Bayern Munich wonderkid Lennart Karl, who has been called the 'German Lionel Messi', has played down comparisons to the Argentine GOAT after he made Bundesliga history against Freiburg on Saturday. Karl contributed a goal and an assist as Vincent Kompany's side registered a dominating 6-2 win and maintained their unbeaten record in the league this season.
The Los Angeles Angels are tidying up their roster ahead of Opening Day, and their latest move may come as a bit of a surprise.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Halos are releasing outfielder Mickey Moniak. The 26-year-old was the No. 1 pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 MLB draft.
Passan also reported the Angels will pay Moniak $483,970.97 due to procedure laid out in the collective bargaining agreement about releasing a player so close to Opening Day.
After making his MLB debut with Philadelphia in 2020, Moniak was traded to the Angels in '22—alongside prospect Jadiel Sanchez—in exchange for pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Never hitting his ceiling as a former No. 1 pick, the outfielder spent some time with L.A.'s Triple-A Salt Lake Bees in '23 before playing the entire '24 season with the major league club.
Moniak has hit 32 home runs and tallied 105 RBIs with a career .230 batting average over five MLB seasons.
After returning to club action following the final international break of 2025, Liverpool needed to find a remedy for their issues.
A defeat to Manchester City two weeks ago is hardly something to be ashamed about, but after consecutive wins across league and European action, it was a return to the doldrums of the previous month.
In truth, Arne Slot’s men have been way off it in 2025/26. The Anfield outfit are severely lagging behind in the race for the Premier League title and they can probably already forget about any hopes of retaining England’s biggest prize, but for a major miracle.
The nadir of the campaign so far came on Saturday. Nottingham Forest, sat inside the relegation places, visited Mersyeside and swatted aside Slot’s troops with ease, winning 3-0.
It was a ghastly defeat and one that was epitomised by the performance of club-record signing Alexander Isak.
2025 has been a peculiar old year for Mr Isak. He began the year in career-best form and took Newcastle United to a Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley against his new employers.
Yet, he ruined his legacy. He chewed it up and spat it back in the faces of Newcastle supporters.
He didn’t go on the club’s pre-season tour in Asia and from that moment he was never seen in first-team training again.
Isak trained on his own at Newcastle’s complex and then after missing the opening weeks of the season, finally got his British record move to Liverpool. FSG shelled out a jaw-dropping £125m to sign him but he has not been worth that fee in the slightest.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The Swede has struggled with fitness and injury since moving, hardly surprising given he didn’t have a proper pre-season. That, however, is the player’s fault and he’s now paying the price.
The striker has now played nine games for his new side but has only scored once, a solitary goal in the EFL Cup.
He’s gone five Premier League matches without scoring and all four of his Liverpool starts in top-flight action have ended in defeat.
His performance against Forest on Saturday was the epitome of what he’s gone through on Merseyside to date.
As Slot’s side lost 3-0, Isak was nowhere to be seen. BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty described his afternoon as a “symbol of one of the most limp Anfield displays in recent years.”
As a consequence, the attacker only lasted 68 minutes on the pitch, amassing just 14 touches of the football and winning zero of his duels.
|
Isak vs Forest |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
68 |
|
Touches |
14 |
|
Accurate passes |
5/7 (71%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
0 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0 |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
Before this game had even taken place Liverpool correspondent David Lynch had suggested the Swede was “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did”. Still, while Nunez never really got up to speed, there is a belief that Isak will eventually come good.
The same cannot be said for someone who plays further back than Isak.
What a puzzling character Mr Nunez was. The Uruguayan arrived in a £85m move from Benfica back in June 2022 but failed to ever really set the world alight.
He missed a catalogue of big chances. In January 2024, he set a Premier League record when he hit the woodwork four times in one game against Chelsea. No one has ever hit the bar or post on as many occasions in one match as that.
Furthermore, back in 2023/24, only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Nunez (27) in the top-flight. The trouble is, while the Norwegian powerhouse scored 27 that term, Liverpool’s leading number nine only found the net on 11 occasions in league action.
