Category Uncategorized

Nottingham Forest have now made contact over a deal for a “phenomenal” striker, who is likely to leave his club in the January transfer window.

Forest searching for new striker after Chris Wood blow

Chris Wood is yet to make an appearance since the arrival of Sean Dyche back in October, and having now undergone surgery, the centre-forward is set for an extended spell on the treatment table.

Writing on Instagram, Wood said: “The Christmas I didn’t expect, you can never know what football throws at you,

“From the highs of last season to now the battles and the lows personally of this season. You have to be ready for anything.

“Truly gutting and frustrating that I’ll be on the sideline for another period of time. It’s what’s needed to come back stronger and better to help my team-mates do the job needed in the Premier League and in Europe.”

As such, Dyche is left with the likes of Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo to choose from at striker, but the latter could be leaving the City Ground this month, as concrete talks have now been held with Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt.

Consequently, the manager could be left a little light on options at striker, meaning he may need to bring in a new option, and Nottingham Forest have now made contact over a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Strand Larsen is now deemed likely to exit Molineux this month, given that the Old Gold are almost certainly going to be relegated from the Premier League, and Forest have now lodged an initial enquiry.

A deal could be on the expensive side, however, with it being revealed Wolves are planning to hold out for a fee of £40m, and forking out the full asking price would make the Norwegian the most expensive signing in Nottingham Forest’s history.

"Phenomenal" Strand Larsen needs to leave Wolves

The 25-year-old isn’t having the best of campaigns, having only scored one Premier League goal, but it must be noted he is playing in an extremely poor side, with Wolves collecting just three points all season.

Related Nottingham Forest pursuing move for British ace who "looks like Ronaldo"

Forest are looking to strengthen their defence in the upcoming transfer window.

Posts ByDominic Lund

Previously, the 24-time Norway international has proven he is capable of delivering in the Premier League, chipping in with 14 goals and four assists in 35 matches last season.

Subscribe for transfer insights on Forest’s striker hunt Get deeper context on transfer sagas by subscribing to the newsletter: coverage and analysis of moves like Forest’s pursuit of Jorgen Strand Larsen, with contextual breakdowns, market perspective, and what a move would mean for the clubs involved.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Wolves striker also played a key role in his side avoiding relegation last season, as noted by former manager Vitor Pereira, who said back in March: “Jorgen was phenomenal out there. His ability to find the net at critical moments has revitalized our team and given us a renewed sense of hope as we fight to stay in the Premier League.”

Strand Larsen definitely needs to leave Wolves, as his previous exploits suggest he is too good to be playing in the Championship, and the centre-forward could help fire Nottingham Forest to safety.

	India discards Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina lent plenty of experience to UP, fighting back after the team nearly got relegated © Cricinfo Ltd

Uttar Pradesh

Round 1, v Orissa in Cuttack

ScorecardSeamer Sudeep Tyagi made a golden debut as he had dismissed half the Orissa side by lunch. He followed-up the three wickets in the first session with three more as UP bowled Orissa out for 216. From 35 for 3, Suresh Raina revived UP with a blinder – a big one at that, 203 off 201 balls – and UP had attained a huge lead with lots of time to spare. Tyagi continued the dream debut with four more wickets in the second innings, as UP won by an innings and 10 runs.Points at the end of the round: 6Round 2, v Andhra in Anantapur

Scorecard
With Praveen Kumar reinforcing their attack, UP had Punjab at 17 for 3. But Uday Kaul, Pankaj Dharmani and Ravi Inder came up with good rearguard knocks that took them to 381. Raina made another whirlwind century – 123 off 130 balls, Kaif made a quick half-century, but the rest of the batsmen failed again. In a tense battle, which included a 17-run last-wicket partnership between Kumar and Tyagi, UP fell short by six runs. Chasing 358 in less than two sessions, UP gave it a shot but it was too tall an order and had to settle for a draw.Points at the end of the round: 8Round 4, v Baroda in Lucknow

