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Former Real Madrid footballer Alvaro Benito provided his thoughts on the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony, which saw Ousmane Dembele being crowned as the best player in the world, ahead of rival Lamine Yamal. While Benito admitted that the PSG forward deserved the award, he was unhappy about where Pedri finished in the rankings and was brutally critical of the journalists who vote.

• Dembele pips Yamal to 2025 Ballon d'Or

  Dembele was crowned the world's best male player at the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday evening, beating Barcelona sensation and rival Yamal, who finished runner-up. Dembele's PSG team-mate Vitinha completed the podium by finishing third, while Mohamed Salah and Raphinha rounded out the top five.

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  Which 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings were shocking?

  While the majority of football fans agreed that Dembele and Yamal deserved to finish in the top two, Raphinha's exclusion from the top three, as well as Pedri's exclusion from the top 10, drew the ire of the footballing fraternity. Additionally, disgruntled fans expressed their shock over Bayern Munich and England talisman Harry Kane finishing 13th after he scored 41 goals for Die Roten.

• Benito reflects on the Ballon d'Or outcome

  Former Madrid player Benito gave his approval to Dembele taking home the prestigious individual accolade, but didn't back away from criticising where some of the other players finished in the top 30 rankings. 

  "The criteria for this award do influence collective achievements, and I believe that should always be the case. But then, since it's a purely subjective assessment by the people who vote, and you see when the votes are broken down from each country, each one favors their own country or neighboring countries," he said on "That's why I don't quite believe this award. Nor can there be very objective criteria.

  "Of course Dembele deserves it. He's had the best season of his career with a team that was the best in Europe from January until the end of the season, playing extraordinary football and with very good numbers.

  "[But I want to make it clear] that Pedri plays football like an angel, there's no doubt about it. That Lamine Yamal is a more attractive player, well, surely. That [Kylian] Mbappe seems to me to be a better player than Dembele, well, he is. In terms of potential, the two best attackers in the world are Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. But we can't say much more about individual titles."

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  Yamal wins Kopa Trophy

  Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the second year in a row, with reports suggesting that the gulf between the number of votes won by the Barca wonderkid and Dembele was big. The 18-year-old's father, however, vowed that the Ballon d'Or will be Yamal's to lose next year.

It would be fair to say that Chelsea have had a good summer so far when it comes to transfers.

While they didn’t look great in the first Premier League game of the season, the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are all incredibly talented.

Moreover, even though he’s young, Jorrel Hato has been talked about as one of the game’s next great defenders for years now, and at this point, the club look increasingly likely to sign Alejandro Garnacho.

Yet, while the Argentine is a promising player who has shown flashes of brilliance here and there, Chelsea are also being linked with another international, someone who would be a big upgrade.

Chelsea chase Garnacho upgrade

Chelsea’s interest in Garnacho is nothing new, as the club were reliably linked with him back in the January window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, the West Londoners have really stepped up their pursuit of the 21-year-old this summer, and as things stand, they appear to be in direct talks with Manchester United over a transfer.

However, while it’s been made clear Garnacho wants the move, the West Londoners have been linked with another international attacker, someone who would be a significant upgrade.

At least that is according to a recent report from Graeme Bailey, who has claimed that Chelsea are in the picture for Ademola Lookman.

The journalist has revealed that following the collapse of his move to Inter Milan, the Nigerian international’s representatives have been in talks with several clubs, including the Blues.

According to other reports from earlier this summer, an offer of around £43m could be enough to tempt Atalanta into selling this summer.

While that is a sizable sum of money, it may prove to be a bargain for someone of Lookman’s quality, especially as he would be an upgrade on Lookman.

How Lookman compares to Garnacho

So, while Garnacho is a talented player and someone who could go on to do great things in the game, Lookman would undoubtedly be the better signing for Chelsea this summer, and the first reason comes down to his versatility.

For example, while the United ace can play in a few positions, he is primarily a left-winger, with 110 appearances coming there, 33 off the right and 27 in attacking midfield.

In contrast, the Atalanta star is far more versatile and can play practically anywhere in the attack, with 100 appearances off the left, 83 as a second striker, 62 off the right, 38 up top and 16 in attacking midfield.

In other words, the Nigerian game-changer could be played wherever he is needed, which in turn gives the manager far more tactical options ahead of and during matches.

The second reason Lookman would be a massive upgrade on the Argentine is his output.