Then, last season, the South American netted just seven goals in 47 fixtures, prompting his exit from English football. He has since moved to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal, where he has netted five times in nine appearances.
Isak will likely have a better Anfield career than that, but he is arguably not the main scapegoat right now. That honour is in the hands of Ibrahima Konate.
The Frenchman, as Nunez did, has become the but of the jokes at Anfield this term and is the most under-fire player in Slot’s squad.
Yes, Florian Wirtz and Isak continue to disappoint, a huge problem given their price tags, but Konate has had one too many chances now and his Liverpool career is heading in a similar way to a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold.
His contract is due to expire at the end of the season and with Real Madrid allegedly chasing his services, it looks like the best option for all parties that he leaves on a free transfer.
Liverpool would love a fee, of course they would, but they just need to get him off their books now. He’s simply too error-prone. It’s not just one error either, something football analyst Raj Chohan outlined on social media during Saturday’s game.
Having made a dreadful mistake, beaten all ends up by Forest striker Igor Jesus, the Frenchman was extremely thankful that the goal that followed that sequence of events was ruled out for handball.
Writing afterwards, Chohan simply said, “every time he makes one error, he makes multiple.”
Tactical writer Dharnish Iqbal, further noted that Konate’s form at the moment is “shocking”, outlining him as one of the biggest problems at Slot’s disposal right now.
According to the official data, supplied by Sofascore, he has made three mistakes leading to a shot in league action alone this term. In the Champions League, he has made a further one. This is particularly bad as in the whole of the 2024/25 Premier League season, he made two. He’s already up to that number now from 12 starts.
He might not be like Nunez in the sense that he’s a striker, but he’s the new club scapegoat, and like Nunez, he needs to leave as soon as possible.
Worse than Konate: Slot must drop 2/10 Liverpool flop who lost 100% duels
Ibrahima Konate was not the only culprit during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest.
2
By
Matt Dawson
Nov 23, 2025
Emma Coates has left her role as England women’s under-23s head coach to become the new manager of National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Bay FC. The Football Association (FA) has announced the recruitment process will begin “imminently” as they look to identify a successor to the 34-year-old, who worked closely with Sarina Wiegman while in charge of the young Lionesses.
Seemingly eternal Los Angeles Dodgers stalwart Chris Taylor was released by his longtime club on May 18—but the utilityman won't have to go far to find his next team.
The Los Angeles Angels are signing Taylor to a big-league contract, they announced Monday evening. Taylor, 34, is in his 12th season in the major leagues.
He played for the Dodgers from 2016 to '25, quietly witnessing and propelling one of the franchise's most successful eras. A jack-of-all-trades who played seven different positions with the Dodgers, he made the National League All-Star team in 2021 and was the MVP of the 2017 NLCS.
Taylor brings winning savvy an Angels team treading water in a wide-open American League West Division. The fourth-place team trails the first-place Seattle Mariners by four games.
To roster the Virginia product, the Angels—who open a three-game set against the New York Yankees Monday—optioned center fielder and second baseman Kyren Paris to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.
Crystal Palace have now joined the race to sign an “absolute star”, who is being targeted by some of Europe’s top clubs.
After the disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Manchester United last weekend, Palace returned to winning ways against Burnley on Wednesday night, securing a 1-0 victory courtesy of Daniel Munoz’s goal on the stroke of half-time.
It was another resolute defensive display from the Eagles, who boast the second-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, having shipped just 11 goals, with only Premier League leaders Arsenal conceding fewer.
Having jumped to fifth place courtesy of the win at Turf Moor, there is every sign Oliver Glasner’s side could make a push for European qualification this season, particularly if they continue to be tough to score against, with captain Marc Guehi at the heart of their defence.
However, with Guehi’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, and Liverpool recently opening fresh talks, Glasner will have to start making plans for life after the England international soon, and Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande is one of the centre-backs of interest.
