Alessia Russo has opened up on her footballing journey, admitting that the sport has shaped her life but also teaching her that there is more beyond the pitch. The Arsenal and England striker reflected on the bold decision to leave home for college in the United States, her close bond with Lotte Wubben-Moy, and the painful memory of the 2023 World Cup final defeat.

• Russo opens up on difficult journey

  Russo explained that moving to North Carolina for college football was a pivotal point in her career. She admitted she was homesick but described those three years as the best of her life, both for football and personal growth. It was during this period that she learned resilience, independence, and that 'football isn’t everything'.

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  Russo on her United States move and bond with Wubben-Moy

  In an interview with the BBC, Russo said: “I think when I went to America and played three years out in college. I was very much a home bird. I used to hate going to my friends for sleepovers because I just wanted to be at home with my family. That was a big decision for me to go out there and live in North Carolina – the other side of the world – and play football in a surrounding I have never known. It was a really tough decision, but when I look back on my life, it was the best three years ever.

  “I learned so much about myself. When you move out anywhere, you have to grow up quickly and I was on the other side of the world. The only person I knew there was Lotte [Wubben-Moy], who is with me now [at Arsenal], so it's nice to reminisce with her. Those three years changed me as a person. I understood a bit more about myself and my body and I went through my first injury out there. I also learned that football isn't everything, although it does feel like it. I found joy in other things and made friends for life.

  “I've known Lotte since I was about 12 or 13 through England youth camps. She was at Arsenal and I was at Chelsea and Charlton in the academies. She is like the big sister to everyone – she knows what to do in stressful situations and handles things so smoothly.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  The one result Russo would change in her career

  “The one result I would change in my career? The 2023 World Cup final against Spain. It hurt a lot after winning the Euros, and knowing how that felt, to get so close to the World Cup but then so far away at the same time. It left a hole in us as a team, but the way we bounced back in the Euros, maybe wouldn't have happened if we had won. I feel like everything happens for a reason.”

  When questioned about which game she would like to relive without the result changing, Russo added: "I'm going to say the Euro 2022 final. That whole year and that tournament, and the impact that changed after that win was something we could never have imagined. The whole process of winning that tournament in England and then seeing the change, seeing the growth in the game, seeing everyone become a fan of women's football after… that was something I will always live with. The impact we had in that tournament… every player in that squad will tell you it was more than we ever imagined and we were just in our little bubble. Me and Tooney talk about it a lot. Going from nobody really knowing us, to pretty much overnight you are this England footballer that suddenly has won the Euros and the paparazzi are after you and you are getting these amazing opportunities that you would never have imagined pre-tournament. For both of us, that whole tournament completely changed our lives."

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• What stands beyond football for Russo?

  Russo admitted she already imagines life after her playing career, even if it feels far away right now.

  “I do. It's hard in the moment because it is so intense. When you are in football, all you want to do is win every trophy you can. But one day after football, I'd like to have another career. We can't play forever. I'd love to have children and live on a beach somewhere. I'd love to have my own vineyard and live in Italy with my family and have loads of kids and switch off and just be away from football and watch it for fun and enjoy a whole other life. But I don't think that will ever happen.”

  “I look forward to after football and achieving everything I want to achieve in terms of trophies. I do look forward to having another career. I suppose it's a new phase of life after you play football.”

Jackson Bird joined an elite group of bowlers to take 400 Sheffield Shield wickets as he propelled New South Wales to a victory that put them firmly in contention for a place in the final.Bird claimed 5 for 68 on the third day, making full use of a surface that was getting tougher to bat on, as Victoria were bowled out for 154 chasing 230, the margin only narrowed by a late dip from Todd Murphy who flayed 40 off 32 balls.Related