Since moving to the Serie A side in August 2022, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by the BBC’s John Bennett, has scored a brilliant 52 goals and provided 25 assists in 118 appearances, totalling 7538 minutes.

That means the former Everton flop has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since the start of the 22/23 campaign, which is frankly outstanding.

In contrast, the Madrid-born gem star has scored 26 goals and provided 22 assists in 142 appearances, totalling 8347 minutes, across the same period, which comes out to a great, but still less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.95 games, or every 173.89 minutes.

Finally, the Wandsworth-born dynamo proved that he can do it on the biggest stages when he scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final, so there he should be able to come right into Maresca’s side and be a difference-maker from the word go.

Ultimately, Garnacho is a talented player, but from practically every way you look at it, it’s clear Lookman would be a massive upgrade.

£50m ex-Atletico Madrid sensation has told friends he's joining Chelsea

Stamford Bridge officials have given the player has instruction during talks.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 20, 2025

Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool will be paying Diogo Jota's contract in full to the family of the Portuguese forward. Jota tragically lost his life in a road traffic accident on July 3, 2025. He passed away, alongside his brother Andre Silva, when travelling to catch a ferry that would have returned him to the United Kingdom for pre-season training with Premier League title holders at Anfield.

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  Tributes paid following Jota's death

  An outpouring of grief accompanied the news of Jota’s passing, with tributes pouring in from around the world. Many of those passed messages of condolence on to Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso and their three children. Reports at the time suggested that Liverpool would provide financial support to Jota’s family.

  The 28-year-old still had two years left to run on his contract with Liverpool, having become an important part of the Reds’ plans under Jurgen Klopp and current head coach Slot. It has now been revealed that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are settling Jota’s contract completely in a bid to assist the former Portugal international’s relatives.

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• FSG helping to support Jota's family

  Discussing a difficult summer for all concerned on the red half of Merseyside, Dutch tactician Slot told : "Unfortunately we had to bring one player more in than we were… than what was the plan. That's why our spending was higher than intended.

  "The grief of the city, that is what makes it for me so special to work at this club. To work at a club where there is success and there is a parade, of course this parade is bigger than any parade everywhere around the world. But the way they conducted, the fans themselves, after that tragedy. How many flowers there were, all the memorials, I can almost get emotional thinking about it. It's unbelievable what our fans have done. And our players as well, the way they have conducted themselves in and around the funeral. And then we have to train again. And there are moments where I feel, 'What must his wife and his children feel now?'.

  "Because it sounds so hard… our life continues. People expect from me that I prepared them forever. And that sometimes feels a bit difficult, knowing how hard it is for the family and for the parents. The phase they are still going through and will go through for the rest of their lives. I said how proud I felt about how the fans reacted but ownership… Owners are mainly criticised, like managers, but the way they've handled this situation, by paying his wife and his children all the money from the contract [is commendable]. Maybe people think it's normal, but it is not in football."

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  Liverpool will forever remember Jota

  Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, during a discussion with , had previously suggested that the club were taking measures to support Jota’s wife and children. He said: "He was an extraordinary person. He was beloved, not because he was the leading goalscorer. He was beloved because he was genuinely kind. I found him incredibly curious. When I would have a conversation with him, we would talk a lot about gaming. When he did his goal celebration, he referred to that. He had an esports team and I think, by reputation, he was one of the best FIFA players in the Premier League. I only mention that because he had a certain breath of curiosity that drew people to him. He was extremely popular among his teammates, he was extremely popular in the dressing room.

  "One of the things that I admired about him. He had a couple of tough injuries last year but he didn't mope around, he focused on how he could help the club and knew that he could have an impact even if he didn't start. And he did have an impact because he did have some late goals that were really quite important. He accepted his role in a graceful way.

  "It's always a tragedy when someone dies before their time. But his death really did hit everybody because he was so beloved. It was immediately important to us that we reach out to his widow and to make sure that she understood that we are a family. It is a cliché but we do think of ourselves as a family and we wanted to make sure she was well taken care of financially, and her children. It's very important for us to demonstrate that, whatever happens, we care about the footballer but we care even more about the individual."

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• No.20 shirt retired & sculpture commissioned

  Liverpool have retired Jota’s No.20 shirt, while a sculpture – crafted from recycled items from the memorial that fans created outside Anfield – has been commissioned. Jota, who moved to Merseyside from Wolves in 2020, made 182 appearances for the Reds and scored 65 goals.

Do Wolverhampton Wanderers need to be active in the final few days of the transfer window to avoid being relegated?

