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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.

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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.

The next Van Dijk: Liverpool plot talks for "immense" £40m Guehi upgrade

Liverpool are stepping up their search for a new centre-back…

ByRobbie Walls Jul 2, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da supremo： Vanderlei Luxemburgo foi demitido do Corinthians na tarde desta quarta-feira (27) e logo passou a ser ligado ao Santos, que está sem treinador efetivo desde a saída de Diego Aguirre. O técnico tem um admirador importante no clube: Alexandre Gallo, coordenador técnico alvinegro, mas o nome do profissional não é unanimidade na diretoria.

da bet7： + Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui

O Lance! apurou que Gallo gosta de Luxemburgo e considera a possibilidade. Porém, o treinador encontra resistência interna e, em caso de negociação, a contratação pode ser reprovada pelo Comitê de Gestão santista. No ano passado, o Peixe negociou a chegada do treinador, mas o CG barrou a possibilidade.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Mesmo com este cenário, além de sondagens, não há tratativas oficiais em andamento entre Santos e Luxa. Neste momento, o Peixe está focado na decisão contra o Vasco, no domingo (1), na Vila Belmiro. A partida significa um confronto direto para o time tentar deixar a zona do rebaixamento.

Quem comandará o Santos será o interino Marcelo Fernandes, até então favorito para seguir no cargo no restante do Brasileirão. Porém, a continuidade está relacionada ao desempenho da equipe contra o Cruzmaltino. Posteriormente, a depender do resultado do duelo, Luxemburgo pode ganhar força internamente.

Antes, o preferido da diretoria era Fábio Carille, mas as negociações esfriaram. Luxa trabalhou no Santos em 1997, 2004, 2006-07 e 2009 e conquistou um Brasileirão, dois estaduais e uma Taça Rio-São Paulo.

Bayern Munich have reportedly withdrawn their interest from Stuttgart sensation Nick Woltemade after seeing their first two bids rejected.

• Bayern step away from Woltemade transfer
• Bavarians fail to land another top target
• Stuttgart remain firm on their asking price

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern are experiencing a difficult summer when it comes to their transfer market activity, with yet another top transfer target seeming to have slipped out of their grasp. After failing to sign the likes of Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, reports that Bavarians have now withdrawn their interest from Stuttgart's Woltemade.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report reveals that Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sporting director Max Eberl have "suspended negotiations for the time being", which indicates that while they might have indefinitely stopped the pursuit of Woltemade, they could return for his signature later in the window. Stuttgart have come out as pretty tough negotiators during talks between the two clubs, having sent a fiery email demanding Bayern to stop all communication with the 23-year-old striker. Die Schwaben have already rejected two bids, with the second bid worth €55 million (£47m/$64m) including bonuses.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  further claims that Stuttgart are prepared to turn down a potential third bid worth €60m (£52m/$70m), remaining firm on their stance to entertain offers of at least €65m (£56m/$76m). Chairman Alexander Wehrle recently saidthat he is confident of Woltemade staying at the MHP Arena next season.

  "Nick Woltemade will play football for us next year," he said. "And if something extraordinary should happen, we're professional enough to discuss things at the table. But as I said: I assume he'll play football for us next year."

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE & BAYERN?

  Woltemade is expected to attend Stuttgart's pre-season training camp between July 28 to August 2, while Bayern will hope that they can catch a break by successfully capturing Luis Diaz from Liverpool, with an eye on Lyon sensation Malick Fofana.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are reportedly keeping tabs on Newcastle United star Alexander Isak after Liverpool's transfer interest was rebuffed.