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Scott Boland had earlier finished with 6 for 46 and a match haul of 10 for 102 as NSW lost their last six wickets for 31 but a fourth-innings chase was always going to be a tall order for the visitors.Bird’s first wicket of the final innings, finding the edge of Marcus Harris, took him to his milestone as he joined Clarrie Grimmett, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel and Jo Angel as the only bowlers in the 400-club.”It probably means I’ve been around a long time,” Bird said. “It’s nice to tick off the milestones along the way, but when you have a good win like that with a team, it makes it more special. So it’s a great team effort.”It’s nice to be in that [400] group. But the goal of mine now is to win a Sheffield Shield. I’ve never won a Sheffield Shield, so that’s more important to me at the moment and it’s what’s driving me to keep playing at my age.”Bird, 38, indicated that any decision on whether he would continue his career would be made at the end of the season. “I’m just taking it game by game at the moment,” he said. “I didn’t have much left in the tank after this afternoon. I don’t want to hang on too long. Whether I can mentally do another pre-season. If I do play next year, it’ll probably look different in terms of my availability.”None of Victoria’s top five reached double figures as they slid to 31 for 5 which effectively decided the contest. Bird had Tom Rogers taken at first slip, Harry Dixon miscuing a pull and forced Peter Handscomb to fend a viciously rising delivery into the cordon. He later returned to remove Fergus O’Neill for his fifth wicket and finished the game with a season’s tally of 30 at 13.96.Captain Jack Edwards was again impressive with the ball while Liam Hatcher chipped in with a brace.The victory pushed NSW into second place in what looks like a race to play South Australia in the final. It was Victoria’s third consecutive loss leaving them a tough route to the final with games against the leaders, SA, and an away trip to Western Australia.”Dropping Ollie Davies in the first innings cost us quite a bit,” coach Chris Rogers said. “With our batting we lost a number of wickets in and around breaks and just probably not up to the standard we needed to be if we’re going to win games of cricket. We’ve got a lot of questions we need to answer.”Playing our last Shield game against Queensland before the BBL break I didn’t imagine us being in this position. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. It’s frustrating and shows how competitive this league is. We’ve let too many moments slip and we need to question why that’s happening.”

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

MI are currently placed second and a win will get them a direct final berth

Sruthi Ravindranath10-Mar-20254:59

Can RCB finish their season on a high?

Who’s playingMumbai Indians (MI) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, March 11, 2025Big picture: RCB look to end on highMumbai Indians almost secured a direct spot in the final on Monday. They needed to keep Gujarat Giants to 156 or fewer but a spirited Bharti Fulmali innings did not allow that. The chance was missed but they will not be worrying too much: they not only won the match against Gujarat Giants and kept their perfect record at the Brabourne Stadium intact but also have one more shot at finishing on top of the table. They are on par with table-toppers Delhi Capitals on points. The only point of concern, if at all any, would be that they have to be back within 24 hours to achieve that.Though the move to make Amelia Kerr open hasn’t made much of a difference with the allrounder falling cheaply in both games, MI will be happy Nat Sciver-Brunt did not have to do the heavy lifting once again. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur made a fifty and there were handy contributions from the middle order. Their bowlers were excellent up front and even though they lost the plot in the second half of the chase, they kept their cool to defend 179 on a batting-friendly surface.RCB, meanwhile, will rue what could have been. The defending champions were unlucky with the toss in all four games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which meant they had to do the difficult task of batting first on a ground where seven out of eight matches were won by the chasing team. They still had a tiny chance of making the playoffs which they let go of in a high-scoring thriller against UP Warriorz and are now coming into this contest on the back of five consecutive losses.RCB also had similar issues from start to finish, including playing this season with a weakened bowling attack and depending on a couple of players to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility. In their previous match, it was the out-of-contention Warriorz who took RCB down with them, and now RCB will look to ruin MI’s chances of wanting to finish on top.Form guideMumbai Indians WWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLLLLTeam newsMI are unlikely to change their winning combination.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Amelia Kerr, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amanjot Kaur, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 G Kamalini, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Parunika SisodiaRCB made two changes for the previous match, bringing in S Meghana and Charlie Dean for Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Ekta Bisht. While Dean had a tough outing, conceding 47 in her four overs of offspin, Meghana got off to a rapid start.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 S Meghana, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Charlie Dean, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Renuka SinghPlayers to watch: Harmanpreet Kaur and Sneh RanaHarmanpreet Kaur returning to form is great news for MI. Coming into the game against Giants with scores of 4, 22 and 4*, she scored a crucial 54 to power her side to 179. She has three fifties in four innings at the Brabourne Stadium in WPL and will want to make the most of the home advantage to secure a second title for her team.Sneh Rana will be key for RCB•BCCI

Performances like the one she put up against UP Warriorz make one wonder why Sneh Rana isn’t in the T20 scheme of things for India; she last played a T20I for India in 2023. Against UPW, Rana plundered Deepti Sharma for 25 off five balls, giving RCB a chance to hunt down 226. In her first game for RCB this WPL, Rana returned with 3 for 27 but she has been underutilised with the ball in this edition. She has bowled her full quota only once in the four games.Stats that matter This is the second time in the WPL that RCB have lost five matches in a row, the first time being in the 2023 season Sciver-Brunt and Kerr, both from MI, occupy the top of the run-getters and wicket-takers charts, respectively

After a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on the opening day, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign a defensive reinforcement.