In their Premier League opener on Saturday, Wolves were demolished 4-0 by Manchester City at Molineux, their heaviest defeat under Vítor Pereira.

This is the start of the Old Gold’s eighth successive season in the Premier League, their longest stay in the top division since the early-70s, but could it come to an end?

Well, some fresh additions between now and September 1st would certainly help.

Wolves targeting new midfielder

That opening day annihilation at the hands of Man City underlined Wolves’ lack of quality, so do they have their eyes set on a highly-rated midfield general?

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, according to reports in Spain, Wolves are interested in signing Marc Casadó from Barcelona, with Real Betis and Como also in the running.

They add that Barça “would accept” a suitable offer, given their ongoing financial issues, only able to register new signings Joan García and Marcus Rashford on the morning of their La Liga opener against Mallorca last weekend.

As it transpires, the three aforementioned suitors have already submitted an offer to sign the player, believed to be worth around £26m.

So, could Casadó soon swap Catalonia for the English Midlands?

What Marc Casadó would bring to Wolves

Ever since they secured their return to the Premier League in 2018, high-quality midfielders have been key to Wolves’ success.

First, Portuguese duo João Moutinho and Rúben Neves formed the bedrock of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, playing 184 matches for the club together, but the one that got away is unquestionably Vitinha.

20 years old at the time, he spent the 2020/21 season on loan from Porto in the Black Country, making just 22 appearances for the club, starting only five times in the Premier League, his only goal this absolute rocket against non-league Chorley in an FA Cup tie.

Wolves did have a £17m option to buy following the conclusion of his loan, but declined, a decision they surely now regret, considering Vitinha has become one of the very best midfielders in the world, thriving at Paris Saint-Germain.

But, how does Casado compare? Well, joining Barcelona’s academy at the age of 13, and is a classic la Masia midfielder; diminutive and possessing exceptional technical ability, much like Vitinha.

After making the odd cameo appearance here or there beforehand, he really established himself as a key figure in Hansi Flick’s domestic treble-winning squad last season, as the table below documents.

Casadó ranked highly for a wide variety of statistics at Barcelona last season, including passing and defensive metrics, despite the fact ten players saw more minutes than he did.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “midfield general”, praising his “control and work rate”, while Pol Ballús of the Athletic notes that he dominated midfield against ‘elite opposition’ last season, believing he could be a massive star in the future. It’s clear to see why the comparisons to Vitinha exist.

However, could this future be away from Camp Nou, with Casadó having fallen down the Barça midfield pecking order, an unused substitute for Saturday’s win at Son Moix, with Fermín López, Frenkie de Jong and Pedro starting, while Gavi came off the bench?

Should Casadó end up in Wolverhampton, he’d be joining the strongest area of Wolves’ team, with Brazilian duo João Gomes and André starting on the opening weekend, surely one of the best pairings in the bottom half, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi deployed further forward.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Spain international has the potential to be a world-class operator so, if Wolves are able to take advantage of Barcelona’s dire finances, they can’t afford to fumble this opportunity, as they did with Vitinha five seasons ago.

Wolves submit £26m offer to sign "superb" new star who’s been granted exit

The Midlands club have made their first move.

By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 21, 2025

Chelsea are believed to still be active in the summer transfer market, despite having just shored up their attacking line with two deals for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

23 transfers, 24 if you count Buonanotte, have been conducted by Chelsea – and that’s not even including their various outgoing loan deals for the likes of Marc Guiu and Aaron Anselmino.

BlueCo’s hustle in the market has yielded over £300 million in player sales with around £320 million spent on new signings, with Enzo Maresca’s side registering a net-spend of just £20 million as they navigate PSR excellently.

Exits for Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mathis Amougou and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have made room for the likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato, but if Chelsea want to register Garnacho and Buonanotte for their Champions League squad next season, more sales could be required.

This is especially the case if Maresca wants to include Barcelona star Fermin Lopez, who is now a top target for Chelsea heading into deadline day after they missed out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham.

The Spaniard has become a key player for Hansi Flick, bagging eight goals and 10 assists in 46 total appearances last season, and Chelsea are believed to be trying their luck to sign him.

Reports suggest Maresca has been in contact with Lopez personally, and Chelsea are prepared to offer Barça a maximum of around £50 million for the player, not to mention a lucrative contract worth £250,000-per-week, but the player’s club want £60m (Sport).

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have even made a £40m bid for Lopez, but Barça are not keen on selling and must rely on the player’s decision to force through a transfer – unless they trigger his seismic £433 million release clause, of course.

