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da supremo： Manchester City’s mass overhaul of their squad has well and truly begun.

da wazamba： The Citizens spent £180m in the January transfer window on five new recruits which, as noted by Philip Buckingham of the Athletic, is a bigger outlay than all other 19 Premier League clubs combined.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush were thrown in the deep end for their debuts against Chelsea last month, Nico González appeared for the first time at Leyton Orient on Saturday, while we’re yet to see either Vitor Reis or Juma Bah, the latter having been sent out on loan to Lens.

Thus, the Sky Blues are set to continue this strategy come the summer, but for one problem position in particular, did they already have the perfect future first-team starter on their books that they have just agreed to sell?

Manchester City's right-back issue

Back in early January, following the 8-0 hammering of Salford in the FA Cup, Pep Guardiola dropped a major bombshell, revealing that club captain Kyle Walker had asked to leave the club and “explore options abroad”.

Well, a few days later, having made 319 appearances for the Citizens, Walker departed for AC Milan on loan, starting all four of I Rossoneri’s matches since, including Wednesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Feyenoord at De Kuip.

Former Everton and Man City defender Joleon Lescott believes Walker is the “Premier League’s greatest right-back”, but the England international had indisputably not been at his best this season, with Oliver Kay of the Athletic noting that his “speed and athleticism”, attributes that had defined him for so long, were on the decline.

Nevertheless, with no direct replacement signed, Guardiola has been trialling Matheus Nunes at right-back, starting seven successive fixtures in that position, prior to the weekend’s FA Cup tie, with his manager believing the Portuguese international is making a lot of progress as a full-back.

On the contrary, Michael Cox of the Athletic describes Nunes as an “uncomfortable… makeshift right-back”, while Graham Ruthven of Forbes adds that he “doesn’t have the defensive instincts of a natural full-back”.

With 20-year-old Rico Lewis also seemingly out of favour, not starting any of the last seven Premier League or Champions League matches, the Citizens are still searching for the long-term heir to Walker’s throne, but did they just sell the perfect player for this role?

Manchester City's latest transfer blunder

Man City supporters, you have probably never heard of Yan Couto, which is fair enough considering he’s never made a first-team appearance for the club, coming closest in the 2021 FA Community Shield against Leicester, when he was an unused substitute.

Instead, he has spent his five years on Man City’s books out on loan, partially at Braga but mainly with fellow-CFG owned club Girona, spending three seasons in Catalonia, most notably helping Blanquivermells qualify for the Champions League for the very first time during the most recent campaign.

As a result, the 22-year-old was called up to the Brazilian national team for the very first time, debuting in World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay, before remaining on the bench throughout last summer’s Copa América, although this only after a dispute with the CBF, who demanded he change his “signature pink hair”, Couto later stating “they said the pink was a bit stupid”.

His performances in La Liga last season earned widespread praise, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labeling him a “superb talent”, while Spencer Mossman of Breaking the Lines claims he is “up there with the best full-backs in the world”.

This attracted the attention of Borussia Dortmund, who signed him initially on loan last summer.

Well, a few months later, die Schwarzgelben agreed to make the move permanent for a fee of €30m (£25m), which represents a massive profit for Man City, who initially paid just £5m for his services from Coritiba.

So, was this a piece of masterful business from the Citizens, or will they regret selling Couto before ever giving him a chance?

Let’s see how the Brazilian compares to Walker, the man he would’ve been replacing.

Couto vs Walker comparison (23/24 & 24/25)

Statistics

Couto

Walker

Appearances

53

55

Minutes

3,223

5,602

Assists

11

4

Touches

2,456

4,588

Pass completion %

85.24%

88.87%

Take on success %

44.98%

76.41%

Tackles

61

68

Interceptions

16

36

Ball recoveries

195

241

Duels contested

359

292

Aerials duel success %

29.83%

67.42

Ground duel success %

46.36%

58.17

Statistics courtesy of Squawka and Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, Walker is more defensively solid, albeit Couto has played the majority of his football since the start of last season as a wing-back, with the Brazilian more of a threat going forward as a result, underlined by his 11 assists.

As noted by OptaFranz on Twitter, Couto carried the ball 286 metres in La Liga last season, the second-highest of any player in the division on a per-90 basis, behind only Frenkie de Jong; third on that list, none other than Savinho.

Still only 22-years-old, the Brazilian clearly has great potential, no defender in La Liga last season provided more assists, so Couto could prove to be the latest in a long line of players Man City may regret selling.

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One of Manchester City’s best-ever wingers continue to perform, even after being sold, so do the Sky Blues regret selling the attacker 2 years ago?

