as the most impactful attacker on Leeds’ books since the stylish number ten graced the Elland Road turf.

Possessing the tricky playmaker right now definitely would have eased the pain of Facundo Buonanotte not signing, that’s for sure.

How Georginio Rutter compares to Buonanotte

Farke and Co. were crying out for more attacking signings as deadline day grew closer and closer, with the new Chelsea loanee very much on their radar at the final hour.

Unfortunately, the standout Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder would choose Stamford Bridge over Elland Road at the last minute, leaving Leeds with a lack of exciting additions late into the hectic window.

While it’s clear that the promising 20-year-old would have boosted Leeds up top in the short-term, with nine goals and four assists next to his name in Premier League action, it’s even clearer that the Whites sold a far brighter talent in Georginio Rutter to Buonanotte’s parent club just last year, even if the pair are deemed to be statistically similar, according to FBref.

After all, despite only lining up for 41 clashes for the Seagulls to date in the Premier League, the hard-to-contain Frenchman is already up to ten goal contributions for the South Coast outfit in the tough division, having previously been branded an “entertainer” by analyst Ben Mattinson for his consistent, easy-on-the-eye approach at Elland Road.

Rutter’s Leeds record

Stat

Rutter

Games played

66

Goals scored

8

Assists

18

Big chances created

23

Stats by Sofascore

He further blows his Argentine counterpart out of the water when looking at his unbelievable Leeds numbers, with a ridiculous 23 big chances created from his 66 matches in West Yorkshire. In contrast, the 20-year-old Blues loanee would only muster up seven big chances being created last season in league action for Leicester City.

Rutter did have the advantage of largely playing in the Championship for Leeds to bump up his numbers, but based on his eight goals and five assists for Brighton already, he would have gone on to be a success for Farke’s men in the Premier League.

Regardless of what league he predominantly found himself in, his fantastic ability to entertain and enthral certainly puts him on the same pedestal as Raphinha before him.

It’s just a shame that Rutter couldn’t write his name into Leeds folklore as a dazzling performer who helped Leeds stay put in the Premier League – like the Brazilian – with the Frenchman no doubt filling the Buonanotte-shaped void well if he were still under the German’s wing today.

Related Leeds brewing biggest homegrown talent since Gray in "exciting" 18-year-old

Leeds could look to bring their next Archie Gray into the first team this season

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Sep 12, 2025

“I might just announce my international retirement … then you can all go home!”We’re not even into April, and the line of questioning at Surrey’s pre-season media day is getting a touch samey, to say the least. But Dan Worrall is taking it all in his stride, much as he has done with every step of his remarkable second coming as a professional cricketer – a renaissance that could, with a fair crosswind and a bit of grass on the wicket, result in an England Test debut at the age of 33.That was certainly the impression that Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, gave in September last year, when he name-checked a bowler who had just claimed 52 wickets at 16.15 to help propel Surrey to a hat-trick of County Championship titles. “You can’t not notice Dan Worrall,” Key said. “He’s got brilliant attributes to be an international bowler.”Worrall, himself, however, could scarcely be less moved by the speculation. “There’s some things that take space in my head, but this is not one of them,” he said. “I’m just not interested about what anyone else is saying or thinking. I’m just trying to do my best for the team that I’m representing. And to be honest, with two kids under three, that keeps me busy most of the time anyway. So the other stuff doesn’t matter.”Almost nine years have now elapsed since Worrall’s first foray as an international cricketer: he played three ODIs for Australia, against Ireland and South Africa in September and October 2016. Those yielded one wicket and a sense of a box ticked in his career, as he turned his thoughts to a relocation to England and a chance to build a new life, with or without the sport at its centre.”I always thought I’d be getting the tube to work in London, but I never thought I’d be coming to a cricket ground,” Worrall said. A UK passport, courtesy of his Nottingham-born father, had encouraged him to take the plunge and uproot his young family but, after an initial haul of 43 wickets at 22.53 for Gloucestershire had confirmed the effectiveness of his fast-medium methods in English conditions, his switch to The Oval has since sent his career into overdrive.”We just thought it was a great challenge to take on, to have a bit of life experience, and challenge ourselves a little bit on the other side of the world with no family around. But, luckily, I’ve played at an amazing club, and we’ve won three championships, and the Hundred’s just come about. And being able to access leagues around the world is another benefit of moving over.”The bread-and-butter of Worrall’s new career, however, has been his red-ball form. In the space of those three triumphant seasons, he hoovered up 139 first-class wickets at 21.17, and with England having moved on last summer from James Anderson, a potential vacancy has opened up for, as he put it, “sweat-band seamer” in the Test attack – for the home series against India at the very least, if not for the tour of Australia that follows.”As a bowler, coming from Australia to England, there’s a lot more variables to play with,” he said. “You’ve got to swing it. Sometimes it bounces, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it’s raining … sunny, there’s grass on the pitch. There’s the Kookaburra [ball] now, so there’s a lot more variables that can make your worst day a lot worse than in Australia, I suppose.Related

