Thursday, Topps announced an exclusive partnership with two-way MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers batter/pitcher is partnering with the brand on a unique global trading card deal. Previously, Ohtani partnered with Topps in a non-exclusive fashion.

As a part of the deal, Topps will manufacture products that feature Ohtani autographs and game-used memorabilia to be distributed in the United States and Japan markets. David Leiner, President of Trading Cards at Fanatics Collectibles, which owns Topps, promised that the partnership would give collectors, "product that's never before been seen in the hobby."

Ohtani joins other countrymen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui in partnering with Topps. He also joins a roster of larger-than-life athletes partnered with Topps like LeBron James.

“I'm happy to be exclusively partnering with Topps to give fans unique cards and collectibles for seasons to come," Ohtani said in the press release. Just a few days ago, Topps announced a 1/1 card with a "40/40 club" inscription from Ohtani along with the date he achieved the exclusive mark.

Fanatics acquired the familiar Topps trading card brand in 2022 and is giving a new platform to the collectibles space. Earlier this month Fanatics held a "fan fest," a sports-angled convention comparable to conventions in other spaces like Comic Con, and later this year will hold its first unique auction in a deconsecrated church.

Ohtani famously is reported to make a number in the ballpark of $100 million annually from endorsements and non-baseball contracts. Quite possibly, that massive figure gave him the flexibility to largely defer his contract with the Dodgers in last offseason's free agency, giving the franchise more flexibility to build a winning team around him.

Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker refused to cheat the game when it came to Shohei Ohtani joining the 50-50 club.

On Thursday night, Ohtani stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh inning needing one home run to become the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. With two on and first base open and trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-3, Schumaker was asked if he wanted to walk Ohtani. The Marlins manager refused.

It was easy to see Schumaker's response to that on the broadcast. In short, he said, "F— that."

Tipping Pitches attempted to read Schumaker's lips and seemed to have his full statement nailed, though we concede a word or two may be off. They came to the conclusion he said, "F— that. I've got too much respect for this guy for that s— to happen."

Schumaker was asked about that decision to not walk Ohtani after the game.

"That's a bad move, baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-gods-wise. You go after him and see if you can get him out," Schumaker said. "I think out of respect to the game, we were going to go after him."

Schumaker is a respected former player, a World Series champion and the reigning National League Manager of the Year. What he did Thursday night will make him a lot more fans that he already has.

In that situation, there was no reason to put Ohtani on, but plenty of managers would have just to ensure he didn't reach that milestone against their team. Instead, Schumaker realized the importance of the moment to the game of baseball and what it meant to Ohtani.

Ohtani not only reached the 50-50 mark, he completely buried the Marlins on the afternoon. He went 6-for-6 with three home runs, two stolen bases and 10 RBIs in a 20–4 win. Despite his team getting absolutely blown out of the building, Schumaker kept pitching to Ohtani because it was the right thing to do.

Good for him.

Not for the first time in recent weeks, Wilfried Zaha has found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons, having received a red card for Charlotte FC in the MLS.

Zaha hits back at Jean-Philippe Mateta

One of life’s guarantees is that Zaha will have his say in an argument and Jean-Philippe Mateta recently found that out the hard way. The Crystal Palace striker initially name-dropped his former teammate when revealing that he used to mock him for his France ambitions at a time when he couldn’t even get a start at Selhurst Park.

As it turns out, it’s Mateta who’s had the last laugh. The forward is now one of the best in the Premier League and recently scored his first goal for France to silence any remaining doubters, but clearly hasn’t forgotten Zaha’s mockery.

The Charlotte winger sees things slightly differently, however. Hitting back at Mateta, Zaha said: “I’m sorry but my head’s on fire. I’ve got to clear up this Mateta situation because he doesn’t want to and this just shows me that…see the times when I was playing at Crystal Palace and all these people were watching me and it’s clear they weren’t happy for me because I never made anyone feel like s***.”

Since the public row, in which the winger reaffirmed he never meant to offend and merely thought he was joking amongst friends, Mateta has scored a hat-trick for Palace and Zaha has seemingly taken his fury to the pitch.

Zaha hits out at Jesus Bueno

If talent was the conversation, then Zaha would be one of the leading topics. He has been one of the best players in the MLS all season – scoring 10 goals and assisting another six as Charlotte reached the playoffs in style – but he remains ill-tempered.

