Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly in talks with Napoli ahead of a January exit from Manchester United.

Across his last four games, manager Ruben Amorim has won 10 points from an available 12, stringing together a run of three wins and a draw. The former Sporting boss has seemingly, after over a year in charge, found some consistency in his first team.

This could prove crucial for Amorim, who has found himself under varying amounts of pressure since moving from Sporting to Old Trafford in November 2024. In becoming more sure of his first team, though, the Portuguese has limited the minutes of Kobbie Mainoo.

A product of the club’s prestigious youth academy, Mainoo has played just 138 minutes in seven Premier League appearances this season. As a result, rumours have started to circulate about his future and now, reports in Italy have suggested that a move to Serie A could be on the cards.

Amorim wants Mainoo to stay amid Serie A talks

As per Football Italia, Napoli have “been in contact with the agent” of Kobbie Mainoo and that “interest in a loan deal is mutual” between the player and club. Reportedly, the defending Serie A champions are looking for midfield depth following an injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne.

Depth is made all the more imperative given that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be absent during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and Napoli have retained the interest that they seemed to have in Mainoo back in the summer transfer window.

Despite keen interest from Antonio Conte’s side, it would seem that Amorim hopes that Mainoo remains in Manchester, though it has also been reported that a move to Italy is “more likely” and something that has reached the “advanced talks” stage of negotiation.

Though Amorim may want Mainoo to stay, it is understandable as to why the midfielder wants more first-team football, especially with a World Cup coming up next year. With Napoli’s current absentees, Mainoo would certainly receive minutes at the club.

Not only that, but Napoli’s status as a Champions League club may only make the move more alluring to Mainoo. It remains to be seen, though, whether the England international departs in the next transfer window.

Exciting update on young Man Utd defender's first team chances

Pooran is also captain of the MI franchises in the MLC and the ILT20

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2025Nicholas Pooran has been named Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) captain ahead of CPL 2025. He will take over from Kieron Pollard, who has led the team since 2019, when he replaced Dwayne Bravo in the role.”It means a lot, first and foremost, to represent Trinbago Knight Riders. It is a privilege that I’m getting the opportunity to lead this franchise,” Pooran said. “I want to give it my best shot, and hopefully make as many correct decisions as I can. It’s a responsibility that has been passed on from Bravo to Pollard, and now to me.”For me, the most satisfying thing is that Pollard is still playing; Sunil [Narine] and Andre [Russell] are here too. That’s a lot of experience I can bank on. To lead them on the field – it means a lot to me.”Related

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Pooran, who is one of the most sought-after players on the T20 circuit, made his debut in the format as a 17-year-old in the inaugural season of the CPL for TKR, who were then known as Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel. He switched to Barbados Royals (BR) and Guyana Amazon Warriors before returning to TKR in 2022. He’s played in all the CPL seasons so far except for 2015, when he was out injured due to an accident. Overall in the CPL, Pooran has 2447 runs at a strike rate of 152.27 in 114 matches. At present, he is also the captain of MI New York in the MLC and MI Emirates in the ILT20.Under Pollard’s leadership, TKR not only won their fourth CPL title in 2020 but had a record unbeaten season – with 12 out of 12 wins – before making two more playoff appearances. In 2024, they lost the Eliminator to BR. Bravo was named head coach this season after he retired last year.”I believe grooming the next generation is very important,” Pollard said. “With Bravo coming on board this year as the new head coach, we felt this is the right time to get a new captain in. Pooran is homegrown, and I think this is the right opportunity for him. We’ve actually been preparing him for this over the years.”I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be playing for, but I’m happy for the opportunity to still be on the field and help Nicholas ease into this role. He’s someone who we’ve seen grow in front of us and he understands our values and principles. He understands how we want to play cricket, he understands the winning culture that we want to create, and he shares a lot of respect with a lot of players around the world. So for me, it was an easy decision to hand over the captaincy to Pooran.”TKR start their CPL 2025 campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 17.