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“As a professional, the feather in my cap would be getting to the point where I don’t really surprise anyone with how I perform … to get to the point where your worst day is not that much worse than your best day.”Can those attributes succeed on an Ashes tour, however? Despite the recent success of Scott Boland in Australia’s home summers, Worrall’s own assessment is candid.”You want my honest answer? Probably not!” he said. “There is a role – we saw Jimmy for 20 years go on numerous Ashes tours – but as a swing bowler, you’re not going to perform that role in every Test with the Kookaburra ball. There have been opportunities in the last couple of years in Test matches in Australia, [when it’s been] a bit more seamer friendly, but whether that happens again in an Ashes series, that’s yet to be seen. Maybe there’s a job to do as a sweat-band swinger, but we’ll wait and see.”In his former life, Worrall claimed 184 wickets at 29.03 for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, so he clearly has the pedigree to do that job Down Under. But, whether or not he’s doing himself out of a job for the coming winter, he also has no doubts about which attributes England should be doubling down on as they seek to win a series in Australia for the first time in 15 years.”In Australia, there’s not a lot of variables to play with. It’s more about being tall or fast or accurate,” he said. “The way that England are setting up their fast-bowling cartel is the way forward to win in Australia.”We’ve seen success from Gus [Atkinson], Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, and I think they’re trying to get to Jofra [Archer] up and about for that Ashes series. There is the necessity for pace and bounce in Australia, and I don’t think that’s a secret for anyone.”The way the Australian team has taken wickets consistently for the last decade has been with the guys that are over 6 ft 2, bowl fast and don’t really miss the spot. Naturally, there’s a challenge for English bowlers going over to Australia because of that difference, but the way that the guys are setting up now, it gives them the best chance to perform.”None of that, however, means Worrall will be turning down the England call, should it end up coming at any stage this year.”Yeah, of course, I’ve said it before,” he said, when asked if he would like to play for his adopted country. “I haven’t thought about it. Everyone else keeps talking about it. I’m just going to go out and do my best for Surrey and hopefully enjoy another successful season at The Oval.”It doesn’t faze me too much. It’s just one of those things where, as a professional athlete, there’s always someone with an opinion and someone that wants to get the next headline, or they want to figure out the next thing that’s going to happen in their career.”But I think as a player, as soon as you start thinking about that and letting that enter your thinking, it just detracts from your potential as a player and a professional and as a person. So as far as I’m concerned, I’m not that bothered. Whatever happens will happen. I’ll try my best wherever I am.”

Newcastle United had little choice but to sell Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day, with the rebel striker having agitated to leave throughout the summer transfer window.

Having banked a British record £130m fee for the Sweden striker, the Premier League challengers can now turn their attention toward the football, for it’s been clear that the noise has disrupted early-season preparations, just two points from three opening fixtures.