It’s temper which has flared all throughout his career and something that was on show for all to see against Philadelphia in the MLS in his most recent outing as he hit out against Jesus Bueno in shocking fashion.

Philadelphia Union reporter Jose Roberto Nunez took aim at Zaha after the incident, slamming his “unnecessary red card” in a game which was effectively over, which will now see him miss Charlotte’s first of their best of three series against New York City in the MLS Cup.

From Mateta’s accusation to seeing red in the MLS, to say it’s been a couple of weeks to forget for Zaha would be an understatement.

Micky van de Van scored a stunning solo goal for Tottenham in their Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen, but a couple of his club colleagues have snubbed the Dutchman when naming the best strike that they have ever seen. Another effort recorded in European competition, by Portuguese GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo, gets the nod from a few of those in north London.

Van de Van scored stunning solo goal against Copenhagen

Van de Van illuminated the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when facing Danish opposition as he charged almost the full length of the pitch before hitting the back of the net. The Netherlands international is famed for his pace and running power.

Those qualities were on full display as he muscled his way down the middle of the field, shrugging off opponents as he went, and crashed the ball home to put Spurs three goals to the good on the night – with Thomas Frank’s side eventually running out 4-0 winners despite having Brennan Johnson sent off.

AdvertisementBest goal seen live? Spurs stars make their choice

Unsurprisingly, Van de Van’s solo masterpiece has been the subject of much discussion at Tottenham’s training ground. For many of those watching on, from the pitch and the stands, said strike is the greatest that they have ever seen.

Not everybody falls into that category, though, with there plenty of current Spurs stars that are happy to cast their mind a little further back in order to find the pick of the goals that they have witnessed live.

Wales international Johnson went for a goal registered for his boyhood club Nottingham Forest – a spectacular free-kick from Lewis McGugan – while sticking with the Reds theme, Djed Spence picked his own effort scored against QPR during a loan spell at the City Ground.

Archie Gray also offered a nod to former employers, as he plumped for Patrick Bamford’s stunning volley for Leeds in an FA Cup clash with Peterborough, and Xavi Simons went for Lionel Messi’s iconic effort for Barcelona against Bayern Munich in the Champions League – as he left Jerome Boateng chasing shadows.

Brazilian forward Richarlison went for a legendary overhead kick from Ronaldo, as did CR7’s fellow Portuguese Joao Palhinha. That acrobatic goal was recorded for Real Madrid during a European outing against Juventus in April 2018.

Plenty of Van de Ven’s current team-mates were happy to side with him in the best goal debate, including Pedro Porro, Pape Matar Sarr, Wilson Odobert, Radu Dragusin, Kevin Danso, Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai. The man himself went for a goal from Max Arnold for Wolfsburg against Mainz.

What was going through Van de Ven's mind?

Van de Van told Spurs’ official media channels of his stunner against Copenhagen and what was going through his mind as he raced towards goal: "I get the ball in our own box, and every time I saw a little gap of space in front of me, and I started dribbling, I was like, hey, every time I can get a bit more. I know when I get my speed and acceleration it's difficult to catch up sometimes, and then in one way I was like, hey, I'm through. I was like, ‘I'm going all the way now’, just try to score.

"When I came through, to be honest, in my head I was like, ‘I know my strike is quite good, my left inside foot is quite strong’ but, at this point, you just say in your head, ‘I need to score this one, man’.

"Another team-mate was next to me, I don't know who it was, and I know their centre-back was in the middle, and of course at one point he needs to make a decision. I was like, ‘nah, I keep going all the way now’ and just try to shoot a short corner. To be honest, I haven't seen it go in. I just heard everyone celebrating, I just knew I had to score."

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GettyMan Utd & north London derby: Tottenham fixtures

Spurs will be back in Premier League action on Saturday when playing host to Manchester United. They will return after the latest international break with a derby date against north London rivals Arsenal on November 23.

Leeds United’s lack of a clinical edge let them down once more at Elland Road on Saturday as Tottenham Hotspur scraped a 2-1 win in West Yorkshire.

The Premier League newcomers accumulated a hefty 16 shots on the Spurs goal, but only found the back of the net via Noah Okafor.