Jason Holder was bang in the middle of all good things St Kitts and Nevis Patriots did as they ended a three-match losing streak in CPL 2025 to beat Barbados Royals by 12 runs in Basseterre on Thursday night.Holder first hit a 21-ball 38 to lift an up-and-down Patriots innings that needed a bit of impetus, and then picked up four wickets, including three key strikes at the death when the match got a bit tense.Batting first after Royals opted to field, Patriots were three down quickly, losing Evin Lewis, Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Rizwan inside the powerplay with just 45 runs on the board. Ramon Simmonds, the left-arm quick did most of the damage, removing Lewis and Rossouw, while Rizwan, in his first match for the franchise, fell to Jomel Warrican.Andre Fletcher had been holding one end up, but he didn’t last too long after the powerplay, falling to Daniel Sams for a 16-ball 25 in the ninth over.Kyle Mayers top-scored for Patriots•CPL T20 via Getty Images

It was then that Kyle Mayers and Holder got together and put up a 49-run stand to bring Patriots back in the game. The two contributed more or less equally to the 30-ball partnership, with Mayers contributing 26 in 16 and Holder 22 in 14. Mayers and Holder fell in the 14th and 16th overs respectively, but quick runs from the Pakistan duo of Abbas Afridi (16 in ten) and Naseem Shah (19 not out in 11) took Patriots to a strong total.It might not have proved enough on another night, though. But Royals, who have now lost both their games this season so far, just couldn’t get a chase going, even though they ended up getting close enough to the target.Unlike Patriots, they got runs from their top order, but the speed of progress wasn’t good enough. Brandon King scored 22 in 17. Quinton de Kock 15 in ten. Kadeem Alleyne, the highest scorer of the innings, hit 42 in 28. Sherfane Rutherford and Kofi James had poor outings, but Rovman Powell, batting at No. 6, chipped in with a 15-ball 21.But there just wasn’t the one big effort that would have made the match close. Wickets fell at regular intervals, Naseem and Navin Bidaisee, the legspinner, picking up two wickets apiece to complement Holder, whose four wickets in 3.2 overs cost him just 14 runs. All of that combined to finish the Royals innings off with ten balls left – enough time to score 12 runs, you’d think, except that they had lost too many wickets too quickly to get to that position.The win, their second in five games, took Patriots to second place on the table behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, while Royals are right at the bottom.

Newcastle United head into another Champions League tie in mid-week off the back of a disappointing result in the Premier League on the road.

Before facing off against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in mid-October, and convincingly putting them to the sword 3-0 in Europe’s illustrious competition, the Toon had come up short away at Brighton and Hove Albion in a 2-1 loss on the South Coast.

Eddie Howe will hope he gets a similar response out of his troops when Athletic Club travel to Tyneside on Wednesday night, as Newcastle’s “passive” afternoon against the Hammers – as journalist Craig Hope put it – resulted in the away side coming away empty-handed from the London Stadium in a 3-1 loss.

Howe will have been left with lots to chew over from that defeat, as he cut a forlorn figure after the match, while Nuno Espirito Santo jumped for joy, as he momentarily stopped the West Ham rot.

The changes Eddie Howe must make vs Athletic Club

The usually mild-mannered Howe blasted his team’s performance as “unrecognisable” of what Newcastle is all about. Indeed, as Toon great Alan Shearer noted post-match, it was a “leggy” performance rather than an energetic one.

Joelinton, again, showed signs of his worrying decline against Nuno’s hosts, as the quiet Brazilian won just three of his seven duels during the 3-1 defeat.

Off the back of such a lifeless showing, both Lucas Paqueta and Freddie Potts dominated proceedings centrally for the East Londoners, as Paqueta scored a long-range bullet to level the match in the first half, while Potts also managed to win one more duel than the below-par number seven, on what was his first league start of the season.

He could be in danger of being dropped for the coming clash with the La Liga outfit; therefore, with Anthony Gordon also at risk of the axe, having lasted just 45 minutes at the London Stadium, before being taken off.

With no goals or assists next to his name in the Premier League this season, it isn’t a shock to see journalist Charlie Bennett state that the ex-Everton winger is “not undroppable”, heading into the St James’ Park clash on Wednesday.

But, as much as it’s slightly contentious whether the likes of Gordon and Joelinton will actually be dropped, it feels a far more pressing matter that this duo must be axed from the starting XI immediately.

Newcastle duo must never play together again

Halloween might well have been done for another year when West Ham and Newcastle locked horns, but the Toon’s defensive performance was still scarily below-par.