• Newcastle rule out Isak to Liverpool deal
• Al-Hilal keep tabs on prolific striker
• Magpies digging their heels in

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Al-Hilal are eyeing Isak to strengthen their attack this summer. The Saudi team are said to be considering a 'massive offer' to convince the Sweden international and Newcastle to part ways with the prolific striker.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This comes shortly after Newcastle told Liverpool that Isak was not for sale, despite the Reds preparing to offer a British-record £130 million ($175m). As a result, it seems Al-Hilal will not find it easy to secure the 25-year-old's signature, despite the financial resources at their disposal.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Isak scored 27 goals for Newcastle last season as they won the Carabao Cup, to end their 70-year wait for a major trophy, and qualified for the Champions League. And the Swede, who still has three years left on his contract, was a vital component of that success.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen if other teams will try and lodge a bid for former Real Sociedad attacker Isak, with Eddie Howe's Newcastle seemingly intent on holding onto their prized asset ahead of next season.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betobet： O Palmeiras ainda tem até quarta-feira (2) para se reforçar nesta janela de transferências, algo muito improvável de acontecer. No entanto, já é possível dizer que se trata do clube de Série A que menos se movimentou no mercado nesta temporada. Se nada extraordinário acontecer nestes próximos dias, o Verdão fechará 2023 como o time da elite que menos contratou jogadores.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasOPINIÃO: ‘Palmeiras vai pegar o pior Galo dos últimos três anos, mas isso não significa nada’Palmeiras31/07/2023PalmeirasDudu se aproxima do retorno, e Palmeiras inicia preparação para enfrentar o Atlético-MGPalmeiras31/07/2023Futebol InternacionalOitavas de final da Libertadores: onde assistir, chaveamento, datas e horários dos jogosFutebol Internacional01/08/2023

da brdice： + Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Até o momento, as únicas contratações do Alviverde neste ano são Artur, comprado junto ao Bragantino, e Richard Ríos, que veio do Guarani. Ambos chegaram após o Paulistão, uma vez que o clube também não se movimentou antes do início da temporada, como é comum em qualquer agremiação do mundo. Pelo atacante, a transação foi de 8 milhões de euros (R$ 45 milhões na cotação da época), já pelo volante a quantia paga foi de R$ 6 milhões.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

Na comparação com os outros clubes de Série A, quem mais se aproxima dos números palmeirenses são Corinthians e Flamengo, cada um com cinco contratações. O Fla trouxe Gerson, Varela, Rossi, Luiz Araújo e Allan, enquanto o Corinthians trouxe Romero, Barletta, Matheus Bidu, Matías Rojas e Lucas Veríssimo. Com exceção desses e do Atlético-MG (9), todos os outros times da elite se reforçaram com dez ou mais atletas.

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Cruzeiro, Coritiba, Goiás, Vasco, Bahia e Cuiabá já passaram das 20 contratações na temporada. Vale destacar que três desses clubes subiram neste ano para a Série A do Brasileirão e o processo de reformulação dos elencos sempre exige um volume maior de reforços.

+ ANÁLISE: Palmeiras faz o ‘básico’, volta a ser eficiente e mostra que pode seguir forte

Para a janela deste meio de ano, o Verdão também não conseguiu se reforçar. Assim como no início da temporada, o alvo era um “camisa 5” para suprir a saída de Danilo, vendido ao Nottingham Forest-ING. Acontece que o clube acumulou fracassos na busca por essa peça. Nomes como Matheus Henrique, do Sassuolo-ITA, Jean Lucas, do Monaco-FRA (hoje no Santos), Walace, da Udinese-ITA, foram alvos, mas não houve acordo.

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Mais recentemente foi a vez de Aníbal Moreno, do Racing-ARG, que se tornou o principal desejo da comissão técnica para esta janela. O clube chegou “ao limite” pelo jogador, mas os argentino não abriram mão do que queriam e mais uma vez o Palmeiras ficou a ver navios.

Sem sucesso nessa tratativa, o Alviverde não deve mais fazer movimentos no mercado até o dia 2 de agosto (quarta-feira). A tendência é que o foco seja na janela do início de 2024, quando também o clube precisará se preparar para possível saídas do elenco, algumas das quais foram evitadas neste meio de ano.