Scorecard
The first complete failure for Tyagi as Baroda get a challenging total of 334, despite none of their batsmen going on to make a hundred. Their batting failed again, as Yusuf Pathan took five wickets to get Baroda a 125-run first-innings lead. The spin twins, Piyush Chawla and Praveen Gupta, took charge in the second innings, sharing nine wickets between them, bowling Baroda out for 148 and bringing UP back into the contest. When it came down to chasing 274 on a turning track, the UP batting wasn’t up to it and despite a 40-run last-wicket stand, fell short by 48 runs.Points at the end of the round: 8Round 6, v Bengal in Kolkata

Scorecard
Fighting to avoid relegation, they went to Kolkata but were helped by the fact that Bengal, too, needed an outright win desperately. The track was sporting and the UP medium-pacers immediately got into the act. Praveen Kumar, debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Piyush Chawla got three wickets apiece to bowl Bengal out in two sessions. UP batted big, five of them got half-centuries, as they batted Bengal out of the game with a 355-run first-innings lead. Tyagi and Gupta combined to bowl Bengal out cheaply again and secure UP the momentum they would take with them into the knockouts.Points at the end of the round: 14Round 7, v Hyderabad in Hyderabad

Scorecard
If they didn’t keep their eye on other matches, they would want to come out of the match with an outright win. Batting first, half-centuries from Tanmay Srivastava, Piyush Chawla and Amir Khan took UP to a total in excess of 300 to enable the bowlers to do their thing. Chawla and Gupta took four each and Hyderabad just about avoided the follow-on. Kaif scored an unbeaten century to set Hyderabad an imposing target of 438, and despite a blistering century by Ravi Teja, Praveen Kumar proved to be too good for Hyderabad, and UP threw out all permutations and combinations to finish as group leaders.Points at the end of the round: 19Semi-final, v Saurashtra in Vadodara
The liveliest wicket they had played on so far had them seven-down by lunch on day one. Kaif scored 81 on a tough wicket to get UP to 188, which would prove to be a big total. Before stumps on day one, Tyagi, Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had taken eight Saurashtra wickets and it was clear the match wouldn’t run even half its stipulated duration. On the second day, UP were bowled out for 100, but the 162-run target proved too much for Saurashtra as Praveen Kumar and Tyagi took four wickets each to take UP to the final.

	Askash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir were in consistent form through the season for Delhi © Cricinfo Ltd

Delhi

Round 1, v Rajasthan in Delhi

ScorecardOn a Manic Monday in Delhi, 20 wickets fell as Delhi were bowled out for 119 and still held a first-innings lead of 34. The medium-pacers all contributed after what seemed a start to another ordinary season for Delhi. Virat Kohli and Mithun Manhas scored centuries in the second innings to set Rajasthan an improbable target of 422. Although the bowlers weren’t as emphatic as in the first innings, they did the job to give Delhi a comfortable win.Points at the end of the round: 5Round 2, v Saurashtra in Delhi

Scorecard
On the first day, Pradeep Sangwan and Sharma took three wickets each to run through the Mumbai batting before Gautam Gambhir scored 89 to secure a first-innings lead for Delhi on a wicket that became easier and easier as the match went on. Sahil Kukreja scored 199 for Mumbai to give them a bit more than a day to bowl Delhi out, but Delhi had too much class in their ranks for that to happen. During the 188-run opening stand between Gambhir and Chopra, it even seemed Delhi might just reach the improbable target of 387. Two wickets in two balls – those of Chopra and Virender Sehwag – and another in the next over laid those notions to rest, and Delhi played out a comfortable draw.Points at the end of the round: 11Round 4, v Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala

Scorecard
First a surprise, then a stunner. Himachal scored 343 after being down at 154 for 5, but that was just a thunderstorm when compared to the hurricane that would hit Delhi. In 23.3 overs, a line-up boasting of Gambhir, Chopra, Virender Sehwag and Manhas, was bowled out for 75 runs. Following on, though, Delhi made amends, riding on a double century by Chopra and a century by Gambhir to give Himachal 215 to win. Soon, Sharma wreaked havoc, as Delhi took out five Himachal batsmen in 16.5 overs, but Himachal hung on for the next 18 overs to enforce a draw.Points at the end of the round: 12Round 5, v Maharashtra in Nagothane