On the contrary, the North Londoners amassed just three shots on target all afternoon, but broke hearts in the second half when Mohamed Kudus delivered a killer blow.

It was, arguably, another afternoon to forget for Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Leeds’ main threat up top, as the ex-Everton marksman remains on just the one strike since leaving Merseyside behind in the summer.

Calvert-Lewin's goalscoring woes

It was always going to be a risk bringing the 28-year-old attacker into the building, with his last few seasons with the Toffees exposing some obvious weaknesses to his game.

Away from being regularly out of the side with injury niggles, Calvert-Lewin’s once red-hot ability to finish off chances for fun – which saw him bag 16 Premier League strikes during the 2020/21 season – is also not that visible anymore, with just three top-flight goals coming his way last season, ending his long stay with Everton in forgettable fashion.

Thankfully, he has broken his Leeds duck when putting his lofty 6-foot-2 frame to good use away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but it was undoubtedly another frustrating afternoon for the hit-and-miss 28-year-old against Thomas Frank’s men last weekend.

Indeed, while Calvert-Lewin has gained some plaudits for his hold-up play already, he will – of course – be judged mostly on his output, with another goalless game passing him by.

Just 23 touches of the ball would come the goal-shy number nine’s way at Elland Road against Spurs, and while he did amass three key passes, yet another big chance was spurned, with a costly three big chances missed against AFC Bournemouth too.

It could well be that Daniel Farke needs to experiment a bit more with his forward players moving forward, with a different deadly finisher on his day, perhaps, getting the nod to start over Calvert-Lewin very soon.

Leeds must unleash the "best finisher" Farke has ever worked with

Farke has worked with many a clinical attacker during his managerial career in England to date, having managed to get 70 goals out of Teemu Pukki when the pair were together at Norwich City.

His time at the Canaries also saw him work closely with Emiliano Buendia and James Maddison, but, despite these illustrious names catching the eye, Farke has actually labelled one of his current Leeds personnel the “best finisher” he has ever worked with recently, even as early Premier League opportunities evade the attacker in question.

There is plenty of logic behind the German’s praise, though, even if Joel Piroe hasn’t been handed regular top-flight appearances so far, with this 20-minute hat-trick towards the close of last season by the ex-Swansea City striker pushing Leeds ever closer to the Championship title.

Labelled by journalist Josh Bunting as “dangerous”, he certainly demonstrated that during the 2024/25 campaign.

In total, last season, a blistering 19 league strikes came the golden boot winner’s way with now perhaps being the apt time to gamble on the EFL sharpshooter to finally come good in the top division, after bagging 33 strikes across 101 games under Farke’s wing so far.

Piroe’s goal record under Farke
Season	Games	Goals + Assists	Minutes
25/26	4	0 + 0	238
24/25	48	19 + 7	3204
23/24	48	14 + 3	3104
Sourced by Transfermarkt

He has hardly any experience of the bright lights of the Premier League, but with Calvert-Lewin spurning gilt-edge chances consistently, there are certainly worse shouts than trying to throw Piroe into the first-team mix right now, especially when Farke rates him so highly.

Ideally, down the line, both Piroe and Calvert-Lewin might well line up alongside each other, with the 26-year-old actually well accustomed to lining up as a right winger or as a number ten.

But, with the current system in play not having a number ten, and Okafor shining on the right channel, Piroe’s only way into the first-team picture looks to be up top, with Calvert-Lewin dropping out subsequently.

Not just Aaronson: "Superb" star has saved his Leeds United career

This Leeds United star has revived his career at Elland Road and it is not Brenden Aaronson.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 6, 2025

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League was always going to be a challenging one for Leeds United after they won the second tier title in the 2024/25 campaign.

In the last two seasons, all six of the newly-promoted teams have been instantly relegated from the Premier League after coming up from the Championship, which illustrates how big the gap between the two divisions is.

Daniel Farke and the board knew that the squad would have to undergo some changes during the summer transfer window to give the club a fighting chance of avoiding relegation.

With a haul of eight points after seven matches, it is fair to say that it currently looks like the 49ers did good work in the window by signing the likes of Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Noah Okafor, among others.

Because of the step up in quality and physicality in the Premier League, some of the players who were instrumental for Farke in the Championship have found themselves falling down the pecking order.