The ground-staff used electric fans and even tried a grass transplant but the outfield remained unfit for play

Ekanth10-Sep-2024The second day of the only Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida suffered the same miserable fate as the first due to rain, albeit not during hours of play, and the quality of the outfield.The toss was scheduled half an hour earlier at 9am, to make up for day one being abandoned, but at 8.55 am came the announcement that conditions were unfit for play and that there would be an inspection at 12pm.The message on the broadcast at 9.10am was that “a thunderous overnight downpour last evening from 6pm, for 90 minutes, at one stage left the outfield completely and utterly flooded.” The moisture underfoot remained a major concern and there was little hope the ground would be fit for play by noon.Related

• Slushy patches, wet weather prevent Test from starting in Greater Noida

• Greater Noida under the weather ahead of Test debut

• Opening day of Afghanistan-New Zealand Test called off due to wet outfield

• A gloomy debut for Test cricket's newest venue in Greater Noida

The ground staff used electric fans to try and dry a few wet patches on the outfield. They cut out blocks of dry grass the practice nets and transplanted them on a damp region in the 30-yard circle. Despite the sun baking down, the ground wasn’t ready at noon and another inspection was planned for 3pm.New Zealand’s players arrived at the ground around 12:25pm, and a practice net was installed next to the main pitch so that they could practice. The spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santer began to bowl first and were soon joined by the fast bowlers, while Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell had a hit. The Afghanistan players, on the other hand, did not arrive at the venue.Play was called off on the second day at 2.55 pm, with the toss yet to take place.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s girls came up short in the big final at the MCG, but there’s plenty to look forward to from them in the future

Srinivas S18-Mar-2020Dear Indian women’s cricket team,The 2020 women’s T20 World Cup has been a dream, and like many dreams do, yours ended in a nightmarish final against the best team in the format. There is no shame in that.Your captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, she of the sweet timing and monstrous sixes, which were missing during the tournament, has said that the everyone in the team need to continue to believe in themselves and that she believes in the team. This is a cliché that is regularly spouted by losing captains, but those words from Kaur sounded like the ones that come from a true leader. And we believe in the team too — among the ‘we’, many thousands of fans who, I suspect, started following women’s cricket only in the last few years. I am one of those fans, but I now see in the Indian women’s cricket team the Indian team. Whether it was the capitulation of Virat Kohli’s men in the recent Tests in New Zealand, or the comprehensive defeat suffered by Kaur’s women against Australia in front of more than 86000 spectators — they hurt equally. Victory in each case would have been equally sweet.An admission: the first women’s cricket match that I watched fully was the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s between India and England, a riveting contest of punches and counterpunches in which you, India, should have prevailed. The heartbreak I felt after the match, I realised, was as intense as the prayers that had preceded it. I even wrote a long piece a few days after the final, recounting the important moments in the contest and my own responses to them, to get the emotion out of my system. While writing the piece, I realised two things: there were two Indian cricket teams, not one; and there was precious little I knew about one of those teams. I also wondered how much hurt you must be experiencing, having gone so far, despite few opportunities (at least compared to men), only to fall short.Two-and-a-half years on, there is still so much that I do not know about you (or women cricketers in general), but I read a lot more. The profile that did in November 2018 on your captain, Kaur, was, for example, the first long biographical piece that I read about a female cricketer: it offered rich insights into the socio-cultural fabric and the support system that have made her the cricketer she is today. Shortly afterwards, there was an interview with your vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, which also appeared on . Apart from these focused articles on high-profile individuals, there is a lot more coverage of women’s cricket in general. Even the Indian film industry has caught on to the trend, with the 2018 Tamil film highlighting the meteoric rise of a female cricketer (played by actor Aishwarya Rajesh) from an obscure sun-beaten village in Tamil Nadu.Sportswomen cannot thrive in a vacuum anymore than sportsmen can, which is why I am glad that your performances are receiving a lot more attention than they used to. We now know, thanks to the media, that Poonam Yadav, your talismanic legspinner, had a great T20 World Cup. If the tournament had not been televised, however, not many would have been able to witness Yadav’s slow magic that deceived the best in the air. Moreover, if writers had not thought it worth their while to write about Yadav’s craft, it would not have got the critical attention and acclaim that it has now received.There are many important systematic issues that remain to be addressed of course, among them a proper cricket calendar for you and (following the example of Australia) equal pay. The cricket climate is also crying out for a Women’s IPL. The fact that someone like Sunil Gavaskar has thrown his weight behind the idea is proof of that (in case one was required). You also need and deserve long-term coaches and support staff as well as a more streamlined domestic system, which would act as a natural feeder to the national team.It is difficult, perhaps even absurd, to imagine that the aforementioned changes will happen overnight. The hope though is that the changes will happen soon, revealing a clearer trajectory towards excellence for Indian girls who wish to take up cricket. In the meantime, fans like me will continue to believe in your team. We believe that your first global trophy is not too far away.Yours sincerely,
Srinivas S
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Two contrasting T20 innings were played on the two sides of the border on Thursday evening. One where the ball seemed to hit the sweet spot of the bat virtually each time. The other where the ball didn’t seem to find the middle of the bat at all.In Delhi, in an IPL game between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, T20 batting records were smashed. In Rawalpindi, New Zealand folded for 90, which was 42 fewer than what Sunrisers hit in just sixes. The ball stopped or gripped or turned off the pitch in Rawalpindi, as Pakistan’s quick bowlers and spinners feasted on a bowler-friendly pitch. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had started the party for Pakistan, finished with 3 for 13. Two wickets each went to comeback man Mohammad Amir, first-timer Abrar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan.Mohammad Rizwan then led Pakistan’s chase with 45 not out in 34 balls, and brushed New Zealand aside with 47 balls and seven wickets to spare.