ScorecardPlaying the then group leaders Maharashtra, Delhi came up with a professional performance, bowling them out for 219 on the first day. Rajat Bhatia was the chief destructor with his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Bhatia wasn’t done yet as he scored a century to ensure Delhi a 190-run lead on a tricky track. When it looked like Maharashtra might set them a testing target on the last day, Parvinder Awana struck with a hat-trick and turned the match in Delhi’s favour, who lost three wickets in chasing the 51-run target.Points at the end of the round: 17Round 6, v Karnataka in Bangalore
Karnataka 0 for 0 drew with Delhi 538 (Dhawan 148, Kohli 169, Manhas 124)
Scorecard More frustration for Delhi, but this time of the weather’s making, after Kohli, Dhawan and Manhas scored centuries to dominate Karnataka. But as the other contenders in the group moved closer, rain ensured there was little play over the least two days, robbing Delhi of the chance to go for the kill. They had to contend with one point, amid forecasts that it might rain in Chennai, the venue of their last league match, too.Points at the end of the round: 18Round 7, v Tamil Nadu in Chennai

ScorecardWith what had happened in the other matches, a draw would have been good enough for Delhi to ensure a place in the semi-finals, but they did it in comprehensive style. After bowling Tamil Nadu out for 268, the batsmen all contributed in Delhi getting a 70-run first-innings lead. Gambhir scored a fluent 87 and Chopra and Dhawan chipped in with handy half-centuries too. Chetanya Nanda got into the act in the second innings and took five wickets to dismiss Tamil Nadu cheaply and Delhi got the required 105 runs easily.Points at the end of the round: 23Semi-final, v Baroda in Indore

ScorecardWith Pradeep Sangwan and Virat Kohli gone to the India Under-19 side playing in South Africa, and Ishant Sharma representing the India senior side in Australia, the biggest challenge for Delhi was to get the pace attack in order. Amit Bhandari and Sumit Narwal, a former Haryana player, responded to the call and took four wickets apiece to bowl Baroda out for 199. Before the end of the first day, Delhi were out down at 5 for 3 themselves, but Mithun Manhas and Aditya Jain helped them recover. Manhas fell short of what would have been his third century of the season, but ensured Delhi got a 72-run first-innings lead.A solid innings by Rakesh Solanki and a whirlwind 113 off 81 balls by Yusuf Pathan set Delhi a challenging target, and Baroda looked like scripting yet another comeback from a first-innings deficit. A chase of 271 was going to be a tricky one, but Gambhir chose to get there in a dismissive fashion. Gambhir scored 132 off 179 balls as Delhi coasted, despite the absence of Chopra was in the hospital following a nausea attack.

There are still concerns over Mashrafe Mortaza © AFP

Habibul Bashar expects a tough test from Canada when Bangladesh play their second tri-series match in Antigua and also revealed that there are lingered fitness concerns around key strike bowler Mashrafe Mortaza.”Mortaza had a minor foot injury before the last match and was rested,” Basher told . “That problem is gone but he is now complaining of back-pain. The physio feels it is not anything too serious but we have to wait and see whether he’ll be available to face Canada.”Basher said his team won’t underestimate the Canadians. “We haven’t had a chance to watch [them] in action but from the information I have received they seem like a decent side,” he added. “Gus Logie [Bermuda ‘s coach] told me that he thinks this Canadian team is better than the one that appeared in the 2003 World Cup.”Also, they have won a practice game here against Antigua where they chased 231 with five wickets and more than seven overs to spare. Bermuda were okay but I believe Canada will be stronger.”Bashar said the return of Shahadat Hossain, Bangladesh’s quickest bowler, is one certain change to their line-up for the second match, but he thought the team did well in all departments against Bermuda.”We were playing without our two main fast bowlers [Mortaza and Shahadat] but the others did not do a bad job. The wickets here are excellent for batting and there is not much turn for the spinners so the bowlers did well in checking the runs. All the batsmen looked in good touch too.”