Pereira positive despite Wolves' business

It’s been a tough summer for those in the Midlands. Since losing Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to both Manchester clubs, it’s easy to argue that Wolves have failed to strengthen. Whilst arrivals such as Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias have at least handed Vitor Pereira some attacking depth, it’s currently unclear whether either of those fresh faces will have enough quality to replace Cunha.

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Despite any concern that they’ve not done enough in the transfer window, however, Pereira chose to remain positive before Man City arrived to bring his side back down to earth last weekend.

Whether that 4-0 thrashing courtesy of Pep Guardiola’s side has changed things in the transfer window will now be interesting to see, especially amid reports that Wolves have already made their move in pursuit of a defensive star.

Wolves submit first Krejci offer

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Wolves have now submitted an opening offer to sign Ladislav Krejci from Girona worth as much as €30m (£26m). The 26-year-old centre-back has been granted an exit this month and it’s now those in the Midlands that could be about to take full advantage to land a key defensive reinforcement.

When compared, it’s clear that Krejci and Emmanuel Agbadou would form an impressive partnership in Pereira’s backline. Whilst the Girona star impressed most in possession last season – completing 144 progressive passes – Agbadou did more than enough off the ball to convince Molineux that he should be at the heart of the Wolves defence.

Dubbed a “superb player” by scout Jacek Kulig in 2022, Krejci is someone that Wolves should push to sign before the deadline. Whether their opening offer is enough to secure the defender’s signature remains to be seen, however.

Australian batter targets return in Sheffield Shield next month ahead of English season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2025Cameron Bancroft expects to have fully recovered from his shoulder injury to captain Gloucestershire at the start of the 2025 County Championship season, and is targeting a return for Western Australia next month.Bancroft was involved in a sickening commission with Daniel Sams while fielding for Sydney Thunder in the BBL in January, and has revealed that he has suffered from a level of “trauma” since the injury. He has not played since after breaking his nose and shoulder, but is hoping to be back involved in the Sheffield Shield in March before heading over to England.Gloucestershire announced on Wednesday that he will captain their Championship side this year, stepping into the role after Graeme van Buuren stepped down at the end of last season. Bancroft told the club’s channels that he is recovering “pretty well” and “getting close” to full fitness.Related

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“The shoulder’s tracking alright. Obviously [there was] a little bit of trauma there to deal with and manage,” Bancroft said. “I’m definitely learning some things that I’ve seen a lot of other players experience. It takes time for the body to heal… I’m getting really close and looking forward to playing some cricket at the start of March.”Bancroft impressed across formats for Gloucestershire in 2024, scoring three Championship hundreds and finishing as their leading run-scorer as they won the T20 Blast. He is due back for the full season in 2025, and head coach Mark Alleyne said that his attitude last year made him the ideal choice as captain.”Cameron had an impressive year with us in 2024 and led by example in everything he did,” Alleyne said. “I love his dedication to preparation and his subsequent transference of that in the middle. His experience of playing Test match cricket and winning four-day titles gives him a broad base of experience which our players can feed off.”Gloucestershire finished second-bottom of Division Two last year, but Bancroft believes they can push for promotion. “We had great lessons last year,” he said. “We’ll draw on those lessons, keep working on our strengths and the things we’re really good at. If we can do that, we’re going to be a team that’s going to be really hard to beat and be really competitive.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Coritiba e Santos se enfrentarão neste sábado (10), às 16h (de Brasília), no estádio Couto Pereira. O jogo é válido pela 10ª rodada do Brasileirão.

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Ambas as equipes ocupam a chamada ‘segunda página’ da tabela, abaixo do 10º colocado. O Peixe está atualmente na 12ª posição, com 12 pontos em nove jogos. Ao todo, são três vitórias, três empates e três derrotas.

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Por outro lado, o Coxa segue na lanterna da classificação. O time de Antônio Carlos Zago ainda não venceu no Brasileirão: são três empates e seis derrotas nos mesmos nove jogos disputados.

As novidades do lado santista ficam por conta dos retornos de Joaquim na zaga e Gabriel Inocêncio na lateral-esquerda. O primeiro estava suspenso e não podia entrar em campo na partida da última terça-feira, pela Sul-Americana. O segundo não está inscrito na competição, pois foi contratado após o início da fase de grupos.

Além dos retornos, o Alvinegro terá o desfalque do atacante Deivid Washington, poupado pelo Núcleo de Saúde e Performance do clube para trabalhos de força e reequilíbrio muscular.

