FootyChatter.com

Transfer news, done deals, analysis and gossip Al-Hilal agree deal for Liverpool's Nunez NEW: Maddison expected to be out for most of upcoming season Man Utd 'like' Baleba but Brighton stance makes deal unlikely Viktor Gyokeres plays an hour for Arsenal in friendly defeat to Villarreal and manager Mikel Arteta says he 'will be ready' for Premier League opener with Man Utd Benjamin Sesko latest as Manchester United look to close in on RB Leipzig striker Plus all the latest on Yoane Wissa, Tyler Dibling, Darwin Nunez and more Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say My Club My Passion - tell us why you love your team Written by Joe Rindl, Ben Ramsdale, Adwaidh Rajan & Millie Sian. Michail Antonio joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2016, and is the club's record Premier League scorer. Antonio started his career at Tooting & Mitcham United before joining Reading as a teenager. He's had loan spells at Cheltenham, Southampton, Colchester and Sheffield Wednesday. That last loan spell was even made permanent. The 35-year-old has made 24 appearances for Jamaica. So far, Antonio has not announced whether he has retired from football or not. Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport football news reporter There are times as a reporter when being in the room is really important to check the tone of what a manager says. Hearing Enzo Maresca talk about the injury of star defender Levi Colwill, you could tell there was an air of concern about the situation. He said: "It was in the first session on Monday, just in the last minutes of the session. He felt something and, as I said, we need to wait and then we see, " he added. "We don't know how long he is going to be out. "I spoke with him yesterday and I told him that if we achieve what we achieved last year, it is also because of him - and he was a main player for us. " Maresca also hinted that if scans reveal a serious injury then they may need to go back into the transfer market for another option. James Maddison has been an important figure for Tottenham since joining from Leicester City in June 2023, but he has also spent his fair share of time on the sidelines with various injuries. The attacking midfielder has suffered with three separate injuries during his two-year spell at the club and had only just returned from a knee injury picked up back in May. According to Transfermarkt, external, the 28-year-old has missed a total of 24 games with three separate injuries during his two-year spell at the club: Thomas Frank has already confirmed that Maddison's ACL injury is on the same knee that ruled the playmaker out of their Europa League final victory against Manchester United. James Maddison began his career at local club Coventry City, graduating from the academy and making his first-team debut in August 2014. He was signed by then Premier League side Norwich City in February 2015 but was loaned back to the Sky Blues for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. He returned to Norwich in the summer of 2016, making his debut for the Canaries before being loaned to Scottish side Aberdeen for the first half of the 2016-17 season. The 2017-18 season was arguably Maddison's breakout season where he was named as Norwich's player of the year and was nominated for the EFL Championship young player of the season award. His impressive season earned him a move to Leicester City in the summer of 2018. Maddison spent five seasons at King Power Stadium and earned his first international cap whilst at the club in November 2019. After a three year hiatus from the England squad, he was included in the 2022 World Cup squad but made no appearances in Qatar. Maddison scored 10 goals and added nine assists in his final season at Leicester as the club were relegated to the Championship. Tottenham signed Maddison for £40m in the summer of 2023 and has made 75 appearances to date for the Lilywhites. West Ham United West Ham have say: "Michail will always be a much-loved and respected member of the West Ham United family. As has been the case since December, the Club will continue to support and assist him in his ongoing rehabilitation, offering him access to training, facilities and medical care if needed. "Dialogue continues over his future involvement with the Club in an alternative capacity - including one that would enable others to benefit from his experience and leadership qualities - and he will forever hold a special place in our 130-year history. "Everyone at West Ham United would like to sincerely thank Michail for his outstanding, dedicated service in a Claret and Blue shirt over the last ten years. Further recognition of his magnificent contribution will appear across Club channels in the coming days and weeks. " West Ham United The club have said "following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season, Michail Antonio will not be signing a new deal as a first-team player with the Club". Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say With Maddison out for most of next season, I don't see why Spurs don't turn to Grealish as a replacement. Proven in the Premier League and bags load of experience Jack, Surrey Jordan Butler BBC Sport Tottenham

have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the new season following confirmation that

James Maddison sustained an ACL injury during the pre-season tour to Asia. Number 10 is

a key position in Thomas Frank’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and with Dejan

Kulusevski also currently injured, Spurs may be forced to move in the transfer

market to enhance their options in attacking midfield. One of

Thomas Frank’s most reliable performers last season at Brentford was his elegant

playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard. The 25-year-old contributed 10 assists in 34

top-flight starts and won possession 35 times in the final third last term,

more than any other top-flight midfielder. Maddison and

Kulusevki, used centrally by Ange Postecoglou, were the obvious contenders to

replicate Damsgaard’s role but their respective injuries leaves only Mohammed

Kudus as a realistic option in the current squad. The Ghanaian

mostly featured on the right at West Ham but has repeatedly said his preferred

position is through the middle. He is a superb dribbler but created an average of just one chance per

game from open play in 2024-25 and has sometimes been criticised for losing possession too

easily in central areas. Could the number 10 quandary

lead to a loan move for Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, who has been linked

with Everton? Other possible targets could be Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi

Eze, potentially gazumping rivals Arsenal, or Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, whose

head could be turned from a move to RB Leipzig. There have also been tentative

links this summer to Leicester playmaker Bilal El Khannouss. Should Mohammed Kudus be given the keys to number 10 at Tottenham? James Maddison pulled up with an injury seven minutes from time during Sunday's pre-season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea. The 28 year-old looked in clear discomfort and had to be taken from the field of play on a stretcher, while team-mate Son Heung-min, during his final appearance for the club, was visibly emotional watching on. Spurs head coach Thomas Frank said after the match that Maddison's injury "looks bad", adding that he has likely injured the same knee that kept him out of last season's Europa League final victory against Manchester United. "Sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal, " said Frank. "That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players. " Sami Mokbel BBC Sport Senior football correspondent Tottenham have confirmed James Maddison has suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. He is expected to miss the majority of the upcoming season. Stay with us as we bring you further updates. Simon Stone BBC Sport chief football news reporter in Chicago I mentioned a bit earlier than Manchester United like Carlos Baleba. Well, so do Brighton. These things are often done through intermediaries but I am Brighton have made it clear to United they have no interest in selling the Cameroon midfielder. Felt like I was back at school waiting for the teacher to roll the TV into the room. Harry Joe Rindl BBC Sport Made the decision to swerve to a pure Chelsea summer departures XI. Hope you don't mind. Goalkeepers Petrovic, Bettinelli, Bergstrom and Penders make the bench. Joe Rindl BBC Sport Want me to load up the BBC XI graphic machine again? Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Just picking my FPL team of all ex-Chelsea players. Can any other team do the same? Phil, Tenbury Wells The transfer cogs are certainly in motion this morning, so let's do a little round-up of all the main talking points. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Despite big-ticket signings, Liverpool now have a net spend for the window below Arsenal, Man City & Man Utd (Isak notwithstanding). Michael, Speke Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Really wanted Darwin to be our number 1 attack for the next 5 years. Sad to see him go. But wish him all the best. Jonathan, Cardiff Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say As a Liverpool fan all we want to see is Darwin to succeed, if not for us then someone else. Antony, Gosport Liverpool In: Out: Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.