Whilst Sunderland's focus will be on finding a new manager after Mike Dodds' interim spell at the end of the season, the Black Cats have been mentioned among potential suitors for an ideal Jack Clarke replacement.
Sunderland transfer news
Since parting ways with Tony Mowbray, Sunderland have endured a nightmare spell. First, in came Michael Beale in what proved to be a disastrous and short-lived tenure. Now, choosing to stick with Dodds on an interim basis until the end of the season, Sunderland are on a run of six straight defeats in the Championship.
Sunderland in defensive crisis after update on injury to "talented" player
More bad news for the Black Cats…
By
Tom Cunningham
Mar 13, 2024
Hardly advertising themselves well in the shop window for new managers, the Black Cats have been linked with the likes of Paul Heckingbottom, Steve Cooper and Marek Papszun, but are yet to get any closer to finding a permanent solution. Meanwhile, what hasn't helped is speculation over the future of Jack Clarke.
With West Ham United, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur all linked with moves for the winger, Sunderland could be forced to sell in a deal reportedly worth over £20m. Potentially needing to replace the winger, Carlton Palmer has tipped Sunderland to be among the clubs chasing Mikey Johnston.
Currently starring on loan from Celtic at West Bromwich Albion, Johnston may well end up staying in England's second tier. Palmer told Football League World: "He’s had a fantastic time since joining from Celtic on loan.
Mikey Johnston
“Yes, a lot of clubs will be taking note of the way that he’s playing, so you will be looking at clubs who will be looking at players moving on, Jack Clarke will be moving on, [Jon] Rowe will be moving on, and people will be looking at Mikey Johnston as a possible replacement. But certainly, Norwich and Sunderland, and other prospective Championship clubs will be monitoring the situation given his outstanding form for West Bromwich Albion.
“With Sunderland’s policy of trying to buy young players, and get them in cheap, I don’t think Johnston will fall into that because I think Celtic will be looking at least £2m or £3m given his form in the Championship.
“So whether Sunderland have the money to pay that, Norwich do have the money to pay for Mikey Johnston, so we’ll have to see come the end of the season, but he’s certainly done great things at West Brom and [is] attracting a lot of attention.”
"Fantastic" Johnston is a ready-made Clarke replacement
As Clarke heads for the exit door, Johnston would be a ready-made replacement despite being outside the club's usual target age range, having enjoyed an excellent season at the Hawthorns. The Celtic loanee has scored six goals in just nine Championship games, whilst providing one assist.
Clarke, meanwhile, has scored 15 goals in 33 Championship games in what will be a difficult output to replace in the summer transfer window, especially if it's not Johnston that those at the Stadium of Light turn to. What's more, for around £3m, Sunderland would be getting themselves a bargain deal for the West Brom loanee.
West Bromwich Albion made it six games unbeaten in the Championship this weekend with a relatively straightforward win against Bristol City, the Baggies brushing the Robins aside in a 2-0 victory.
Those three points, which is West Brom's fourth victory in that positive sequence of results, means Carlos Corberan's men are secure in their playoff spot heading into the International break – the West Midlands outfit eight points clear of top-six rivals Hull City occupying seventh position.
Tom Fellows and Jed Wallace would share out the goals in the win at the Hawthorns, with Conor Townsend even popping up to assist Wallace's game-clincher marauding forward from the back.
Although Townsend is now a fixed first-teamer under the Baggies manager, there's one fringe figure at West Brom who currently earns more than double that of the reliable number three as the second tier club's surprising top earner.
Adam Reach's wage at West Brom
Adam Reach remarkably pockets £40k-per-week according to Capology, a perplexing amount when you consider his on-the-fringes presence currently in the West Brom camp.
Making his first appearance of this season in late December, after horrific injury issues had plagued the start of his wretched campaign, Reach hasn't exactly pushed his teammates since then to lay down a marker for a consistent first-team spot.
He has since gone on to make a further 11 appearances, filling in at left-back competently in the past few weeks when Townsend was sidelined with a knock.
Praised for being "versatile" by ex-Sheffield Wednesday teammate Glenn Loovens during his time with the Owls – which saw Reach play in practically every position feasible to him – Corberan could view keeping the experienced 31-year-old around as somewhat worthwhile owing to his flexibility to fill gaps.
Yet, with his extortionate £40k-per-week pay packet ranking him as the highest earner at the Baggies over many dependable faces who play far more minutes, it could well be wise to axe the former Wednesday man to free up the wage bill as well.