James Sutherland has called for sustainable long-term growth © Getty Images

Cricket Australia is hoping next summer’s Ashes will build on cricket’s current capacity as the sport attracting the most new players. Figures released by Cricket Australia showed an “unprecedented” growth in participation of 11.3% since 2005, which it said was the most rapid increase of any sport over the past decade.However, James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, told delegates of a nationwide development conference an extended vision was necessary to continue the trend. “Cricket will never have a better opportunity than with the coming Ashes series to achieve sustainable growth for the long term,” Sutherland said.”We have to be smart about how we use this opportunity as a platform for the future. Paramount to this is our ability to prioritise and balance our huge investments in grass-roots cricket and elite-level cricket. If we are serious about cricket being Australia’s favourite and only truly national sport, we have to find ways to ensure all Australians have the opportunity to develop an affinity for the game.”Australia has 532,000 players and the sport achieved a 12.6% rise in traditional cricket over the past 12 months along with a 26% increase in entry-level participation. The Northern Territory’s rate was 45.6% higher while metropolitan figures showed a 7.9% improvement.

Sharad Diwadkar, the former Bombay allrounder and executive secretary to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has died in Bombay at the age of 69.Diwadkar played in 82 matches for Bombay and State Bank between 1957-58 and 1973-74, scoring 1803 runs at 24.04, including one century, and he also took 211 wickets at 26.17 with his offspinners. He was the brother-in-law of the Bombay captain, Milind Rege, and at State Bank he was a team-mate of the likes of Gundappa Viswanath and Hanumant Singh.He took 11 five-wicket hauls for Bombay and ten in the match on one occasion, but in an era of great Indian spinners, he was never called upon to represent his country on the field. Instead he represented India in the boardroom, taking over from Polly Umrigar as executive secretary in 1997, after Umrigar had resigned in protest at the poor functioning of the board.He held the post for five years, in which time his duties included accompanying the young Harbhajan Singh to England in 1998, where he underwent remedial work on his bowling action, under the guidance of Fred Titmus.In July 2003, Diwadkar he resigned due to ill-health, on the advice of his doctors. He collapsed and died in Bombay on the evening of March 1, while out on his evening stroll.