Shaheen and Amir have a party

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. They had the perfect mix of bowlers – having Afridi and Amir bowling in tandem can do that. As if that was not enough, there was a fantastic piece of fielding to get them going. Shadab, placed at backward point, dived low to his right to pouch Tim Seifert in the third over for Pakistan’s first wicket. Afridi had slowed his pace down, and Seifert, in an attempt to flick, lost his bottom hand and got a leading edge. Shadab did the rest.That was just the start.Next over, Amir, who was bowling for Pakistan for the first time since August 2020, repeated the trick. He took pace off to fox Tim Robinson, who ended up spooning the ball to short cover off the toe-end of the bat. A duck on debut two days back. Just 4 in his second game.Dean Foxcroft and Mark Chapman briefly calmed things down with a pulled six and a clipped four, respectively. But Amir prevented New Zealand from gaining any momentum when he had Foxcroft lofting to mid-off for 13. New Zealand ended the powerplay at 35 for 3, and never recovered from the early blows.Abrar Ahmed picked up two wickets in one over•Associated Press

Pace off, and spin’s in for Pakistan

Sensing the slowness of the surface, Babar Azam introduced spin immediately after the powerplay. He bowled Shadab, Abrar and part-time offspinner Iftikhar Ahmed for seven overs in a row. That period gave Pakistan three wickets, and New Zealand managed only 34 runs.While Abrar had started with a flat trajectory, he noticed Iftikhar slow it down and toss it up, and followed the lead. Chapman found fine leg with his attempted sweep to start the ninth over.Two balls later, James Neesham kept waiting for a 73kph delivery to arrive, it almost didn’t, and when it did, Neesham swung but found midwicket.Not to be left behind, Shadab varied his pace to go a lot quicker to Michael Bracewell to start the 12th over. Bracewell reverse swept, but the length wasn’t full enough. He found short third, as 49 for 3 became 59 for 6.Amid all that, what brought about giggles on the Pakistani faces was Ish Sodhi’s wicket.Shadab bowled really short on leg while slowing it down, and Sodhi was already through with his bat swing before the ball got to him. It turned a bit and hit him on his thigh pad. Pakistan appealed and umpire Aleem Dar turned it down. But Babar reviewed and got it overturned, leaving even the umpire with a wry smile.Mohammad Rizwan finished with an unbeaten 45•AFP/Getty Images