Heading into the showdown at the London Stadium, the relegation-threatened hosts had only managed to score a meagre seven Premier League goals all season long.

But, with Howe selecting Emil Krafth and Dan Burn as his two full-back options, the Hammers were in luck going forward, as can be seen by looking at their disastrous performances in greater detail.

Indeed, combined, the makeshift full-back partnership managed to win zero tackles and won just two of their seven duels.

Krafth would, thankfully, be put out of his misery at the half-time interval, but – when he was still on the pitch – he also failed to muster up one single successful dribble to try and turn his faltering team more of a front-foot threat.

Burn lasted the full 90 minutes, though, with the Blyth-born battler also failing to complete a single successful dribble, on top of squandering possession a costly 14 times.

As one analyst put it at the final whistle, both the underperforming number 17 and number 33 are more “centre-back profiles”, with Newcastle becoming “less dynamic” this season as a result of these two options being regularly chosen as limited full-backs.

Howe will pray he can call upon Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall in these problem areas, soon, with Hall back on the substitutes bench against the Hammers, after a lengthy spell out with an injury.

Kieran Trippier could also be available again for the test of Ernesto Valverde’s men on Wednesday night, as Howe now tries to put together a coherent XI, that removes the possibility of Krafth and Burn lining up as a car-crash duo.

Worse than Pope: Howe must drop Newcastle star who lost 100% ground duels

Eddie Howe has a lot of Newcastle United selection decisions to ponder over after his side collapsed to a 3-1 loss away at West Ham United.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 3, 2025

A fresh timeline for when Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover could be completed has now been shared after several interested parties presented proof of funds worth £50m.

It’s been a chaotic couple of weeks for the Owls, who finally got the chance to show nightmare owner Dejphon Chansiri the door as he took them into administration. Since then, fans have flocked to the club shop and to Hillsborough in support of Henrik Pedersen’s side as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich City in midweek.

Pedersen shared his pride in Sheffield Wednesday after a well-earned point, telling reporters: “We had courage to play today, it’s the best offensive game we have played this season. We also created big chances after the goal, so proud of the performance and we go in the right direction.

“The first half defensive[ly] we were strong, we were solid. The players are working so hard and I think they deserve better today, but we have to learn, we have to train more. But the positive thing now is we’re creating chances.”

Now on -4 points in the Championship after being hit with a 12-point deduction following their administration, survival seems almost impossible for the Owls, who are paying the price in full for Chansiri’s ownership.

Nonetheless, the good times are at least on the horizon again. The Chansiri era is over and new ownership is on its way. Just who that new owner will be is the big question.

Names such as Mike Ashley and John Textor have both been mentioned in the last week or so, but it remains to be seen whether either of the former Premier League owners make their move to buy the club.

Reporter shares fresh Sheffield Wednesday takeover timeline

The good news for those at Hillsborough is that they may not have to wait long before a new era commences. According to The Star’s Alex Miller, Sheffield Wednesday could have their takeover completed by November 23 when they square off against rivals Sheffield United.

What’s more, at least one well-funded American group has reportedly progressed to the furthest stage of the takeover process in what is a major boost for the Owls.

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Things are looking up for the Owls.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 31, 2025

Co-administrator and managing partner at Begbies Traynor, Kris Wigfield also provided a positive update on the takeover process in the build-up to the Norwich game.

Although relegation seemingly looms for the Owls, everything is pointing towards positive days ahead which will feature new owners.

John McEvoy: Who is the American billionaire looking to buy Sheffield Wednesday?

To no one's surprise, Ichiro Suzuki is a Baseball Hall of Famer. to no one's surprise, he had the most on-brand reaction to this legacy-defining development.

On Thursday, the Seattle Mariners released a video of Ichiro receiving the phone call with the news … and the 10-time All-Star barely batted an eye. Maybe he was in shock, or maybe he was nervous. Maybe he was just feeling confident that he'd get the bid and didn't feel the need to over do it. But whatever the emotion, it all felt very Ichiro, which is the best reaction, anyway.

Plus, it's worth noting that he appear to visibly relax a bit once the call ends, slumping in his seat a bit and even cracking a smile.