Pelo Coritiba, a principal preocupação do técnico Antônio Carlos está na defesa: os zagueiros Bruno Viana e Benjamin Kuscevic estão suspensos. Os possíveis substitutos são os jovens Jean Pedroso, que retorna da Seleção Sub-20 após disputar o Mundial da categoria, e Thiago Dombroski, que se recuperou de lesão e volta a ser relacionado para um jogo depois de aproximadamente um mês afastado.

CORITIBA X SANTOS
Campeonato Brasileiro – 9ª rodada

Data e horário:10 de junho de 2023, sábado, às 16 horas (de Brasília)
​Local:Estádio Couto Pereira, em Curitiba (PR)
Árbitro:Bruno Mota Correia (RJ)
Assistentes:Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa (FIFA/RJ) e Thiago Henrique Neto Correa Farinha (RJ)
VAR:Emerson De Almeida Ferreira (MG)
Onde assistir:Premiere e em tempo real do Lance!

PROVÁVEL CORITIBA: Gabriel; Thiago Dombroski, Henrique, Jean Pedroso; Natanael, Liziero, Bruno Gomes, Marcelino Moreno e Jamerson; Robson e Zé Roberto.Técnico:Antônio Carlos Zago.

Desfalques:Bruno Viana e Benjamin Kuscevic (suspensos).

PROVÁVEL SANTOS:João Paulo; Nathan, Messias, Joaquim e Gabriel Inocêncio; Alison, Dodi e Lucas Lima; Mendoza, Marcos Leonardo e Soteldo.Técnico:Odair Hellmann.

Desfalques:Deivid Washington (poupado); Lucas Braga e Sandry (transição); Luan Dias (lesão muscular); Felipe Jonatan e Leonardo Zabala (lesão no ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo).

أثني محمود الخطيب، رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي، والمرشح لنفس المنصب في الانتخابات القادمة، على سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير الكرة السابق الذي يخوض السباق الانتخابي لعضوية مجلس إدارة القلعة الحمراء.

ومن المقرر، أن تجرى انتخابات النادي الأهلي، يوم الجمعة 31 أكتوبر الجاري، من أجل انتخاب مجلس إدارة جديدة للفترة من 2025 حتى 2029.

ويخوض محمود الخطيب انتخابات الأهلي بعدما تراجع عن قراره بعدم الاستمرار لحالته الصحية، بقائمة تضم العديد من الأسماء البارزة مثل ياسين منصور نائب لمجلس الإدارة وتواجد سيد عبد الحفيظ كعضو مجلس إدارة.

طالع | الخطيب يصدر قرارًا جديدًا بشأن طريقة إدارة الملفات في الأهلي

وقال الخطيب خلال تصريحات في ندوته الانتخابية التي أقيمت مساء الخميس: “سيد عبد الحفيظ من ناشئين النادي الأهلي، يعلم أصول ومبادئ وأسس النادي الأهلي، تربي عليها، ويُربي الأجيال القادمة عليها”.

وأضاف: “سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير كرة لفترات طويلة جدًا، أخلص جدًا في عمله، دوره في الفترة القادمة مهم جدًا، أي أمر يخص الكورة هو أمر يدار كل يوم، أنا لا أستطيع أدير كل يوم، سيد سيستطيع إن شاء الله”.

وأكمل: “بسبب حالتي الصحية، ومن أجل أن أكون صريحًا معكم، أنا خلال الـ8 سنوات الماضية، كنت أعمل بشكل يومي في النادي كنت أقضي أقل شيء 9 ساعات متواصلة في النادي”.

وأتم: “ولكن في الفترة القادمة والمجلس القادم لن أكون قادرًا على العمل مثل الفترة السابقة، للاهتمام بصحتي بناء على توصيات الأطباء، سيتم توزيع الملفات على الزملاء في مجلس الإدارة، جميعهم كفاءات كبيرة”.

Looking to end the transfer window with a flourish of arrivals, Aston Villa have now reportedly agreed a deal to sign a midfield talent with a medical already scheduled to take place.

Who Aston Villa could sign before the deadline

Deadline day is just around the corner and, as such, the frantic search for late reinforcements has officially commenced. Aston Villa, part of that search, still have plenty of work to do and have reportedly launched an opening offer worth as much as £47m to sign Lucas Paqueta from West Ham United.

The Hammers have so far been adamant that the Brazilian is not for sale, however, and their reluctance to negotiate a loan with an obligation to buy may stand in the way of Paqueta’s late move to Villa Park.