Justin Langer on the attack for Western Australia © Getty Images

Western Australia 273 and 265 (Langer 96, Hussey 57) drew with Victoria 355 and 1 for 35
ScorecardVictoria and Western Australia were left cursing the rain after their Pura Cup match ended in a draw at the Junction Oval. Victoria were 1 for 35 chasing 184 in their second innings when played was called off after a 90-minute rain break.Victoria scored two first-innings points, but Darren Berry, their captain, said his side targetted this as a six-point game, and had been vindicated for yesterday’s late declaration. Justin Langer, the Western Australian captain, also had cause to feel hollow, given that the three previous innings in this match had featured big batting collapses and the murky conditions could well have favoured WA’s attack late today.”It’s frustrating because our bowlers did a very good job in this match. Obviously Brad Hodge followed it up with a hundred,” Berry said. “We were in a six-point position, very much so.”Victoria are joint third with eight points, but an outright win would have put them in joint second with 12. Western Australia have no points from three games.”We obviously didn’t bat as well as we would have liked. Again we lost eight for not many,” Langer said of the Western Australian collapse. He also backed Berry’s decision to keep batting late yesterday after taking first-innings points, saying he would have done the same.WA resumed on 0 for 100 this morning after Victoria declared at 9 for 355 in reply to 273. It was 2 for 211 before Langer fell for 96 before lunch and the innings never recovered. Mick Lewis, the Man of the Match, and Mathew Inness tore through Western Australia after lunch, snaring 6 for 29 between them in 12.2 overs. Lewis finished with 5 for 58, giving him six wickets for the game, while Inness returned figures of 3 for 23.Mike Hussey (57) and Chris Rogers (52) were the only other Western Australian batsmen to reach 20.While disappointed not to score more runs, Langer was pleased with his touch ahead of next month’s first Test against India. “It was great to face left-armers, who the Indians are going to have. It was great to face [Cameron] White, who is very similar to [Anil] Kumble, I think.”I would have liked to get more runs so we could have set Victorians more runs. That’s where I was disappointed about not getting a hundred.”Only 44 minutes’ play was possible in the Victorian second innings, with Hodge (20) and Matthew Mott (12) seeing the day through after Matthew Elliott was run out for 3 off a suicidal single.Langer and Berry heaped praise on Lewis, who missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury. “It was like a heavyweight boxing fight last night. He’s just run in hard, hit the deck hard and hit me more times than I’ve been hit for a long time,” Langer said. “For him to do that on a flat, slow wicket … it’s great credit to him.”Berry thought Lewis should press for Australia A selection if he maintains his form from the last fortnight. But Lewis will miss next week’s three-day tour match against India because of general soreness.Berry, who slightly aggravated a broken finger in this match, Allan Wise and Bryce McGain will also drop out of the 12 which played against Western Australia. Ian Harvey, fast bowler Brett Harrop, wicketkeeper Peter Roach and Brendan Joseland will take their places.

South Africa’s already slender hopes of reversing the 3-0 defeat suffered against Australia earlier this year plummeted on Thursday when both captain Shaun Pollock and batsman Justin Ontong were ruled out of Friday’s first Test at the Wanderers with injuries.Pollock strained muscles in his side while playing for his province KwaZulu-Natal last weekend while Ontong pulled a hamstring at practice on Wednesday. Andre Nel had already been placed on standby for Pollock and comes into the team with Mark Boucher taking over the captaincy, but no replacement has been named yet for Ontong.South African selection convener Rushdi Magiet was due to fly up to Johannesburg from Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon and it is expected that Ontong’s replacement will be named later in the day.Candidates for inclusion include the free-scoring Graeme Smith, who has already been named 12th man for the first Test, veteran Daryll Cullinan and Jacques Rudolph, who was picked for the third Test in Sydney last month but omitted when United Cricket Board president Percy Sonn rejected the side handed to him by the selectors.Also in the frame are Ashwell Prince who has been regarded mainly as a one-day player, but who scored a fine 92 against the Australians earlier in the week, and Martin van Jaarsveld, the 27-year-old Northerns Titans batsman who scored 182 not out and 158 not out for his province against Griquas at the weekend.