Chelsea "working tirelessly" to sign Fermin Lopez after Facundo Buonanotte

As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are “working tirelessly” to convince Lopez to join them, even after their deal for Buonanotte.

The Blues are ready to offer him a “lucrative” long-term contract, as previously reported, and personal terms aren’t expected to pose any issue in this potential deal.

While Barça are a roadblock, Chelsea appear to be doing all they can on the player front.

TT sources also claim that Lopez is warming to the idea of a Stamford Bridge move, but is yet to fully commit to the idea. The 22-year-old has emotional ties to Barça, having grown up as a lifelong fan, and he’s publicly denied notions he would leave this summer.

That being said, players can pull U-turns, and the prospect of a Premier League move is enticing for any athlete at any level.

Copenhagen confirmed that after an MRI, Rodrigo Huescas has been diagnosed with a torn ACL. The former Cruz Azul fullback will miss the rest of the season and faces a race against time to be fit for the 2026 World Cup. The injury occurred 13 minutes into Copenhagen’s Champions League clash against Qarabag. Huescas went down in clear pain.

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  Tough loss for El Tri

  Huescas, one of Mexico’s brightest young players and the country’s only representative in this season’s Champions League, faces the possibility of missing the 2026 World Cup after Copenhagen revealed the full extent of his injury.

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  Playing at his peak

  Huescas was enjoying the best moment of his career. Since leaving Cruz Azul for Denmark in 2024, he had quickly become a standout performer for Copenhagen and a key figure in Javier Aguirre’s plans with the Mexican national team. Now, his future is clouded by uncertainty as El Tri lose a vital option on the right flank.

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  World Cup in jeopardy

  Huescas now faces the harsh reality that an ACL tear typically requires between six and nine months of recovery. That timeline would make it almost impossible for him to be fit for the World Cup opener on June 11. 

  It completely re-routes what had been shaping up to be a breakout phase of his young career, just as he had cemented his place with El Tri.

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  Who can replace him?

  With Huescas sidelined, the door could open for Jorge Sánchez or Julián Araujo to step in and claim a spot on Mexico’s right flank as the World Cup approaches.

West Ham United may have seen the transfer window come to a close, though they have concluded a surprise deal at the London Stadium as Graham Potter searches for unattached reinforcements.

West Ham look for togetherness with Premier League set to return

The Hammers have endured a mixed start to the Premier League campaign, and heavy defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea didn’t leave supporters feeling a great deal of optimism about what is to come.

However, a rousing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground before the international break has stirred a little bit of excitement that West Ham could start to enter an upward trajectory, though Jarrod Bowen believes togetherness will be key to maintaining some form of momentum.

He stated: “It’s been an up and down couple of weeks,” he reflected. “The Premier League starting, you are on a high as you have waited so long for it. Then, to lose the way we did to Sunderland, followed by a defeat by Chelsea and one in the cup where we were in a good position to win the game was difficult.

“But I think the one thing we have got with this group is a real resilience and togetherness. You saw that at the weekend. I think everyone would have wrote us off at Nottingham Forest so to win 3-0, and it that could have been even more on another day, just shows that resilience to keep going even in the difficult times.”

Speculation over Potter’s position at West Ham has seen Frank Lampard mentioned as a potential successor. However, the former Brighton & Hove Albion is still firmly in charge, and will believe his side can string together a run of results in the English top-flight.

Still, his squad are short in a couple of positions, which has led Hammers chiefs to open talks over a deal for a veteran star who is known to supporters.

West Ham seal deal for Lukasz Fabianski

Despite his exit from the London Stadium this summer, West Ham have moved to bring Lukasz Fabianski back to the club on a free transfer following Wes Foderingham’s departure to join Aris Limassol.

Mads Hermansen and Alphonse Areola are the Irons’ only senior options between the sticks, creating a scenario where they have now drafted in their former stopper to fill the third-choice goalkeeper berth under Potter, with initial talks over a move reported by talkSPORT.

Why West Ham missed out on Mitrovic deal after late offer

He would have solved their attacking problems…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 7, 2025

Labelled “world-class” by Don Hutchinson, Fabianski is now 40 years of age and has kept 55 clean sheets in 216 appearances for West Ham, becoming a reliable presence during seven years in East London.