One example of that is central midfielder Ao Tanaka, who is currently out of the starting XI and does not look like breaking into it any time soon.

Why Ao Tanaka is not a starter for Leeds

The Japan international was a star for the West Yorkshire outfit in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign after his permanent move from Fortuna Düsseldorf in the summer of 2024.

Tanaka nailed down a place in the middle of the park, next to Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rothwell, or Ilia Gruev, to end the campaign with 37 starts in 43 appearances, per Sofascore.

The 27-year-old star was a midfield metronome for the Whites. He ranked within the top 2% of central midfielders in the league for pass accuracy (89.2%) and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90 (7.03), per FBref, which shows that he was incredibly reliable and progressive in possession.

Unfortunately, though, the step up in physicality in the Premier League appears to have been too much for the midfielder to deal with, as he has struggled physically and defensively this season.

Tackles

1

Bottom 4%

Duels won

5

Bottom 6%

Duel success rate

23.8%

Bottom 3%

Fouls committed

2

Bottom 24%

Ball recoveries

10

Bottom 32%

Dribbled past

6x

Bottom 10%

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka ranks among the worst midfielders in the division in a host of physical and defensive statistics, losing a whopping 76.2% of his duels.

Per Capology, though, the Japanese whiz is the third-lowest earner in the senior squad on £25k-per-week, which suggests that the Whites can afford to keep him as a back-up option.

Tanaka, who has started two matches in the Premier League this season, may have to settle for being a rotation player for Farke due to his lack of physicality, but his low wages suggest that the club should not be in a rush to move him on from Elland Road.

Meanwhile, there is a Leeds flop who earns more than the Japan international, despite playing fewer minutes, and should be on borrowed time in West Yorkshire.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

Illan Meslier has not played a single minute of competitive football in the 2025/26 campaign, and could be on his way out of the club in the not-too-distant future.

Why Leeds need to move on from Illan Meslier

Whilst Tanaka has, at least, started two league games and played in five league matches, the French goalkeeper has not made a single appearance for the club in any competition this season.

Per Capology, Meslier earns £30k-per-week at Elland Road. That is as much as Karl Darlow and Jayden Bogle, and more than Tanaka (£25k-per-week) and Ilia Gruev (£15k-per-week).

The left-footed goalkeeper, per Capology, has earned roughly £7m in wages in his Leeds career, which is due to soar to around £8.5m by the end of the current campaign, on top of the £5m fee that the Whites paid Lorient for his services.

This means that the Leeds flop, who was once dubbed a “massive liability” by journalist David Kent, has rinsed the club for £12m to date, and up to £13.5m by next summer.

The 25-year-old dud was the number one between the sticks for four seasons at Elland Road, including three in the Premier League and one in the Championship, but his underlying data shows that the situation was always heading to where it is now.

23/24 (Championship)

40

-3.1

22/23 (Premier League)

67

-12.4

21/22 (Premier League)

79

-16.2

20/21 (Premier League)

52

-3.4

Meslier consistently underperformed as a shot-stopper for the Whites and it finally cost him when Farke dropped him from the side at the end of the 2024/25 campaign to make Darlow the new number one.

The Wales international started the last seven games of the Championship season, after Meslier made three errors that led to goals (Sofascore), and Leeds won promotion to the Premier League with him in net.

The summer transfer window, as aforementioned, provided the club with an opportunity to bolster their squad and they brought Lucas Perri in from Lyon to start between the sticks.

This meant that Meslier started the current season as the third-choice goalkeeper at Elland Road. Although he is currently on the bench behind Darlow, whilst Perri is injured.

The 25-year-old is in no man’s land in West Yorkshire because Farke has clearly decided, by the signing of Perri and his use of Darlow, that the Frenchman is not a part of his plans moving forward.

That is why Meslier, who has already rinsed the club for £12m during his time at Elland Road to date, is on borrowed time at Leeds and should be moved on during the January transfer window.

Farke struck gold on Leeds star who came from "the school of Haaland"

Leeds United hit the jackpot on this star who Phil Hay compared to Erling Haaland.

ByDan Emery Oct 8, 2025

يستعد فريق الكرة الأول بنادي بيراميدز لمواجهة نظيره سيراميكا كليوباترا، في بطولة كأس السوبر المصري.