Whilst PSR is still limiting their transfer activity, late sales could yet take place to free up some funds for the likes of Paqueta. Emiliano Martinez, for example, is still being linked with a move away from the club, as has been the case all summer long, and Manchester United could yet make a late attempt to secure his signature.

The Red Devils are primarily focused on signing Senne Lammens, but Villa themselves have also asked about the Royal Antwerp goalkeeper and could set off a Martinez domino effect by hijacking United’s move at the death.

Meanwhile, as that saga threatens to unfold, Villa have at least reportedly agreed a late deal to sign a midfield talent for Unai Emery.

Aston Villa set to sign Fletcher Boyd

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Aston Villa have now agreed a deal to sign Fletcher Boyd from Aberdeen. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder is reportedly scheduled to undergo a medical at the club on Sunday before officially completing his move from the Scottish club.

One for the future, Boyd’s opportunities are likely to come with Villa’s youth sides rather than straight into Emery’s thinking. The pathway to the first-team is certainly one that he’ll have his eye on, however, having already experienced senior football at Aberdeen.

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After scoring on his debut for Aberdeen at just 16 years old last year, Boyd received impressive praise from former interim boss Peter Levin, who told reporters: “Just to get his debut is amazing but to score… wow, he will never forget that.

“The fans were unbelievable and for them to sing ‘Fletcher Boyd, he’s one of our own’ is a fairytale for him. Fletcher has been brilliant this season for the under-18s and they won the league the other day. He has contributed to more than 30 goals in the 18s and has just turned 16.”

Liverpool have done it. When all is said and done at the end of the transfer window, which closes at 7pm this evening, Arne Slot’s side will have welcomed Alexander Isak to their ranks.

Isak, 25, has fought to leave Newcastle United and sign for the Premier League champions for many weeks, and after weeks of interminable waiting, now has his wish. Isak will sign for Liverpool.

27 goals for Eddie Howe’s Magpies last season, the Sweden striker is an unstoppable force, so many ways to hurt his opponents. However, FSG don’t seem content with merely the record-breaking man, and plan for more before the window slams shut.

Liverpool planning D-day business

When Marc Guehi scored a looping strike at Villa Park on Sunday evening, he celebrated with the passion and weight of a player set to jump ship.

Liverpool want the centre-back, but they are also ready to move for a new winger to complement Isak, with transfer insider Matt Thielen revealing Richard Hughes has received an offer from AC Milan for Liverpool to sign Rafael Leao as a part of the deal that could see Joe Gomez sign for the Italians.

Valued at £86m and also targeted by Arsenal this summer, the Portuguese winger, 26, would truly be the icing on the cake for the Redmen, adding with Isak quality of the highest class to Slot’s frontline.

What Rafael Leao would bring to Liverpool

Leao has been remarked to be “one of the best left wingers in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson, and while Milan struggled throughout the 2024/25 campaign, he stood proud as a shining light, scoring 12 goals and supplying 13 assists across the campaign, 50 matches all told.

A consistently menacing forward season upon season, Leao is electric-paced and utterly terrifying when on the ball and hurtling down the flank. FBref data records that he ranks among the top 4% of wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per 90.

His world-class credentials and staggering price tag suggest that Liverpool could make an instant repeat of the deal that saw them land Isak by getting it done on D-day.

Leao – AC Milan Career

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

25/26

1

1

0

24/25

50

12

13

23/24

47

15

14

22/23

48

16

15

21/22

42

14

12

20/21

40

7

6

19/20

33

6

2

Data via Transfermarkt

In fact, Leao has actually been described by Milan coach Stefano Pioli as looking like “the early Thierry Henry”, and that’s something that has been attributed to Isak over the past several years too, having been likened to the Arsenal and Les Bleus legend last season, bringing such flair and destructive quality to the final third.

While Leao has yet to unearth and maintain truly jaw-dropping levels in front of goal, he has the talent, all right, and might just reach that giddy level of his game with a move to Merseyside.

Rangy and robust, he’s the real deal and would provide Liverpool with the perfect contrasting skill set to Cody Gakpo on the left flank.

Similar to Isak in some ways, he would work wonders alongside the Scandinavian star, supplying and interchanging in seamless synergy.

In Isak, Liverpool have signed one of the finest centre-forwards in the business, but if they manage to wrap up a move for Leao too, there’s surely going to be no stopping the Anfield side, chock-full with world-class quality.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Aug 31, 2025