Adam Reach's wage compared to the West Brom squad
Reach is some way out in front at the top of the list, boasting £15k-per-week more than Wallace despite the ex-Millwall man's heroics against Bristol City.
The adaptable West Brom man also comes in as earning £7.7k more than Daryl Dike, another figure in the Baggies ranks that will begin to raise eyebrows about his excessive salary considering his constant presence now in the treatment room.
West Brom's top five highest earners – 2023/24
1. Adam Reach
£40k per week
2. Daryl Dike
£32.3k per week
3. Jed Wallace
£25k per week
4. Okay Yokuslu
£25k per week
5. Alex Mowatt
£22.8k per week
Sourced by Capology
Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt, who have both been rock solid all through this Championship campaign so far, are also below Reach when it comes to the top five earners staggeringly.
Townsend will feel very aggrieved with his paltry £11.5k per week salary too, especially with how well the Baggies number three did back in Corberan's XI against Liam Manning's visitors on Saturday.
Despite being absent from his side's previous two games in the division, the 31-year-old slotted back in seamlessly.
The left-back wouldn't just be content at teeing up Wallace for the crucial second goal on the day, he would also help himself to two interceptions and five duels won to preserve the clean sheet and win.
With Reach's contract coming to an end when this season is over and done with at the Hawthorns anyway, it might well be in everyone's best interests to get rid of their highest earner in the summer to then redistribute that money more fairly.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
Arsenal have completed the signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna in a deal worth a reported £42 million ($54m).
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Arsenal confirm Calafiori's signing
Defender completes move from Bologna
Has signed long-term contract
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Gunners announced the arrival of the defender on a long-term contract on Monday. The Premier League side were convinced to snap up the Italian after an impressive season in Serie A with Bologna and his starting role in the Azzurri's Euro 2024 campaign.
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Calafiori's move to north London ended weeks of speculation as the Gunners saw off competition from Juventus and Chelsea to agree terms with the Italy international. The 22-year-old is capable of playing at both left-back and centre-half.
WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes that the new signing will boost his team's defence and increase their chances of challenging for the Premier League title after missing out again last season.
He told the club's website: "We welcome Riccardo and his family to Arsenal. He is a great signing and gives us huge strength to reinforce our defence.
"Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies. He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Calafiori began his career at Roma as a left-back but moved to the centre once he joined Bologna last year. The defender's arrival at Emirates Stadium will come as a huge boost for the Gunners especially in the left-back position which has been a weak link for the club in the past few seasons.
Leeds United fans have been blessed with some fantastic players in recent years, from the hay-day of Marcelo Bielsa to the present day where Daniel Farke has managed to construct a Championship juggernaut that's hurtling full steam ahead to potential promotion.
It's been a drastic turnaround of fortunes for the Whites who felt beleaguered in the immediate aftermath of relegation, with the re-energised group at Elland Road currently sitting at the top of the second-tier summit.
Yet, that doesn't mean Leeds supporters don't fondly look back to other successful sides when their minds wander – remembering the heroic exploits of icons from years gone by that are very much immortalised in the history books in West Yorkshire.
Having a look back at some of the best that have graced the Elland Road turf across the 21st century, here is what a perfect Leeds footballer could look like…
1
Brain – Pablo Hernandez
Former Leeds winger Pablo Hernandez.
Leeds have been blessed with some outrageously talented footballers in recent years, the sort of maverick who can conjure up a moment of magic in an instant through their sheer class alone.
Pablo Hernandez certainly fits into that mould, with the Spanish midfielder the brain of this ideal footballer as a result.
Hernandez's standout campaign would come during the 2018/19 season, where the slick 5 foot 8 wizard would muster up 24 goals and assists across 39 Championship games.
Leeds would unfortunately go on to crash out in the playoffs at the semi-final stage to Derby County, but Hernandez would later go on to achieve promotion glory anyway.
For his immense ability to just cut open teams at will with clever and intricate passes, alongside never looking nervy donning a Leeds strip when his team needed him to be at the races, Hernandez is still fondly talked about in Leeds quarters to this day.
2
Head – Pontus Jansson
Former Leeds defender Pontus Jansson.
Pontus Jansson might well be more of a forgotten name to those in West Yorkshire now however compared to Hernandez, with the Swedish defender walking out of Leeds on bad terms in 2019 and now finding himself on the books at Malmö FF.