وكان فريق بيراميدز قد خسر في نصف نهائي كأس السوبر المصري، أمام الزمالك، بركلات الترجيح، بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي بالتعادل السلبي.

على الناحية الأخرى، تلقى فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا، الخسارة في المباراة الماضية أمام الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف وحيد.

طالع.. تعرض للضرب بسبب قراراته.. من هو خليل أوموت حكم مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي السوبر؟

وسيواجه بيراميدز نظيره سيراميكا كليوباترا، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع من بطولة السوبر المصري للأبطال. موعد مباراة بيراميدز وسيراميكا كليوباترا في السوبر المصري

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق مباراة بيراميدز وسيراميكا كليوباترا، في تمام الساعة الثالثة إلا ربع عصرًا اليوم الأحد بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب آل نهيان. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز وسيراميكا كليوباترا

سوف تذاع مباراة بيراميدز وسيراميكا كليوباترا، على قناة أون سبورت، وأبو ظبي الرياضية، وقناة دبي الرياضية.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

Sahibzada Farhan’s 63 finished Pakistan’s tour with an improved batting performance

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2025Pakistan ended their Bangladesh tour with a 74-run win in the third T20I in Dhaka. They bowled out the home side for 104 runs, after posting 178 for 7, a marked improvement from the last two games when their batting hardly stood up.Sahibzada Farhan, who took Fakhar Zaman’s place, top scored with 63 off 41, with 54 runs coming from boundaries. He provided Pakistan with a blistering start, after which Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz struck quick runs to take them to the highest total at the Shere Bangla National Stadium since 2021.Later it was newcomer Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, who blew through Bangladesh’s top-order, as the home side slipped to 34 for 6. Bangladesh’s batting was in sharp contrast to that of Pakistan who finally got their groove upon being sent to bat first.Farhan blitzkrieg in MirpurFarhan got Pakistan off to a flyer that lasted beyond the powerplay. He clattered Mahedi Hasan for a six in the third ball of the match, before sweetly flicking Shoriful Islam in the next over. Farhan laid into Taskin Ahmed in the sixth over, that went for 15, including a beautiful straight six.Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub put on 82 for the first wicket•AFP/Getty ImagesMehidy Hasan wasn’t spared either. Farhan smacked him for two sixes in the seventh over, one straight and slogged over midwicket. He finished the over by reaching his fifty, the second of Farhan’s career. Saim Ayub got into the act a little later, but soon after striking his first six, he fell to Nasum Ahmed. It broke the 82-run opening stand.Haris can’t cash in on luckFarhan fell for 63 in the twelfth over, having struck five sixes and six fours in his 41-ball stay. There was hope that Farhan’s start would help the rest of the Pakistan’s batters. However, Mohammad Haris couldn’t quite capitalize despite getting three lives in his short time at the crease. Litton Das missed a difficult stumping chance in the tenth over, before Nasum dropped Haris at fine-leg. He also survived a lbw decision, before Taskin removed him with a catch at deep third. Haris finished with 5 off 14 balls.The Nawazes’ fine finishHasan Nawaz slammed three sixes in his 17-ball stay, one of them a slice over cover, but Mahedi’s tumbling catch from mid-off stopped him on 33. Hussain Talat then fell cheaply, before Mohammad Nawaz creamed two sixes and as many fours, in his 16-ball 27. Both his sixes came off Mohammad Saifuddin, one struck over deep square-leg, and the next one the cover boundary.Mirza cuts through top orderPakistan’s first wicket was slightly fortuitous, but all credit goes to Mirza. Tanzid swished at a wide delivery outside off-stump, but wicketkeeper Haris didn’t appeal. Mirza insisted he heard something, which convinced Pakistan captain Salman Agha. A healthy deviation was spotted upon review.Faheem Ashraf then struck twice in his next two overs, first removing Litton for 8, before Mehidy holed out to mid-on for 9. Mirza then bowled two superb deliveries in the fifth over to reduce Bangladesh to 25 for 5. Both times, he got the ball to cut through Jaker Ali and Mahedi and rattle their stumps.Saifuddin doesn’t get supportSalman bowled Shamim Hossain with one that spun into the left-hander, as Shamim tried to play back. Mohammad Naim holed out to a simple catch at mid-off.Saifuddin’s 34-ball 35 took Bangladesh past their lowest total of 70 and while Nos 9 to 11 all got boundaries, they didn’t hold on for long. Talat removed Nasum for 9. Hasan Nawaz took a fine catch running in from backward square leg to remove Taskin Ahmed, before Saifuddin struck couple of sixes off Ahmed Daniyal. Shoriful was the last man to go with Abbas Afridi taking a superb catch at long-on.