Watch that below:

The one-time American League MVP, single-season hits record-holder and 10-time Golden Glove winner was tapped for the Hall of Fame earlier this month after 19 stunning seasons in the major leagues. He received 99.7% of the vote, meaning he was just shy of a unanimous bid.

We'll get another chance at a very Ichiro reaction at the 2025 induction ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.

As they look to shake off their 2024 collapse, the Minnesota Twins are reportedly adding an experienced infield name.

The Twins are signing first baseman Ty France to a one-year contract, according to a Tuesday afternoon report from Phil Miller of .

Per Miller, the deal will be worth $1 million and it will not be guaranteed.

France, 30, is entering his seventh season in the big leagues. He is three years removed from his 2022 quasi-breakout with the Seattle Mariners; that year, he hit 20 home runs for a playoff team and made the American League All-Star team.

In 2024, France slashed .234/.305/.365 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. His -0.6 WAR was a career low for any season.

Minnesota, which finished fourth in a strong AL Central in '24, is scheduled to open its season on March 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Big picture: A new twist on an old tale

A new generation of India and Pakistan players comes together at a time the contest has taken on enormous consequence.The greats are gone. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have to settle for a place on the couch. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will need to produce tickets to get into the game. A page has inevitably turned – just as it did to bring those four into centre stage – and now it is the time of Abhishek Sharma and Saim Ayub and Salman Agha and Shubman Gill.In different circumstances, this might have been a salivating prospect. Intriguing at the very least. But Sunday will mark the first time India and Pakistan play against each other in this changed climate after Pahalgam. And maybe as the game goes on and there is a pretty shot or a perfect ball, we’ll feel that old flutter. Someone new to root for (or against, because that is fun too). There are plenty of contenders.

Form guide

India: WWWLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan: WWWLW2:02

Chopra: Shutting out the noise is not possible

In the spotlight: Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha

In five T20Is against Pakistan, Suryakumar Yadav has never been able to cross the score of 20. Batters who have such an intimate relationship with risk do go through lulls. The thing is, though, breaking out of them might be as easy as connecting one shot in exactly the way they want.Related

• India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

• Gill vs Afridi, Haris vs Bumrah and other contests within India-Pakistan contest

• Ten Doeschate: India will be 'as professional and focused' as they can against Pakistan

Salman Agha set Pakistan on their path to catch up with the rest of the world, demanding his batters to err on the side of glorious abandon. He isn’t exactly a natural when it comes to that either, but over time, the allrounder learnt to tailor his strengths to keep up with the pace of T20 cricket. Four of his eight fifties in the format have come this year.

Team news: India likely to stick with Samson and Kuldeep

With pitches in the UAE tending to play slow, India seem comfortable playing just the one specialist fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah, with Hardik Pandya and, if needed, Shivam Dube offering seam-bowling cover. That leaves ample room for a left-arm wristspinner (Kuldeep Yadav), a mystery spinner (Varun Chakravarthy) and a containment specialist (Axar Patel).India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy8:26

Wahab: Haris Rauf has to come back against India

Pakistan also have seam-bowling allrounders in their ranks capable of allowing the team to invest heavily in spin, which is what happened in their Asia Cup opener. They may however want to bring Haris Rauf back.Pakistan (probable): 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Hasan Nawaz, 6 Mohammad Haris (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Sufiyan Muqeem, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Pitch and conditions: Big match on a hot night

Dubai is not a high-scoring venue. The average run rate in the first innings over the last two years – that’s 36 T20s – is 7.7. Fast bowlers have picked up more wickets in this period (277 out of 441) but spinners have been more economical (7.03 vs 8.36). There is no rain expected, but the heat is likely to be stifling.

Stats and trivia

• The team chasing has won seven of the eight T20Is between India and Pakistan since the start of 2014, including the three that have taken place in Dubai
• Hardik Pandya is the leading wicket-taker in the men’s T20Is between India and Pakistan, with 13 strikes from six innings. He took three three-fors in those six innings and averages only 12 runs per wicket with the ball.
• Since their previous meeting in T20Is at the T20 World Cup, India have recorded a run rate of 9.66 (third best among Full Members) in men’s T20Is, while Pakistan are 8.12 (seventh best among Full Members).