Otago answered several of their new coach’s calls when they outplayedAuckland towin their Shell Trophy cricket match at Eden Park today with six wicketsand a dayto spare.Otago, 157 ahead of Auckland on the first innings, stopped the morestubborn Auckland second innings at 201 late this afternoon, andcantered homewith 85 for four wickets, Matthew Horne leading the way with 50 not out.Dennis Aberhart, the burly master-mind of so many past Canterbury teamsis having his first season with Otago, and on today’s evidence his drillis producingthe right results.One of Aberhart’s aims it to get a winning habit in the Otago side.Theystarted badly in their first two games, against Central Districts andWellington.”Then we got a boost from the defeat of Wellington in the Shell Cupone-dayer and this win against Auckland makes it two in a row, and Otagodo notdo that very often.”Aberhart insists that his players develop a good work ethic, they playtosupport each other, and they try and do the basics properly.The Otago men worked very closely to those plans as they consistentlyout-played Auckland throughout most of the three days. Generally theirbowlersworked to an accurate line, although Aberhart was quick to point outthey were offcourse on the first morning when the new ball was sent zooming all overthe place.Thereafter the Otago medium-fast men kept fairly steady pressure on theerratic Auckland batsmen, with Paul Wiseman probing for other chinks inthe thinAuckland armour with his off-spin.It says much for the consistent work of the Otago bowlers, backed bycrispand energetic fielding, that no Aucklander could score 50 or over in anyof the 22innings. In fact only two Auckland batsmen, Richard King and Dion Nash(bothwho learned some or much of their early cricket skills in Dunedin) couldscore 30 ormore.King scored 34 and 49, Nash 32 and 49, and it said much for theconsistentquality of the Otago bowling that even these two batsmen seldom lookedinconfident or commanding mood.It may be the Auckland batting style on their home Eden Park No 2ground,or a quirk in the umpiring of two senior men, Barry Frost and DougCowie, butAuckland suffered from a lop-sided lbw count.\ No fewer than eight Aucklanders — five in the first innings, three inthesecond — were out leg-before, while Auckland won their only lbw appealhalfwaythrough Otago’s modest chase for victory this evening.The Otago quicker bowlers were consistent but not quite as dominatingasthat lbw statistic would suggest. Neither did the pitch contain anyspecial vices,although it was to Otago’s advantage that their skipper Matt Horne optedto bowlfirst.But the one-sided lbw count suggested, with more truth, that theAucklanders lacked concentration over longish periods, and that a reallygoodOtago delivery always had a chance to get past a lazy batting stroke.The Otago cricketers are not yet world-beaters. But on the Eden Parkevidence they are certainly not lazy about their cricket.

For much of the summer, it was all about Alexander Isak at Liverpool. Then, as the deadline approached, the next saga ramped up regarding Marc Guehi.

The England centre-back, having agonisingly missed out on a last-gasp Anfield switch, might still get his wish in 2026, although attention has shifted to yet another high-profile Premier League target of late.

With Mohamed Salah’s much-debated outburst having thrown his Liverpool future into doubt, the suggestion is that Arne Slot and co could turn to Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in the New Year, with there an argument that the Ghanaian is needed even if the Egyptian genius doesn’t depart next month.

The word on the street is that Semenyo – who has a £65m release clause – has decided that he wants to make the move to Merseyside, be it in January or next summer.

Regardless of if or when the 25-year-old does arrive, such a deal appears a necessity, with every senior winger under threat right now back at Anfield.

Why Semenyo is now the 'best winger in the country'

It wasn’t too long ago that Liverpool’s wide men looked to be the envy of everyone, with Slot overseeing arguably Salah’s best season last time out, after the 33-year-old racked up 57 goals and assists across all competitions.

The nailed-on starter on the right flank, the Dutchman also conjured up consistency from both Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz off the left – albeit while operating centrally too – with the pair scoring 18 and 17 goals apiece in all, respectively.

With Diaz allowed to depart for Bayern Munich, and Salah having fallen from favour, however, the flanks have become a real problem in 2025/26, with Semenyo now taking on the mantle as arguably the “best winger in the country”, in the view of ex-England international, Chris Waddle.

That status is certainly justified considering that the ex-Bristol City man is currently the joint third-highest scorer in the top-flight right now, beaten by only two players, both out-and-out strikers, in the form of Igor Thiago (11) and Erling Haaland (17).

When throwing assists into the mix too, the Cherries star also ranks fourth for total goal involvements, again only edged out by Thiago, Haaland and Manchester United midfielder, Bruno Fernandes.

Lethal from either flank and on either foot, having scored four with his right and three with his left this season, as per Sofascore, the £65m man looks like the complete package, thus representing a real upgrade on Slot’s current options.

Liverpool star could be the casualty of Semenyo's signing

Following an almost £450m spend in the summer, albeit after a muted 2024, it remains to be seen whether the Reds will be able to invest significantly heading into 2026, not least with other areas of the pitch also in need of reinforcement.

Of course, funds could be made available if Salah were to depart, although those days of a potential £200m bid arriving appear to be long gone, amid suggestions the ageing star could even wish to see his contract terminated by mutual agreement.