Posts ByBen Gray Feb 12, 2025

Usman Khawaja says he has learned plenty from his two underwhelming tours of England as he prepares for what he calls the toughest test for a top-order batter.The 36-year-old opener will be integral to Australia’s chances of retaining the Ashes when the first of five Tests begin in Birmingham on June 16, following the World Test Championship [WTC] final against India at The Oval.Khawaja toured England in 2013 and 2019 for a meagre return of 236 runs in six Tests at an average of 19.66. He was dropped midway through the 2019 Ashes and spent almost three years on the outer before a triumphant return to the Test side that has reaped 1608 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 69.91, including six centuries.Related

• Bowling 'a bit of a challenge' for Stokes ahead of the Ashes

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“England is, in my opinion, the toughest place in the world to bat for top-three batsmen,” Khawaja said. “In 2013, I was quite young and it was a pretty s*** tour, if I am being honest. It was tough work. I learned a lot from that tour.””My last series there [in 2019] it was a tough series for batsmen. The whole tour will show you that, other than Steven Smith who was on another planet.”Khawaja said it was a “learning experience” with a couple of key takeaways.”If I’ve learned anything, it is work hard, train hard and [when] going to England, go with low expectations,” he grinned. “You are going to fail as a batsman, but when you do score you try to cash in as much as you can.”It is the challenge against the England pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad that has Khawaja enthused.”Anderson and Broad…they are unbelievable bowlers and tough work at the start,” he said. “That’s what makes it so awesome when you do score runs and you contribute to a winning team, which hopefully I’ll do and others will do over there.”When you do it against guys like Broad and Anderson in England, it’s just that much more satisfying.”Khawaja believed that Australia had been too “reactive” in dropping players in the past, including himself, after the odd failure.”I’ve always been big on just picking your best players and sticking with them because they’ll score you the most runs consistently, and I think over the years in selection for Australian cricket, we have chased our tail a little bit trying to pick players in form,” he said.”Form is temporary. Class is not. I think the new selectors, with [coach] Andrew McDonald up the top, understand that part of the game and hence there has been a lot more stability in selecting and picking players and sticking with them.””I’ve been dropped seven times in Test cricket and I’ve come back, and there’s a reason for that…because I’ve always scored runs consistently in first-class cricket and fought my way back.”

Steven Gerrard once called a Liverpool teammate better than Lionel Messi after being stunned by his abilities at Anfield.

Steven Gerrard names greatest Liverpool teammates

The Reds legend spent 17 senior years on Merseyside after coming through Liverpool’s academy, making his debut back in 1998.

During that time, Gerrard would never win the Premier League, however, he has gone down as one of the greatest players the top flight has ever seen. Across the world, Gerrard also became a superstar, having everything you need to be a top midfielder, and was known for scoring goals from distance.

He could have left Liverpool on numerous occasions during his career but remained a Red until 2015, and, following a brief stint in the MLS with LA Galaxy, would call time on his career.

Over the years at Anfield, Gerrard would play with some of the best around, including names such as Xabi Alonso, Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres. The English legend has actually named his greatest Liverpool XI of stars he played with, and Gerrard quite rightly named himself in the side.

Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool teammate XI
GK:	Pepe Reina
RB:	Glen Johnson
CB:	Sami Hyypia
CB:	Jamie Carragher
LB:	John Arne Riise
CM:	Xabi Alonso
CM:	Javier Mascherano
CM:	Steven Gerrard
FWD:	Fernando Torres
FWD:	Robbie Fowler
FWD:	Luis Suarez

However, one name not in that XI once came in for high praise from Gerrard, with the midfielder comparing him to a certain Argentine icon.

Steven Gerrard said Arsenal star was the Premier League 'GOAT' and better than Ronaldo

The Liverpool legend weighed in on the debate…

By
Ben Goodwin

May 21, 2025

Gerrard once called Liverpool flop Joe Cole better than Messi

In 2010, Messi was already a one time, and soon-to-be two time Ballon d’Or winner, regarded as one of the best on the planet.

However, Liverpool had just signed Joe Cole on a free transfer following his departure from Chelsea, and in his early days at Anfield, caught Gerrard’s eye.

In fact, Gerrard said Cole left him shocked in training and said that his fellow Englishman can do things better than Messi.

Gerrard may have backed Cole for the Player of the Year award in 2010/11, however, he scored just two Premier League goals in 20 appearances, and the following season, was sent out on loan to Lille before eventually leaving to join West Ham on a permanent basis in January 2013.

Joe Cole’s Liverpool stats – all competitions
Games	42
Goals	5
Assists	3
Yellow cards	2
Red cards	1
Minutes played	2,117

Things didn’t work out for Cole at Liverpool the way he and Gerrard imagined, and it’s fair to say his and Messi’s careers went in completely different directions after that 2010/11 campaign.