Still, it can't be denied that Jansson used his towering frame to his advantage during his time with the Whites.
The Scandinavian defender was an absolute brute in the Championship under Bielsa, winning 6.3 duels per game on average during his debut season on English soil.
The ex-Brentford man would also score nine goals across 120 Leeds appearances, with a fair few of those coming directly off Jansson's head when rising highest.
3
Vision – Georginio Rutter
Georginio Rutter
The first player on the list that is currently in Farke's electric squad, Georginio Rutter's remarkable redemption arc at Elland Road shows no signs of stopping after initially looking like a £35.5m flop.
It's Rutter's unbelievable displays going forward that have allowed Leeds to overwhelm the fair majority of Championship sides they've tussled with, with the 21-year-old attacker – who failed to score in the second half of last season – onto 18 assists now for this campaign from 40 overall appearances.
Rutter setting up chances for his teammates on a plate means his vision would be very useful for this perfect theoretical footballer, with the standout Whites man also able to turn defences inside out with a sublime set of tricks and flicks in his back pocket alongside being an assist king.
4
Strength – Lucas Radebe
Leeds fans, even if they have moved on to loving the current fortunes of their side, must still feel somewhat sad about how Kalvin Phillips' career has taken a nosedive since he exited Elland Road for Manchester City.
At the peak of his powers donning Leeds white, the homegrown Whites product was an "aggressive" and forceful presence from holding midfield that was hard to bully off the ball, as praised by former England boss Fabio Capello.
Yet, even though Phillips was a steely player for the Whites, the strength of this ideal footballer has to come from Whites icon Lucas Radebe.
Renowned for his "aerial power" according to football journalist Ryan Baldi, Radebe would go on to accumulate 255 appearances for Leeds as a dependable and imposing presence at the back.
Leeds' adoration for their former South African great is seen in the mural dedicated to him that is present in the West Yorkshire city today, alongside Phillips also having one.
5
Hands – Paul Robinson
Ilian Meslier could go on to be remembered as a Whites great in-between the sticks, but Paul Robinson in his prime gets the nod over the current Leeds number one goalkeeper here.
Robinson would go on to have a well-established Premier League career off the back of his promising beginnings at Elland Road, with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur shot-stopper playing 118 games in total for the Whites which even included him scoring against Swindon Town in 2003.
The 41-time England international would pick up ten clean sheets during his peak in the 2002/03 season, before never looking back with a major move to North London in 2004.
6
Legs – Daniel James
Leeds forward Dan James.
Daniel James, unlike his teammate in between the sticks, does make the cut here with his electric burst of "raw pace" – as hailed by former Wales boss Ryan Giggs.
The ex-Manchester United man has terrorised second-tier defences all season long with his darting runs forward, but his main improvement as a footballer under Farke has come in the fact that the end product is also there to not make the ascent forward go to waste.
The Welshman is onto 12 goals and seven assists in the Championship now, and with the Leeds number 20 still only 26 years of age, he should still have the legs to be a nuisance for defences to try and contain for many years to come.
7
Right foot – Mark Viduka
Another blast from the past in this selection of Leeds greats, alongside Robinson as a safe of pair gloves, Mark Viduka's title of still being Leeds' all-time top scorer in the Premier League to this date dictates that his deadly right foot is mentioned.
Bagging 71 goals across four impactful seasons playing for Leeds, the Australian centre-forward was a key player the Whites relied on to get them out of any mess they faced with a crucial strike.
8
Left foot – Ian Harte
While in more recent times supporters have witnessed the genius of Raphinha, Ian Harte was widely known throughout his career for having an unbelievable left foot when stepping up to take free-kicks, even whilst playing in defence.
When peering at his goalscoring statistics at Leeds and elsewhere, you would be mistaken for thinking you were scanning the numbers of a prolific striker.
Harte would find the back of the net an unbelievable 84 times for the various different clubs he lined up for, with 38 of those coming during the late nineties and early 2000s when wearing a Leeds strip.
The Argentine gave his all on the pitch, but most of all he represents a shrewd business move which sets the Cityzens up perfectly for the future
Julian Alvarez’s first goals for Manchester City could be a metaphor for his career with the club. The Argentine made his third appearance for the club off the bench at home to Nottingham Forest with City already coasting, and he duly completed the rout with two ruthless finishes, turning a 4-0 win into a 6-0 hammering.
It was a highly efficient cameo display and a moment to savour for the player, who had only recently crossed the Atlantic to play in Europe for the first time. Someone else dominated the headlines that night though.