Crystal Palace are keen to strengthen at the opposite end of the pitch too, according to a report from TuttoAtalanta (via Sport Witness), which states they have now joined the race for Watford star Rocco Vata, alongside Fulham and two Champions League clubs.
Indeed, Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta are also vying to sign Vata, who has an affordable asking price, with it being revealed potential suitors will have to fork out a fee of around €8m – €12m (£7m – £11m).
Crystal Palace could now sign £80k-a-week "warrior" in "good value" January deal
There has been a new update on the Eagles’ pursuit of a defender.
By
Dominic Lund
Dec 3, 2025
‘Half of Europe’ are credited with an interest in the former Celtic man, who has really kicked on since leaving Parkhead to join the Hornets back in 2024…
Scout Ben Mattinson has been left impressed by the 20-year-old’s performances since signing for Watford, lauding him as an “absolute star” back in January, and the starlet established himself as an important player last season, chipping in with seven goal contributions in 33 Championship games.
Palace have been very successful when recruiting players from the Championship in the past, signing the likes of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, and the Watford star could go on to achieve similar things, having performed very well across some key statistics over the past year.
|
Rocco Vata’s key statistics |
Average per 90 (past year) |
|
Assists |
0.30 (88th percentile) |
|
Successful take-ons |
2.31 (92nd percentile) |
|
Tackles |
1.70 (79th percentile) |
Given that Vata could be available for a very affordable fee, Crystal Palace should look to get ahead of the likes of Atalanta and Frankfurt in the race for his signature by making a January offer.
On April 11 of this year, Liverpool posted a video on their social media channels accompanied by the words 'The story continues' and a crown emoji. Nobody had to press play to understand what it all meant: after months and months of incessant speculation over Mohamed Salah's future, Anfield's Egyptian King had finally agreed a new contract with the club.
"I'm very excited," the winger said of his two-year extension. "We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team, but signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football. It's great, I had my best years here. I played eight years; hopefully, it's going to be 10."
Right now, though, that looks highly unlikely. Indeed, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp says that he'd be "amazed if Salah sees out the last year-and-a-half of his contract" – and it's surprisingly easy to understand why.
The baseball postseason—and specifically the World Series—has a habit of creating heroes from the most unlikely sources. This time, unlikely hero Addison Barger navigated some extenuating circumstances to help power the Blue Jays to an 11–4 win over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night.
Barger went from a pull-out couch, to the Blue Jays bench to the plate, where he belted the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, blowing the game open and extending Toronto's lead to 9-2 in its eventual win.
"His family is coming in, came in tonight," Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider said after the game. "He needed someone. He was staying with Myles [Straw] and then stayed with me last night. My girlfriend is here so like, he’s like, ‘Can I sleep in the bed with you guys.' "
According to , it is not uncommon for Blue Jays players to stay at teammates' houses during the season, and some have looked to stay closer to Rogers Centre to beat World Series-related traffic.
So Schneider offered to have Barger sleep on his pull-out couch, though it may not have been the best night's sleep for the 25-year-old Barger.
"So I was like ‘No,’ sleep on my couch. Sleep on the pullout.' It’s a pullout, yeah. But it was squeaking all night. Yeah, it was so funny. I looked over and I just see him sleeping there in the middle of the night. He’s a headcase, but he’s fun."
Barger, as Schneider's sister Madeline pointed out on X, slept on the couch once again following the World Series victory. At this point, it's either that Barger genuinely likes sleeping on the squeaky pull-out couch, or he and the Blue Jays aren't messing with what could be good superstition.
Game 2 of the World Series begins at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night.
Manchester United have become known for relying on numerous top young prospects, with many playing key roles within the first-team and helping them achieve various levels of success.
The Red Devils have either promoted them from the academy ranks, or even paid big money for them in an attempt to secure Premier League glory in the future.
Kobbie Mainoo was one of the youngsters who emerged out of the youth ranks at Old Trafford, but his career has hit a stumbling block over the last few months under Ruben Amorim.
He’s rapidly fallen down the manager’s pecking order in the first-team ranks, which could result in a winter transfer away from his boyhood club in the upcoming window.