Rizwan takes Pakistan home

The leading edge made its way into Pakistan’s innings as early as the second ball when Saim Ayub, looking to turn Ben Lister off his hips, ended up sending a return catch.But Babar and Rizwan ensured Pakistan didn’t lose their way. Rizwan drove Lister first ball for four, while Babar punched Jacob Duffy to the off-side boundary soon after.Only 14 came off the first three overs, before both batters attacked Ben Sears. Rizwan pulled and drove him for six and four respectively, and Babar flicked him for four too.But Babar was stumped off Bracewell when he tried to be too ambitious and came down the track to his counterpart.The target wasn’t really enough to test Pakistan, though, and Rizwan ticked away steadily at one end, even as he lost Usman Khan for 7. Irfan Khan joined Rizwan, who pushed the ball around before ending the game with a slog sweep for four to deep midwicket.The result gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with the next game again in Rawalpindi on Sunday evening.

For the second time in as many days Jofra Archer produced a display that sent shock waves through the game

Andrew Miller at Lord's18-Aug-2019Do you remember where you were when Jonah Lomu trampled over Mike Catt in the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final?Do you remember how he gathered the ball almost with his back to play, and seemed to amble down the left wing, with the pace of a sprinter but the momentum of a juggernaut, keeping his balance as Will Carling attempted a tap-tackle, before spring-boarding off Catt’s chest to seal the most iconic try of his career?Do you remember that he was 20 years old back then, a freak of nature with the height of a lock forward, the bulk of a prop and the speed of a leopard, and do you remember how he’d been an open secret all World Cup long … quietly devastating in the group stages, but knowingly holding back an extra gear for the tournament’s sharp end?And do you remember thinking, "Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life”?ALSO READ: Smith hoping to be fit for Headingley after ‘mild concussion’This is how it has felt to watch Jofra Archer in the past 24 hours. This is how it has felt to watch him return to the scene of the greatest triumph of most cricketers’ careers, and make his Super Over heroics in the World Cup final seem like a prologue to his truest calling.He said before the match that red-ball cricket was the format that suited him best, and we coughed politely, thinking: “Mate, you’ve conquered the world at the age of 24 … we’ve seen it all already, surely”? For the second day running … well, we’ve seen it all now, surely.Except … we clearly haven’t. Because, by the standards of any ordinary debutant performance, Archer’s final match figures of 5 for 91 in 44 overs would be classed as “promising”;, even “very promising”, but not much more than that.”The boy’s got an exciting future,” one might even be moved to write, and certainly, Tim Paine, Australia’s captain wasn’t about to get swept up in the moment. “Guys have been around bowling 145, 150ks for a long time,” he said. “It’s a challenge but that’s why we’re playing Test cricket.”But the Sunday write-ups might prove to be a bit more excitable than that. For Archer’s Lord’s performance has made a mockery of circumstance. There was no way that an ordinary cricketer should have been unleashing 96mph thunderbolts in his 24th over with a 76-over-old ball, as Archer did on that extraordinary fourth afternoon.And there’s no way that a bowler who had stampeded down the slope at the Pavilion End to such tremulous effect should have been able to amend his angles so effortlessly from the Nursery End, in only his second first-class contest at the ground, remember, and unleash another reign of terror that briefly threatened to tear this contest wide open again on the final day.