Eddie Howe must be frustrated by the whole ordeal, but he and his team have quietly gone about their business these past few months, with the summer dealings coming to something of a pleasing head.

Indeed, the Magpies may well have replaced the irreplaceable.

How Newcastle have replaced Isak

Many strikers were targeted this summer, and it took a long while before Newcastle found a breakthrough in their protracted pursuit, signing Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week for a club-record £69m fee.

The German international is only 23, but he scored 12 goals from 17 starts in the Bundesliga last season and drew praise for his silky movements and technical control on the ball. European football expert Zach Lowy remarked his depth of quality is “absolutely ridiculous”.

He might take a bit of time to get up to speed, but Woltemade has the potential to serve as Isak did, playing for Howe as a world-class option.

And with a prolific and Prem-proven dance partner in Yoane Wissa jockeying for purchase alongside him, Howe might just find that he has the tools to replace Isak’s 27-goal return across the past campaign in the aggregate.

Especially when considering that the Toon Academy has come on leaps and bounds. Not just welcoming top talents from the youth ranks, Newcastle are also targeting and winning battles for some of Europe’s most coveted youngsters, and one such prospect could be their new version of Isak.

Newcastle's new version of Isak

One of Howe’s biggest strengths is his capacity to take talented up-and-comers and shape them into top Premier League players, and Isak has been the perfect example of that.

He might be gone, but Vakhtang Salia could be Newcastle’s next superstar, with United having beaten off competition from teams such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to sign him from Dinamo Tbilisi last month, a deal agreed a year prior. Such vast interest from Europe’s elite only demonstrates the immense potential gracing Salia’s game.

Like Isak, the 18-year-old Georgian is tactically dynamic, and while he hasn’t refined his shooting ability yet, he has been praised for his “very high work-rate” by Genk scout Mikha Gabechava.

With pace and technical skill, he has often found a role out on the left, something Isak has done efficiently when called upon at Newcastle.

Centre-forward

34

6 (1)

Left winger

22

2 (3)

Right winger

4

1 (0)

Attacking midfield

1

0 (0)

Still finding his way after a month getting into gear at St. James’ Park, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Salia handed some first-team minutes across the campaign, especially with Isak having been sold.

It might be a touch premature to start listing this teenager as the next version of the Sweden international, but Howe and Newcastle have the perfect grounds to shape him into a Toon-standard star.

Salia still has a long way to go, but there’s no question that he’s endowed with all the physical and technical qualities needed to succeed at Newcastle, with journalist Graeme Bailey hailing him as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world”.

He's outscoring Woltemade: Newcastle must regret selling the original Wissa

Newcastle could do with this striker’s quality after selling Isak to Liverpool.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 2, 2025

تلقى منتخب مصر للشباب تحت 20 سنة، الخسارة الثانية له في بطولة كأس العالم للشباب أمام نيوزيلندا بهدفين لهدف.

والتقى منتخب مصر مع نيوزيلندا، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس العالم للشباب المقامة في تشيلي.

طالع.. فيديو | خلال 3 دقائق.. نيوزيلندا تسجل هدفين أمام مصر في كأس العالم للشباب

وتقدم منتخب مصر بالهدف الأول، عن طريق أحمد خالد كباكا، في الدقيقة 5 من عمر الشوط الأول للمباراة، بتسديدة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء، بعد تمريرة من محمد عبد الله.

وتعادل منتخب نيوزيلندا، عن طريق لوك سميث في الدقيقة 13 من تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وجاء الهدف الثاني، في الدقيقة 16 عن طريق شيان لوك من تسديدة داخل منطقة الجزاء وسط غياب دفاعي.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الأولى لبطولة كأس العالم تحت 20 عامًا، بجانب منتخبات تشيلي ونيوزيلندا واليابان.