New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against India after tearing her left quadricep muscle. Kerr picked up the injury during the opening game on Thursday, which India won by 59 runs, and is expected to take approximately three weeks to recover. She will not be replaced in the ODI squad.This also puts her WBBL participation in serious doubt for Sydney Sixers with the tournament set to start on Sunday. Amelia was a big-name pre-signing for Sixers as a platinum-category pick and could miss eight of Sixers’ 10 league games even if she recovers in three weeks.An NZC release stated Amelia was taken for scans on Friday morning, which revealed a grade-one quadricep tear, and that she would return home on Sunday to start her rehabilitation.”We’re really gutted for Melie,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Injuries are always a challenging time for a player and we know how disappointed she is to not be able to play these games.”Everyone knows how much of an integral part of this team Melie is so we’ll certainly miss her but we’re wishing her a speedy recovery.”Soon after playing a pivotal role in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, Amelia was New Zealand’s best bowler in the opening ODI too, taking 4 for 42 before scoring an unbeaten 25 off 23 in the chase. The remaining two ODIs are on October 27 and 29, also in Ahmedabad.Amelia’s absence could hurt New Zealand’s hopes of climbing the Women’s ODI Championship table, where a top-six finish will ensure direct qualification for the ODI World Cup in 2025. New Zealand are currently placed sixth out of 10 teams and will next play Australia in December.

Jack Wilshere has reportedly turned down an opportunity to return to Arsenal in favour of chasing his ambition of pursuing senior football management. The former England international had been one of the names in contention for the club’s vacant Under-21 head coach position, but after careful thought, he has opted to remove himself from the running.

Wilshere rejects Under-21 roleEyes move into senior managementLeaves the door open for future returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Arsenal’s hierarchy had approached Wilshere earlier this month to gauge his interest in taking over the Under-21 side, a role left open following Mehmet Ali’s departure to join Brentford’s coaching setup. The position was designed not only to put Wilshere in charge of the club’s top academy squad but also to give him a wider influence on player development strategies across the youth system.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

While a return to the Emirates dugout could have been a sentimental and strategic step for the 32-year-old, Wilshere is said to have informed Arsenal that his current focus lies on breaking into senior first-team management. The discussions were understood to be cordial, with no tension between either party. The decision was reportedly met with mutual respect and understanding, with Arsenal leaving the door open for a possible reunion in the future.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Gunners’ plan was reportedly to hand Wilshere control of the Under-21s, a crucial bridge between academy football and the first team. The job would have seen him working closely with Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s backroom staff to prepare young talent for Premier League readiness. However, it seems that the former midfielder has set his heart on something grander. 

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WILSHERE?

Wilshere’s coaching career took its latest turn last season when he left Arsenal’s U18s to join Norwich City as first-team coach under Johannes Thorup. When Thorup departed in April, Wilshere was promoted to interim head coach, giving him a taste of life in the senior dugout. Although he left Carrow Road in the summer following the arrival of new boss Liam Manning, that brief spell as a head coach seems to have intensified his appetite for full-time management at the senior level.

Derby stood host to three double-centurions in the second round

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Apr-20221 Tom Haines (243) and Cheteshwar Pujara (201*) became the first pair to score double-centuries in the same first-class innings while following-on. They are also the first pair with double-hundreds in the same first-class innings for Sussex since Ted Bowley (228) and Maurice Tate (203) in 1921 against Northamptonshire.2 Pujara became only the second Indian to score a double-century in the County Championship. Mohammad Azharuddin was the first, having scored 212 against Leicestershire in 1991 and 205 against Durham in 1994, both for Derbyshire. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi also had four double-hundreds in County Cricket, but were scored while he was a Test cricketer for England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd52 First-class innings without a hundred for Pujara before the unbeaten double-ton for Sussex. His last first-class century was scored in January 2020 when he made 248 against Karnataka. Between his recent two hundreds, Pujara scored 1518 runs in the format at an average of 30.36 with 14 fifties.14 Number of first-class double-centuries for Pujara, the most by an Asian player. He has now surpassed Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 13 double-tons. Only eight batters had more first-class double-hundreds than Pujara. No active player other than Pujara has even scored ten double-tons.1 Pujara’s 14 double-centuries in first-class cricket are also the most by any player in the format since the start of the 21st century. Sangakkara held the record previously as all his 13 double-tons came between 2002 and 2017.201* Pujara also recorded the highest individual score on the first-class debut for Sussex. The previous highest score on debut for Sussex was 152 by Joe Gatting against Cambridge UCCE in 2009.239 Shan Masood’s score during the Derbyshire’s first innings. It is the highest individual score by a Pakistan player in the County Championship. The previous highest was 230* by Zaheer Abbas for Gloucestershire against Kent in 1976.