In addition, he also shares the same ROOF agency as Niclas Fullkrug, which perhaps helped to hasten negotiations between all parties in recent days. The Polish veteran has signed on a deal until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Intriguingly, West Ham passed up the opportunity to sign Andre Onana on loan from Manchester United before the deadline passed last week, something that may have paved the way for their swoop to land Fabianski.

In January 2023, when Anthony Gordon forced his way out and signed for Newcastle United in a £45m deal, Everton supporters were livid.

The Toffees were in the throes of a relegation battle, after all, and Gordon was one of their own, handed his big break after graduating from the academy and featuring 65 times in the Premier League for the club before buying a one-way ticket to Tyneside.

It was a blow, but Everton staved off relegation, and then, in 2024, welcomed Iliman Ndiaye to the fold from Marseille in a £15m deal, and that has certainly proved to add flair and potency to the flanks.

No player scored more goals than the Senegalese winger last season, whose combination of pace and skills quickly established him as a fan favourite. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp marvelled that he brought a “dynamite” style to Goodison Park, while analyst Ben Mattinson noted that he “could play for any Premier League side”.

Any frustration around Gordon has long since passed, but this football club have a deep connection with their academy ranks, and might find a new homegrown hero, having welcomed a few to the senior stage over the years.

Everton's best academy graduates

Where else to start but with Wayne Rooney? One of the Premier League’s all-time greats, Rooney was handed his professional debut by Moyes during the manager’s iconic first tenure on Merseyside, starting with a bang and then signing for Manchester United for £30m when he was still only 18.

How the Toffees would like their next version of the Three Lions legend to join their ranks from Finch Farm.

There have been more, Leon Osman being a case in point. The 44-year-old was more of an unsung hero, a versatile midfielder, but he racked up 433 appearances for Everton and served dutifully for Moyes during his first term in office.

Ross Barkley was slated as Rooney’s natural successor, so impressive was his start to life at Goodison Park. Barkley came and went, and then Gordon did too, but Everton still seek their next big star from the youth ranks.

And though such talents are few and far between, Moyes might have a versatile attacking talent at his disposal who might even cause Jack Grealish to cast a glance over his shoulder.

Braiden Graham could be a star for Moyes

Grealish has made quite the start to his new career on Merseyside, having joined on loan from Manchester City this summer after falling from grace at the Etihad.

Four assists from as many matches and the Premier League Player of the Month award to boot emphasise just how impressive a start to this new chapter it has been for Grealish, so much so that he has moved Ndiaye out onto the right flank, a role he performed just once last season, and three times already in 2025/26.

It would take a special talent indeed to displace the silky Three Lions star, but Everton might just have such a player rising to the fore in 17-year-old Braiden Graham, who completed a move from Linfield in Ireland to Everton in July 2024, when he was only 16.

It would take only a couple of months for Graham to earn his first professional contract, proving to Everton his capacity to score and to assist across a number of attacking berths after ex-Linfield boss David Healy hailed his “incredible” potential.

He scored eight goals across only 12 matches in the U18 Premier League last season, assisting two goals too, thus earning a promotion to the Premier League 2, nestled right underneath the big time.

At 17, he wouldn’t have been expected to offer more than support as he cut his teeth among older hopefuls, but eight games later, the Irish talent had five goals and an assist to his name. All told, 13 goals in all competitions last year saw him rise above Ndiaye as Everton’s top goalscorer, albeit at a lower level.

The fanfare is real, and Moyes will no doubt be interested in handing him a senior shot this season, perhaps in a domestic cup against lesser opposition, should the opportunity arise.

The right-footed teenager is still working out his best position, but he seems at his most fluent and dangerous when coming off the left flank and into the danger area, fearless on the ball and endowed with natural strength and balance.

His physical development continues to be the biggest hurdle yet to be leapt over, but that’s only natural given his age. Praised as “a good finisher” by Everton U21 boss Paul Tait, that advantage in goalscoring could see him offer something excitingly different to Grealish, who has never really been clinical in front of goal.

Grealish appears to be the cream of the crop right now, but Everton have got a whole load of creative forces who weren’t there af few years back.

What still appears lacking is a range of goalscoring threats. Up top, Beto currently lacks the clinical edge that comes to him in bursts, and Thierno Barry is unrefined within the English game.

Graham is a player who has the lot: goals, assists, pace, power, smarts. Whether he can transfer his youthful flair to the senior stage remains to be seen, but there’s little question that if he keeps going from strength to strength, he will come knocking on the 29-year-old Grealish’s door, with sights set on claiming that left-sided spot and adding a new dimension to Everton’s frontline.