Strasbourg defender Ismael Doukoure has been handed a four-match suspension for his red card after a challenge that left Lyon's Malick Fofana with a serious ankle injury. The incident, which occurred during Lyon's 2-1 Ligue 1 victory over Strasbourg on Monday, has left Fofana ruled out for several months and drawn a heavy suspension from the LFP, Ligue 1's governing body.

• Doukoure's four-match ban confirmed

  The LFP disciplinary committee met on Thursday to review the challenge and handed down the significant sanction to the 22-year-old Strasbourg player. The tackle occurred in the 67th minute of the heated match as Doukoure, attempting to win the ball from behind, lunged in recklessly and caught Fofana's right ankle. Following a VAR review, the referee rescinded the initial yellow card and produced a straight red card for serious foul play.

  The ban means Strasbourg, who currently sit fourth in the Ligue 1 table, will be without their starting defender for crucial upcoming league fixtures as they look to maintain their surprise push for a Champions League qualification spot.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Fofana facing surgery on 'serious' ankle injury

  The consequences for Malick Fofana and Lyon are severe. The 20-year-old Belgian international was stretchered off the pitch in clear distress and taken to hospital for immediate assessment.

  Lyon released an official statement confirming the extent of the damage, which will likely require an operation and rules the player out for the long term.

  "Tests carried out overnight at the hospital, then confirmed today, revealed a serious sprain of the right ankle, accompanied by injuries which will most likely require surgery, which should keep him off the pitch for several months," the club statement read.

  "Olympique Lyonnais will put in place all necessary measures to ensure Malick Fofana receives the best possible medical care and supports his rehabilitation, in order to plan for his return to the squad as quickly as possible."

  The prognosis of "several months" could see Fofana miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign, with some reports suggesting he may not return until well into 2026.

• Strasbourg boss Rosenior apologises for 'impulsive' reaction

  Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior was visibly frustrated with the red card decision during the match and criticised the referee afterwards. After reviewing the replay, though, he offered a full apology for his initial reaction.

  Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Rosenior expressed regret and offered support to the injured Lyon forward.

  "We all make mistakes, I reacted impulsively, I was wrong about the red card," Rosenior explained. "I apologise. I hope Fofana recovers quickly."

  The loss of Fofana is a devastating blow to Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca, whose squad is already stretched thin in forward areas. Fofana had been a key performer this season, registering two goals in 12 Ligue 1 appearances.

  His injury comes after a difficult summer transfer window that saw the departures of key attackers Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze. Furthermore, fellow winger Ernest Nuamah remains sidelined with a long-term ACL injury sustained in April.

  The immediate impact of Fofana's absence was felt on Wednesday, as Lyon collapsed in their Ligue 1 match against Paris FC. Despite leading 3-0 at the hour mark, Fonseca's side were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw, dropping vital points in the race for European football.

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• Liverpool & Chelsea interest paused by long-term layoff

  Fofana's emergence as one of Ligue 1's brightest prospects had attracted significant attention from the Premier League. Both Liverpool and Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the 20-year-old.

  Liverpool's scouting department, led by sporting director Richard Hughes, has reportedly monitored Fofana for months as a potential long-term successor to Mohamed Salah, viewing his pace and directness as an ideal fit for Arne Slot's system.

  Chelsea, meanwhile, saw Fofana as a prime target for their youth-focused recruitment strategy, valuing his high developmental potential. Fofana is under contract at Lyon until 2028, but his representatives were reportedly exploring options for a potential move at the end of the current season. This severe injury setback will now put any transfer negotiations on hold indefinitely.

  Speaking last month about the speculation, Fofana had maintained his focus on developing at Lyon.