It was several long minutes of examination and speculation about the ‘concussion sub’s concussion sub’ before Labuschagne was cleared to continue his steadfast innings

In the first innings, Archer had been a touch too short with the new ball, not quite challenging the bat in the manner that Chris Woakes might have done, and there was a school of thought, shared most notably by a fellow firebrand, Mitchell Johnson on TMS, that Joe Root would have been better off trusting the precious new ball to a man who averaged 9.75 with the ball on this ground and who combined with Stuart Broad right here last month to rout Ireland for 38 inside 16 overs.But there was a different dynamic at play in the denouement to this contest – because England clearly felt that the pursuit of an unlikely victory was inextricably linked to the crushing of Australia’s soul.Enter Archer, and exit David Warner for his fourth single-figure score in a row, caught poking on the top of off every bit as expertly as Woakes, or James Anderson, or any of the great Lord’s slope-exploiters might have done in the past.But with Australia’s one true route to an improbable run-chase gone, and with Marnus Labuschagne – making history as Test cricket’s first concussion replacement – soon in Archer’s sights as Usman Khawaja fenced a flier through the keeper, Lord’s ordinary rules of new-ball engagement went flying over the pavilion fence.Labuschagne’s first delivery of the Ashes didn’t even register as a delivery at all, it was such a short and shatteringly quick bouncer that Jonny Bairstow did well to claw it down.But the second … my God, the second.Nasty, brutish, and short … just as Labuschagne’s Ashes campaign briefly threatened to be, as his head recoiled like the butt of a 12-bore shotgun as another impossible-to-avoid exocet crashed into his grille.To his credit Labuschagne watched it as well as he could, wrenching his face out of line only when the final split-second made it clear that a collision was inevitable. And though he fell to the floor he was up before you could start the count, shrugging his shoulders and puffing his chest like a nightclub brawler who still wanted some, alwight?But it was several long minutes of examination and speculation about the “concussion sub’s concussion sub” before he was cleared to continue an admirably steadfast innings that lived up to his mock-able billing as Steve Smith’s like-for-like replacement. By the time of his disputed extraction at short midwicket for 59, he had carried their combined average for the series to 109.25 by posting their eighth consecutive Ashes half-century.But that is the thing about Archer’s impact on this Test. It hasn’t been measurable by your everyday statistics – no more than three wickets in either innings, as well as a spell that genuinely amounted to a waste of the first new ball on Friday’s truncated action.And nor did it even lead to victory, irrespective of his late – and frankly questionable return for a final five-over burst: Joe Root, you are aware the Headingley Test starts in just four days’ time, aren’t you? But, neither did Lomu’s World Cup campaign – New Zealand ran out of road in South Africa’s glorious final, and sadly he never got a better chance. But that did not detract from the fact that an iconic awakening had been witnessed.Ben Stokes, a gruff Kiwi-Cumbrian not given to hyperbole – especially not in the wake of his own outstanding performance in this Test match – described Archer’s performance as “frightening”, and there’s no doubt that his impact, literal and otherwise, was as chilling as his demeanour was ice-cool.Joe Root gives Jofra Archer a hug•AFPLike Michael Holding before him (and one doesn’t make that level of connection lightly), Archer’s rhythmical approach seems to have a hypnotic effect on batsman who, even deep into an innings, can sometimes seem stunned at just how much heat he can generate without any apparent effort. And like Malcolm Marshall (ditto), he comes armed with a bouncer that can skid into helmets with liquid, lethal intent, and perhaps unsurprisingly has struck more of his opponents (15) since his international debut in May than any other bowler on the world game.Is it too soon to make such comparisons? Perhaps, though sometimes you just have to make the big calls on big careers (and again, it’s not as if Archer hasn’t just bowled England to a World Cup win within weeks of his international debut).And even if, for whatever reason, he ends up falling short of what might have been – and over-use seems the likeliest route to unfulfillment – it’s hard to recall many fast-bowling debuts that will resonate like this one. It’s been 33 years and counting since Patrick Patterson, for instance, chilled England’s batsmen to the marrow with his lethal debut at Sabina Park in 1985-86. And no matter where he ended up in the pecking order, Graham Gooch, for one, will tell you to this day that that was the fastest and most frightening thing he ever faced.Steve Smith, you suspect, may one day admit the same.There will be challenges ahead, not least for his captain Root, who seemed in danger of playing with his new toy to destruction in turning to so often and in so many roles, to the extent that shortly after the close, Archer self-mockingly tweeted a gif of a man with a walking stick struggling to get off a sofa.”It’s something new to work with,” Root said. "He makes things happen when not many others in world cricket can. He has such a unique action and way of bowling, and obviously natural pace which is always going to be in the game on any surface. So when you’ve got that and the skill of the other guys around it, it makes for a tasty combination.”It makes for a tasty Ashes denouement too. Even as England’s unrivalled summer of cricket clicks into an autumnal hue, there’s everything to play for, and one man in particular making most of those plays.