ورفع منتتخب نيوزيلندا رصيده إلى 3 نقاط في المركز الثالث بينما منتخب مصر بلا أي نقاط في المركز الأخير.  أهداف مباراة مصر ونيوزيلندا في كأس العالم للشباب

يواصل ليفربول مشواره في الموسم الحالي 2025/2026 في جميع المسابقات بعد مباراته أمام كريستال بالاس ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

وخسر ليفربول لأول مرة في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم أمام كريستال بالاس بنتيجة 2/1، في الجولة السادسة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وظهر ليفربول بمستوى سيئ للغاية في المباراة إذ لم يكن في المستوى المطلوب خلال أحداث الشوط الأول من المباراة التي شهدت فرصًا كبيرة ضائعة من لاعبي كريستال بالاس.

ولم يفز ليفربول في آخر 3 مواجهات أمام كريستال بالاس إذ تعادل مرة وخسر مباراة كأس الدرع الخيرية ومباراة اليوم.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماذا قدم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وكريستال بالاس بـ الدوري الإنجليزي؟

بتلك النتيجة توقف رصيد ليفربول عند النقطة 15 في صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”، فيما ارتفع رصيد كريستال بالاس إلى النقطة 12 في الوصافة. موعد مباراة ليفربول وجالطة سراي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

يواجه ليفربول نظيره جالطة سراي في إطار الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الثلاثاء المقبل الموافق 30 من شهر سبتمبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية، على ملعب “رامس بارك” معقل الفريق التركي.

Leicester City have now held talks over the signing of a £30,000-a-week Leeds United player who could replace Mads Hermansen, according to a recent report.

Leicester could be set to lose goalkeeper as they eye a new midfielder

The Foxes are very much playing catch-up in the transfer market, as the time it took for them to decide to sack Ruud Van Nistelrooy and replace him with Marti Cifuentes means they are yet to make a signing in this transfer window.

Leicester City now want to sign 35-cap England star who may join for free

The Foxes could land an experienced midfield performer…

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 9, 2025

However, that could be about to change, as Leicester are among the teams interested in signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on a free transfer. The former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder has agreed to cancel his contract at Besiktas and is now set for a return to England.

However, the Foxes are not the only team to be interested in a possible deal, as Burnley, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s former club Southampton are all keeping an eye on his situation.

Meanwhile, as the focus will be on incomings, the Foxes could be preparing for a big exit, as Ben Jacobs has revealed that West Ham are set to approach Leicester over signing goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

It was reported at the end of June that the Hammers had set their sights on the shot-stopper, and now Jacobs believes a bid could be arriving soon, with Leicester looking to get a fair price, as he is under contract until 2028. His departure will likely mean Leicester will need to find a replacement, and they already have an idea who that could be.

Leicester hold talks over signing Illan Meslier from Leeds United

According to TBR Football, reporter Ben Jacobs has also revealed that Leicester City have held discussions over signing Illan Meslier from Leeds United.

Meslier is in the final year of his contract at Elland Road, and Jacobs believes he could be available for a transfer, given his recent form.

Jacobs told TBR Football: “Leicester at the same time are advancing on Asmir Begovic, who is available on a free transfer; they have discussed Illan Meslier at Leeds, who may be available because he didn’t finish strongly last season, so Leeds could be looking for a number one goalkeeper as well.”

Meslier, who earns a weekly wage of £30,000, cost the Yorkshire side £5 million back in October 2020, and given his contract situation, Leeds may be lucky to make any profit on the goalkeeper.

Apps

92

Goals conceded

69

Clean sheets

47

The Frenchman started every Championship fixture for Leeds up until their game against Luton Town in April, as his form took a dip and Daniel Farke decided to drop him, which meant he didn’t feature in the final seven games of the campaign.

Meslier remains a Leeds player and did feature in their game against Manchester United last weekend, but it remains to be seen if he is Farke’s number one choice heading into the new season.

Liverpool exceeded expectations when they won the Premier League last season, but Darwin Nunez struggled to perform at the expected level throughout.

The 26-year-old striker is a maverick, for sure, but he’s also erratic and chaotic and often incapable of harnessing and channelling his skills into something coherent.