The same can’t be said for one other senior player, who has become a crucial player since the manager took the reins at the Red Devils a little over 12 months ago.
Back in October 2020, United announced the addition of winger Amad Diallo from Italian side Atalanta, with many supporters unaware of the talent purchased by the board.
He would subsequently arrive a few months later during the January transfer window, with his first couple of years seeing him be a bit-part player and even being sent on loan twice.
However, Amorim’s arrival has seen the Ivorian become a key member of his squad over the last few months, even utilising the 23-year-old in a somewhat unnatural wing-back role.
The switch may have come as a surprise to many, but it has been a masterstroke and one that has allowed the youngster to create numerous moments to remember for the supporters.
Arguably, his biggest goal to date came in the Manchester Derby last campaign, with his last-minute effort securing a famous win at the Etihad for the Red Devils.
He’s even contributed on numerous occasions at Old Trafford, with his phenomenal quickfire hat-trick against Southampton in 2024/25 securing the side three crucial points.
The 2025/26 season has been somewhat quiet compared to the standards he’s set for himself over recent times – but he did manage to score a potential Goal of the Season contender against Nottingham Forest.
In his first 13 league games of the 2025/26 campaign, Amad has racked up a total of three combined goals and assists – with one of the efforts coming in that clash at the City Ground.
However, the manager will no doubt have to find a solution in the coming weeks, as the 23-year-old looks set to join up with the Ivory Coast squad for the African Cup of Nations.
It remains to be seen who will likely fill the void, especially with Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui also set to join up with their respective nations for the competition.
Such a period could see the hierarchy delve into the transfer market to land an immediate and or long-term solution to help provide needed depth in the wide areas.
Other areas of the squad will no doubt be targeted too, in the hope of finding a player with a similar profile to Amad, whilst having the potential to develop into a top-level talent.
The hierarchy have already completed one deal ahead of the transfer window, with Colombian teenager Cristian Orozco already making the move to Old Trafford.
The central midfielder set to join the club in the winter window from Fortaleza, subsequently costing a fee in the region of $1m (£750k) – a potential bargain fee.
However, despite being just 17 and operating in a different position, he does offer some similarities to United’s Ivorian star, in largely being an unknown quantity to many.
He’s also agreed to join before arriving at a later date, like Amad, which may only generate even more excitement until he formally joins the club at the start of 2026.
|
Cristian Orozco – stats against El Salvador |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
107 |
|
Pass accuracy |
75% |
|
Passes completed |
63 |
|
Tackles made |
2 |
|
Duels won |
9 |
|
Recoveries made |
9 |
|
Dribbles completed |
2 |
|
Stats via SofaScore |
|
Orozco, who’s been dubbed a “destroyer” by one analyst, recently featured for his country at the U17 World Cup, playing a key role in all of their matches, with his showing against El Salvador showcasing the talent he possesses at his tender age.
He managed to complete 67 passes at an accuracy rate of 75%, whilst also completing two dribbles within his total of 107 touches – highlighting his incredible talents with the ball at his feet.
The teenager also won nine duels and nine recoveries alongside two tackles – numbers which could make him the perfect ball-winner for Amorim’s side in the years ahead.
His move to England certainly does have huge glimpses of the previous deal for Amad, with the fanbase undoubtedly hoping that the youngster can develop into another top talent.
However, expectations will no doubt need to be managed during his time in Manchester, but there’s no reason why the supporters can’t begin to get excited about the pending transfer.
Cunha 2.0: INEOS to fast-track Man Utd bid for 'best winger in England'
Manchester United look set to make a huge move for one player in the upcoming January window.
By
Ethan Lamb
Dec 5, 2025
Arsenal captain Leah Williamson returned to action for the first time in four months following a knee injury. The 28-year-old sustained the issue during the Lionesses' Euro 2025 final triumph over Spain and has not featured since then. However, she is back playing after coming off the bench in the Gunners' 3-1 Women's Super League win at Everton on Saturday.