Quotes

“We’re very lucky with Sanju, Axar and Hardik – guys who can bat anywhere from up the order to 7-8. So it’ll be part of our strategy to use our versatility when conditions are a little bit tough, like we expect them to be.”
“It’s a big game, and fans from both countries care deeply about it. But it’s important for us to follow our processes in the same way, and work on improving our execution.”

Everton are set to step up their interest in Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, with the Toffees’ interest in Arsenal front man Gabriel Jesus hitting a dead end.

The Toffees have shown plenty of signs of promise so far this season, albeit whilst remaining inconsistent. Their 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday represented their first Premier League win in three games and first clean sheet in eight games, but David Moyes reiterated that he wants everyone to “keep believing” at Everton.

The experienced manager told reporters: “Look, we’ve wanted to try to become a much better footballing team and the players we’ve brought in have helped us to do that.

“We don’t want to lose what we’ve had – desire, heart, commitment – but I think we had to try to find a way of getting a little bit better at certain things and I think we have to build. Look, I trust the owners will help us in all the windows as we go forward and we’ll try to make things better as we go along.

“We need to get people believing in Everton like we do, like the supporters here do, and what we want us to be in the future. To do that we need to keep picking up the wins and attracting top players like Kiernan and Jack Grealish and players of that ilk. We need to keep attracting that level of players to come to the Club.”

What was apparent against Fulham, however, was just how much Everton’s forwards are still struggling. Whether it’s been Beto or one of their most expensive signings, Thierno Barry, the Toffees just haven’t been able to get their strikers firing and something needs to change.

Friekdin are already reportedly looking at potential solutions and have now reportedly made their position on signing Zirkzee clear.

Everton make Joshua Zirkzee position clear ahead of January

As reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett, Zirkzee is now “high up” on Everton’s shortlist and those in Merseyside could make their move if the Man United striker becomes available in January. Ivan Toney is the second name in contention, with Arsenal set to refuse offers for Jesus.

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ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

The Dutchman has made just five appearances all season and is yet to start a single Premier League game. This follows the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha as well as his own disappointing debut campaign last time out.

But is Zirkzee the answer to Everton’s problem? They’ve already revived the best version of Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City and now there’s a chance they could get the same opportunity with Zirkzee.

Praised as “amazing with his back to goal” by Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski last season, the Man United man is still just 24 years old and has plenty of time to find his feet elsewhere in the Premier League.

Everton hatch striker plan as Moyes moves for star with 18 goals this season

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has been linked with a free transfer to Celtic next summer and now a fresh claim has dropped over a potential 2026 switch.

The 31-year-old has enjoyed a glittering career, winning the Champions League and Premier League with the Reds, and proving to be one of the standout left-backs of his generation.

Robertson is also the current captain of Scotland, hopefully leading the troops into the 2026 World Cup, and his current Liverpool deal expires at the end of this season.

The veteran defender has been linked with a move to Celtic in recent weeks, with one report claiming that he is open to the idea of signing a pre-contract agreement in January and that Parkhead talks were planned. He grew up supporting the Hoops, so a move there could be a perfect way for his career to end.

Robertson has a huge decision to make, especially as he has won his place back in Liverpool’s starting lineup over Milos Kerkez of late, but the lure of heading to Parkhead is something that may appeal, given his history.

New update on Andy Robertson joining Celtic

Now, speaking to 67 Hail Hail, journalist Graeme Bailey played down rumours of Robertson joining Celtic, saying he is likely to remain at Liverpool beyond next summer, in a new twist.

This is a disappointing update for Celtic fans, with many no doubt liking the idea of Robertson finishing his career at the club, given his brilliance as a footballer.

Approach imminent: Manager with 209 wins to 70 losses excited by Celtic

The Bhoys appear to have made their move as they target a permanent successor to Martin O’Neill.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

At 31 years of age, he is still far from old, and combines a winning mentality with defensive and attacking quality down the left flank, with journalist Henry Winter recently lauding the “intensity” that he brings for the Reds.

Hopefully, the situation changes in the coming months, with Robertson deciding that a new challenge makes sense, but in truth, it does feel more likely that he will extend his stay at Liverpool on a short-term basis. That’s not to say an eventual move to Celtic won’t happen, though.

Approach imminent: Manager with 209 wins to 70 losses excited by Celtic