Erling Haaland had scored a hat-trick inside 38 minutes, notching his second treble in four games for the Cityzens. From then on it was abundantly clear that whatever Alvarez would do in a City shirt, he would forever be in Haaland’s shadow.
So it was pretty inevitable that at some point the forward, who is a regular starter for Argentina, a World Cup and double Copa America winner, would want to take centre stage at some point. He has now got the leading role he craved by signing for Atletico Madrid, where he will be the heir to Antoine Griezman.
Alvarez has been seeking a move away from City for some time, running into a familiar problem that South Americans face when moving to Manchester. He and his family will love living in Spain, home of the largest Argentine diaspora in the world.
City, meanwhile, will pocket a potential fee of £82 million($104m) and can celebrate their biggest sale of all time after what is yet another stunning piece of business from sporting director Txiki Begiristain and his team. The club can now look forward to spending the money on rearming Pep Guardiola for another assault on the Premier League title…
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Massive profit
Alvarez is comfortably City’s most expensive sale, eclipsing the departures of Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres by more than £17m ($21m), rising to £34m ($43m) if the add-ons are met. The profit margin is also far larger than for Sterling and Ferran who City signed for £44m ($55m) and £20m ($25m), respectively.
Indeed, the same month that City sold Ferran to Barcelona, Alvarez was signed from River Plate for a paltry £14m ($17m). He could earn the English champions up to £68m ($86m) in profit after contributing far more on the pitch than Ferran. He leaves City having scoring 36 goals and providing 18 assists in 103 appearances, only 62 of which were starts.
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Trophies galore
Alvarez has further bloated his medal collection with City, leaving with two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. He might have had bit-part roles in some of those triumphs, but he was the star of the show in the Club World Cup final, scoring twice to bookend the thrashing of Fluminense.
Alvarez knew his role and in that first season never complained about being a squad player, starting just 13 of City’s Premier League games. Indeed, Guardiola praised his patience, which he contrasted with Joao Cancelo’s reaction to being left out that eventually led to the Portugal defender being loaned to Bayern Munich.
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Back on the bench
Alvarez would end up playing a much bigger role in his second season due to injuries to City’s top guns. He was the main beneficiary of Kevin De Bruyne’s long absence and for a period in late 2023 was City's player with the most Premier League minutes, starting each of their first 25 matches.
He struck up a fine partnership with Haaland and then took the baton from the Norwegian when he injured his foot, scoring six goals between December and January.
Once De Bruyne and Haaland returned to full fitness, though, he had to resume his backseat role, meaning he was substitute in key matches such as the Manchester Derby, both legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League and the FA Cup final.
He would come on in all of those matches, but missed two glaring chances against United in the final as City suffered their first defeat in more than five months.
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Face-off
The final few months of the season seemed to seal Alvarez's fate. From his point of view, his lack of opportunities confirmed that he was only going to be a substitute when everyone was fit. Although he had begun to consider leaving City as early as in January, he started to do something about it in the summer.
Stories that he wanted to leave began to leak out to the Spanish press, and then he made his feelings clear when speaking on Argentine TV while at the Olympics. He said: “Last season, I was one of the players with the most minutes at City… You don’t like being left out of important matches, you want to contribute.”
And from City’s point of view, his final appearances underlined that while Alvarez was undoubtedly a good player, he was not a game-changing one. Guardiola made that clear with a salty response to Alvarez’s comments.
"I know he wants to play important moments, yeah. But the other ones do too,” the coach fired back while on City's pre-season tour. "I read he wants to think about it. Okay, think about it and after that he will inform us what he wants to do."
Atalanta rebel and Arsenal target Ademola Lookman has reportedly agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain.
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Lookman reaches verbal agreement with PSG
Nigerian winger trying to force Atalanta to sell
Arsenal ready to pounce if PSG move flops
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Lookman was one of the main stars for Gian Piero Gasperini side as La Dea lifted the Europa League trophy last season, their first major honour since 1963. Lookman scored a hat trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen, but the Nigeria international has been looking to leave the club this summer. He has even been trying to force the Serie A side's hand by refusing to join training sessions.
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Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg has now reported that Lookman has reached a verbal agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over a move this summer. Les Parisiens have opened contact with Atalanta as they look to replace Kylian Mbappe, but the report has suggested that negotiations are currently stalling.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Arsenal have also been keen on signing Lookman this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to improve the Gunners' forward line. The report has suggested that Arsenal are 'closely monitoring' developments and will be ready to pounce in case the deal falls through.