With Luis Diaz’s future looking more certain to exist outside of Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich both vying for his signature and receiving plenty of encouragement, Liverpool might not want to cash in on Nunez.

However, the Uruguay international is in talks to join Napoli, and selling him may well be for the best.

Why Liverpool should sell Darwin Nunez

When Liverpool signed Nunez, they purchased a young and exciting striker who had just come off the back of a 34-goal campaign with Portuguese giants Benfica, scoring twice against Liverpool on Europe’s elite stage.

Klopp, perhaps, had a glint in his eyes when watching the Uruguayan run rampant over many of Europe’s finest; maybe the savvy tactician saw the reincarnation of Luis Suarez in Benfica’s man.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Nunez has flattered to deceive for much of his time on Merseyside, even if he’s shown flashes of the quality that convinced the German manager to fork out an initial £64m fee from FSG’s coffers.

He is expected to depart this summer, and while a popular figure, Nunez hasn’t succeeded in emulating his iconic countryman.

What Liverpool need is a striker who embodies some of Suarez’s qualities but also has experience competing consistently at the very highest level.

Liverpool eyeing Darwin Nunez upgrade

As per TEAMtalk, Slot’s dream signing for the rest of the summer is Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, even if a deal would be extremely difficult to complete.

After the Magpies sealed their place in next season’s Champions League, The Athletic’s David Ornstein claimed there was “no chance” he would leave St. James’ Park. This has since been corroborated by the news that he has been valued at an eye-watering £200m.

Recent events will rightly halt any immediate developments, but Liverpool may well make a concerted effort to challenge the Magpies for their star man later in the transfer window.

Why Alexander Isak can be the new Luis Suarez

Isak has played for Newcastle across three seasons, and he’s improved incrementally.

A shoddy fitness record has been left in the past, with the Sweden star’s athleticism and strength having come on leaps and bounds. His application even led Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to hail him as “the best striker in the Premier League” last season.

24/25

42 (41)

27

6

23/24

40 (36)

25

2

22/23

27 (18)

10

3

In the Premier League, Isak played a monumental part in guiding Eddie Howe’s side back into the Champions League, sealing their place on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign.

His goals counted for plenty, with the 23 strikes put away in the Premier League bettered only by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

However, Isak also ranked among the top 16% of positional peers competing across Europe’s top five leagues last term for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

His all-encompassing attacking game even suggests that he could become Slot’s own version of former Redmen superstar Suarez, who, incredibly, posted 82 goals and 32 assists across only 133 appearances.

Suarez might have reached his career zenith at Barcelona, but who can argue against him being in a different stratosphere to the rest of the Premier League when he plied his trade on Merseyside?

Suarez was a devastating finisher, to be sure, but he was so much more than a simple goalscorer. Steven Gerrard once said the marksman “had everything”, and named him the best forward he had ever played with.

The iconic Anfield skipper went into further detail about exactly what set Suarez apart from his positional peers: “He could embarrass you, even with stuff that I don’t think that he knew he was doing. He was a ricochet merchant, he would run over you, he’d dominate you and bully you.”

Given the stage-by-stage progress that Isak, still only 25, has enjoyed in England, there’s certainly a good chance that he could reach the level of Liverpool’s one-time South American talisman, bringing a “world-class” striking ability, as has been praised by pundit and Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer, to Slot’s squad.

But then, as the aforementioned FBref data suggests, Isak might also thrive in link-up situations, bouncing off the creativity of stars such as Salah and Florian Wirtz, who joined Liverpool in a deal rising to a British-record £116m.

After all, the £120k-per-week number nine created 11 big chances in the Premier League last season, as per Sofascore, emphasising just how creative and intelligent he is in his attacking play.

Suarez perhaps reached the highest level of any forward to have ever played in the Premier League when he was at his apex. Many would contest such conjecture but it’s an argument that would hold at any table.

In Isak, Liverpool might just find the perfect, belated successor, and Slot might secure his perfect new centre-forward.

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