Arsenal drew against Everton on Saturday to end the fleeting hopes of beating Liverpool to the Premier League title; the Reds will move 16 points clear at the summit should they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side are still likely to finish second for the third season running, with attention now turned toward Tuesday evening’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid.

Hosting Los Blancos – who lost at home to Valencia on Saturday – before travelling to Spain one week later, Arteta rested a host of his stars, but there was one man who played from the outset at Goodison Park who will hope to reprise their berth in midweek.

Indeed, Leandro Trossard opened the scoring with a cool finish, latching onto Raheem Sterling’s pass.

Leandro Trossard's performance vs Everton

Trossard has ebbed and flowed somewhat this season, but he came up with the goods on Merseyside, ending a nine-game barren run in the Premier League with his strike past Jordan Pickford.

Starting in the centre-forward spot, the Belgian will hope to keep his starting role against Carlo Ancelotti’s intimidating outfit, with one football analyst noting that his ability to shoot from multiple areas with both feet makes him “unstoppable.”

Playing the talismanic role well, Trossard got off three shots, hitting the target twice, while also seeing plenty of action with 46 touches and completing 90% of his passes, as per Sofascore.

Maintaining fluency will be important against a Real Madrid side who are susceptible defensively. To be sure, with Bukayo Saka and maybe Gabriel Martinelli installed on either attacking flank, supplied by Martin Odegaard behind, Arsenal have enough firepower to do some damage.

While Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain sidelined, there is, of course, another man whose skills have been called upon in the final third recently.

He put in an industrious display against Everton and will be looking to start against Madrid.

The Arsenal star reaching "cult status"

While Arteta will be working closely with new sporting director Andrea Berta to make improvements in the transfer market this summer, some of Edu’s signings from last year have come up trumps at times this season.

Mikel Merino is chief among them.

The Spaniard, who joined from Real Sociedad for a £32m fee in August 2024, scored five goals from eight games as a makeshift centre-forward to combat the club’s injury woes.

But he returned to the middle of the park against Everton, something that added more mettle and crunch to Arteta’s engine room. Given that Trossard scored, too, it feels like it was a good move from the Gunners gaffer.

Indeed, Merino’s duelling success is truly a thing to behold. Standing at 6 foot 2 and expertly using his frame, he is one of football’s foremost aerial experts.

Praised for covering multiple areas of the field by The Daily Mail, who also heralded his efforts in the duel, Merino blended his fighting spirit with a willingness to drive the play forward, as evidenced by the data below.

Trossard might have got the goal, but Merino offered a lot more in regard to his overall performance. Everton, let’s not forget, are a different beast with Moyes back at the helm, and having such steel in the middle of the park was always going to be imperative.

Touches

48

Passes completed

26/31 (84%)

Touches in att. pen

4

Possession won

6x

Successful take-ons

1

Tackles

3

Duels won

14/17

Arsenal podcaster Matt Kendala even remarked before the game that Merino is “approaching cult status” with his recent performances, a “mentality monster” who has been “emptying the tank for the team.”

His combativeness and attacking instinct make for a dynamic and dangerous player, and you wouldn’t put it past him to nick an all-important goal across the two-legged Champions League tie coming right up.

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