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WHAT NEXT FOR LOOKMAN?
The summer transfer window is set to draw its curtains next Friday at 11 PM BST on August 30. PSG will be keen on wrapping up the deal as quickly as possible to avoid any drama late into the window.
West Bromwich Albion striker Brandon Thomas-Asante will be gutted with how his afternoon went against Sunderland last time out in Championship action, with the Black Cats defence getting under his skin which resulted in an early dismissal.
Albion lacked a focal point up top after the ex-Salford City attacker had been given his marching orders, handing the visitors from Wearside a much-needed 1-0 victory in the process.
The 25-year-old hasn't let himself down an awful lot this campaign however, having found the back of the net an impressive 11 times from 37 matches in the league to be the leading scorer for the Baggies in the division.
There will be no temptation in the West Midlands just yet to try and offload Thomas-Asante even after this reckless red card, with the Baggies making a wise call in the past when getting rid of this former centre-forward.
Shane Long's time at West Brom
Purchased by Roy Hodgson back in 2011, Shane Long would relocate to the Baggies with a reputation for being a prolific goal machine – firing in 23 goals in the Championship for Reading during the 2010/11 season, before the call from West Brom was made.
The seasoned Republic of Ireland international would go on to have an up-and-down stint for the Baggies, netting a weak 22 goals from 87 games in total.
That isn't to say his entire three season-stay with West Brom was seen as a complete failure, with Long netting 11 goals during his second year at the Hawthorns in all competitions, but there wouldn't have been too many groans when the Baggies managed to get a good deal out of Hull City in 2014.
Adding a hefty £7m into their bank account when Long confirmed his move to the Tigers – a profit on the £4.5m the Baggies had previously splashed on Long – this deal looks even more of a smart call looking back when you consider how much that sale would be in today's inflated market courtesy of Totally Football's Transfer Index.
What Shane Long would be worth in 2024 money
If that same deal went through in 2024, West Brom would have banked an even healthier £14m to further justify their decision to move the Irishman on.
Long would only go on to make 17 appearances for his new employers before Southampton swooped in, whilst West Brom gambled on young hotshot Saido Berahino to fire in the goals which worked wonders for a brief period of time.
Long would go on to become a feared Premier League striker with the Saints momentarily – bagging a career-best at the level during his debut season on the South Coast with ten strikes – but West Brom won't have been too disheartened with the money they received cutting ties with the now retired attacker when revisiting the sale back in their heads.
Thomas-Asante will hope he's a top-flight striker at some point this year, with Carlos Corberan's men still very much in the running to make the leap up to the Premier League via the playoff picture despite a recent bumpy patch of form.
West Brom struck gold with an icon who'd be worth £12m in 2024 money
West Bromwich Albion got their money’s worth with this excellent gem.
Rangers chiefs have reportedly been left devastated by a significant update on the Scottish Premiership's status in the UEFA Champions League, in what is described as a "huge blow".
Rangers' Premiership title hopes hanging by thread
Philippe Clement's side were in such a strong position in the title race a few weeks back, but a couple of disappointing results have seen them lose momentum at an alarming rate. Granted, the 3-3 draw at home to Celtic was no disaster, especially as they equalised in stoppage time, but Sunday's 3-2 loss at Ross County was a shocker, as they fell apart during a woeful second half performance.
It means that destiny is now out of Rangers' hands in the title battle, with the Hoops four points clear of their rivals having played one game more. It promises to be a nervy run-in for both teams, and Clement will know that a response is essential against Dundee on Wednesday evening.
On top of the Gers' disappointing form, they have also been hit with the news that Scottish clubs have now lost an automatic Champions League spot starting from the 2025/26 season, with the champions going straight into the competition in the past.
A report from The Guardian stated that the "Czech Republic overtook Scotland to take 10th spot in UEFA's coefficient rankings", acting as an undeniable setback for both themselves and Celtic.
"Huge" setback changes transfer plans
According to a new update from Football Insider, Rangers chiefs believe losing an automatic Champions League spot is a "huge blow", with the report saying they are devastated by the news. Most importantly for the short-term, it goes on to add that "it is believed the development will affect the Gers’ transfer plans in future windows", which is a big reason for the concern from those high up at Ibrox.
