Article body analysed

Transfer news, done deals, analysis and gossip Tottenham close on loan move for midfielder Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich I Analysis: Palhinha pros and cons Southampton reject £27m offer from Everton for 19-year-old winger Tyler Dibling Alexander Isak is training alone at former club Real Sociedad amid continued uncertainty around his Newcastle future Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr rejoins RC Strasbourg on a season-long loan Rangers complete signing of Mikey Moore on loan deal from Spurs My Club My Passion - tell us why you love your team Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Sam Drury, Ben Ramsdale, Alex Fletcher, Ijeoma Osadebe and Sean Byrne Alex Keble Football tactics writer Liverpool's summer window has already been the most curious we have ever seen from Premier League champions. Signing Bundesliga stars en masse and swapping out both full-backs implies a major tactical shift that heralds the dawn of a new one. But bringing in Newcastle United's Alexander Isak would push Liverpool's transfer business into unprecedented territory. What exactly is Arne Slot thinking? The simplest thing to do is fully convert Hugo Ekitike into a Luis Diaz replacement, following the Colombia forward's move to Bayern Munich. Ekitike has played just nine games - two starts and 324 minutes in total - as a left-winger, although he has often tended to drift out to that side, most notably throughout 2023-24. More importantly, the way Slot has used Cody Gapko and Luis Diaz - as one-on-one dribblers, using their acceleration to cut inside full-backs - corresponds with Ekitike's best qualities. In the Bundesliga last season, Ekitike came fifth for attempted dribbles (126) and for shot-ending carries (44). He also provided eight assists and ranked fifth for 'attacking sequence' involvements. He hasn't done it much before, but Ekitike has the makings of a Slot left-winger. Read Alex's full piece here. BBC Football Daily The Telegraph's Luke Edwards speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on Isak training at Real Sociedad: "I think it's another little ploy. The rest of the squad are in South Korea so most of the training people will be there. I don't think it looks particularly good, I think it is another signal that he wants to leave. "Put it this way, if he stays, what has he actually done? He hasn't said anything, he went to Real Sociedad to train, he could just say he went there to get some sunshine while the rest of the squad were away. All of these things are plausible deniability. At the moment, for me, he hasn't done enough to force Newcastle's hand. "The question we are all waiting for is will he come out and directly say he wants to go. If he doesn't, I think Newcastle will continue to resist. " You can listen to the full podcast here. Sam Drury BBC Sport I'm not sure about that, Andrew. If Liverpool are willing to pay the £130m or £150m it will take to get Alexander Isak, surely they would want him in as soon as possible? Especially with the start of the season just around the corner. If Newcastle decide they are going to sell, when that is could be more about how quickly they're able to bring in a replacement (or two). Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say We need to set a one week deadline for Liverpool to match our asking price, or the deal is shut down completely. Based upon their recent transfer tactics, they might be underhand and wait till the last few days to offer a fair amount; we’d have no time to replace! Andrew in Newcastle BBC Football Daily ESPN's Mark Ogden speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on why Liverpool may not have made a move for Alexander Isak yet: "These transfers don't happen out of nowhere. Liverpool are a very compelling proposition to any player, they are one of the biggest clubs in the world, Premier League champions, they are the place to be. "If you are Isak, peak of your career, you want to win trophies, you'll play in the Champions League with Newcastle but who's going to offer you the best chance of winning it? It's Liverpool. Liverpool are sat there knowing they can get the deal done. But if Newcastle want to play hard ball, they can do it. "Football clubs are ran like a business - the manager and fans might be emotional, but the people who hold the purse strings aren't. " Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said earlier this week the club are yet to receive a bid from any club for Alexander Isak. "[Isak] is still our player. He's contracted to us, " he added. "We, to a degree, control what is next for him. I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that's not in my full control. "We have not received a formal offer for Alex, from any club. " Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Isak would be the most excited I’ve been about a transfer since Torres came in. I had my Torres 9 shirt before it had been completed - shall I get my Isak shirt 9 now? ! Andy, Cheltenham BBC Football Daily The Telegraph's Luke Edwards, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, on the uncertainty surrounding Newcastle striker Alexander Isak: "The situation hasn't changed from a week ago. It's the transfer story of the summer, it's moving into saga territory. "Isak hasn't said anything, he hasn't said he wants to leave, he hasn't said he's injured, he hasn't said he wants to move to Liverpool, he hasn't said he's unhappy. "We all know he'd like to leave, but he has kept his hands clean. At the minute there is no bids to consider, and the official line is that he's not for sale. Liverpool will have to make a bid at some point to put that to the test. " Alexander Isak is training alone at former club Real Sociedad amid continued uncertainty around his Newcastle United future. The Sweden striker was left out of Newcastle's squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, with the club saying he had a "minor" thigh issue. Isak wants to explore a move away from the Magpies, with Liverpool interested in signing the former Borussia Dortmund striker. The 25-year-old joined Newcastle in a £60m move from La Liga club Real Sociedad in 2022. Sources have told BBC Sport he is using the Spanish club's training ground facilities, but is not training with the team. It is understood he asked to use the facilities and the club were happy to let him do so outside of first team training hours. Newcastle have declined to comment. A fully fit Fabio Aurelio (who also wore six for a time) may have something to say about that, James, but we don't have time to get into that. We've waited long enough. It's time for the 'will he, won't he' saga of the summer. Let's talk about Alexander Isak. .. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Liverpool's best left-back of the 2000s wore #6. John Arne Riise.