  "There was interest from those two clubs [Liverpool and Chelsea], but ultimately nothing concrete," Fofana said. "I've considered a transfer, but now I think it's more important that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon. Because I still have some progress to make."

  The winger now faces a long and arduous period of rehabilitation before he can continue that progress on the pitch.

Newcastle United have bounced back from Alexander Isak’s troubling departure this summer with ease.

Banking Eddie Howe’s Toon an eye-watering £125m when ditching Tyneside for Liverpool, it’s clear that Isak wasn’t cut out for the pressures of such an expensive move straight away, with only one goal coming his way at Anfield to date.

On the contrary, Nick Woltemade – who entered the building in a last-ditch summer move for £69m – has looked ready-made for the pressures of being Newcastle’s main marksman from minute one of his arrival, with the goalscoring prowess he became known for in the Bundesliga immediately following him to English shores.

Woltemade's fantastic start at Newcastle

Often, it takes a goalscoring machine from a European league plenty of time to settle into their groove when getting used to what is expected of them in the Premier League.

In Woltemade’s case, however, the goals have just continued to flow, with the 6-foot-6 menace joining Howe’s ranks off the back of a blistering 17-goal season on the books of Stuttgart.

In total, Woltemade already has five goals next to his name from just ten Newcastle appearances, with journalist Zach Lowy’s previous billing of the Bremen-born striker as being a “ridiculous” finisher of chances clear for all to see at St James’ Park.

Indeed, the 23-year-old’s four-goal tally in the Premier League alone means his goalscoring frequency in the daunting division sits at every 120 minutes, as the number 27 goes about trying to immortalise himself in the Newcastle hall-of-fame as one of their most devastatingly effective centre-forwards.

It will, of course, take a superhuman effort from Woltemade to ever reach Alan Shearer’s venomous levels in front of goal, with a record-breaking 260 Premier League strikes next to the Magpies icon’s name.

But, he could be on his way to becoming even more clinical if he lines up with this Newcastle assist king more often, with the pair ready to cause widespread havoc together to push their side further up the early league standings.

The Newcastle star who can make Woltemade even better

It’s safe to say that the Germany international is blessed with who he has around him in the attacking positions on Tyneside, with Anthony Gordon capable of bursting into life at a moment’s notice as one of Howe’s many livewires down the left wing, having accumulated 24 assists to date at Newcastle.

Yet, despite this impressive track record, it’s actually Jacob Murphy who might well be the attacking teammate that can take Woltemade to new heights, despite often being thought of as an under-the-radar “unsung hero” at the Premier League giants, according to journalist Scott Wilson.

Games played

10

Minutes played

752

Goals scored

1

Assists

3

It’s clear from taking one glance at the table above that Murphy is the sort of presence that excels when he’s made to feed off scraps, with just 752 minutes of action handed to him this season, resulting in the 30-year-old attacker still being able to pick up a standout four goal contributions.

He would even get the ball rolling for his team last time out against Fulham when he finished under pressure to seal a one-goal lead, with more starts surely coming his way, having been labelled as being “in the form of his life” after his lively afternoon against the Cottagers by Newcastle-based blog Mouth of the Tyne.

But, away from his assured nature to fire this fierce effort past Bernd Leno last time out, it’s also his ability to be an effective partner for a lethal striker that will be music to Woltemade’s ears as he attempts to become even deadlier in England.

A large portion of Isak’s 62 goals in Newcastle black and white would come about off the back of a Murphy assist – 11 to be exact – with the German, therefore, hopeful of reaching this tally, and even eclipsing it, knowing he has the “outstanding” number 23, as he was once labelled by ex-Toon forward Craig Bellamy, next to him supplying him with chances galore.

With Anthony Elanga also in reserve, Woltemade should not find it tricky whatsoever in his bid to become the next Shearer-shaped talisman, having already scored four in his first six league games for the Magpies.

For comparison, Shearer’s start to 1996/97 saw him score three times from his first six top-flight appearances for the Tynesiders – albeit while then reaching seven from just his first ten league outings.

Woltemade is then on the right track, with a new fan favourite having emerged at St James’.

Move over Woltemade: Howe has unearthed a new “game-changer” at Newcastle

Newcastle United have unearthed a new game-changer, and it’s not Nick Woltemade.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025