There is no hiding the fact that Scotland slipping down the coefficient rankings acts as a major setback for the Scottish game as a whole, even though it clearly affects Rangers and Celtic more than anyone, given their dominance at the top of the table throughout history.
The Champions League is club football's most prestigious competition, acting as a huge pull for potential new signings and sponsors, so to suddenly have the risk of not reaching the group stages even if you win the title is far from ideal, in terms of enticing top-quality individuals and external money to Ibrox.
The importance of winning the title is also further highlighted for the Gers, with missing out on glory not only a huge blow to their trophy count, but also meaning they wouldn't even be in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League.
Rangers’ 10 best managers of all time ranked by win percentage
The Gers missed out on the league title in his first season, but where does Philippe Clement rank among his predecessors?
Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has finally broken his silence on rumours linking him with a billion dollar move to the Saudi Pro League.
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Vinicius Jr. was linked with a move to Saudi
Opened up about his future
Wants to win more trophies for Real Madrid
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian winger has been the subject of an eye-watering $1 billion (£756m/€896m) approach from the Saudi Pro League that was not immediately rejected by the 24-year-old, causing concern among the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy. ESPN has reported that Vinicius Jr. will wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to pursue the Saudi offer, which would make him the highest-paid athlete in the world.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Brazil international, however, has now finally addressed the transfer rumour, insisting that he wants to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu on a long-term basis. He further stated that he feels confident at Real Madrid, playing alongside some of the top talents in the world as he aims to win more major trophies.
WHAT VINICIUS JUNIOR SAID
Speaking to CNN Sports, the Los Blancos star said: "I always play to be among the best and, each day that passes at Real Madrid, I feel more confident. I’ve already won two Champions Leagues and I play with others who already won six – [Dani] Carvajal also has won six and they motivate us each day to play beyond our limits and that everything is possible with the team we have now.
"We already made it this far [winning two Champions Leagues in three years], it was really hard. But to stay at the highest level, it’s much harder, so I want to stay at this level for a long time and be able to win as many Champions League as Carvajal, [Luka] Modrić, Nacho and Toni [Kroos], who won six."
He added: "We might have one of the best teams for the next decade, and now, we have to show on the pitch that we can perform. And I, along with my team-mates, each time, each game we play, we can get closer to winning Real Madrid more titles."
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WHAT NEXT FOR VINICIUS JUNIOR?
The Brazil international has enjoyed a remarkable 2024 that could culminate in his maiden Ballon d'Or award. He will be next seen in action on Thursday night as Real Madrid take on Las Palmas in La Liga.
Harry Kane has been backed for a shock NFL career switch in the near future, with Tom Brady set to "open doors" for the Bayern and England star.
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Kane has an affinity for the NFL
Brady and Kane are friends
Striker backed to pursue NFL career at 35
WHAT HAPPENED?
Kane celebrated his 100th international cap by scoring a brace in England’s comfortable 2-0 victory over Finland in the UEFA Nations League. However, at 31, Kane is approaching the twilight years of his football career and the NFL could be an alternative option that may keep him on the field for a bit longer.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Kane and Brady share a unique friendship rooted in their love for American football. Their relationship began with casual conversations on Instagram, sparked by Kane’s admiration for the NFL and its legendary quarterback. The English striker, who is fascinated by Brady’s longevity, has admitted that he has already taken a leaf out of the American's fitness book in a desire to stretch his career for as long as possible, with his idol having won his seventh Super Bowl at the age of 43.
WHAT HENRY WINTER SAID
Speaking on , journalist Henry Winter spoke about Kane’s potential transition to the NFL. He said: "I think Harry Kane will be a kicker in the NFL by the time he's 35. He's 31 now. I think he'll obviously have a good time at Bayern Munich, win some things there. But I can seriously see him doing that. Honestly, I can see Harry Kane doing that because he likes America and he loves kicking in the NFL. He's talked about it before and I'm sure Tom Brady could open some doors for him."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Kane's desire to transition into the NFL has been public knowledge for some time. As early as 2019, Kane expressed his interest in becoming a kicker, telling ESPN that he would "definitely want to try" taking on the challenge within the next "ten or twelve years". More recently in 2023, he admitted that a career in the NFL would be "something very special" as he has already been receiving pro tips from Brady.
In fact, Kane has even named one of his dogs after Tom Brady, showcasing his admiration for the former New England Patriots quarterback. His other dog is named after Russell Wilson, another highly regarded NFL quarterback, further underlining his connection to the sport and its icons.