Ancelotti sold Everton dud for £12m, now he's playing like Dewsbury-Hall

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is shining at Everton, although one former flop is also impressing away from Merseyside.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 18, 2025

Slot drops early hint about Isak's likely Liverpool role against Everton

He surprised the Liverpool boss…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 18, 2025

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has announced the sacking of former Barcelona legend Patrick Kluivert from his role as head coach. The decision follows Indonesia’s 1-0 loss to Iraq, which saw them finish bottom of their World Cup qualifying group and eliminated from contention for next year's competition. Kluivert stepped into the role in January, but has been sacked alongside the rest of his coaching staff.

• Indonesia confirm Kluivert sacking

  In an official statement, the PSSI announced the sacking of their entire coaching staff. This includes senior team coach Kluivert, along with his assistants Alex Pastoor and Danny Landzaat. The statement also confirmed the dismissal of Dutch nationals Gerald Vanenburg, coach of the Indonesia U-23 squad, and Frank van Kempen, coach of the Indonesia U-20 team. The coaching staff had signed two-year contracts in January, but Indonesia’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup led to their premature dismissal in a strategic decision. 

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  Ex-striker fails to qualify for World Cup

  Indonesia were placed in a group in the Asian World Cup qualifiers alongside Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with each team playing the others once. They lost 3-2 to Saudi Arabia, while Iraq beat them 1-0. As a result, Indonesia finished bottom of the group, with Saudi Arabia qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup and Iraq advancing to the play-offs. Under Kluivert, Indonesia played eight games, recording three wins, one draw and four losses.

• Ex-striker's playing days and coaching career

  A member of Ajax’s golden generation in the 1990s, Kluivert won the Eredivisie and Champions League in the 1994-95 season under manager Louis van Gaal. He later joined Barcelona, forming a lethal partnership with Rivaldo and helping the club retain the 1998-99 La Liga title. After spells with Newcastle United and PSV, he retired at Lille. Kluivert also served as assistant coach at Australian side Brisbane Roar under Ange Postecoglou and later with the Netherlands national team under Van Gaal in 2014. In 2025, he replaced South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong as head coach of the Indonesian national team.

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  What next?

  Kluivert will look to put the setback of his Indonesian sacking behind him and aims to return to the dugout as soon as possible.

After what was far from a convincing display against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a worrying comparison when speaking about an injury to one of his stars.

"Far from happy" – Slot slams Liverpool performance

Even with a much-changed side, Slot would have been expecting Liverpool to sweep past Championship side Southampton with relative ease. And it looked as though that would be the case when record signing Alexander Isak scored his first goal for the club.

The Swede, after missing an earlier chance, made no mistake and raced off to celebrate in vintage fashion for the first time in front of the Anfield crowd.

After going off at the break in a planned substitution, Isak may be thrown straight into the side against Crystal Palace this weekend in place of the suspended Hugo Ekitike.

The Frenchman was once again clinical in front of goal, but not so wise in his celebration – taking his shirt off and receiving a second yellow card as a result. Now out of the Palace game, Slot slammed the moment as “stupid” and needless”.

Ballon d'Or 2025: Did Mohamed Salah deserve the award ahead of Ousmane Dembele?

European football awaits…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 23, 2025

That said, it’s not just Ekitike that the Dutchman was unhappy with last night. The Liverpool boss told reporters: “Great ball by Robbo (Andy Robertson), by the way, who also has won so much at this club and also understands how to play this game, not underestimate it – just always be ready to play.

“And that’s also the way to get yourself either back in the team or get yourself as much playing minutes as you want. That’s why I was happy with a few individual performances, but far from happy from a few other individual performances.”

It was also a night to forget for one of Liverpool’s other new boys, who was stretchered off on his debut amid concerns about what would be the ultimate injury blow.

Slot makes worrying Leoni comparison

Some are instantly fearing the worst for 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni. The defender was enjoying an excellent debut before injury struck in the 81st minute. In what appears to be a knee injury, Liverpool are now awaiting the results of a scan to find out the extent of the injury, but Slot has already made a worrying comparison.

A repeat of Van Bommel’s injury would be the worst-case scenario for Leoni. The PSV star suffered a season-ending knee injury last weekend and such a blow at this stage of Leoni’s Liverpool career is the last thing that the young defender needs.

Described as “dominant” by analyst Ben Mattinson after he completed his summer switch to Anfield, Liverpool fans will be desperate to see more of their new teenage star.