People have short memories. James Huddersfield Town have signed Leo Castledine on a season-long loan from Chelsea. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder spent last season on loan with Shrewsbury Town in League One, making 26 appearances and scoring twice. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Morgan Gibbs-White staying with a new deal feels like a huge signing for Forest in a way, coupled with Aina, Neco & Sels with new contracts. Keeping the key lads already here was just as important as bringing strength in. Exciting season ahead COYR Rick, North West Brighton have completed the signing of 19-year-old defender Sean Keogh from Dundalk. The Republic of Ireland youth international, who scored two goals in 38 appearances for Dundalk, will link up with the Premier League club's under-21 squad. Seagulls under-21s boss Shannon Ruth said: "He's got a lot of the attributes and qualities we look for in our young players and we're looking forward to seeing how he develops in our setup this season. " Just joining us? Don't worry we've got you sorted. Here's what we've covered so far today: We're also asking for the one transfer wish you have for your club before the window closes on 1 September. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say. Some pretty useful left-backs have worn six before, Nicky. .. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say A left back wearing number 6?

The games gone. Nicky In taking the number seven, £100m man Florian Wirtz joins an impressive list of Liverpool legends to have worn the shirt before him - most of them fitting the profile of creative, attacking players. Perhaps most notable is Kenny Dalglish, arguably Liverpool's greatest ever player, who joined in 1977 and played in the number seven through his time at the club, scoring scoring 172 goals in 515 games as he won a whole host of trophies. Dalglish inherited the shirt from Kevin Keegan, who had six trophy-laden years at the club before signing off by winning the 1977 European Cup. Going even further back, the iconic Billy Liddell and club-record appearance maker Ian Callaghan had seven on their backs. Peter Beardsley wore it with distinction in the late 80s, Steve Mc Manaman had it for three years in the 90s before leaving for Real Madrid and Luis Suarez took it in 2011, going on to score 83 goals in 133 appearances for the Reds. James Milner wore it as Liverpool won the Premier League and Champions League in his time at Anfield before Luis Diaz claimed it, adding his name to the club's title-winning number sevens - something Wirtz will no doubt hope to do in the coming years. .. It's been a busy transfer window for Liverpool this summer - you may have heard - but they had not revealed the squad numbers of their new signings. .. until today. Record £116m signing Florian Wirtz will wear the famous number seven shirt, previously worn by club legends Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Luis Suarez - and recently vacated by Luis Diaz. Meanwhile, left-back Milos Kerkez will wear six, it's 22 for £69m striker Hugo Ekitike, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili takes 25 and right-back Jeremie Frimpong sticks with 30, the number he had at former club Bayer Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley has switched from number 84 to 12 and talented young midfielder Trey Nyoni has gone from 98 to 42. Here are all the new squad numbers for the Premier League champions. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Newcastle should set a deadline for Liverpool to match their asking price for Isak and, if they haven’t met it in time, shut the door. With Liverpool’s recent transfer tactics, it wouldn’t surprise me if they put it off till the last week, just to leave Newcastle in a predicament. Andrew Mason, Newcastle Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.