With £13m signing Federico Chiesa also unlikely to fetch a significant sum, having started just one league game for the club to date, it might be Gakpo whom FSG opt to cash in on, should it come to that.

Now, as already stated, the Netherlands international was central to last season’s title charge, although his tally of 15 goals and assists in the league was actually still bettered by Semenyo, who chalked up 16.

Equally, while the latter man has kicked on with seven goals and four assists in 2025/26, Gakpo – now hampered by injury – appears to have regressed somewhat, registering just four goals and three assists.

With just one goal and one assist in his last seven league games, the 26-year-old is yet to prove he can truly hit those real heights at Premier League level, with last season the only time he has reached double figures for league goals since joining back in January 2023.

Subscribe to the newsletter for expert transfer insight Want deeper context on transfer stories and squad strategy? Subscribing to the newsletter unlocks focused analysis of moves like Semenyo-to-Liverpool speculation, player profiles and how signings reshape team options — essential reading for transfer-savvy fans. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for expert transfer insight Want deeper context on transfer stories and squad strategy? Subscribing to the newsletter unlocks focused analysis of moves like Semenyo-to-Liverpool speculation, player profiles and how signings reshape team options — essential reading for transfer-savvy fans.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Even from the start, there has been concern over his lack of blistering pace and physicality, with club legend Jamie Carragher left “baffled” by what he viewed as “not a typical Klopp signing”.

Gakpo’s Premier League record

Season

Games

Goals (Assists)

25/26

15

4 (3)

24/25

35

10 (5)

23/24

35

8 (5)

22/23

21

7 (3)

Total

106

29 (16)

Stats via Transfermarkt

Such fears have been somewhat eased since then, although there is the sense that Semenyo would fit the Liverpool mould more suitably, considering his blistering pace both in and out of possession.

Despite Gakpo having recently signed a new deal at Anfield, there were claims made over the summer that FSG would consider a sale if a suitable offer were to arrive, amid interest from Bayern.

Perhaps, should such interest be revived again in the new year, the Reds might this time decide to cash in on the £61m-rated dud, thus helping Slot to transition toward an even more exciting style, spearheaded by the electric Semenyo.

Related Dream Guehi alternative: Liverpool "in the market" to sign £50m "beast"

Liverpool are desperate to strengthen their flagging backline in the January transfer market.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

The immediate fate of Zimbabwe’s tour to Pakistan hangs in delicate balance following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, an incident that has sparked violence throughout the country.Zimbabwe are due to arrive in Pakistan on January 12 and are scheduled to play two warm-up matches as well as a series of five ODIs, beginning January 26. But that schedule was thrown into doubt following yesterday’s suicide attack which killed Bhutto shortly after an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Since then, the main urban centres of Pakistan – including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad – have witnessed heavy rioting and violence.Understandably, given the proximity of the incident, no decision has been taken yet. The nation is in official mourning for three days, a stance echoed by Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “This is a huge national tragedy and a time of mourning for the whole country. I feel it is not appropriate to talk about cricket just now. We will look at the situation in 2-3 days,” Ashraf told Cricinfo.Another senior board official said the Zimbabwe board had not been in touch yet. “Nobody from the Zimbabwe board has yet got in touch with us about the situation,” the official told Cricinfo. When asked specifically whether the tour would go ahead, he said, “As of this immediate moment, it is on. But ultimately your guess is as good as mine.”Zimbabwe play their first ODI in Hyderabad, another city particularly badly hit by a night of rioting; they are also scheduled to spend considerable time in Karachi, before playing in Multan, Faisalabad and Sheikhupura.Clouding the matter further is the fate of the general elections, which were scheduled to be held on January 8, days before the tourists arrive. In the aftermath of the assassination, there are suggestions they may be postponed. In either case, however, reports are warning that further violence in coming days may be inevitable, extending a year of already tremendous political tumult in the country.Australia, who are due to tour Pakistan in March, have adopted a wait-and-see policy. They are due to send a security delegation to the country in February, after which they will decide on the tour.